Matthew shared, “when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him. And saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” In chapter eight and verse eleven of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus said, “many shall come from the east and west” where we read:
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west,
and
shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of
heaven.
The verse reads, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, ...” Matthew began with the word, “and I say” or “and Jesus utters, declares and proclaims” “unto you” which means “toward the people who were following Him”, “that many shall come” or “that lots of people will arise, arrive and be present” “from the east” which refers to “where the sun and stars rise” “and west” which means “where the sun and stars set”. Jesus shared how people will “be present” from the “east and west” which refers to the places where the sun rises and sets.
The verse goes on to say, “... and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew continued with the words, “and shall sit down” or “and will lean against, lie down and recline” “with Abraham” which means “alongside the son of Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation whose name means father of a multitude”, “and Issac” or “and the son of Abraham and Sarah whose name means to laugh”, “and Jacob” which refers to “the second son of Isaac whose name means heel-catcher or supplanter”, “in the kingdom” or “within the royal power, kingship, dominion and rule” “of heaven” which means “belonging to the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings”. Matthew shared how Jesus told the multitude following Him that there will be people who come from the “east and west” who shall “lie down” in the “kingdom” alongside “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” who were the fore-fathers of the nation of Israel.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see that both Jews and Gentiles shall belong to the “Kingdom of Heaven”. God desires people throughout the entire world to have “faith” in Him and His Son Jesus. Jesus reassured the crowd of people around Him that not only Jewish people would be saved, but also the “Gentiles”. Let all who read these words consider the magnitude and diversity of those who shall belong to the “Kingdom of Heaven” and yield their lives to Jesus while there remains time to do so.
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus said, “the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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