Today’s passage: Matthew 23:1-39

Helpful thoughts:

• This chapter contains Jesus’ final public sermon.
• Phylacteries are boxes that are worn on the head of Jewish men for prayer.  They contain parchments with verses from the Law.  They are a literal way to apply Deuteronomy 6:8.  The Pharisees wore large ones solely to impress people.
• A proselyte is a convert.  Jesus questions to what these new believers are being converted.
• Even after all of these “woes”, Jesus shares His desire to care for these people.

Questions to consider:

1. What are the marks of great leadership shared in this passage?
2. What are the marks and the goals of hypocritical and poor leadership?
3. What was the consequence for those who chose to follow in the way of these leaders in Matthew 23?
4. Who was all included in Jesus’ call at the end of the chapter?  Who had the opportunity to repent?

Today’s passage: Matthew 22:34-46

Helpful thoughts:

• Again, the purpose of these questions given to Jesus is to trip Him up…didn’t work.
• The Pharisees had to get in a huddle to decide what questions to ask AND how to think about the answers.  They also had to meet to decide how to answer questions.  They were driven by fear of man.
• Jesus’ question to them is most important of all.  Who is the Christ?  Their answer signifies what they were looking for in the Messiah…a king.
• The Scripture Jesus quotes is from Psalm 110.  In this passage, David addresses the coming Messiah as his Lord, as Divinity.

Questions to consider:

1. What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul and mind?  Are these three kinds of love or one kind of love that is comprehensive?
2. In what way would it make sense that the whole Law and Prophets hangs on loving God and loving our neighbors?
3. How do these two commandments point us to our need for the Messiah who did more than just reign as a king?  Why do we need a savior?

Today’s passage: Matthew 22:23-33

Helpful thoughts:

• The argument of the Sadducees is, since all the men can’t have one wife at the same time, there can be no resurrection.
• The Sadducees were the wealthiest, most politically successful of the Jewish sects.  So, they were also the least liked among the Jewish people.  They prided themselves on being true to the OT and specifically the Pentateuch.
  • Therefore when Jesus basically told them, “You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” It was a direct hit on their credibility and pride.
• Along with the resurrection, the Sadducees did not believe in angels.
• Jesus teaches about marriage and our future here:
  • Marriage is wonderful.  But it is not eternal.  The purposes for marriage will no longer be needed in the resurrection.
  • We will be LIKE the angels (We will not BECOME angels) in that, we will be glorified, spiritual, eternal and joyfully serving the Lord.

Questions to consider:

1. Where are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob right now?
2. What will our relationships be like after we see Jesus?  How will they all be better?  Who will be in our “family”?
3. If the Sadducees did not believe in life after death, what would have become major temptations for them?
4. How does thinking about eternity change how we think about “today”?

Today’s passage: Matthew 22:15-22

Helpful thoughts:

• The Pharisees’ attempt to butter up Jesus before they ask this question about taxes is perhaps their most ironic and self-condemning statement in the Gospels.
• The Pharisees sent their disciples to do their bidding, most likely attempting to catch Jesus off guard with a question from regular people.  They didn’t want Him to have the chance to prepare Himself by seeing them come His direction.
• The Herodians were loyal to Herod and Rome.  These people would not have been united with the Pharisees or the Sanhedrin…until they had a common enemy.  Herod would certainly not have liked the events of the “Triumphal Entry”.
• Notice, the Pharisees’ disciples and the Herodians asked Jesus if it is lawful to “pay” taxes and Jesus responded that they must “render” to Caesar what is Caesar’s.  The first word is like “giving” and the second (the one Jesus used) is more about “owing”, as in paying the government what is due to them.
• Jesus didn’t mince words.  He calls them hypocrites and answers their question quite directly, causing them to marvel.

Questions to consider:

1. What makes the attempted flattery at the beginning of this passage so ironic? How were the Pharisees conducting themselves?
2. How might this interaction between the Pharisees and the Herodians be a foreshadowing of the events to come?  The ends are about to justify the means…
3. How much of a say did these Jews in Judea have in how Rome governed them?  If Jesus told them to pay their taxes do you think we should as well?
4. Why do you think the Pharisees’ disciples and the Herodians response was simply to be marveled and leave?  What is it about the simple truth being spoken that is so shocking?

Today’s passage: Matthew 22:1-14

Helpful thoughts:

• This parable continues from the previous chapter.
• If you are thinking, “Why wouldn’t the invited guests come to the wedding?” That was the reaction desired.
• Perhaps even more amazing, there was a second call.  The guests refused to come and the king asked them all a second time.  This would have been incredibly gracious and humble.
• The fact that the final guest mentioned did not have a response when asked about his clothing suggests that the guests were given provision.  All the other guests, who were also invited and brought in off the street, were properly dressed.  This man chose not to “put on” the wedding garments.

