Matthew 24:01 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.  The disciples came to Jesus to show Him the temple.  Jesus had just pronounced the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and the disciples were pointing out the beauty of the temple as a reason for this not to happen.  We cannot expect the physical beauty of a place, even one dedicated to the worship of God, to prevent its destruction if Jesus is not in the center of the building.  Jesus had left the temple because those in the temple did not accept Him for Who He is.  Verse two says, 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.  I believe that Jesus was asking if the disciples really understood what He was telling them.  They were still looking at things from a material point of view and not a spiritual one.  If we are to see the world as it really is, we must see it from a spiritual perspective.  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 to ask Him when these things would occur.  We know that the Bible teaches us that no one knows the time of the return of Christ, but people are always trying to determine when it will be.  Verse four says, And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  Jesus first warned the disciples about being deceived by any man.  When someone comes today stating when the end of the world will come, there are usually at least a few who will listen and follow him, claiming to be spiritually superior to everyone who does not believe him.  Verse five declares, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  There have been many through the ages and will continue to be more who would deceive others claiming while claiming to act in the name of Jesus.  We have God's warning to not be deceived by them.  In verse six Jesus says, 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.  Jesus begins to tell the disciples some of the things that will occur before His return.  We today continually hear of wars and rumors of war, but Jesus tells us to not be troubled.  Verse seven says,  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  This is more true today ever, it seems.  Of course, part of this is due to instant communications.  The bad news of the world goes out instantly, and the good news, the gospel, seems to travel at a snail's pace.  Verse eight states, All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Jesus didn't say that these things will pass and the world will get better.  Instead, Jesus said that these things are the beginning of the sorrows that will occur before His return.  Verse nine declares, 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 warned that following Him as Savior and Lord would often lead to persecution in this life.  We are never called to follow Christ so that we will be materially rewarded.  Verse ten adds, And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  Jesus said that some who profess to be His followers will turn against each other.  They will hate and betray one another.  Of course, many will be delivered up to those in power by others around them, even by friends and relatives.  Verse eleven says, And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  False prophets are those who profess a form of Christianity, but who add to the requirement for salvation.  There are many people today who profess to be Christmas, but they are following the teachings of false prophets.  Verse twelve says, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  Jesus said that because of the abounding of iniquity that many would cease to love as God expects His people to love.  We, as followers of Christ, cannot allow our love for the lost to grow cold, and we certainly cannot allow our love for fellow Christians to do so.  Verse thirteen declares, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  I believe that this is simply a statement that if we are truly saved that we will endure to the end of this life, whether that be by death or the second coming of Christ.  In verse fourteen Jesus 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.  When we are looking for a sign that the return of Christ is near, look to see if the gospel has been preached to all the nations.  This is the only sign that Jesus says will proclaim that the end is come.  Our only responsibility is to be faithful to Christ and proclaim the gospel.

Matthew 23:29 says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,  Jesus is still talking about the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees.  He said they built and maintained tombs for the prophets, but this was just a symbolic act without any real following  of what the prophets taught.  Verse thirty states, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.  The scribes and Pharisees attempted to exclude themselves from the killing of the prophets.  They said that had they been alive when the prophets were killed that they would not have taken part in the killing.  We may attempt to exempt ourselves from responsibility for Jesus's death on the cross, blaming it on the people of that day, but until we accept the fact that we are just as responsible, we cannot be saved.  To claim otherwise would make us just as guilty of hypocrisy as the scribes and Pharisees.  Verse thirty-one says, Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.  Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they were children of those who killed the prophets, and they were just as guilty of the same attitude.  We are not guilty of sin because of who our parents are, but we are just as guilty as they were without Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We are neither saved nor condemned by the actions of our parents, but we are all guilty of being responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross.  Verse thirty-two says, Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.  I believe that Jesus was telling the scribes and Pharisees then and us today to accept responsibility for our actions.  It was not just the fathers of the scribes and Pharisees who were responsible for the death of the prophets, but it was all who had the same attitude even after the fact.  In verse thirty-three Jesus asks, Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?  We need to remember that this was some of the religious leaders who prided themselves on their righteousness that Jesus was talking to.  Unless we have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, then this applies to us as well.  Verse thirty-four declares, 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 told the scribes and Pharisees that He was going to send to them prophets and wise men, and that they would scourge, kill and crucify them.  I believe this applies to the disciples and all believers who have been abused and killed for their faith since Jesus' death on the cross.  Verse thirty-five says, 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.  The scribes and Pharisees wanted to pronounce themselves innocent of the mistreatment and deaths of the prophets of God, but Jesus pronounced them guilty of the blood shed by all righteous men.  I don't believe that Jesus is saying that they would be held responsible for the sins of their forefathers, but that had they lived then that they would have participated in the acts committed against the prophets.  We cannot profess to honor the prophets of old while persecuting the prophets of today.  Verse thirty-six states, Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.  I believe that Jesus was saying that judgment will come to each generation for their sins.  