Matthew 24:14:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations; and then the end shall come.
Let us pay attention to this phrase: “this gospel of the kingdom.”
This afternoon, by the mercy of the Lord, I would like to have an overview of the Gospel according to Matthew. We want to go through the whole book of Matthew and see whether we can understand a little better this matter of the gospel of the kingdom.
First, let us try to find two keys from our Lord concerning this book. Can we find words of our Lord that really cover the whole Gospel according to Matthew?
Let us turn to Matthew 12:42:
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
Now let us pay attention. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Then verse 41:
The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
We know that there are twenty-eight chapters in the Gospel according to Matthew. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 25, I think we see the phrase, “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” In these twenty-five chapters, you discover the wisdom of Solomon.
“Something greater than Solomon is here” means that Someone greater than Solomon is here. From Chapter 1 to Chapter 25, we discover the word of the kingdom. Then, when we come to the last three chapters of Matthew, we discover another phrase that covers them: “Behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
In these last three chapters, we discover how Jonah was in the belly of the fish. This means the death and resurrection of our Lord.
When we come to the first twenty-five chapters, we would like to see how the Holy Spirit divides that portion for us. Surely the Holy Spirit Himself supplies us with hints, so that we may know how to understand that portion of the Word of God.
Then you discover five very interesting phrases in the section from Chapter 1 through Chapter 25. It is like a fivefold formula.
In Matthew 7:28-29, we have, “And when Jesus finished these sayings.” In Matthew 11:1, we have, “And when Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples.” In Matthew 13:53, we have, “And when Jesus had finished these parables.”
Then, in Matthew 19:1, we have, “And when Jesus had finished these sayings.” Finally, in Matthew 26:1, we have, “And when Jesus had finished all these sayings.”
So, brothers and sisters, from Chapter 1 through Chapter 25, we can be convinced that this is indeed the wisdom of Solomon, because here you find all the sayings of our Lord. It can be divided into five subsections, and after each subsection we have a formula such as, “When Jesus finished these sayings.”
From Chapter 1 through Chapter 25, the wisdom of Solomon is expressed in five sections. This division is automatic and natural. I believe that it is inspired; it is not artificial at all.
Let us call the first section Book One. From Matthew 1:1 through Matthew 4:24, we have narrative material. Then we have the first discourse of our Lord. At the end of that discourse, we have the phrase, “And when Jesus finished these sayings.”
Then, when we come to the second section, from Matthew 8:1 through Matthew 9:35, we again have narrative material, followed by the second discourse of our Lord. So it continues in this way.
Therefore, the Word is naturally divided into five sections: Book One, Book Two, Book Three, Book Four, and Book Five.
Some Bible scholars suggest that these five books of the New Testament may be compared with the five books of Moses in the Old Testament. Book One somehow corresponds to Genesis; Book Two somehow corresponds to Exodus; and so on.
In any case, if you read this portion of the Word, you discover five discourses of our Lord. If we use one phrase to cover their contents, it is this: the wisdom of Solomon.
Thus, from Chapter 1 through Chapter 25, we have, “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” Then, from Chapter 26 through Chapter 28, we have, “Behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
Before going further, let us mention in passing the nature of Solomon’s wisdom. Let us turn to 1 Kings 4:29-34.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.
And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five.
And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Here we have the phrase, “the wisdom of Solomon.” It is interesting that the wisdom of Solomon may be characterized in three categories:
First, Solomon spoke proverbs. Second, he wrote songs; his wisdom was poetical. Third, he spoke of trees, animals, birds, creeping things, and fish; his wisdom was pictorial.
Now let us see whether, when we study the Gospel of Matthew from Chapter 1 through Chapter 25, we find these same three elements.
Let us first consider the proverbial part. Matthew contains many examples:
But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil.
— Matthew 5:39
And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee.
— Matthew 5:29
And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee.
— Matthew 5:30
These are examples of the proverbial wisdom found in the sayings of our Lord.
Then we have the poetical element. Biblical poetry is not like English or Chinese poetry, where rhyme is primarily a matter of matching sounds. Biblical poetry often involves the correspondence of thoughts.
There was a famous scholar at Oxford who wrote a wonderful book entitled The Poetry of Our Lord. He pointed out the poetic quality of the sayings of our Lord, especially in the Gospel according to Matthew.
For example:
The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.
— Matthew 8:20
Another example is the Lord’s prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
As in heaven, so on earth.
