Jude

Finally finished Matthew! Now, it's time for a one chapter book: Jude. Jude was a half brother of Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph. He teaches about the dangers of false teaching and God's condemnation of sin. Here's the book: http://www.esvbible.org/Jude/

Jude starts with a pleasant greeting, as Paul often does. He tells the Christians he writes to to let mercy, peace, and love fill them.

Jude tells the people who will read his letter that had planned to write about salvation but had to change what he wrote about. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit surprises us. Often, we hear pastors say that they wish they could take notes on what they say because the Holy Spirit says something completely different from what they have planned. This can also happen when we speak to nonbelievers about Christ. Just let it happen. The Holy Spirit knows so much more about God than we do, so let Him speak through you. Jude warns the church that some people among them are not who they seem. They claim to be Christians but are false. These are dangerous and evil people. They use mercy and grace as excuses to follow their own ways, but in the end their actions deny Jesus. We all probably know people like this. They claim to be Christians, but their actions prove otherwise. They often say, "It's okay, Jesus will forgive me!" Yet if they reject Jesus consciously with their actions, they will receive nothing. God once saved His people from Egypt in Exodus. He also, however, destroyed those who did not believe. He started with the rebellion in Heaven. When Satan and the angels who followed him rebelled, God cast them into Hell, the land of destruction. Then, on Earth, He destroyed places like Sodom and Gomorrah because they refused to change their ways for Jesus. This destruction is only a preview of what is to come in the eternal sufferings of Hell. When Michael and Satan argued over Moses's body, Michael didn't even dare pass judgement; he waited for the Lord to do so. The Lord alone passes judgement because He is all knowing and all powerful. He can do so much better with it than we can. The people who reject Jesus because they do not understand Him destroy themselves. They don't feel ashamed despite what really happens inside of them. They are withered, dead, dried up trees that produce no fruit. These people will ridicule Christians and try to break us down, but we must hold firm. God said He will judge these people and the things that they have done. These people follow their own desires instead of what God wants for them. They are concerned with the physical, not the spiritual.

Jude tells Christians to save others from Hell. We should show mercy to those who question, so that they can truly see Jesus through us. We should grow in God's spirit. We can do this through quiet time, reading the Word, prayer, Scripture memorization, etc. Look only to Jesus for life! He is the provider of life! Don't fear that by teaching others Jesus' way that you will soil yourselves. God has the power to keep you safe from that if you truly do His work. Help others and God will surely help you. Jude finishes with a praise to God and Jesus. We should end everything with praise. He got us through it, He saved us, He owns all. We owe all to Him. We can begin to show that through praise.

Matthew 28

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+28/

Mary from Magdala and Mary, Jesus' mother, went to the tomb three days later. Suddenly, there was another earthquake. An angel of the Lord came and moved the stone and sat on it. He was dressed in white and shone with light. He told the women not to be afraid. He told them Jesus had been crucified but no longer lay here. He's gone to Galilee. He tells the women to inform the disciples. He told them they could look at where He lay and see that He is gone. The Marys ran in joy to do as the angel told them. On the way, they ran into Jesus and fell to His feet, worshipping Him. Jesus told them not to be afraid and to go tell the disciples. We don't have to be afraid anymore. Jesus overcame all.

Meanwhile, the guards went to the chief priests and told them what happened. The chief priests gave the guards money and told them to tell the people that the disciples came in the night and stole the body. They spread that lie even to when Matthew wrote the gospel. The chief priests were so deep that they felt they had to continue to lie. They had to keep going because they were too far gone. They were evil, wicked men.

The disciples went to Galilee to see Jesus. Some still doubted until He approached and told them that now He had all authority. He places some of that on us through the Great Commission. He tells us to go to all nations and make disciples. Teach them to follow Jesus. Above all, remember that Jesus is always with us.

Matthew 27

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+27/

After the chief priests decide to kill Jesus, they take Him to Pilate, the Roman leader over the area. When Judas hears about what happens, he takes the thirty pieces of silver and goes back the the chief priests. He tells them that he wants to take back what he's done because he's sinned in turning in an innocent man. There are so many times that we want to take back the sinful things that we have done, but it's too late. We have already put another nail in Jesus on the cross. He's dead because of what we have done and cannot take back. Once we see something or say something, we cannot unsee or unsay those things no matter how much we will it. Afterwards, we even know that we have sinned, and we regret it and try to make it like it never happened, but there is nothing we can do. After Judas tried to give the money back, he threw it in the temple and left to hang himself. After he had gone, the chief priests tried to decide what to do with the money. They decided they couldn't put it into the treasury because it was blood money, so they bought a potter's field with it and buried strangers there. Matthew says that's why to the day when he wrote this book that field was known as the Field of Blood. This purchase also fulfilled a prophesy. Jesus and God did not keep these things secret so that only a few knew about them; they were very public events that fulfilled the prophesies.

When Jesus stood before the governor, Pilate asked Him if He is the king of the Jews, and Jesus replied that He is. Then, the Pharisees and others in the crowd shouted accusations and charges at Jesus, but He did not respond. Pilate asked Jesus if Jesus heard the charges the Jews were shouting, yet Jesus still did not respond. This lack of reaction surprises Pilate. Even now, in a heated trial, there is something noticeably different about how Jesus acts. He does not freak out or lose His cool with everything going on. He also knew that He had to die. He could not leave or get away even though He had the power and authority to do so. He stood silently, waiting to heal and fix those who shouted at Him that very moment. That is what sets Jesus apart.

