OCTOBER 25, 2021 READINGS... Matthew 21:28-32 & Mark 12:1-12 & Matthew 21:33-46 & Luke 20:9-19 & Matthew 22:1-14 & Mark 12:13-17 & Matthew 22:15-22 & Mark 12:18-27 & Matthew 22:23-33 & Luke 20:27-40
Our reading today begins with the Lord illustrating the rejection by the Jewish religious leaders, and the Jewish people for the most part. Jesus uses His illustrations to condemn them in their rejection of Him being Messiah. He also shows them in the illustrations that their rejection means that the Gentiles would now be the ones to be given the Gospel and be used to spread the message of the Lord. Jesus begins with two sons being asked by their father to work in the vineyard. The first said no, but later went to work in the vineyard…the second said yes, but then never went to work. Which obeyed the father asked Jesus…the response of the religious leaders was the first. Then Jesus let them know that the first represented the sinners, the Gentiles…while the second represented the Jewish leaders and their people when it comes to being obedient to God. Then Jesus shared and illustration of farmers who worked the land of the owner of a vineyard. When the owner sent messengers to receive his share of the profits, they were either beatened or killed. Finally the vineyard owner sent his son…the evil tenant farmers killed the son. Jesus asked the religious leaders what they thought the vineyard owner would do. They said he would come and kill the farmers and lease the land to someone else. Jesus used this illustration to point out that the Jewish leaders and people were like the farmers…they had killed or beaten all the messengers of God (the prophets)…and now they would reject the Son and kill Him also. Finally, Jesus tells the story of a great feast…but those who were invited refused to come. So the man throwing the feast told his servants to go out and invite all the people everywhere. The Jewish religious leaders and people refused to come to God when and how He has determined…they will miss the Father all together and will spend eternity in hell.
The second part of our reading has the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus. First the Pharisees try to trap Him by asking Him if it is lawful for the Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. They figure if He said yes the Jews would hate Him so much they would reject Him, and kill Him. If He said no, then He would be in trouble with the Romans. Jesus had them bring Him a Roman coin, and asked who’s image was on the coin. They said Caesar…so Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God”. Then the Sadducees, that don’t believe in life after death or the resurrection, came with a question to trap Jesus about who will be married to who in heaven. Jesus told them that marriage is for this earth, not heaven. Then He turned the tables in them and showed them that even Moses, whom the venerated, believed and spoke of life after death. Both these groups of religious leaders, members of the Sanhedrin, tried to trap Jesus with their “great religious” knowledge, showing they were religious, but lost. This shows us that the wisdom of God is greater than the wisdom of men…and that the truth can stand up to any questions, or attempt to trap.
Please share your thoughts from today’s reading.
TOMORROW’S READINGS… Mark 12:28-34 & Matthew 22:34-40 & Mark 12:35-37 & Matthew 22:41-46 & Luke 20:41-44 & Mark 12:38-40 & Matthew 23:1-12 & Luke 20:45-47 & Matthew 23:13-39 & Mark 12:41-44 & Luke 21:1-4
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