Who Is Jesus? Matthew 21:1–11 The whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” Matthew 21:10 Matthew ends his account of the triumphal entry by telling us that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, “the whole city was stirred,” as it had been thirty-three years earlier when the Magi came to inquire, “Where is he who […]

Serving God to the End Matthew 19:30–20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last. Matthew 20:16 What Jesus had in mind when he told the provocative parable of the workers in the vineyard is suggested by the most important verse that both introduces the story and ends it: “But many who are

Overcoming Failure Matthew 17:1–23 They could not heal him. Matthew 17:16 There are always valleys. But as far as failures are concerned, although we will certainly also have those, we do not need to have as many as we do or experience them so often. Fortunately, Matthew 17 has provided pointers to the way we

The Great Confession Matthew 16:13–20 But who do you say that I am? Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked his disciples two probing questions. First, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (v. 13). The disciples would have been in a better position than Jesus to have known what people were saying about him,

Clean Hands or Clean Heart Matthew 15:1–20 What comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. Matthew 15:11 Do you stand before God with clean hands only, that is, with mere ceremonial religion, or do you come with a new, clean heart? Washing our hands in a religious way is not the issue today,