Matthew 21:23-3 2

About the Text

(23) Why did the religious leaders ask these questions? It was not to learn, but rather to challenge Jesus. The answer to their question was clear to everyone else: because of Jesus many miracles, His authority was clearly from God the Father and not of human origin. The religious leaders (e.g. the chief priests and the elders), however, did not believe. As seen in the previous Bible chapters, these religious leaders had already made up their minds that Jesus was not from God. Thus, their question was not to learn anything new from Jesus, but to entrap Him so that He would not teach anymore. If Jesus were to answer "from God" then they would charge Him with blasphemy. If Jesus were to answer "from Sammy over there," they would pull rank and cast Him out of the temple.

(24) Why didn't Jesus give them a "straight" answer? It was not to weasel out of a difficult situation, but rather to expose the truth in their hearts. The secret truth about these religious leaders comes out in verse 25 and 26, that they were more concerned about what people thought of them, rather than what people thought of God.

(25) What is "John's baptism"? John referred to here is John the Baptist, not John the disciple of Jesus. Prior to Jesus ministry, John the Baptist called people to repent and baptized them, in order to prepare them for the coming Messiah, Jesus.

(26) Why were the religious rulers "afraid of the people"? They did not fear mob violence. Rather, they feared losing face. These skeptical religious leaders highly valued their position in society, their prestige, and their image. So, to prevent the people from calling their leaders "faithless," they chose in verse 27 to avoid Jesus question.

(31) What is so bad about a "tax collector"? In the days of Jesus, the tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Romans in order to extract taxes from their fellow Jews. The Romans also allowed the collectors to keep for themselves any taxes collected over and above the Romans share. Thus, tax collectors demanded very high taxes from their brothers. They were seen as greedy traitors, on the same level as prostitutes.

Insights

Jesus is pleased not with ones clever challenges and people-pleasing smooth words, but genuine faith and true repentance, regardless of ones past.

The Bottom Line

Repent daily. The mark of true faith in Jesus Christ is not simply making one "altar call" confession of sin at the beginning of your Christian commitment, but rather a continual, daily repentance -- a repentant attitude. With such an attitude, we become more thankful for the salvation that Christ gave to us through His death on a cross. In other words, lets not sing "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like HIM," but rather "Amazing grace... that saved a wretch like ME!"

Here are some suggested words that you could include in your prayers to God, in order to remind you of your need to repent daily:

Lord, I have sinned. I confess that I have ________________. Lord, I am sorry. But thank you again for dying on the cross, taking the punishment I deserved. Now, please change my life and my habits, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, so that I could live a life more pleasing to You...