Pilate had a tradition of releasing one Jewish prisoner to the people each Passover. This year, he asked the crowd if they wanted him to release a well known prisoner named Barabbas or Jesus. Pilate knew that they had Jesus arrested because they were jealous. He hoped that the crowd would chose to release Jesus, and Pilate would be done with this case. At that moment, Pilate received a letter from his wife that told him to let the innocent man go because she had a dream about Him. Meanwhile, the chief priests persuaded the crowd to tell Pilate to let Barabbas go. Then Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus, and they told Pilate to crucify Jesus. When Pilate tried to ask why, the crowd just kept shouting "Crucify Him!" Eventually, Pilate gave up because a riot began to break out. He took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then, he told them that he had no part in killing the man. Then, the crowd said they and their children would take responsibility for His death. So Pilate freed Barabbas and had Jesus whipped and prepared for crucifixion. The Jews thought they were doing something right because they were blinded by their ways. So often we tell ourselves that God wants something for us, even though it is really our own ways blinding us. This causes us to sin regardless. If we think we are doing right, we are doing wrong. It takes a knowing. The Holy Spirit will let you know.

After Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers, they gathered around Him, ripped His clothes off, and put a bright red cape around Him. They fashioned some thorns into a crown and placed them on Jesus' head. They placed a stick in His right hand and mocked Him, saying, "Long live the King of the Jews!" Then, they hit Him on the head with the stick and spat on Him. That is how the world views Jesus, as a joke and a weakling, but they need only wait. Remember what Jesus said about His return to Earth.

Following their mockery, the soldiers prepared Jesus for the crucifixion. They made a man named Simon carry Jesus' cross. That day, the Romans hung two other criminals on crosses on either side of Jesus. Jesus was in the middle. They placed an accusation above His head: "This is Jesus, King of the Jews." All who passed by insulted Him, even the chief priests, even the criminals hanging beside Him. They said if He was truly the Son of God, He could get Himself off of the cross. Jesus didn't listen to them. He trusted God. He knew that if God wanted to get Him off the cross, God would do it. Can you imagine having that kind of faith? I could not stare death in the eye, knowing that I could save myself and not do it because I was waiting for God's will. That is what sets Jesus apart. I don't know anyone who would die to save those who mocked them. Amazing faith. Truly sinless, blameless, and perfect. The Holy Man.

A great darkness came over the land for hours. Finally, Jesus shouted out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" That is the moment Jesus took on all the sins of the world. He cried out that God had abandoned Him. God cannot be with sin. God had to leave the presence of sin when Jesus took on all of the sin. You cannot kill God, but God was gone from Jesus in His last moment. Then, Jesus shouted out again and died. At that moment, the curtain in the temple split. The curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Only the chief priest could go into the Holy of Holies. The Holy Spirit dwelled in that place. When the curtain tore, the Holy Spirit left and prepared to enter the hearts of the Christians. Meanwhile, a great earthquake shook the ground and split the rocks. Dead people came to life and left their tombs (whether for Heaven or literally, I'm not quite sure). A soldier saw all of this happen, and he declared that Jesus must have truly been the Son of God.

A rich man, named Joseph, who followed Jesus, asked Pilate for the body. Pilate granted it to him, and he placed it in his brand new tomb. He gave the best for Jesus. He rolled a large stone in front of the tomb to seal it off.

The chief priests went to Pilate and asked if they could use soldiers to guard the tomb because they were afraid the disciples would steal Jesus' body and claim He came back to life. Pilate granted them soldiers, and the chief priests secured the tomb the best they could.

Matthew 26

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+26/

After Jesus finished telling what would happen on Judgement Day, He told His disciples that the Passover neared, which they all knew because they were Jewish men, and that Jesus would be arrested shortly thereafter and killed. He knew that the plot was already in motion. Meanwhile, to show this plot in motion, Matthew shows the reader what the Chief Priests are up to. He is particularly concerned with Caiaphas, the head of the Pharisees. With the others, Caiaphas decides that they need to secretly arrest Jesus and kill Him. They strategically plan not to do so during the ceremonies because they are afraid of how the people will react.

Jesus and the disciples go to stay at the home of a man named Simon the Leper in a town called Bethany. While Jesus is at the table, a woman came up to Jesus and poured a container of perfume on His head. When the disciples saw this, they thought they had it covered. They tried to discipline her by telling her how she could have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor instead of using it on Jesus. The disciples knew that Jesus did not care for particularly fancy things. Throughout His time, He preferred and maintained to keep to a simple lifestyle; in fact, remember He was born in a stable with dirty, stinky animals and placed in the container where the animals eat. This event is not what I would call a noble birth. But Jesus, as part of the inseparable yet independent trinity chose this birth for Himself when He spoke of it to the prophets thousands of years before. Second, they knew Jesus often spoke of selling everything and giving the money to the poor. They thought they had Jesus' teachings down. How often we mistake in our efforts to please Jesus. Both of those things that the disciples thought were true, but those teachings didn't go with the moment. People do not come first. Remember the two greatest commandements Jesus lists when asked: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. This woman showed Jesus love by pouring out to Him everything she had. The Bible does not specify how much money this woman had, but the disciples say that the bottle of perfume was expensive. We can assume it was to be used for special ceremonies; therefore, I assume that bottle of perfume was the most important thing to her, and by choice, she gave it up because she knew Jesus was more important. How much more of ourselves can we give to Jesus that we hold back? Our time, money, skills, knowledge. What does God want from you that you have not totally committed over to Him yet? How often to we judge others for what they do in their walks towards God when we ourselves have not understood the lessons He has taught us for so long? Then, Jesus tells the disciples that when people talk of the gospel, they will tell her story throughout the world. Jesus rewards her in that huge way. She is listed as a servant to Jesus across the world for generations. Sure her name is not recorded in this account of the story, but in Heaven, when she hears this story being taught on Earth, she knows it's her, and she praises God all the more. What more will He give us for honoring Him when we cannot even see Him.

