God desires relationship with mankind. Jesus’ parable about the wedding feast illustrates this spiritual truth.
The nation of Israel comprised the initial guest list. The king – God – sent messengers to deliver the invitation to the banquet, but the Jews ignored the request to come. Complacency or daily responsibilities consumed some. Hatred for the messengers consumed others.
Read More Eternal life, forgiveness of sins, Messiah“Tell us what you think! Should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?”
The Pharisees’ followers and Herod’s supporters posed this trick question to Jesus. The unusual cooperation between these two groups meant only one thing – they felt national interests were threatened. They became allies solely to bring Jesus down, and he knew it.
Read More worship, human laws, treasonHow easy it is to misinterpret God’s word, especially when we read it through the lens of unbelief or limited understanding.
The Sadducees believed that there was no life after death. Seeking to prove their stance correct, they tried to engage Jesus in debate. They referred to Moses’ teaching about widows marrying their husband’s brothers, and then they applied that law to a Jewish folktale about a widow who married seven brothers.
Read More forgiveness, biblical illiteracy, studying the ScripturesThe foremost theme throughout the Bible is one of love. We see threads about God’s sacrificial love for sinful man woven throughout the Scriptures. But the theme of love also includes commands for us to love God and our fellow man.
The most important commandment in the central text of Judaism was this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.”
Read More love, nature of Christ, most important commandmentThe Pharisees had peppered Jesus with questions. Now Jesus turned the focus to them. “What do you think of the Messiah?” he asked.
The Pharisees, despite their religious training and knowledge, believed the Messiah was a descendent of David. While correct, their answer fell short of the complete truth – that he was the son of God – and left them stuck in religious rules and traditions.
Read More hope, forgiveness, holy livingHumility – a virtue highly valued by God. Many Scripture passages refer to it and show us what it looks like. Here, thanks to the Pharisees and religious teachers of Jesus’ day, we learn what it does not look like.
Culturally, Jews in Christ’s day showed their devotion to God by wearing little boxes containing Scripture on their foreheads and arms.
Read More humility, pride, head-table mentalityJesus minced no words when addressing Pharisees and religious teachers. Calling them “show-offs” and “blind leaders,” he blasted them for false teaching. He also confronted them for their legalism, specifically, paying tithes to God from their herb gardens while failing to teach and practice spiritual truths such as mercy, faithfulness, and justice.
Christ called the spiritual leaders to accountability for their hypocrisy.
Read More truth, hypocrisySometimes the truth hurts. The religious leaders in Christ’s day felt its sting when Jesus taught the parable in this passage.
“A man planted a vineyard and built a protective fence around it”, said Jesus. He dug a vat to collect the juice from crushed grapes, and he established a watchtower. Having set up the operation for success, the owner rented the facility to vine-growers and left the country.
Read More joy, peace, steadfast loveMoney can be a hot topic, and Jesus was bold to address it. In this story, we see wealthy individuals donating large financial gifts at the Temple. While their generosity likely impressed onlookers and religious leaders, Jesus challenged his disciples to a different mentality.
“They’re giving from their surplus,” he said.
Read More money, financial giving, selfless love