Matthew 21:23--22:14

Matthew 21:23--22:14
In the first part of Matthew 21, we saw Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His cleansing of the Temple, and the withering of the fig tree. In the verses we are looking at today, we see the Jewish chief priests and elders questioning Jesus' authority, v. 23. In answer to this question, Jesus reminded them of John the Baptist's ministry. Both John and Jesus were sent by God--they spoke under God's authority. The Jewish leaders had not believed John, and so it was obvious they would not believe Jesus either. "It is a basic principle of Christian living that we cannot learn new truth if we disobey what God has already told us." (Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 77)

Jesus went on to give 3 parables which deal with His own authority and the Jewish leaders' response to Him.

• The parable of the two sons shows that they had rejected the Father. vv. 28-32 The two sons represent the self-righteous religious people as opposed to "sinners." Of course, we know that both groups were and are sinners, but the first group does not recognize their own sin. When those Jewish religious leaders refused to acknowledge their sin and repent, they were rejecting John, but in reality they were rejecting God the Father, Himself.
• The parable of the tenants shows that they had also rejected the Son. vv. 33-45 This story is a picture of God the Father, who sent Jesus, His Son. Instead of receiving Him and honoring Him as they should have, they rejected and killed Him. Jesus referred them to an Old Testament scripture which let them know that He was talking about them. However, they still refused to repent and accept Him and sought ways to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd.
• The parable of the wedding banquet shows that they rejected the Holy Spirit. Matt. 22:1-14 The story here takes place in heaven after Jesus' resurrection. The Father had sent His Son to invite "guests" to a banquet. These potential guests represent Israel. God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is still inviting them even after what they did to Jesus. However, for the most part, they reject His invitation. He is also inviting everyone else! "Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find." v. 9 In vv. 11-14, the "wedding clothes" represent the righteousness of Jesus. Those who by faith accept Jesus sacrifice for themselves are "clothed" with Jesus' righteousness and will spend eternity with Him. Those who have rejected Jesus will be lost.