OCTOBER 21 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

 OCTOBER 21  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, ALL Praise, Glory, and Honor is due to the Name above all names, the Holy, Holy Name of Jesus! Lord Jesus, You alone are the King of kings and Lord of lords and the Master of my soul. Lord, You and you alone are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only through belief in You will TRUTH be revealed to us so Lord I pray that I will draw closer to You each day as I try desperately to separate myself from my worldly desires and seek only Your Spiritual Gifts that You so abundantly provide, gifts that frees us from our physical desires of the flesh and reveals to us the TRUTH OF GOD! 

Lord, these Spiritual Gifts can only be received when we put our TRUST in You and Your Plans and abandon ours. Lord, I pray that our family puts all our TRUST in You and abandons ourselves to Your service so that You can use us in a mighty way for the “kingdom’s sake” — Lord I am TRUSTING You completely in every phase of my life  and pray that the family can come to see Your Love and start uttering in their prayers “ABBA FATHER” — and pray as I pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus admonished us at the start of this new Lesson to consider the “Fig Tree” as He said, “Now learn…” which is also saying that we should consider what He has just been Teaching and then build upon the understanding of the last Lesson and come to a deeper revelation of the Truth of God. 

Jesus had just been Teaching “signs” about the “end of the age” and His “Coming Again” but let us not miss the obvious Truth that Jesus is telling us that there WILL BE an “end of the age” and in order for Him to “Return” that He must first leave, and this being His Last Passover Week on earth, these statements reveal that God has a Plan and that Plan includes Jesus having to go away, fulfilling the prophecy that only Jesus as the Messiah and the Sacrificial Lamb of God, Spotless and Without Blame, could fulfill the Word of God. These WORDS OF PROPHECY were spoken at the “initiation” of the Passover when God was giving instructions to Moses to give to the congregation of Israel on what to do to make the “death angel” “pass over” them: “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household…your lamb shall be without blemish…a male of the first year (a first born male) …then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.’” (Exodus 12:1-7) 

Jesus made His Triumphal Entry at the beginning of the Passover Week and His first order of business was “cleaning the temple”, demonstrating that the nation had brought judgment upon themselves because they had moved away from God and were following the “doctrines of men” — further proof that they had come under judgment was demonstrated by Jesus cursing the Fig Tree (the Fig tree represents the “congregation of Israel” and those God had made “rulers” over Israel and God’s “house” in Jerusalem) and clearly telling the nation Israel that God was removing Himself and giving His kingdom to another nation that bears kingdom fruit. 

“Now” Jesus is building on those Lessons and directs our attention to signs — and again Jesus uses the Fig Tree and takes us on a different viewpoint as He leads up to His next question “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45) Our attention goes from “signs” to consideration of “service, faithfulness, and wisdom” as Jesus reveals the Truth of God that “rulers” are “made rulers” only by the “master” making it so!  

Moses, the one chosen by God to lead Israel out of bondage, was “made ruler” by God — (freedom from bondage is what the Passover Week is all about), David was “made king” of Judah by God and then Jerusalem was made the capitol of the kingdom of Judah because God “made” David victorious over the Canaanites — a Promise which God had made to Israel on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan that “the [Great I AM] LORD GOD of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob… has visited you and has seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites…” (Exodus 3:16-17) 

So now Jesus is going to give us instructions on how to prevent being cursed to hell by the ““death angel” that will “pass over” the whole earth in “judgment” at the “end of the age” and it will center around the “Blood” of the “Passover Lamb” that was shed for the sins of the world which will fulfill God’s Master Plan for the world!!! 

This is a good time then to consider who is your “Master” and do you plan to “apply the blood” of the “Passover Lamb” like God instructed all those that had to face the “death angel” in Egypt and had ignored God when He said, “I will execute judgment. I AM the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on all the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:12-13) 

All of this ties in nicely to Jesus making the statement in His question “…whom his master made ruler over his household…” so Jesus is bringing together all the history of Israel with the Great I AM God of their fathers, freedom from bondage, and the Truth of God that God Himself is the MASTER and it is God Himself that makes us “rulers over [our] own households” and God expects us to be responsible in taking care of our family as God leads all families to the Promised Land ——— “all these things APPLY TODAY” ——— so “now” you probably should consider the “wisdom” and rewards of “faithfully serving” God or do you not fear the Promised Judgment!?!?!?!?!?