After all of this talk that Jesus does, up to just the moment before, the ball begins to start rolling when Judas goes to the chief priests and asks what they will pay him if he turns Jesus over to them. Judas kept the money for the disciples. That was his job. Often, it seemed his job got the better of Him, and Jesus reprimanded Judas. Finally, this greed and desire to make more money led him to betray the Savior of the Earth, the Son of God. He sold Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. From that moment on, Judas looks for a moment when he can betray Jesus.

When the time for the Passover celebrations began, the disciples asked Jesus where He would like to go for the festival. He tells them to find a certain man, tell Him that the time is near, and that Jesus and the disciples will spend Passover at his house. The disciples follow Jesus' instructions and set up for the Passover celebration that night. At dinner, they were eating when Jesus announces that one of the disciples will betray Him. Can you imagine the tension at that moment? Your leader, best friend, and the one who tells you He is the Son of God tells you that you or one of your other closest friends will betray Him. The Bible says the disciples were very sad. I imagine the silence and the stillness of that shocking news lasted a while. I can't say how long, but eventually, each disciple one by one around the table begin to ask Jesus if Jesus means him. Jesus tells them that the man who will betray Him has already dipped his hand in the bowl, meaning, the act has already been started. When you put your hand in a bowl, it's only there for a second, but when you take your hand out, it's still wet. Judas met with the high priests, and his act was irreversible. Jesus tells the disciples that it would be better for the one who betrays Him to have never been born. That's scary. Judas has a special place in Hell for killing the human form of God. Then, Judas asks that Jesus surely can't mean him. How odd that seems to us, knowing what we know will happen. I bet there have been moments in your life when you were lost, dead in your sins, yet you went to church, you did the things your Christian friends did. Maybe you even prayed aloud for all to hear. But inside, you were like Judas. All the other disciples have asked if Jesus meant them, and the table finally turned to Judas, and he jumped right in when he knew what he'd done. When you live in sin but portray the look of being one with Jesus, He knows what you're doing. Look at Jesus' answer to Judas. He simply tells him, "So you say." He didn't call Judas out, but I bet Judas knew that Jesus knew. Just like when we pull these acts of hiding the disconnect or the sin, we know that Jesus knows. He doesn't call us out and say, "Look who messed up and tried to fool everyone by putting on this show?" That's not what Jesus is about, but He'll let you know He knows, and you can't escape Him. After that, Jesus more or less drops the matter and moves on with the ceremony. He takes bread, blesses it, and breaks it. He tells the disciples to eat it because it is His body. Then, He takes a cup of wine, blesses it, and tells the disciples to drink because it is His blood. He says His blood will poor out to begin the new covenant with them. The old covenant, which God gave to Abraham, will end with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The old way to Heaven is gone. The new covenant says the way to Heaven is through Jesus. The disciples sang a hymn with Jesus and then went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus tells the disciples that they will deny Him that very night because of Him. This of course will fulfill a prophesy. In the end, Jesus will rise and go ahead of them to Galilee. He will meet up with the again because they will come back to them, and He will take them. Peter tells Jesus that he will never deny Him, but Jesus tells Peter that Peter will disown Jesus three times before morning. Peter says he will sooner die with Jesus than disown Him. The others agree. So many times I have written to you that people come and go with their faith as is convenient to them. When it seems unsafe, even if only socially, to follow Jesus, some will fall away. Jesus even says at some points all will fall away from Him. Even the disciples do so. Jesus is not angry with them, though. They are the most honored in Heaven. Jesus will always take us back if we truly turn to Him, even after times when we have rejected Him.

Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He told the disciples to wait for Him but took Peter, John, and James with Him. After a while, Jesus told them that His soul is overwhelmed, so He left them to pray and keep watch. Jesus went on further and asked God if anyone could take this on for Him, not for Jesus' will but for God's. Even Jesus in human form felt fear and anguish and all the other millions of emotions that must come when you know you will soon be killed. The difference is, He kept it all about God's will. He knew He had to come and die to save us, but He just wanted to know if God could do it any other way. Then, He went back to the disciples and found them sleeping. He yelled at them to wake up, stay alert, and pray. Then, Jesus went back on His own and prayed that if He must die, that it be the will of God. When He returned again, again the disciples slept, but He did not disturb them this time. Instead, He went back and prayed the same prayer. Then, He returned to the disciples again and told them that His time had come. Sometimes we mess up with what Jesus calls us to do, and sometimes He will try to set us back on the path that He set up for us, but other times, the opportunity is gone. In that case, Jesus leaves that moment and tells us to come with Him in the next one.

At that moment, Judas arrived with soldiers from the priests. He told them that the one they should arrest will be the one he kisses. So Judas went up and greeted Jesus with a kiss. Jesus told him and all the others to do what they came to do. The men arrested Jesus. Peter drew his sword and cut off a priest's servant's ear. Jesus told him to put away his sword because whoever draws thew sword will die by the sword. He asks if the disciples think Jesus can't ask the father to put an army of angels at His disposal, but Jesus must die to fulfill what the prophets wrote. Jesus asked the men arresting Him if He led a rebellion that caused them to arrest Him. He tells them that they had plenty of opportunities to arrest Him when He taught at the temple, but the Scriptures needed to come true, so they did not. Afterwards, just as Jesus had predicted, all of the disciples fled so that they would not get arrested too.

The guards took Jesus to where the chief priests awaited Him. Peter followed at a safe distance and waited to hear the outcome. The priests called false witnesses against Jesus, but nothing worked for them. Finally, two witnesses came forward and said that they heard Jesus tell people that He is the Son of God. The chief priests perked up at this, but Jesus did not respond. The chief priests charged Him in the name of God to answer what was just said. Jesus told them that it was true. And He tells them that after they kill Him, they will see Him sitting in Heaven next to God. The high priest told the crowd that they all heard the blaspheme. Jesus had just said He is God which is against God (when it's not true). When He asked them what they should do, they said they should kill Jesus. They all rushed up to Him and beat Him and mocked Him.

