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”?