#SpreadTheGospel

Good people of the Lord,

How art thou?

Last week was a week of conquest for me. I completed my first 72-hour water-only fast and two days later, pushed myself to a hike in spite of the rain and the heavy mud. I was rewarded with the most scenic of views, the freshest of air and an incomparable feeling of accomplishment! I did a highlight reel here.

Rumble in the Jerusalem Jungle

I listed an audio book on Don King called, Power and I marveled at the guts that this man had. Upon completion of the audio book, I had the perfect sub-title for my Savage Saviour series. If you are new here, you can catch up with the first article here, and thereafter, proceed to subscribe to remain up to date with the latest posts. 😉

For context, Don King is American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing fixtures such as the Thriller in Manila and the iconic Rumble in the Jungle.

To Don King, each boxing match was more than the sport, it was about black culture. Case in point, before the Rumble in the Jungle match that was held in Kinshasa, Congo – he organized a three day concert that brought together top artists such as BB King and James Brown. This was at the height of racial segregation and the peak of the civil rights movement in the United States of America, so this was no small feat. Don King is still alive and is currently 93 years old.

Jesus vs. the Pharisees

Commentator: Matthew

A boxing match has eight rounds but I will cover four deadly rounds that are found in one chapter in the Book of Matthew. Yep, four deadly deadly rounds all in one chapter. Jesus was on a roll.

Let’s get right to it:

Round One

“The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Score: Jesus 10 – 0 Pharisees

Round Two

Jesus spent the night in Bethany and returned to Jerusalem the following morning.

Another day, another shade.

“When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Score: Jesus 10 – 0 Pharisees

Round Three

““But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭28‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now we don’t see the Pharisees’ reaction here, but we know they felt the blows.

Score: Jesus 10 – 0 Pharisees

Round Four

““Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’ ? “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭33‬-‭44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Y’all are teachers of the Bible but don’t know this? Don’t you read your Bibles??? ~ Jesus to the Pharisees.

“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭45‬-‭46‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus wins with a technical knockout to the Pharisees.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the winner of the match and the undisputed champion… Jesuuuuuuuuuus Chriiiiiiiiiiiiiist!

XO,

That Lady