Matthew 22:34 says, But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  The Pharisees thought that they could discredit Jesus after they saw that the Sadducees had failed.  There will always be another person or another group who will attempt to discredit Jesus.  The fact that no one has ever succeeded in doing so will not stop them, but may simply inspire them to try harder.  Verse thirty-five, states, Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,   Now, we have not only a Pharisee, but a lawyer, questioning Jesus.  Since the Pharisees already felt superior by their claim to keep the law, then one who was a lawyer would likely feel even more superior.  In verse thirty-five the lawyer asks, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  The lawyer likely felt that he could discredit Jesus whatever He answered.  I don't believe that the lawyer was really concerned with the answer that Jesus would give, but simply wanted Jesus to say anything so that he could argue against Him.  Some people today ask questions about God's word, not to learn from it, but to dispute it.  Verse thirty-seven says, 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.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment was that a person love the Lord their God with their heart, soul and mind.  Until we allow God to have total control in our lives, we are not going to be able to keep any other commandment and have it do us any good.  We must first have a personal relationship with God through accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-eight says, This is the first and great commandment.  Jesus said loving God is the first and great commandment.  Again, until we accept this commandment, none of the others do us any good spiritually.  In verse thirty-nine Jesus states, And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  Jesus said the second great commandment, which is like unto the first, is that we love our neighbor as ourselves.  Jesus did not mean just those who live next door to us and share the same values.  Jesus meant that we are to love even those that we disagree with and maybe don't even like.  Verse forty says, On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  Jesus tells us that everything else, all the law and teachings of the prophets, hang on these two laws.  We can display the Ten Commandments everywhere, but unless we are following these two commandments, it will be of no effect.  God's commandments must be written in our hearts, beginning with these two.  Verse forty-one states, While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,  Jesus then asked the Pharisees a question, and it is the question that each individual must answer at some point.  Verse forty-two states the question, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.  This is the question that everyone must ask at some point.  The question is, "Who do we say Christ is."  The Pharisees were partially correct in saying that the Christ, or Messiah, was the Son, or descendant, of David.  This was a physical description of Who Christ would be.  When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, it is not just because of Who He was physically, but because of Who He is spiritually as well.  Both physically and spiritually, Jesus was more than the Son of David.  Jesus was and is the only begotten Son of God.  We must fully understand and accept this fact in order to find salvation.  Verse forty-three then states, He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,  Jesus asked how David in spirit, or under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, could call the Messiah Lord if He were the physical Son of David.  Verse forty-four states, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?  The Messiah was called my Lord by God.  Verse forty-five asks, If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?  The question implies that the Messiah was more than just a physical descendant of David.  We must acknowledge that Jesus was a descendant of David by physical birth, but that He was the only begotten Son of God spiritually.  We cannot deny either the humanity nor the divinity of Jesus and still claim Him for Who He really is.  Verse forty-six says, 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 there could answer the question Jesus asked, so they quit asking Him questions.  Until we accept that Jesus is Who He says He is, there is no need for us to ask any other questions about Him.  We cannot come to a saving knowledge of Christ without the belief that He was both a Man and God.

Matthew 22:23 says, The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,  Another group or religious leaders, the Sadducee, came to Jesus in an attempt to discredit His teachings.  We know this was their purpose since that asked about something that would happen in the resurrection, and they said there was no resurrection.  We can never discredit Jesus by getting Him to disagree with our views.  Verse twenty-four states, 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 brought up the teachings of Moses.  They were attempting to use the scriptures to discredit Jesus, specifically the teachings of Moses, one of the great men of faith in the Jewish religion.  I believe that in effect they were saying that Moses was greater than Jesus.  We should never attempt to discredit Jesus based on what the Bible tells us, because it is His book.  The Sadducees said that Moses instructed a man to marry his brother's widow if they had no children and the brother died.  This was to protect the widow and help preserve the family lineage.  Verse twenty-five says, 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 began to tell a tale of seven brothers, saying they were with them.  The first died and left a widow with no children, so his oldest brother married her.  Verse twenty-six says, Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.  Then continuing in verse twenty-seven, And last of all the woman died also.  Now, all the brothers and the woman were dead.  The Sadducees said that all seven brothers, one at a time, married the woman and died.  Before her death, we today might be questioning if the woman was killing them, but this was not the purpose of the Sadducees.  They simply wanted to have Jesus teach something that they could use against Him.  We should never attempt to us God's word to discredit God, even if what His word teaches goes against what we want to believe.  In verse twenty-eight the Sadducees ask, Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.  We need to remember that the Sadducees didn't even believe in the resurrection from the dead, so this wasn't an attempt to get Jesus to clarify the teaching of Moses as they understood it.  It was simply another attempt by religious leaders to discredit Jesus.  We cannot simply interpret the scriptures to support what we believe and then expect God to endorse our beliefs.  Verse twenty-nine says, Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.  Jesus declared that the Sadducees were in error, since they knew neither the scripture nor the power of God.  This was quite an indictment against these self proclaimed religious leaders.  We today must be wary of those who claim to know more than what the scripture, the Bible, says.  Verse thirty states, For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.  Jesus said there is no marriage in heaven, and this may not be what we want to believe, but we must simply accept it as God's truth.  In verse thirty-one  Jesus asks, But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,   The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, so Jesus asked once again if they hadn't read the scriptures.  He continues in verse thirty-two, 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.  God said that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He was not the God of the dead, but of the living.  Therefore, we can be certain of our resurrection to everlasting life through our faith in Christ.  Through Christ, we are born again into everlasting life.  This principle can never be disputed.  Verse thirty-three says,, And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.  As always, the multitudes were astonished at the doctrine of Jesus.  We should still be amazed at the doctrine of Christ and never just allow it to become just another teaching.

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.