Tag: Matthew 21

Popularity – and Rejection

Old Testament: Micah 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 135

New Testament: Matthew 21

As we come to the Christmas season, reading about these last days of Jesus puts a different light on the passage. 

At the beginning of the chapter, we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as the king he was prophesied to be.  This lines up with what was expected from his birth!  And yet, as we continue to read though the last parable in the chapter, we see that rejection starting to come.

In the parable of the tenants, we see a landowner who planted a vineyard, took care to put in safety precautions, then rented it out when he moved.  He sends his servants back first to collect the harvest.

The result?  One is beaten, another killed, and a third stoned.  He sends more servants, and they continue to treat them in the same way.

Finally, the landowner decides to sends his son, certain that he will be respected.  Instead, the tenants kill the son in an effort to steal his inheritance. 

Jesus explains that those who behave in this way – those that reject God’s servants, and ultimately his son – will have the kingdom taken away from them and given to someone else who will produce fruit.

Those who are reading these devotions are probably Christians.  But do we have times in our lives where we reject God’s son all the same?  Probably not an outright rejection or denial, but we might push him to the side of our lives or we might not be willing to speak of the gospel in front of others which is another way of denying him.

As we get closer to Christmas, let’s remember the amazing miracle of Jesus’ birth through the ultimate proof that he was the Messiah by his resurrection and focus on sharing the good news rather than denying his name.

~Stephanie Fletcher

A short bio about me: I live in Minnesota with my husband and our two kids – 5 & almost 3.  We may be a little crazy, but a couple of years ago, we bought a home with my parents – it is like two regular sized homes stacked on top of each other, and we all live there together.  For a short while, my sister, her husband, and their baby lived there too.  We live there with our dog, Indiana (a compromise from Han Solo or Ford based on my liking of Harrison Ford), and a pet fish – Mickey Rainbow Mermaid Fish (name courtesy of my daughter as technically, it’s her pet).

Reflection Questions

  1. What can you learn from Jesus in how he handled popularity? And, from how he handled rejection? 
  2. How have your actions or words (or lack thereof) been a denial of Jesus Christ?
  3. How can you do better? 
  4. What fruit is the landowner looking for? 
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Preparing the Path: Allowing him Entrance

*Theme Week – Jesus: Matthew 21

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 29 & 30

Psalms Reading: Psalm 91

I love celebrating. Who doesn’t!? But my two favorite holidays are Christmas and Easter, and honestly the time leading up to those celebrations is as precious to me as the holidays themselves. The Advent of Christmas is all about preparing for the birth of the Messiah and the remembrance of that birth. And the only thing better than the birth of our Messiah, in my opinion, was his resurrection from death. This week we’ll be looking at Scriptures in the Gospels that tell the story of Christ and his followers and their days leading up to Christ’s resurrection. 

And as we read along, we can prepare together for this special celebration. 

Our first passage is Matthew 21. We see Christ and his disciples returning to Jerusalem. It’s packed with those who have traveled there to worship and partake in Passover, and Jesus is coming in on a colt that has never been ridden, fulfilling prophecy. And the people are celebrating! They are preparing the way for him, throwing cloaks and garments and palm branches down to create a path. Can you imagine being there? It’s packed with people and you are taking off your cloak and throwing it on the ground so donkeys can walk over them. It sounds so strange yet this was a sign of amazing respect and admiration. They were singing praises for this man who was entering in such a public, and yet very humble, fashion. 

And the first thing Jesus does is ride right up to the temple and enter God’s Holy Place. And what does he find there? A market. A “den of robbers.” Have you ever been to a public, open air market? It’s loud. People are yelling to advertise, chattering, bargaining. It’s overwhelming and busy, full of animal noises and feces. This is what they have made out of God’s house. How can anyone come in prayer and worship and reverence in such a place? And Jesus cleans up in another very public display. 

I love this entry. It’s full of this contrast of humility and power. It’s full of passion, from both the crowds as well as Jesus. And it’s such a perfect reflection of how I want to see Jesus coming into my life this week. 

Take some time today and prepare yourself with me. Ask yourself: 

How can I prepare my life and clear a path for Christ to enter into it this week? 

What do I need to lay before him to honor him? My time? My focus? My attention? 

How can I celebrate and praise him this week? 

What, like that noisy marketplace in the temple, is creating noise and distraction in my life and in my mind? 

What is dirtying up my faith and my prayer life? What do I need to oust and overturn? 

My hope and prayer for you today is that Jesus enters your life in spectacular fashion and causes a stir in your heart just as he caused a stir in Jerusalem so long ago. Happy Palm Sunday! 

Jenn Haynes

Reflection Questions

  1. Take some time with the questions in today’s devotion.
  2. Throughout the week continue reading the Scriptures asking yourself, “Who is this Jesus?” and what is he teaching us about himself, his purpose and his Father?
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Do It!

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 39 & 40

Psalms Reading: Psalm 22

New Testament Reading: Matthew 21

None of us really enjoy chores. There were many that I didn’t enjoy growing up that were very specific to me; one of those was mowing the yard. Since my grandfather had shown me how to take care of the grass at the age of eight, I was the one in charge of making sure it was cut every week. Now to be fair, I did prefer this chore over folding laundry or vacuuming (and I still do), but on our four-acre property growing up, it was a whole-day ordeal to finish. However, although I didn’t necessarily like it, and some days I protested (like all kids do), I made sure the yard was cut so that bugs and rodents were kept away from the house.


