As we have pointed out previously, Matthew is a book which reveals the kingdom. Chapters one through seven may be considered as the first section of the book, with chapters five through seven being a definition or description of the kingdom. Beginning with chapter eight and continuing through chapter twelve, Matthew presents many cases which illustrate the genuine kingdom life. The kingdom people were once lepers, but they have been cleansed. Now they are people of faith in Christ who enjoy Christ as everything—as the feast, the Bridegroom, the new garment, the new wineskin, the new wine, the rest, the present David, the greater Jonah, and the greater Solomon. By these illustrations we can realize that the Lord Jesus is everything to the kingdom people. He is also the sign. The kingdom people always bear the sign of the crucified, buried, resurrected, and reigning Christ.
The Bible is composed somewhat like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of the picture are found in various places, and we need to find them and put them together. When we read Matthew 8—12 we must have an overall view. If we simply read it paragraph by paragraph, we will receive little revelation. At best, we will read some stories. The case of the cleansing of the leper will simply be a story. In order to understand these five chapters, we need revelation and enlightenment. If we see the vision and have an overall view, we will realize that these five chapters are a section showing us the real kingdom life.
The real kingdom life begins with a leper. Then it bears the sign of the crucified, buried, resurrected, and reigning Christ. Christ is our feast, our Bridegroom, our new garment, our new wineskin, our new wine, and our rest. He is our David, our temple, our Jonah, our Solomon, and our sign. Christ is everything to us! The way we enjoy Him is not by our natural birth, but by living faith and by breaking the religious regulations. In order to enjoy Christ, we must be fully emancipated from all religious burdens.
Chapter thirteen through the first part of chapter seventeen comprises another section of the book of Matthew. We will be unable to understand the incidents recorded in these chapters if we do not consider them as a group. What does this section show us?
Forty years ago, after I had given up my job and had come into the Lord's ministry full-time, I intended to go to Shanghai to stay with Brother Watchman Nee and to learn of him. During that period of time, the Lord showed me something from this section of Matthew. I had been in Shanghai only a short time when word came from Brother Nee on a Lord's Day morning that I should give the message that day. It was Brother Nee's way never to give much warning. Word came to me just before the morning meeting. I thought to myself, "I have just arrived in Shanghai, and Shanghai is the biggest church." I was scared. Then the burden came to me about what I had seen in this section of Matthew. What I saw was very real to me. It is still real today, and this word is nearly the same as I delivered in Shanghai in 1933.