Matthew 21:33: “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:”

This is a really interesting parable. This, of course, refers to God’s creation of the world. God created it, turned it into a beautiful place, put people in it, and then left (in the sense that the physical form of God no longer walks in the garden in the cool of the day, as He used to). Then:

Matthew 21:34: “And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.”

God sent countless prophets to the Israelites, urging them to repent. However, instead of repenting they abused and killed them. The Israelites owed God a great deal but they were not interested in giving God His due. So they just murdered the messengers that God sent.

Therefore, God upped the ante:

Matthew 21:37: “But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.”

You see, it is true that Jesus did come to die, but the Jews did not have to be a part of it. They could have accepted Him as their Messiah. Had they done that, Jesus would have established His millennial kingdom after the crucifixion, and history would have been entirely different. But instead of accepting Jesus they chose to reject Him:

Matthew 21:38: “But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.”

Notice that the husbandmen recognized the identity of the son. They didn’t confuse Him with someone else; they knew exactly who He was. In fact, the whole reason they killed him was because of who he was! The chief priests knew exactly what they were doing. They deliberately, knowingly rejected the Messiah.

(Yes, Jesus did say “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” But it is very possible that He was referring to the Romans, who had no idea who Jesus was. Remember, when the centurion saw what happened he glorified God. The Jews knew; the Romans did not. What adds credence to this is that Jesus never said anything remotely like “forgive them” when He talked to the Pharisees; instead He said things like “you have committed the unforgivable sin, which can never be forgiven”.)

The consequences of the son’s murder were severe:

Matthew 21:40: “When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.”

Jesus was very clear: because of what they had done, the Lord would come to them, kill them all, and give the “vineyard” to others. And that is what happened: the Romans came, destroyed Jerusalem, killed more than a million people, slaughtered the priests, and destroyed the temple. The Church was born, and many Gentiles accepted Jesus – whereas the Jews, to this day, do not. Their rebellion is what God used to give rise to the Church – and their sin cost them the kingdom (or, at least, postponed it for millennia).

Now, this condition is not permanent. God is still going to save the Jews. At the end of the Tribulation they will be saved and will finally enter the Millennium. The Church will be completed first, though, and then the Jews will be saved.

This is not to say that God hates the Jews, or that they are no longer His people, or that they no longer deserve the land of Israel. However, those are all separate subjects, and since I have dealt with them elsewhere I will not repeat it here.

Matthew 21:23: “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?”

This is really a dumb question. Jesus had claimed all along to be the Messiah. Jesus said that He was God Himself and He proved it through amazing signs, wonders, and miracles. He hadn’t left any doubt, yet the chief priests still asked Him this question.

It’s obvious that the priests don’t actually care about the answer; they just want to attack Jesus. So Jesus redirects the issue to their own hypocrisy:

Matthew 21:25: “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?
26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
27 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.”

The chief priests were entirely corrupt and caught up in their own self-righteousness. They were completely uninterested in the truth. Jesus bothered them so much that they eventually had Him killed. They just wanted to silence Him (which the world still tries to do to the followers of Christ). Jesus was aware of this, and He had some very pointed things to tell them:

Matthew 21:31: “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.
32 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.”

Jesus told them that drunkards and prostitutes were holier in the sight of God than the chief priests and Pharisees. Those “losers” were going to go to Heaven while the chief priests were on the road to Hell. Why? Because the drunkards and prostitutes believed and repented, while the chief priests rejected the truth entirely. They refused to repent, and so they would be damned.

Today we take a look at the topic of abortion. What does the Bible have to say about murdering children and selling their organs? Well, let’s take a look:

Abortion (PDF file)

Matthew 20:25: “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.
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 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 opposite of what the world expects, which was Christ’s whole point. In the world, being king means you get to push other people around and force the little people to do your bidding and carry out your whims. In Christ, however, it’s different – being the leader means you are the servant. It is your job to help people, to serve, to minister to their needs, and to do whatever it takes, even unto death. Being the king is a position of service and humility.

