3470.) Matthew 28

What Happened on the Cross

by John Damascene (c. 675 – 749)

By nothing else except the death of our Lord Jesus Christ
has death been brought low:

The sin of our first parent destroyed,
hell plundered,
resurrection bestowed,
the power given us to despise the things of this world,
even death itself,
the road back to the former blessedness made smooth,
the gates of paradise opened,
our perfected nature seated at the right hand of God,
and we made children and heirs of God.
.   .   .

Matthew 28   (NRSV)

The Resurrection of Jesus

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Music:

HERE  is “Christ, the Lord, Is Risen Today”  sung by Steve Green.

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After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

²And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.

“The Angel at the Tomb of Christ,” by Benjamin West, 1805 (Brooklyn Museum)

from Edges of His Ways,
by Amy Carmichael

Mark 16: 3,4 — [The women] said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?  And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away:  for it was very great.

Matthew 28: 2 — And the angel of the Lord . . . came . . .and sat upon it.

Let us look out for angels when impossible things lie ahead. Think of impossibilities being turned into seats for angels! Have we not a wonderful God? So whatever the difficulty is–something we do not know how to do, or some inward matter–we shall see it rolled away, and more than that, turned to some unexpected good. I do enjoy that calm word, And the angel sat upon it.

⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.

There are several examples in the Bible of people being resuscitated before this, such as the widow’s son in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44).  Each of these was resuscitated from death, but none of them were resurrected.   Each of them was raised in the same body they died in, and raised from the dead to eventually die again.  Resurrection isn’t just living again; it is living again in a new body, based on our old body, perfectly suited for life in eternity.   Jesus was not the first one brought back from the dead, but He was the first one resurrected.

–David Guzik

Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”

The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem

⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Hymn:  “Go to Dark Gethsemane”  (verse 4)

Early hasten to the tomb
Where they laid his breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom.
Who has taken him away?
Christ is ris’n!  He meets our eyes.
Savior, teach us so to rise.

–James Montgomery (1771-1854)

The Report of the Guard

¹¹While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

The power of God is now and has always been the power to raise us from the dead. Period. It is not about us. It is about God. Our only role is to stick our feet straight up in the air and admit that without God we might as well be put to bed with a shovel. Now that is a message that can empty a church out fast.

–from God in Pain, by Barbara Brown Taylor

The Commissioning of the Disciples

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

“We believe in this power, and we rest in it.”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“When Christ saith, ‘I will be with you,’ you may add what you will; to protect you, to direct you, to comfort you, to carry on the work of grace in you, and in the end to crown you with immortality and glory. All this and more is included in this precious promise.”

–John Trapp

I CAN TELL MY WORLD about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

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Please share with your online “DWELLING in the Word” Bible-reading community what the Gospel of Matthew has said to your heart, soul, and mind. Click on  “Leave a Reply”  below. Thank you!

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The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Easter lily.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/easterlily.jpg

West.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_28:2#/media/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Women_at_the_Sepulchre_(The_Angel_at_the_Tomb_of_Christ)_-_Benjamin_West_-_overall.jpg

Garden Tomb.   http://gointosail.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/garden_tomb_sunshine-729942.jpg

BC cartoon.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/28-6-bc-cartoon.gif?w=450

globe.   https://plone.org/news/2014/plone-ambassadors-for-2014-2015

3469.) Matthew 27:32-66

contemporary Mexican icon

Matthew 27:32-66  (NRSV)

The Crucifixion of Jesus

“Jesus is nailed to the cross” stained glass window from St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Layton, Utah.

³²As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.

There is reason to believe that Simon came to know what it really meant to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus, for there is some evidence to suggest that his sons became leaders among the early Christians (Mark 15:21 and Romans 16:13).

³³And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), ³⁴they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

It was customary to give those about to be crucified a pain-numbing and mind-numbing drink, to lessen their awareness of the agony awaiting them. But Jesus refused any numbing drug. He chose to face the spiritual and physical terror with His senses awake.

–David Guzik

Psalm 69:21 (NASB)

They also gave me gall for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

³⁵And when they had crucified him,

“Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering.”

–Dr. William Edwards

they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; ³⁶then they sat down there and kept watch over him.

Psalm 22:18 (NASB)

They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.

³⁷Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

³⁸Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, ⁴²“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. ⁴³He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” ⁴⁴The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

Psalm 22:7 (CEB)

All who see me make fun of me—
    they gape, shaking their heads.

Significantly, they mocked Jesus for who He really was and is.

· They mocked Him as a Savior.

· They mocked Him as a King.

· They mocked Him as a believer who trusted in God.

· They mocked Him as the Son of God.

