Lesson 1585

(Lesson 1585)(02-07-16) Matthew 21:23-32

"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

In the first part of this lesson, Jesus was asked by the temple priests and elders, by what authority He taught in the temple. Jesus answered by asking them, in essence, if the "baptism of John" was inspired by God, or whether it was inspired by man. After reasoning among themselves, the priests and elders decided not to directly answer because it was a trap question.

There is a much deeper lesson that can be taken from wording of this text in reference to the "baptism of John". The text relates the logic the priests and elders applied; "And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?"

Note that they referred to John's "baptism" as something they had refused to "believe". Therefore defining the term "baptism", as it is applied in this text, as something that might, or might not, be believed. Seeing that one cannot disbelieve a physical water baptismal ritual, especially one that takes place right before one's eyes, it must be accepted that the phrase "the baptism of John", as it is applied herein, does NOT refer to the water immersion or sprinkling portion of John's baptism. Now that I have you all totally confused, I'll make my point. When studying the New Testament, it is good to understand that most references to "the baptism of John" that are found in the New Testament are in reference to the message John preached and NOT the merely the physical water ritual part.

In the last part of the lesson Jesus made reference to how the Jews had rejected Him and His saving grace.~

Lesson 1584

(Lesson 1584)(02-06-16) Matthew 21:18-22

"Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Today's is a lesson about faith. Herein, Jesus assured His apostles that if they would only truly believe anything they asked would be granted to them. That same promise applies to every one of us who have placed our absolute faith in Jesus Christ. There is not a more direct promise than this one, "Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Amen.~

Lesson 1583

(Lesson 1583)(02-05-16) Matthew 21:12-17

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there."

Today's quote relates Jesus' displeasure with those who defiled the temple of God. Because the children in the temple sang praise to Jesus as the promised Messiah, it also begins His conflict with the high priests in Jerusalem.

There are many "churches" today that, in like manner to the Jews, use what they call "the church" to practice all manner of unseemly rituals that have nothing to do with the ministering of God's word or the furtherance of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, the modern "church" has become more of a social gathering than it is the working body of Jesus Christ.~

Lesson 1582

(Lesson 1582)(02-04-16) Matthew 21:1-11

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

This lesson tells us how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as was so much earlier prophesied. He was greeted by huge crowds who recognized and worshiped Him.

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem marked the beginning of His sacrificial ordeal. And, as sad as it is that Jesus had to die, it was necessary so that we, the lost, could attain everlasting life through Him.~

Lesson 1581

(Lesson 1581)(02-03-16) Matthew 20:29-34

"And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him."

The miracle observed in today's quote demonstrates how simply Jesus can open the eyes of the blind. It behooves us to note as modern Christians, that He can also open the eyes and hearts of the lost who are blinded by the lusts of today's world. We, as the representatives or our Lord Jesus Christ, should make every effort to take this miraculous message to as many as we possibly can.

Simply sitting in the same pew week after week waiting for some lost soul to come and sit beside you won't get the job done, instead of waiting for the lost to come to "church", we should be actively taking the eye opening, soul saving gospel of Jesus Christ to the places where the lost souls actually are, just as Jesus and His apostles did.~

Lesson 1580

(Lesson 1580)(02-02-16) Matthew 20:24-28

"And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

This is the second part yesterday's lesson. Having heard when the mother of the brothers Zebedee had asked of Jesus, the other apostles were angered. Jesus answered their anger by declaring that in His kingdom there are none greater than the others. He demanded that those who fancy themselves to be leaders are to be the first to serve the needs of the rest.

This passage disavows the Catholic claim that a pope, an ultimate authority, is to rule over Christ's church. As we see here, His church is to have no supreme ruler.

There are however, by the authority of the word of God, certain job descriptions within the church such as that of bishops, deacons and elders. The job descriptions and responsibilities of deacons, bishops and elders, can be found in Timothy, Philemon, and Titus.~

Lesson 1579

(Lesson 1579)(02-01-16) Matthew 20:20-23

"Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."

Today's lesson, as does every lesson in the New Testament, contains some very important information for the bible student.

This part of Matthew twenty contains two distinctly different parts. We will cover the first part today, and the second part tomorrow.

In this first part, the mother of the brothers Zebedee had asked Jesus if her sons might be allowed to sit beside Him at His throne in heaven. Jesus answered by asking the brothers, "Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?'

It should be noted that when Jesus herein applied either the term "baptized" or "baptism", His application could not have been in reference to the type of water baptismal ritual that John the baptist had performed. Rather, both the terms "baptized" and "baptism", as Jesus applied them herein, were in reference to the soon to come death, burial and resurrection, whereby through faith, the entire lost world might gain salvation and everlasting life.

Remember that in Matthew 3:11 John the baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire". By making that statement, John very clearly separated the importance of his water baptism and the soul redeeming baptism that was, and is still, performed by Jesus Christ. John's baptism was a tradition of Hebrew law and was required of all Jews before they entered into the temple to pray or make a sacrifice. Jesus, being a Jew Himself, was required to undergo water baptism in the Hebrew tradition in order to fulfill all the ordinances of the old law.

This is important to understand because it establishes that not every time the term "baptize", or any one of its grammatic variations are applied in the New Testament text, are the terms to be associated with water. This lesson will be very important to understanding how the term "baptize" is to be applied, in context, as we study many of the forthcoming lessons.~