Matthew 21:23

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

Matthew 21:12

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

Matthew 21:1

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

Matthew 20:29

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

Matthew 20:17

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

Matthew 20:1

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

Matthew 19:23

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