Matthew Study 24: 21:1-32

Dear Student of the Word,

Thank you for your patience as I try to keep up with these studies while sitting in my seminary classes and working long and hard to stay current with my classwork.  This is the last week of classes, so I hope to be back on track next week with our weekly studies. 

This week we look at Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem just prior to His death and resurrection.  With that in mind, this is what I wrote:

21:14 – After Jesus cleansed the Temple of special business interest groups, He had a healing service.  This tells me that the lame and blind were already in the Temple area for worship, but it was “one-sided” up to that point.  They were there to give to God but God was not giving anything in return, mostly because the leaders were blocking God’s way.  As I stated earlier, Jesus said the Temple was to be a house of prayer and prayer was a representative activity.  What Jesus said was not meant to indicate that prayer was the most important activity in the Temple.  He confirmed this by not praying after He said what He said, but by healing.  The Temple was to be a place of spiritual activity, not business transactions, and prayer wasn’t the highest priority.

Is your church a place of spiritual activity or business?  Is your own life comprised mostly of spiritual or business duties?  Your own “temple” is to be a “house” where needs are met and God’s business is done through you to meet others’ needs.

v. 15 – What a terrible reaction from the leaders!  What a bad and evil attitude they had.  When they saw the “wonderful” things Jesus did, they were indignant.  They saw the people crying out for salvation, saw Jesus healing the sick and restoring sight to the blind and the leaders were offended.  Religious people and leaders are always offended when their agenda isn’t followed and God’s agenda is.  Jesus showed that God was going to circumvent the leaders and go directly to the people to meet their needs.  I have heard it said that God respects authority and always works through the established authorities.  I wholeheartedly disagree, for what was happening here was a fulfillment of Scripture:

"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the Lord.  "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number (Jeremiah 23:1-3).

v. 16 – The leaders wanted Jesus to stop the worship of the “little” and “simple” ones in favor of the rigid worship rules established by the leaders.  Jesus refused to do so then and won’t do it now.  God is the ultimate Shepherd of His people and, if His “under-shepherds” won’t do their jobs, then God will intervene and care for His people Himself!  He will then raise up new leaders, as Jesus did by raising His apostles above the authorities of the day.  Beware if you are a leader who takes care of yourself and not the people.  God is against you and may remove you from your office. 

v. 17 – Jesus left Jerusalem.  He was attracting too much attention and animosity, so He withdrew.  Jesus did not run from controversy but that is not His main mission.  He came to do the will of the Father and it was not quite His time to surrender His life, so He withdrew.  I love Jesus.  He was so focused on the Father’s will and refused to be diverted from that.  How focused are you on the Father’s will?  How able are you to walk away from controversy or fame?  How willing are you to confront wrongs yet not be consumed by your crusade? 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_24.doc

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Comments

[Sharon Wilkinson]

Listen and be blessed a complete study of the Bible by Zac Poonen