Monthly Archives: June 2022

Matthew 21- By What Authority?

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And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. Matthew 21:23-27

The religious leaders decided to challenge Jesus once again, and said to Christ “By what authority do you do these things”? Now the fact that the religious leaders are even asking this question, proves they witnessed Jesus miracles, they listened to Jesus teachings, they understood who Jesus is claiming to be, the Son of God, The Christ. So instead of the religious leaders acknowledging Jesus is the Messiah and being obedient to him, they decided to challenge him instead

Jesus responded with a question regarding the baptism of John the Baptist, “The baptism of John, was it from Heaven or from Men”? Christ was challenging the religious leaders now, basically asking them was John a prophet or not? Now it was pretty well known that John the Baptist was a prophet from God, however the religious leaders cared more about the opinions of people than the truth. They refused to answer Christ because the scripture said “they fear the people”. They feared the opinion of people more than they feared God

This question can be asked to all of us in our hearts, by what authority is Jesus speaking or performing miracles? Do you believe Jesus is God in the flesh? Or do you believe Jesus is just another prophet or created being? The deity of Christ is still a debated topic within the Church today, how can Jesus be your Lord and Master, if Christ is not God? That would be idolatry if Jesus was just a man or a prophet, this is why most Christians who deny the Trinity, have alot of theological issues with their doctrine. 

Because the religious leaders would not be honest with Christ, then he refused to answer their question about the baptism of John. The important thing is are we honestly seeking Christ with all our heart, mind, and soul? Or are we just trying to fit Christ into our own religion and ideologies? We must unharden our hearts to receive the truth from God, if we don’t humble ourselves first, we can never truly know who God is

The religious leaders witnessed many miracles of Christ, they heard hours of teaching by Jesus himself, yet they still hardened their hearts and wouldn’t receive the true gospel. By what authority did Jesus speak or perform miracles? By His authority because Jesus is God in the Flesh, Amen!

Matthew 21- The Fig Tree

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Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:18-22

When Jesus rebuked the Fig Tree and it immediately withered it reminded me of Christ teachings from Matthew 7, Jesus said “Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire” (Matthew 7:19) I believe the reason Christ cursed this Fig Tree in the presence of his Apostles, was to hammer home this point. Obedience to Jesus Christ is essential in our walk of faith. We can’t claim to love The Lord and be disobedient to his commands. 

Another thing that Christ is demonstrating here is his deity as God in the Flesh (John 1:14) Remember when Jesus commanded the winds and the sea to obey him, and they did (Matthew 8:23-27) Jesus did the same here with the Fig Tree, he demonstrated his sovereignty and power as God. Who else can command the trees and sea to obey him? Christ demonstrated He is Lord over All, Lord over the natural world and the supernatural world. 

Now coming to the subject of faith, Jesus said “If you have faith and don’t doubt, you shall be able to move mountains” Of course I’m paraphrasing here, but this is Jesus point, if you truly have faith, God will move mountains for you if you remain in complete faith with Christ.! You might ask “How is this possible”? Well remember as a Born Again Christ, the Holy Spirit is living inside of You (Romans 8:11) The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead! Often as Christians, we forget that we are the Temple of God (1 Cor 3:16) and the Holy Spirit is living inside of us!

The original Greek word for Faith is “Pistis” , its a word that mean belief, trust, allegiance, and confidence. The word faith goes alot deeper than the way we view it in English, such as the same with the word Love or Agape in Greek. It’s a much deeper word than what our translation can convey. What’s my point? When we say we have “Faith in Christ” this is not just a shallow or philosophical statement, this is a way of life. Faith in Christ doesn’t mean you just repeat a few words and your saved, it means your follow and obey the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, and soul

So when Jesus makes the statement “Whatever you ask in prayer, you shall receive” Many carnally abuse this scripture to get worldly things, however only those who are Born Again and have full allegiance to Christ , will be answered. Somebody who is not in the Will of God, is not in faith in Christ. This is what separates the Sheep and the Goats, the Wheat and The Tares, the Sinners and the Saints, it’s full faith in Christ alone!

Let the Fig Tree be a reminder to us all, that those who don’t produce good fruit in Christ, will be eventually chopped down and thrown into Hell Fire! (Matthew 7) May you be filled and led by the Holy Spirit in Jesus name, Amen!

Matthew 21- Cleanse The Temple

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And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, Matthew 21:12-15

Jesus didn’t just Cleanse The Temple once, he actually did this twice, Christ cleansed the Temple at the beginning of his ministry in John 2, and Christ is cleansing the Temple here during Holy Week, right before He is going to the cross. To understand why Jesus Cleansed The Temple , we need to understand the purpose of The Temple

Before Christ came to Earth, The Temple was the only place where God dwelled with His people on Earth. The Temple of God was to be a sacred space, however the Jews made The Temple a “Den of Thieves”. The Jews turned Gods Temple into a marketplace, selling merchandise and making profit, this is why Jesus famously flipped the tables and chased the merchants with whips. The Jews were bringing sin into Gods sacred space on Earth.

