Chase: Hello and welcome to the Point Church Podcast. We're really glad you're here. Before we jump in, if you'd like to stay connected, you can download the Point Church app. It's a simple way to find messages, resource, and what's happening. And if this podcast is helpful, take a moment to like, subscribe, and share. You can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Let's get into today's episode. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Point Church Podcast. I'm here with Pastor Sam as we're walking through the Gospel of Matthew verse by verse, and we have entered Holy Week. Yeah. So ⁓ we went over ⁓ Palm Sunday and all of that of going in and the tension that is starting to get real serious. And so we're stepping inside that today in ⁓ chapter twenty-two. It reads once more, Jesus spoke to them in parables. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn't want to come. Again he sent out other servants and said, Tell those who are invited, see I've prepared my dinner, my oxen and fattened calf or cattle have been slaughtered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they paid no attention and went away. One of his own One to his own farm, another to his business, while the rest seized the s his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and he sent out his troops, killed those murderers, and burned down their city. Right, like Jesus is telling the story, and you have this king who's just like his son's getting married and wants to invite everyone to come. Yeah. He's not asking even for wedding presents, just show up. Just come celebrate, you know. ⁓ I mean, there's just so many comparisons here. We don't have time to get into them all, but you know, you have the feast of, you know, the wedding banquet at the end of the Bible in Revelation, where Jesus is called the the groom and the church is the bride, and you know, the king is overseeing all of this, and he's just sending invites. Come celebrate this love that you're being invited to. And they're like, No. No. And then others are like, I'll kill you like for inviting me. Like it's a wild response, and that's what Jesus is trying to say is like how wild how you all have responded to the invitations from God. In verse eight it says, Then he told his servants, The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go then to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet. So these servants went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests. When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding. So he said to him, Friend, how did how did you get in here without wedding clothes? The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are invited, but few are chosen. Yeah, the on first reading ⁓ this seems like the king like changes his mind in a very drastic way, like it's almost jarring his reaction that he's like, I thought you wanted everyone in here, and then why are you making clothes such a big deal? I what we have to understand is when the king is sending out the servants to go and fill the banquet, you know, he he's like Go into the roads, go find everyone, both evil and good. Okay, that's what Jesus is doing. He's he's finding the pimps, the prostitutes, the priests, the Pharisees, everyone's invited. Good and the evil. Yeah, tax collectors, everyone is invited. But those who accept the invitation, especially those who recognize I'm not dressed for a wedding, I don't have clothes for a wedding, the clothing would have been provided. So this person walks in, so he I'm air quoting, accepts the invitation, but doesn't think he needs to change. He doesn't think he needs to do anything other than come and party. I don't need to change. I'm good enough. That's the problem. That's why the king is like, Where are your wedding clothes? And he even calls him friend. Like, ⁓ was there a mistake? Did you not understand something? And he doesn't respond. Like, I'm just here. Just take me. Just take me as I am and leave me as I am, basically what he's saying. Like the king's already invited you as you are, but you can't stay as you are. No. And that's the problem. That's what Jesus is saying is those who want to come but refuse to change, the king can't have that. Like that is like of course like a wedding, not a big deal. But the kingdom of God is those who've been changed by God, those who have allowed God to change them. That's the big deal. So it's not that the king is just flipped on a dime. That's the understanding of the parable. Mm-hmm. In verse fifteen it says, And the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he said. So they sent their disciples to him to him, along with the Herodians. Teacher, they said, We know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. Pause there. No, they don't. No. They don't think that. No. They're just trying to do that butter. Like if they really thought he was truthful and taught truthful ways, they wouldn't be confronting him at every step and turn. No. No, because then they go on, you don't care what anyone thinks, nor do you know show partiality. ⁓ tell us then w what you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Perceiving their maliciousness and tent, Jesus said, Why are you testing hypocrites? Why are you tea testing me hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax. They brought him a d a Darnarius. Whose image in the inscription is this? He asked them. Caesar's, they said to him. Then he said to them, Give then to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God what things that are God's. When they heard this they were amazed, so they left him and went away. Yeah, the ⁓ the best quote I ever heard on this was actually unfortunately from a church like a worldwide church leader who fell into scandal kind of after their death. But they did a teaching on this that you know I still resonate with it's beautiful was that like Jesus is asking the question whose image is on this coin? Because he's also asking because