We cannot claim that we would have been innocent in times past when we are guilty today.  In verse thirty-seven Jesus laments saying, 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 said that Jerusalem, the city of God, had continually mistreated and killed God's prophets, even as God had attempted to offer His protection to His people.  God has always stands ready to gather those that believe in Him under His protective wing, but we often allow self desires to keep us from Him.  Verse thirty-eight says, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  When we reject God's protection, we will indeed be left desolate.  Until we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we cannot expect to build anything of lasting value.  Simply claiming to follow Christ without really believing in Him is not enough.  Verse thirty-nine declares, 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.  I don't believe that Jesus was speaking of seeing Him physically, but was speaking of seeing Him spiritually for Who He really is.  Until we spiritually acknowledge Who Jesus is, it does us no good to acknowledge Him as a physical Man Who lived at one time.

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.  Jesus begins to pronounce woes on the scribes and Pharisees, who saw themselves as morally superior to others and deserving of their praise.  There are some who profess to be followers of Christ today who feel morally superior to others who are followers of Christ.  They seem to feel that their sins were not as great as those of someone else's, so they are somehow more forgiven than others.  When as person's sins, no matter how big or small, are forgiven by God, then we as followers of Christ cannot separate ourselves from any other believer because we feel morally superior.  Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees shut up the kingdom of heaven for others by their self-righteous attitude.  We cannot decide who is worthy of salvation and deny some the right to that salvation.  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 denounce the scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus said they devoured, or took away, the widows' houses while at the same time making a pretence of following God's will through their long prayers.  When we are doing something that is spiritually wrong, we cannot cover it up by prayer, no matter how long the prayers may be.  Verse fifteen declares, 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.  Though the scribes and Pharisees worked hard to prevent others from coming to Christ, they also worked hard to have others follow them.  Jesus said this made them twice as doomed.  Leading others away from Jesus is much worse than just not leading them to Him.  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 was in effect saying that the scribes and Pharisees valued the gold in the temple more than the temple itself.  They saw nothing wrong in swearing by the temple, but said it was wrong to swear by the gold in the temple.  The temple represented the spiritual presence of God.  We cannot put material things above spiritual things, or we are the blind guides.  Verse seventeen asks, Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?  Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees both blind and fools, and asked if did they not understand that God, Who sanctifys all things, was greater than the gold that was sanctified.  We can never afford to put things given to the church ahead of God.  In verse eighteen Jesus continues, And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.  This is a continuation of the idea that the material things brought to God are more important than the places that are set aside to worship God.  Verse nineteen asks, Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?  Jesus was speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, who considered themselves to be the religious authorities.  He again called them blind and foolish.  Jesus asked how they could fail to see that material things, or gifts, were nothing in themselves but only had value to God when they were placed on the altar.  In verse twenty Jesus declares, Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.  Jesus said swearing by the altar could not be separated from swearing by the things placed on the altar.  The altar, the place set aside for presenting sacrifices to God, is what gives anything spiritual value.  Verse twenty-one states, And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.  Once more, Jesus is telling us that we cannot separate the temple, the building itself, from those who worship there.  Then in verse twenty-two Jesus states, And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.  I believe that the key to all these verses is summarized here.  We cannot separate the things God created or consecrated from God Himself.  The temple, the altar and the heavens all belong to God, as does everything found there.  Verse twenty-three says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  Jesus again pronounces woe on the scribes and Pharisees.  He said that they were good about paying tithes, but they forgot the weightier, or more important thing's about following God, such as judgment, mercy and faith.  God is not satisfied with worship based on empty rituals and tithes, but expects us to worship Him in the way we live our lives daily.  We can be in church every time the doors open and give well above the tithe, but if we have no mercy on others and no faith in God's guidance in our lives, then we as did the scribes and Pharisees have God's woe pronounced on us.  In verse twenty-four Jesus declares, Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.  Jesus pronounced the scribes and Pharisees to be blind guides, and they were supposed to be the religious guides of God's people.  Jesus said they strained at the keeping of the small points of the law, but missed the failure of the people to keep the much larger points of the law.  When we become judgmental of others based on ritualistic worship, we will miss the true nature of worship.  We are not to just go through the motions, but we are to worship God in spirit and truth.  Verse twenty-five says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  Jesus once again denounced the scribes and Pharisees for being more concerned with appearances than with what was inside a person's relationship with God.  It is not enough to clean up our actions, the outside, if our thoughts, the inside, are filled with self righteousness.  Verse twenty-six continues, Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.  Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, and us today, that we must first clean the inside, or our thoughts and belief about God, and then our actions, the outside, will become claim also.  Verse twenty-seven states, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.  Jesus compared the scribes and Pharisees to well maintained graves, pretty on the outside, but full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside.  We need to make sure that we live our lives by a right relationship with God and not by a faithless, ritualistic worship based on material things.  Verse twenty-eight says, Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.  Jesus summed up the worship of the scribes and Pharisees here.  They looked good in the eyes of the world, but were full of hypocrisy and iniquity within.  Let's pray that we are never guilty of the same thing.

