Matthew Chapter Twenty One

This chapter, like others, should make us think about our "religiosity".  What are we most concerned with when it comes to faith and are we open to correction from God when we are off-track.  Pray now and let's get to it!

Jesus  and His disciples had been travelling.  They came to the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.  Where did Jesus send two disciples? Vs1-2  

For what purpose?   

What if someone questions what they are doing? Vs3   

What did this fulfill? Vs4   

What had been foretold?  Vs5   .

Read Zechariah 9:9. 

Isn’t it amazing to see how these things were foretold over 500 years before Jesus came to earth?

What did the disciples do? vs6   

What did they do when they brought the donkeys to Jesus? Vs7   

What did the crowd do that had been following Jesus? Vs8   

Crowds were ahead of Him and behind Him.  What were they shouting? Vs9   

What did they call Jesus?   

Do these shouts sound like they believed Jesus to be the Messiah?   

Jesus entered the city this way.   What did the people in the city ask? Vs10   

What did the crowds answer? Vs11   

In the middle of all the excitement, what did Jesus go and do? vs12   

Who did He drive out?   

Jesus quoted scripture; what did He quote? Vs13   

What is done in this type of house?   

What did Jesus say they had turned it into?   

Do you think that this principle (of merchant using the church to make money) happens in our Churches today?  Explain:   

Once Jesus cleared the corruption from the temple, what took place? Vs14   

Who became indignant with Jesus? Vs15   

What did they see that made them this way?    

What did they say to Jesus? Vs16    

Jesus answered once again with scripture; what did He quote for them?   

After this, what did Jesus do? vs17   

Early in the morning, where did he go? Vs18   

How did he feel; physically?   

What did He see by the road? Vs19   

He went up to it and what did He find?   

What did He do?   

What happened immediately?    

When the disciples saw this they were amazed.  What did they want to know? Vs20   

What was Jesus answer? Vs21   

If they believe, what will they receive? Vs22   

They arrived back in the city.  Where did Jesus go straight to? Vs23   

He began teaching there and who came to Him?   

What did they ask?   

How did he answer this?  Vs24   

What was Jesus question for them? Vs25   

What did they do?   

They began to calculate their answer.  What was the dilemma? Vs25-26   

So how did they answer? Vs27   

What did Jesus tell them about their question?   

Jesus tells another parable.  A man had two sons.  He told the first to go and work in the vineyard.  How did the son reply and then what did he do? Vs28-29   

The father told the second son the same.  How did the son reply and what did he do? vs30   

What did Jesus ask? Vs31   

How did they answer?   

Who did Jesus say would enter the kingdom ahead of the teachers?   

Why? Vs32   

In your words, what do you think Jesus was telling them in this?

Jesus told another parable.  What did a landowner do? vs33   

When harvest time came, what did the landowner do? vs34   

How did the tenants respond? Vs35   

What did the landowner do? vs36   

What did the tenants do?   

What did the landowner do, last of all? Vs37   

What did he think should happen?   

What did the tenants say to each other? Vs38   

What did the tenants do? vs39   

In this parable, who are the tenants?   

Who is the landowner?   

Who are the servants?  

Who is the son?   

What did Jesus ask the leaders about the parable? Vs40   

How did they answer? Vs41   

Before we go any further, how do you feel about their answer? 

Do you think they understood what Jesus was getting at?

How did Jesus respond to them? Vs42A   

 Remember who He is talking to…the Teachers of the law and chief priests.

Then Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23; scripture they would know.  What point was Jesus making? Vs42B   

What is going to happen to the kingdom of God because of this? Vs43   

What will happen to those that fall on the cornerstone? Vs44   

What will happen to anyone the cornerstone falls on?   

What did the Leaders know? Vs45   

Did they repent? Vs46      

What were they afraid of?   

Write your thoughts about all that was presented in this chapter.

Matthew Chapter Twenty

Jesus told a parable that related to the kingdom of Heaven; what did He relate the kingdom to? Vs1   

What did the landowner agree to pay the workers for a day in the vineyard starting early in the morning? Vs2   

Mid-morning (9am) What did the landowner find? Vs3   

What did the landowner tell the people? Vs4   

What did they do? vs5   

At noon and at 3pm, what did the landowner do again?   

What did he do at 5 in the afternoon? Vs6   

What was the answer? Vs7   

What did he tell them to do (at 5 in the afternoon)?   

What did the landowner do when evening came? Vs8   

Who was first to be paid and who was last?   