We see this alot today in Christianity, the Church sanctuary , should be a sacred space for Christians to gather and worship The Lord, however many Pastors have allowed their sanctuaries to be polluted with sin and idols. You can’t expect The Holy Spirit to dwell in a sinful space, this is why alot of Churches today have lost the Holy Spirit. The candlestick has been removed from their congregation , just as Christ warned to the Churches in Revelation

The Apostle Paul taught us that our bodies are the Temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives inside of us (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11) We must treat our bodies as a sacred space also, we can’t allow sin to pollute our bodies and expect the Holy Spirit to remain in us

And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. Matthew 21:16-17

Jesus declared himself The Christ and King, The Lord cleansed his Fathers House, The Temple, Christ is now ready to go to the cross, to pay for the sins of the world! Notice also the Apostle Matthew is revealing Jesus is fulfilling another Messanic Prophecy referencing Jeremiah 7:11 and  Isaiah 56:7. Matthew continually does a great job of bringing together the Old and New Covenants

The Children in The Temple were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David” instead of the religious leaders. All the theological knowledge of the religious leaders couldn’t save their souls, only faith like a child in Christ, can save you! Amen!

Matthew 21- Palm Sunday

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And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. Matthew 21:1-7

Palm Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year, when we wave the Palm Branches at Church, it’s like stepping back in time when Jesus rode down the streets of Jerusalem. It’s an incredible event before it’s a fulfillment of prophecy in Zechariah, but it’s also a future event in Revelation 7, when the Great Multitudes are waving their Palm Branches for the King of Kings, Lord Jesus Christ! Palm Sunday is an event that connects Christians from the past, present , and future, it’s almost like when Christians partake in Communion

Another interesting detail is the topic of Palm Sunday has been one of the most popular topics on my blog. Of all the things I wrote about, Palm Sunday drew the largest views, and other articles I have written on Palm Sunday are some of the most viewed on my website. What that tells me is Christians understand the importance and significance of this event. Christ is bringing total fulfillment of the Old Covenant, and sharing a revelation of the New Covenant

The Apostle Matthew confirms to us that the event of Palm Sunday is a fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy “All this was done, that is might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” The disciples at the time probably didn’t understand why Jesus demanded a donkey, but they were faithful and obedient. The donkey was symbolic of peace and meekness, as Christ didn’t come to destroy the Roman Empire but to bring salvation to the world

And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. Matthew 21:8-11

We notice “The Great Multitude” spread their garments and cut down the Palm Branches, this is the same language we see in Revelation 7, “The Great Multitude”, crying Hosanna, to the Son of David” We see the multitude are affirming that Jesus is The Christ by calling him Son of David, which is a Messianic Title. The Palm Branches has multiple meanings, as they meant Victory and Eternal Life, both which are fitting for the coming of The Lord and King Jesus Christ

This was the very first time Jesus publicly declared himself the Christ and King! At the beginning of the week, the crowds were shouting “Hosanna”, by the end of the week they will be shouting “Crucify Him”! The question still today is which crowd are you a part of? Is Jesus your Lord and King? Or do you stand with the sinners who crucified The Lamb of God? The King of Kings is returning again soon! Amen!

Matthew 20- The Blind Receive Sight

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And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. Matthew 20:29-31

There are alot of things that can be said about this story, the two blind men crying out to The Lord Jesus to heal them. First we recognize that they know who Jesus is, they call him Lord and Son of David, which is a title for the Messiah (Christ) So they understand that Jesus is Lord and Christ. Secondly, by faith they are pursuing Christ, even though the crowd is rebuking them, they keep calling out to Jesus in faith to be healed

What are the signs of the Messiah? If we remember from Matthew 11, John the Baptist asked the question “Are You (Jesus) the One (Christ)?” And notice the response by Jesus, he quotes Isaiah “The blind receive sight” (Matthew 11:4-6) By Jesus healing these blind men, he is actually also fulfilling the prophecy of the Christ, Jesus is giving signs that he is the Son of God, the Messiah

Now we can also look at this in a spiritual sense, even though these men were physically healed, we were all spiritually blind. And when we became Born Again, we were all healed from our blindness. The Holy Spirit removed the scales from our eyes, and now we can see righteously. 

And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. Matthew 20:32-34

Jesus asked the men “What do you want me to do for you?” They replied “Lord that are eyes may be opened” Are you asking Christ for the same thing? Are you seeking for our eyes to be spiritually opened by the Holy Spirit, so you can understand God and his word? So that you can discern good and evil from a Biblical perspective. This is why we must become Born Again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3)

Once they received their healing, they followed Christ. Once you are Born Again, there is no going back , you are a New Creature. Are you calling upon The Lord for salvation? Lord Jesus may our eyes be opened! Amen!