Questions to consider:

1. After the last few days of reading, who do you think the originally invited guests were?  Who are the rest who have now been invited? (Hint: We are in this group!)
2. What was represented by the wedding garment?  What do we “put on” that makes us properly “attired” for the Kingdom of Heaven?  Whose righteousness is given to us?
3. Should we expect everyone who hears the Gospel to believe?  What does many are called and few are chosen mean?

 

Today’s passage: Matthew 21:28-46

Helpful thoughts:

• Both parables in today’s passage are intended for the same audience with very similar messages.
• Notice that Jesus gave commentary at the end of each parable.  He didn’t leave any doubt, He was speaking to the Jews, and specifically, their leaders.
• The “one who fall on this stone” means, whoever would move against Jesus to harm Him.  So the Pharisees were just warned that rejecting Jesus (Either offensively or through disregard) as the Cornerstone would result in their destruction.

Questions to consider:

1. What kinds of people enter into the kingdom of heaven?  What should we expect their old lives to look like?
2. Why shouldn’t we be amazed or put off by people’s pasts?
3. Who did the Pharisees and chief priests fear after having been warned of their destruction?  Wouldn’t it have been ENTIRELY logical to repent and believe in Jesus at this moment?  What did the Pharisees and chief priests love most? Why did they reject Jesus and later “Fall on this stone” by arresting Him and pursuing His crucifixion?

Today’s passage: Matthew 21:23-27

Helpful thoughts:

• The chief priests’ and elders’ questions was phrased in a way to trick Jesus.  They didn’t argue whether what He was doing was right or not, but where His authority came from.
• Jesus then responded in kind.  In a sense, He was asking them, do you really want truth or incriminating content?
• The answer they gave Jesus proved they weren’t really interested in truth as much as they were in victory.

Questions to consider:

1. What was the answer to their question?  By whose authority was Jesus doing “these things”?
2. How did the interaction within the chief priests and elders show the desire of their hearts?  Did they think in regard to truth vs. fiction or in people’s opinions?
3. What was Jesus’ response to people who were not genuinely interested in truth?

Today’s passage: Matthew 21:18-22

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus was fully man.  He got hungry.
• Fig trees normally produce fruit before the leaves. The fact that the tree had leaves but no fruit indicated there was something wrong with the tree.
• Read Luke 13:1-9.  The fig tree here represents Israel; An appearance of godliness with no fruit.
• In ancient near east literature, great teachers were called a, “Rooter up of mountains”.  Jesus was not literally suggesting that we should do a useless thing like throw mountains in the sea.  He was using a figure of speech that was known at the time.
• Asking in prayer and having faith are ways we surrender to God’s will and petition Him.  This passage could be misused to teach that if you have enough faith in your faith, you can make miraculous things happen.  Jesus is saying, God’s will is perfect and powerful, believe in Him, seek Him in faith and in prayer, and watch what all He will do.

Questions to consider:

1. Did Jesus curse this fig tree just because He was angry?  To what reality was He pointing us?
2. What kind of fruit can you see in your life? How has God been changing you?  How has God been using you to change others?
3. How do our requests for miracles help us to see our greatest values?  What is the greatest (most significant) miracle God would do from His perspective?

Today’s passage: Matthew 21:12-17

Helpful thoughts:

• This may be the second time Jesus has turned the tables in the court of the Gentiles at the Temple. (See John 2:13-22)
• By Jesus’ words, it is safe to assume the sale of these items were not being done in a way that actually served the people.  The religious leaders had devised ways to rip people off in the name of worship and honoring God.
• When the chief priests and scribes saw the miracles he was doing and heard people were calling him the Messiah, they were “indignant”.
• Jesus responds to their anger by saying it was right for Him to receive that praise…because it was.

Questions to consider:

1. What had the chief priests and scribes turned their religion into?  What had become its purpose?
2. Why were the chief priests and scribes so angry at Jesus?
3. Who should also have been worshiping Jesus that day?
4. Are there any tables you have set up in your life, in your church that Jesus needs to overturn?  Are there any interests, desires, respect from people, etc., that get in the way of you seeing Jesus as all you need?

Today’s passage: Matthew 21:1-11

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus’ triumphal entry fulfills prophecy from Zechariah.
• The “Daughter of Zion” just means the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
• Jesus didn’t ride in on a white stallion with chariots and fanfare.  He had come to be humbled.  He came to serve, not to be served.
• Jesus did not ride on the donkey AND her colt.  When it says He sat on “them”, it means the cloaks of the disciples that they laid on the animals.  Jesus chose to ride in on the colt (The younger, smaller donkey) sitting on the cloaks of the disciples.
• “Hosanna” means, “save now”.  So the people were declaring salvation had come through Jesus, the Son of David.  The question is from what were they hoping to be saved?
• When asked who this man was who had garnered all this attention, the people seem to back off their statement and now go no further than to call Him a prophet.

Questions to consider:

1. How does Jesus choice to ride in on a donkey seem so fitting?  What had he come to do?
2. In what way did Jesus showcase His omniscience (All-knowing) in this passage?
3. In what ways was this entry triumphant?  In what way(s) would it appear that it was not?