Matthew 22:15 says, 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 chief priests and Pharisees had not been able to discredit Jesus, so they now sent the Herodians, those who worshipped Herod as a god, to question Jesus.  It is bad enough if we attempt to discredit Christ, especially if we claim to be God's people, but it is even worse if we ally with other religions to do so.  The Herodians called Jesus Master, and acknowledged that He was true and presented God's message without respect to who a person was, which was all true.  Still, they really did not accept Jesus as their Master.  There are people today who claim to profess Jesus as their Master, but in reality they are simply looking for a way to discredit His teachings.  They would water down the gospel by making Jesus but another good teacher and prophet.  In verse seventeen the Herodians asked, Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?  The Herodians thought that they would be able to discredit Jesus by asking Him about paying tribute, or taxes, to Caesar.  For some people, money is the primary source of their faith.  There are even those today who profess to be followers of Christ and question why they should pay taxes to the government.  I believe that Christ was always consistent in telling us that we should obey the law, unless it somehow causes us to deny our relationship with God. Verse eighteen declares, But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?   Jesus was not fooled by their flattery, and neither will He be today.  If we attempt to discredit Jesus, then He will see the wickedness in our hearts.  When we attempt to tempt Jesus into doing something that is against the will of God, we prove ourselves to be hypocrites.  If Christ is really our Savior and the Lord of our lives, we will never attempt to discredit the gospel for the sake of anything in this world.  In verse twenty-nine Jesus answers, Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.  To paraphrase a popular movie line Jesus said, "Show Me the tribute money."  Sometimes, Jesus makes simple requests to show us the answer to our questions.  The Herodians brought Jesus a penny.  Then verse twenty says, And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?   Jesus again asked a simple question that had only one answer.  There was no way for the Herodians to waver in their answer.  When Jesus leads us to the truth, it will be beyond dispute.  Verse twenty-one states, 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 Herodians answered that Caesar's image and superscription were on the penny.  Jesus then told them to render, or give, to Caesar the things that belonged to him, and to give to God the things that belong to God.  God always calls on us to be good citizens, unless doing so directly comes between Him and us.  This is always related to spiritual matters and not material matters.  Verse twenty-two declares, When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.  Like the Herodians, if we listen to what Jesus has to say, we will marvel at His truth.  The Herodians went away, I think still not really believing that Jesus was the Savior of the world, but unable to find anything to fault, or charge, Him with.  It is not enough to simply marvel at the teachings of Jesus.  We must first accept Him as Savior and Lord of our lives for His teachings to have any real effect on our lives.

Matthew 22:1 says, And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,  Jesus was still speaking in parables, but His message should always be clear to those who believe in Him.  Verse two says, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,  Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a king who made a marriage feast for his son.  We know how special many people feel if they are invited to the wedding of a famous person, especially to one of a king.  Verse three says, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.  Those invited to the wedding would not come.  God is the King, Jesus is the Son, and the nation of Israel are those invited to the wedding feast, or salvation through Christ.  Verse four states, 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 father sent his servants to those invited once again to tell them to come, because everything was prepared.  I believe these servants would be the prophets who had pointed the nation of Israel to Christ.  We, as gentiles, might not have been invited at first, but we were never excluded if we come to Jesus by faith.  This applies even to those who came to God even before Jesus came.  No one has ever been excluded from God's kingdom by the nature of their birth.  Verse five declares, But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:  Those invited, which were the nation of Israel, made light of the invitation. The religious leaders of God's chosen people especially made light of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  They refused to come to Him in faith.  Verse six states,.  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.  I believe the servants were those who proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and were mistreated by the religious leaders of that day, but also applies to those who have been mistreated for their faith in Christ since His coming.  Verse seven says, But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  This is a reference to the coming judgment of Christ.  Those who do accept Christ, and especially those who attempt to destroy those who proclaim the gospel, will lose everything at the day of judgment.  Verse eight states, Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  The king will pronounce those who had been invited to be unworthy, even though the wedding was ready.  This is a reference to the people of Israel, who were to be God's people.  They were the first invited to salvation through Christ, but they rejected the call.  Belonging to God in name only is never enough.  If we reject Christ, we are unworthy to be a part of God's kingdom.  Verse nine says, Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.  This is where the gospel is sent to the Gentiles, those who were not a part of the nation of Israel.  We must remember that the nation of Israel was always supposed to reach out to others with God's word, but they failed to do so.  Verse ten says, 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.  All that the servants found, both good and bad, were invited to the wedding feast.  We are not invited to come to Christ because of our own righteous, but all are invited to come as we are.  We can never be good enough to demand salvation, nor can we be bad enough to be denied 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:  I believe that this is a reference to those who attempt to enter into God's kingdom without accepting Christ as Savior and Lord.  There will be no entry without being clothed in Christ's salvation.  In verse twelve the King asks, And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.  When we are one day asked how we thought we could get into God's kingdom without accepting Christ, then we will likewise be speechless.  Verse thirteen continues, 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.  When we attempt to gain entry into the kingdom of God without accepting Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives, this will be our fate.  We will be eternally separated from God.  Verse fourteen declares, For many are called, but few are chosen.  Everyone in the world is called to salvation, but only those who accept Christ for Who He is, the Savior of the world, will be chosen.  This does not mean that certain people will not be able to be saved by the fact of their birth, but that none will be saved who are not born again through Christ.