They acted as if Jesus did what they said, they would believe Him. Yet it is precisely because He did not save Himself that He can save others. Love kept Jesus on the cross, not nails! Jesus did greater than come down from the cross; He rose from the dead, yet they did not believe even then.

–David Guzik

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

⁴⁶And about three o”clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Psalm 22:1 (NASB)

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.

⁴⁷When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.”

⁴⁸At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”

⁵⁰Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.

⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

⁵⁵Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Hymn:  “Go to Dark Gethsemane”  (verse 3)

Calvary’s mournful mountain climb;
There, adoring at his feet
Mark that miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete.
“It is finished!”  hear him cry;
Learn from Jesus Christ to die.

–James Montgomery (1771-1854)

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock.

He came into the world from a virgin’s womb; He came forth again from a virgin tomb. No body had ever been set in that tomb, so that when a body came forth and the tomb was empty, there was no possible confusion as to which body came forth.

–David Guzik

He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The tomb of Jesus, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶²The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

from Meditations on the Cross,
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945):

We stand between Good Friday and Easter, the days of God’s overpowering deeds in history, the deeds in which God judgment and grace were made visible to the world:
–Judgment, in those hours when Jesus Christ, the Lord, hung on the cross;
–Grace, in the hour when death was devoured by victory.
No human beings acted here. No, God alone did this. He walked the path to the people in endless love. He judged what is human. And He gave grace beyond merit.

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Music:

HERE  is a haunting rendition of “Were you there when they crucified my Lord.” The spiritual was arranged by Moses Hogan and is sung by Anthony León.

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The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Mexican crucifixion.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/27-mexican-crucifixion.gif?w=450

hand nailed to cross.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m27-hand-cross.jpg

Soldiers at the cross.   https://jesusfootprints.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/roman_soldiers_lots.gif

Holy Sepulcher.   http://www.jerusalemshots.com/i/holly_sepulcher/Holly_Sepulcher72.jpg

3468.) Matthew 27:1-31

Jesus, crowned with thorns in a Tyrian purple robe as the King of the Jews, being mocked and beaten during his Passion, depicted by van Baburen, 1623 (Museum Catharijneconvent, Netherlands)

Matthew 27:1-31  (NRSV)

Jesus Brought before Pilate

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. ²They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

The Suicide of Judas

³When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

⁵Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.

“Judas Hangs Himself” by Jean Colombe, 1485 (Musee Conde, Chantilly)

In his unrepentant remorse and despair, Judas committed suicide.

⁶But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.”

The hypocrisy of the chief priests was transparent. They didn’t want to defile themselves with blood money, even though it was a price that they themselves paid.

⁷After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. ⁸For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, ¹⁰and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Pilate Questions Jesus

Various scholars on Pontius Pilate:

“Pilate was in fact appointed prefect or procurator by Tiberius Caesar in a.d. 26. Prefects governed small, troubled areas; and in judicial matters they possessed powers like those of the far more powerful proconsuls and imperial legates; in short, they held the power of life and death.”

–D. A. Carson

“The ordinary residence of procurators was Caesarea, on the sea coast, but it was their custom to be in Jerusalem at Passover time, with a detachment of soldiers, to watch over the public peace.”

–F. F. Bruce

“Philo, the ancient Jewish scholar from Alexandria, described Pilate: ‘His corruption, his acts of insolence, his rapine, his habit of insulting people, his cruelty, his continual murders of people untried and uncondemned, and his never-ending gratuitous and most grievous inhumanity.'”

–William Barclay

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said, “You say so.”

¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. ¹³Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” ¹⁴But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Barabbas or Jesus?

¹⁵Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. ¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. ¹⁷So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ¹⁸For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.

“Let it be remembered that malice as often originates from envy as it does from anger.”

–Adam Clarke

¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.”

“Le Rêve de la femme de Pilate” (“The dream of Pilate’s wife”). Engraving by Alphonse François (1814-1888) after Gustave Doré.

“Most dreams we quite forget; a few we mention as remarkable, and only now and then one is impressed upon us so that we remember it for years. Scarcely have any of you had a dream which made you send a message to a magistrate upon the bench.”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.

²¹The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”

And they said, “Barabbas.”

²²Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

All of them said, “Let him be crucified!”

²³Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?”

But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified

“Jesus Before Pilate” charcoal print by Jan Richardson

²⁴So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

Spurgeon marvels that Pilate could commit murder, and then disclaim it.  Oh, the lies we tell ourselves about our own sins!

²⁵Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

²⁶So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

From the Apostles’ Creed:

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate.

Hymn:  “Go to Dark Gethsemane”  (verse 2)

Follow to the judgment hall,
View the Lord of life arraigned.
Oh, the wormwood and the gall!
Oh, the pangs his soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss;
Learn from him to bear the cross.

