Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22 NIV

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You arenʼt swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.”
They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesarʼs,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesarʼs, and to God what is Godʼs.”
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

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When I was young the phrase, "Render unto Caesar" was a phrase used in reference to paying taxes to the government. It was used quite often in a joking manner, as if to laugh it off, because you can't do anything about it. You got to pay the taxman. The popular phrase came from the King James Version.

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Matthew 22:21 KJV

What are the things that are God's?

The earth is the Lordʼs, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Psalm 24:1 NIV

The Pharisees knew this, so when Jesus responded as He did, there was nothing they could say. They knew that all belongs to God. So Jesus effectively rendered their question mute. What does a religious leader say in response? If they contest Jesus' response they stand the chance of appearing to support taxes to Caesar and look like they are not fully committed to God.

But let's be pragmatic. Taxes to Rome were a burden on the people. Their corrupt system for collecting taxes made tax collectors wealthy, for they could charge whatever amount they desired from their neighbors, just so long as Rome got the required taxes. So the question was already a hot topic. For Jesus to say we should not pay taxes to Caesar, would have been spun as seditious and set Him at odds with Roman officials. If Jesus said that we should pay taxes, then His popularity with the crowd would be threatened, something the Pharisees and Herodians very much wanted.

Their ploy to discredit Jesus in some way through this thorny question backfired on them. Jesus made His opponents appear small minded and focused on worldly matters, rather than upon heavenly concerns. They simply walked away silent and scratching their heads. Surely they said to each other, "What just happened?" Clearly they just had their proverbial posteriors handed to them!

What's interesting is how they depicted Jesus with fake praise. They said they knew Jesus was a man of integrity, meaning He won't try and weasel out of answering the question. He'll say what He truly believes. They also said they acknowledged that Jesus taught truthfully the way of God. They perhaps are seeking to butter Him up with compliments. It didn't work. Jesus saw through their plot. In contrast to Jesus' integrity, the Pharisees and Herodians are not. What is truly in their hearts they are trying to hide. Jesus called them hypocrites, because they are pretending to honor Jesus, but truly seek His downfall.

They also said they knew Jesus would answer truthfully because He gives no special favor to men of power.

"You arenʼt swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are." (Mat 22:16b)

You can almost hear the passive aggressive insinuation dripping from the page! In a not so subtle way they are letting Jesus know He has not shown them or their colleagues the proper respect. If I had a transient pass through my church and start preaching to the congregation without clearing it with me, I would certainly challenge that person. So I feel for these men and their concerns. They fear Jesus is a false prophet misleading Israel and causing an unnecessary scene. The crowds Jesus attracts may attract the wrong kind of attention from the Roman military.

Jesus rebukes them for their obvious attempt to trap Him in a no win situation. He had them grab a Roman coin and asked whose name and image is on it. It's Caesar of course. Then Jesus raises the stakes by telling them to give Caesar his minted coins, but give to God what is rightfully His too.

We all have concerns about money. Jesus raises our sights and points heavenward. The basic message is to do what you must to satisfy those over you in this earth. Be peaceful. More than anything don't concern yourself so much with the things of this world. Instead be about the kingdom of heaven and serve God in all you do.

I end with a similar teaching from the apostle Paul.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3 NIV

Here's to becoming heavenly minded and an earthly blessing.

Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14 NIV

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

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Jesus continues in His confrontation with the chief priests and Pharisees in the temple courts. They had challenged Jesus about teaching the people in the temple. Now Jesus is challenging them, in a public fashion, by teaching them and the crowd parables which illustrate the sort of men who are leading Israel's religious institution.

The parable of the wedding banquet can be understood as a retelling of Israel's long history with God. God chose Israel from all the peoples of the earth as His own treasured possession. God nurtured them and increased their number until they became a mighty nation able to take possession of Canaan, the land promised to their forefathers. God formed them spiritually in the desert. He gave them the law. He taught them to have faith and to keep His covenant. He gave them sacrifices to perform when they failed to keep the law, so that God may continue to dwell among them. But once they had established themselves in the land they began to chase after other gods. This pattern is repeated frequently in Israel's history.

