OUR FATHER SENT A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS TO HERALD THE MESSIAH

Still speaking to the religious leaders who had demanded to know by what authority He was doing miracles and teaching, Jesus indicted them with a parable about two sons whose father wanted them to do some work in His vineyard . The parable, found in Matthew chapter 21 verses 28 - 32, reads this way;

28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

The father of the two sons in the parable represented God. One son represented the religious leaders and the other son represented the outcasts of the society like the tax collectors and prostitutes.

Jesus contrasted the two sons by showing how one did what was wrong by refusing to do what his fatherˋs requested but later regretted it and went out to serve his father. The other son verbally agreed to do what his father asked but did not actually go out to work.

He asked the religious leaders which of the two sons actually did the will of the father and they replied to the question by saying that it was the first  son who initially refused but later went out to work.

The Lord then clarified that the first son was like the tax collectors and harlots because they originally lived in rebellion to Godˋs will but upon hearing the preaching of John the baptist, they believed and regretted their sins, repented and were baptized.

On the other hand, the religious leaders were like the second son who originally subscribed to a life of serving God but when John came to them preaching the news of the kingdom of God that called them to be baptized, they did not believe and they did not seek to repent and be baptized.

Jesus assured the religious leaders that because of this difference, the tax collectors and harlots would enter the kingdom of God before they did.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER DECLARED THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON IN WHOM HE WAS WELL PLEASED

In Matthew chapter 21 verses 23 - 27, we see the Lord Jesus, having returned to Jerusalem from Bethany, at the temple teaching. The religious leaders challenged Him by demanding to know by what authority He was doing miracles and teaching in the temple.

23 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”

And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Lord , knowing that their challenge was not a sincere request for clarification but rather a trap, countered them by asking them to declare whether they believed that the baptism of John was valid.

To answer this question, the religious leaders would have been forced to reveal their hypocricy related to how they treated John the baptist.

If they said John the baptist was  a valid prophet of God, they would then be asked by the people why they did not accept his teaching and why they let John be executed by king Herod for preaching righteousness.

On the other hand, if they said John was not a valid prophet, they would anger the people of the city who believed that John was a true prophet of God and they had gone out to the wilderness to hear him speak. Openly denying that John was a prophet would expose the fact that the religious leaders were not on the same page as the people of the city.

Pressed in this connundrum, the religious leaders tried to evade the question by simply saying that they didnˋt know whether Johnˋs baptism was valid or not. Jesus then told them that because they would not reveal their stance on this spiritual matter, He was not obligated to show them His spiritual credentials.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO IS PLEASED WHEN WE WALK IN FAITH

After spending the night at Bethany, the Lord Jesus travelled the short distance (about 3.2 kilometers) back to Jerualem and on the way, an enigmatic event took place as described in Matthew chapter 21 verses 18 - 22;

18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

A fig tree beside the road caught the Lordˋs attention and being hungry, He went to it looking for figs but the tree did not have any fruit on it but only leaves.

The Lord spoke to the tree saying, ˋLet no fruit grown on you ever againˋ, and the tree withered away.

The disciples saw the leaves rapidly drooping and fading and they were astonished that spoken words could have that kind of effect so they asked Jesus what power was at work that caused the tree to respond to His words like that.

The Lord explained a principle of faith to them which, if a person had faith that was undiluted by doubt, that person could command edicts over a fig tree and it would obey. Jesus explained that faith was not only effective in relation to living things but also in relation to inanimate masses such as mountains.  If a person had undiluted faith, they could speak to a mountain telling it to be uprooted and heaved into the sea, that would happen.  

The Lord then generalized the principle such that any prayers that are spoken while believing would bring about what was being asked for.

This teaching formalised the experiences that had occured in earlier chapters where for example in Matthew chapter 14,  the disciples were in a boat on the sea of Galilee and Jesus commanded Simon to walk on the water with Him and Simon got out of the boat and walked but he began to fear and doubt because of the high wind and waves and he started to sink into the water. Jesus grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the boat asking why he doubted.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

The walk of faith that receives what is requested is one where we fully expect our words to carry effective power and that doubt is excluded from our thoughts no matter what the circumstances around us look like.

Amen.

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