Matthew 24:15

 Matthew 24:15 says, When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  Jesus is still speaking about the Second Coming, and refers to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel standing in the holy place, and then He adds let anyone who reads this understand it.  I believe this means that there can be different interpretations of what this means, but that Christians should recognize it when it happens.  Verse sixteen adds, Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:  Jesus warns those who are in Judea to flee to the mountains when this occurs.  Verse seventeen continues, Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  Jesus warned people that they should not take the time to attempt to pack anything, but that they should flee immediately.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  As just stated, Jesus said that there would be no time to return to the house and take anything.  Verse nineteen declares, And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  Jesus stated that it would be an especially hard time for women who were pregnant or who had babies.  Verse twenty adds, But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:  Jesus said that they should pray that this didn't occur on the sabbath or in winter, when time to travel would be limited.  Verse twenty-one continues, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  Jesus said that during this time there would be tribulation like the world had never seen nor ever would see again.  Verse twenty-two declares, And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.  Jesus said that unless these days were shortened that no one would be saved, physically I believe, but that for the sake of the elect, or those who put their faith in Christ, that this time of persecution would be shortened.  Verse twenty-three declares, Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  Jesus warned that there would be those claiming to be Christ during this time, but that Christians, nor anyone else for that matter, were to believe him.  There have been people in our time who claim to be Christ, or Jesus returned to the earth physically, and there have been people who believe them, but there is but One Christ, and that is Jesus.  Verse twenty-four adds, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Jesus warned that these false Christs and prophets would show great signs and wonders, and if possible that they would deceive even those who had already put their faith in Him.  Not all things that seem to be a miracle come from God.  Verse twenty-five continues, Behold, I have told you before.  Jesus said this was not the first time that He had told them this.  It should certainly not be the first time that we as followers of Christ have heard it, and we should take heed that we do not allow ourselves to be deceived by anyone claiming to have some greater connection to God than anyone else does.  Verse twenty-six says, Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  Jesus warned that wherever someone claimed to be this false Christ that we were to not go after him.  Verse twenty-seven declares, For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  Jesus said that like the lightning spread across the entire sky, so would the His return be seen by all people at once.  No one will have to go looking for Him in any specific place.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.  When Jesus returns, He will come to all people wherever they are whether they have accepted Him as Savior and Lord or not.

Matthew 24:1

Matthew 24:1 says, And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.  After Jesus left the temple, the disciples came to show him the buildings of the temple.  After Jesus left, that is all it was- a building.  The place that we worship is only a building if God is not there and in charge.  Verse two states,  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  Jesus asked if they did not see all these things.  Do we see all things clearly when we are looking at the world today?  Jesus then told the disciples that it would all be thrown down, and the temple as it was viewed then was.  People went to the temple to pray and meet God, but it had lost that function, plus people would meet Jesus wherever they were after His death, burial and resurrection.  Verse three says, And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  The disciples came to Jesus privately when He was on the Mount of Olives asking when these things would happen and what was the sign of the end of the world.  People are still looking for a sign today.  Verse four declares,  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  Jesus warned the disciples, and the warning is still true for us today, to not let any man deceive them about the end of time.  Verse five adds, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  Jesus said there would be many who came claiming to be Christ, and we hear of people doing so today, and that many would be deceived.  Verse six continues, And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  We definitely hear of wars and rumors of wars today, but Jesus said that even though this must come to pass, the end was not yet come.  Verse seven states,  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  In addition to wars, Jesus said there would be pestilence and earthquakes in places where they normally didn't occur, and we know this is true today.  Verse eight adds, All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Jesus said these were the beginnings of the sorrows, and He was speaking to His disciples over two thousand years ago.  Verse nine continues, Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.  Jesus told the disciples that they would be afflicted and killed, and hated by all nations for His name sake.  We are not there yet today as far as being hated by all nations, but we are getting closer.  Verse ten continues, And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  There are many people offended by Christianity today, and they may hate Christians, but we cannot respond with hate for them, but it seems to me that we too often do.  Verse eleven declares, And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  We know that there are many false prophets today who deceive many people, but there always have been.  Verse twelve adds, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  Jesus said that because iniquity would abound that the love of many people for God would grow cold.  How often do you hear someone say that if there is a God, why does He allow all this evil to exist, and that they cannot believe in a God Who does?  Verse thirteen continues, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  I believe that anyone who truly puts his or her faith in Christ as Savior and Lord will indeed endure to the end.  Nothing will separate us from God if we are truly His.  Verse fourteen declares, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  The only sure fact that will mark the end of time is the gospel being preached in all nations.  I am not sure if this has happened yet or not, but if we are looking for a sign of the end of time, this is the only one that matters.

Matthew 23:33

Matthew 23:33 says, Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?  Jesus was still talking to the scribes and Pharisees but the question could apply to about any generation and any group of people who profess to believe in God but really only do so for appearance sake.  Verse thirty-four adds, Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:  Jesus said that He would send to the people wise men, and that they would not only kill and crucify some and scourge them in their synagogues but would persecute them from city to city.  People today, especially in parts of the world, sent to share the gospel are persecuted, beaten and even killed, which is terrible, but this was God's chosen people that Jesus was talking to.  We cannot allow ourselves to be God's people, Christians, in name only and then persecute those who are proclaiming God's word.  Verse thirty-five adds, That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.  Jesus said the blood of all the righteous would their heads, and not just on the heads of those who lived at that time.  I don't believe this makes someone responsible for the sins of others, but makes them just as responsible for the attitude that they have toward God.  Had the people of that day lived during the time these prophets had, they would have joined in with those who were  persecuting them.  The scribes and Pharisees could not excuse themselves from the persecution of prophets in the past, because they were guilty of persecuting them in the present.  Verse thirty-six declares, Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.  I believe that Jesus was simply stating that what had been done to the prophets in the past would also be done in the present.  We can either be a part of those who follow Christ or we can be a part of those who persecute Him and those who witness for Him.  We cannot simply blame the crucifixion of Jesus on a past generation, but we must accept the fact that everyone at anytime is guilty of His crucifixion.  The question is always whether or not we will accept the gift of salvation that comes through belief in Christ alone.  This is a question that must be answered by each generation.  Verse thirty-seven adds, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Jesus asked the people of Jerusalem, the seat of government for God's chosen people, how often would God have gathered them under His wing and they would not allow Him to.  God awaits to gather people under His wing today, but how often do they refuse to allow Him to do so.  What is really sad is that these are the people who were supposed to be God's people.  Verse thirty-eight continues, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  Since these people, who were supposed to be God's people, refused to listen to God's prophets they were left desolate.  So will we be spiritually, no matter how rich we may be in the world, if we refuse to accept the gospel of Christ.  Verse thirty-nine concludes, For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.  Jesus said that thy would not see Him again until they proclaimed Him to be blessed since He came in the name of the Lord, or God Himself.  We will not see Jesus until we acknowledge Who He is and accept His gift of salvation by faith.  We nay know everything about Him historically, but we will not truly see Him accept by faith.