Matthew 20:21: “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.
22 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.”

In other words, there is a high price to be paid for certain Kingdom privileges. Some things are not free; some honors can only be purchased at a very high cost of suffering. This, once again, flies in the face of the idea that “everyone gets the same reward in Heaven”. After all, if everyone gets the same thing then those who suffer are not given more than those who don’t – but that is clearly not what Jesus is saying here. It seems that there are special honors that are reserved for those who suffered terribly. This should not come as a surprise; after all, Jesus said that those who are persecuted for His name should be “exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven”. Those who never suffer for His name will miss out on blessings that will be given to those who do suffer.

This is not to say that you must suffer to be saved; the Bible is clear that all you must do is repent and believe. There are some who truly believe and then die immediately afterward. Even though they never suffered, they are still saved. There are others who God blesses with peaceful, meaningful lives, and there is nothing wrong with that. God has different destinies for different people – and that is His doing, and His decision.

Matthew 20:23: “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.

This is an interesting statement. Jesus doesn’t hint at who it might be that will be given that honor. The disciples clearly wanted it, but Jesus could not make any promises. I have no idea who it might be; after all, the text doesn’t give any hints, it would be foolish to speculate when even Jesus Himself did not. Apparently, though, the cost of that honor is extremely high, and there are few who can bear its price.

Many people today claim that gluttony is a serious sin – but is it? What does the Bible actually have to say about it? That’s what we are going to look at today.

What About Gluttony? (PDF file)

Matthew 20:17: “And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Jesus repeatedly told His disciples what was going to happen, but they did not understand him. They just did not understand that the Messiah had to die. They had no comprehension of the gospel. (That didn’t come until after the Resurrection.)

Note, though, that Jesus is fully aware of what is going to happen, but yet He did it anyway. He is a willing sacrifice. He plainly told His disciples in advance, so that when these things took place they would remember what He told them and believe. The Resurrection was foretold – repeatedly.

Also, notice how Jesus divides the responsibility (if you want to call it that) for His death. He was “betrayed unto the chief priests”, who condemned Him to death. He was then delivered to the Gentiles, who actually executed Him. Both groups – Jews and Gentiles – were responsible. Some people like to put all the blame on the Jews, but Jesus did not do that. Jesus Himself said that both the Jews and the Gentiles were responsible.

Matthew 20:2: “And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard….”
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.”

There are a number of things going on here. First, notice that the laborers were hired at a precise rate – the master asked them if they would work for a set fee, and the workers said yes, and so he hired them. Then, at the end of the day, the master gave them the fee they had asked for. It was a very simple transaction. The problem is that the workers wanted more. They were angry that the master had generously given the same wage to other people who hadn’t worked the whole day.

One of the keys to remember is that the ‘penny’ this passage refers to is actually a denarius, which was a day’s wage. It was the money a person needed in order to survive. The master saw that there were idle people who were willing to work, but who had no one to hire them. So he sent them to work and gave them what they needed – even though, technically speaking, they didn’t deserve it. They got a day’s wage without having to work a day’s labor. They would have worked – that was not the issue. They just didn’t have the opportunity until later in the day.

The master’s generosity met the needs of all the workers. Everyone got what they needed and no one lacked anything. The reason the first group grumbled is because they didn’t think it was “fair”. They wanted more. The master was not impressed with their reasoning:

Matthew 20:13: “But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”

Now, some people take this passage to mean that in Heaven there are no rewards, and everyone gets the same thing. That is easy to disprove, since in the chapter right before this one Jesus tells the disciples that because they left everything and followed Him, He will reward them by giving them the right to rule over the 12 tribes of Israel. That is a reward that is not given to anyone else. Therefore, everyone does not get the same reward in Heaven – and since that is the case, this passage must be talking about something else.

