The Triumphant Wisdom of Jesus Christ

Continuing a study of the gospels:

(Matthew 22:1) And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables, and said,

In the last chapter Jesus had told the parable of the vineyard to the chief priests and scribes, and He now spoke to them again in parables.  The account in Mark said that the priests and scribes had left Jesus and went their way.  However, Mark did not relate this particular parable Jesus was about to tell, so it is reasonable to assume that they did not leave until they heard this parable, as well.  If the chief priests and scribes did go away, then there were other Pharisees who remained to hear this parable:

(2) "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who made a marriage for His son, (3) And sent forth his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they would not come."

Jesus began His parable by likening the kingdom of heaven to that of a king who had arranged a wedding for his son.  He sent his servants out to call all those who had been invited to the wedding, but they would not come.  This, of course, represents God calling His people, the Jews, to salvation.  Jesus is often called the bridegroom, and His people are His bride.  God called the Jewish people first, as His special people, but they would not come to Jesus.

(4) "Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, 'Tell them who are invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come to the wedding."'"

Jesus went on to tell how the king sent more servants out, instructing them to tell all who were invited that he had prepared a feast and all things were ready for the wedding, and bidding them to come.  This represents the disciples and those messengers in real time who told the invited Jews that the time was now for the wedding.

(5) "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise; (6) And the remnant took his servants and treated them spitefully and killed them.

Jesus told how the people invited to the wedding ridiculed it and most went on with their usual business.  However, a small number of them remained and reviled and abused the servants and killed them.  This represents most people who rejected God's invitation to come to Jesus and salvation, and those who persecuted and killed His messengers, His disciples.

(7) "But when the king heard of it, he was angry; and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city."

The king in the parable was very angry when he heard about how his servants had been abused and killed, and he sent his armies to destroy the murderers and burn their city.  This was prophetic of what was to happen to Jerusalem because its people rejected and killed Christ and His messengers; God would send His armies of Roman soldiers to burn Jerusalem.

(8) "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.'"

The king in Jesus's parable, representing God, declared that the wedding was ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy.  They represent the Jews who had basically snubbed their noses at God's gracious invitation, so how could they be considered worthy?

(9) "'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you can find, invite to the wedding.'"

The king sent his servants into the highways to find as many people as they could, inviting them all to the wedding.  This is representative of God offering His gift of salvation to all the world after it had been rejected by His special people, the Jews.

(10) "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests."

The servants went out and gathered together all the people they found, without distinguishing whether they were moral people or open sinners.  The wedding was full of guests.

(11) "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding garment."

When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not appropriately covered.  People who were brought in from the highways could not be expected to be formally dressed, but it is said that the ancient custom was to provide wedding garments for accidental attendees.  For this man not to be properly dressed means he must have refused them.  This represents a person not heart-ready to receive Christ.  

(12) "And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not having a wedding garment?' And he was speechless."

The king asked the man how he had come to be there without having on a wedding garment.  The man was speechless to defend himself.  This represents the soul professing to be called a Christian, but without the repentance and faith and heart to be prepared to enter the kingdom.  At judgment, he will have nothing he can say for himself.

(13) "Then said the king to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

The king told his servants to bind the man and take him away to outer darkness where there would be weeping and the gnashing of teeth, expressing pain and anguish.  Of course, there can be no doubt this represents hell for the unrepentant hypocrite soul pretending Christianity.  This represented what would happen to the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees who had only a pretense of religion.

(14) "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Jesus declared that many people were called to accept the gift of salvation, but relative to the world full of people called, only a few accept it and become part of the chosen elect of God.

(15) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.

The Pharisees then left Jesus and plotted among themselves about how they could ensnare Him with His own words.  The irony is they were the ones who were always ensnared by their words!  When truth is on one's side, he can talk freely and not be worried about being ensnared by his own words.

(16) And they sent out to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, 'Master, we know that you are true and teach the way of God in truth, nor do you care about anyone's opinion for you do not regard the positions of men."