Matthew 23:13

 Matthew 23:13 says, But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.  Speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, some of the most religious of God's chosen people, Jesus said woe unto them.  They not only shut themselves out of the kingdom of heaven, but they worked to prevent others from entering as well.  Following rituals in self pride will never be enough to get anyone into heaven.  Verse fourteen states, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.  Jesus continues to pronounce woe on the scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites.  Jesus said the took the houses of widows and for a pretense they made long prayers.  We can pray all day long, but unless we have a personal relationship with Jesus, it will do us no good.  Verse fifteen says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.  Jesus next pronounced woe on the scribes and Pharisees for working so hard to make a proselyte, then making him a twofold child of hell.  If we convert someone into a false Christianity, one that is based on anything more than faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then we leave them worse off than they were before.  Verse sixteen states, Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!  Jesus next pronounced woe on those who said swearing by the temple was nothing but swearing by the gold in the temple made one a debtor.  Jesus called them blind guides.  The temple was God's house of prayer, but the gold inside the temple the religious leaders had come to view as their own.  Verse seventeen adds, Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?  Jesus continued by calling them fools and blind, asking them which was greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified it.  When we begin to look at a house of worship as being of less value than than the riches inside it, something is wrong.  Verse eighteen continues, And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.  Jesus then made the same statement about the altar versus the gift on the altar.  We should never value the gifts, the material things, brought to the altar of God more than we value the altar as a place to worship God.  Verse nineteen adds, Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?  Jesus then asked which was greater, the gift or the altar that sanctified it.  Whatever we bring to the altar of God should always be of less value to us than God that the altar represents is.  Verse twenty declares, Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.  Jesus said that if we swear by the altar that we also swear by all that is on the altar.  Verse twenty-one adds, And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.  Jesus said that if we swear by the temple that we also swear by God, Who dwells therein.  Verse twenty-two concludes, And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.  Jesus then said that anyone who swore by heaven was swearing by the throne of God and by God Himself Who sits on the throne.  As followers of Christ, we must acknowledge that there is nothing greater than our relationship with Christ, and we can never separate the world into the physical and the spiritual feeling that what we do physically will never be important to our spiritual relationship with God.  Everything that we have should be devoted to God and the advancement of His kingdom.

Matthew 23:1

Matthew 23:1 says, Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,   Verse two adds, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:   Jesus told His disciples and the multitudes that the Pharisees and scribes sat in Moses' seat.  They were supposed to represent the people of Israel before God and God to the people of Israel.  Verse three declares, All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. Jesus told the people to listen to the Pharisees and scribes when they were teaching God's word, but not to follow their example, because they didn't do what the said people should do.  It may be today that there is someone who is proclaiming God's word and not living by God's direction.  If so, we are to still hear the word of God, but we are not to follow such a  person in the way we live our lives.  Verse four adds, For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  Jesus said the Pharisees and scribes put heavy burdens on others, but that they did not put any burden on themselves.  Verse five states, But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,  Jesus said the Pharisees and scribes did things that were supposed to be for worship simply to draw attention to themselves.  There are still people today who claim to be worshipping God but are only doing so to call attention to themselves.  Verse six adds, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,   The Pharisees and scribes wanted the place of honor when they were at any religious gathering.  Verse seven continues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.  Jesus said that when in public places that they wanted to be called Rabbi, or teacher, bringing recognition to themselves and not to God.  As followers of Christ, we must do everything that we do to bring honor and glory to God and not to ourselves.  Verse eight declares, But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.  Jesus warns us against doing things in the name of God when we are only doing them to bring honor to our self. Jesus tells us that there is only One Master, and that is Christ, and the rest of Christians are but brothers and sisters in Christ.  Verse nine adds, And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  Jesus said that we are to call no man father on the earth, and I believe that this means a spiritual father.  As Christians, we have only one spiritual Father, and that is God Himself.  As followers of Christ, we all have equal access to God, and we should never put someone in a position where we have to go through them to reach God.  Verse ten continues, Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.  Jesus tells us that just as we are not to call anyone else master but God Himself, we are not to allow anyone else to call us master.  We as Christians all have the same Master, and that is God.  Verse eleven states, But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  Jesus said that if we want to be great in God's kingdom, then we will be a servant of Christ.  Verse twelve adds, And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.  Jesus gives us a warning that if we attempt to bring honor to our self instead of to God that we will be abased.  On the other hand, if we humble our self before God and man we will be exalted.  We should never do anything for God to bring glory to our self.

Matthew 22::31

 Matthew 22:31says, But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,  Jesus then addressed the resurrection of the dead, which the Sadducees did not believe in, and asked if they had not read the scriptures concerning this.  Verse thirty-two adds, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  Jesus said that God proclaimed Himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and since God is not the God of the dead but of the living, then they would have had to be resurrected.  Verse thirty-three states, And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.  Once again, when the multitude heard Jesus, they were astounded at His doctrine.  Verse thirty-four declares, But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, but not to worship Jesus or even to learn from His teachings.  Verse thirty-five adds, Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,  One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, asked Jesus a question in order to tempt Him.  Verse thirty-six asks, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  The lawyer thought that he could trap Jesus by getting Him to declare one of the commandments to be greater than another.  The lawyer thought that he knew the law of God better than Jesus did.  We should never think that we know the law or anything else better than Jesus does.  Verse thirty-seven declares, Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This basically took care of the commandments concerning God.  Then verse thirty-eight adds, This is the first and great commandment.  Jesus said this is the first and great commandment, and until we accept it, we cannot keep the others.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.   Though not asked, Jesus said the second commandment was like the first, and that is that we love our neighbor as our self.  If we do this, then the rest of the ten commandments will take care of them self. Verse forty continues, On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  Jesus tells us that all the other commandments hang on these two, and the second one really isn't a part of the Ten Commandments.  Verse forty-one states, While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,  While the Pharisees were still gathered together, Jesus then asked them a question.  Verse forty-two asks,  Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. Jesus asked the Pharisees who they thought that Christ, the  Messiah, was.  This is the ultimate question that we must all answer.  They said the son of David, which would make Him an earthly ruler and not the Son of God, which would make Him a spiritual ruler.  Verse forty-three then asks, He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,  Verse forty-four adds, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?  Jesus said if Christ was the son of David, then why did David in the Spirit call Him Lord.  David recognized that he was but a servant of God, and his children would be also, at best.  He did not declare himself to be the spiritual savior of Israel.  Verse forty-five continues, If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?  Jesus asked how David could call Christ Lord if He were David's physical son.  Verse forty-six concludes, And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.  No one, even the Pharisee who was a  lawyer could answer the question that Jesus posed, and from that day forward, no one asked Him any more questions.  There comes a time when we must quit questioning Who Jesus is, and either accept Him as the only Savior that there is or reject Him altogether.  The choice is always up to each individual.