Meanwhile, outside, a servant girl asked Peter if he had been one of the disciples, but he denied it. Then, as he left, another girl said that he surely had to be one who followed Jesus, but again Peter told them he didn't know what they were talking about. Finally, a group approached him, but he swore up and down that he was not a follower of Jesus. At that moment, morning came, and Peter remembered what Jesus predicted. He left that place and wept for what he had done. Jesus is always right.

Matthew 25

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+25/

Jesus talks further about judgement day. He says on that day, Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids, who took oil lamps to go meet the groom. Five were wise and took extra oil for their lamps, but five were foolish and took no such precaution. The groom showed up late, not at the expected time. When the bridesmaids awoke, the foolish five asked the wise five for some extra oil because they were running low, but the wise bridesmaids replied that they had none to spare for the foolish bridesmaids. The foolish bridesmaids went to buy more oil while the wise bridesmaids went to meet the groom, and the door was shut. The foolish bridesmaids returned and asked if they could gain entrance to the wedding hall, but the groom said he did not know who they were. Jesus is the groom. He will not arrive when we expect or when we place a mark on the calendar. He will come in the time the Father has set out for Him. When that time comes, He will sweep up the Christians from the Earth and unleash His wrath on the non-believers who remain. We must be ready with the oil in our lamps. Christians often hear about having light and being light like Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, and the oil fuels that light; therefore we must do things that fuel our faith. Always pray, read the Bible daily, spend time with the Lord. Do whatever works for you to further your relationship with the Almighty.

Jesus tells another story about what Heaven is like. In this story, a master goes on vacation, but he first entrusts some money to his three best servants. To one, he gives ten thousand dollars; to the next, he gives four thousand dollars; and to the final, he gives two thousand dollars. He gives them an amount based on their abilities. Then, he goes on his trip. Meanwhile, the man with ten thousand dollars invests it and doubles his money. The man with four thousand dollars does the same. The man with two thousand dollars digs a hole and buries the money given to him. When the master returns, the servants show him what they've done with his money. The first two tell him how they've doubled his money, and he tells them they are good and faithful servants and tells them they will have a great reward. When the man who buried his money comes up, he tells the master that he knows the master likes to reap where he hasn't planted crops, so the servant got scared and buried the money. The master is so angry with this servant he calls him wicked and evil. He takes the money from the servant and gives it to the man with ten thousand because those who have much will be given more, and those who have little will have theirs taken. Then, the servant was cast out where there was pain and suffering. The servant who buried the money is like a man who hears about Jesus and learns the gospel but does nothing with the information. This type of person is useless to the Kingdom of Heaven. This person started knowing and even showing interest, but backed off because they were afraid of losing what they had in the world and were lazy. These people are not saved and do not further the Kingdom of Heaven. Our whole purpose on this Earth is to further the Kingdom of Heaven, so when God gives you the opportunity, take it. Go on that short term mission trip with your church, talk to that non-believer at work or in your class about Jesus, etc. Active faith is necessary. Jesus could come back at any time. Prepare yourself in Him for that day. Don't have false or weak faith but truly immerse yourself in all that He is and all He offers you. He offers you the chance to live. If you believe, it is not by your doing but because God allows all people to see the beauty of Jesus, and when we see, we can pray that He resurrects us from the dead ways of this world and brings us to life with Him. That's all you need. He gave you little but you can do much with it. If you do, you will receive more in Heaven.

Jesus tells the disciples that He will judge all people on judgement day. He will separate them into two groups: one on His left and one on His right. When He finishes, He will turn to those on His right and congratulate them because they have God's approval. He tells them about all they did for Him: feeding Him when He hungered, giving Him drinks when He thirsted, giving Him a place to stay or clothes or company when He was needy. The people ask Him when they did these things, and Jesus replies that whenever they did something for the least of people, they did so for Jesus. Then, He will turn to those on His left and tell them that God has condemned them because they saw Jesus when He was hungry, thirsty, and needy, but they did not provide for Him. They too will ask when they saw Him, and He will tell them that whenever they saw someone in need, no mater how unimportant, jesus was there. Those who did not help, are condemned to Hell. It is not by works you have been saved though, so this can seem confusing. James says faith without works is dead. If we have true faith in Jesus, we should desire to help the needy out of the goodness of our spiritual nature. Our faith and works should become one. If our faith is true and strong, we will do good works as a direct reaction to our faith. If our faith is weak or nonexistent, our hearts won't break for what breaks God's heart, and we won't be moved to help.

Matthew 24

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+24/

The disciples ask Jesus when He will return again. He tells them how false prophets and people who call themselves the Messiah will appear for a while after Jesus leaves, but we must not believe them. He says that when He returns, we will know it because the Earth will shake, and we will hear trumpets across the sky. He says that He will be seen just as lightening is seen across the sky. When people say the Messiah is in the desert or a secret place, we cannot believe them because when Jesus returns, there will be no silent night with a baby tender and mild. People will see Jesus in all of His glory and cry out in terror if they did not believe. We do not serve a weak God. Just look at what will happen when He comes in all of His power. People will see what He can do and fear for not believing. We do not serve a secret God, He will make it clear when He returns for judgement day. He guarantees that He will not return until all of these things happen as He's said.