I think it is more likely that this passage is talking about eternal life. All of us are in desperate need of it, we receive it at the end of our lives, and we can only get it if the Master gives it to us. Now, there are some people who are Christians all their lives and who endure terrible trials, and there are others who are saved on their deathbed. Both groups of people are given eternal life. Why? Because Jesus is generous. We should not bemoan the salvation of those who are saved on their deathbed, when we have spent our whole lives suffering for Christ. We need righteousness just as much as they do – and neither of us deserve it. It is a free gift. Rather, we should rejoice that Jesus offers it to anyone.

It’s very common for people to go before a pastor in order to get married. But do pastors actually have the power to marry people? Has anyone bothered to check the Bible to see what it actually says?

That’s what today’s lesson is about:

Do Pastors Have The Power To Marry People (PDF file)

Matthew 19:27: “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

There are some people who insist that everyone gets the same reward in Heaven. I think this passage disproves that theory pretty neatly. As you can see, the disciples will be granted the privilege of sitting on 12 thrones and judging the 12 tribes of Israel. (What about Judas? Well Judas, as you may recall, was replace in Acts by someone else.) No one else is given this privilege. You and I will not be judging the tribes of Israel; only Peter and the other disciples will. They get a reward that we will not have – and therefore, everyone does not get the same thing.

Matthew 19:29: “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

Here again we see the same concept: those who sacrificed for the cause of Christ “shall receive an hundredfold”. It’s obvious that those who did not sacrifice will not receive an hundredfold. Those who sacrificed will be rewarded, and those who did not – well, they won’t be rewarded. But everyone will inherit everlasting life.

This is one reason why Jesus said that we should rejoice when we are persecuted, for our reward is great in Heaven. A hundredfold reward sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it?

Matthew 19:30: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

In other words, those who are great here may not be great in Heaven. What will matter greatly is our humility, our faithfulness, and our obedience.

Matthew 19:3: “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”

Before we get into this topic, I’d like to point out that the Pharisees weren’t actually interested in the answer to the question. They didn’t come to learn; they came to trap Jesus, so that He would either lose followers or get arrested by the Romans. They were out to get Him. They repeatedly tried very hard to ensnare Him, but in the end He got the better of them and they quit asking questions.

Matthew 19:9: “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”

Divorce is not a very popular topic – preachers rarely talk about it anymore. At the same time, divorce is quite common – even among Christians. It seems to be one of the realities of today’s world. Even though pastors refuse to discuss it, though, God has a few very pointed things to say about it.

You see, God hates divorce. He does not like it. People today get divorced for all kinds of reasons, but God hates it. There are very few cases where God permits it – and whenever God doesn’t permit it, it is a sin.

The rule that Jesus Himself laid down is simple: if your spouse is committing adultery, you can get a divorce and marry someone else. However, if your spouse is not committing adultery then you are not allowed to marry another. In extreme cases (such as physical abuse) it is fine to flee your spouse (just as the apostles fled persecution), but you cannot marry someone else. That is the rule.

If you decide anyway that “you’re just not happy” and get a divorce, God does not recognize it. God still considers you to be married to your original spouse. If you then marry someone else, God views it as adultery. God sees your whole relationship with your new spouse as an affair, and each and every time you sleep with them you are committing sexual immorality – a very serious sin. What God requires of you is to stop your sinful relationship with this other person, and either live alone or return to your actual spouse.

There is a great deal more to say about this topic, but since I’ve already written about it extensively here I will not repeat myself.

Matthew 18:35: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

God commands us to forgive one another, and so we should. I think we go wrong when we don’t realize how terrible our sins against God actually are. We act as if our offenses against God are small while other people’s offenses against us are great, when it is quite the other way around. God has forgiven us, so we must forgive others. Our sins against God are far greater – many times greater, as this parable illustrates – than anyone’s offense against us, and we must forgive. It is not optional.

The question I have always had is whether we should forgive those who are not the least bit sorry. In the example Christ mentions, the person pleading for forgiveness was indeed sorry. That is an easy case. But what of those who are quite happy about what they have done and would do it again?