–James Montgomery (1771-1854)

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

“Le Christ aux injures” by contemporary French artist Macha Chmakoff

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Music:

HERE  is “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”  — Fernando Ortega, with verses of Scripture and pictures from the movie The Passion of Christ.

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²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

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The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

van Baburen.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus,_King_of_the_Jews#/media/File:Dirk_van_Baburen_-_Kroning_met_de_doornenkroon.jpg

Colombe.   https://www.walmart.com/ip/Judas-Hangs-Himself-24×18-Gold-Ornate-Wood-Framed-Canvas-Art-by-Limbourg-brothers/777144111?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=15301

Francois.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_dream_of_Pilate%27s_wife_by_Alphonse_Fran%C3%A7ois.jpg

Richardson.   https://janrichardsonimages.com/details.php?gid=54&pid=208

Chmakoff.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/27le-christ-aux-injures.jpg?w=450

3467.) Matthew 26:36-75

The traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:36-75   (NRSV)

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

“Praying at Gethsemane” by Chinese artist He Qi

³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane;

This is just east of the temple mount area in Jerusalem, across the ravine of the Brook Kidron, and on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives. Surrounded by ancient olive trees, Gethsemane means “olive press.” There, olives from the neighborhood were crushed for their oil. So too, the Son of God would be crushed here.

–David Guzik

and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. ³⁸Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.”

³⁹And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”

Psalm 40:6-8 (NASB)

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”

⁴⁰Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? ⁴¹Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴²Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

⁴³Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.

The struggle at the cross was first won in prayer in Gethsemane.

⁴⁵Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

Hymn:  “Go to Dark Gethsemane”  (verse 1)

Go to dark Gethsemane,
All who feel the tempter’s power;
Your Redeemer’s conflict see.
Watch with him one bitter hour;
Turn not from his griefs away:
Learn from Jesus Christ to pray.

–James Montgomery (1771-1854)

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴⁷While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Judas kisses Jesus — fresco by Giotto di Bondone at the Arena Chapel (Cappella Scrovegni), Padua, Italy, painted between 1304-1306.

There are no more hollow, hypocritical words in the Bible than Judas’ “Greetings, Rabbi!”

⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.”

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁵²Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?”

At the moment when it seemed Jesus had nothing and no advantage, He knew that He still had a Father in heaven, and access to His Father and all his resources in prayer.

–David Guzik

⁵⁵At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Jesus before the High Priest

⁵⁷Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. ⁵⁸But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end.

⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the whole council

This nighttime trial was illegal according to the Sanhedrin’s own laws and regulations. According to Jewish law, all criminal trials must begin and end in the daylight. Therefore, though the decision to condemn Jesus was already made, they conducted a second trial in daylight (Luke 22:66-71), because they knew the first one – the real trial – had no legal standing.

This was only one of many illegalities made in the trial of Jesus. 

· According to Jewish law, only decisions made in the official meeting place were valid. The first trial was held at the home of Caiaphas, the high priest.

· According to Jewish law, criminal cases could not be tried during the Passover season.

· According to Jewish law, only an acquittal could be issued on the day of the trial. Guilty verdicts had to wait one night to allow for feelings of mercy to rise.

· According to Jewish law, all evidence had to be guaranteed by two witnesses, who were separately examined and could not have contact with each other.

· According to Jewish law, false witness was punishable by death. Nothing was done to the many false witnesses in Jesus’ trial.

· According to Jewish law, a trial always began by bringing forth evidence for the innocence of the accused, before the evidence of guilt was offered. This was not the practice here.

William Barclay wrote, “These were the Sanhedrin’s own rules, and it is abundantly clear that, in their eagerness to get rid of Jesus, they broke their own rules.” 

–David Guzik

were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, ⁶⁰but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward.

Psalm 27:12 (NASB)

Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.

At last two came forward ⁶¹and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”

“Christ Before the High Priest” by Garrit van Honthorst, 1617 (National Gallery, London)

⁶²Then the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” ⁶³But Jesus was silent.

Jesus could have mounted a magnificent defense here, calling forth all the various witnesses to His deity, power and character. The people He taught, the people He healed, the dead risen, the blind who see, even the demons themselves testified to His deity. But Jesus opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).

Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶What is your verdict?”

They answered, “He deserves death.”

⁶⁷Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, ⁶⁸saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

⁷¹When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷²Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.”

⁷³After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!”

At that moment the cock crowed. ⁷⁵Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Weeping bitterly. This was the beginning of Peter’s repentance. 

