Matt 18:12-14 (99 & 100)

 Parable

1. sometimes hard to follow

2. Usually way deeper than we realize

3. In the Old testament when parallels are created, they seem to pattern things so they're seeable. Like the two sisters in Eze 23, Oholah, and Oholibah

4. The symbols Jesus uses in his parables are usually harder to spot, deeper

Mat 18:12-14

12 How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains, and seek that which goeth astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 

Summarize

What do you think?

1. Vs12 A man has 100 sheep. I'm assuming The Man is a shepherd

2. Vs12 One of the sheep has wandered away. How many sheep does this leave the Shepherd with? 99

3. Vs12 Doesn't the man/shepherd leave the 99 sheep and go to the mountains and seek that which has wandered away? Or doesn't the man / Shepherd leave the 99 on the mountains to look for that which has wandered away? Which version do you have?

4. Vs13 If the man finds the one sheep, He rejoiceth over it more than the 99 which haven't wandered away?

5. Vs14 It isn't the will of Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

6. Who is the man/shepherd? Jesus

7. God is the Father in heaven

8. Who are the 99?

9. Who is the one (or one of the little ones vs14) that when found, is rejoiced over more than the remaining 99? Or maybe we should ask, who is the 99 and who is the 100.

The identity of the 99 and the 100

Gen 17:1-5

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. 

1. Vs1 Abram was 99 yrs old when God appeared to him.

2. Vs1 Walk before me and be perfect, blameless or upright

3. Vs2 I will establish a covenant between us and multiply you with much abundance

4. Vs3 Abram falls on his face and God speaks to him

5. Vs4 God tell him that he will make covenant with him and be a father of a multitude of nations

6. Vs5 I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham. I have made you a father of many nations. Does anyone know what Abram and Abraham mean?

1. Abram = exalted father

2. Abraham = father of a multitude

7. So far in our reading, who would represent the 99? Abram or Abraham

Gen 17:6-10

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. 

1. Vs6 What promise does God make to Abram/Abraham? 

1. Exceeding fruitful

2. make nations of thee

3. kings shall come out of thee

2. Vs7 What does God establish w Abram/Abraham?

1. covenant between you and your seed after you

2. to your seeds generations 

3. for an everlasting covenant

4. to be your God

5. and the God of your seed after thee.

6. This seems to be quite a GOOD DEAL for Abraham/Abram

3. Vs8 What does God give to Abram/Abraham and his seed?

1. the land of thy sojournings

2. all the land of Canaan

3. for an everlasting possession

4. and I will be their God.

5. Might this be conditional?

4. Vs9 Thou also shalt keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee for their generations. Not sure if this means the covenant is conditional or whether it's just stated that they WILL keep it?

5. Vs10 Is the covenant conditional here?

1. ye shall keep it 

2. between me and you and thy seed after thee

3. every male among you shall be circumcised

4. Not sure whether it's conditional or not

Gen 17:11-16

11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. 15 And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.

1. Vs11 What will be a token of our covenant? Circumcision

2. Vs12 every 8-day-old son will be circumcised whether he is born in your house for acquired/adopted from a foreigner

3. Vs13 Was circumcision optional? No It is required in your flesh for an everlasting/age long covenant

4. Vs14 What happens to the male who isn't circumcised? He has cut off from his people and he is considered a covenant breaker

5. Vs15 Don't call your wife Sarai anymore, call her Sarah. Does anyone know what Sarai and Sarah mean?

1. Sarai = princess

2. Sarah = noblewoman

6. Vs16 What is God's promise to Sarah?

1. And I will bless her

2. I will give thee a son of her

3. she shall be a mother of nations

4. kings of peoples shall be of her

7. We aren't counting her promised son as part of the 99, because he hasn't been given to her yet. What can we assume she is part of? 100

Gen 17:17-21

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 

1. Vs17 What does Abraham do when he hears God's promise about a son?

1. He laughs

2. He says in his heart, "shall a child be born to him that is 100 years old"?

1. Notice that "this child" is part of the 100 and not the 99

3. "Shall Sarah Who is 90 years old have a child?"

1. Notice he refers to Sarah with her new name instead of old name

2. Vs18 Abraham says to God, "oh the Ishmael might live before thee" or "let Ishmael live before you"

1. Why? Probably a plea on behalf of Ishmael whom Abraham loved

3. We have another addition to the 99 from Matthew 18. Ishmael who was already in the picture when Abraham was 99 years old.

1. Abram/Abraham

2. Ishmael

3. We also need to include Ismael's mother. What's her name? Hagar

4. Vs19 What is God's response to Abraham's request that Ishmael being included?

1. No, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son

2. and thou shalt call his name Isaac

3. my covenant will be with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

5. Vs20 God shows mercy on Ishmael and still blesses him. How?

1. will make him fruitful

2. will multiply him exceedingly

3. twelve princes shall he beget

4. I will make him a great nation.

6. Vs21 Who does God establish his covenant with? Isaac

7. Vs21 So Isaac will be born to Sarah in the next year. How old will Abraham be in the next year? 100

8. So now we see who will be included in the 100. Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac

Gen 17:24

24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 

1. Vs24 Abraham is 99 when he is circumcised

2. Vs25 The assumption is that Abraham was 99 when he circumcised Ishmael.

 

3. Vs25 Ishmael is 13. 

Gen 21:1-2

1 And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 

1. Vs1 Wait… God visited Sarah? And God did unto Sarah as He had spoken? I thought Abraham was the father of the baby????

2. Vs2 And Sarah conceives and bares Abraham a son in his old age just as God said…

Gen 21:3-5

3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 

1. Vs3 Abraham calls his son, Isaac. 

1. Isaac means "he laughs"

2. Vs4 Isaac is circumcised on the 8th day by Abraham

1. Luk 1:59 (John the Baptist)

And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

2. Luk 2:21 (Jesus)

And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called JESUS, which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

3. Vs5 Abraham was 100 years old and Isaac was born.

1. HERE IS OUR FIRST INSTANCE OF THE 100 FROM MATTHEW 18. This includes:

1. Abraham

2. Isaac

3. Sarah

2. In Matthew 18, Jesus states how important the 100th (or the one) sheep is. 

1. Jesus leaves the 99 to go after the 100th or the one.

2. Jesus rejoices over the 100th or the one more than the 99.

3. It is not the will of the Father that one of these little ones should perish (I'm assuming he means of the 100th or the one)

Remember 99 and 100

Gal 4:22-25

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. 23 Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born through promise. 24 Which things contain an allegory: for these women are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. 

1. Vs22-25 Two covenants (99 and 100)

1. 99 - Abraham, Hagar and Ismael

1. (Born after the flesh) Fleshly and in bondage

Gal 4:26-28

26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. 27 For it is written,  Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not;  Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not:  For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, so also it is now.

1. Vs25-29 Two covenants (99 and 100)

1. 100 - Abraham, Sarah and Isaac

1. Free, more born from the 99 than the 100, born after the Spirit

2. Vs28 We, being born of the 100, are still children of promise

1. Although we are as Isaac, Jesus has made us precious promises which we are still looking for…

2. Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.

3. Mat 13:43 Then (at the end of the age) shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear.

5. Various verses about the the double portion that we've read in the past