In peace and plenty, the people forget about God and keeping the law. Instead they worship the idols of the neighboring nations. God hands them over to their enemies because they have abandoned their loyalty to God. In their oppression they cry out to God for mercy. God has compassion for them and sends a deliverer to save them from their enemies. Peace is restored. Then, after a time, the people forget about God and keeping the law and begin to worship other gods. The cycle repeats.

The parable of the wedding banquet reflects the period prior to the Babylonian exile, perhaps the single most shameful event in Israel's history. God had established the kingly line of David and promised to keep a son of David on the throne, so long as he was faithful to God and kept the law. Israel's history shows many faithful kings, but many more that were not. These unfaithful kings led the people into idolatry.

God sent prophets to warn them, but they did not listen. This is like the invited guests who refused to come to the wedding banquet of the king's son. Jesus is referring to Himself as the king's son in the parable, for He is the Son of God, who is the King of the Universe. The servants that the king sent to compel the invited guests to come are the prophets. The invited guests are, of course, Israel, God's chosen.

The invited guests refuse to come to the wedding banquet, but instead tend to their own affairs, their farms and businesses. How often have I ignored God's call to come to Him and celebrate His Son in loyal reverence and went about my own business? In what ways has my own business become an idol that I pursue, rather than God? It's easy to do. Career building can become an idol. Family can become an idol that consumes our lives and takes us away from God. Sports and entertainment can become an idol that turns our hearts away from God. Any person, place or thing can become an idol that turns us away from fully committing our lives to God as His faithful servants. What are the potential idols in your life? What keeps you from coming when God calls? What distracts you from even hearing the invitation?

The invited guests torture and kill the servants the king sent. The unfaithful leadership of Israel killed some of the prophets God sent to warn them of what will happen if they don't repent and return to keeping the covenant. In the parable, the king was enraged, sent his army and burned their city to the ground, a clear reference to God's punishment of Israel through Babylon. After many warnings from the prophets God allowed Babylon to sack Jerusalem. The Babylonians tore down the temple and drug the Israelites of into exile.

In the parable, the king then sends his servants to invite anyone they can find to the banquet, the good and the bad. This now is pointing to what God is doing through Christ and the church. A new era of grace is upon us. God has chosen both Jew and Gentile, the righteous and the wicked. In Christ all are invited to God's great banquet.

So many come, but not all who come to the banquet are dressed for the occasion. The king sees a man not wearing wedding clothes. He wants to know why, but the man had no answer. So the king had the man thrown out. What do you suppose is the appropriate attire in the kingdom of heaven? It is to be clothed in Christ. To be clothed in Christ is to reveal that faith has transformed your heart.

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as Godʼs chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:7-14 NIV

Notice the language of taking off the old self and clothing in the new self in Christ? The kingdom of heaven belongs not to those who say they believe and show up to celebrate, but to those who are transformed by the love and mercy of God. Let this parable do for us what it was meant to do for the chief priests and Pharisees. Let it pierce your heart and bring you to repentance. With God's grace you can take off the clothing of you old life ruled by sinful temptations and fleshly weakness. In Christ you have all the power you need to resist temptation and live as the love of God directs you. Are you dressed for the wedding banquet?

The man without wedding clothes had no excuse and neither will any of us on the Day we stand before our Maker. Stop delaying and start this moment to make the change God is calling you to make. Begin your journey with Jesus to become like Christ. For those who do not change, though they be welcomed to the party, will find themselves shut out from all the blessings of life in Christ. Our churches are filled with unhappy and lonely people who have never taken hold of the victory Christ won for them. They remain victims of their sins rather than conquerors over all that comes between them and God. I struggle too with the same weaknesses. Yet I know in Christ we have power over sin and even death itself. Therefore I pursue Christ's transformative grace to grow me as His disciple. There is no salvation without transformation. The bad will become good if they are truly clothed in Christ. For the love of God lives in the one who fully trusts in Jesus.

Don't be shut out. Don't chase after the things of this earth. Come to the wedding banquet dressed in the love of God shown to you in the cross of Christ.