Matthew 22:15

 Matthew 22:15 says, Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.  The Pharisees, some of  the most religious of God's chosen people, got together to plot against Jesus.  Verse sixteen adds,  And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.  The Pharisees sent their disciples, along with some Herodians, those who worshipped Herod, to Jesus basically flattering Him.  They said they knew that He was no respecter of people because of who they were.  It is sad when God's people get together with those who are not his people, especially those who worship false gods, and attempt to discredit God.  Verse seventeen says, Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?  After saying that they knew Jesus was no respecter of people, they asked Jesus if He thought it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar.  They thought if Jesus said yes that they could accuse Him of being hypocritical, and if He said no that they could accuse Him of defying Caesar.  Verse eighteen declares, But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?  Jesus understood what they were up to and asked why they tempted Him.  We are never going to outsmart God.  Verse nineteen adds, Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.  Jesus told this group of religious and governmental people to bring Him some tribute money and they brought Him a penny.  Verse twenty continues, And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?  Jesus asked them whose image and superscription were on the coin.  Verse twenty-one says, They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.  The group said that it was Caesar's image and superscription on the coin.  Jesus then said for them to render unto Caesar what was Caesar's, and unto God what was God's.  Verse twenty-two proclaims, When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.  When they heard Jesus' answer, they marveled and went on their way.  All we can ever do when we ask a question of God, for whatever reason. is to marvel when He gives us the answer, and accept it and go on our way.  Verse twenty-three states, The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,  Now the Sadducees, who didn't believe in life after death came to Jesus asking Him a question.  Verse twenty-four says, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.  The Sadducees started by citing a teaching of Moses concerning a married man who died having no children and the fact that his brother was supposed to marry the wife to produce and heir for the dead brother.  Verse twenty-five adds, Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:  The Sadducees referred to seven brothers, the oldest of which was married and died without having a child.  Verse twenty-six continues, Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.  All the other seven brothers in order married the woman and died without producing an heir.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, And last of all the woman died also.  This was quite a tragic story.  Verse twenty-eight asks, Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.  The Sadducees, who did not believe in resurrection, asked Jesus whose wife would the woman be in heaven, since she had been married to all of them.  This was simply another attempt by religious leaders to discredit Jesus.  Verse twenty-nine declares, Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.  Jesus told these religious leaders that they erred, not knowing the scriptures and the power of God.  The fact that these Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection proved that they did not know either.  We need to be careful that our beliefs do not contradict God's word.  Verse thirty adds, For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.  Jesus said in the resurrection, none marry or are given in marriage.  Marriage is an institution that ends at death, according to the Bible.  The Sadducees thought they could get Jesus to say something contradictory to either God's word or the resurrection, but once again, those who would attempt to discredit Jesus failed, as people always will when attempting to discredit Him.

Matthew 22:1

Matthew 22:1 says, And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,  Verse two adds, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,  Jesus spoke another parable, this one about a king who prepared a marriage feast for his son.  Verse three states, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.  The king sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they would not come.  Verse four adds,   Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.  The king once again sent his servants and told those who were invited that the food was prepared and everything was ready.  Verse five declares, But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:  Many of those who were invited made light of the second call, and went about life as usual.  Verse six adds, And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.  Some of the others invited took the servants and killed them.  Verse seven declares, But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  When the king heard what had happened, he was angry and sent an army to destroy those who had refused to come to the wedding.  Verse eight says, Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  The king told the servants that the wedding was ready, but that those who had been invited were not worthy to come.  Verse nine adds, Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.  The king sent his servants into the highways and told them to invite as many as the met to come to the wedding.  Verse ten continues, So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.  The servants got people they found, both good and bad, to come to the wedding and participate in the feast afterwards.  God has prepared a wedding feast for His Son, Jesus Christ, and those invited first, the Jews, have refused to come.  Not only that, but at times they even killed His servants.  Because of that, the invitation to the wedding went out to the Gentiles, both good and bad, and those who come through faith in Jesus Christ will avoid facing the wrath of God.  We today simply have to heed God's call to the wedding feast, or salvation.  Verse eleven declares, And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:  Verse twelve adds, And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.  When the king came in to the wedding he found a man who was not dressed in wedding garments.  I believe the wedding garments indicate faith in Christ, and there will be some who attempt to slip into the wedding feast without putting their faith in Jesus Christ, and it will not work.  Verse thirteen concludes, Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The man who was not properly dressed was bound and cast into outer darkness.  Each person has to decide whether they want to come to the wedding feast of Christ, and we can only do so by coming by faith in salvation provided by Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection in atonement for our sins.  Verse fourteen proclaims, For many are called, but few are chosen.  All people are called to salvation, but only those who come to God through faith in Jesus Christ will be chosen to receive salvation.  There is no other way that we can somehow sneak into heaven. 

Matthew 21:33

 Matthew 21:33 says, Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:  Jesus told another parable, this time about a man who fixed up his property very nice and then rented it to husbandmen.  Verse thirty-four adds, And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.  When harvest time came near, the man sent his servants to collect what was owed to the man.  Verse thirty-five declares, And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.  The  husbandmen beat one servant, killed another and stoned another.  Verse thirty-six says, Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.  The owner sent more servants and they were treated the same way.  He could have sent an bunch of armed servants, or maybe even have gone to the authorities, but he once gain sent servants instead of coming in power against the husbandman.  Verse thirty-seven declares, But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.  Finally the owner sent his son saying that surely they would reverence him.  Verse thirty-eight declares, But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.  Instead of reverencing the son, the husbandmen decided to kill him and seize his inheritance.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.  They caught the son, cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Verse forty asks, When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?  When the Lord of the vineyard came, and he certainly would, what did those hearing the parable think that he would do to the husbandmen?  Verse forty-one says, They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.  They said that the owner would utterly destroy the wicked man and let the vineyard out to others that they might collect the harvest for the owner.  Verse forty-two declares,. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?  Jesus asked these religious leaders if they had never read in the scriptures where it said that the stone that they rejected would be the head of the corner, or cornerstone, and that it would be marvelous in their eyes.  Verse forty-three adds, Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.  Jesus told the chief priests and scribes that the kingdom of God would be taken from Israel and given to a nation bringing forth fruit for the kingdom of God.  In the parable God was the Owner, Israel was the husbandmen, Jesus was the Son, and the Gentiles were the ones the land was given to to bring forth the harvest.  Verse forty-four continues, And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.  Anyone who fell on the Stone would be broken, but anyone that the Stone fell on would be ground into powder.  If we fall on Jesus for salvation, we are  broken to self and sin, and if we do not fall on Him and accept Him as our Savior and Lord, then one day we will face Him as our judge.  Verse forty-five declares, And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.   When the chief priests and Pharisees heard the parable, they knew that Jesus spoke about them.  In order for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross\s to have meaning to us, we must first recognize that it applies to us.  Verse forty-six  concludes, But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.  The chief priests sand Pharisees would have taken Jesus, just like the husbandmen in the parable, but they feared the crowds, who at this time were still following Jesus.