Matthew 21:42 says, 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 is still speaking to the chief priests and elders when He asks if they had never read the scriptures.  As always, when we proclaim anything to be the will of God, we better be able to base our proclamation on the word of God.  Jesus asked if the had never heard of the stone which the builders rejected that became the chief cornerstone.  This was a prophecy about the coming Messiah, Who was, is and always will be Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, the chief priests and elders did not recognize Jesus.  Verse forty-three says, 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 became pretty direct in His statement to the chief priests and elders.  Because of their rejection of Jesus as the cornerstone, the Messiah, the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to others, the Gentiles.  We are expected, as was the nation of Israel, to bear fruit for Christ.  We are not given this task because of our own worthiness, but because of our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior and Lord, the cornerstone of our faith.  Verse forty-four says, And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.  Jesus was still speaking about Himself.  For some, Jesus is a stumbling block, and they refuse to believe in Him.  Some actively oppose the the gospel, and will one day have the gospel grind them down.  Those who do not accept Jesus as Savior will ultimately suffer His judgment.  Verse forty-five states, And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.  Though they didn't accept what Jesus was saying, the chief priests and Pharisees were smart enough to realize that Jesus was talking
about them.  When we realise that the gospel is personal, we can either accept or reject it.  The chief priests and Pharisees chose to reject it.  Verse forty-six says, But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.  The chief priests and Pharisees wanted to seize Jesus, but they feared the multitudes, who saw Jesus as a prophet.  Even through the multitudes did not see Jesus for Who He really is, the fact that they accepted Him as a prophet kept the chief priests and Pharisees from seizing Him.  Sometimes, God works through those who do not fully understand Who Jesus is to accomplish His will.  Still, until they fully understand and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, they are still lost.  To be saved we must acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of all who put their faith in Him.  Nothing less will do.