No one knows what hour or what day Jesus will return Jesus says the angels don't know, and He doesn't even know. Only the Father knows when He will send the Son back to Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, things will be like they were before Noah got on the boat. People went through their normal activities. They did what they always did because they did not sense any danger. Then, the flood came and swept them away. In this same way, people will be about together, but then some people, the believers, will vanish to be with God, and the others will remain. They will be there to see Jesus' wrath for the evil people of this world. He warns us to stay alert because He can come back at anytime. If you knew when a thief would break into your house, you would stay awake and wait up fo Him. Therefore, stay prepared for Jesus to return. Be like a servant who doesn't know when his master will return, so he does all that the master instructed him too. When the master returns, he will reward that servant. Don't be like the servant who thought he had a while, so he did his own thing because the master returned before the servant expected and gave that servant his punishment. No one can say when Jesus will return because it will be the moment people least expect. Just watch, Jesus will not return in 2012 because people expect the world to end then, but there is still time, but only God knows how much.

Matthew 23

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+23/

Jesus extends a warning to the people. He tells them to listem to the Pharisees because they teach Moses' Teachings true, but the people should not follow the Pharisees' examples because the Pharisees do not practice what they preach. They teach all of these things that cause a burden for the people, but they refuse to lift a finger to help. When they go to the markets, they love to make people call them Rabbi, but you should not make others glorify you. We have only one who should be honored, and He is in Heaven. Whoever will be great must be a servant and whoever honors himself will be humbled.

Jesus turns on the Pharisees and Scribes. He says at the beginning of each thought, "How horrible it will be for you, Scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites!"First He tells them how wrong it is that they lock people out of the Kingdom of Heaven. First, they don't enter themselves, and they block entrance for those who try to honestly seek. He's referring to Himself. Jesus is the entrance to Heaven. The Pharisees reject Him, so they lose entrance to Heaven. Then, they threaten anyone who does try to come to Him with persecution, punishment, imprisonment, and even death. He tells them how horrible it is that they go great lengths to find followers and make them even more fit for Hell than the Pharisees are. Then He condemns them for their lost motives. They teach that an oath sworn by the temple means nothing, only oaths sworn by the gold in the temple must be kept. Which is more holy? The temple or the gold that would be nothing without the temple. They say an oath sworn upon the altar means nothing, but an oath sworn upon the gift on the altar means everything. Jesus calls them blind. He tells them that the altar is holy and makes everything on it holy. To swear an oath by the temple is to swear by the one who resides there. To swear an oath by Heaven means to swear an oath by the throne of God. He tells them that yes they tithe, but they missed mercy, justice, and faithfulness. These Heavenly values are far more important than Earthly riches. Jesus compares it to straining gnats out of wine but still swallowing camels. The Pharisees allow themselves to get bogged down by such meaningless things that they miss the big issues of their hypocrisy. He tells them that it makes no sense to clean the outside if they do not clean what's inside. He tells them in dishes they must clean the inside so that the outside may follow. You must clean your desires and then your life and actions will follow. You cannot cover up the tomb full of dead just by whitewashing the stone. It is still full of dead bones, and God can see them. If you are dead inside, God can see it, even if you try to cover it up with a good appearance. Jesus tells them that they build great tombs and monuments for the prophets and say that they wish they could have been there when the prophets were because they would have not killed them, yet they plot to kill the Son of God. He tells them that for this action, they will suffer the consequences for all of those who God sent who were murdered. He tells them to go on and finish what their ancestors started. He tells them they will not see Him until they say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" This may have a connection to the Great Commission, which we will look at later in Matthew. This section was intriguing, and I really enjoyed it.

Matthew 22

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+22/

Jesus tells a story about a wedding procession. When it is time for the reception of a king's son, the guests have not arrived, so the king sends some servants to tell the wedding guests it's time. They refused to come. The king sent more servants to talk about how great the reception would be. They refused to come. This time, the guests even mistreated and murdered the servants. When the king heard about this, he sent his soldiers to kill the murderers and burn their city. Then, he told other servants to go into the next city and invite everyone they found. During the party, the king sees a man who is not properly dressed for the wedding, and he asks him how he got in. The man has no reply, so the king has him tied up and thrown outside where he says great suffering will occur. In the story, there are those who reject God and His invitation to Heaven, just like those who were originally invited to the party. They received their punishment. Next, there are those who are invited to the party, but don't dress the part. They do not truly live in faith. They will receive their punishment. Jesus says after the story that many are invited into the Kingdom of Heaven, but few are chosen to stay.

The scribes and Pharisees, now consumed in their despise of Jesus, come up with another plot of how to trap Him saying the wrong thing. They send some of their disciples to Him and Herod, and they ask Jesus if it is right to pay taxes to the emperor. Jesus, of course, saw through this trick. He asked them to show Him a coin used to pay taxes. He held it up for all to see and asked whose face was on the coin. They all replied that it is the emperor. Jesus told them to give the emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to Him.

The Sadducees, who doubted what Jesus said about the dead coming back to life, came to question Jesus. Moses said that if a married man dies childless, his brother should marry the wife. The Sadducees told a story of seven brothers, all of whom died childless after marrying the same woman. They asked Jesus who was married to her in Heaven. Jesus again with the question as an answer asks them if they've read the Word of God. People do not marry in Heaven because being in Heaven is all about being in the presence of God. Once you arrive there, all you will want to do is glorify Him, and nothing will bring you more pleasure or make you happier. That's what the angels have done since God created them, and they continue to do it. Jesus says that He is not the God of the dead but the living. Everyone who heard Him say this was amazed.

When the Pharisees heard what happened to the Sadducees, they convened and decided what they would do about Jesus next. One of the Pharisees was an expert in Moses' Commandments, so he went to Jesus and asked what the greatest commandment is. Jesus replied the greatest commandment is love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus says these are the commandments that all of the prophets depended on. The number one thing you should do is love God with every fiber of your being. There is nothing greater or more important than that for you to do. Then, after you are right with God, you must love your neighbor. This is not your next door neighbor or the people in your subdivision but everyone in the entire world. To do what God has called us to do, we must love people. We must be people persons. Everything we as Christians do reflects back to God, so if we love with God's love, that's what people see of God.

