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Matthew 22:1-22

Brian Hopkins

March 24, 2024

In this passage, we find Jesus teaching the parable of the wedding feast which was clearly directed toward the hypocritical and self-righteous Jewish leaders of the day who largely failed to recognize Him as their Messiah despite their clear invitation to join Him in His "wedding feast." Afterward, we see them once more trying to discredit Him by asking whether it was "lawful" to pay taxes to the Roman occupiers. No doubt they saw their ploy as a dilemma from which Jesus could make no good choice, but Jesus didn't fall into their trap.

Matthew 21:28-46

Brian Hopkins

March 17, 2024

Jesus taught two more parables concerning stewardship - one about a landowner who left his land in care of others until the time of harvest and anther about a man who had two sons, one of whom said he would obey his father but did not while the other said he would not obey, but in the end actually did his father's will. Clearly the men in these parables symbolize God while the other characters in the stories represent the priests and scribes to whom God had entrusted the care of His people Israel.

Righteousness

Brian Hopkins

March 17, 2024

Jesus said we are to thirst and to hunger for His righteousness. That means we are to desire an authentic Christian lifestyle. The fourth beatitude says those who are filled are not those who have their hunger and thirst met, but those who are continually hungering and thirsting. Don’t settle for the bits and pieces either. Go for all of it. If you want to be like Christ and live like Christ, then you must hunger and thirst for the full righteousness of Christ.
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