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5 min read"What's Wrong With You?" — The Three Parables That Expose Religion
Near the end of his ministry, with the cross days away, Jesus intensifies his teaching. In Matthew 21, the religious leaders confront him with a question about authority, but Jesus refuses to play their game. Instead, he delivers three parables back-to-back, each making the same point with increasing force: the people who thought they were first in line are actually last, and the ones they looked down on are entering the kingdom ahead of them.
The Authority Question That Backfired
When the chief priests and elders demand, "By what authority are you doing these things?" they are really asking because they are losing control. They cannot deny Jesus' miracles—the lame walking, the blind seeing, the crowds worshipping—so they try to trap him with a procedural question. Jesus responds with a question of his own: "The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven or from man?"
The religious leaders are caught. If they say "from heaven," Jesus will ask why they did not believe John, who pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. If they say "from man," they fear the crowd, who held John as a prophet. So they answer, "We don't know." And Jesus says, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:20) **Scripture & Setup** - The speaker opens Matthew 21, recapping the events of Jesus' week so far: the triumphal entry, temple cleansing, healing, and the cursing of the fig tree.
- 2 (01:46) **The Authority Challenge** - The religious leaders ask Jesus, "By what authority are you doing these things?" exposing their concern over losing their own power and control.
- 3 (03:33) **Jesus' Counter-Question** - Jesus refuses to play their game, answering their question with a question about the baptism of John.
- 4 (05:47) **Three Parables, One Point** - Jesus tells three parables back-to-back, all making the same point with increasing intensity: "What is wrong with you? How did you miss the point?"
- 5 (08:00) **Parable 1: The Two Sons** - A father asks his two sons to work in the vineyard; one refuses but later repents and goes, the other agrees but does not go.
- 6 (11:26) **The Gospel of Need** - The core of the gospel is that we must repent not only of our unrighteousness but even of our righteous deeds, which are like filthy rags before God.
- 7 (14:50) **Parable 2: The Wicked Tenants** - A master plants a vineyard (Israel) and leases it to tenants, who beat, kill, and stone the servants (prophets) sent to collect fruit.
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Show Notes
What happens when religion gets in the way of redemption?
In Matthew 21:23–22:14, Jesus confronts the religious leaders through three powerful parables that expose the difference between simply looking religious and truly surrendering to Him. We see that salvation cannot be earned through good works or religious activity.
The invitation to the Kingdom is extended to everyone, but we must respond with repentance, faith, and surrender to Jesus.
📖 Scripture References
• Matthew 21:23–22:14
• Matthew 4
• Matthew 5
• Matthew 25
• Luke 15
• Isaiah 5:7
• Isaiah 14
• Isaiah 64:6
• Psalm 118:22–23
• Philippians 2:10–11
📌 Supplemental Resources From This Week:
• Full Service
• Deepen Podcast
• A Message from Our Elders
• Matthew Season 6
The Church of Eleven22® is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Eleven22 is led by Pastor Joby Martin and based in Jacksonville, Florida, with multiple campuses throughout Jacksonville and the surrounding areas.
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