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Jesus tells a parable about two disrespectful sons of a vineyard owner. Both are told to go work in the vineyard by their father. The first said he wouldn’t go, but later repented and did. The second said he would go, but never went. Jesus then asked the priests and elders which of the two sons actually obeyed. They gave the correct answer. Jesus then explained its meaning to everyone in the temple.

The chief priests confront Jesus in the temple and interrogate Him about His authority. They publicly ask Him a framing question hoping to entrap Him. Jesus promises to answer their question if they will answer His alternatively framed question about John the Baptist’s authority. When they decline to answer His question, Jesus declines to answer theirs.

The disciples wonder about the fig tree withering at Jesus’s curse. Jesus teaches them about faith. He tells the disciples if they have faith without doubting, that they will be able to move mountains.

In the morning after Jesus’s triumphal entry, Jesus travels back to Jerusalem from where He spent the night in Bethany. He becomes hungry and sees a fig tree in bloom alongside the road. Hoping to find something to eat, He walks up to it. When He does not find any fruit, Jesus curses the fig tree and it withers, instantly.

Jesus heals the blind and lame in the temple as the children shout Hosanna to the Son of David. The priests were angered by this, and asked Jesus if He heard and approved of what they were saying. Jesus did approve of their praise and He asked them if they understood what Psalm 8 meant. He then left Jerusalem with His disciples to spend the night in the nearby town of Bethany.

Jesus enters the temple and drives out the money changers and merchants. He quotes the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah in His rebuke.

Jesus simultaneously enters the city of Jerusalem triumphantly as the Messiah and as the Passover Lamb. Crowds of people shout “Hosanna” and Messianic lines from Psalm 118. His entrance causes a stir among those who are in the city and attracts their curiosity about who He is.

Matthew 21:1-7 meaning

August 15, 2022

Jesus and the disciples pause as they approach the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. Jesus sends two disciples to go retrieve a donkey and her unridden colt from the village of Bethphage. Once done the disciples lay their coats on the beasts and Jesus begins to ride the colt into Jerusalem. This fulfills a Messianic prophecy from Zechariah.

Acts 4:31-37 meaning

August 1, 2022

God answers the believers’ prayer for boldness by filling them with the Holy Spirit. The church is united in heart and soul. The apostles continue to preach and perform miracles. The wealthier believers sell their land and properties, then bring money to the apostles to dole out to the neediest among them. One of these generous men was called Barnabas.

Acts 4:23-30 meaning

August 1, 2022

The believers gather together and pray that God would give them courage to continue preaching and healing in Jesus’s name.

Acts 4:13-22 meaning

August 1, 2022

The religious leaders are shocked that Peter and John speak so defiantly. They see that the apostles are uneducated but were followers of Jesus during His lifetime. They set Peter and John free because the people who witnessed the healing are praising God for the miracle, but they warn them not to preach about Jesus anymore. Peter and John reply that they will obey God, not man.

Acts 4:5-12 meaning

August 1, 2022

The religious leaders assemble to judge Peter and John. This is the same council that condemned Jesus to death. The leaders ask the apostles how they healed the lame man at the temple. Peter boldly tells them the man was healed in the name of Jesus Christ, whom they crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. The only way to be made righteous in the sight of God is through Jesus.

Acts 4:1-4 meaning

August 1, 2022

Peter and John are arrested by the Sadducees for teaching that Jesus was resurrected. But many who heard them preach the gospel believed, and the church grew in size to 5000 men.

Paul emphasizes one last time the goal of living a God—honoring life apart from the world, so that our body and soul will be blameless when Jesus returns.

Paul summarizes what sanctified living looks like for the Thessalonians. They should support their leaders, be at peace with one another, help those who are afraid or are immature, and live life full of prayer with a joyful attitude.

We can anticipate Jesus’s return with hope and love. We should encourage one another to live faithfully now so that we are ready for His second coming.

Jesus will return unexpectedly, so believers should always be ready for His arrival.

Numbers 5:29-31 provide a summary of the principles in this section (verses 11-28) concerning a husband’s suspicion and jealousy of his wife’s adultery.

Numbers 5:23-28 contain additional activities that needed to happen prior to the woman drinking the water.

Verses 16-22 describe the ritual performed by the priest in order to determine the guilt or innocence of the woman suspected of adultery. It included the drinking of the "water of bitterness" which, depending on her guilt or innocence, would affect her physically. The ritual included the pronouncement of a curse that would go into effect if she was guilty of adultery. The accused woman would then agree to the terms of the curse.

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