Matthew 21:28   Jesus used parables to teach people because parables left the interpretation somewhat up to the hearer. Now, some might say that that smacks of a lack of clarity. The fact, however, is that Jesus’ parables were so clear as to avoid any confusion on the part of the careful listener. What his parables…

Matthew 21:27   In the answer of the Jews, it is all the same for them to mean we cannot because we are unable and to mean we cannot because we are unwilling. They were, indeed, unable because they were unwilling. This is a case of you have not because you ask not. Had they been…

Matthew 21:26   John had been very widely accepted among the Jews. It may seem strange to us now, but many who recognized John as a prophet did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Thus, the following of John caused the Jewish leaders even more grief than the following of Christ had at that point. It…

Matthew 21:25   The reasoning of the Jewish authorities upon this question reveals much. Rather than really understanding the question, or considering their answer on the basis of truth, they considered and understood only the implications of their answer for the present situation. This tells us that they had no concept of what the answer actually…

Matthew 21:24   This was a completely legitimate offer. He was fully ready to tell them their answer. But, he knew already what would be the outcome of this interchange. He did, by his words here, let them know that he had the authority to do these things, and that there was indeed a good answer…

Matthew 21:23   Oddly enough, this was probably the best question that the Jewish leaders ever came up with. That is not to say that it was too tricky or hard for Christ. That’s not the case at all. It’s just that it was a much more honest question than they were usually wont to ask.…

Matthew 21:22   The promise of prayer, which we find in this verse, has seemed to many an empty promise. They fail to obtain it because they fail to believe. Just as so many other things, belief has been counterfeited by the enemy. People will say they believe in this or that. Faith is not just…

Matthew 21:21   Jesus here reveals to them once again the power of prayer. The keys to this verse are the words ‘faith’ and ‘doubt’. Faith, or complete trust, in the Lord God Almighty is required. Bold confidence, with no doubt admitted, is required. How may one have this certainty? It is better to ask, how…

Matthew 21:20   It is so easy for us to see things from a different perspective when we are looking at people’s lives hundreds and hundreds of years later. The disciples had not seen Jesus do anything quite like this before. In their way of thinking it was something different from his other miracles. So, they…

Matthew 21:19   This tree was one that could have been expected to have fruit on it. In other words, this is a case of Jesus applying his ‘take from him even what he has’ principle. Though healthy leaves, a promise of fruit, were present, nothing was there. The tree had failed to bear for one…