OCTOBER 20 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

 OCTOBER 20  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

OCTOBER 20  LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord we do pray to be wise and faithful servants, but only to the All-Wise and Forever-Faithful God who has proven Himself Faithful and True to us, a Loving God who demonstrated that He  “so loved the world” that He gave His Only Begotten Son to be the Acceptable Sacrificial “Lamb of God” for the atonement of all sin. Lord let us realize that it is sin that separates us from Your Wisdom and divides our desires thereby decreasing our “faithfulness to God” which leaves us a slave to sin and self. 

Lord, it is a daily struggle and sin daily saps our strength of spirit and loss of spirit can only be renewed by the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit — Lord I pray for forgiveness where I fail You each and every day because I always drift away from the Shelter of God’s Grace in the Still Waters of Your Peace and I let the secular winds blow me back to the world and myself — both of which are naturally servants to sin and faithful only to self. 

Lord I know that if, and only if, “the Son makes you free” that then, and only then, I can truly be free of self and my slavery to the world.  Never before have I written this ——— with my heart so focused on  Jesus ——— “ I LOVE YOU LORD”!!!!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus asks with JQ#31 a Question that on the surface seems simple — but if we fail to look below the obvious outer layer of the Question we will fall victim to our natural prejudices that have been ingrained in us by the secular world. For instance, many may find it “below” their “privileged status” to consider themselves as “servants” to anyone or anything because they have bought into the mantra, “I am the Captain of my Soul” and sing at the top of their secular voice “I Did It My Way”. 

Surely these secular dogmas of “self” are superior to being a “servant” — or could you already be enslaved to a secular society that has placed invisible chains around your initiative and imprisoned you to a lifetime of progressive secularism that is devoted to self-promotion from which there is no freedom — being devoted entirely to self meets all the criteria of the true definition of slavery! 

If we do not look at “Who?” is asking the Question, “When and Where?” the Question was asked, and take into serious consideration “Why?” the Question was even asked (i.e., the context of the Question) and “What?” could Jesus possibly want to Teach us by asking such a humiliating simple Question, then you will forever remain in your secular shackles! 

Let us first look at “Who?” is asking the question: Answer: Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. (Need any more references — I’ll give you one more, Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior!) Next we must consider “When and Where?” the Question was asked: Answer: “When?” — The Last Week of Jesus being on earth to bring salvation to a world that was moving away from God — further His Last Week was the Passover Week: the major Jewish spring festival that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and “Where?” — in Jerusalem, the City of David where the temple of the Living God was built by King David’s son Solomon who was considered the wisest person to ever live and who built the temple for the Living God to reside in and it was God that gave Solomon his wisdom and it was God that gave David victories over his enemies and gave David the city of Jerusalem which became the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah. 

The common meaning of “Jerusalem” is “The City of Peace”. To understand “Why?” Jesus asked the Question and to understand “What?” Jesus is trying to Teach us, we must look at the Question itself and listen to what Jesus tells us about being a good servant, not from the viewpoint of the secular world, but from God’s own heart and Compassion.

God’s Great Compassion for His Creation is demonstrated by God freeing the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and instituted the Passover Feast and culminating with this particular Passover Feast in which God’s Only Begotten Son will become the Sacrificial Lamb of God thereby bringing salvation from the bondage of sin to everyone that believes the Living God and His Only Begotten Son would love the world so much that They would go to such great extent to prove Their Love for a lost and dying world! Until you understand that when you become a “servant of God” that only then will you be the “master of your household” and only then you can truly begin to understand why “servanthood” to God is better than being “King of the world”!!!!!!!!!!!!  

OCTOBER 19 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

 OCTOBER 19  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, one day at a time — each day I start with Your Word and with this prayer, and each day is a blessing and regardless of the circumstances of the day because You keep Your promise to be here for those that call on Your Name, You are here and I can say, “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death that I will fear no evil for Thou art with me”!!! 

When I think of the circumstances that I find myself in, I realize that they fall into one of two categories and either “Your rod” is correcting a wayward course or “Your staff” is pulling me to safety so I take comfort in the fact that You are with me and there is no circumstance that You cannot use to keep and protect us with Your Grace and Mercy.

Thank You Lord for coming to earth and suffering in the flesh so that when we are suffering we can rest assured You have won Victory over suffering for our sakes. Forgive me for my daily sins and lead me in paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake!!!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has started His lead-up Lessons to His next Question by asking us to “learn this parable from the fig tree” (Matthew 24:32) and with a minimum amount of research on fig trees themselves we find an unusual behavior about the fig tree that is not common among what we modern Walmart-age-westerners know about fruit trees. I know I expected that the life cycle would be for the fruit tree to go dormant and lose its leaves in the fall and then in the spring there would be leaves and then flowers which turn into fruit that ripens in the summer — and then the cycle repeats. 

