The Parable of the Tenants paints a stark and sad picture of God's people refusing to hear God's message and even rejecting His messengers. The most obvious occasion of this rejection was of Jesus Christ, God's own Son. Thankfully, God appointed this time, and He has even working salvation and redemption through the cross of Christ. May we all come to Jesus and be found in Him so that we can bear fruit to the glory and praise of God the Father, the great owner of the vineyard!

Matthew 21:23-32 outline two of Jesus' teachings that are related. The first section of the passage demonstrates that Jesus has divine authority because He is the God of the universe who has come in the flesh. The second section then shows us that Jesus is the only one who can actually produce the inward change that God requires to satisfy holiness and justice. May everyone look to this Jesus in order to have life and salvation.

In this passage, Jesus comes to a barren fig tree and curses it for not bearing fruit as it was designed to do. He again uses an agricultural illustration in these verses to make a larger point. It isn't about the fig tree itself. Instead, Jesus wants people to understand the fruitlessness of the Israelites of His day, primarily represented by the Jerusalem Temple and her leadership. The only way for Christians to bear fruit is by faith in Jesus Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit as we come to ask the Father in prayer.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem for Passover and immediately cleanses the Temple of its false worship. He exposes the Temple leadership for what they really were: profiteers. Jesus then calls all of us back to a true and sincere love and devotion for God the Father. And He underscores that this kind of life is only possible through the transformative power of His Holy Spirit.

The beginning of Matthew 21 reveals that Jesus is indeed the King of the Jews. In fact, as He rides into Jerusalem, it is already foreshadowed that He is the King of all the nations. Matthew quotes from Zechariah 9 at least partly to demonstrate that Jesus is the Savior of the entire world--not every single person who ever lived, but a people from out of every tribe and nation and language. May Jesus Christ, the only true King, the King of all kings, be praised forevermore!

Jesus fields an unholy question from His disciples in this passage. They are concerned to see Jesus reigning in Jerusalem, but they are also quick to ignore His suffering and death. They want to know who is the greatest and who will have the most honor. Jesus' reply, however, underscores that His ministry and life are highlighted by humility. Is your life marked by this same kind of humility--a quality that can only come from the Holy Spirit?

Matthew 20 records another parable of Jesus that is well-known: the so-called "Laborers in the Vineyard". Jesus outlines that the Kingdom of Heaven is not based upon the works of mankind. Entrance into God's glorious Kingdom is based solely on the merit of Jesus' life and works (Eph. 2:8-9). Whether we are saved as a young child or on our deathbed, we all receive the same wages for faith in Christ: eternal life.

In the last half of Matthew 19, Jesus is confronted by the "rich young ruler". Sadly, this man underestimates the overwhelming value of following Jesus and inheriting eternal life. May we all be confronted by the bankruptcy of our soul and flee unto Jesus. He alone can save us and grant us a place in the Father's house!

Matthew 19 transitions to Jesus' final phase of ministry as He begins His journey toward Jerusalem and the cross. It is fitting, then, that He begins this difficult road by discussing God's desire for faithfulness in families and in homes. The picture of the Gospel in these verses is not one of husbands and wives who fulfill marriage perfectly. Instead, the glory of God is on display as He demonstrates His never-failing-faithfulness, even in the midst of our unfaithfulness.

Isaiah 65 records one of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture: the coming Kingdom of God in all of its fullness. God through Isaiah reveals to us the beauty and majesty of a new Creation, a new City, and a new Civilization. All of eternity, for the Christian, will be spent in perfect communion with God, enjoying all of His wondrous new Creation. Let everyone come to Christ the King while there is yet time!