Mathew 22 - Meditation of Kevin Samuel Premkumar
The thing I found amusing in this chapter was the Pharisees questioning Jesus. The Pharisees made many questions hoping to catch Jesus into saying something which they could use against him to arrest him. But every time, they lost hope because Jesus is the son of God and no question is impossible for him.
Jesus illustrated the kingdom of heaven with a parable called the Story of the Great Feast. The story goes as such: the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. However, they all refused. Then he sent other servants to them to tell them that the feast was ready so they should make haste and come as soon as possible. However, the guests ignored them and went about their business. Others seized the king's messengers and treated them shamefully, even killing a few of the servants.
The furious king sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city. Then he told his servants that the former guests that were invited weren't worthy for the feast. Then he told them to go and invite everyone they saw at the street corners and public places. Soon the banquet hall was filled with guests, both good and bad. Then the king came out and saw a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. The king asked the man why he had no wedding clothes. The man gave no reply. Then the king told his aides throw him out into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
All this represents the kingdom of God. Many will be invited, but only a few are chosen.
Then the Pharisees asked Jesus a question on whether it is right to pay their taxes to the Roman government. Jesus knew their evil motives and told them to show him the coin they used to pay their taxes. They showed him the coin and he found that it had Caesar's face on it. Then he gave then back the coin and said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." The Pharisees were amazed by his answer and they left.
That same day, several Saducees came to Jesus. They believed there was no resurrection after death, yet they posed this question: "Teacher, there were seven brothers. The oldest married and then died without children, so the second brother married the widow. This brother also died without children, and the wife was married to the next brother, and so on until she had been the wife of each of them. And then she also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For she was the wife of all seven of them!" This shows how desperate the Jews were to arrest Jesus. They were asking him questions on things that they didn't believe in. Jesus knew this, yet he answered anyway, "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will not be married. They will be like the angels in heaven."
Yet the try hard Pharisees didn't give up. They asked Jesus what the greatest commandments are. And Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as well as yourself. All the other commandments are based on these two commandments."
The Pharisees did not stop questioning Jesus until they have him arrested. And when they finally crucified our Lord, they thought they won over him, but actually, God won over them. Because of Jesus's crucifixion, we are now renewed and we all have a chance of living with God in out lives.
Jesus illustrated the kingdom of heaven with a parable called the Story of the Great Feast. The story goes as such: the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. However, they all refused. Then he sent other servants to them to tell them that the feast was ready so they should make haste and come as soon as possible. However, the guests ignored them and went about their business. Others seized the king's messengers and treated them shamefully, even killing a few of the servants.
The furious king sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city. Then he told his servants that the former guests that were invited weren't worthy for the feast. Then he told them to go and invite everyone they saw at the street corners and public places. Soon the banquet hall was filled with guests, both good and bad. Then the king came out and saw a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. The king asked the man why he had no wedding clothes. The man gave no reply. Then the king told his aides throw him out into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
All this represents the kingdom of God. Many will be invited, but only a few are chosen.
Then the Pharisees asked Jesus a question on whether it is right to pay their taxes to the Roman government. Jesus knew their evil motives and told them to show him the coin they used to pay their taxes. They showed him the coin and he found that it had Caesar's face on it. Then he gave then back the coin and said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." The Pharisees were amazed by his answer and they left.
That same day, several Saducees came to Jesus. They believed there was no resurrection after death, yet they posed this question: "Teacher, there were seven brothers. The oldest married and then died without children, so the second brother married the widow. This brother also died without children, and the wife was married to the next brother, and so on until she had been the wife of each of them. And then she also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For she was the wife of all seven of them!" This shows how desperate the Jews were to arrest Jesus. They were asking him questions on things that they didn't believe in. Jesus knew this, yet he answered anyway, "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will not be married. They will be like the angels in heaven."
Yet the try hard Pharisees didn't give up. They asked Jesus what the greatest commandments are. And Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as well as yourself. All the other commandments are based on these two commandments."
The Pharisees did not stop questioning Jesus until they have him arrested. And when they finally crucified our Lord, they thought they won over him, but actually, God won over them. Because of Jesus's crucifixion, we are now renewed and we all have a chance of living with God in out lives.
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