So when I read for the first time about Jesus cursing the fig tree, I took the same position of many people who don’t know (or have not “learned” about the fig tree) and about the unusual thing concerning figs is that in the late fall, figs that do not ripen before the fig tree goes dormant and sheds its leaves, these remaining fall figs are called the “late” figs and they too will go dormant but they do not fall off but instead they “winter over” and then when the tree begins to come out of the winter dormancy. 

This unusual “dormancy” is observed by the fig tree branches becoming tender and starts to put forth leaves, that the “late” figs actually ripen and are used as food! The other odd thing about the fig tree is that the blossoms of the fruit appear before the leaves so if the fig tree has nothing but leaves then the tree is not producing fruit! Furthermore, if the tree does not have any “late” figs ripening along with the tree putting forth a new crop of “blossoms” then the tree had not produced any fruit the previous year either, hence when Jesus observed the fig tree outside Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate in the village of Bethphage (Bethphage means “house of unripe figs”) then He observed that there was no “fruit”.

It was for the reason that the fig tree was producing no fruit to sustain the people that Jesus cursed the fig tree. The “cursed tree” was “fruitless” and the fact that Jesus as His first order of business as the Messiah making His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was to “drive out all who bought and sold in the temple” and returned it to a “house of prayer” as God had intended it and then when one adds to these occurrences this incident of Jesus cursing the “fruitless” fig tree, His actions makes perfect sense! This sequence of Divine Actions gives us insight on the “end times” as well to consider that Jesus again uses the fig tree as a sign of the end of the age. 

If Jesus cursed the fig tree because it was not bearing fruit we can assume that it was a symbolic gesture by Jesus which was an indictment on the rulers God had put in place over His House of Prayer, coincidentally, these “rulers” actually resided outside Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate in the village of priests known as Bethphage. When all this is considered together we can surmise that Jesus is pronouncing a “judgement” on the nation Israel and their “rulers” because they were proving themselves to be unwise and unfaithful servants who had let God’s temple become a den of thieves. We know from history that the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. after Jesus cursed the “fig tree” and the nation Israel was taken into captivity as the Scriptures had prophesied.

Now Jesus is using the Fig Tree which is representative of the nation of Israel to give us a sign that can only be understood by those that have “learned” the parable of the “fig tree” and know that at the end of the age that the nation Israel will be converted and will start producing “kingdom fruit” which will be a major event in the religious history of Israel who prayed for thousands of years for the Messiah and then had Him crucified when He came!

So when you see the nation of Israel recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, then you will “know that summer is near”. So you also, when you see all these things, know that the end of the age and Jesus coming again is near, very near — at the doors.” (Matthew 24:33) Just as Israel becoming a nation again was a sign of the beginning of the end times, so will Israel recognizing Jesus as the Messiah be a sign that we are in the last generation of this age!

OCTOBER 18 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

 OCTOBER 18  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord You are greatly to be praised for You Lord are Ever-Faithful and Loving to us, a sinful people, and to me the chief of sinners. Lord I know that it is only through Your Spirit Living in me can I do any good work,  LORD without You, I am indeed weak in the flesh.  

Lord, I praise the Holy Spirit for letting me know as soon as my intent is wayward the HOLY SPIRIT  convicts my mind and IMMEDIATELY my mind and my will start their discourse on “course correction” to get me back on the right SPIRITUAL track!  Lord You have given us Free Will and You expect us to use it responsibly, so Lord I pray for the Holy Spirit to guide me in self-discipline and Teach me True Obedience to Your Will and Your Ways!!!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus always Teaches a Lesson first and then asks the Question in order for us to laser beam focus onto the Truth of God that is paramount in every Lesson that Jesus Teaches. By understanding the “parable of the fig tree” we start getting a better understanding about Jesus asking, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant…?” 

The fig tree that Jesus cursed as He returned to Jerusalem after spending the night with friends in Bethany represents the nation Israel and the fig tree that was just outside the Eastern Gate as Jesus and His disciples were about to enter Jerusalem the morning after Jesus had overturned the money changers tables in front of the temple in Jerusalem. The fig tree withered immediately when Jesus pronounced a curse on it; however, the curse was not against the physical tree itself but was a curse on the religious leaders of Israel because they had abandoned God and His Commandments. 