Matthew 21:23

Matthew 21:23 says, And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?  While Jesus was teaching in the temple, the chief priests and elders came to Him and questioned His right to do so.  Of course, had they really been listening to God, they would have come to learn from Jesus instead.  We never should become so structured that we feel that we need to question someone who is proclaiming the gospel, especially when that person is doing great things for God.   Verse twenty-four declares,  And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.  Jesus answered them by saying that if they would answer one question for Him, then He would answer their question.  When people do question our authority to preach and teach God's word, they should be willing to answer a question as to how they understand God's word better than the one who is we do.  Verse twenty-five adds, The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?  Jesus asked these religious leaders if the baptism of John came from heaven or from men.  They reasoned among themselves, but they did not seek an answer from God.  They were looking for the answer that would be best for them, not the answer that God would give.  The chief priests and elders said if they answered from God, then the would be asked why they didn't believe John the Baptist.  Verse twenty-six continues, But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.  They then said that if they said of men, they feared the people, because the people believed John the Baptist to be a prophet.  We will always find ourselves in a dilemma when we attempt to discredit those who are proclaiming God's word, especially for our own benefit.  We will certainly find ourselves in a dilemma when we who claim to be followers of Christ attempt to discredit Christ Himself.  Verse twenty-seven states,  And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.  The chief priests and elders said they could not answer Him, and Jesus said then He would not answer them.  If they had acknowledged Jesus for Who He is, then they would have been able to answer the question, just as we will be able to do so today.  Verse twenty-eight says, But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.  Jesus asked them another question about a certain man who had two sons and came to the first and told him to go work in his vineyard.  Verse twenty-nine adds, He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  The son told the father that he would not go, but afterward changed his mind and went.  Verse thirty states, And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.  The man came to his second son with the same request, and the son said that he would go, but he didn't.  Then verse thirty-one adds, Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  Jesus asked the chief priests and elders which son did the will of the father, and they said the first.  Jesus then told them that the publicans and harlots would go into the kingdom of God before they did.  They were like the second son who had said he would do God's work in the world but then did what was best for himself.  Verse thirty-two declares, For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe in him.  Jesus said that John the Baptist came to them in the way of righteousness and they did not believe him and repent, but the publicans and harlots believed him and repented.  Today, we have to ask the question not concerning John the Baptist, but Jesus Himself.  Do we believe that Jesus is Who He says He is and repent and accept Him as our Savior and Lord or do we not?

Matthew 21:12

 Matthew 21:12 says, And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,  Jesus went into the temple and cleansed it of those who had turned it into a house of merchandizers .  If you want to get some people who profess to be Christians angry today, just get between their stream of revenue and them.  We should never attempt to profit materially from worshipping God.  Verse thirteen declares, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.  Jesus said that it had been written, which was in the scripture, God's written word, that the temple would be called a house of prayer, but they had turned it into a den of thieves.  I believe that some churches today turn what are to be houses of worship into houses of entertainment, but that is simply my opinion.  We might ask at least how much is the church building seen as a house of prayer.  Verse fourteen states, And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.  After Jesus drove out the money changers, the blind and lame came to Him and He healed them.  Verse fifteen adds, And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,   The chief priests saw the wonderful things that Jesus was doing, and heard the children calling Him the Son of David, or the Messiah, and they were very displeased.  The religious leaders should have been rejoicing with the others.  We should never be displeased when someone is doing something great for Jesus and God is receiving the glory.  Verse sixteen asks, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?  The disciples asked Jesus if He heard what the children were saying.  Jesus once again referred them to the scripture.  If someone questions what we are doing for God today, no matter our age, we need to be able to base our actions on scripture.  Verse seventeen says, And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.  Jesus left the temple and went to Bethany and lodged there.  Verse eighteen states, Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.  We are not told who Jesus lodged with, but when He left the next day and returned to the city, Jerusalem, He was hungry.  Jesus was human in all aspects, just as we are and subjected to the same physical needs.  Verse nineteen declares, And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.   When Jesus saw a fig tree and it had no fruit on it, He said to the fig tree for it to have no fruit again ever, and the fig tree withered away.  We might say that Jesus did this out of anger at the fig tree, but it was another lesson about the need of His followers to bear fruit spiritually.  If we do not bear fruit, then we wither away.  Verse twenty states, And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!  When Jesus' disciples saw what had happened, they marveled at how quickly the fig tree withered away.  Do we marvel today when God works quickly in any situation, or do we recognize His power and authority to do so?  Verse twenty -one declares, Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  Jesus told the disciples that if they had faith that they could move mountains.  I believe that this is in order to glorify God and advance His kingdom and not for our own benefit.  If we have this type of faith and power, it must be rooted in God's will and not our own material desires.  Verse thirty-two adds, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Once more, when we pray we are seeking God's will, and if we are doing so and believe that He will answer, then He will.  What we need to acknowledge is that sometimes God says no to us, because we are not praying for His will to be done but for ours.