— Matthew 6:9-10
This point is extremely important for our fellowship because here we find the definition of the kingdom. Through the correspondence of “Thy kingdom come” and “Thy will be done,” we discover that the definition of the kingdom is connected with the will of God.
What is the kingdom of heaven? It is this: “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.” Here we find the definition of the kingdom of heaven.
Then we have the pictorial element. In 1 Kings, Solomon spoke of trees and animals. In Matthew, our Lord speaks of fig trees and thorns, vines and fruits, dogs, swine, sheep, wolves, birds, moths, and fish.
If you compare the wisdom of our Lord with the wisdom of Solomon, you indeed discover that Someone greater than Solomon is here.
Consider a few more examples of pictorial language:
A city set on a hill cannot be hid.
— Matthew 5:14
Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
— Matthew 7:3
And the whole of Matthew 13 is pictorial. It contains the parables of the kingdom. Therefore, if you study the first twenty-five chapters, you discover once again: “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
With this structure in mind, we can go one step further and see whether the Lord will show us something more from the whole book of Matthew.
It is interesting that, if you study this Gospel—as you might study Jonah, Ruth, or other books of the Bible—you discover a kind of symmetry in its structure.
What do I mean by symmetry? In the Gospel of Matthew, you find something written near the beginning and something written near the end that correspond to one another. Then, as you continue reading, you discover other portions that also correspond to one another.
This is not only true of Matthew. It is also found in Ruth and Jonah, for example.
Consider this illustration: “I love Rebekah as much as Rebekah loves Isaac.” You can read the thought in one direction and then see its correspondence in the other direction. The first and last words correspond; then the second and next-to-last words correspond.
This is called concentric symmetry. The sentence converges toward a center. In the illustration, “much” is the center of the sentence.
If you study the whole Gospel of Matthew, you discover this same kind of structure. The various sections correspond to each other and converge toward a central section.
The first section, which we may call A, extends from Matthew 1:1 through Matthew 4:17. Its corresponding section, A′, extends from Matthew 26:1 through Matthew 28:20.
Section B extends from Matthew 4:18 through Matthew 7:29 and contains the first discourse of our Lord. Its corresponding section, B′, extends from Matthew 23:1 through Matthew 25:46 and contains the fifth discourse.
Other sections similarly correspond: C with C′, D with D′, and E with E′. Everything converges toward the central section, Chapter 13, which contains the third discourse of our Lord.
Section A is narrative, and A′ is also narrative. Section B is the first discourse, and B′ is the fifth discourse. Section C is narrative, and C′ is also narrative. Section D contains narrative, the second discourse, and narrative; D′ contains narrative, the fourth discourse, and narrative. Section E and E′ are both narrative.
Finally, we come to the center of the whole Gospel: Chapter 13, the third discourse of our Lord.
In Section A, from Matthew 1 through Matthew 4, we have the birth and preparation of our Lord. In Section A′, we have the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord.
In Section B, we have the first discourse of our Lord, the Sermon on the Mount, where the Lord teaches with authority. In Section B′, we have the fifth discourse, including the judgment of Jerusalem and the prophecy concerning Christ’s return.
In Section C, we have ten miracles of our Lord, somewhat like the ten miracles of Moses in Exodus. Here we find that the Lord acts with authority. In Section C′, from Matthew 21:1 through Matthew 22:46, the authority of our Lord is questioned.
In Section D, we have instruction concerning discipleship. The Lord sends His disciples with authority. In Section D′, from Matthew 16:21 through Matthew 20:34, we have teaching concerning the kingdom, the cross, and the church.
In Section E, we find Jesus rejected. In Section E′, we find Jesus opposed and confessed. Finally, at the center, in Chapter 13, we have the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens.
Let us consider a few examples of this symmetry. At the beginning of Matthew, in Matthew 1:6, we read:
And Jesse begat David the king.
In the genealogy of our Lord, there were many kings on the throne of David, yet only David is given the title “the king.” Solomon is not given that title there. In the first chapter of Matthew, David alone is called “David the king.”
Then, at the end of the Gospel, in Matthew 28:18, we read:
And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth.
At the beginning, we have the king of Israel, David the king. At the end, we have the King of the universe, because all authority has been given to our Lord in heaven and on earth.
One day our Lord will be King over the Messianic kingdom; there is no doubt about that. But if you study the whole Gospel of Matthew, you discover that our Lord will not only sit upon the throne of David. He is also the King of the universe.