The religious leaders in Jerusalem  were establishing “doctrines and traditions” from their own interpretation of God’s WORD and therefore the nation Israel was no longer producing “kingdom” fruit as commanded by God Himself. In other words, God [the master] had made the religious leaders the rulers “over [God’s] household” and they had proved themselves to be “unwise” servants and had not been “faithful” in feeding the nation the “spiritual food” God had intended for His word !!!

In the 55th Chapter of Isaiah, God Himself speaks about providing “spiritual food”:

 “As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and does not return to it without watering the earth, causing it to bud and flourish in order to bring forth bread for the eater and seed for the sower, so is my WORD that goes forth from my mouth, it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11) 

In this Isaiah passage, “rain and snow” clearly is prophetic of Jesus {the living water} coming down from heaven and causing the earth to “bud” {learn the parable of the fig tree} and “flourish” {the abundant life} and provide “bread for the eater” {Spiritual food from the Word because man does not live by bread alone} and “seed for the sower” {those that spread the Word} — God’s Word was sent because of God’s Desire  {God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son} and consuming God’s WORD always produces kingdom “fruit”!!!  

As believers, we should always be aware that God has a Plan that will be “ACCOMPLISHED” because “no one can stay the HAND  OF GOD!!!  Remember the opening line “as the rain and snow come down from heaven” which is a picture of Jesus coming in the flesh to die on the cross, but do not miss the line that the “rain and snow” will return to heaven — sounds like the “resurrection” to me so why not expect that God’s Plan is to judge the earth relative to the “Spiritual Fruit” we produce and to expect that if we are “barren” and show no signs of “spiritual fruit” in our lives that our fate could be the same as the cursed “fig tree” !?!?!?  

 Just a little “spiritual food for thought” ———

OCTOBER 17 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

 OCTOBER 17  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, praise be to the Son that was Obedient to the Father’s Will, who gave so unselfishly of Himself in order that others could have fellowship with the Father God in heaven. 

Lord, we live our day-to-day lives thinking only about ourselves and miss the blessing of Sacrificial Living that You demonstrated when You walked on this earth in the flesh and was tempted as we are tempted, yet You were without sin — does sin come from self? 

Lord Jesus, forgive me when I get caught up in “how I feel” and miss the blessing that comes from caring about my fellow man like You did. Lord, we cannot perform miracles on our own but I am confident that we can have “compassion” for others and that the Father will work in their lives and bless us as well.   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus always Teaches so much more than just what is on the surface and this Lesson that He is Teaching which begins “Now learn this parable from the fig tree:” (Matthew 24:32) has much meaning if we put forth the effort to do as Jesus instructs us to do and “learn” the meaning of the “parable” and the “fig tree”. The other thing that Jesus does with His Lesson is to take the obvious which we see on a daily basis and give great “spiritual” meaning to it and since Jesus uses that which is familiar to us in our daily world that we will be able to “learn” His intended Lesson — the Lesson also being the answer to His Question.  

Jesus asks each Question to get us thinking about another “Truth of God” and with each Lesson Jesus reveals the Father in heaven to us which Teaches us that GOD IS TRUTH. 

The Fig Tree that was “cursed” in Matthew 21 is actually a commentary on the state of the Jewish church in Jerusalem. Jesus had returned the temple to a “house of prayer” and the chief priests and elders in the church began to attack Jesus because they felt that all authority was theirs by “tradition” and were very confrontational with Jesus, so much so that Jesus left Jerusalem that night and went and stayed in Bethany. 

The next morning Jesus returned to the city and the Scriptures note that Jesus was “hungry” which meant He was looking for the church in Jerusalem to provide “spiritual” food for the nation. When Jesus came upon the fig tree and found that it only had leaves, Jesus knew that the church was barren for the Fig Tree actually puts forth fruit buds BEFORE the leaves appear — also the late figs often winter-over and ripen the following spring so knowing about the Fig Tree one can understand why when Jesus looked at the Fig Tree as symbolic of the church in Jerusalem and “cursed” it for obvious reasons. 

Jesus observed that on this Fig Tree outside the Eastern Gate, there was no fruit from last year nor was there any fruit buds for the upcoming year that Jesus made the statement on the church in Jerusalem with His “cursing” the tree and by making it wither that God has passed Judgement on the church in Jerusalem because the church showed no signs of fruit, none from the “fall fruit” that ripens the following spring nor any small buds indicating that the tree would not produce any “summer fruit”.  