Matthew 21:1

Matthew 21:1 says, And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,  Jesus was nearing His final destination.  Verse two adds, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.  When Jesus was at Bethphage, He sent two of His disciples to find a certain ass and bring it to Him.  He was only going to borrow it for a little while.  Jesus didn't ask them to bring Him a magnificent horse, but an ass, or donkey.  Jesus was always the humble servant and so should we be as His followers.  Verse three continues, And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.  Jesus said if anyone asked the two disciples what they were doing to simply say that the Lord hath need of them.  When we are acting under the leadership of the Holy Spirit we should not fear what people may say to us.  Just as God prepared the way for these two disciples, He will prepare the way for us to get what we need to do His work.  Verse four says, All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,  Verse five adds, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.  This was also the fulfillment of a prophesy about the coming Messiah.  Jesus was not simply doing everything to force the fulfillment of s prophesy, but everything He did fulfilled the prophesies made about the coming Messiah.  We should never attempt to force events to fulfill the prophesies about the second coming of Christ, but instead should allow the events to fulfill the prophesies under God's guidance.  Verse six states, And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,  Just like the two disciples, we should simply do what Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in our case, tells us to do without question or fear.  Verse seven adds, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.  When they brought the ass, they put their clothes on it for Jesus to sit on.  They were willing to sacrifice some of their comfort for Jesus and we should be too.  Verse eight declares, And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.  The great multitude that was following Jesus put down their garments and tree branches in front of Jesus as He rode along.  They were still looking at Jesus as an earthly ruler.  We do not follow Jesus to become powerful in this world, but to become servants to those around us.  Verse nine adds, And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.  The multitude cried out proclaiming Jesus to be the Son of David, or Messiah.  They called for the highest praise, but they still did not know Who Jesus really was and what He came to do.  Today, some people may praise Jesus as long as He seems to be doing what they expect or want them to do without ever really acknowledging Who He really is or doing what He has called them to do, which is to accept Him as Savior and Lord and to die to self will and commit everything to God's guidance.  Verse ten states, And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?  When Jesus got into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved to ask Who He was.  This is the ultimate question that each individual must answer personally.  A crowd mentality will not do.  Verse eleven answers, And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.  The crowd answered that it was Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.  They still did not know Who Jesus really was.  It is not enough to know the historical Jesus or the Prophet Jesus, but we must know the Messiah, the Savior of the world for all who put their faith in Him.

Matthew 20:29

 Matthew 20:29 says, And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.  Wherever Jesus went, great multitudes followed Him, but they were following for the wrong reasons.  Some followed simply to see what Jesus would do, some followed as many religious leaders did to attempt to discredit Him, and a some followed because they had faith in His power to heal.  Very few followed Jesus because they truly understood Who He is.  Many people still attempt follow Jesus today for the wrong reasons.  Verse thirty states, And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.  Two blind men, who could not come to Jesus on their own, called out to Him and asked that He, whom they called the Son of David, or Messiah, have mercy on them.  We all need to call out to Jesus at some point and ask Him to come into our heart and have mercy on  us.  Verse thirty-one says, And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.  The multitude rebuked the two blind men and told them to keep quiet, but they cried out even more.  It is a sad situation when those who are supposedly following Jesus attempt to keep anyone else from following Him and showing His mercy to them.  We as followers of Christ should be helping, not hindering, those who call out to Him.  We should never feel that anyone calling out to Jesus is somehow unworthy of His mercy, especially when they acknowledge who He really is.  Verse thirty-two declares, And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?  Jesus stood and called  out to the two men and asked what they would have Him do.  We must answer this question today.  When we come to Jesus, what would we have Him to do?  Some come for material reasons, but the only real reason to come to Jesus is for salvation from our sins.  All else will be taken care of if we put our faith in Him.  Verse thirty-three answers, They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.  The immediate concern of these two men was to have their physical sight restored, but they seemed to have faith in Jesus being able to do this because of Who He was.  Verse thirty-four states, So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.  We are told that Jesus had compassion on them and they immediately received their sight and followed Him.  When we call out to Jesus in faith that He is the only One Who can bring us forgiveness for our sins and if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, we will immediately have our spiritual sight restored.  Then, we should follow His will for our life in all that we do.

Matthew 20:17

 Matthew 20:17 says, And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,  Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and He took the disciples aside and talked to them.  Any where we are on our way to, we need some time aside with Jesus, and we need to listen to what He has to say..  Verse eighteen adds, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,  Jesus told the disciples that the time had come for Him to be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, those who were supposed to be the leaders of God's chosen people, and for Him to be put to death. We as followers of Christ, God's chosen people today, need to make sure that we never betray Jesus in anything that we do.  Verse nineteen continues, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.  The chief priests and scribes did not have the authority to put Jesus to death, so they would deliver Him to the Gentiles to do so.  The good news was that on the third day He would rise again.  Verse twenty states, Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.  The mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, came to Jesus desiring a certain thing of Him.  There is really only one thing that we should desire for our children from Jesus, and that is salvation.  Verse twenty-one declares, And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.  Jesus listened to the mother, just as He will listen to us today.  She requested that her sons be given given positions of power and prestige in His kingdom.  Verse twenty-two declares, But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.  Jesus asked them if they were able to do the things that He was able to do, and they said yes they were.  We should never begin to think that we, or anyone else can do what Jesus did,  He is the only way to salvation.  Verse twenty-three adds, And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.  Jesus said that they would indeed drink of His cup and be baptized with His baptism, but it wasn't His right to say who would sit on His right and left.  This was the right of the heavenly Father.  We may die for our faith in Christ, but it is His sacrifice on the ross that brings us salvation.  Verse twenty-four says, And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.  When the other disciples heard what had happened, they were moved with indignation against James and John.  I believe this was more because they wanted that position for them self than because of any real commitment to doing what Jesus called them to do.  We cannot be angry with other Christians out of selfishness.  Verse twenty-five states, But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  Jesus referred to the Gentiles and how the princes had dominion over the others.  Verse twenty-six declares, But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;  Jesus called on His disciples to not be the same as the Gentiles.  He said whoever would be great should be a minister to the others.  If we begin to feel that we are superior to other Christians, then we should examine our relationship to Christ.  We are called to witness for Him and not for our self.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:  Jesus said if we want to be big in the kingdom of God that we should serve others.  This should be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and for God's glory and not our own.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.  Jesus said that even He did not come to be ministered to but to minister and give His life as a ransom for many.  We should be willingly to lay down our life for the gospel, but only Jesus can be the ransom from sin.  His salvation is available to all who put their faith in Him.

