December 13, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Suffering and Waiting

December 13, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Suffering and Waiting

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Suffering and Waiting

Matthew 27:27-31 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ “Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”

Who took Jesus to the Praetorium (verse 27)?

How many soldiers gathered around Him (verse 27)?

What did they the soldiers put on Him (verse 28)?

In your opinion, why did they put the crown of twisted thorns on His head (verse 29)?

Which hand did they put the staff in (verse 29)?

What did they do when they knelt in front of Him (verse 29)?

Where did they strike Him with the staff (verse 30)?

What did they do after they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him (verse 31)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Isaiah 42:1-7 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

⁵ This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

Who will God “put my Spirit on” who will “bring justice to the nations” (verse 1)?

What will He not do (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (verse 3)?

How will He “bring forth justice” (verse 3)?

In what will the islands “put their hope” (verse 4)?

What does “the Creator of the heavens” give to “its people” (verse 5)?

What does “the Creator of the heavens” give to “those who walk on it” (verse 5)?

What will the Lord who called His Servant “in righteousness” make His servant to be “for the people” (verse 6)?

What will the Lord who called His Servant “in righteousness” make His servant to be “for the Gentiles” (verse 6)?

Whose eyes will He open (verse 7)?

Who will be released from the dungeon (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how amazing is the accuracy of the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1-7 that says that “my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight” would not “shout or cry out” and that Jesus would later endure the painful mockery of Matthew 27:27-31 without crying out or objecting?

Acts 13:44-52 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁴ “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Who gathered to “hear the word of the Lord” (verse 44)?

When were the Jews “filled with jealousy” (verse 45)?

How did the Jews treat Paul (verse 45)?

In your opinion, why did Paul and Barnabas “boldly” say “since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life” (verse 46)?

Who will Paul and Barnabas “now turn to” (verse 30)?

In your opinion, what did Paul means when he said that the Lord had commanded us “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (verse 47)?

How did the Gentiles react when they heard Paul’s statement (verse 48)?

Who believed (verse 48)?

What happened to the “word of the Lord” (verse 49)?

Who did the Jewish leaders incite (verse 50)?

What was stirred up against Paul and Barnabas (verse 50)?

Why did Paul and Barnabas shake “the dust off their feet” (verse 51)?

What filled the disciples (verse 52)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how do you reconcile the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 42:1-7 that “my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight” would be “a light for the Gentiles” with Paul claiming that he and Barnabas were a “light for the Gentiles” in Acts 13:44-52?

In your opinion, how are the Jews of Acts 13:44-52 similar to the soldiers of Matthew 27:27-31; and how are they different?

1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

What does Paul know about the “brothers and sisters loved by God” (verse 4)?

How did the gospel come to the “brothers and sisters” (verse 5)?

What were they in the midst of when they “welcomed the message” (verse 6)?

Who did the Thessalonians become “a model” to (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why had the Thessalonians “faith in God” become known everywhere (verse 8)?

What had the Thessalonians turned from and who had they turned to (verse 9)?

Who are the Thessalonians waiting for (verse 10)?

Who rescues us “from the coming wrath” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how were Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:44-52 filled with joy in the midst of persecution and the “brothers and sisters” of 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 filled with joy “in the midst of severe suffering”?

In your opinion, how does the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1-7 about the servant and chosen one that “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” anticipate the Savior of those who are “in the midst of severe suffering” like the Thessalonians of 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10?

In your opinion, what did the soldiers of Matthew 27:27-31 who put the robe and crown of thorns on Jesus, gave Him the staff, and bowed to Him and said “Hail, king of the Jews” not understand about the one who Paul says the ones who serve the living and true God wait for “his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” in 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Isaiah, Acts and 1 Thessalonians show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 27:32 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)