Matthew 21:33-46

Matthew 21:33-46 NIV

“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, letʼs kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
 the Lord has done this,
 and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesusʼ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

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When reading the New Testament, we must remember that the tension in the narrative between Jesus and the Pharisees, teachers of the law, scribes and chief priests is a reflection of the animosity between the writers' faith community and the established religious authority. It's easy to think of all Jews as mean spirited, judgemental, scheming, and vengeful.

We forget that the disciples in the gospels are all Jews. Every author of a biblical book or letter is a Jew. We owe our very faith, and therefore our lives to the Jews, God's chosen nation. For through Israel came the knowledge of God. Christianity, Islam and Judaism all descend from the monotheistic faith of Abraham. Through his descendants came the twelve tribes of Israel, the law of Moses, the kingly line of David, the prophets, and ultimately Jesus. God became incarnate in a Jew from Galilee.

In the material in Matthew that follows the tension between Jesus and the religious establishment comes to a fever pitch. It's not Jews, precisely, who killed Jesus. It was powerful men who played a part in trying to silence His voice and crush the movement behind Him, men of Jewish, Iduemean and Roman descent. It's more about politics than race. It's more about keeping the peace than about religious differences. It's more about positions of power feeling threatened by Jesus' popularity and what that might mean for them personally and for Israel under the oppression of Rome.

So as we continue our study of Matthew's gospel keep this in mind. The fierce rhetoric coming from Matthew's Jesus gives voice to the conflict between the early church, a persecuted sect within Judaism, and the religious leadership of the time. The conflict is between two kingdoms, the kingdom of this world system and the kingdom of Christ. We live in the same conflict as these two kingdoms tug at our hearts for our allegiance.

Jesus told another parable to the chief priests who questioned His right to teach the people in the temple. The day before Jesus had overturned the tables of the moneychangers and run them out of the temple. Of course these men responsible for the temple are going to confront Jesus. He walked in like He owned the place. That is of course the irony. Jesus is God, the very God for whom the temple was built, yet the priests and Pharisees do not comprehend it.

In the parable a landowner (God) owned a vineyard (Israel) which he rented to farming tenants (Israel's leadership). The vineyard was walled (Jerusalem) and equipped with a winepress (the temple religious system) and watchtower (the temple, or it could be the kingly line of David). When the time of harvest came the landowner sent his representatives to collect from the tenants the profits from the wine produced by the vineyard. Each one he sent was beaten and thrown out of the vineyard. These abused men represent the prophets sent to Israel over the centuries leading up to the exile under Babylon. Finally the landowner sent his own son, thinking surely the tenants would respect him and hand over what is owed. Instead they killed the landowner's son. Of course the son of the landowner in the parable represents Jesus.

Jesus asked his opponents what will the landowner do when he comes to his vineyard personally to confront these tenants. The chief priests and Pharisees say that the landowner will bring them to a wretched end and rent out the vineyard to others who will give him what is due. More irony, for Jesus' opponents unwittingly prophesy what is coming. Jerusalem will fall to the Romans. The early church will interpret this event as God's judgement on the failure of the religious and political leadership of Israel. For they had not been good stewards. Jesus told the priests and teachers, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."

These men were enraged when they realized that Jesus' parable was about them. They wanted him silenced. They wished to arrest him and put him in chains locked away from the crowds where He might be forgotten. But they were afraid of how the crowds would react, since the people thought of Jesus as a prophet sent from God.

Powerful men are often afraid of losing their power, for their power and authority comes from the people. "People have they power", Patti Smith, the New York City punk rock artist sang. But Jesus' authority and power is not dependent upon the people. His authority comes from God alone. The failure of Israel's leadership to understand that is what this parable is all about. These men are like the idolatrous and corrupt men who led Israel to its doom centuries prior. The authorities then didn't listen to the prophets God sent to them, but instead abused and killed them. And the authorities aren't listening to Jesus, the Son of God. Instead they will do what their ancestors did to the prophets. And their doom will follow, for as Jesus prophesied they will be broken and crushed by the stone (Jesus) they have rejected.