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Music:

The St. Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach, BMV 244, composed in 1727, sets Matthew chapters 26 and 27 to music.  HERE  is an excerpt, “So my Jesus is now imprisoned,” with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and soloists. The St. Matthew Passion is the longest of Bach’s works — most recordings run between two-and-a-half and three hours.  But beautiful beyond words.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Gethsemane.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m26-gethsemane.jpg

He Qi.   https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/42-matthew-261-75/

Bondone.  http://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/thumb_ccdd57eed0.jpg

Honthorst.  http://www.katapi.org.uk/images/Art/ChristBeforeTheHighPriest-GvanHonthorst.jpg

rooster.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m26-rooster.jpg

3466.) Matthew 26:1-35

The Last Supper, about 1525–30, Simon Bening. (The J. Paul Getty Museum). The artist is picturing the moment Jesus announces that Judas is the one.

Matthew 26   (NRSV)

The Plot to Kill Jesus

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ²“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

“Having instructed his disciples and the Jews by his discourses, edified them by his example, convinced them by his miracles, he now prepares to redeem them by his blood!”

–Adam Clarke, British Wesleyan theologian

³Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

Psalm 2:2 (NASB)

The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed.

⁵But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

They didn’t want to put Jesus to death during the Passover feast, but that is exactly how it happened. This is another subtle indication that Jesus was in control of events, as they in fact killed Him on the very day that they didn’t want to.

–David Guzik

The Anointing at Bethany

“A Woman Anoints Jesus” by Floridian artist Jan Richardson, 2006.

⁶Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.

⁸But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? ⁹For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.”

¹⁰But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. ¹¹For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹²By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. ¹³Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Nothing we give to Jesus is ever wasted, but may indeed be greater than we think.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

No high and noble motives here — Judas betrays Jesus for his own greed, and for a relatively small amount of money.

The Passover with the Disciples

Jews celebrate Passover today with a meal which includes a Seder plate. Often the food on the plate is roasted egg, bitter herbs, roasted lamb shankbone, an apple-walnut salad called charoset, horseradish, and parsley. Matzo bread, red wine, and salt water are also important to the meal.

¹⁷On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹⁸He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” ¹⁹So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

²⁰When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; ²¹and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

²²And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”

“It is a beautiful trait in the character of the disciples that they did not suspect one another, but every one of them inquired, almost incredulously, as the form of the question implies, ‘Lord, is it I?’ No one said, ‘Lord, is it Judas?’”

–C. H. Spurgeon

²³He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.”

Psalm 41:9 (NASB)

Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

²⁵Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”

He replied, “You have said so.”

A final call to repentance for Judas.

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

“Bread and Wine” by Norwegian painter Kjersti Timenes, 2003.

²⁶While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

²⁷Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks

In the ancient Greek language, “thanks” is the word eucharist. This is why the commemoration of the Lord’s Table is sometimes called the Eucharist.

he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

³⁰When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Many scholars believe that Jesus and His disciples sang Psalm 118 at the conclusion of their Passover meal. Here are verses 23-24:

The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord‘s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

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Music:

HERE  is “Come to the Table”   sung by Michael Card. Yes, you are surely invited!

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Peter’s Denial Foretold

³¹Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³²But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Jesus already was looking beyond the cross. His eyes were set on the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).

³³Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.”

³⁴Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”

³⁵Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Bening.   https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/7-things-to-look-for-in-paintings-of-the-last-supper/

Richardson.  http://paintedprayerbook.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/blog-womananointsjesus.jpg

Seder plate.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m26-seder-plate.jpg

Timenes.   http://www.kjersti.timenes.net/paintings/symbols/1%20brdogvin.jpg

3465.) Matthew 25

“Ten Girls” from Vie de Jesus, MAFA

Matthew 25   (NRSV)

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.

All ten of the maidens slept, because the bridegroom was delayed. But the wise ones were prepared to act immediately when they were unexpectedly awakened. The foolish maidens were not prepared.

“The Wise Virgins” by James Tissot (Brooklyn Museum).

^6″But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷“Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

⁹“But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’

“The Foolish Virgins” by James Tissot (Brooklyn Museum).

¹⁰“And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.

^11″Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’

¹²“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

¹³“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The point of this parable is simple – be ready. The price for failing to be ready is too high.

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Music:

HERE  is “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”  a pop-rock gem by Chicago, a 1982 performance.

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The Parable of the Talents

“The Parable of the Talents” by Rembrandt, 1652 (Louvre).

¹⁴“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

A talent was a weight, not a coin. So the value of a talent depended upon what was being weighed.  But suffice it to say that each of the three slaves received a large amount.

¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’

²¹“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

²²“And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’

²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

“It is better to be faithful in the infant-school than to be unfaithful in a noble class of young men. Better to be faithful in a hamlet over two or three score of people, than to be unfaithful in a great-city parish, with thousands perishing in consequence. Better to be faithful in a cottage meeting, speaking of Christ crucified to half-a hundred villagers, than to be unfaithful in a great building where thousands congregate.”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’

He didn’t work. He didn’t even try. All he did was offer excuses.

²⁶“But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.

^28″So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Some think that readiness for Jesus’ return is a very spiritual and abstract thing. It really isn’t — it is a matter of being about our business for the Lord. In light of this parable, we must ask ourselves: What have we done with our knowledge? Our time? Our money? Our abilities? The sins of omission (what we don’t do) may ultimately be more dangerous than the sins of commission (what we do).

–David Guzik

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Giver of every perfect gift,
You shape my life from womb to grave.
Reveal Your good and gracious will
that plants me in this time and space.
Display the gifts assigned to me.
Make me a witness to Your name.

You planned and know the gifts I have;
Creator God, from You they come,
unique and special, from Your heart,
intended for a chosen role.
Thrill me to find and recognize
the talents only You can give.

Revealing Word, sent Son of God,
proclaimer of the Kingdom’s dawn.
It is for You, because of You,
that every talent is bestowed.
You have a part for me to fill,
a purpose for this life of mine.

Enabling Spirit, Gift of gifts,
empower me, stir up my faith,
make me an instrument of grace,
of mercy, blessing, peace, and joy.
Let me not miss another day
in seeing what Your gifts can do.

–K. Lee Scott

The Judgment of the Nations

“The Last Judgement” by Eric Gill, 1917 (Tate)

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

^34″Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

^37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’

^40″And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael:

Matthew 25:40 —  “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.”

Think of it, every little thoughtful kindness we do for someone in need, our Lord notices. He takes it as service done to Him. Let us serve Him by serving others, however humbly, today.

^41″Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

^44″Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’

^45″Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

^46″And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

MAFA.    https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/41-matthew-251-46/

Tissot:  Wise.   http://cdn2.brooklynmuseum.org/images/opencollection/objects/size3/00.159.179_PS1.jpg

Tissot:  Foolish.   http://cdn2.brooklynmuseum.org/images/opencollection/objects/size3/00.159.180_PS2.jpg

Rembrandt.   http://www.pravmir.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/rembrandt_pritcha_dluzhnik.jpg

Gill.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m25-gill.jpg

helping an elderly woman.    http://images.wisegeek.com/elderly-assistance.jpg

3464.) Matthew 24

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Matthew 24   (NRSV)

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

Warning:  This chapter is subject to many different interpretations. It is not an easy chapter to understand. If the end times is an interesting topic for you, I invite you to do further research yourself.

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

After the destruction of Solomon’s temple, this (second) temple was originally built by Zerubbabel and Ezra (Ezra 6:15). Herod the Great (who ruled when Jesus was born) greatly expanded and improved it. This temple was the center of Jewish life for almost a thousand years – so much so, that it was customary to swear by the temple (Matthew 23:16), and speaking against the temple could be considered blasphemy (Acts 6:13).

After Herod’s work, the temple was huge: nearly 500 yards long and 400 yards wide. Herod’s plan for rebuilding started in 19 BC and was completed in AD 63, taking more than 80 years. The temple was finished only seven years before it was destroyed.

But the Second Temple wasn’t just big; it was also beautiful. The Jewish historian Josephus said that the temple was covered with gold plates and when the sun shone on them, it was blinding to look at. Where there was no gold, there were blocks of marble of such a pure white that from a distance strangers thought there was snow on the temple.

–David Guzik

²Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

the Mount of Olives (Church of All Nations in foreground)

³When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: ⁸all this is but the beginning of the birthpangs.

Romans 8:22-24   (ESV)

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.

Persecutions Foretold

⁹“Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹²And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael:

Matt. 24:13:  He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  (KJV)

He that shall endure unto the end — these words come three times in the Gospels. In Hebrews 3: 6 and 14 we have firm unto the end, steadfast unto the end, and twice the thought of hope is linked up with the word. If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end, and The full assurance of hope unto the end (Heb. 6:11).

How much easier it would be if we knew when hearts that are holding out against the Lord would yield, or when some private trial of our own would pass. It was like that in Bible days; there was the same temptation to tire in hope and to fail in the joy of hope, to weaken and get slack. So we have those glorious, strong words in the Gospels and in Hebrews, and there is another that is sheer joy — 1 Corinthians 1:8:  Our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also keep you steadfast to the very end.

So we can turn Jude 24-25 into praise and thanksgiving. “Now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy . . . be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Amen.”