The statement that Jesus made after the parable of the vineyard makes much more sense once we “learn” about the “fig tree”: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Matthew 21:43) So we can “learn” from the “fig tree” that God expects “kingdom fruit” and if there is no “fruit” then God will move the tree somewhere that it will bear fruit. 

Now with this second lesson using the Fig Tree we can ascertain that since Jesus is giving “signs” of the end time that Jesus is telling us via this parable of the Fig Tree what the state of the nation of Israel will be “at the end of the age” because Jesus says “So you also, when you see all these things (the tender branches and its putting forth leaves), you will know that “summer is near” and when you see the nation Israel putting forth leaves and its national branches are tender, that the “end of the age” is “near—at the doors.” (Matthew 24:32-33) 

Therefore if we are looking for "signs" of the “end of the age” and Jesus returning to earth, we should “learn the parable of the fig tree” and know that it is representative of the nation Israel and by watching Israel we will know that God has promised to “restore” Israel in the Promised Land and God has a Plan which includes the “end of the age” and Jesus “coming again” — 

Jesus has given us a list of signs so that those that have “[learned] the parable of the fig tree” will know as Jesus stated, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) My prayer for America and the world is that we will “learn the parable of the fig tree” and we will produce “kingdom fruit” for the ONE that spoke Creation into existence and whose WORD will remain after Creation has “passed away.”

OCTOBER 16 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

 

OCTOBER 16  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, each day is a blessing that is bestowed on us by Your Grace and Mercy.  Lord Jesus, as I call upon Your Holy Name I pray that I will call upon You for the right reason and do not let me get caught up in rituals or doing things so that I can have “spiritual” notches on my belt of self-righteousness, for I know there is no such thing as “self”-righteousness! 

Indeed, there is only one true righteousness and that comes through the blood of the Lamb of God that was slain that all men could receive forgiveness of sins and only through that Grace can we be clothed in the clean and Holy robes of the righteousness bestowed on all who believe that God sent His Son to be the propitiation of our sin. Lord forgive me of my daily shortcomings and keep me fully in Your LIGHT!!!       AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus Masterfully weaves all His Lessons together so that there is One Truth to be learned as Jesus takes one Lesson and builds on it with another so that our understanding of God and God’s Plan is made clearer to us. Jesus is in the process of telling His disciples when the “end of the age” will be and has confirmed that at the “end of the age” that He will Return as “Master of the Household”. Jesus had used prophecy from Daniel who had written 600 years earlier to introduce in His “List of Signs of the End of the Age” pointing to the “Great Tribulation” which Daniel had prophesied would happen in the “Seventieth Week” and would be identified by someone standing in the place of God. This seventieth-week-usurper would offer “abominations” instead of daily sacrifices which would completely “desolate” the Holy Temple. Jesus called this event the “Abomination of Desolation” and then said His Return would happen very shortly. 

Jesus is now giving additional details to His disciples so that all believers could be prepared for His Return at the End of the Age. Jesus had stated plainly what the signs would be but being the Master Teacher He adds to our “understanding” by the use of parables. Jesus had just announced that God would send His angels to gather His “elect” (Matthew 24:31) and then Jesus says, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree; When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” (Matthew 24:32) Remember that this is His Last Week on earth “in the flesh” and that “He Began His Last Week On Earth” riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey as the Son of David and as soon as He made His Triumphal Entry Jesus went straight to the temple in Jerusalem and “drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple” (Matthew 21:12) which started a series of Lessons on returning the temple to God’s original intent. 

Jesus, by His Own Example demonstrated God’s original intent for the temple by returning the temple to a “house of prayer” and then Jesus “healed” everyone that “came to Him in the temple.” (Matthew 21:14). Jesus then spent several days addressing the problem of “hypocrisy” among the leaders and rulers of the nation Israel that had chosen to “follow the traditions and doctrines of men” instead of the Commands of God! Jesus had left the city that first day and on His return the next morning Jesus cursed a fig tree and “immediately the fig tree withered away” and the disciples “marveled” at the power Jesus demonstrated. (Matthew 21:18-20) 

This was not the first time in His final week that the symbolism of the fig tree was used — Jesus had sent His disciples into Bethphage when they had drawn near to Jerusalem and the meaning of “Bethphage” is “house of unripe figs”. The nation of Israel is symbolized by the fig tree so that everything Jesus did in association with the fig tree can easily be understood as a message to the entire nation of Israel specifically and God’s chosen people (His “elect”) in general, so when Jesus says, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree…” (Matthew 24:32) that we should look more closely at what Truth of God Jesus is Teaching us!!! 

