Devotionals

Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matthew 22:29-32).

Pastor Martin

The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her" (Matthew 22:23-28).

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way (Matthew 22:18-22).

But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:11-14).

Although The Parable of the Wedding Feast was intended to convict the hearts of the Chief Priests and Elders by revealing their hard-hearted hypocrisy and rejection of Jesus Christ, it was also intended to reveal to them, and to us, the penalty of unrepentant sin and rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:11-14).

The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. (Matthew 22:7-8).

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet (Matthew 21:45).

The Scripture states that after Jesus spoke these last parables the Chief Priests and Pharisees perceived He was speaking about them. The word ‘perceived’ means to know, understand, or realize. They knew Jesus was talking about them in parables. They realized they were the ones being condemned in the parables. But did they understand they were spiritually condemned?

 “There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come?

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith (Matthew 21:22).

As a boy growing up in church, I was told that if I wanted the Lord to do something for me or for someone else, I had to pray in faith, believing He would answer my prayer. I was told that praying in faith meant to pray repeatedly, that repeating the same prayer was a sign of faith.

As a young man in college, I was told that if I wanted the Lord to do something for me or for someone else, I had to pray in faith, believing He would answer my prayer. I was told that praying in faith meant to pray once and leave it at the altar of faith; that praying once was a sign of faith, but praying repeatedly was a sign of doubt. Who was right? What is right?

TRUST IN THE LORD
Saturday, November 06, 2021

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We will take a break from Matthew’s Gospel to reflect on a personal word from King Solomon. To ‘trust’ is to lean on with the whole body, fully rest upon, to be completely strengthened by something or someone. We call this faith, and so it is, but our concept of faith tends to be more emotionally motivated than directed by our will; “I feel like I can (should) trust in the Lord” vs. “I will trust in the Lord no matter what.”

And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away (Matthew 21:19).

Not everyone who says he/she’s a Christian is a Christian. There must be evidence. There will be fruit. There is a two-fold consideration regarding fruit bearing - internal spiritual fruit and external spiritual fruit. If there is internal spiritual fruit, there will be external spiritual fruit.

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise'?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there (Matthew 21:15-17).

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant . . . (Matthew 21:14-15).

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause." So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee" (Matthew 21:10-11).

Prophets are spokesmen for God. When Israel asked Samuel for a king, God said he would be God’s voice to the people (1 Samuel 8:7). Jesus said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me (John 7:16). God said to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! (Matthew 17:5). Jesus was a prophet.

And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:8-9)

No one knows the size of the crowd that gathered, but scholars, both ancient and modern, have indicated that the attendance in Jerusalem was gradually swelling to nearly 2 million people. Jesus has already attracted a large crowd in Bethany as He left the Mount of Olives. It is suggested that a crowd of 100,000 people or more thronged both sides of the road as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:14-16).

I will break from our current study today to ask you to pray for Nancy and me. Yesterday (Friday) Nancy and I were informed we have the COVID virus. Our good friend and medico, Ken, has put us on a regimen of meds and vitamins to help us through the process of recovery. We solicit your prayers as well.

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them" (Matthew 21:1-3).

The Mount of Olives was an important place to Jesus in the days of His ministry. It is so named because of the olive grove that was located at its base and on its slopes. In ancient days, the olives from its groves were pressed and used to anoint kings and priests. The Garden of Gethsemane is located within the olive grove on the Mount of Olives.

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them" (Matthew 21:1-3).

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" (Matthew 20:29-31).

The amazing thing about these 2 men is despite the fact they were physically blind, they had spiritual insight, something few people had in that day. This is supported by the words they spoke to Jesus.

. . . The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

The atoning death of Jesus Christ was ordained to satisfy God’s holy justice against sinners. But note that Jesus said He would give His life a ransom for many. That is an arresting revelation. Didn’t Jesus say, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world though Him might be saved (John 3:16)? Yes, He did. So, if Jesus died for the whole world, then the whole world will be saved, right? Wrong.

It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:26-28).

James and John, through their mother, Salome, asked Jesus to put them in positions of honor and authority in His Kingdom. The other disciples, who were standing close by, became indignant of the two, but Jesus took the occasion to address and correct the thinking of all the disciples.

But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able" (Matthew 20:22).

Some of you may remember, when you were a child, having to take some really awful tasting medicine when you had a cold, flue, or upset stomach. Back home in Arkansas, mom and grandma (who lived next door) would treat us with ‘home remedies’ when we fell ill. Some of the liquids they gave us were nasty - oily and bitter, etc. Julie Andrews was right in singing, “Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down!” Even today some of the modern medicines taste horrible. And I hate it when the doctor says, “Drink it all.”