Greetings!

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

It was customary at that time to send two invitations to a wedding – one to request someone’s attendance and another to announce that it was ready.  In this story, there are three invitations sent.  Not only do the invitees ignore the extra invitation but they even kill the servants!  This was more than a great insult to the host. 

1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

 4“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.’

 5“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

 8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

 13“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.’

 14“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

So what is the application?  God is generous in his invitations to us, but one day the opportunities will be gone.  As Hebrews 4:7 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”  You never know which day will be your last.

The wedding clothes were often provided to guests.  Refusing to wear them would be arrogant and rude.  In this parable, these people are trying to come to God on their terms (bad idea).

Paying Taxes to Caesar

Once again, the Pharisees are foiled in their attempt to trick Jesus.   

 15Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

 18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

 21“Caesar’s,” they replied.
      Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

 22When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Marriage at the Resurrection

 23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25Now 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. 26The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27Finally, the woman died. 28Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

 29Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32‘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.”

 33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

The Sadducees were another ruling group of Jews along with the Pharisees.  Jesus showed the error of their thinking and He corrected their false doctrine about there not being a resurrection. 

Jesus did not say we’ll be angels in Heaven, just that we’ll be like them in the sense of not marrying.

The Greatest Commandment

 34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If people were expecting an easy shortcut as to which commands they really needed to follow then this answer must have disappointed them.  Saying to “Love the Lord with all your heart . . .” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” makes it harder, not easier.  Everything we do must be out of genuine love for God and others.  When you realize how hard it is do that perfectly for even 10 consecutive minutes it helps you realize how much you need Jesus’ sacrifice in your place.  Should we aim at keeping those commands?  Yes.  Do we have any hope of doing it?  No way.

Whose Son Is the Christ

 41While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”
      “The son of David,” they replied.

 43He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
 44” ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ‘ 45If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

This passage makes more sense when understanding that the word Lord is a term of deity in the original Hebrew.  Jesus was turning the tables and asking them questions now and they had no answers.  Also note how Jesus claims that David was speaking by the (Holy) Spirit when he wrote Psalm 110.

What passages stood out to you, and why?

Greetings,

The Triumphal Entry

 1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying 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. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
 5“Say to the Daughter of Zion,
      ‘See, your king comes to you,
   gentle and riding on a donkey,
      on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The 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!”

 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

 11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

It was predicted hundreds of years before that Jesus would ride on a donkey.  Of course, this is one of those prophecies that one could fulfill on their own as if reading a script.  But there are so many other fulfilled prophecies that Jesus could not control – where He was born, how He died, the Romans gambling for his clothes, that his legs would not be broken during the crucifixion, etc.

Sometimes people note the fickle nature of the crowds who cheered him on Palm Sunday then yelled for his crucifixion the next Friday.  But it may not have been the same group of people.  Still, think about how our loyalties shift based on circumstances. 

Jesus at the Temple

 12Jesus entered the temple area 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. 13“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.'”

That was not the passive Jesus people are used to.  These money changers did big business with the visiting Jews who needed local currency for payments and/or animals for sacrifices.   His righteous anger resulted in animals being released and tables overturned.

 14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

 16“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 have ordained praise’?”

 17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

The Fig Tree Withers

 18Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing 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.

 20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

The fig tree looked good from a distance, but was barren.  I think Jesus was making a commentary on the Israelites.  There is also an application to us if our faith is superficial.

 21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, 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. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Much has been made of the “mountain moving” comment.  It sure sounds like hyperbole to me.   Jesus ministry wasn’t about moving things around in nature, it was about changing hearts and lives and eternal salvation.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

 23Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

 24Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?”

   They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From men’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

 27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
      Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Once again the Jewish leaders tried to trick Jesus, but He would have none of that. 

The Parable of the Two Sons

 28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

 29” ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

 30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

 31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
      “The first,” they answered.

   Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

“Repent and believe” is the simplest way to explain what is required for salvation.  Repent of your sins and believe that Jesus died for your sins and was raised to life.  It isn’t magic words like, “I will, sir,” but true repentance. 

The Parable of the Tenants

 33“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 went away on a journey. 34When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

 35“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

 38“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

 40“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

 41“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.”

 42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
   ” ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
   the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

 43“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. 44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Jesus used this parable to show the leaders that He knew what they were up to with their murderous plot.  Jesus isn’t soft on sin.  He offers mercy and forgiveness now, but one day He will deliver crushing judgment.  Too many preachers and “leaders” leave out that part of the Gospel message.

What passages stood out to you, and why?

Greetings!

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

 3“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went.

   “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

 7” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
      “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

 8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

 9“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

 13“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

 16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

As a pro-capitalism CPA, this story initially confused me.  It just seemed unfair.  But keep in mind that parables typically have one or two key meanings and aren’t meant to work on too many levels.  This is not about rewards, it is about grace.  God freely gives it as He chooses.  We shouldn’t be jealous or critical about who He dispenses grace to; we should rejoice that we get it at all.

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

 17Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

A Mother’s Request

 20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

 21“What is it you want?” he asked.
      She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

 22“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
      “We can,” they answered.

 23Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

They thought they were asking for positions of prestige in an earthly kingdom.  After all, they had witnessed all the miracles Jesus had done.  Surely He would eventually take over soon.  But to be at his right and left would have meant crucifixion.  He told them several times He would be killed, but they were in denial.

 24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What a beautiful and outrageous concept: The God of the universe came to earth not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for you. 

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

 29As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30Two 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!”

 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

 32Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

 33“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

What passages stood out to you, and why?