Pride Before A Fall

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Matthew 26:30-35

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

 
 

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7

“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered”

And predicts that the disciples will all deny him. They refuse to accept the prediction, though of course it proves true.

Pride always goes before a fall. Lord, help us to see ourselves clearly today.

But Jesus also offers a note of hope in his sad prediction of their denials:

“But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” [26:32]. They turn their backs on him, but he doesn’t give up on them.

Thanks be to God.

 

The Meaning Of The Last Supper

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Matthew 26:17-29

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

 
 

I find it fascinating that, when Jesus says at the Last Supper that one of the disciples will betray him, each of them asks in response, "Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?"

I wrote yesterday that if even Jesus can be betrayed by someone he loves, then it can happen to any of us.

But it's also true that any of us could be the betrayer. If we think we are the kind of people who would never betray someone we love, then we need to be careful, lest like Peter, we end up doing the very thing we swore we would never do. (That's in tomorrow's reading.)

There is the potential in each one of us to be Judas. In fact, I think the more we humble ourselves and admit that we're not better than anyone else, the less likely it is that we become the kind of people who sell their friends for 30 pieces of silver.

Pride goes before a fall. So, help us, Lord, become faithful people.

Note how Jesus explains that Judas’s betrayal is both part of God’s plan—

See Psalm 41:9,

Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.—

and at the same time an act of human evil that will bring consequences upon the betrayer.

Then Jesus explains that the Passover was always about him. Jesus will, through his death on the cross, lead his people out of slavery to sin and death and into the promised land of forgiveness and freedom—it’s the ultimate exodus moment.

 

Judas And The Woman With The Perfume

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Matthew 26:1-16

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

 
 

Judas was hand-picked by Jesus, saw Jesus do spectacular miracles, heard Jesus teach in a way no one has ever taught before or since, and still: Judas agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In fact, the religious leaders have resolved not to arrest Jesus during the Passover festival, but Judas’s betrayal gives them their opportunity.

If even Jesus was betrayed by someone he loved, why are we surprised when it happens to us?

Unlike Judas, the unnamed woman in Simon’s house extravagantly anoints Jesus as king and anoints his body in the only anointing he will receive before burial. She is a model of faithful discipleship.

 

The Last Judgment

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Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 
 

Did you notice the terrifying detail in Jesus’s description of the Last Judgment?

Both groups are surprised by what the master says to them.

The reaction of the righteous:

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [25:37-39]

And the reaction of the unrighteous:

44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [25:44]

In other words, neither the righteous nor the unrighteous are aware of whom they have become. Over time, their habitual actions in either direction have become part of who they are to the extent that they aren't aware of them anymore.

We are becoming what we're doing. Each choice is making us. (And we're not even aware of it.)

What choices are you making today?

 

You'll Get What You Expect

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Matthew 25:14-30

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

 
 

In speaking of the Second Coming, Jesus tells his disciples to be vigilant and prepared [24:44]. He then tells three parables illustrating what it means for his disciples to be ready.

The Parable of the Talents is the third parable of the three.

Compare the way the one-talent servant views the master with the way the master actually behaves:

+ The one-talent servant thinks the master is "a hard man;"
  + Whereas the master is actually really generous and joyful.

If people are convinced that the Lord is cruel and hard, it will be very hard for them to accept his gracious gifts. This is what Jesus means when he says,

“For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” [25:29]

If you believe God is gracious and good, you'll be open to receive more goodness and grace. If you are convinced God is cruel and hard, Jesus implies that at the end, you'll get exactly what you expect.

How can you be more intentional today with the opportunities God has given you?

 

Two Parables of Preparation

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Matthew 24:45-51; 25:1-13

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 
 

The Boy Scout Motto: “Be Prepared.”

In speaking of the Second Coming, Jesus tells his disciples to be vigilant and prepared [24:44]. He then tells three parables illustrating what it means for his disciples to be ready.

The Parable of The Unfaithful Servant and the Parable of the Ten Virgins are the first two parables in the series of three about preparation.

What do you think Jesus is telling us about preparation by giving us these two parables?

We must not assume that because Jesus has not yet returned that he won’t ever return—rather we must exercise constant obedience so we can always be ready for his return.

Are you ready today? What have you been putting off? Don’t delay—you don’t know how much time you have.

 

The Destruction of the Temple and the End of the World

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Matthew 24:3-44

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

 
 

Jesus has just predicted that the Temple would be destroyed:

24 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” [24:1-2]

So, when they are alone on the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem proper, his disciples naturally ask him,

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” [24:3]

In the verses that follow, Jesus gives a long answer to both questions. It’s important to keep in mind, then, that Jesus is answering two different questions here:

  1. When will the literal Temple be destroyed?

  2. What signs of his Second Coming should his followers be

    looking for?

The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, just as Jesus here predicted, but his Second Coming has not yet occurred.

With regard to question #1, Jesus tells his disciples what to be watching for before the Temple is destroyed. He gives them clear signs to expect.

