Day 99 – January 8, 2024: Matthew 20-25

We have the opposite problem that we had with Isaiah. With Isaiah we didn’t have a whole lot to talk about each week since the chapters were so similar. With Matthew we have an abundance of material that we could cover. I hope what I cover is something that is of interest to you, and if I do not cover it please comment and I will respond in the comment section. I definitely wanted to cover chapter 20 and the parable of the hired workers. I have seen this parable come to life time after time in real life. People simply think that they are entitled to certain things because of their status as a child of God and because of the amount of time that they have been serving the kingdom. There is always a bit of jealousy when the newcomers are seen as enjoying all the benefits of those who have been at it for a long period of time. I see this in life, for example, in mission trips as we have been preparing for months and a new person comes on board and hasn’t done all the work that the others have done and there is sometimes a bit of a complaint that this person should make up for lost time.

We also see the entry into Jerusalem and Jesus riding both a donkey and a colt, weird. But we do see throughout these Scriptures a constant reference to prophets and how the religious leaders not only turned their backs on the prophets but killed them and completely did that which God did not want them to do. Jesus points to this and says, hey guys, you are doing it again.

The last one that I want to cover is Matthew 25 which is the chapter that has the verses that we have been focusing on forever. We are called to act in a way that reflects that our priority is to provide social ministries that delineate a loyalty to the kingdom not only in speech but also in action. What are we doing consistently to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. etc. That is a question that we have to ask consistently and not just once in a while. Doing this is just as important as prayer and reading Scripture.