On the day following the clearing of the Temple, Jesus returned to the Temple. He started teaching in the Temple Courts. It is apparent from Scripture (Matthew 21:23) that a meeting was going on in another part of the Temple. In this meeting were the chief priests and other leaders of the Temple. When they discovered Jesus, they posed two questions to Him. They asked Him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” “And who gave you this authority?” They knew of no school He attended, nor did they ever give Him instructions about what He taught on.

Here’s what lies behind their question. Based upon rabbinical tradition, those who taught received their authority from one of two places. The first could have been the rabbinical school they attended. There were two. The other source of what they were teaching could be the edicts issued by the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the ruling body of Jews. It was led by the High Priest and consisted of either 23 or 71 Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes. A member of the Sanhedrin was known as an elder. Most elders would have been highly educated rabbis. All recognized teachers of Israel drew their authority from one of these places, their rabbinical school or the Sanhedrin.

Jesus said He would answer their question if they answered His question. Jesus’ question was, “John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven or from men?” According to Scripture, they were afraid to answer His question. (Matthew 21:23-27)

Jesus proceeds to tell three stories or three parables. The first was the “Parable of The Two Sons” found in Matthew 21:28-32.

This was an important use of the word “sons” since the Pharisees considered themselves to be “sons of God” by reason of their descent from Abraham. Jesus was teaching that “sonship” was not based on their lineage but on their obedience to God’s Word.

The underlying issue was the Pharisees were more concerned about appearing to be righteous than being righteous. (Take a moment or two and read through Matthew 23 noting the harsh rebuke of Jesus.)

The second parable is found in Matthew 21:33-41. This parable is called, “The Parable of the Tenants.” It was about an absentee owner of a vineyard who hired some locals to tend to his vineyard. When the owner sent his own servants to collect the profit, they “beat them, stoned them, and killed them.” Every time the owner sent someone, they attacked them. Finally, the owner decided to send his son. He thought “Surely they will respect my son.” But the tenants attacked him and killed him, thinking they would steal the son’s inheritance.

The concluding question was, “What do you think the owner will do to the tenants when he comes.” The answer was, “He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

This parable was a reminder of how many of the prophets of God and others who had been sent to speak on behalf of God had been killed. And now, God had sent His “One and only Begotten” Son. And they were plotting to kill him as well.

The belief is that Jesus was announcing the Kingdom is now available to the Gentiles since the leaders of the Jews rejected it.

The third parable is found in Matthew 22:1-14. It’s the “Parable of the Wedding Banquet.”

In the culture of the day, when you were invited to a wedding, you would need to give up living your life for at least one or perhaps two weeks. (That’s how long weddings lasted.)  As an invited or chosen guest of the wedding, you would devote your full attention to the festivities, eat the food provided and even wear the clothing which was given to you. Everything you needed to live for the duration of the wedding…think Kingdom with me…was provided for you.

Jesus said the “Kingdom” is like a wedding. He didn’t say it was a wedding but was like one. This meant you gave yourself over to the agenda of the Kingdom. The wedding or the Kingdom is to become primary focal point. Once that happens, everything else will be provided. (Matthew 6:33, 34)

One thing sticks out to me in this parable. In Matthew 22:11-13, the king or the host of the wedding, walked about and noticed someone not wearing “wedding clothes.” This person was quickly removed and thrown into the “darkness.”

I believe Jesus included this in His parable to help us know that being part of the Kingdom would require a total “makeover” and not just maintaining the appearance of being part of the Kingdom.

As we give our lives to God, we will be changed, by His Spirit, from the inside out. It’s always our choice. Do we accept His invitation to be part of the Kingdom or do we continue to live as we see fit?

Always in Pursuit!

Don