A NEW MONTH!

Day 305 – Reading – Matthew 20 – 21

Read and believe in Jesus!

Matthew 20.

The Parable of the Vineyard. (Read verses 1-16. What do you think is Jesus’ message?)

At sun-up (6:00 a.m.), a vineyard owner went to the marketplace to hire day workers. (You’ve all see them: men waiting abound Home Depot or other places for day work.)  The owner picked some and took them to his vineyard. On the way, they settled on the usual day’s pay for a day’s work – a denarius.   

The owner saw that he would need more laborers. Perhaps the heat was damaging the grapes, or a storm threatened.  At 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. he went back and hired more men. Each of these later hires agreed on “what was fair” as pay.

At 6:00 p.m. (12 hours after the first hire), the owner told the foreman to pay the men and send them home. All had done a great job.  Oh, and he was to begin with the last hired, and go on until the first hired with his “paychecks”. (coins) 

The foreman did just that.  As the earliest hires who had worked a full 12 hours watched the others being paid the same wage they had agreed on, the thought “Wow, WE must be getting much more, having been here ALL DAY.  But when the foreman came to them, he doled out a denarius to each.  These workers looked at the coin in their hand and were disappointed, even a bit outraged. THEY had worked for 12 hours, the last men had worked only ONE!  It wasn’t fair!

Was it?

The owner of the vineyard came to see the problem and asked them, “Friends, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take your pay and go. I choose to give these last workers as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?  Do you begrudge my generosity?”  

Jesus added to the listeners of this parable to help their understanding, “So the last will be first, and the first last.”

OH PLEASE! Let us not begrudge the Lord’s generosity!  For this is a picture-story of all those who are saved by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross.  Some are saved early and work their entire lives for God, perhaps even giving their lives as martyrs.  Then some believe and are saved late in their lives, such as an old gentleman, or and elderly house cleaner.  Or … the thief on the cross.  They have no, or very little time to work in some ministry.  The thief, had only time to BELIEVE.  But still, we all can be confident that a beautiful, forever “Eternal Life” is waiting for us when they die.  Praise God! Thank You for Your so great salvation!

.

Matthew 21.

The time of Jesus “hour” that he predicted three times to His disciples … is beginning.  Having set His face like a flint to do as His Father asks, Jesus now approaches Jerusalem. They stop in Bethphage.  Jesus is not tired, but He knows there is scripture to be fulfilled. (Zechariah 9:9) He sends two of His disciples into town to get a donkey for Him to ride on. (Matthew tells us that the donkey had a foal, which had never be ridden.)  

“But what if…” they questioned Jesus.

“If anyone asks, say, ‘The Lord has need of it.”

They get the animals and throw their cloaks on the back of the colt, and Jesus sat on it.  (Now…in normal life, that unbroke colt would have shied away from the flapping cloaks, and surely bucked at the weight of a human on its back.  But this Man, was his Creator. He instantly obeyed.)

As Jesus began riding down the Mount of Olives toward the City gate, the crowd “saw” what was happening.  They began to throw their cloaks and cut palm branches on the road before Jesus.  Excitement grew, and they began shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannah in the highest!” (Psalm 118:25)

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up.  “Who is this?” some cried.  “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee!”

(If you want to see how all this (and Jesus’ death) fulfills Daniel’s “weeks” prophecy, read Daniel 9:24-26.)

(At some point, Jesus dismounts the colt and either a disciple, or the owner who followed along, takes the two animals away.) 

Jesus enters the Temple area and sees again the “marketplace atmosphere” of buying and selling sacrificial animals, and changing money.  Jesus is furious for His Father’s sake.  He drives them all out, quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.  “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but YOU make it a den of robbers!”

Cleansed, the temple court now becomes a place of healing for all who come to Him. 

BUT, when the chief priests and scribes SAW the wonderful things that He did, and the children calling “Hosanna to the Son of David!” THEY WERE INDIGNANT.

Leaders: “Do you hear what they are saying!!??”

Jesus: “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise?”  (Psalm 8;2)

Then Jesus left the Holy City and went to Bethany and lodged there. (Perhaps with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.)

The next day, four incidents happen that all point to the failure of Israel and her leaders to obey and please the LORD God.

• 1.)  The fig tree.  On the way back to the city the next day, Jesus sees a fig tree and reaches for some fruit.  However, the tree is void of all fruit.  Jesus curses it and immediately it withers and dies.  (Remember, that the fig tree often represents Israel. This picture shows Jesus disgust at Israel’s leaders, and is predicting the eventual destruction of the city and their pious rule.
• 2.) The challenge of authority. Inside the temple court, these leaders come to Jesus demanding WHO gave Him authority to do these things (ride into Jerusalem as Israel’s king and cleansing away the “robbers” in the temple. Jesus asks them a question they fear to answer – from where did John get his authority to baptize” – so Jesus tells them HE won’t answer THEIR question. As Israel’s spiritual leaders, they should be praising God, not questioning the holy One He has sent.
• 3.) The Parable of the Two Sons represent the leaders themselves, who pompously say they are sent by God, but who do not obey His law, and in fact. corrupt it for the people.  The father asked son #1 to go work in the vineyard.  The son said he didn’t want to go, but later went out to work.  Son #2 said he would go work in the vineyard as his father said, but later did not go out.
• Jesus said the tax collectors and prostitutes were sinners, but finally obeyed God.  Whereas the religious leaders were represented by the second son who said the kept the entire law, and yet inside they were corrupt and obeyed none of it.
• 4.) The Parable of the Tenants.  In this parable, the Vineyard owner was God, and the evil tenants were the currant religious leaders.  When God looked for the fruit of righteous in His vineyard, they murdered all God’s servants sent to get it (the prophets) and even HIS SON (Jesus) out of greed.  Jesus told them that the Vineyard owner – God – will come with justice and kill all of them, and give the “vineyard” to others.
• Jesus was direct with them. “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and give to a people producing its fruits.”

Of course the chief priests and Pharisees KNEW Jesus was speaking about them.  Right then, they feared to arrest him because of the crowds who held Jesus to be a prophet. But just wait, they thought. 

Just you wait.