In Matthew 21, we find two sons who were supposed to go out and take care of their family vineyard. The first protested, but later regretted it and did as his father said. The second son initially said that he would go out, but wound up avoiding his chores. Jesus tells us in this story that the one who, at first, grumbled and complained about it, but still followed through, was the one who “did the father’s will”. This may seem obvious to us, but that’s the point Jesus is making; talk is cheap. Very few things are as disappointing as when someone doesn’t follow through on what they say.


This is true of our lives as Christians; we need to “walk the walk”, not just “talk the talk”. The book of James tells us that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). If we are not willing to do something with what we believe, it is useless. We can say that we “believe in God”, or even that we are a “Christian”, but unless that translates into action, we are only fooling ourselves. Jesus says that those who will inherit God’s Kingdom are those who “produce the fruit of it” (Matthew 21:43). Does your faith stir you and make you move? Or are you just all talk?


The Christian life isn’t always exciting and can seem boring at times; there are weeks where we don’t want to go to church or read our Bibles yet again. But just like cutting the grass, unless we are willing to go out and put the work in, even if we don’t “want to”, it will get out of control. Our lives need constant, consistent maintenance, just like a garden or a lawn. Every week is not going to be exciting, but it’s still necessary; fight past your initial protest and do what you’re supposed to do anyway. It will be better for you in the long run.

-Talon Paul

Reflection Questions

  1. Which of the two sons are you more often like? In what area(s), do you need more “walk the walk” (perhaps even without protesting first) in order to do the will of the Father?
  2. What is the danger in not producing fruit? What fruit does God want to see you producing now?
  3. What do we learn about God from the teachings of His Son? What does God want us to learn about His Son?
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Less than a Week before Dying

Today’s Bible Reading – Matthew 21 and Genesis 41 & 42

What would you do if you knew you would die in less than a week? Is there anywhere you would want to go? What changes would you make in your schedule and priorities? Less TV, pinterest or social media? More meaningful interactions with those who mean the most to you? Would your tone change? Would you give more hugs? Are there any difficult conversations you wouldn’t put off any longer? If there was anything you could do to prolong your life would you do it?

Jesus was in a very unique situation as he was coming into Jerusalem in Matthew 21. He knew he was quickly approaching both the time and place for his agonizing death by crucifixion. Many would run in the other direction. Maybe if he laid low and avoided Jerusalem longer the chief priests and leaders of the law would forget about him and find some other religious teacher to get mad at and crucify. Think of how many more people he could heal and teach if he could stay away from them just another month? Wouldn’t it be worth it?

But, Jesus didn’t hide or try to dodge the bullet. If anything he boldly intensified his work and purpose. Previously he had mostly stuck to the smaller towns and villages rather than camping out in Jerusalem – the holy city of all Jews. Often he had told those he healed to be quiet about it. He was never trying to draw a crowd – but the crowds still had a way of finding him anyways. Now, as he made preparations to enter Jerusalem on the back of a donkey (to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy) he knew the crowds couldn’t be held back any longer. On this day they would shower Jesus with shouts of praise, but in a few days they will cry out for crucifixion.

We don’t know the day or hour or location of our death. We also don’t know how long the tomb will hold us. But, like Jesus – and because of Jesus’ resurrection and God’s promise to send Him to earth again – we can be sure of a resurrection to come. How will that impact the intensity of your ministry today – how you spend your time, what conversations you have, what passion you have for the Father’s work and will?

May we not be like the fig tree that had life but failed to bear fruit for Him.

May we not be like the son who said he would do the Father’s work – but then didn’t.

-Marcia Railton

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What are You Producing?

Matthew 21

matthew 21 19

After Jesus had cleared the Temple of the merchants who were selling things in his Father’s house, Jesus approached a fig tree because he was hungry. Unfortunately for Jesus, the fig tree didn’t have any figs on it. At that moment, Jesus spoke to the tree and it completely withered up. His disciples were amazed by this, and were confused why this had happened. I understand the disciples’ confusion because it took me a long time to figure out why this story was in the Bible. What in the world is this talking about? Why would Jesus choose to wither a tree?

 

After much study, I found that this was a parable of Jesus, although one that was lived out. God’s people that were doing terrible things in God’s Temple were the same as this fig tree; they were not producing any fruit. Because the tree didn’t produce any fruit, Jesus rejected it and allowed it to crumble. The message could not be more clear: if God’s people aren’t producing good fruit, they will crumble and wither.

 

Jesus talked about “bearing good fruit” many different times, but I want to discuss just two. In John 15, Jesus said that we cannot bear fruit without living in communion with him. You cannot produce anything of substance if Jesus isn’t part of your daily life. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit without being attached to the trunk, we cannot produce anything if we are not constantly attached to Jesus.

 

In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus says that we will know people by the fruit that they produce, whether good or bad. If we see an apple on a tree, we know that it is an apple tree; if we see a pear, we know that it is a pear tree. In the same way, if we see good fruit being produced, we know that person comes from Jesus. On the other hand, if bad fruit is being produced, we know that that person is from somewhere else.

 

So the question for you today is this: “What are you producing?”

Are you producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), or are you producing the same thing as all the sinners in this world? If you aren’t producing good fruit, it is time to reconnect with the Lord of your life, Jesus Christ. We cannot do it without him.

 

-Talon Paul