The early church thought of itself as the New Israel. They hoped in a New Jerusalem. So the church became the new tenants entrusted with God's vineyard. The vineyard has expanded beyond the walls of Jerusalem to reach the whole earth. The fruit God expects from the church is disciples of Jesus Christ. Go and make disciples for the landowner is coming to get what is owed Him. What are you doing to bear Him fruit?

Matthew 22:23-33

Matthew 22:23-33 NIV

     That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
     Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”  
     When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

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It's time to tell one of my favorite puns. Matthew gives us a detail about Jesus' opponents the Sadducees. They don't believe in resurrection. That's why they are called Sadducees. They're sad, you see? 

The Sadducees are trying to trap Jesus once again by presenting a bizarre legal matter. The law of Moses stated that when a man dies without a male heir, his wife goes to his brother so that he might bear a son through her for the deceased. That way the man's name does not disappear from Israel and his inheritance of land in Canaan goes to his yet unborn son. But the Sadducees describe a situation where the wife is passed along to seven brothers, all who died without a son. So at the resurrection of the dead, to which man would she belong?

Jesus shows them to be stuck on worldly thinking. The law of Moses will not hold sway in the new age. No law will be needed, for all will love as God loves. And we will be like the angels, eternal and therefore not needing offspring to carry our family name or assume property rights. We won't be marrying or being given away in marriage. Such arrangements pass away with the old order coming to its end.

Some have feared this means they won't know their life long spouses, as if heavenly bliss will rob us of our connection to our loved ones. That's not what Jesus is suggesting. Rather His point is the old way of things no longer matter in the new age. Yes we will know our loved ones. Consider what Paul taught in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lordʼs word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 NIV

I find further affirmation hidden in Jesus' response to the Sadducees. He told them they were ignorant of the scriptures, what the word of God has to say about life everlasting, and they don't know the power of God. What power does He mean?

The Apostle Paul wrote about the patriarch Abraham in his letter to the Romans.

He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
Romans 4:17 NIV

The creator has power to call into being things that were not. The creator has power to give life to the dead, to create new categories of existence no one has ever seen or even dreamt of. God is the God of the living, not the dead. In other words one's husband or wife, or loved one remains alive in God, though they be no longer mortal.

Jesus drew upon the name of God which God revealed to Moses. "I am" is God's name. "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." God did not use past tense but present tense. We've already witnessed Jesus, in a foretaste of the age to come at His transfiguration, in a meeting with Moses and Elijah, men long since gone from this mortal life. They are alive with God and all the saints of heaven.

Those sad Sadducees walked away without a word to say in response. Jesus had bested them. They were not able to trap Jesus or discredit Him in front of the crowds.

These little confrontations with Jesus reveal the authority of Christ, the wisdom of God that was in Jesus, His command of scripture and insight into the heart of God. They also reveal how trapped His opponents are in their worldly thinking.

Above all this story gives hope in the resurrection and life everlasting with God our Father and our loved ones who believe.

Do you know the scriptures? Do you know the power of God?

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...
Ephesians 1:18-20 NIV

Matthew 21:18-22

Matthew 21:18-22 NIV

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

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To really understand this bizarre event in the life of Christ is to read it in context with the entire chapter. What precedes the story of the cursed fig tree is the Triumphant Entry in which Jesus is met with praise by the crowd, but with suspicion by the religious elite. The opposition of the religious leadership continues after this story. The purpose of the cursed fig tree is to symbolically imply the unfruitful ministry of the temple system and its leadership.

The fig tree is a symbol of blessing and prosperity under the rule of the Messiah. Here's a passage from the prophet Micah.

In the last days the mountain of the Lord ʼs temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
Micah 4:1-4 NIV

Notice the fruit of the kingdom of the Messiah. It is marked by knowledge of God's right ways, enthusiastic worship and service of God, and the resulting blessings of peace and plenty. Sitting unharmed and without harassment under one's own grape vine and fig tree points to the peace and protection of the Lord, as well as His providing.

