Matthew 26:57-68 is about WITNESS and TESTIMONY.
There are two kinds of witness and testimony as follows:
Matthew 26:63-66
26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
26:64 Jesus said to him, “It is asyou said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
26:66 What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
Jesus is the example of being true witness although He had to face suffering and death.
Jesus kept bearing witness as:
The practice is we become priests and kings, whatever the risk we have to face.
Priest is one who holds on the ministry. Priest is one who ministers God.
King is a victorious life.
Why is it called as priests and kings or a royal priesthood?
Since God wants priests who win over sins, win over obstacles, such that we can always be faithful and fervent in spirit in ministry, whatever the risk we have to face.
Priest and king is a position as the residents of Kingdom of Heaven.
If we only have position in this world, but not spiritual position, we will be dragged by Babylon (the world) and be perished forever together with Babylon.
On the contrary, if we have nothing in this world, we do not need to be disappointed, since we have position in the Heaven.
The higher our position in this world, the more risks of being dragged by Babylon to perdition we have.
Revelation 1:5-6
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him beglory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus redeems us from sins by His blood, and also lifts us up to become priests and kings forever.
Our ministry is in the price of Jesus’ blood that cannot be bought or changed by anything in this world. Do not change our ministry with something from this world (work, study, children, parents, etc.), and do not leave ministry because of something from this world. Leaving the ministry equals to trampling down Jesus’ blood. We owe the blood that cannot be paid with anything else.
Exodus 29:1
29:1 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
The requirement to minister God is holiness or purity.
John 15:3-4
15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
"the word which I have spoken to you"is the word whose secret is revealed, one verse is explained by another verse in the Bible.
We will be purified by the sword of Word. Do not be afraid to face the sword. Solomon faced the problem about marriage and children (two women who fought for a child), but it can be solved by the sword. Where there is the sword of Word, there is solution of every problem.
Why do many people run from the sword? It happens since they preserve their sins/ faults. This kind of life at one time will run to fables and false teaching which only satisfies the desire of the ears, and they will be deceived.
The measure from the word is peaceful heart, that is when we are set free from sins.
Such that we live in holiness, a branch must abide on the true vine. It means as follows:
There are two kinds of witness and testimony as follows:
- The false witness in verse 59-63a.
- The true witness in verse 63b-66.
Matthew 26:63-66
26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
26:64 Jesus said to him, “It is asyou said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
26:66 What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
Jesus is the example of being true witness although He had to face suffering and death.
Jesus kept bearing witness as:
- Christ, the Son of living God. It equals to testifying about the cross.
- High Priest.
- King of kings, Heavenly bridegroom.
The practice is we become priests and kings, whatever the risk we have to face.
Priest is one who holds on the ministry. Priest is one who ministers God.
King is a victorious life.
Why is it called as priests and kings or a royal priesthood?
Since God wants priests who win over sins, win over obstacles, such that we can always be faithful and fervent in spirit in ministry, whatever the risk we have to face.
Priest and king is a position as the residents of Kingdom of Heaven.
If we only have position in this world, but not spiritual position, we will be dragged by Babylon (the world) and be perished forever together with Babylon.
On the contrary, if we have nothing in this world, we do not need to be disappointed, since we have position in the Heaven.
The higher our position in this world, the more risks of being dragged by Babylon to perdition we have.
Revelation 1:5-6
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him beglory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus redeems us from sins by His blood, and also lifts us up to become priests and kings forever.
Our ministry is in the price of Jesus’ blood that cannot be bought or changed by anything in this world. Do not change our ministry with something from this world (work, study, children, parents, etc.), and do not leave ministry because of something from this world. Leaving the ministry equals to trampling down Jesus’ blood. We owe the blood that cannot be paid with anything else.
Exodus 29:1
29:1 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
The requirement to minister God is holiness or purity.
John 15:3-4
15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
"the word which I have spoken to you"is the word whose secret is revealed, one verse is explained by another verse in the Bible.
We will be purified by the sword of Word. Do not be afraid to face the sword. Solomon faced the problem about marriage and children (two women who fought for a child), but it can be solved by the sword. Where there is the sword of Word, there is solution of every problem.
Why do many people run from the sword? It happens since they preserve their sins/ faults. This kind of life at one time will run to fables and false teaching which only satisfies the desire of the ears, and they will be deceived.
