The Secret Codes in Matthew: Examining Israel’s Messiah, Part 4, by Kevin M. Williams
Beatitude number seven says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Yet look at Psalm 34:8-22, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! … Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord… Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. …The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.” Another promise of salvation from the one whose name means “salvation.”
Nearing the end of the beatitudes, in verse 10-12 we find, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when [men] cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Once again, David, the king of Israel, and archetype for Jesus, wrote, “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead … In You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. In Your mercy cut off my enemies” (Psalm 143:3-11). And Psalm 58:11 “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
Yeshua says these blessing come upon those who believe in who? “On account of Me [Yeshua].” Jesus identifies Himself directly with the one who gives heavenly rewards, a provision of God and God alone.
The Beatitudes are, without question, a moral code for the life of a disciple. But, as we have clearly demonstrated from the Scriptures, Jesus was teaching no new thing. He was making no new promises. They were already recorded in the book of Isaiah and Psalms by the Great Prophet and the Great King. In that regard, the Beatitudes, this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, are not at all remarkable, except that Yeshua directly identifies himself “on account of Me” into the biblical interpretation. Now that is remarkable! No mere man in Israel would dream of making such a statement. But was Yeshua a mere man?
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In the Next Issue: Part 5 of “Secret Codes in Matthew” will discuss the important and often confused subject of the Messiah and the Law as our study of the Gospel to the Hebrews continues.
Endnotes
1 The Messiah, Volume 3, by John Metcalfe, John Metcalfe Publishing Trust, Penn, Buckinghamshire, England, 1980p. 117.
2 “And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock” (Exodus 12:38).
3 Commentary on the New Testament form the Talmud and Hebraica, John Lightfoot, 1997, p. 89.
4 Ibid. p. 90.
5 What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah, by Rachmiel Frydland, Messianic Publishing Co., Columbus, Ohio, 1985, p. 97.
6 Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, Jr., Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA, 1994, p. 1.
7 Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, Jr., Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA, 1994, p. 81-82.
8 The “due process” of Yeshua’s trial will be covered at length as we near the end of the book of Matthew.
Category: Biblical Studies, Pneuma Review, Winter 2002
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