whose image is on you? ⁓ Give to God what is God's. You are made in the image of God, the Imago Day. So give him your heart, give him everything and give that little coin of That money, whatever. If Caesar wants it that bad he can take it, but don't give him your heart. Don't give him your allegiance. Mm-hmm. In verse twenty three it says that same day some Sadducees who say there is no resurrection came up to him and questioned him. Teacher, Moses said, If a man dies having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brothers. The same thing happened to the second also, and the third, and so on to all seven. Last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be be of the seven? For they all had married her. Let's pause there for a second. What they're doing is ⁓ so it said in the beginning, they don't believe in the resurrection. No. So what they're trying to do is either get Jesus to side with them because this was a debated issue, or use it as a way to embarrass him. Like they're trying to do somet they're trying to trap him in a way by saying, like, look how ridiculous the resurrection is. Like she's married to seven brothers. That's never gonna work. This this silly idea of resurrection. So they're they're not asking, like, ⁓ I have a genuine Bible question. They're trying th they're like you said the cuffs are off. Yeah. But the cuffs are off them too. Like they're fighting back. So this is again the heart of the tension. Mm-hmm. And Jesus answered them. You are mistaken because you don't know the scriptures or or the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Now concerning the resurrection of the dead. Haven't you read what was spoken to you by God? I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. Yes. Again, he's just revealing to them their lack of underst again, he's hitting them where it hurts. Mm-hmm. Not literally, but you know what I mean. He's hitting them where it hurts. You don't know the Bible. You're a religious teacher and you don't know the Bible. Like this is the most fundamental thing is resurrection. And you're gonna be like really looking back on this time and say, like, you know, in several days from now when Easter hits and say, ⁓ okay, this is resurrection. So again, he's like, I'm trying to teach you, even you religious leaders, mm-hmm. And the crowds are just stunned. Yes. And verse thirty four it says when the Pharisees heard that he was he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together And one of them, an expert of the law, asking a question to test him, Teacher, which command of the law is the greatest? He said to him, Love your the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and prophets depend on these two commands. I mean, that's just the that's pretty Yeah. Straight up. But I almost have this image, I just thought of it. It's almost like an eighties movie where like the main character is like fighting off five bad guys and the bad guys are like coming up one at a time and they're you're like, You're just gonna get roundhouse kicked to the face. Yeah. But they're like my turn. And then the next henchman just goes flying. That's like what these religious leaders are experiencing with Jesus, like on a theological level, like, We've got a question, like in their arrogus, and then just going down. I mean, they literally said he f silenced the Sadducees to like Watch this. And then out of that expert up there. Yeah. And then out of that we now have like the like one of the top slogans that every church uses, like, love God, love your neighbor. Mm-hmm. Because again, Jesus is like, Okay, I'll just take you down one at a time and show you like in what I'm doing here and what this is about. So I don't know, just that image like kinda made me laugh. But they're just like, We'll we'll try it. Yeah. Keep coming. Like just line up with him. Like just agree with him. He's he's right. Everything he's doing is right. Yep. In verse forty one, while the Pharisees were together, Jesus questioned them, What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he? They replied, David. He asked them, How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord? The Lord declared to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. If David calls him Lord, how then can he be his son? No one was able to answer him at all. And from that day, no one dared to question him anymore. Good call. Mike dropped. Good call. Yeah. So what Jesus is saying here, because again, on first reading, you're like, ⁓ these seem obscure. What is happening here? Like we're talking about seven brothers, and then you know I mean, like it just seems all over the place. But again, what Jesus is doing is consistently pointing even the religious leaders, even those hostile to him back to the truth over and over. So for the Sadducees, it was widening their understanding of the resurrection. It's not ridiculous. This is it's beautiful. This is what you need to know about it. That's what he does with the teaching. Like he takes their teaching and he flips it. But the Pharisees. He asks them a question because they have a very narrow understanding of the Messiah, that the Messiah was going to be a human who would set them free. And then he says, but you've misunderstood. The Messiah is fully human and fully divine. That's why David calls him Lord. He is David's biological descendant, but he is David's spiritual ancestor, if that makes sense. So he's both. Like this Messiah is both. Comes from David and he Predates David at the same time. So he's trying to get even them to understand. I need you to know it's me. I'm fulfilling the scripture. Mm-hmm. So like keep you can keep hitting me with your questions and I'll keep giving you the right answer. Yeah. But ultimately what I'm trying to drive home to you is what you've been searching for is me. Who you've been searching for is me. Amen. And with that We're gonna close out today's episode, so thank you for tuning in and we will see you tomorrow.