The Pharisees sent their disciples to Jesus with the Herodians, who were attached to Herod and therefore zealous for the interest of the Roman government.  Their purpose was to trap Him, but they laid on the flattery and false praise, calling Him "Master," and saying they knew He was true in His teaching of God and had no regard for the positions of people.

(17) "Tell us therefore; what do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?"

They asked Jesus what He thought about whether or not it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar.  A little history is needed to understand how it was that they were trying to trick Jesus.  About a hundred years prior the Jews had come under Roman rule after being conquered by the Romans, and therefore tributes were demanded of them.  However, the Jewish nation, as Abraham's seed, should not be in bondage to any man.  The Pharisees felt that if Jesus answered that it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar, that the Jewish people would rise up against Him as a betrayer of the liberties of their nation.  However, by bringing the Herodians with them, those who were more zealous for Roman interests, they dared Him to say it was not lawful and set the Roman government against Him.

(18) But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, "Why do you tempt Me, hypocrites?"

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, knew they were only trying to entrap Him, and were not asking out of any real interest and desire to know the truth.  He called them hypocrites because He knew they only pretended respect for Him and a scrupulous desire for truth.

(19) "Show Me the tribute money." So they brought Him a denarius.

Jesus told them to show the tribute money to Him; and they brought Him a denarius, which was a Roman coin that was used to pay Roman tribute.  Tribute for temple service was paid with the Jewish shekel.

(20) And He said to them, "Whose is this image and inscription?"

Jesus put the question back to the Pharisees, and asked whose image and inscription was on the coin.

(21) They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

By having received Caesar's coin and acknowledging that it came from him, they were clearly under Caesar's government and therefore under obligation to give back that part demanded by the government.  However, God's image and inscription is upon the soul, and they should give to Him what was His, their hearts and lives in service to Him, as well as tribute money for the service of the temple with the traditional Jewish shekel.  Christians are called to obey authority, even if it means a wicked and corrupt government, until the point that one is called to do something in direct opposition to the word of God.

(22) When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

When the Pharisees heard Jesus's answer, they were amazed at His wisdom in answering them in such an unexpected way, and they left Him, having nothing else they could say in response, and not being able to get any advantage over Him as had been their plan.

(23) That same day came to Him the Saducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and asked Him,

That same day another sect, the Saducees, came to Jesus.  The Saducees did not believe in an afterlife.  They believed one should love and reverence God with no thought to a reward, and did not believe in resurrection, angels, or spirits.

(24) Saying, "Master, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.'"

The Saducees asked Jesus about a Mosaic law referenced in Deuteronomy 25:5.  It was a law given by Moses in order to keep the tribes of Israel distinct and to perpetuate them.  If a man died having no children, his brother was to marry his wife and their children would be reckoned as children of the deceased brother.

(25) "Now there were with us seven brothers; and the first, when he had married a wife, died, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother."

The Saducees report what they said was an actual case of seven brothers who had been among them.  The first son married a wife, but died before having any children.  The wife is supposed to be left for the second brother to marry.

(26) "Likewise the second also, and the third to the seventh. (27) And last of all, the woman died also."

The Saducees continued with their story; the second son also died apparently leaving no children, as subsequently, also did the third through the seventh sons.  Finally the wife died also.  This certainly seems a wild coincidence that seven brothers all died before having children and all died before the wife, and if it wasn't true, seems to be much more extreme than needed to make their point.  Maybe it was true, but if not completely true, I'm sure it was partially true and presented a real difficulty in their eyes, as demonstrated by their question:

(28) "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her."

The Saducees didn't believe in a resurrection, so their question was designed to show the difficulty in a belief in resurrection, assuming that husbands and wives would be reunited as they were on earth, and they didn't see how a woman could be the wife of seven men.

(29) Jesus answered and said to them, "You err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (30) For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."

Jesus told the Saducees that they erred in their thinking, apparently not knowing the scriptures which plainly asserted a resurrection, and not knowing the power of God who is well able to do anything.  He went on to tell them that in the resurrection people would not marry, but would be as angels of God with no earthly need to marry or procreate or satisfy any human need that they had on earth.  