Reflection question: What specific thing could you begin to do that would help you to “endure to the end”? Or what could you share with other people to help them continue to be faithful?

¹⁴And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.

The Desolating Sacrilege

¹⁵“So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

Essentially, the abomination of desolation speaks of the ultimate desecration of a Jewish temple, the establishment of an idolatrous image in the holy place itself, which will inevitably result in the judgment of God. It is the abomination that brings desolation.

–David Guzik

¹⁶then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; ¹⁷the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; ¹⁸the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. ¹⁹Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. ²¹For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²²And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ —do not believe it. ²⁴For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵Take note, I have told you beforehand.

No one should be deceived about the nature of Jesus’ coming. It will not be secret or private, but as plain as lightning that flashes across the sky. 

^26″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 rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

“Angel Playing Trumpet no. 2” by Andrzej Filipowicz .

²⁹“Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. ³⁰Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,

It is difficult to say exactly what this sign is. Perhaps it will precede His return as described in Revelation 19:11.

and 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. ³¹And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

³²“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

How will heaven and earth pass away? Will God will destroy this earth and sky and replace it with one that has never been stained with sin? One commentator suggests that the Lord is going to ‘burn’ up the earth (2 Peter 3 : 7, 2 Peter 3 : 10, 2 Peter 3 : 12 – 13); over 70% of the earth is water and the Lord is eliminating all oceans/seas and increasing the land mass tremendously. Well, that’s one opinion! Robert Frost considers some options in one of my favorite poems, “Fire and Ice”:

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

The Necessity for Watchfulness

³⁶“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

To give this idea the strongest emphasis, Jesus claimed that this knowledge was reserved for His Father only. If Jesus Himself – at least during His earthly ministry – did not know this day and hour, it emphasizes the foolishness of any later person making certain predictions regarding the prophetic timetable.

³⁷For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

William Barclay describes one aspect of the difficulty here: “It is in two sections and they seem to contradict each other. The first (verses 32-35) seem to indicate that, as a man can tell by the signs of nature when summer is on the way, so he can tell by the signs of the world when the Second Coming is on the way… The second section (verses 36-41) says quite definitely that no one knows the time of the Second Coming, not the angels, not even Jesus himself, but only God; and that it will come upon men with the suddenness of a rainstorm out of a blue sky.”

⁴²Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³But understand this: if the owner 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. ⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

We see a dilemma. How can Jesus come to a “business-as-usual” world, and a world experiencing the worst calamities ever seen on earth? As I said earlier, this is not an easy chapter to understand.

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Music:

HERE  is “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”  written by Larry Norman (1947-2008), who has often been called the “father of Christian rock music.”

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The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave

⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? ⁴⁶Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.

Each one of us should be greatly impressed by the urgency of Jesus’ appeal. What work am I doing for the Master today?

⁴⁷Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. ⁵¹He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Planet Earth.  http://www.soil-net.com/album/Places_Objects/slides/Globe%20Planet%20Earth%20NASA.jpg

Mount of Olives.   http://www.padfield.com/israel/Jerusalem/images/mount-of-olives-02.jpg

Endure.    http://www.eaf.net/pantinghart/wp-content/endure-unto-the-end.jpg

lightning.   https://kibart.com/lightning-protection/

Filipowicz.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/angel_playing_trumpet_andrzej_filipowicz.jpg

fig leaves.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m24-fig_leaves.jpg

3463.) Matthew 23

“Christ Lamenting over Jerusalem” by Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, 1846 (The Tate Collection, London)

Matthew 23   (NRSV)

Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees

According to William Barclay, the Talmud describes seven different types of Pharisees; six of the seven are bad.

· The Shoulder Pharisee, who wore all his good deeds and righteousness on his shoulder for everyone to see.

· The Wait-a-Little Pharisee, who always intended to do good deeds, but could always find a reason for doing them later, not now.

· The Bruised or Bleeding Pharisee, who was so holy that he would turn his head away from any woman seen in public – and was therefore constantly bumping into things and tripping, thus injuring himself.

· The Hump-Backed Pharisee, who was so humble that he walked bent over and barely lifting his feet – so everyone could see just how humble he was.

· The Always-Counting Pharisee, who was always counting up his good deeds and believed that he put God in debt to him for all the good he had done.

· The Fearful Pharisee, who did good because he was terrified that God would strike him with judgment if he did not.

· The God-Fearing Pharisee, who really loved God and did good deeds to please the God he loved.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; ³therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. ⁶They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.

^8″But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. ⁹And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

¹³“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.

Proverbs 12:5

The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

^15″Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Proverbs 16:28

A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good.

