07/15/2024 – Day 043 – Matthew – Chapters 17 – 19 / Re: Angels representing believers to God / Forgiveness
Quite frequently, I recall posting something, but I can’t remember the source. In this case, I posted a comparison of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the synoptic gospels, showing which events are mentioned in which synoptics. In this case, I was looking at the Transfiguration in our reading: Matthew 17: 1 – 13. It is also covered in Mark , Chapter Nine and Luke, Chapter Nine.
Previous cycle posts on this reading day are:
07/20/2020 – “The Transfiguration”. For the Rich Young Ruler section, Matthew – Chapter 19, beginning in verse 16, I highly recommend the commentary in the post dated 09/07/2020 , for the reading in Mark, Chapter 9. The posting for this Day 043 reading dated 04/11/2022, our last cycle, Chapter 18: verses 19 – 20, a very solid assurance of prayers being answered when “two are gathered in my name”, in this case. Recently, I posted six verses that as I recall, did not include these verses, that were basically an assurance that “all prayers” are answered. How can that be? Answer: Ultimately, we will not see certain prayers not answered literally here on earth but we will see that we were given much more than than what we asked for each case. To me, this is why Jesus told his disciples that they must have faith like littler children if they are to enter the kingdom of heaven.
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Now, let’s take a fresh look at our reading today!:
Speaking of children, let’s look at Chapter 18, verse 10:
“See that you don’t look down on one these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven.”
Whoa! Here is what my commentary footnote from my Apologetics Study Bible says about that verse:
“18:10 Some suggest that Jesus referred to the destiny of believers at death, but more likely He meant that there are angels who constantly represent believers to God, since He used the present tense. The concept of such ‘guardian’ angels was common in first century Judaism. Jesus did not indicate the ratio of angels to believers nor whether their ministry would continue after His own ascension. See Psalm 91:11; Acts 12:15; Hebrews 1:14.”
Let’s also look at the commetary on “The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave”:
“18:35 See Note on 6:12, 14 – 15 (insert comment – see below!). This parable established in the strongest terms the importance of forgiveness. The parable made the same point as the metaphor of a bad tree bearing bad fruit (cp, 7: 15 – 18): Those who have received God’s forgiveness will forgive.”
Now commentary on 6: 12, 14-15:
“The prayer seems to be a model for believers. Forgiveness is an attitude that follows from recognition of the seriousness of sin (18: 23 -35); Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13). A person with an unforgiving heart toward others shows that he does not take his own sin seriously and has not appropriated God’s forgiveness.”
Soli Deo Gloria!