(31) "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, (32) 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Jesus went on with further proof of a resurrection of the dead by asking if they had read the words of God in the scriptures.  At least twice in Exodus (Exodus 3:6, Exodus 3:15) God had proclaimed Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Those patriarchs had been dead two to three hundred years when God spoke those words to Moses.  Jesus told the Saducees that God was the God of the living, not of the dead in the past.  God had said, "I am" not "I was Abraham's God."  

(33) And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine.

When the multitude of people around Jesus heard what He said to the Saducees, they were astonished at His doctrine, probably partly because of the pure, perfect angelic state of the righteous in the world to come, and because He had so quickly and strongly proved the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the dead.  In his account, Luke stated that the Saducees didn't dare to ask Jesus any other questions, evidently being so confounded by His answer, proof, and reasonings.

(34) But when the Pharisees had heard that He had put the Saducees to silence, they were gathered together.

The Pharisees didn't believe as the Saducees did, so they may have gathered together to joyfully discuss how their rivals the Saducees had been silenced by Jesus.  But then again, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," so more than likely they were dismayed that Jesus had also prevailed over the Saducees and they gathered together to plot another way to trap Him in His words.

(35) Then one of them who was a lawyer asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, (36) "Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Then one of the Pharisees who was a lawyer sought to trick Jesus and asked Him what the greatest commandment in the law was.  A lawyer at this time was not someone practicing law as we know it, but was someone very learned in the law of Moses.  The Pharisees had tried to trap Jesus in matters concerning government, religion, and now were testing Him in the law.  What one commandment could be called the greatest?  They were probably sure they had entrapped Him now, for whichever law He called the greatest, they could offer up another which would seem greater.

(37) Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (38) And the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (39) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

One cannot trap the very author of the law.  Jesus knew exactly how they were designed.  The first four commandments were all about loving God.  Even the fifth commandment about honoring parents is a learning step toward honoring authority and loving God.  The last five are all about loving one's neighbor and treating him as he would want to be treated.  Therefore, all the commandments were based on these two broader commandments.

(41) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, (42) Saying, "What do you think about Christ? Whose son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."

While the plotting Pharisees were still all gathered together, Jesus asked them what they thought about Christ.  They were all expecting a coming Christ the Messiah.  He asked them whose son they thought Christ was.  They answered they thought Him to be the Son of David.

(43) He said to them, "How then does David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, (44) 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit on My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'?"

Jesus asked the Pharisees if Christ was the son of David, then why was it that David under inspiration of the Holy Spirit called Him Lord.  He then quoted David's words in Psalm 110:1, where the Lord God said to David's Lord Christ to sit at His right hand until He subdued all His enemies under Him.

(45) "If David then calls Him Lord, how is He his son?"

Jesus then summed up the paradox brought about by their mistaken belief that Christ would be some earthly prince on earth.  If David called Christ his Lord, then how could Christ be his son?

(46) And no man was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day forth did anyone ask Him any more questions.

Obviously, based on their beliefs, they couldn't answer His question.  The only way it could be answered was to admit that Christ was divine as well as human, and that He had an existence at the time of David as his Lord, but He descended from him as man.  From that day on, it seems the Pharisees ceased trying to trick Him with their questions.

I believe the biggest takeaway from this chapter is the infallible wisdom of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  Just as the Pharisees and Saducees were unable to ensnare Him, so the mighty foes of God and His Word from time immemorial have been unable to triumph over Truth.  The only seeming triumphs against God and His Truth come from our lack of understanding.  When we immerse ourselves in God's Word, we can then defend against lies.  Of course, we can never be 100% as Christ, who was the Word Himself, but we should strive to be as Christlike as possible, and by constantly studying His Word, we are better prepared against ensnarements which will surely come our way.

The Authority of Jesus Is Challenged

Continuing a study of the gospels:

(Matthew 21:23) And when He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? And who gave You this authority?"

In the first part of Matthew 21, in the last post, Jesus had just made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  He had cleared the temple courts of the buyers and sellers, and when He went into the temple, He apparently began to teach.  The chief priests and elders came to Him and asked what authority He had to clear the temple as He had done and then to come in and teach, and who it was who gave Him that authority.