Matthew 20:1

 Matthew 20:1 says, For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.  Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a homeowner who sent for workers early in the morning.  Verse two adds, And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  The man and the workers agreed to the price of a penny a day for the work.  They were not forced to work for this amount, but agreed to do so.  Verse three states,  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,  Then verse four adds, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.  Three hours later, the home owner saw some men standing idle in the market place and told them to go to work in the vineyard and he would pay them whatever he felt was right, and they went to work.  Verse five says, Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.  They man went out twice more at three hour intervals and sent more workers into the vineyard with the same understanding that they would be paid what he felt was right.  Verse six states, And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?  At near the end of the day, the man once again went out and found some men standing idle and asked them why the were doing so.  Verse seven says, They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.  They told the home owner that no one had hired them, and he told them to go into the vineyard and work, and once again said that he would pay them what he felt was fair.  Though the first workers were promised a specific amount of pay, all went to work willingly.  Verse eight declares, So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.  The man told his steward to call the workers at the end of the day and to give them their pay, starting with those hired last.  He was doing nothing in secret, but everyone would know what he others were paid.  Verse nine adds, And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.  Those who had worked for an hour were given a penny in pay.  Verse ten states, But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.  Evidently, all those who had come to work received a penny in pay, and when the first to go to work came, they expected to receive more, but they were also paid a penny.  Verse eleven declares, And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,  When the first hired received their pay, they murmured against the home owner even though they had received what they had agreed on for pay.  Verse twelve adds, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.  They complained that those who had only worked an hour received the same pay as they did.  We would likely feel the same way and do the same thing that they did.  Verse thirteen declares, But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?  The home owner addressed them as friend and said that he had done no wrong and asked if he had not paid them what they agreed on.  Verse fourteen adds, Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.  Thee homeowner told the men to take what was theirs and go on the way, and that he would pay the last just the same as the first. The man could have payed them in the order that they came to work and the first would not have known how much the last had been paid, but he was honest and above board in his actions.  Verse fifteen asks, Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?  The man asked the ones complaining if he was not free to do what he chose with his money, and asked if their eye would be evil because he was good.  Verse sixteen concludes, So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.  The man said that the first would be last and the last first, and that many were called but few were chosen.  We are called to salvation at different ages, but we all have the same reward, everlasting life.  This is God's gift of grace to all who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and it is the only reward promised.  We should never feel cheated if someone comes to know Jesus as Savior and Lord late in life, but should be thankful that God has provided a way to salvation that is equal to all and that He fulfills His promise to us.  To do otherwise would imply that we believe that we are working to earn our salvation.

Matthew 19:23

 Matthew 19:23 says, Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  After His encounter with the rich young ruler, Jesus said a rich man should hardly enter the kingdom of heaven.  This was because like the rich young ruler, rich people often value riches more than they value their relationship with God.  Verse twenty-four declares, And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  Jesus further emphasized His statement about a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus said it would be nearly impossible, but we must remember that with God, nothing is impossible and that with the smallest of faith, we can do things that seem impossible.  Verse twenty-five states, When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  When the disciples heard this, they were exceedingly amazed, asking Jesus who could be saved.  Jesus will always be the One to determine who can be saved, and that is anyone who puts their faith in Him as Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-six says, But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.  As already stated, Jesus said with God all things are possible.  We should never forget this promise.  Verse twenty-seven states, Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?  Peter said that the disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus and asked what they would have.  When we come to Jesus and accept Him as our Savior and Lord, we give up everything that we have in this world, and we know the answer to the question.  We will have everlasting life with God.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  Jesus said that the disciples would sit on twelve thrones in heaven judging the twelve tribes of Israel, after He had was sitting on His throne in glory.  He did not promise them anything in this world, and I do not profess to know exactly what their role in heaven will be, nor mine for that matter, but I have faith that we will all be there for the purpose that God assigns us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.  Jesus told Peter, and tells us, that whatever we sacrifice for Him in this world, we will receive one hundred times over when we are in heaven with Him.  Verse thirty concludes, But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.  If, after we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we desire to be first in His Kingdom, Jesus tells us that we will be last.  There is no room for egotism among Christians.

Matthew 19:10

 Matthew 19:10 says, His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.  The disciples said to Jesus that if marriage required all that Jesus said, then it would be better not to marry.  Marriage was a total commitment of a man and a woman under God then and it still is today.  Verse eleven declares, But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.  Jesus said if a man could not truly give this commitment, the he should not make it, thereby saving the woman to whom it was given.  A woman could not ask for a divorce then, but only the man could.  Verse twelve adds, For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.  Jesus said that some men were eunuchs from birth, some were made eunuchs by others, and some made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, and that anyone who was able to receive this hearing should do so.  What we need to realize is that God's plan is for people to marry, and when they do it should be under God's leadership and according to His design for marriage.  Verse thirteen states, Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.  Once more we are told of little children being brought to Jesus for Him to pray over them and the disciples rebuking them. We need to bring our little children to Jesus today and ask in prayer that He would watch over them, and we should never attempt to keep them from coming into the presence of God.  Verse fourteen declares, But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus told the disciples to allow the little children to come to Him, because the kingdom of heaven was made up of such.  No matter how old we are, we must come to Jesus with a child like faith and be born again into the kingdom of heaven.  Verse fifteen says, And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.  Jesus laid His hands on the little children and then left.  Verse sixteen states, And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  A man then came to Jesus. calling Him Good Master, and asked what he must do to inherit the kingdom of heaven. The first thing we must do when we come to Jesus for salvation, the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must first know Who He really is.  When we do, we will already know what we can do to get ot heaven, and it does not depend on any action of our own, other than putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen declares, And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.  Jesus asked the man why he called Him good, stating that there was none good except God.  I believe that this question was asking the man if he recognized the divinity of Jesus.  Then, Jesus told the man to keep the commandments.  Jesus knew that the man could not completely keep the commandments, since He alone was able to do so.  Verse eighteen says, He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,  Verse nineteen continues, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  Jesus listed the commandments dealing with relationships between people and also said that the man should love his neighbor as himself.  The man could not just choose what commandments to keep, but must keep them all, based not just on actions but on the attitude of his heart.  Verse twenty states, The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?  The young man was full of self pride and said that he had done these things from his youth and asked what he lacked.  We can never come to Jesus feeling that we have done all that is necessary for salvation, but must come to Him humbly admitting that we are but a sinner needing salvation by the grace of God.  Verse twenty-one declares, Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  Jesus told the young man basically that it was time to put his professed faith into action.  The young man was to sell all that he had, give it to the  poor, and come and follow Jesus.  We must give all that we have to Jesus and come and follow Him if we are to be saved.  Verse twenty-two says, But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  The young man went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions.  We must never let anything that we have in this world come between God and us.  If we do, then if not in this life then in the one to come, we will go way sorrowful.