With regard to question #2, Jesus makes it clear that the destruction of the Temple is not the same thing as his Second Coming and the “end of the age.” In fact, he says that there will not be signs presaging his return, but that the Second Coming when it arrives will come suddenly, like the floods in Noah’s day [24:37-42]. Because there aren’t signs,

“[t]herefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [24:44]

What does it look like to be ready? Jesus tells three parables that illustrate what readiness looks like. Read on to find out.

 

The Consequence for Israel of Rejecting Jesus

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Matthew 24:1-2

1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

 
 

What Jesus predicts here is actually what happened: the Temple in Jerusalem--a stunning architectural and engineering achievement-- was pulled down, stone by stone, by the Romans in AD 70.

Why did God permit the destruction of the Temple? Because Israel refused to accept Jesus as Messiah and instead—in the generation after Jesus—preferred to seek military salvation by trying to overthrow the Roman empire. That action provoked vicious Roman retaliation, retaliation that included the destruction of the Temple. Jesus foresaw all that would happen.

How painful it must have been for him to know what was going to happen and yet still see his people stubbornly persist in the way that was leading to destruction.

 

The Woes

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Matthew 23:13-39

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”

 
 

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, “who will save his people from their sins” [1:21]. In the very first verse of the Gospel we’re told that he is “the son of David, the son of Abraham” [1:1]. He is Israel’s promised king, and he is the descendant of Abraham through whom blessing will come to the entire world. But the sad story of Israel is that God’s chosen people have been rebellious and unfaithful, and in this terrifying speech Jesus connects Israel’s past unrighteousness with the unrighteousness he is facing from the Pharisees, and he predicts disaster for the Jews in v. 36.

Jesus then says that until and unless Israel accepts him as Messiah-"For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” [23:39]—destruction will be the result.

And that’s what happened: the Romans destroyed the Temple in AD 70, and it hasn’t been rebuilt since.

 

Not Following My Own Standards

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Matthew 23:1-2

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

 
 

Jesus has talked many times in Matthew's Gospel about the problem of hypocrisy, of not practicing what you preach. Here, he again takes the Pharisees to task, not for what they say--he says "You must be careful to do everything they tell you"--but for what they say and don't do—they don’t follow their own advice.

If Jesus talks about this so often, it must be important. So, here's the question:

Where today am I not living up to my own principles? How am I not practicing what I preach?

 

Who Is The Christ?

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Matthew 22:41-46

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

 
 

We’ve been told from the first verse of Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus is the “son of David” [1:1]. Here, Jesus doesn’t dispute that fact, but using Psalm 110 he proves to the Pharisees that though the Messiah is the son of David, he is also greater than David, because David calls him “Lord.”

This argument marks the end of his debate with the religious leaders of Jerusalem, and the final chapters of Matthew show us what it means that Jesus is the Messiah: namely that in perfect obedience to the will of God, Jesus will go to the cross to die, and that his obedience will then be vindicated by the resurrection.

 

The Great Commandment

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Matthew 22:34-40

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

 
 

Everything in the Old Testament is about love for God and love for neighbor, and everything Jesus teaches in Matthew is based on that Great Commandment.

 

Is There Marriage In Heaven?

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Happy Thanksgiving! This prayer might be useful to you today:

A THANKSGIVING PRAYER

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at tasks that demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone. Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he conquered death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom. Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

 
 

Matthew 22:23-33

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

 
 

I heard Tim Mackie make two points about today's reading that I found helpful.

First, the Sadducees were the religious elite who controlled the chief priest's position in Jerusalem. (They were not natural allies of the Pharisees.) Tim Mackie compared them to Scientologists today: a relatively small group made up of wealthy people.

Second, what about Jesus saying there is no marriage in heaven? That seems sad--does that mean we'll have no families in heaven? Tim Mackie pointed out that we have umbilical cords for the first few months of life, and we absolutely need them. Then, after we are born, we no longer need what seemed so essential to us before. In some way, this is what marriage is like: it's necessary here on earth, but will give way to something better in heaven. If I’m honest, I don't really understand that or like it, but I need to remember that God's plans are always better for us than anything we could have thought of ourselves.

 

Jesus Is the Smartest Person Who Ever Lived

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Matthew 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

 
 

Jesus is really smart. Like brilliant! Like the smartest-man-who-ever-lived kind of smart. (This is one of the reasons the early church called him “Lord.”) Most people today wouldn't think of Jesus as being in even the top 10 smartest people who ever lived, but he is.

To cite a tiny example, consider his response to the Pharisees and the Herodians about paying taxes "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." It is a GENIUS answer, and even his enemies admitted this:

"When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away." [22:22]

“[D]espite the countercultural character of the kingdom that rejects the ultimacy of the social structures of this present world (Mt 4:18- 22; 10:34-39), life in the kingdom involves fulfilling the obligation to pay taxes (Mt 22:15-22) and thus offer support for the proper functions of government.” —David Bauer, The Gospel of the Son of God

Jesus is brilliant. And there is nothing about your circumstances that bewilder him today--he is completely competent to get you through life, all the way to the other side.