How much did the late comers get paid? Vs8   

What were the mid-day workers paid? Vs9   

What were the early hired men expecting? Vs10   

What did they get paid?   

How did they feel about their payment? Vs11   

What was the complaint? Vs12   

What did the landowner tell them? Vs13 -14   

What did the landowner ask the early workers? Vs15   

How did Jesus sum the parable up? Vs16   

What does this mean to you?  What do you make of it?   

Where was Jesus headed next? Vs17   

What did He do with the 12 disciples?   

What did He tell them about His sentencing by the Jewish leaders? Vs18-19   

What will be done to Jesus?    

What will happen on the third day? Vs19b   

Who came to Jesus at that point? Vs20   

What did this person want? Vs20-21   

What did Jesus tell her? vs22   

Then what did Jesus tell them? Vs23   

How do the other 10 feel about the woman’s request? Vs24   

Jesus called them all together to listen; what did He tell them?vs25   

This is not how things work in Jesus kingdom.  Status and titles aren’t important, what is? Vs26-27   

What example did Jesus give? Vs28   

In what ways did Jesus serve on earth?   

When Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, who followed them? Vs29   

Who sat by the roadside? Vs30    

What happened when they heard Jesus was passing by?   

What did the large crowd that followed Jesus out of Jericho do? vs31   

What did the two men do?   

This got Jesus attention.  He stopped, and what did He ask? Vs32   

What did the men say? Vs33   

What happened? Vs34   

Jesus has compassion for us.  If He is asking you "what do you want me to do for you?"  What is your reply to Him?

Matthew Chapter Nineteen

Jesus finished His teaching on forgiveness and then what did He do? vs1   

Who followed Him and what did Jesus do for them? Vs2   

Who else went to Him there? Vs3   

For what purpose?   

What did they ask?   

How did Jesus answer? Vs4   

Jesus said “for this reason” For what reason does a man leave his parents and become united to his wife? Vs4-5   

What do the two become? Vs5-6   

How did Jesus answer the question of divorce? Vs6   

Then what did they ask? Vs7   

How did Jesus answer to that? Vs8   

What did Jesus say is considered adultery? Vs9   

Why did Moses allow divorce? Vs7   

In your words; what had God intended from the beginning, concerning marriage?

If being married means you become “one” and are married for life, then what do the disciples think is best? Vs10   

What did Jesus say about that theory? Vs11   

What are the two types of people who can live this way? Vs12   

Who was brought to Jesus and for what purpose? Vs13   

How did the disciples deal with this?   

What did Jesus say about it? Vs14   

What did Jesus do? vs15   

And then a man came to Jesus, what did he ask? Vs16   

How did Jesus answer? Vs17   

How many are good?   

How does one enter eternal life?   

What specifically did the man want to know? Vs18   

What was Jesus answer to that? Vs18-19   

What did the man tell Jesus, and then ask? Vs20   

 What did Jesus tell him? vs21   

Did the man get excited about Jesus instructions? Vs22   

Why?   

Think about your life, is there something that keeps you from experiencing the fullness that Jesus wants you to have?

The man went away.  What did Jesus say to His disciples? Vs23   

What is easier done than a rich man entering Heaven? Vs24   

Write why you think this would be:  

What did the disciples think about this teaching? Vs25   

What did they want to know?   

what did Jesus tell them? Vs26   

Peter has a thought that causes him to ask a question; what is the question? Vs27   

In Jesus answer, when will they be rewarded? Vs28   

What will those that have followed Him, be rewarded?   

What about those that have sacrificed in their lives for Him? vs29   

Jesus gave an indication that there will be justice for those that follow Him.  How will things be different in Heaven than on earth? Vs30   

I think there is a really good piece of scripture for us to look at before we put this chapter to rest.  Please read Luke 16:19-31

This teaching is clear about how different things will be in eternity.

Where was Lazarus, the beggar when he died?   

Where was the rich man when he died?   

Who was first on earth?    

Who was last on earth?    

In verse 24, what is the rich man doing that Lazarus had to do on earth?   

What did Abraham tell the rich man in verse 25?   

You may not consider yourself “rich” in accordance to U.S. figures, but globally we in the U.S. are incredibly rich.  For instance, we have access to clean water, food availability, and medicine for common illnesses.  Most U.S. households have more than one television, a cell phone for each household member, and at least one car.

What did your heart feel initially when you read this, it could be very telling of how much you value your earthly treasures. 

Is this scripture telling us that if we have money on earth we will go to Hades?  Or that we can’t be in Heaven unless we live like beggars and paupers? 

I’m leaving my thoughts to these questions for you to read now.