Jesus turned the tables and asked the Pharisees whose son the Messiah would be. They replied that He would be David's son. So Jesus asked them how David could call his son Lord. He wrote about it in the Psalms, calling the Messiah Lord. No one could answer that question, so after that, no one dared to test Him with a question.

Matthew 21

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+21/

Jesus sent two disciples to Jerusalem ahead of Him. He told them where they would find a donkey tied up and waiting for them. If anyone questioned them, Jesus told them to tell that person that the Lord needed the donkey, and the questioner would understand. Jesus did this to fulfill a prophesy that said the king is coming to Israel, and He is gentle, riding a donkey. The disciples did as He told them, and when they brought back the donkey, they put their coats on its back for Jesus to sit on. When they entered the city, most of the people laid their coats down in front of Jesus. This act meant total submission. The people were giving up for Christ. Others took palm fronds (Palm Sunday) and laid them in the road. As He passed, the people shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" They were praising God and offering Him the highest glory. Even still, a week later they turned on Him and shouted for His death. Jesus is sometimes a societal fad. It can be all the rage to praise Him one day and the next day, worshipping Him can mean losing everything. Many people follow these fads because they follow the ways of the world, yet there are the few who will stand by Jesus no matter what because they know what He has done for them. The way you know which type you are is by weighting what you have. Would you give it all up, go to prison, and even die because of your faith?

Jesus goes into the temple courtyard, and what He sees upsets Him greatly. There is a full marketplace set up there in the courtyard. Jesus grows angry and flips over the moneychangers' tables and throws out the men who sell pigeons. He yells at them that the temple is supposed to be a house of prayer, but these people are soiling what the purpose is. They are thieves, overcharging and ripping people off in the Lord's name. That is not Godly behavior. While all this commotion occurs. the children begin to chant "Hosanna to the Son of David!" When the Pharisees hear this, they are angry, so they go out and ask Jesus if He hears what the children are saying. He says He does, and does His famous answer with a question by asking them if they;ve heard that from the mouths of children and infants, praise is created. Children cannot be nearly as two faced as adults. They do not curse God the moment after they praise Him. In His anger, Jesus stepped away and spent the night in the city called Bethany.

Jesus sees a fig tree and realizes that He is hungry, but as He approaches the tree, He sees that it has only leaves and no fruit. He grows angry with the tree for not doing the purpose it has been provided and condemns it that it will never bear fruit again. The tree quickly shrivels up and dies. When the disciples see this, they are amazed, and they ask how the tree died so quickly. Jesus told them that they can do the same thing to the tree that He just did if they have enough faith to. We could even tell a mountain to uproot itself and throw itself into the sea, and if we had enough faith, it would do so. Faith is the basis of Christ. If we have the faith, we can pray and whatever we ask to be done will be done for us. That is so much power, but I have yet to meet anyone who has the kind of faith it takes to tell a mountain to jump into the sea and see the results.

Jesus goes back into the temple courtyard and begins to teach. While He teaches, the Pharisees come up to Him and ask why He has the authority to do these things. He tells them He will answer their question if they answer His. He asks them if John's right to baptize came from Heaven or humans. The Pharisees debate this among themselves for a while. They decide if they say from Heaven, Jesus will ask them why they didn't follow Him, but if they say from humans, they are afraid of what the crowd might do because they thought John was a prophet. They finally conclude to answer that they do not know. Jesus tells them in that case, He will not tell them where His authority to teach comes from. Who are we as mere humans to question the authority of Jesus? He does not have to tell us where His authority comes from. Even if He did tell us, how could we possibly understand the things and ways of Heaven.

Jesus tells a parable about two sons. The father goes to the first son and tells him to go work in the vineyard. The son says he will not, but he later changes his mind and goes anyway. Then, the father goes to the second son and tells him to go work in the vineyard, and he replied yes, sir. Even so, he did not go. Jesus asks the Pharisees which of the two sons did his father's bidding, and they all replied the second son because he actually went and worked in the vineyard. Jesus tells them that they understand the concept, but failed in the application, and because of that, the tax collectors and prostitutes are more likely to go to Heaven. The Pharisees listened and tried to follow God, waiting for the Messiah to appear while the sinners went on sinning but entertained the notion. When John the Baptist, the one who made the way for Jesus, came, it was the sinners who recognized who he was, so they more easily recognized the Jesus is the Son of God. The Pharisees missed this.

Jesus tells yet another parable. He tells them of a vineyard owner who prepares his vineyard and leases it to workers, so the vineyard owner can go on a vacation. When the time comes for the grapes to be ready, the vineyard owner sends some servants, but the workers beat one, kill another, and stone yet another. The owner tries again, sending more servants, but they meet the same demise. Finally, the vineyard owner decides to send his son because he thinks the workers will respect his son, but when they see him coming, they decide to kill him, so they can take his inheritance. Jesus asks them what the vineyard owner will do when he returns, and the Pharisees say that he will kill the evil people. Again, they have the concepts but not the application. The servants are the prophets from the Old Testament. God sent them to bring the people back to God, but the leaders rejected them. Finally, He sent His Son, but they rejected and killed Him. JEsus tells them that the Son will become the cornerstone, and any who fall on Him wil be broken and any who He falls on will be crushed. The Pharisees are pretty mad about that because they know that He is talking about them. They want to arrest Him, but they are afraid that will upset the people since the people think He is a prophet.