Trust him.

 

The Wedding Crasher

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Matthew 22:1-14

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

 
 

This is a very difficult, troubling parable, and it will offend our modern sensibilities.

So, is the problem Jesus, or are we the problem?

Essentially, this is a parable about the necessity of responding to God’s invitation of the Kingdom. And if you do respond, you must do so on God’s terms, not your own. What is keeping you from completely responding today to the invitation of Jesus? What do you need to leave behind?

 

The Parable of The Two Sons and The Parable of The Tenants

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Matthew 21:28-46

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

 
 

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS (MATTHEW 21:28-32)

"God requires productive and obedient living from his people.... How did people ever get the idea that obedience to the will of God is optional?... Any separation of believing and doing is a distortion of the gospel message and is directly confronted by this parable. A person cannot believe apart from obedience....

“This parable also encourages us to remember that initial responses are not ultimate responses. An initial refusal does not have to stay a refusal, and an initial agreement is not enough. It must be lived."

—Klyne Snodgrass, Stories With Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus

 

THE PARABLE OF THE WICKED TENANTS (MATTHEW 21:33-46)

This is a parable of judgment against the Jewish religious leaders, who will lose what they have because of their wicked refusal to listen to the Son of God.

This parable is also a challenge to each of us: what are we doing with the spiritual potential God has given us? Are we laboring in the Kingdom to produce more fruit, or are we just wasting its potential? Don't be deceived—Jesus says that we will each be held accountable for our actions.

 

Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree?

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Matthew 21:18-27

18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

 
 

A fruitless fig tree was an Old Testament symbol of God's judgment on Israel's idolatry and corruption. For example:

“‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them.'” [Jeremiah 8:13, NIV]

So, the episode with the cursed fig tree is a living parable Jesus is acting out in front of the disciples. He is showing them the consequences for the hard-heartedness of the religious leaders, namely that the Temple will soon be destroyed.

At the time Jesus is speaking the Temple and its leadership would have seemed permanent and unassailable. And yet within a generation (in AD 70) the entire thing would be overthrown as a consequence of Israel’s rejection of Jesus. (Look at the leadership’s dishonesty in verses 23-27.) Jesus wants his disciples to have faith that God hears their prayers and can do the seemingly impossible.

 

The Reason Jesus Overturned The Tables

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Matthew 21:12-17

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

 
 

The reason there were moneychangers and merchants in the temple courts in Jerusalem was so that pilgrims who came in from far away could easily buy an animal for sacrifice. Galilee is in the north of Israel, e.g., and I'm told it was at least a two week walk from there to Jerusalem. Obviously, it wasn't practical for Jews coming to worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem to bring animals with them, and the Jews of the Diaspora wouldn't even have the appropriate currency with them, hence the need for the moneychangers.

So, I don't think it is the presence of the moneychangers and the merchants that is necessarily wrong; it is their abuse of their position to which Jesus is objecting. If they had offered a fair rate of exchange and fair prices, then they would have been doing the pilgrims a service. But, it seems they were price-gouging, and thereby profaning the Temple.

P.S. Unlike the adults, the children in Jerusalem understand who Jesus is.

P.P.S. The overturning of the tables in the Temple courts is a profoundly provocative act, and one that leads directly to Jesus’s death.

 

When It's Time To Fight

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Matthew 21:1-11

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

 
 

The Mount of Olives overlooks Jerusalem to the east, and on Palm Sunday Jesus comes down the Mount of Olives in a triumphant procession as he enters the city. The excitement around Jesus has been slowly coming to a boil, but each time the lid is about to blow off, Jesus calms the crowds, or quickly withdraws, or tells the people not to say anything. Palm Sunday, however, is the moment when Jesus goes public. He encourages the shouts of Hosanna and the waving of the palm branches; his procession is a deliberately provocative and political act. And, just a few days later, he'll be crucified.

So, why does he do it?

I think the answer is that it's finally time for him to engage the fight. Jesus was born to die. Up to this moment, he has been biding his time. Now that the time has come, he's ready.

At some point, the difficult thing can't be avoided--it must be engaged.

P.S. Jesus is the son of David [1:1] who finally claims David’s city— Jerusalem—as king, and for a brief time on that first Palm Sunday, the people correctly acknowledge his identity [21:9].

 

What Do You Want Jesus To Do For You?

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Matthew 20:29-34

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

 
 

I love the directness of Jesus's question to the two blind men in Jericho:

"'What do you want me to do for you?'" [20:32]

To their credit, they are bold in their request:

“'Lord,' they answered, 'we want our sight.'” [20:33]

And they receive it. Jesus is humble and has time for beggars.

If Jesus asked you that same question today, what would you say?