3 Week Challenge, Day 21

3 WEEK CHALLENGE COMPLETED! :)

Now, unto the Forever Challenge!

Passage: Matthew 21 (The Triumphal Entry, Jesus at the Temple, The Fig Tree Withers, The Authority of Jesus Questioned, The Parable of the Two Sons, The Parable of the Tenants)

Memory Verse: 1Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. 2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise? 3Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right."-Psalm 106:1-3

Notes: (v.1-3) Jesus told two of his disciples to find a donkey from the village and bring it to him

-(v.5) the words of the prophet were fulfilled when Jesus rose on the donkey (ref. Zechariah 9:9)

-(v.7-11) A large crowd came and spread their cloaks/tree branches on the road and shouted, "Hosanna in the highest!" The entire city was stirred

NOTE: 'Hosanna' meant 'slave in Hebrew, but later became an exclamation of praise!!

-(v.12-13) Jesus entered the temple area and overturned tables of money sellers, accusing the of making the house of prayer into a 'den of robbers' (ref. Jeremiah 7:11)

-(v.14-17) The teachers of the law became indignant of the children who were shouting 'Hosanna' in the temple, but Jesus rebuked them by referencing Psalm 8:2, which states that "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise"

-(v.18-22) The Fig Tree Withers: Jesus causes a fig tree to wither.

"If you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go and throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer"

-(v.23-27) The chief priests came and questioned Jesus' authority, but he responded by asking where John's baptism came from. As they could not answer, he did not tell them where his authority came from

-(v.28-32) The Parable of the Two Sons: "For John came to you to show the way of the righteous, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you say this, you did not repent and believe him."

-(v.33-46) The Parable of the Tenants: The kingdom of heaven is like the landowner who sent his tenants to take care of the vineyard. Instead, the tenants beat and killed the servants that had been given to them, and eventually killed the landowner's son. When the owner comes, he will bring those 'wretches to a wretched end.'

(ref. Psalm 118:22-23)

The chief priests realized that Jesus was talking about them, and wanted to try to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowd as they considered him a prophet.