The phrase “King of the Jews” is very important, brothers and sisters. If we do not understand this phrase, we simply do not understand the whole Gospel of Matthew.
This phrase occurs only in Sections A and A′. In Matthew 2:2, we read:
Where is He that is born King of the Jews?
Then, in Matthew 27, the governor questioned our Lord:
Art Thou the King of the Jews?
And Jesus said to him:
Thou sayest.
Thus, in Section A and Section A′, we find the phrase “King of the Jews.” It occurs at the beginning and at the end, revealing the symmetry.
In Matthew 1:23, we read:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
And they shall call His name Immanuel;
Which is, being interpreted, God with us.
At the end of the Gospel, in Matthew 28:20, the Lord says:
Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
At the beginning, we have Emmanuel, God with us. At the end, we have, “I am with you always.” Emmanuel is at the beginning, and Emmanuel is at the end.
In Section A, the wise men appear as the first representatives of the Gentiles. Then, in Matthew 27, the Roman centurion and the soldiers confess Him as the Son of God.
Thus, we have Gentile representatives in both Section A and Section A′.
In Section A, we have the threefold temptation by the devil. In two cases, Satan challenges Him with the words, “If Thou art the Son of God.”
Then, in Matthew 26 and Matthew 27, we come to the final temptation. The chief priests and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus. They tried to provoke our Lord with false accusations, but Jesus kept silent.
At the cross, those who passed by hurled abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying:
If Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Likewise, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying:
He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on Him.
He trusted on God; let Him deliver Him now, if He desireth Him: for He said, I am the Son of God.
Thank God, our Lord did not come down from the cross. He could not save Himself because He wanted to save us.
In Section A, angels appear to Joseph and to the Lord. In Matthew 28, angels appear to the women on the morning of the resurrection. Angels appear only at the beginning and the end.
It is also interesting that, in Chapter 1, we discover the role of women in the genealogy of our Lord. At the very end, we discover the role of women on the morning of the resurrection. Again, we see the symmetry.
Now we come to Section B and Section B′: the first discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, and the fifth discourse.
The setting for both discourses is a mountain. The first discourse is the Sermon on the Mount. The final discourse is delivered on the Mount of Olives.
In the first discourse, we have the Beatitudes. In Matthew 23, we have eight woes pronounced upon the scribes and Pharisees. There are blessings in the first discourse and woes in the fifth discourse.
In Matthew 5 through Matthew 7, we are told of the righteousness of the disciples. The righteousness of the disciples must surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. If you want to know what the righteousness of a disciple is, read the Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 23, we have the righteousness, so-called, of the scribes and Pharisees. There we find the exposure and judgment of their hypocrisy.
Matthew 5 through Matthew 7 tells us of the kingdom of the heavens in reality. Matthew 23 through Matthew 25 tells us of the kingdom of the heavens in manifestation. Again, we see the symmetry.
If you study Sections C and C′, you discover one common keyword: authority.
In Matthew 8:9, the centurion says:
For I also am a man under authority.
Then our Lord says:
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins—
Then saith He to the sick of the palsy, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.
In Section C′, the chief priests and elders challenge our Lord:
By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?
Therefore, in these two corresponding sections, the keyword is authority.
When we come to Sections D and D′, one is concerned with discipleship, and the other with the kingdom, the cross, and the church.
In Matthew 10:38-39, the Lord says:
And he that doth not take his cross and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it.
This is the cross and discipleship. Then, when we come to the section concerning the church, the Lord again mentions the cross and repeats the same principle.
In Matthew 16:24-25, the Lord says:
If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it.
One passage concerns discipleship; the other concerns the church. Yet there is a one-to-one correspondence.
When we come to discipleship and to the matter of the church, we always encounter the presence of the Lord.
In Matthew 10:20, speaking of discipleship, our Lord says:
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
That is wonderful, friends. It tells us of the presence of the Lord: the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.
I remember very well when my daughter was about ten years old. One day, she wanted to give a gift to her grandfather. Her brother tried to persuade her not to give a golden pen to their grandfather, but she refused the temptation.
In the end, we discovered that it was her brother who gave the golden pen to their grandfather, not her. I thought something must have happened, so I asked my wife. Later, my wife found out what had happened.
