Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Religious Leaders Challenge Jesus - Part 1

We now come to Jesus' second day in Jerusalem during the Passover festival. As he teaches in the Temple he is met by the first of several groups from the religious leaders of the city. The debate between Jesus and these leaders will continue to the end of chapter 22, but we will look at only the first few exchanges this week.
  •  Read Matthew 21:18-22. Again we see Jesus’ teaching about the power of faith and prayer. How do you respond to this teaching, especially since we see it now for a second time?
  •  Read Matthew 21:23-27. This scene raises the issue of Jesus’ authority and how we know if someone is authorized to speak for God. How good are we at accepting Jesus’ authority? How do we know that someone today speaks with God’s authority? Are we interested in the truth, or is what is expedient or 'practical' more important?
  •  Read Matthew 21:28-32. How does this parable speak to the relationship between your own words and actions?

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