What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Today's Bible Reading: Matthew 22 & 24 - The Parables of the Wedding Feast and the Faithful Servant, and Lessons on Vigilance and Humility
What if the key to understanding life's greatest mysteries is hidden within ancient parables? Join us as we uncover the profound lessons found in Jesus' parable of the wedding feast from Matthew 22. We start with a story of rejected invitations and unexpected guests, revealing the deeper meaning behind the phrase "many are called, but few are chosen." We'll also explore Jesus' thought-provoking exchanges with the Pharisees and Sadducees, dissecting his teachings on paying taxes, the nature of resurrection, and the true essence of humility and faith.
In the next segment, we underscore the critical importance of vigilance with the parable of the faithful and wise servant from Matthew 24. Imagine a master guarding his home if he knew a thief was imminent—this powerful metaphor serves to remind us to remain ever-prepared for the unpredictable arrival of the Son of Man. We'll compare the outcomes of the diligent servant, who is rewarded, and the negligent one, who faces dire consequences. Our journey through these timeless teachings continues in the next episode, as we promise to delve deeper into the rich narratives of Matthew 25. Tune in for insights that call us to live with vigilance, integrity, and unwavering faith.
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? Alright, in today's Bible reading we're going to be picking back up in Matthew 22. If you're ready, let us begin. And Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son and he sent his servants to call them who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come Again. He sent other servants saying Tell those who are invited, but they would not come Again. He sent other servants saying Tell those who are invited. See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fatted calves have been slaughtered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.
Speaker 1:But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm and another to his business, while the rest seized the servants and treated them shamefully and they killed them. The king was angry and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go, therefore, to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you can find. And those servants went out into the roads and they gathered all whom they found both bad and good. So the wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment and he said to him Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are called but few are chosen. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted on how to entangle him in his words and they sent their disciples to him along with Herodians, saying Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearance. Tell us then what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus, aware of their malice, said why do you put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax. And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them Whose likeness and inscription is this? And they said it's Caesar's. Then he said to them Therefore, render Caesar the things that are Caesar and to God the things that are God's. When they heard it, they marveled and they left him and went away.
Speaker 1:The same day, the Sadducees came to him who said there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question saying Teacher resurrection. And they asked him a question saying Teacher Moses said If a man dies having no children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now, there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died and, having no offspring, left his wife to his brother, so to the second, third and down to the seventh, and after them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her, but Jesus answered them. You are wrong because you neither know the scriptures nor the power of God, for in the resurrection they will neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God? I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, and when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teachings.
Speaker 1:When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? And he said to him you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment, and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. Now, while the Pharisees were gathered together, jesus asked them a question saying what do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him the son of David. He said to them how is it then that David in the Spirit calls him Lord? Saying the Lord said to my Lord Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. If, then, david calls him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word, nor, from that day on, did anyone dare to ask him any more questions, matthew 23.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples the scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do, for they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to bear, and they lay them on people's shoulders, but they are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the places of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplace, being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Speaker 1:But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces, for you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you travel across the sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if he swears by the gold on the temple, he is bound by his oath. You blind fools, for which is greater the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And you say If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound by his oath? You blind men, for which is greater the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. And whoever swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
Speaker 1:Woe to you, scribes and the Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you tithe, mint and deal and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the other, you blind guides straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees. First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, and the outside may also be cleaned. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanliness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you build tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the shedding of the blood of the prophets. Thus you witness against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers. How are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and you will persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barak, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, jerusalem, the city that kills the prophet. And Matthew 24.
Speaker 1:Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them. You see, all these things, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming at the end of the age. And Jesus answered them.
Speaker 1:See that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name, saying I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray. And you will hear wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginnings of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death and you will be hated by all nations for my namesake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.
Speaker 1:So when you see the abomination of desolation spoke of by the prophet Daniel, stand it in the holy place. Then let the reader understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And, alas, for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days, pray that your fight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. No, it never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
Speaker 1:Then, if anyone says to you look here's the Christ or there he is. Do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, look he is in the wilderness, do not go out. If they say, look he is in the inner room, do not believe it.
Speaker 1:For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man, for wherever the corpses are there, the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heaven will be shaken. Then will appear in the heavens the sign of the Son of man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. Then 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, and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds and from one end of heaven to the other From the fig tree learn its lesson.
Speaker 1:As soon as the branches become tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is at the very gates. For in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of man. Then two men will be in the field, one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and the other left.
Speaker 1:Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming, but know this that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of man is coming in an hour. You do not expect. Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant, whom his master will find so doing.
Speaker 1:When he comes, truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. And if that wicked servant says to himself my master is delayed and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of the servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and an hour he does not know, and he will cut him to pieces and put him with the hypocrites In that place. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. All right, that's all the time we have today. Tomorrow we'll pick back up in Matthew 25. Until then, god bless you and goodbye.