Year 6, Day 195: Matthew 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from our Father.

This chapter oozes obedience in almost every section.  What’s even cooler is that some of the stories are great examples and some of the stories are examples of how not to act.  Let’s take a look at what we have.

As for good examples, let’s look at the disciples.  Jesus tells them to make preparations for the Triumphal entry.  Jesus gives them some unusual directions.  However, they don’t complain.  They do what they are told.  Through their obedience, the will of God is done and prophetic passages are fulfilled.

Furthermore, we see Jesus at work in the temple.  God says that His house should be a house of prayer.  However, Jesus sees people getting ripped off by money-changers and the religious elite.  He drives out the sin.  He cleanses the temple.  He draws the wrath of the religious elite.  However, He is obedient to the will of His Father.

As we transition from good to bad examples, we look to the parables of the two sons. One son is disobedient in word but obedient in action.  He is praised.  The other son is obedient in word but disobedient in action.  He is not praised in the least.  What we take from this is that action does speak louder than words.

As for the rest of the examples of disobedience, we don’t have to look too far past the fig tree.  The tree is supposed to bear fruit, but this one doesn’t.  Jesus curses it and it withers.  This is symbolic of the Hebrew people.  They were supposed to be working to bring the world in relationship with God.  But instead they had isolated themselves from the world.  They are disobedient.  For the record, the same thing could be said about the parable of the tenants.  God called Israel to live in the land and produce good fruit.  They have instead lived in disobedience – even looking ahead to killing the Son.

<><