My daughter said, “My stomach is talking to me that I should give this golden pen to my brother.” She did not know about the anointing of the Holy Spirit or how to describe it. So she said, “My stomach is talking to me.” It kept speaking to her until she wept, and then she gave the pen to her brother.
Brothers and sisters, that is the presence of the Lord.
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
Then, when we come to the presence of the Lord in relation to the church, we have this phrase:
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
— Matthew 18:20
In these two sections, we have very important statements that open up much concerning the New Testament: the Spirit of the Father speaking in the disciple, and the Lord present in the midst of those gathered in His name.
When we come to Sections E and E′, we remember the confession of Peter. Peter said:
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Our Lord said to him:
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in heaven.
— Matthew 16:17
If you study Section E, where our Lord was rejected, you remember that He performed miracles in Capernaum and other cities, yet they refused to repent.
At that time, our Lord said:
I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes.
— Matthew 11:25
These people were too clever, too wise, and too intelligent. They are like modern Bible scholars who treat the book of Jonah merely as a parable because they cannot believe that Jonah is true history. They are too wise and too intelligent for that.
But thank the Lord: the book of Jonah is revealed to those who are babes in the Lord. The Lord said that these things were revealed unto babes.
Now we understand why Peter confessed Christ as the Son of the living God. He belonged to the category of babes, and it pleased the Father to reveal this to Peter.
More than that, the Lord told Peter that the Father had revealed Christ to him, but He also would reveal something further. This is revelation from the Son.
Then we discover how our Lord revealed the church. Christ is the mystery of God, and the church is the mystery of Christ. In Matthew 16, for the first time, our Lord revealed the mystery of the church.
Gradually, we discover that our study converges toward the center of the whole book. Finally, we arrive at Matthew 13.
What does this mean? Does it mean that the Holy Spirit uses this symmetry to point us to the most important chapter, or the key chapter, of the whole book?
Is it not true that the cardinal thought of the whole Gospel of Matthew is somehow condensed in this chapter?
When we observe the whole symmetry of the Gospel according to Matthew, and when our thoughts converge from the beginning and the end toward the center, we discover that we are occupied with the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Here we have pictures. Here we have parables. When we come to this chapter, we must ask: What is new about this chapter? What is important about this chapter? We have to ask our Lord to explain it to us. We have to ask the Holy Spirit to impress us with its importance.
Then we come to this important passage:
All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake He nothing unto them:
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.
— Matthew 13:34-35
This means that, from the mouth of our Lord, we discover something new in Matthew 13—something brand new, something hidden from the foundation of the world.
Therefore, the thought and revelation of the Holy Spirit must be here. There must be an important key to the whole Gospel of Matthew, and this is very, very important.
Our brother shared with us yesterday concerning the mysteries, and he quoted several verses. For example:
The revelation of the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.
— Romans 16:25
But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory.
— 1 Corinthians 2:7
The mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.
— Ephesians 3:5
The mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to His saints.
— Colossians 1:26
To whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
— Colossians 1:27
What is this mystery? Our Lord spells it out: it is the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
In Matthew 13:10-11, the disciples came and said to Him:
Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?
And He answered:
Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Then, in Matthew 13:13, the Lord says:
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And in Matthew 13:16-17:
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
If you study this portion of the Word of God, you discover something very important. Here we are told of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The Lord says, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.”
Many prophets and righteous men in the Old Testament desired to see what the disciples saw, but they did not see it. They desired to hear what the disciples heard, but they did not hear it.
This means that something new had come from the Lord. The old prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament tried to see it, but they could not. This matter concerns the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Now we want to know: What is the greatest mystery of the kingdom of heaven?
The disciples heard the parables, so the Lord said, “Hear then the parable of the sower.” But what did they see? The Lord said, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see.” The prophets desired to see what they saw, but they did not see it.
There must be something that belongs to the greatest mystery of the kingdom of heaven.
For this, we need Matthew, one of the disciples, to give us his report. The Gospel according to Matthew was written by Matthew, and the Holy Spirit inspired him to write this Gospel. That is why we have such a wonderful structure.
The Holy Spirit guides our thoughts to Chapter 13 because it must mean something very important. Yet we need the whole Gospel to understand this chapter. We need Matthew to tell us what he saw and what he heard.
If we gather all the information from this book, we come to one conclusion: the greatest mystery of the kingdom of heaven is the King of the kingdom of heaven.
After you go through the whole Gospel according to Matthew, you come to this conclusion: our King is different from all other kings.
