November 4, 2017

Insights on Today's Reading

Matthew 22 - Jesus gave His parable of the wedding feast to confront Israel with His call to them to believe on Him and accept His love for them.  When Jesus said, "For many are called, but few are chosen" verse 14, He made it clear that there were many down through the years that have been given an invitation to believe in Him but only those who do will show the evidence of God's choice of them.  If you believe, you can know that He's is pleased.  Jesus answered the foolish arguments of the Sadducees regarding who a woman will be "married to" in heaven if she was married to more than one man on earth.  Jesus taught our relationships in Heaven will be much different, and by implication, far better than they were on earth.  The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection, verse 23, and that is why they were "sad, you see?"

Mark 12 - In Jesus' parable of the vineyard owner He was speaking against the hypocrisy of the chief priests and scribes regarding their taking credit for the strictness of their formal religion and didn't give God the glory and credit He deserved.  The Jews were more impressed with their act of worship than they were in Who they worshiped.  When Jesus answered the Herodians regarding paying taxes, they marveled at His response.  This gives God's approval of our paying taxes to our government as well as our tithing to God.  At the end of this chapter is Jesus' recognition of the "enormity" of the widow's offering compared to the empty giving of the rich.  The widow's "mites" were far more valuable to God than all the riches of this world.