(24) And Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me, I will likewise tell you by what authority I do these things."

Jesus answered the chief priests and elders that He would also ask them a question, and if they answered Him, He would likewise answer their question regarding by what authority He did what He did.

(25) "The baptism of John, from where was it? From heaven, or of men?" And they reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why did you not then believe him?'"

As was Jesus's usual MO, He asked the priests and scribes a question designed to make them think and fully realize the answer which would convict themselves.  Jesus asked them where John's baptisms came from.  By the "baptism of John," He meant the baptisms that John the Baptist did.  He knew the priests held John in high regard, and any answer they gave to His question would reveal the truth and trap them in their own snare.  The priests and scribes reasoned among themselves, realizing they were trapped by their own question.  Of course, they knew by what authority Jesus did those things--the same authority by which John the Baptist baptized.  They realized that if they answered that John baptized by authority of heaven, then Jesus would reasonably ask why they didn't believe John when He taught about Jesus, the Messiah.

(26) "But if we shall say, 'Of men,' we fear the people, for all hold John as a prophet."

The chief priests and scribes continued reasoning among themselves.  If, instead of answering "From heaven," they instead answered "Of men," they feared the retaliation of the people witnessing their answer, as they knew the correct answer and how all the people felt about John the Baptist.

(27) And they answered Jesus and said, "We cannot tell." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Realizing the dilemma they found themselves in, they chose to answer that they did not know by what authority John baptized people.  Therefore, Jesus answered He would likewise not tell them by what authority He did what He did.  It's not that He didn't want them to know the answer; they knew, for He had told them on countless other occasions.  He chose to reveal their hypocrisy by turning their question back on themselves.

(28) "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, "Son, go work today in my vineyard."

Jesus asked what they thought about this parable He began to tell to illustrate His point.  He told of a man who had two sons.  One day he came to one son and asked him to go work the day in his vineyard.

(29) "He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he repented and went."

The son initially answered that he would not work in his father's vineyard, but later changed his mind and went to work for his father.

(30) "And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir," but he did not go."

The man asked his second son to work the day in his vineyard, and the son told his father that he would go, but he didn't.

(31) "Which of those two did the will of his father?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Verily I say to you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

Jesus asked the priests and scribes which of the two sons did the will of his father.  They answered that the first son did.  Jesus told them that surely tax collectors and harlots, those deemed wicked, would enter the kingdom of heaven before they ever would.  The sons represent the people Jesus came to save.  The first son represents the sinners who reject salvation initially while they continue in their worldly sinful ways, but eventually come to Christ.  The second son represents so-called Christians who profess to follow Christ and do what He asks, but do not do it.  This, of course, was symbolic of the chief priests and scribes during Jesus's time.

(32) "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and you when you had seen it, did not repent afterward that you might believe him."

Further describing how this related to His question about John the Baptist, Jesus told them that John had come in righteousness proclaiming the coming Messiah and the need for repentance, but they did not believe him.  However, publicans and tax collectors heard him and believed him and therefore received Christ.  Even when the priests and scribes had seen and heard Jesus, and knew what John had said was true, they still did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and they did not change their minds or their ways.

(33) "Hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard, and hedged it all around, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and leased it out to farmers, and went into a far country."

Jesus exhorted His audience to listen to another parable.  He told of a landowner who planted a vineyard, then hedged it all around, and then dug a winepress and built a tower, and then leased it to farmers while he went to a faraway country.  Luke said in his account of this that Jesus spoke to people who had gathered around Him, but He directed this parable to the priests and scribes who were still there.  The landowner in the parable symbolized God who prepared His kingdom on earth and even left a manual with His word and His law.  He left it in the hands of religious spiritual guides.

(34) "And when the time of the fruit grew near, he sent his servants to the farmers that they might receive its fruit."

When the time of the fruit grew near, the landowner representing God, sent his servants representing the prophets and other such messengers, to the people who had been left with His vineyard on earth.  The prophets and messengers of God came as His servants to proclaim what He found of their fruits.