Matthew 20

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+20/

Jesus tells a parable about the owner of a vineyard who goes out and hires some day laborers at the beginning of the day and takes them to work in his vineyard. Later, he goes back out a few more time and brings more workers to work the vineyard. He goes out one last time towards the end of the day and brings in even more laborers. At the end of the day, the owner tells the labor supervisor to pay everyone what is fair, starting with those who arrived last. The men who arrived last received a full day's pay for their work, so by the time the workers who had been their all day got their turn to be paid, they expected even more; however, they received the same amount as all of the others. After they took their money, they began to complain about it. They said it was not fair for people who worked one hour to receive the same amount as people who worked nine hours. The owner simply replies that he is not treating anyone unfairly. All of the workers at the beginning agreed to a day's pay, and the owner gave them exactly that. He asks them if they resent his generosity towards others. Jesus concludes by saying the last will be first and the first will be last. What does He mean by that story leading up to that statement? Sometimes we resent God for His generosity. We take on an "I art holier than thou" attitude where we think we are better because we've read more of the people, fasted more, prayed longer, known Jesus for a longer period of time, done the outwardly right thing more often, yet the reward is the same for all who believe: eternal life. Instead of looking at the situation as if we are the workers who were there all day, look at the situation as if we are the workers who had been there one hour. We have received so much more than we deserve. We've been given more than we earned. So humble yourself, and always praise God for what He gives you. Help others see the Truth. Serve others just as Jesus did. If you make yourself last among this world, then you will be first in Heaven. If you make yourself all about this world and worldly things you will be last in Heaven because you will have already received your reward.

While Jesus and His disciples are on the way to Jerusalem, He tells them again that while they are there, He will be betrayed into the hands of the keepers of the law and the Pharisees. He will be handed over to foreigners, beaten, whipped, and crucified to death. On the third day after this, however, He will raise Himself back to life. Jesus came to Earth and knew full well what His fate was. He knew He had to die in the most painful, brutal, and torturous way imaginable. And He was doing it for people who rejected Him, mocked Him, turned away from Him, and distanced themselves from Him. WE are among those people. When Jesus died on the cross, He already knew you by name and the sins you would and will commit that caused Him to have to die. His love is so great that He came with that knowledge and followed the plan perfectly that led to His death. He also knew who He was and that He would not stay dead for long.

The mother of Zebedee's sons (James and John) asked Jesus a favor. She asked if her sons could sit at Jesus' right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told her she did not know what she asked, so He asked the men if they could drink from the cup He would drink from. They replied that they could. Jesus agreed and knew that they would, but He told the He did not have the authority to grant the positions on His right and left because God had already granted those positions to people, and it was out of Jesus' control. When the other ten disciples heard about what James and John had done, they were irritated. Jesus talked to all of them and told them that if anyone among them wanted to be great, he would have to serve the others. We are to follow the example of Jesus on Earth. He came to serve, not to be served. He didn't come and force all to bow down at His feet. In living this way, we will receive in Heaven what Jesus does. Of course, none of us are any good at this, especially not naturally, so we will not quite have the same great reward as Jesus.

Matthew 19

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+19/

The Pharisees try to test Jesus again. This time, they ask Him if a man can divorce His wife. Jesus does what He does best and answers their question with another question. He asks them if they've heard it said that God made male and female in the beginning so that a man will leave his parents and become one with his wife. They are no longer two entities but one in the Lord's sight. No one should separate what the Lord has made one. The Pharisees think they have Him now, and they ask Jesus why Moses told them that they needed to give their wives a notice of divorce. Jesus answers that Moses did so because they are heartless people and cannot truly love their wives because they do not love the Lord. Jesus guarantees them that it was never that way in the beginning. To take it a step further, Jesus tells them that if a man divorces his wife for any reason other than her unfaithfulness and gets remarried, he commits adultery with his new wife. The disciples tell Him that it sounds better for a man not to get married in the first place, and Jesus says for some men that is true. Paul explains this further in 1 Corinthians 7 saying that you should get married if you cannot bear to be without the significant other, but if marriage will keep you distracted from God, you should not marry.

Some parents brought their children to Jesus so that He could bless them, but the disciples tried to send them away. Jesus told them not to send children away from Him because they too are part of the Kingdom. Do not discourage children. Matthew brings it up here again after the first few stories where he mentions it.

A young man came to Jesus and asked how he could enter Heaven. Jesus told him there is no way to be good only one who is good, and the young man should follow His commandments. The young man asks what commandments, and Jesus lists a few of the ten, and the young man replies that he has kept all of those. Jesus of course knows this is not true because whoever follows all of the commandments has not sinned and everyone has sinned an innumerable amount of times. Jesus instead tells the young man to go sell all of his property and give the riche to the poor. Then, follow Jesus. The young man is very sad because he is quite wealthy. Jesus tells the crowd that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven. This is because the rich tend to follow their money instead of following Jesus, but it all came from Jesus in the first place. The disciples are more shocked than ever, and they ask Jesus how people are saved. Jesus tells them that no one can save themselves, it is only possible for God to saves. The disciples say that they gave up everything and followed Jesus, what about them? Jesus tells them that when He sits on His throne in Heaven, they will sit on twelve thrones by Him and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. They will also judge all who have given things up for Christ.

Matthew 18

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+18/

The disciples ask Jesus who the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is. Jesus calls a child over to Him, and places the boy among the disciples. He tells them that unless they become like the child, they will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Children by nature are in lowly positions. They have to serve their parents and other adults. They are lowly, and they don't look for all that much power because they know that they cannot gain it. Also, children have an easy time of accepting things as the truth without seeing them. They can put their full faith in God even though none of us have seen Him. Some of this, however, comes from the fact that they can see enough to see His works in nature and in their own lives. They do not go through the same hustle of life that adults do, so they take time to see what God can do for them. Jesus also tells the disciples that whoever welcomes a child in His name welcomes Jesus. This truth is huge. Stop the child abuse, children living on the streets, child prostitutes, etc. Welcome them in Jesus' name. This verse can also mean that if we welcome them into the Kingdom of Heaven by telling them about Jesus, we welcome Jesus.

