In Matthew 24, Jesus is on the Mount of Olives with His disciples. He issues them three descriptions of His return, each one carrying a haunting theme. (1) Be Prepared, (2) Be Watchful and (3) Be Ready!
Are we all ready for the Lord’s return? As we introduced on Sunday, this week we’re looking at Matthew 24, verses 36 through 44. That being said, let’s first set up some context. Verse 1 tells us that “Jesus left the temple…” Last week, we unpacked Jesus’ stern warnings to the people regarding the Pharisees. Well in…
Jesus’ Warnings About the Pharisees: Topic #3 All week, we’ve looked at Matthew 23. In this passage, Jesus explains why the people should be cautious when dealing with the Pharisees. In verse 7, Jesus challenges the people to reject the Pharisees titles. How their ears would be tickled when people used these titles in public settings. For context, at…
Jesus’ Warnings About the Pharisees: Topic #2 In Sunday’s post, we began a post-series from Matthew 23. Jesus has just warned the crowd to respect the Pharisees position. Now he begins His warning to resist the Pharisees behaviour. But Jesus words of course beg the question, “What’s so bad about the Pharisees behaviour?” Well don’t worry….
Jesus’ Warnings About the Pharisees: Topic #1 We’re continuing our study (and post series) on Matthew. This week we’ll be focusing on chapter 23, verses 1-12, where Jesus issues warning to the crowds and his disciples about the Pharisees. Last week, we saw Jesus go toe to toe with an expert of the Law. As we’ve discussed…
How should we use the Law? This week we’ve relived the Pharisees’ challenge to Jesus found in Matthew 23; the Expert of the Law vs. Jesus. Today, we end this post series with our last Act. In verse 40, Jesus ties a bow on His answer with this statement. “All the Law and the Prophets hang…
The Greatest Command In the Law. We’re in Matthew 22; The Expert of the Law vs. Jesus. The Pharisee has just thrown out his question to challenge Jesus. The air was thick with intensity. Everyone waited for Jesus reply. Jesus speaks. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your…
Showdown In Jerusalem. Reading through Matthew 21 and 22, the Expert of the Law vs. Jesus: Act 1. It appears that the Pharisees have tried to avoid Jesus, letting every other religious leader do the challenging. We’ve seen chief priests, elders, Pharisaic disciples, Herodians and Sadducees; but it’s down to the Pharisees. And if the Pharisees are going to…
Many scholars believe that Matthew’s Gospel was originally written to a Jewish audience. After taking a closer look at Matthew 21 and 22, there seems to be some strong evidence, as Matthew carefully recounts Jesus’ discussions with every major religious leader in Jerusalem at that time.
But Religious Leaders Don’t
We’ve been looking at Matthew 21 this week. As we discussed in Tuesday’s post, the first son, who initially defied his father’s request, is the only son that decides to do what is right.
Verse 29 tells us “…he changed his mind and went” (21:29). In the end, the first son did what his father had asked him to do.
A Parable for Religious Leaders We’re in Matthew 21 this week. On Sunday, we started unpacking a heated exchange; Jesus on one side and the chief priests and elders on the other. And of course, this was in the temple courts with plenty of spectators. This exchanged centred around whether or not John the Baptist’s ministry was…
Jesus’ authority is challenged. In Matthew 21, we read an account where Jesus is engaged in a heated conversation with religious leaders. Specifically, the chief priests and elders were challenging His authority. In turn, Jesus challenged them, regarding their approval of John the Baptist’s ministry. Matthew 21:23-27 “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching,…