I would love to defend my way of living and say that Jesus would not have meant that literally, but I don’t know that for sure, He certainly meant it to the man that approached Him. 

This I do know; Jesus knew what was in the heart of each man he spoke with and what their motives were behind their questions.  From the first people on earth, God has always been about the individual’s heart.  What’s on the inside and what is keeping us from Him.  Words mean nothing if the heart isn’t engaged.

I believe that we can’t hold anything on this earth to tightly, we must be willing to give up anything other than Him. 

Luke 14:26 says “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” 

Nothing should come before our love of Him.  Nothing…No one.  Period.

I believe that this is more the point than selling everything and giving it to the poor.  Although we shouldn’t step over the poor and ignore their begging or needs. 

This teaching is like the eye that causes you to sin, gouge it out.  If something takes you away from God get rid of it.

Let nothing come before God in your life.  Abraham was even willing to sacrifice Isaac, the love of his life.  Let there be nothing that you are unwilling to give up if He asks you to…including your own life. 

Let’s end here with a prayer.  Ask God if there is anything in your life that gets in the way of following Him.  

Matthew Chapter Eighteen

On a personal note....I'm sorry I am late getting this post up but I have been sick and fell behind.  I hope that this won't make me behind next week too, but that may be the case.  Thanks for being patient and understanding.  :) 

Now let's get to it!

Three of the disciples witnessed the miraculous transfiguration of Jesus and soon after they all see a demon driven out of a boy.  Jesus speaks to them about having faith and then provides another miracle through the mouth of a fish.  Jesus indicates that they are children of a king (He is the king) and therefore they shouldn’t have to pay taxes according to the ways of the world.  So the disciples have a concern.

What did the disciples ask Jesus? Vs1   

Who did Jesus call and put among them? Vs2   

What did He say in answer to their question? Vs3   

Who is greatest? Vs4   

Think of ways that a child is lowly and write them down:

What did Jesus add to His answer for the disciples? Vs5   

Jesus defines in this verse, what a “child” is; what did He say? Vs6   

What will it be like for anyone who causes one to stumble?   

Who will face “woe” for causing people to stumble? Vs7   

What did Jesus say about our own hand or foot? Vs8a   

Why? Vs8b   

What about if our eye causes us to stumble (sin)? Vs9   

Why?   

What point is being made here?  Does Jesus want us to physically hurt ourselves?   

Why did Jesus say to them, not to despise or think low of another little one? Vs10   

There isn’t a verse 11 because some manuscripts include Luke 9:10 as verse 11 and others do not.

How would Luke 9:10 fit with this teaching?   

Jesus now puts this teaching into context.  What does He say about a man owning one hundred sheep? Vs12   

Why would He be happier about the one than the ninety-nine? Vs13   

What does God the Father not want to have happen? Vs14   

 What are we to point out to a brother or sister? Vs15  

How are we to do this?   

How will you know if they are being restored?   

What do you do if they don’t listen? Vs16   

Why do this?     

How does this compare with Deuteronomy 19:15?   

In these verses, what do you think is the definition of a brother or sister….a sibling?   

What if the one you are trying to correct still refuses to listen? Vs17   

Read these references and write a conclusion of what they tell you: Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-14, 2 Corinthians 13:7-9,

1 Corinthians 6:1-6   

Keeping in mind the three verses prior; what do you think Jesus is talking about in this verse, what will be bound or loosed? Vs18   

If two or more are witnesses together, asking God for something, what will happen? Vs19   

Why? Vs20   

 You have probably heard this verse quoted before.  How does the meaning change for you after seeing it in this context?   

Because Jesus tells them to forgive and accept a brother back that has repented or listened to their correction; what is Peter’s question in response? Vs21   

What did Jesus say? Vs22   

Be honest with yourself….is this hard for you to accept?

Jesus then tells a parable to help them understand this point.  What is the kingdom of heaven like? Vs23   

How does the settlement start? Vs24   

What did the king order for the man’s settlement? Vs25   

What did the man do? vs26   

What did the king/master do? vs27   

What did the servant/man do in response? Vs28   

What did the fellow servant/man do? vs29   

How did the man respond to this servant?  (Keep in mind this is the same man that the king had pity on and cancelled his large debt)  Vs30   

when others saw this, how did they feel and what did they do? vs31   

What did the king do? vs32   

What did he ask the man in light of this? Vs33   

What did the angered king do? vs34   

What did Jesus tell the disciples about this story and forgiveness? Vs35   

In this parable, who is the king?   

Who is the first servant?