Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 316, Matthew 26:20-25 — The Last Supper Matthew 26:20-25 (NASB1995) “Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21 As they were eating, He said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.’ 22 Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ 23 And He answered, ‘He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’ 25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, ‘Surely it is not I, Rabbi?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it yourself.’” Context Matthew 26 details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His arrest and crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we read about the Passover preparations. Historically, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a seven-day festival beginning on Nisan 15 with the Passover meal. However, it became a combined event by this period in Israel’s history. Traditionally, families and close friends would celebrate together, and each party would have certain people managing specific aspects of the feast. In the passage, the disciples ask Jesus where to host the feast so they could begin their Passover preparations. Extensive planning was necessary because there were many steps to prepare the meal. This involved finding a Passover lamb that met the requirements for being taken to the temple to be slaughtered by the priests and then bringing it home for meal preparation. Furthermore, the location of the feast mattered, as it was mandatory to have the feast within Jerusalem’s walls. Since Jesus was staying outside the city in Bethany, He needed a place within the city to take part in the feast. In the end, Jesus instructs two disciples to find an unnamed man and follow him home. He likely did this to keep His location unknown, as Judas and the religious leaders’ plot to have Him captured was in motion. It is as if Jesus knew Judas might have used the Passover meal to hand Him over. However, there are some important events that Jesus must institute during the meal before that happens. Thus, He stealthily plans the Passover meal at this man’s home. Discussion Today, we read about the last supper. Following the Passover preparations, Jesus and the twelve gather in an undisclosed home in Jerusalem to take part in the Passover feast—or what is famously called the last supper. We will reference John’s account for further context. The last supper is universally famous for Leonardo da Vinci’s mural painting. In the photo, Jesus reclines around a table with the twelve, enjoying a last meal together before His arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death. Matthew depicts the same image. He writes, “20 Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.” The Passover feast did not start until evening because ancient Jewish timekeeping signified sundown, around 6:00 p.m., as the start of the following day.[1] This allowed preparation to last all day (Nisan 14) until evening (Nisan 15).[2] As referenced, Passover was on Nisan 15. Before the supper, John 13:1 records that Jesus knew His time to leave earth and return to the Father in heaven had come. The entirety of His ministry has led to these last moments with His closest friends, as He lovingly served them to the end. During the supper, John 13:4 adds that Jesus got up from the table to prepare for foot washing. Notably, John is the only gospel that records this foot washing scene (Jn. 13:5-20). Jesus washing the disciples’ feet was yet another tangible way of showing His love and service to them.[3] It also symbolized the washing away of sins and how Jesus came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). However, Peter once again rebukes Jesus and claims to know better. This is like when Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that He must suffer and die (Mt. 16:22-23). “If Peter then could not submit to let his Master go down so low as to wash his feet, how should he suffer himself to be served by Him at all?”[4] Jesus corrects Peter’s refusal to allow Him to wash his feet and clarifies that if He does not wash his feet, then he has no part with Him (Jn. 13:8). This does not mean foot washing provides salvation or literally washes away sins, but the symbolic act spiritually represents their submission to Christ.[5] Jesus then says that all whose feet He washes are ‘clean’ (Jn. 13:10). However, He adds that not everyone present was actually ‘clean’, as there was one who was not wholly submitted to Him (Jn. 13:11). Following the foot washing, Matthew and John transition into the dinner scene, where Jesus openly declares His awareness of Judas’ betrayal. Notably, Jesus openly prophesied His betrayal many times (Mt. 17:22; 20:18-19; 26:2). However, this time He reveals the traitor is among them, not one of the religious leaders as many probably assumed. Matthew writes, “21 As they were eating, He said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.’” This revelation led to panic from the other disciples as they nebulously looked around and questioned their own integrity, saying, “22 Surely not I, Lord?” Jesus then responded, “23 He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me.” Dipping bitter herbs into the bread bowl was a common Passover tradition. It contained a mix of fruit, nuts, vinegar, and other spices to counter the bitter herbs from the lamb.[6] The symbolism of sharing a bowl was profound, signifying a most intimate covenant relationship with one other.[7] Thus, that one of the twelve would have dipped their hand into the bowl with Jesus, symbolizing an intimate fellowship with Him, while betraying Him was horrifyingly blasphemous.[8] Notably, the scene echoes Psalms 41:9, which says, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” Matthew keeps this dipping scene vague. However, John 13:26 reveals how Jesus plainly calls out Judas as the traitor. It says, “26 Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’ So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.” John 13:27 adds that the moment Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him, as his hypocritical dip into the bowl symbolized his blasphemous betrayal of the Messiah. Matthew records the scene somewhat differently, adding Jesus’ horrifying statement of judgment against the traitor. Jesus says, “24 The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’” Jesus declares the horror-ish fate of the traitor, claiming it is better that he never had been born rather than commit the ultimate sin of turning on the Messiah. He likely says this because of the immense shame and guilt that will follow Judas for all eternity. While all who reject Christ will face eternal torment and separation from God, Judas’ fate seems amplified as he walked, dined, and had in-person fellowship with Him. However, Jesus has already taught that dying—or ceasing to exist—is better than suffering in hell (Mt. 18:5-6). Likewise, it is better that one not be born than face eternal torment as Judas will face. Judas replied to Jesus’ statement, saying, “25 ‘Surely it is not I, Rabbi?’ [But] Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it yourself.’” Notably, Judas calls Jesus ‘Rabbi’ instead of ‘Master’ or ‘Lord’, as the other disciples do throughout the gospels. This likely comes from his hardened heart that is not genuinely submitted to Christ—and perhaps from his possession by Satan, not allowing him to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Remember, Judas no longer believes Jesus is the Messiah, so it is not a surprise that he calls Him Teacher rather than God. In the end, the story reveals that “participation in the Lord’s Supper does not guarantee membership into God’s kingdom and that the Lord’s Supper should be an occasion for solemn and serious self-examination.”[9] We will read about communion tomorrow. Application The story of Judas’ betrayal is one that many Christians should read and reflect on. In the end, many who claim Christ will find themselves condemned on judgment day for falsely believing in Him. This likely comes from one believing in a false Jesus, just as Judas had in mind. This point is amplified in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 when Paul speaks about reflecting before taking communion. If one takes in communion while in sin, then they are bringing judgment upon themselves. Thus, this is a passage and idea to take seriously. In reality, Judas betrayed Jesus because He God ordained it to happen. While Judas made decisions that led to his betrayal and allowed himself to heed the voice of Satan, God made it so. Scripture prophesies the Messiah would experience betrayal leading to His suffering and death—it had to happen this way. For the modern believer, we should reflect on Judas’s story of betrayal and ensure that we genuinely submit to Christ. If we claim to be so, yet reject to surrender to Him, then how are we any different from one who refuses to have Christ wash our feet? If we cannot submit our lives to Him, then we cannot submit to His atonement on the cross. This is a vitally important idea. For one to follow Christ, one must lose his life and deny themselves. This is easier said than done as our flesh battles the Spirit for control of our desires. At the end of our lives, let us be a proclaimer of Christ who wholly submits to Him, unlike Judas, who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:26-28. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [3] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.”