¹⁶“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ ¹⁷You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ ¹⁹How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; ²¹and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; ²²and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

Proverbs 14:7

Stay away from a foolish man,
for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

²³“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. ²⁴You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

Proverbs 29:7

The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

²⁵“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

Proverbs 1:19  

Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.

²⁷“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. ²⁸So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Proverbs 17:3

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.

²⁹“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, ³⁰and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³²Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. ³³You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?

Proverbs 11:21

Be sure of this:  The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.

³⁴“Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, ³⁵so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

“Getting it wrong”
by David Baer

In the gospels’ presentation, the scribes and Pharisees come across as villainous for two reasons. First, they fail to discern the scale of relative priorities that orders the manifold demands of Torah. Second, they strain after a public pose while neglecting the righteous internal life that organically produces a public reputation.

In the face of these two failures, Jesus is merciless.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. (Matthew 23:23–26 NRSV)

Hypocrisy is endlessly subtle and supple. Its capacity for adapting to the self-protective requirements of the moment is almost inexhaustible.

Yet it pivots upon these two sins, making righteousness all the more difficult for those who by ignorance or principle fail to play by ‘pharisaical’ religion’s arbitrary and self-referential rules.

In Jesus’ dialect, those who act this way—no matter how nicely starched their robes—are sons of hell.

http://canterbridge.org/2011/02/04/getting-it-wrong-matthew-23/

The Lament over Jerusalem

. . . as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing . . .

³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁸See, your house is left to you, desolate. ³⁹For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is “Yerushalayim Shel Zaha” (“Jerusalem of Gold”) sung by Ofra Haza.   (You may remember this song from the closing scene of the movie Schindler’s List.)

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Eastlake.   https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eastlake.jpg

Scribes and Pharisees.  http://randomresponses.blogspot.com/2006/08/jesus-and-pharisees.html

bad advice, good advice signs.  https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-good-advice-image26790031

wrong way sign.   https://www.bradyid.com/signs/wrong-way-sign-pid-115280

dunce cap.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/dunce-cap.gif

scales of justice.   http://clipart-library.com/clipart/8i6oBppLT.htm

cup and saucer.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/m23-cup-saucer.jpg

heart.   http://www.ideachampions.com/heart/HEART%20LOU.jpg

grave sites.   https://undark.org/2019/11/06/top-scientists-dying/

Getting it wrong.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m23-wrong.png

hen and chicks.   http://recia.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/a-hen-with-chicks-gathered.jpg

3462.) Matthew 22

Matthew 22   (NRSV)

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

A king prepared a wedding banquet for his son . . .

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.

The Hebrews, like other people of the ancient Near East, were enormously fond of social feasting. At the three great religious feasts, which all males were expected to attend, each family held its own feast. Sacrifices were also accompanied by an extensive meal, and there were feasts on birthdays, at marriages, at funerals, at the laying of foundations, for vintage, for sheep-shearing, and on other occasions. At a large banquet a second invitation was often sent on the day of the feast, or a servant escorted the invitees to the banquet.

–from The Archaeological Bible

⁴“Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵“But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

This is a prophecy of what would happen to Jerusalem, the city whose religious leaders so strongly rejected Jesus and His gospel.

⁸“Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, ¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.

Isaiah 61:10 (NLT)

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
or a bride with her jewels.

^13″Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

This parable demonstrates that those indifferent to the gospel, those antagonistic against the gospel, and those unchanged by the gospel share the same fate. None of them enjoyed the king’s feast.

–David Guzik

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. ¹⁶So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. ¹⁷Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?”

²¹They answered, “The emperor’s.”

Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

“Every Christian has a double citizenship. He is a citizen of the country in which he happens to live. To it he owes many things. He owes the safety against lawless men which only a settled government can give; he owes all public services.”

–William Barclay

Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.

²²When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

The Question about the Resurrection

Elizabeth Taylor — a woman with seven husbands! The lucky guys were Nicky Hilton, Michael Wilding, Michael Todd, Eddie Fischer, Richard Burton (twice), John Warner, and Larry Fortensky.

²³The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, ²⁴“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ ²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. ²⁶The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. ²⁷Last of all, the woman herself died. ²⁸In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.”

²⁹Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Jesus delivers a double whammy. He refers both to life after death and to angels — two beliefs which the Sadducees did not accept.

³¹And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ³²‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.”

Jesus demonstrated the reality of the resurrection using only the Torah, the five books of Moses, which were the only books the Sadducees accepted as authoritative. If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not live on in resurrection, then God would say that He was the God of Abraham, instead of saying “I am the God of Abraham.”

³³And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

The Greatest Commandment

³⁴When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

³⁷He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Really, it is this simple. Love God and love people.