Jesus did not witness peace in the people, nor plenty. The majority lived at a basic subsistence level and were overburdened with taxes and the oppression of Rome. The religious leadership of Jerusalem was tolerant of, and somewhat benefited from, the corrupt political system that put King Herod in power. Jesus did not find their ministry fruitful.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He was prefiguring what was to happen to Jerusalem and its temple. For as the fig tree withered, so did God's protection and providence for Jerusalem. The Romans, tired of Jewish resistance, attacked the city and tore the temple down to its foundations, about 40 years later.

Now the confusing thing for me is why does Matthew hide the meaning in symbolism and offer this event as a teaching on faith? When the disciples in amazement asked how the fig tree withered and died so fast, Jesus used the moment to teach about faith in the authority of Christ, an authority shared with the church. Jesus said the disciples could curse a fig tree just like He did if they had faith and did not doubt.

How often do I pray only halfheartedly, not fully believing God will grant my request? Perhaps it's praying for the terminally ill to be miraculously healed. We live in a time where miracles are rarely witnessed and, when they are reported, they are viewed with suspicion. Science and medicine speaks louder than faith in the creator and the authority of the name of Jesus. Our experience practically dictates this doubt. Who could blame us? When Jesus miraculously healed people, the people were astounded precisely because it was out of their normative experience.

But Jesus said to His disciples, you can do even more than curse a fig tree. You can move mountains! No obstacle will be to great for you if you believe and do not doubt. Jesus specifically said you can move "this mountain", referring to the temple mount built by Herod the Great. Indeed the Romans moved the mountain, tearing it down to rubble, but later centuries of Muslims, Jews and Christians rebuilt the mount. So even Jesus' teaching on faith here symbolically points to the coming destruction of the temple.

Later Jesus will weep over the city because He knew what was coming.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
Matthew 23:37-39 NIV

Not only will the house be desolate of occupants because of the destruction of Jerusalem, but THE HOUSE, the temple, will be desolate of the Holy One. For Jerusalem did not comprehend that the Lord of heaven and earth, their God, was before them in the person of Jesus. Therefore since they did not see fit to welcome the king of glory, the King will go elsewhere.

Jesus came to Jerusalem hungry, but did not find sustenance. When the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, there was a brief increase in worship attendance in the US. People who did not frequent church life came hungry. Many walked away unsatisfied for they did not find sustenance for their seeking souls. Would your congregation provide satisfying fruit to seekers, or would only the already churched folks be the only ones buying?

May the Lord awaken the church to undoubting faith and take up the mission of Christ to go and make disciples. Oh Lord, teach us to be fruitful.

Matthew 21:1-17

Matthew 21:1-17 NIV

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’ ?”
And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

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The Triumphant Entry is celebrated the Sunday before Easter, Psalm Sunday or Passion Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week, ending with Good Friday and the Easter Vigil over the weekend. Palm Sunday celebrates how Jesus was hailed by the crowds of Jerusalem gathered for Passover with shouts of Hosanna, which means "Lord, save us."

I notice first that Jesus approached the city from the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is prominent in messianic prophecy, for it is said the messiah will appear there upon the great and terrible Day of the Lord. It is a day of judgement, when Israel will be crushed and taken into exile. Half of the city will remain and the Lord will pursue Israel's enemies and crush them. He will bring back the exiles and God will reign on the earth forever.

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem... The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord , and his name the only name.
Zechariah 14:4a, 9 NIV

Jesus' riding upon a donkey is also fulfillment of messianic prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. Matthew quotes a lot of scriptures in this passage. Psalm 118 is a pilgrim song sung as they approach Jerusalem.

Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
Psalm 118:25-27 NIV

You can see that the events of that day is a reenactment of these long held hopes in messiah. Jesus is fulfilling these prophecies. Jesus cleansing the temple of moneychangers is yet another fulfillment. Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. As Hezekiah cleansed the temple of defiling idols (2nd Chronicles 29), Jesus removed the corrupt moneychangers. The temple is God's dwelling place on earth. Christians later understood the church to be the new temple and the dwelling place of God is in the community of believers.