I think in that case we should let go of the bitterness and move on. I suppose that could be called forgiveness by some, but it’s not quite the same. Real forgiveness takes two people – the sinner, who is granted forgiveness, and the victim, who grants it. Both people are involved: one grants forgiveness and the other accepts it. I do not think that forgiveness can be granted unilaterally. After all, even God will not forgive sinners who refuse to repent.

The difference is that we must not hold on to bitterness and hatred. Why? Because we are called to love our enemies and bless them. If we are still angry at them then we won’t be able to do that. Some would call this forgiveness, but I am a bit stricter with my definitions.

Now, earlier in this passage we did see a case where a brother sinned and refused to repent. In that case Jesus didn’t say “Just forgive him and forget it; it’s all right”. Instead the offended party was commanded to disown him and refuse him fellowship until he repented. Only after repentance would forgiveness be granted, and not before. I wonder if we are too keen on forgiving these days, and neglect the part where pressure is applied to encourage the sinner to change his heart and his ways.

But the bottom line is the same: if someone sins against you and then comes and begs forgiveness, it must be granted. It is not optional.

Matthew 18:15: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”

The idea is pretty clear: if one Christian sins against you, go talk to him. If he won’t listen then take a few friends along. If he still won’t listen then bring it before the church. If that fails then disown him – the idea being that this will shame him, cause him to realize the error of his ways, and lead him to repent, at which time fellowship would be reinstated.

If you have been attending church for any length of time then you know this procedure is not followed. If you confront someone they will ignore you. If you bring it to others they will get mad. Churches, for their part, will not evict anyone no matter what sins they commit. The idea of church discipline is as dead as it can be. Christians are never going to stop fellowshipping with someone, even if they cheated on their wife, moved in with their unwed girlfriend, and are filing for custody of their son (and no, I did not make that example up). It really doesn’t matter. The church is not going to discipline anybody or hold anyone to any kind of standard. In other words, the church has no teeth, and Christians just do not take this kind of thing seriously.

Today’s churches are astonishingly corrupt – and that is not a point in their favor. Churches seem to be filled with petty arguments and self-centered people. They’re not serious and they don’t mean business. There is constant fighting and division. It’s not a place to go to form relationships and bear one another’s burdens. It’s not even a place that teaches doctrine. Modern pastors are too busy saying “There are many opinions” and “Other people disagree” to get around to saying what the Bible actually teaches.

But all we can do is do our own part.

Matthew 18:12: “How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.”

Jesus was just talking about the angels in Heaven, and then about how He came to seek and save them which were lost. What if, in this example, the one sheep that went astray actually represents Mankind as a whole? The 99 that did not go astray could be the angels, or even other races that we have not been told about.

After all, the Bible tells us that all we like sheep have gone astray. Every one of us. This is not a case where one went astray while 99 did not. We are all lost. Therefore, it makes sense that the sheep that went astray represents mankind. The sheep that did not go astray would be the angels.

I have never heard anyone propose this interpretation before, but it makes a great deal of sense to me. The shepherd left both his home and the 99 good sheep to go after the one sheep that got lost. Jesus left both His home in Heaven and the unfallen angels to go after the human race, which had become lost. I think it fits.

Matthew 18:11: “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”

This is an important point. In the First Coming the Lord came to save mankind – as Jesus said, “to save that which was lost”. He came to fulfill the law and die on the cross for our sins. He was humble, lowly, persecuted, and hated. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

In the Second Coming, however, the Lord is NOT coming to “save that which was lost”. Instead He will be coming to destroy the armies that are attacking the Jews, to defeat the antichrist and the beast, and to bind Satan. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is all about judgment, not mercy.

If you are lost and without Christ then receive Him now. The next time He returns He will not be bringing peace and favors; instead He will be bringing death and judgment. You need to make peace with Him now, while there is still time.