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is “Love the Lord”  by musical artist and pastor Lincoln Brewster (born 1971 in Alaska).

_________________________

The Question about David’s Son

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ⁴²“What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

They said to him, “The son of David.”

⁴³He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? ⁴⁵If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” ⁴⁶No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Logic and rhetoric proved useless in attacking Jesus. Now His enemies will use treachery and violence instead.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

called to love.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m22-called-to-love.jpg

wedding banquet.   http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fbnstatic.com/static/managed/img/fb2/660/371/table-setting-wedding.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

paying taxes.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/irs.jpg

Elizabeth Taylor.  https://media.spokesman.com/photos/2011/03/24/liztaylor.jpg

greatest commandment.  http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2958141077_3fded68ddc.jpg

3461.) Matthew 21

John 12:13 says the people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus by waving palm branches.

Matthew 21   (NRSV)

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.”

⁴This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, ⁵“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

“This entry into Jerusalem has been termed the triumph of Christ. It was indeed the triumph of humility over pride and worldly grandeur; of poverty over affluence; and of meekness and gentleness over rage and malice.”

–Adam Clarke

⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Psalm 24:8 (NASB)

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

This was open Messianic adoration of Jesus. They look to Jesus for salvation (Hosanna means “save now!” and was addressed to kings, as in 2 Samuel 14:4 and 2 Kings 6:26). They openly give Jesus the titles appropriate for the Messiah (Son of David… He who comes in the name of the LORD).

–David Guzik

__________________________

Music:

HERE  is “Hosanna”  by Phil Driscoll, singer and trumpeter.

_________________________

“God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord” by Annie Vallotton for the Good News Bible, 1976.

¹⁰When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?”

¹¹The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Christians holding palm branches during a Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives. (The Dome of the Rock mosque is in the background.)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹²Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

Barclay notes, “A pair of doves could cost as little as 4p outside the Temple and as much as 75p inside the Temple.” This is almost 20 times more expensive.

¹³He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”

“Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple” by New Zealand artist Michael Smither, 1972 (Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection, New Zealand)

¹⁴The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. ¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry

This was their response to the wonderful things that He did, and to the praise of children for Jesus in the temple courts. The hypocrisy of the religious leaders is evident. Greed and theft in the temple didn’t bother them, but praise to Jesus did.

¹⁶and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?”

Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself’?”

¹⁷He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

“Fig Tree” by Swiss painter Paul Klee (1879-1940)

¹⁸In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

In a dramatic way, Jesus performed one of His few destructive miracles. His curse made the fig tree to wither away.

It is worth noting that the two destructive miracles of Jesus (this and the events that ended in the destruction of the herd of pigs, Matthew 8:30-32) – were not directed towards people.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”

²¹Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. ²²Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”

James 5:16 (NLT)

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

²³When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

²⁴Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.”

²⁷So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”

“They could not say, ‘Of men,’ for they were cowards. They would not say, ‘Of heaven,’ for they were hypocrites.”

–G. Campbell Morgan, 1863 – 1945, British evangelist, preacher, and Bible scholar

Jesus kindly and compassionately met the needs of the hurting multitude, as demonstrated in Matthew 21:14. But Jesus didn’t show much patience with those who arrogantly questioned Him and hoped to trap Him in His own words. Jesus never fell into their trap.

And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

a vineyard in Israel’s Hefer Valley

²⁸“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

²⁹He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go.

³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said, “The first.”

What matters in our lives is the doing of God’s will, not just the saying of proper religious words.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

“The shock value of Jesus’ statement can only be appreciated when the low esteem in which tax collectors were held, not to mention prostitutes, is taken into account.”

–D. A. Carson

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

³³“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. ³⁴When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce.

³⁵But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. ³⁷Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” ³⁹So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?

Jesus quoted this from Psalm 118 to remind them that their rejection of Him said more about their guilt and coming judgment than it said about Jesus Himself. Though they reject Him, He is still the chief cornerstone, fulfilling the great Messianic promise He quoted.

⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. ⁴⁴The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.

“Who told them so, but their own guilty consciences?”

–John Trapp, English Puritan

⁴⁶They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

palm branches.  http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2337320694_3616d1c9aa.jpg?v=1205670036

Vallotton.   https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/reformedchicksblabbing/2006/04/hosanna-blessed-is-the-king-of-1.html

procession.  http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200704/r135217_456181.jpg

Smither.    http://trustliveserve.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/christ-driving-the-money-changers-from-the-temple-by-michael-smithers.jpg

Klee.   http://www.museoman.it/en/exhibitions/exhibition/Paul-Klee/

vineyard.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m21-vineyard1.jpg

cornerstone.   https://bibledaily.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cornerstonejesus.gif