The measure from the word is peaceful heart, that is when we are set free from sins.
Such that we live in holiness, a branch must abide on the true vine. It means as follows:
- Being tied to the shepherding = must be shepherded.
We are shepherded in the Holy Place. There are three equipments as follows:- Golden Candlestick -->perseverance in General Service -->God the Holy Spirit purifies us.
- Table of Showbread -->perseverance in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion -->the Son of God purifies us with the Word.
- Golden Altar of Incense -->perseverance in Prayer Service -->God the Father purifies us with His love.
- Golden Candlestick -->perseverance in General Service -->God the Holy Spirit purifies us.
- Being tied to the true teaching Word, the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword.
If we are not tied to one shepherding and one teaching Word, the branch will be difficult to bear fruit.
The process of being bound to the true teaching Word is as follows:- Listening the true teaching Word until we understand the Word -->the Word is bound on forehead.
- Believing, being sure about the true teaching Word -->the Word is bound on heart.
- Practicing the true teaching Word -->the Word is bound on hands.
7:1 My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you.
7:2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.
7:3Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.
The teaching Word that is understood, believed, and practiced (bounded on forehead, heart, and hands) is as the apple of eye.
If we understand, believe, and practice the Word, we will become the apple of God’s eye. We will be cared and protected by God. God will arrange neatly and beautify our life, our future.
Ministry without purification or ministry without the true teaching Word is equals to being without the apple of eye, being blind as Bartimaeus.
Mark 10:46
10:46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
The signs of blind ministry are as follows:- Sitting by the road. It means Christian life who is on the road, who is not shepherded and not tied to one true teaching Word.
The consequence is he meets lion that is falling into sins and being affected by false teaching such that he will be deceived and lost forever. - Begging, that is doing the ministry just to look for physical matters, to look for money by justifying all the ways.
Begging also means cannot give for the work of God, and it means cannot offer his life for God. - Mark 10:50
10:50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
Using rumpled garment, that is ministering but preserving sins up to the peak of sins (Babylon’s sins), that is eating-drinking sins and marrying and being given in marriage sins. Babylon’s sins are also stumbling easily, being irritated, and being a stumbling-block to the others.
Jesus is not willing if His servants are blind and being perished. Therefore, Jesus sat on the place where Bartimaeus sat. Jesus sits on the place where we sit. This is a God’s mercy.
Where the true teaching Word is preached, there Jesus is passing by. It means God’s mercy and great gain for us.- Jesus passed by when this blind man was sitting. It means Jesus comes near to all our life privately.
Our attitude is not running and not hiding, but we come near to Jesus. It means we listen to the true teaching Word solemnly and with a need.
Mark 10:49
10:49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” - Jesus passes by means Jesus calls us privately. When the teaching Word shows our faults and our conditions (we are touched by the Word), at that time God calls us privately. It means that we get the main priority to be helped by God.
Our attitude is confessing all our sins and conditions. If we are forgiven, we should no longer do the sins. - Mark 10:51
10:51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
Jesus asks what we need. Jesus is able to do everything, since the guarantee is the sacrifice of Christ.
The primary need of a blind man is being able to see Jesus, that is being able to hear and obey the true teaching Word, whatever the risk.
Psalm 119:18
119:18 Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
Blind eyes become open means we experience God’s miracles, starting from renewal of life to become honest. If we have the honesty in marriage and honesty about the true teaching Word, we will be honest in every matter. Physical miracles will also happen.
God opens wide opportunity for us to be honest.- Job is description of a father. He was blessed and he was great, but Job was blind. At the end, Job confessed all his failures, and Job was recovered.
Job 42:5-6
42:5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.
42:6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.” - A mother honestly confessed her fault and confessed the truth of the Word of God, such that she was helped.
Matthew 15:26-27
15:26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw itto the little dogs.”
15:27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” - Joseph (a youth) was honest and did not compromise with sins. The result was success.
Genesis 37:2
37:2 This isthe history of Jacob.Joseph, beingseventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad waswith the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
Let us be honest, and miracle will happen, up to the last miracle we will be renewed to be as glorious as God on His second coming.
- Job is description of a father. He was blessed and he was great, but Job was blind. At the end, Job confessed all his failures, and Job was recovered.
- Listening the true teaching Word until we understand the Word -->the Word is bound on forehead.