Jesus warns that anyone who causes a child to stumble who believes in Him, they would be better off if they were thrown into water with a large stone around their necks. I also see a double meaning here. One, literal children. If you mislead a Christian child in their faith, you punishment is great. Also, children in faith. When you first start putting your faith in Jesus and have not grown in that faith, you are a child. If someone causes one of these children, who could be elderly even, to stumble, it is as bad as causing a literal child to stumble. Great sadness should come on the world because of the things that cause people to stumble. Jesus knows that such things will come. He experienced many of them Himself but never stumbled. The person who causes the stumbling, however, should be the most sorrowful and distressed of all. If a hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off because it is better to live life maimed than enter Hell. If your eye causes you to sin, cut it out and throw it away because it is better to live blind than go to Hell. Throw out the things that your flesh desire but cause you to sin. It is better to live life without those pleasurable things than to go to Hell for them.

Do not despise little ones because their angels in Heaven always look on God's face. This can mean many things. Two that I see are that, as we learn as children, every person has a guardian angel who looks out for their assigned person. Two, since all that is Christ's is ours if we believe in Him, just as He owns the angels, so do we, even the children who believe. This also shows us that in Heaven, the angels always look upon God, probably, if not definitely, worshipping Him always. Then Jesus tells a parable of a shepherd with a hundred sheep. One wanders away, and the shepherd leaves the other ninety-nine to find the missing sheep. When he finds the sheep, he is more thrilled with that one than with the ninety-nine others. Go is this way with His children. He does not want any of us to wander away from Him. If we do, He will seek after us until he can bring us back to His kingdom, and He will be thrilled with that person for returning. There's something wonderful about questioning God because it gives Him a chance to show His full power to us.

If someone sins, we are to confront them about it and let them know what they have done against the Lord. If they listen to us, that's great, but if they don't. we are to take two or three other believers with us next time we go to them. If they do not listen to you again, take them before the church. If they don't listen to the church, they lack true faith and should be treated like non-believers. Wherever two or more gather in the name of Jesus, there He is. The church is not a building or a cross or anything like that. It is people. People gathered in Jesus' name.

Peter asks Jesus how many times we should forgive our brothers and sisters. He asks if seven is good. Jesus tells Him it's seventy times seven. Then, He tells a parable of a king who wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. He calls them in one by one to decide what's to be done. One man owes him 20 years worth of labor, so the king decides to sell everything the servant owns to pay off the debt. When the servant begs the king to have mercy on him, the king is filled with compassion and cancels the servant's debt. As the servant leaves, he passes a servant who owes him some money. He beats the man and when the man tells him to be merciful and he will eventually pay him back, the servant has him thrown in jail. The other servants heard about this and told the master. The master was angry because while he had shown mercy on the servant, the servant had shown no mercy to his fellow servant. He sent the servant to prison. This is what God does to us if we do not forgive each other. We owe God a lot because of our sin, but if we ask Him, He will show mercy on us. When He does, we must show mercy to others who owe us and forgive them. If not, God will be unhappy with us.

Matthew 17

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+17/

We hear nothing about Jesus' adventures for six days, but the next story is a little confusing. Jesus goes up a mountain with Peter, John, and James. These were His chief disciples. While there, Jesus began to transform: His face shone like the sun, His clothes turned bright white, and Moses and Elijah came to join Him. These, the most important men of their time, came from Heaven as witness that Jesus really is the Son of God. Maybe He was transformed to appear more like His Heavenly self. Peter told Jesus that he could set up three tents: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He probably had no idea what was happening. This moment was probably awesome to witness, and Peter may have had thoughts of how to best take advantage of the situation if he had the chance to keep them there. Then, the three disciples heard the voice of God tell them that Jesus is indeed His Son. We need to prove nothing to others with amazing signs such as these, we need only to let God show His own glory and give the approval to His Son. The disciples were so afraid that they fell to the ground and covered their faces because if you look upon the face of God, you die instantly. Jesus came to them and told them not to fear. When they looked up, they were alone with Jesus. Jesus told them not to tell anyone. Again, He wants to wait for the biggest miracle of all to prove that He really is the Son of God. He needs to prove it Himself. The disciples asked why the scribes say Elijah must come first. Jesus tells them that Elijah has returned, and he was rejected again, just like the Son of God will be. That's when the disciples realized He spoke of John the Baptist.

A man brings his son to Jesus. The boy is demon possessed and often has seizures that sometimes cause him to fall in fire or water. This goes to show how powerful demons can be. Despite the dangers of falling into fire and water, the demon can survive it all. The disciples could not cure the boy. Jesus grows angry. He yells at the crowd that they have no faith. They brought the boy to Jesus, and He cured him. Afterwards, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to get the demon out. Jesus told them they have to little faith. If you even have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. He also tells them that that kind of demon can only be removed through prayer and fasting. At that moment, Jesus didn't pray and fast, and of course, neither did the boy. However, Jesus spent so much time fasting and in prayer, that He was ready when He came to face that kind of demon. That's why daily prayer is so important.

Jesus tells the disciples again that He will be betrayed, killed, and raised again on the third day. This made that disciples sad.

The tax collectors ask Peter if Jesus pays the temple tax, and Peter tells them that He does. When he goes inside to get it, Jesus asks him if the rulers tax their family or others, and Peter replies others. We are family with God and Jesus through Jesus, so He does not tax us with laws and rules. If other people want to get to Heaven, they must be taxed by these laws (but they are impossible to keep for anyone except Jesus). Jesus tells him that He doesn't want to start a scandal. Jesus tells Peter to go to fish, and open the mouth of the first fish he catches to get a coin to pay the tax.