Jesus described the fig tree as “When its branch has already become tender…” Jesus continues, “and puts  forth leaves…” Jesus explains, “…you know that summer is near.” (Matthew 24:32) Jesus refers back to His last Question: “Do you not see all these things?” (Matthew 24:2) which Jesus uses to begin His List of Signs of the End of the Age and to ask His disciples in effect, Do you not “understand” what “all these things” mean when Jesus adds to His explanation of the parable of the fig tree, “So you also, when you see all these things, know that [“the end of the age”] is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:33) 

Therefore since Jesus is giving us a sign, we would be wise to “understand” more clearly what He means when He says, “…know that it is near…”. The parable of the fig tree is important enough that we should look closely at the parable so that indeed we can “see all these things” and “know” what “is near” when the “fig tree” has “tender” branches and “puts forth leaves”!!!! Or do you think that Jesus is just not serious about the “end of the age”?

OCTOBER 15 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#30 “Do you not see all these things?” (Matthew 24:02)

 OCTOBER 15  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#30 “Do you not see all these things?”  (Matthew 24:02)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Redeemer of my soul, Lord to think that God has bestowed eternity on every soul that He creates through His Miracle of Life and then He endows each soul with True Freedom of Choice is almost more than our finite intellect can absorb — for why would such an All-powerful, All-knowing Supreme Being put such awesome power in the hands of such weak creatures? 

Lord, help us to understand that it is our weakness that is a blessing, but only if we recognize both the power that we have in these two miracles of God — Life and Free Will — and the responsibility to use both for the Glory of God the Creator and not to succumb to our weakness and live only for ourselves! Lord Jesus, You came and took on flesh that we might have an “example" of how to live our lives seeking the Father’s Will and let His Power work through our weakness, for only the Creator of Life can guide us in how best to “live” and how to make “good choices”  with our God-given powers of “life and free will”!!! 

Help us Lord to see that it is our attitude towards others that affect our eternity for You have declared that our eternity is based entirely on the choices we make in “how” we treat others that will determine “how” we ourselves will be treated by God!!!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has addressed the “Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24:21) which is marked by the “Abomination of Desolation” (Matthew 24:13) that the prophet Daniel had written about in 600 B.C. and then Jesus confirms that He will return unexpectedly and quickly when He said; “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:27) 

One can assume that the “Son of Man” will return when the earth is in turmoil for Jesus had said earlier, “…you will hear of wars…nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you…” (Matthew 24:6-9) and then as soon as Jesus declares the “coming of the Son of Man” He adds, “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together” which paints a grisly picture of earth when it is at war, nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, which could explain why Jesus had earlier made the statement about the “Great Tribulation” — “And unless those days were shortened no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22) 

These statements are prophetic and encouraging for the “elect” (of God) for although the “Great Tribulation” will cause much death throughout the world, God will be protecting His "elect”!!! Jesus then reveals a time frame for this “lightning” strike that comes with the “Coming of the Son of Man” as Jesus concludes His “Signs” with: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven , and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29-30) 

Therefore Jesus began with a question: “Do you not see all these things?” (Matthew 24:2) and then proceeded with a list of observable “signs” that will mark His “coming”, and the “end of the age”. Therefore we should be looking for His Return and understand that He will Return to save the “elect of God” which will be consistent with the Work God has Given the Son — Jesus said that His first coming was to bring Salvation to God’s people that Returned to Him and His Second Coming will be to bring Salvation to God’s “elect” that have indeed had their spiritual eyes opened and their heart softened so that they could receive the Gift of Grace! 

Jesus finished His List of Signs with a “Promise” to add to His assurance that “…he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13) with this: “And [God] will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:31) 

As always, Jesus asks us a Question then gives us the answer and then He always checks to make sure that we “understand” and that we can “see all these things” that God has revealed to His “elect” — all we have to do is open our eyes and observe the Glory of God!!!  

It is interesting to note that the term “elect” means “chosen” which gives additional weight to God’s Law of Choice and Consequence and our God-given gift of Free Will — The “Consequence” of “Choosing God” over man is that we are the “elect” because God “chooses” us because we “chose” Him!!!!! Can you not see that “belief” is a “choice” and we must use our God-given “choice” wisely, our “Eternity” depends on our “Choice”!!!!!!!!!