Matthew 12:33 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 was still speaking to the chief priests and elders, and He told them another parable.  Though they had not accepted the teachings of John the Baptist and so far had not accepted the teachings of Jesus Himself, Jesus was still trying to bring them to a saving knowledge of Who He was and always will be.  In this parable, God would be the householder and the people of Israel would be the husbandmen.  God created the earth and put mankind in charge of it.  God has every right to expect people to act in obedience to Him.  Even when God is not physically present with us, we are still called to live under His authority.  Verse thirty-four says, And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.  Jesus said at the time of the harvest that the landowner sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive the harvest.  I believe that we can say that this would be like all the prophets who had come to the people of Israel to prepare them for the coming of Jesus.  Verse thirty five declares, And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.  We know that God's prophets were often beaten or killed and their message rejected, most recently John the Baptist.  People would not accept that message about the coming Messiah.  I believe that Jesus was equating the chief priests and elders to the husbandmen, since they were the ones charged with representing people before God.  Verse thirty-six says, Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.  God has sent His servants, those who accepted His word, into the world since the beginning, and they have often been beaten and killed.  God has never given up on His creation, but has always sent prophets with His message until the coming of Christ, and now He sends His followers with His message for the world.  Verse thirty-seven declares, But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.  The householder decided to send his son to the husbandmen to collect what was owed to Him.  What we must acknowledge is that everything really belongs to God to start with, and that we are but caretakers or husbandmen.  Verse thirty-eight says,  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.  Though the householder thought that the husbandmen would respect his son, they simply saw his coming as a way to claim everything for themselves by killing him.  We know that God sent His Son, Jesus, to the nation of Israel first, and the religious leaders simply looked for ways to discredit and even kill Him.  They had promised to obey God, but they didn't.  Verse thirty-nine says, And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.  Instead of having reverence for the son, the husbandmen caught him and killed him.  We know that the son referred to Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the heavenly Householder.  When Jesus comes to us today, we still have the same choice.  We can either accept Him by faith as Savior and Lord, or we can in effect kill His effectiveness in our lives.  Verse forty asks, When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?  The husbandmen may have thought that by killing the son that they would be able to claim the land and harvest, but that would not be the case.  By rejecting Jesus, the people of Israel were not able to claim the world as their own, but they would answer to the heavenly Father, just as everyone will.  Verse forty-one says, And 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.  The chief priests and elders said that the householder would destroy the wicked men, and would let out his vineyard to other husbandmen.  They gave the correct answer, but I am still not sure that they knew that they were condemning themselves.  When the people of Israel rejected Jesus, then the spreading of the gospel passed to the Gentiles.  We still do not own the world, or the gospel, but are simply to be God's caretakers of both.  We can never claim the things of God as our own.  We remain but servants of God.

Matthew 21:28 says, But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.  Jesus was still speaking to the chief priests and elders, and He was still referring to their question about His authority to do the things He was doing.  Again, these were the religious leaders of God's people.  They should have been able to tell if God was at work, or if Jesus was just a man making false claims about Himself.  As followers of Christ today, we should be able to determine what is truly God's work in the world.  If we are following Christ and living under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we should never be confused about what is of God and what is of man.  Jesus told them that a certain man told his son to go into the vineyard and work.  Then verse twenty-nine states, He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  The son told his father he would not go, but later repented and went.  I believe that we can equate this son with those who at first are outside the will of God, and that would be anyone who does not accept God's authority in their life.  Then they repent and obey God's command.  We know that we can only do this through our faith in Christ.  Verse thirty  states, And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.  The father came to a second son and told him the same thing, to go and work in the vineyard.  The second son respectfully said that he would.  I believe that this would be those, who like the chief priests and elders, claim that they are doing what God wants them to do, but really reject His authority in their lives.  No matter how respectful we may claim to be to God, we must do more than pay lip service to His commands.  In verse thirty-one Jesus asks, 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 asks the chief priests and elders which of the sons did the will of his father.  This is a question we need to ask ourselves.  Are we really doing what God is calling us to do, or are we only claiming to without any real obedience.  The chief priests and elders answered that the first son obeyed.  It is better to at first say that we aren't going to do God's wili and then do it, than to say that we will and then not do it.  Jesus told the chief priests and elders that publicans and harlots would go into heaven before they did, because the chief priests and elders were professing to obey the heavenly Father and they weren't.  The publicans and harlots would enter because even though they had said they would not obey the heavenly Father, when they accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord they did obey Him.  The chief priests and elders could not get into heaven unless they also accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Self righteous would never grant them entry into heaven.  Verse thity-two says, 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 him.  Jesus said that John the Baptist came to the chief priests and elders proclaiming the way of righteousness, and they did not believe him, whereas the publicans and harlots did.  When we hear the gospel proclaimed, unless we accept it as truth in our lives, then no matter how good of a person we may be, we like the chief priests and elders will not enter heaven.  The only way to everlasting life with the Father in heaven is through faith in the Son in this life.