Matthew 19:1

 Matthew 19:1 says, And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; Once again, Jesus moved on after teaching the disciples awhile and came to Judaea, beyond Jordan.  Verse two states, And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.  Once again, great multitudes followed Jesus and He healed them.  No matter how many people come to Jesus today by faith and accept Him as their Savior and Lord, He will heal them all.  Verse three says, The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?  Once more the Pharisees came to Jesus with a question, this time about divorce.  They really weren't concerned about divorce, but were once again attempting to get Jesus to say something that they could use against Him.  Verse four declares, And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  Jesus asked the Pharisees if they had not read the scripture which said that in the beginning God had made people male or female, and He still does today.  It really isn't a choice that a person makes later in life.  Verse five adds, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?  Jesus then said that the man would leave his father and mother when he was grown and marry a woman.  Under God, only a man and a woman may be married, no matter what the world may say.  Verse six continues,  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  In marriage, the two become on flesh.  This also is still true today if a man and a woman are married under God's guidance and with a commitment not only to each other, but to committed to each other under God's guidance.  Verse seven asks, They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?  The Pharisees asked Jesus why Moses commanded that a man give a woman a writing of divorcement and put her away.  This was not a command that people should divorce, but a  command to protect the woman, who had very few rights, from just being cast out with nothing any time a man decided that he no longer wanted to be married to the woman.  Verse eight declares, He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.  Jesus said that it was because of the hardiness of their hearts that Moses told them to give a writing of divorcement, and that from the beginning, when God instituted marriage, this was not so.  Marriage between a man and a woman for a lifetime is God's plan and anything other than that is man's plan.  Verse nine adds, And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.  Jesus said that the only reason for divorce in God's plan was fornication, or adultery.  Otherwise, anyone marrying someone who was divorced was guilt of committing adultery.  This has not changed.

Matthew 18:21

Matthew 18:21 says, Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Peter came to Jesus looking for a legalistic answer about forgiving his brother, saying seven times.  At what point would Peter have forgiven him enough.  We don't need to look for ways to no longer forgive others, but must be willing to forgive as long as necessary.  Verse twenty-two declares, Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.  Jesus answered seventy times seven, which basically means more than we can count.  Verse twenty-three says, Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.  Jesus told the disciples another parable, this one about a certain king who called his servants in to give and accounting.  Verse twenty-four adds, And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  One of his servants who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.  Verse twenty-five continues, But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The king ordered the man, his wife, his children and all that he had to be sold when the man couldn't pay him.  The king had the power and even the right to do so legally.  Verse twenty-six declares, The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  The servant fell down and worshipped the king and asked for mercy, saying that he would repay him in time.  Verse twenty-seven says, Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.  The king was moved with compassion and forgave the servant.  The servant had to be rejoicing.  Verse twenty-eight states, But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  The man who had been forgiven found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence and took him by the throat and demanded payment right then.  We would think that he would have had patience with his fellow servant, but he did not.  Peter was like the servant who had everything forgiven by God, and so are we, and we will never have to repay what we owe, because we cannot.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  His fellow servant reacted the same way that the man had with the king, falling down and asking for patience.  Verse thirty declares, And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.  Instead of being patient, the man had his fellow servant thrown into prison.  He did not treat his fellow servant as his master had treated him.  Verse thirty-one adds, So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.  When the other servants saw what the man had done, they were very sorry and went and told the master.  Verse thirty-two declares, Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:  The servant was called before the master and reminded of what the master had done for him because he begged him to.  The master called the man a wicked servant.  When it comes to forgiving others as Christians, we must remember what God has done for us, and we really did not have to beg Him.  God freely forgives those who will put their faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty-three asks, Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  The man was held accountable for his lack of forgiveness, and I believe we will be also if we fail to forgive others, especially our fellow servants in Christ.  Verse thirty-four continues, And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  The master was angry with the servant and had him delivered to the tormentors until he could repay his debt.  Verse thirty-five declares, So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.  Jesus told Peter that the heavenly father was the same way with all people.  God forgives us of all our trespasses if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and He expects us to be just as forgiving to others.  God does not limit His forgiveness to us, and we should not limit our forgiveness to others.

Matthew 18:11

 Matthew 18:11 says, For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.  We need never forget why Jesus came.  Jesus came to seek and to save lost mankind.  Verse twelve states, How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?  Jesus asked if a man had a hundred sheep and one went astray, would the man just ignore the one or would he leave the ninety nine and go in search of the lost one.  Once we are saved, Jesus does not need to find us any more.  We are safe in His fold.  Verse thirteen adds, And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.  Jesus said that the man would rejoice more over the one than over the ninety-nine that had not gone astray.  What we have to realize is that we were all at one time the one that had gone astray.  We have all gone astray, but when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we become a part of the ninety-nine.  We are safely in His care forever.  Verse fourteen declares, Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.  Jesus said that it is not the will of the heavenly Father that any should perish.  When someone says that they cannot worship a God Who sends people to hell, we need to tell them that He doesn't.  God has done everything possible to redeem mankind, and only requires that they accept His Son by faith in order to be saved.  Verse fifteen adds, Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  Jesus told the disciples, which applies to us as well if we are His followers, that if we have a problem with someone, that we are to go to that person and tell them the problem.  We are not to go to others and tell them about what the person has done, but we are to keep it between us and the other person.  If we can make things right, then we have gained a brother.  Verse sixteen continues, But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.  Jesus then states that if we cannot make things right, then we are to take two or three others with us and attempt to do so with their help.  Once more, we are not to just complain and talk about someone that we have a problem with, but we are to attempt to make things right with them, first by our self and then with the help of fellow believers if necessary.  Verse seventeen declares, And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.  Jesus then said if the person still refused to listen, then tell it to the church, and if he still refused to listen then consider him as a heathen.  We too often first tell everyone else and never go to the person them self.  Verse eighteen adds, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Jesus said that Christians have a lot of power, but only if they are following the will of God.  We cannot simply say that we do not like some one or some thing and have it or him or her barred from heaven.  We must always act out of love under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse nineteen continues, Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.  Again, this must be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and for God's glory and not just so we can get anything that we want if we simply have another Christian to agree with us.  Verse twenty declares, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.  We often use this verse to support the idea of gathering together to worship, and it does, but it is more than that I believe.  In context, it means that two or three believers gathering together to solve problems with others, under the leadership of God, they can do so.

Matthew 18:1

Matthew 18:1 says, At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  The disciples came to Jesus asking who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  The disciples were beginning to let ego come into the the picture, since at this time, they were still looking for Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom I believe.  At least they came to Jesus for the answer.  Verse two declares, And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,  Jesus called for a little child and set the child in the midst of the disciples.  It mat have seemed to the disciples that Jesus was ignoring their question.  When we ask God a question, we must allow Him to answer in His own way.  Verse three adds,  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus told the disciples, and tells us today, that we must be  converted and come to Him as little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.  It is not about working to be the greatest, but about coming to Jesus by faith alone.  Verse four continues, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus said that anyone who came to Him in child like faith, totally dependent on Him for salvation, would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Verse five declares, And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  Jesus does not differentiate between little children, but tells us that if we receive even one of them that we receive them.  Verse six adds, But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Jesus told the disciples that a person would be better off if he or she drowned them self than they would if they offended, or harmed, a little child.  Verse seven adds, Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!  Jesus acknowledged that offences were going to come, but He also said that woe be to him by which they came.  Verse eight continues, Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.  Jesus said that we are to take sin seriously, and that if our hand or foot offends us, or leads us into sin, that we should cut it off, and that we are better off entering the kingdom of God halt and maimed than entering hell with all our body parts intact.  Verse nine states further, And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.  This is just a continuation of what Jesus said about the hand or foot.  Verse ten declares, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.  There was a further warning about not despising the little ones.  I believe that Jesus was talking about any little child anywhere in the world and not just those who are closest to us.

