Today we read Matthew 23. Here, Jesus has one of many confrontations with His opponents–the scribes and Pharisees. They refuse to accept that He is the promised Messiah and thus God. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit allows us to recognize precisely these two things and believe in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today we read Matthew 22. Jesus sums up the Ten Commandments in two sentences (verses 37-39): Love the triune God and love your neighbor. That’s how we Christians are to live. And when we do these things poorly or sometimes even fail to do them, Jesus always forgives us. How wonderful!

Today we read Matthew 21. In verses 42-44, Jesus explains that some of His own people rejected Him. This is also true for the many who oppose Jesus–even today. And yet He is the cornerstone of our lives and of world history. We praise God for that.

Today we read Matthew 20. For the third time in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus foretells that He will be crucified. This was no accident… From before the beginning of time, God knew and planned that *He* would die for *your* sins and for the sins of the world–and would rise again from the dead, so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life in heaven. Praise God that He loves us so much!