Matthew 23:1 says, Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,  The people may have quit asking Jesus questions, but He had not quit teaching them.  As followers of Christ, God will always be teaching us more about what we should be as His people, even when we don't know enough to ask Him questions.  All we really have to do is listen under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  In verse two Jesus says, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:  Though they were always attempting to discredit Jesus, He said that the scribes and Pharisees sat in a position of authority in teaching the law of Moses.  There may be people today who teach God's law, but they still want to discredit Jesus as the Messiah.  Verse three says, 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 those who were listening to Him to obey what the scribes and Pharisees taught concerning the scripture, but at the same time told them to not follow their works.  Today, if someone is teaching the truth about God, especially religious leaders, then we need to learn from them.  On the other hand, if their words are not in accordance with what God's word teaches, we certainly aren't to follow them in their works.  Verse four says, 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 that by their works the scribes and Pharisees put heavy burdens on the people spiritually, but they themselves didn't take on these burdens.  We should always be wary of any one who attempts to add requirements to God's word, and especially His plan of salvation.  Verse five says, 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 scribes and Pharisees were going out of their way to make themselves look super religious.  It is not enough for us to carry a Bible everywhere or to wear a cross at all times if we only do it to bring attention to ourselves.  We must actually know what the Bible teaches and what the cross means and share it with others for God's glory for it to have any real purpose.  Verse six says, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,   Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees enjoyed being in the best seats during feasts and worship.  They felt entitled to the praise of men.  If someone claiming to be a Christian leader today demands that he or she be seen as above other Christians and entitled to a position of honor in the church, we need to be wary of them.  In verse seven Jesus continues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.  Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees enjoyed being seen as people of power by the people of Israel.  We are never to serve Jesus simply in an attempt to bring praise to ourselves, but are to always direct the praise to God.  Verse eight says, But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.  Jesus tells us that we are not to allow ourselves to be called Rabbi, because we all have the same Master, Jesus Christ Himself.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and none is to be exalted above another.  Verse nine declares, And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  I believe that Jesus is speaking of calling someone your spiritual father, and not referring to your earthly father.  We are told we are to honor our earthly father, but we have no spiritual father on this earth.  For someone to claim to be the spiritual father of anyone, much less a group of those who profess to be followers of Christ, is biblically incorrect.  Political correctness can never take priority over biblical correctness.  Verse ten says, Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.  Jesus tells us that we are not to allow others to call us master, or to put us in a position of spiritual authority over others.  The only Master, or spiritual authority, that we have as followers of Christ is God Himself through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We may look up to preachers and teachers, but we can never allow them to be more important spiritually than any other Christian who is doing God's will in their life.  Verse eleven declares, But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  Jesus tells us that the way to be great in His kingdom is to be a servant to others.  We cannot serve God so that we ourselves receive honor from others, but must instead serve in humility to Christ.  No one has earned salvation, and all that we do after accepting the free gift of salvation should always bring glory to God, and not to ourselves.  Verse twelve states, And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.  Jesus tells us very plainly that if we attempt to exalt ourselves as His followers, that ultimately we be will abased, and if we humble ourselves one day we will be exalted.  We are all simply sinners saved by grace.

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.