Matthew 17:22

 Matthew 17:22 says, And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:  While Jesus and the disciples were staying in Galilee, Jesus told them that He would be betrayed by the hand of man.  We are betrayed when those who we claim to be close to us turn against us.  Verse twenty-three adds,  And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.  Jesus told the disciples that He would be killed and would rise again on the third day.  They were saddened by this statement.  We today as Christians should be saddened by what happened to Jesus, but we should rejoice in the fact that He rose again on the third day.  Verse twenty-four says, And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?  Jesus and the disciples traveled to Capernaum, where Peter was approached and asked if Jesus didn't pay tribute.  The ones asking did not go to Jesus, but to Peter, who did not even keep their purse, or money.  If someone has questions about how God works, the best thing is to go to God Himself, though we as His disciples should be able to answer some questions.  Verse twenty-five states, He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?  Peter did not go to Jesus for the answer but said yes for Him, then when Peter came to Jesus, He asked Peter what he was thinking.  Jesus asked Peter if He thought that the  kings of the earth take tribute of their own citizens or of strangers.  Verse twenty-six says, Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.  Peter replied of strangers, and Jesus then stated that the children were free.  Since Jesus is the King of all the earth, there is never a reason for Him to pay tribute to anyone in the earth.  Verse twenty-seven declares, Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.  Jesus said in order to not offend those asking tribute, that Peter was to go to the sea, cast his net, take up the first fish and open its mouth, and there he would find a piece of money to give them for tribute.  Jesus could have just produced the coin, but He included Peter in producing it.  God today could just give us everything that we need, but He usually includes us in providing for our needs.  This requires faith in action.  

Matthew 17:14

 Matthew 17::14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,  Once more, their was a single individual who came to Jesus for help, and even in a multitude, we must come to Jesus individually, even if we are asking for help for someone else.  Verse fifteen adds, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.  It would not be politically correct to call someone a lunatic today, but he man's son had problems.  He would often harm himself.  The man was concerned for the physical wellbeing of his son, and we should be concerned with the physical wellbeing of our children today, but even more importantly we should be concerned with their spiritual wellbeing.  We should always bring them to Jesus in prayer in either case.  Verse sixteen continues, And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.  It is a good thing to bring those that we care about to the church, God's disciples today, but unless they then bring the problems of the person to Jesus, then they will not be able to do anything.  Since Jesus was evidently unaware of the man's problem, then we have to assume that the disciples attempted to help the man on their own.  Since the disciples were unable to help the man, we also have to assume that they were acting under their own power and not by faith in Jesus to empower them.  We must be careful that we as followers of Christ never begin to act under our own power instead of allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to work through us.  Verse seventeen declares, Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.  Jesus was basically talking to the disciples I believe.  He called them, and of course nearly all others as well, a wicked and perverse generation, and then asked how long He would be with them.  Jesus had already told the disciples the parable of the mustard seed concerning faith, yet they remained basically powerless to do anything for God.  We have that same promise, but we often act as though we are powerless in the world today.  Jesus then told the man to bring his son to Him.  Verse eighteen adds, And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.  Jesus rebuked the devil in the son and that very hour he was healed.  The child had been acting the way he was not because of some mental defect but because he was allowing a devil to control him.  Once more, there was no big battle, but when Jesus told the devil to come out of the child the devil had no choice but to do so.  Verse nineteen asks, Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?  The disciples came to Jesus wanting to know why they could not heal the boy.  We today may often feel that we are unable to do something for those around us, but if we do then we need to come to Jesus and ask Him why.  It may be that we are asking something for our own benefit and not asking in accordance with God's will, or it may be that we are asking without real faith that God can do what we ask.  Whatever the reason, we need to look to God for the answer.  Verse twenty declares, And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Jesus once again told the disciples that they could move a mountain with even faith the size of a mustard seed, which they evidently lacked at this time.  Verse twenty-one adds, Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.  Jesus said that faith like that came only from prayer and fasting.  They could not do it by their own power, and neither can we.

Matthew 17:1

 Mat5thew 17:1 says. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,  Jesus took three of the disciples up a mountain with Him.  Not all of the disciples were together with Jesus all the time.  Verse two states, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.  There, the three, Peter, James and his brother John saw the transfiguration of Jesus.   Jesus' face shined like the sun and His raiment was white as light.  Verse three declares, And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.  Not only did the disciples see Jesus, but they saw Moses and Elijah talking with Him.  I personally believe that Moses and Elijah were there in spiritual form more than in physical form, but they were seen and recognized either way.  Verse four states Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.  Peter once again spoke out and said it was good for the them to be there and offered to build three tabernacles for Moses, Elijah and Jesus.  Peter was a take action man, but often his actions were not based on the leadership of Jesus and some times his faith faltered..  We do not need to be the same way.  Verse five states, While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.  Even as Peter was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them and  there came a Voice from heaven declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son and telling the three disciples to listen to Him.  We need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit today, even if it only comes as a still small voice.  Verse six declares, And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.  When Peter, James and John heard the Voice, they fell on the ground because they afraid.  This was quite an experience, and we would probably have the same reaction today, but they should they have?  They should have recognized that this was the Voice of God and giving them a command and not threatening them.  We should be able to hear the Voice of God today without fear, as long as we are a follower of Christ and are living under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seven adds, And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.  Jesus told them to arise and be not afraid.  As long as we are listening to God today, we need to arise and be not afraid, no matter the situation.  Verse eight declares, And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.  When the three looked up, they saw only Jesus.  When we are in any situation today, whether bad or good, we need to look up and keep our focus on Jesus alone.  Verse nine adds, And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.  Jesus told Peter, James and John to not tell anyone of the vision until after His resurrection.  We must act in God's timetable at all times.  Verse ten says, And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?  The disciples asked Jesus why the scribes said that Elijah must come before the Messiah came.  Verse eleven declares, And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.  Jesus said this was true.  God's word is not going to change.  Verse eleven adds, But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.  Jesus said that this had already occurred.  Verse thirteen states, Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.  The disciples then recognized that John the Baptist fulfilled this prophesy.  We must never attempt to know more than God, but must simply look to the Holy Spirit to help us understand what God is saying to us.