Matthew gives us a description that we will never forget. Let me use one sentence to describe it:
The King of glory is crowned with thorns.
Brothers and sisters, go to England and visit the palace. See whether the king or queen there is crowned with thorns.
Matthew was an agent of the Roman Empire. He had witnessed the splendor and glory of that earthly kingdom. He knew how a king sat on the throne with a wonderful crown.
But if you study the Gospel according to Matthew, you find one overwhelming impression: the greatest mystery of the kingdom of heaven is this—our King of glory is crowned with thorns.
This is the glory of the kingdom of heaven.
For this reason, when we turn to Matthew 1, we read:
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
— Matthew 1:1
Matthew wrote this Gospel to the Jews. He was preaching the gospel to the Jews and seeking to win them to Christ. Therefore, he used their background.
The thoughts of the people of Israel were occupied with the everlasting covenant of Abraham and the everlasting covenant of David.
Even though the people of Israel had failed, they knew the prophetic promise that David would never lack a man to sit upon the throne. The Word of God can never change because God has bound Himself by everlasting covenant with Abraham and David.
For that reason, Matthew tells his readers that Jesus Christ will sit upon the throne of David. One day, they will discover that this is the King of the Jews for whom they have been waiting.
One day His kingdom will be upon the earth. This was the hope of every pious Jew. They were waiting for this moment.
In Luke 1:31-33, we read:
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
Every pious Jew was waiting for the moment when Messiah would come, rescue them, and save them from the oppression of the Roman Empire.
Matthew tells them that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah. One day the time will come when the rock will strike the image of Daniel 2, and our Lord will establish His kingdom upon the earth.
But Matthew goes on to reveal something that the prophets could not understand. The Old Testament prophets, when they prophesied concerning the coming Messiah, saw only one coming of Messiah.
Because they saw only one coming, they expected Messiah to come in glory. Israel was under oppression because the fist of the Roman Empire was bigger than theirs. They wanted a greater power to deliver them.
They were waiting for a King who would come with glory, majesty, and power to smash the earthly kingdoms.
But when Matthew gives the genealogy of our Lord, he gives us fourteen generations, plus fourteen generations, plus fourteen generations. After forty-two generations, the King of the kingdom of heaven appears.
What does this mean? The Old Testament prophets desired to see, but they could not see. Matthew saw it, and John saw it, and Matthew gives his report in this Gospel.
Historically, there were more kings sitting upon the throne of David than are included in the genealogy. But there is a divine reason for the arrangement of fourteen, fourteen, and fourteen.
The numerical value of the name David is fourteen. Thus, the genealogy is arranged as fourteen plus fourteen plus fourteen.
What does this mean? In the Bible, fourteen reminds us of the cross. Our Lord was crucified on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Therefore, Matthew is trying to show us something. The people of the Old Testament had forgotten how David came to the throne.
David went through suffering first, then the crown. After humiliation, he ascended to a high position; then he received the throne.
Humiliation first, then the throne.
The cross first, then the crown.
The people of the Old Testament saw only one line. They saw only one coming of the Lord. But there are two lines: one stands for the first coming of the Lord, and the second stands for the second coming of the Lord.
If you have a cataract, sometimes you see two lines as only one line. Believe me, because I had a cataract before. But when your eyes are opened, you discover the two lines.
The prophets saw only one line because they did not see the two comings of the Messiah.
When our Lord came the first time, He came as the Lamb of God. When He comes again, He is the Lion of Judah.
The first time, He rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. The second time, He will ride on a horse into Jerusalem.
The first time, when our Lord appeared, we see a suffering Messiah. When He comes the second time, we shall see the Messiah in glory and splendor.
But the people could not see this. They wanted only the goal; they never considered the way to the kingdom.
The Gospel of Matthew tells us of the two comings of Messiah. It does not only tell us of the glorious goal. Whenever we think of the kingdom, we think of the throne, but we do not think about the way to the kingdom.
When our Lord first appeared as the Lamb of God, in the eyes of the world He was no king at all. Our Lord was patient, so patient, so patient.
Only when He comes again will the world see the beauty, glory, and splendor of our Lord.
This is the greatest mystery of the kingdom of God.
Fourteen, fourteen, fourteen: cross, cross, cross. Here we have the King of the kingdom.
In the Old Testament, there were forty-two stations from Egypt to Canaan. Canaan, in the light of Ephesians, refers to the unsearchable riches of Christ; but in the light of Hebrews, it speaks of the rest of the kingdom.
