Matthew 22:15-22 - Paying the poll tax?

22:15-22

The Pharisees now tried to trap Jesus with His words, an enterprise doomed to failure. They started with flattery saying they knew He was a man of integrity. The poll-tax was a contentious issue. People hated the Romans, but to offend the Romans was a dangerous path to follow. So they asked Jesus if it was right to pay the poll-tax or not, thinking that yes or no were the only possible answers, and that either would get Jesus in trouble. But Jesus knew what they were up to and he turned the matter around., with His now famous statement “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”. The Pharisees were not giving to God what was His.

Matthew 22:1-14 - Are you going to the wedding feast?

22:1-14

The Pharisees had this picture of only a few elite getting into the Kingdom of God, and they were part of the elite. Jesus tells them a parable that says things are rather different. Who prepared a banquet for His Son”, note the emphasis on the son, i.e. on Jesus. Rejecting Jesus is a fundamental error. Many were invited to the banquet. The Pharisees were invited, but they refused to come. They were even given another chance. \the \pharisees continued to go about their own business, and some even seized the king's messengers. The king reacted with anger, this is looking forward to AD70. The king then sent his messengers to invite anyone who would listen.

We then see that the invitation is both open and restrictive, repentance is necessary. We need to recognise our need for forgiveness, Coming with an attitude or pride or self- righteousness is wearing the wrong clothes.

Matthew 21:33-46 - Whose vineyard do you think it is?

21:33-46

Jesus continues His teaching with the parable of the tenants, this one is aimed squarely at the religious leaders. The religious leaders thought they owned the system, for getting that it actually belonged to God. So when the landowner sent messengers the tenants thought they could solve the problem by dealing with the messenger, they even thought that killing the owner’s son would solve the matter.. The religious leaders forgot that they were to run the place on God’s behalf, achieving God’s purposes. Remember that Jesus said He only did what He saw His Father do (John 5:19).  Jesus warns them that judgement would come upon them. The religious leaders reacted in their usual stupid way by seeking to arrest Jesus, but they were also afraid of the crowds.

Matthew 21:28-32 - Slow obedience?

21:28-32

There are some who say something like “slow obedience is no obedience, is disobedience”, this parable seems to give the lie to that statement. There are two sons, the first claims to not obey the father, but then does what the father asked, the second says he will obey the Father, but then does not do so. Jesus’ own explanation makes it clear that the point is that the religious types, the supposedly obedient are actually disobedient, for their actions do not measure up with their words, while the “sinners” (tax collectors and prostitutes, people despised by the religious leaders) are actually the obedient ones. The religious leaders refused to repent.

Matthew 21:23-27 - questions of authority

21:23-27

Jesus was causing them problems, so the religious leaders tried another tack, they questioned his authority. What it was and who gave it to Him. They had two problems, one was that God the Father had given him the authority, the other was their own duplicitous behaviour. So Jesus highlighted the second by asking them a question regarding John the baptist.  John was popular, and his message was pointing to Jesus, so if they accepted John the Baptist they had to accept Jesus, if they denied John the Baptist they could be in trouble with the crowds. The religious leaders were in a bind, so they refused to answer the question, and so Jesus refused to answer them.

Authoritarian leaders rarely have as much authority or power as they seem to have.

Matthew 21:12-22 - Sorting things out, temples and fig trees

21:12-17

Jesus was no “soft touch”. He entered the temple and found people buying and selling. He drove these people out. They would be doing this to give pilgrims what they needed for the sacrifices. However, the temple was meant to be a house of prayer, not a “den of robbers”.  The blind and the  lame same to him and He healed them, the temple was then fulfilling its godly function. However the religious leaders were not pleased. For the people and children were praising Jesus. They confronted Jesus about this, and He quoted Psalm 8:2 to them. Jesus then left the temple.

21:18-22

Jesus had a clear view of what the kingdom was about, and confronted any variation from this. Fig trees were meant to bear fruit, but he found one that had nothing but leaves. He then cursed the tree, and the tree immediately withered. The disciples were amazed at how quickly it had withered. Jesus answers by saying we should expect our prayers to be answered. 

Matthew 21:1-11 - Palm Sunday

21:1-3

We now get the triumphal entry. Bethphage means “house of figs”. Two of the disciples were sent to the village to get a donkey and its colt. A donkey was a symbol of peace and humility (Zec 9:9). If anyone questioned them they were to say “The Lord needs them”. Everything that happened was arranged in advance. This does not mean that the participants were mere puppets or actors in a play, they were all responsible human beings. However, there is no contradiction between this and the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.

21:4,5

Matthew, of course, draws attention to how this was all a fulfilment of Scripture, quoting from Zec 9:9. Jesus came gently riding on a donkey. For a long time I found the events of Palm Sunday somewhat incongruous with what was going to happen next. We have the triumphal entry, the gentleness, then a few days later the utter brutality of Easter. How do the two fit together? As always, it is because Jesus is the perfect saviour. As damaged sinners we need the gentleness, but we need much more than that. Something momentous needs to be done about our sin and the wrath we are by nature under. Jesus is that perfect saviour.

21:6-11

The disciples did as they had been instructed. Cloaks were placed on the donkey, and we know from Mark and Luke that Jesus sat upon the colt. The crowds spread their cloaks and palm leaves on the road. This was a sign of homage and welcoming for the king. They then shouted Hosanna to the Son of David. So they praised the king as well, expecting salvation from Him. So we have this picture of the king being welcomed and praised, yet a few days later He is nailed to a cross. The reception Jesus received on this day was the reception He should have received, it was the rightful reception. The treatment He received a few days later was not what He should have received, yet it was what was planned all along, it was the reason He came. We need to be rescued.