(35) "And the farmers took his servants, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another."

However, the farmers beat and killed the landowner's servants.  This is symbolic of the people beating, stoning, and killing God's prophets and messengers by a variety of persecutions.

(36) "Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise."

The landowner sent more servants, but the farmers beat and killed those as well.  The word "pleion" that was translated as "more" also means "more excellent."  That describes the other prophets and messengers that God sent, for as the fullness of the time drew near, the prophets more clearly and fully pointed out the coming of Christ.  Those prophets were persecuted and killed, as well.

(37) "But last of all, he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will reverence my son.'"

Of course, this is symbolic of God sending His Son Jesus as the ultimate witness who surely should have been revered, and spiritual leaders should have reflected on their prior conduct and repented when they saw God's son.

(38) "But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'"

When the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves that since he was the heir to the vineyard, they would kill him and seize his inheritance.  This is symbolic of the chief priests and scribes, who when they saw the Son of God, saw Him as a threat to their power, and plotted to kill Him and retain their power.

(39) "And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."

Of course, this represents the Jewish leaders who seized Jesus, turned Him out of the Jewish church into the hands of the Gentiles, who ultimately killed Him.

(40) "When the lord, therefore, of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

Jesus proposed the question of what the people thought the lord of the vineyard, representing God, would do to the farmers who killed his son.

(41) They said to Him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will lease out his vineyard to other farmers who will render him the fruits in their seasons."

The design of Jesus's question was that the chief priests and scribes would condemn themselves and admit the justice of the punishment that was soon to be administered to them.  Incredibly, they answered His question, not recognizing that they had condemned themselves.  Indeed, God would condemn those who killed His Son, and would offer His kingdom on earth to others, the Gentiles.

(42) Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.'?"

Jesus asked if they had ever read in the scriptures a prophecy He then quoted to them from Psalm 118:22-23.  The stone representing Jesus which the builders of the church rejected, was the foundation of the Church, upon Whom the whole church represented by the building rested.  The psalmist further wrote that the appointment of Jesus as the foundation of His church on earth was the work of God, and it was wonderful in the sight of His people, that He should stoop so low as to send His Son to be despised, rejected, and put to a horrible death, to be the foundation of the Christian church which would be the salvation of the world.

(43) "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it."

Furthermore, Jesus said that, like the lord of the vineyard in His parable, the kingdom of God would be taken away from the Jews and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruits of it, meaning to the Gentiles, to other nations of the world who would accept it and work it to bring forth fruits for Him and His glory.

(44) "And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

Jesus stated that whoever fell on that cornerstone, stumbled on Him and His word, would be broken; he who was offended by and opposed Christ would only injure himself.  To be broken before the Lord is when one's heart has completely submitted to Him, and all stubbornness, resistance, and self-will has been broken.  However, if that cornerstone fell on someone, it would grind that person to powder; those who continued to reject Him and refused to be repentant would ultimately be crushed by Christ, that cornerstone, in the day of judgment, and would perish forever.

(45) And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spoke of them. (46) But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude because they took Him for a prophet.

Even more incredibly, the chief priests and Pharisees heard Jesus's parables and indeed, realized He spoke about them, but still they wanted to seize Him.  However, the cowards feared the masses who revered Christ and saw Him as a prophet.  Having followed Him and hearing His teachings and witnessing His miraculous healings, the Pharisees knew the people would not have stood for Him to be abused.  Therefore, the account in Mark says, they left Him and went their way.

In this second part of the 21st chapter of Matthew, we see the goodness, mercy, and love of God in sending His messengers to save a lost world.  However, that world rejected and killed His prophets, and even heinously killed His beloved Son.  Even after that, God still sends messengers to the lost, and thousands of those have died while attempting to spread the gospel.  However, our marvelously loving and merciful, and awesome God still sends messengers!  Many still reject Him, and some of us have rejected Him multiple times, but He persists in saving us.  What earthly parent could ever be so kind as to do this?  Of course, none!  There is simply no comparison in the way God loves to our feeble selfish earthly love, but we continually strive to be more Christlike.