If you study carefully, those forty-two stations are again naturally divided into fourteen, fourteen, and fourteen.
If our Master was humbled first, if our Lord went through suffering first and then glory, if He went through the valley of humiliation and then came to the throne, how about us as disciples? How about us as sons of the kingdom?
Matthew seeks to impress upon us that our King is different from all other kings. Other kings have glorious crowns, but our King, the King of the kingdom of heaven, wears a crown of thorns.
From the first coming of the Lord to the second coming of the Lord, we have the present course of the kingdom of heaven. But the Old Testament prophets could not see it because they did not see the gap between the two comings.
They saw only one coming. Therefore, they crucified our Lord. They thought He could not be the Messiah.
For the Jews, someone crucified upon a cross was under a curse and could not be Messiah. How could they expect One crucified on a cross to save them from the oppression of the Roman Empire? To them, it was impossible.
But if they had known the mystery, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. They simply did not see it.
Thank God, now we can see because it has pleased the Lord to reveal these mysteries to us. When we study the whole Gospel of Matthew, we begin to understand a little concerning the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
I know my time is gone, but let me borrow just three more minutes.
If you study Matthew 13, you discover not only that the King of the kingdom of heaven is a great mystery unknown to previous generations. You also discover the matter of the sons of the kingdom.
In the parable of the wheat and the tares, there is a phrase: “the sons of the kingdom.” In the first parable, we have “the word of the kingdom,” and then we have “the sons of the kingdom.”
When the word of the kingdom falls into good soil, sons of the kingdom are born. Somehow, they are planted in this earth.
If you go to Matthew 7, you discover a clue. After our Lord spoke the Sermon on the Mount, He concluded in this way:
Every one therefore that heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
And every one that heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
— Matthew 7:24, 26
Here we have the word of the kingdom. If it falls into good soil, it bears fruit. This means that a person acts upon it. The Lord compares such a one to a wise man; otherwise, He compares him to a foolish man.
If you study the whole Gospel of Matthew, you discover that the thought of the Holy Spirit is continuous. That is why, in Matthew 25, we have wise virgins and foolish virgins.
If you want to understand the wise virgins and the foolish virgins, you must understand the wise man and the foolish man. Why are these people wise? Because the word of the kingdom fell into good soil, and they acted upon it.
Thus, they become sons of the kingdom. They become wise men, and they become wise virgins in Matthew 25.
Let me give one illustration before I conclude this meeting. I want to explain this to the young people.
Suppose one day you study the Sermon on the Mount and read:
But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
— Matthew 5:39
Brothers and sisters, this is the word of the kingdom. The problem is that we will not let this word sink into the depth of our being.
When someone slaps you on your right cheek, you have a sense of injustice. If you begin to tolerate and to be patient, it is a better question. Your enemy never expects you to turn the other cheek.
Who asks us to turn the other cheek, brothers and sisters? Our King. The King of the kingdom tells us that we should turn the other cheek also.
If you act upon it, if you let this word sink into you, thank the Lord. These words are words of wisdom. He is the One greater than Solomon.
If we do this, we become wise men. We are transformed into the image of Christ. We are foolish in ourselves, but thank God.
In the eyes of the world, it is foolish to turn the other cheek. But thank God, you discover that it is the wise man who turns the other cheek.
If you let the word of the kingdom sink into the good soil and obey the Word of God, you discover that it is not your enemy who wants your other cheek; it is your Lord who wants your other cheek.
When you say, “Lord, I obey You. I act upon it,” then this son of the kingdom grows and grows and grows.
In the kingdom of heaven, we not only have the great King of the kingdom. Our Lord also wants to transform us, by the work of the Holy Spirit, into the image of God’s Son.
If today we are transformed as sons of the kingdom, then in the Messianic kingdom we will reign with Him.
Brothers and sisters, that is how our Lord trains us today. That is why I believe Matthew 13 is one of the most important chapters in the whole Gospel of Matthew.
It points us to the essential thought of the Holy Spirit. From here, by the mercy of the Lord, we can probably have a better view of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.
Dear Lord, we commit these words into Your hands. If it pleases You, use this word to work in our lives.
We especially remember those young people who are sitting here. Lord, we pray for them.
Dear Lord, impress this word upon them, that they may let the word of the kingdom sink into their hearts and act upon it.
May the sons of the kingdom grow according to Your will.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.