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?  This time, the chief priests and elders came to Jesus, not to learn from Him, but to question His authority.  I believe that the chief priests and elders thought that they were the authority, and they had not authorized Jesus to teach or anything else.  There are some religious leaders today that think that all authority is theirs, and some that even think that they control the salvation of all who worship under their authority.  The church, as an earthly organization, will never control salvation nor the service of a person called by God to fulfill His purpose.  In verse twenty-four Jesus said, 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 said that He would ask them one question, and if they could answer it, then He would tell them by what authority He did the things He was doing.  The chief priests and elders thought they could accuse Jesus of acting without authority, but as they found out, we are never smarter than God.  All they had to do was answer one question, and that is really all anyone has to do to be saved.  The question we have to ask in order to be saved is whether or not Jesus, with the authority of the heavenly Father, came to provide the one and only way to salvation, with faith without wavering.  Though this was not the particular question that Jesus asked them, I believe that Jesus already knew that the chief priests and elders did not believe that He was the Messiah.  Verse twenty-five says, 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 the chief priests and elders if the baptisms that John the Baptist preformed were of God or of man.  In other words, were they willing to acknowledge that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ, or was he simply a man acting under his own authority.   The chief priests and elders were unsure what to answer.  First, they said that if they said John the Baptist was sent by God, then they would have to answer why they don't believe him.  Then verse twenty-six states, But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.  They then reasoned that if they said that John the Baptist was not sent by God, then they would upset a lot of people who felt that he was a prophet sent by God.  That is the same question everyone has to ask about Jesus.  Is Jesus the Savior of the world, or is He just some man.  We cannot base our answer on what other people think, but must base it solely on our own faith.  Verse twenty-seven declares,  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, the religious leaders of the day, could not answer Jesus' question because they weren't looking to God for the answer.  Jesus said since they couldn't answer His question, then He wouldn't answer theirs, which was by whose authority was Jesus doing His works.  Until we accept that Jesus is indeed Who He says that He is, we cannot hope to understand how God works in the world.  Just like the chief priests and elders, we can never discredit God by our own reasoning powers, but must simply come to Him through faith in Christ.

Matthew 21:18 says, Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.  The next day, Jesus returned to Jerusalem, this time without all the crowds preparing the way.  We are told that Jesus was hungry.  We either have to accept that Jesus was just as human and subject to all the physical needs and temptations as anyone who has ever lived, or we have to deny that He is the Messiah.  If Jesus only kept from sinning because He was unable to sin, then we have a false salvation.  Jesus had to fulfill the law through faith in and obedience to the heavenly Father, not because He was incapable of temptation.  Verse nineteen states, 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.   Being hungry, Jesus went to a fig tree and found it barren.  He then declared that no fruit should grow on it again, and the fig tree withered and died.  I don't believe that Jesus did this out of anger.  The purpose of the fig tree was to bear figs, and the tree was not living up to its purpose.  A fig tree that doesn't bear figs is useless.  I believe that Jesus was using this opportunity to teach the disciples about bearing fruit.  Their purpose, and ours as followers of Christ, is to bear spiritual fruit for Him.  If we do not, then spiritually we will wither and die.  This does not mean that we are suddenly unsaved, but that we are spiritually unproductive, or barren.  If someone comes to us spiritually hungry, we must be ready to feed them with the gospel.  Verse twenty says, And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!  The disciples marveled at how quickly the fig tree withered away.  If we are not fulfilling Christ purpose for us today, our usefulness in His kingdom may just as quickly fade away.  Verse twenty-one says, 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.  Once more Jesus told the disciples about the power of faith, and that power did not end with the disciples, but is still there for us today.  This type faith, to wither a fig tree or move a mountain as Jesus told the disciples they could do, comes with a big"if."  Jesus told the disciples if they had faith and doubted not that they could move mountains.  I also believe that this type faith will never ask for anything that does not glorify God.  Even with the greatest of faith, if we are acting to bring honor or riches to ourselves, I do not believe that God will honor our faith.  Even if we somehow are successful and receive the honor and riches of the world for ourselves, we will not have been successful through the blessing of God.  This is not a name what I want and claim it promise.  This is a promise that with an unwavering faith that we can accomplish anything that God calls us to do, so that He might be glorified.  Verse twenty-two states, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  As just stated, this has to be in accordance with God's will and to glorify Him.  True prayer seeks God's will and not our own desires, as was demonstrated by Jesus' prayer in the garden.  I don't believe that we can ever make this about God giving us everything we want simply because we have faith that He will.  Not everything that we want brings glory to God.