Finally Jesus quotes Psalm 8 verse 2. The praise of the children is yet another prophetic fulfillment. The point of all this is to reveal that Jesus is the answer to God's promises to Israel, just not in the way Israel expected.

The tension in the story sets the pace for the rest of the week, for while the crowds welcome Jesus as their king, the religious leadership did not. The cross is looming large.

Two more interesting facts: Bethphage and Bethany are villages mentioned. These were both on the Mount of Olives. Bethany was located on the summit, Bethphage about halfway up.

Bethany means "house of misery". It's there that Jesus is anointed by Mary, or some unnamed woman, for His burial. It's where Lazarus died.

Bethphage means "house of young figs." Young figs are not ready for eating. In the next story, Jesus saw a fig tree on the way to the temple and approached it hoping to eat some of its fruit. There were no figs ready to be eaten. So the name of the village foreshadows this story.

I am moved in two ways by the Triumphant Entry. First I attach to reading the story the many wonderful moments in worship, celebrating this event in the life of our Lord. Just as the city was electric with joy over welcoming their righteous king, so is the church as we celebrate our Lord, who is the King of kings. Secondly, this passage in Matthew reveals how the Bible is such an amazing book. It's like no other book in the world. The connections between the history of Israel and their prophets to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are plentious. I'm always amazed by the depth of meaning in names, places, and the actions of Jesus. Reading the gospel accounts helps me to know that I am part of this great work of redemption which God has carried out from the very beginning of time. My sense of self worth soars. While the world may belittle us, God's love speaks louder and elevates us. It makes me want to grab a palm branch and wave it shouting in celebration, "Hosanna! Lord, save us!"

Matthew 20:29-34

Matthew 20:29-34 NIV

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 
Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

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Jericho was the first city to be conquered by Joshua and the Israelites as they took possession of the promised land, which God had promised to Abraham and his descendants forever. You may remember that the Israelites marched around the city walls for seven straight days. On the last day they shouted and blasted trumpets and the walls of Jericho fell.

In today's story there is a different kind of conquest occurring. The enemy is not Canaanites, but blindness. Two blind men call out to Jesus. I think, in Matthew's typical fashion, the two men represent the spiritual blindness of both the Jews and the Gentiles. They are unable to recognize the visitation of God in the person of Jesus. And the weapons for overcoming the enemy are not shouts, trumpets and swords, but the compassion of Christ.

The men call out to Jesus addressing him as the Son of David, a messianic title. They had hope that Jesus was God's promise fulfilled to raise up a righteous king to save Israel from their enemies. Hope is the key to faith and seeing with spiritual eyes.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:1, 6 NIV

These two blind men sought Jesus with hope and faith that they might see. The crowd stood in their way, but they didn't let that stop them. They cried out all the more. Perseverance in our hope is key to gaining the healing and holiness that comes through faith. How often do I give up on prayer when things get difficult. How easily do you fold when obstacles stand in your way? Learn from these men and their example. Persevere in hope. Never give up and never give in to the temptation to despair.

When Jesus stood before them, He asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" The answered very clearly, "Lord, we want to see." When seeking the Lord's help, be specific about what you want Him to do for you. Continue to pray with confidence in His compassion for you. He will give you the aid you need.

It's important to note that what we ask for must be in harmony with God's purpose to bring the reign of His love upon the earth. What I need and what I want are not always the same. Christ will always give what is needed. So if that raise doesn't come that your praying for, or if your infirmity isn't healed, keep watching for what the Lord is giving you. Sometimes suffering with an infirmity is a path to spiritual growth. The Israelites suffered much in the wilderness Breyer reaching the promised land. The journey forged them into a people ready to take possession of the land. Above all, we need to grow in our sight, knowing Jesus more and more.

As Jesus and His disciples make their way to Jerusalem the children and the people will greet Him with Hosanna. But it won't last. The same crowd will later turn on Him and shout "Crucify Him!" They sadly will not see that the kingdom of love is upon them. How often do we miss seeing the moment of God's visitation in our lives, even when we join others in worship?

May the Lord have compassion and open our eyes that we may see and follow.