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Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 315, Matthew 26:17-19 — Passover Preparations Matthew 26:17-19 (NASB1995) “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ 18 And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, ‘My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’’’ 19 The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.” Context Matthew 26 details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His arrest and crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we read about Judas’ bargain to betray Jesus. John 12:6 clarifies that Judas was stealing from ministry funds, but there are no references to Judas’ evil intentions in Matthew until now. It seems as if Jesus’ rebuke of Judas about the perfume in front of the other disciples pushed him over the edge. Perhaps Judas’ pride and greed had reached a breaking point at that moment? There was no way that Judas acted impulsively. Since he spoke out against Mary for pouring the perfume over Jesus, maybe Judas suspected Jesus knew his intentions with the funds? Maybe he realized Jesus knew he was stealing funds the entire time? Other evidence proves Judas had a growing disdain for Jesus’ ministry approach, as he was a fervent nationalist seeking for Israel’s restoration. Thus, he refused to accept Jesus’ mission to suffer rather than lead a revolt against Rome. He accepted a Messiah of his own making rather than the true nature of Christ. In the end, Judas rejected Jesus as the Messiah and accepted thirty pieces of silver to betray Him, further revealing his bondage to wealth. Now he simply had to wait for the opportune moment to turn on Jesus and hand Him over. The only missing piece was finding an intimate moment away from crowds to arrest Jesus in stealth. Once fulfilled, Judas would get paid and hopefully see Israel rise to its former glory as militant Jews plan for an uprising at the coming of their idea of the Messiah. Discussion Today, we read about the preparations for the last supper. Remember, we are just hours away from Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. He made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem to begin Passover week (Mt. 21:1-11). Each year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims would come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices unto the LORD in remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt recorded in Exodus 12—we detailed this on Day 308. Toward the end of the week, Jews would celebrate Passover with a large feast. Historically, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a seven-day festival beginning on Nisan 15 with the Passover meal.[1] This first meal was supposed to include only unleavened bread.[2] However, it had become a combined event by this period in Israel’s history.[3] Jesus usually took part in all the common Jewish practices and did so in their traditional sense. Traditionally, families and close friends would celebrate together, and each party would have certain people managing specific aspects of the feast.[4] In our passage, the disciples come to Jesus asking where He would like to host the feast so they could begin their Passover preparations. Matthew writes, “17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’” Notably, preparing the Passover feast was not something one could accomplish last minute. Extensive planning was necessary because there were many steps that needed to be done in a specific order. This involved finding a Passover lamb that met the requirements for being taken to the temple to be slaughtered by the priests and then bringing it home for meal preparation.[5] The slaughtered lamb here represented the lamb’s blood spilled on the doorposts from the Exodus Passover narrative. Additional traditions included intervals of wine drinking, hand washing, using bitter herbs in meal prep, and sitting in a reclined position.[6] In general, “the meal was liturgical, centering on the father’s Passover prayer and the recitation of the Hallel (Psalms 113–118). Both the drinking of the wine and the partaking of food had ceremonial significance, and Jesus would give each new meaning at this particular Passover meal.”[7] Furthermore, the location of the feast mattered, as it was mandatory to have the feast within Jerusalem’s walls.[8] If a family lived outside the city, then families within would open their homes so outsiders could rightly take part.[9] Since Jesus was staying outside the city in Bethany, He needed a place within the city to host Him and the twelve to properly take part in the feast. Thus, Jesus says to His disciples, “18 Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, ‘My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’’” Jesus’ instructions are somewhat mysterious here, as He tells them to find ‘a certain man.’ This man remains unnamed and evidentially unknown, but some believe it to be John Mark’s father.[10] Notably, Mark 14:13-15 provides some added context. Jesus says, “13 Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, ‘Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’’ 15 And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” Perhaps Jesus made these commands mysterious to keep His location unknown, as Judas and the religious leaders’ plot to have Him captured was in motion.[11] Perhaps Jesus had this plan in place with the man? Regardless, He tells some disciples to find this man carrying a pitcher of water and follow him home without further details about the location. It is as if Jesus knew Judas might have used the Passover meal to hand Him over. However, there are some important events that Jesus must institute during the meal before that happens. Thus, He stealthily plans the Passover meal at this man’s home. In the end, “19 the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.” We will read about the Last Supper tomorrow. Application The most fascinating takeaway from this passage is the amount of preparation that went into this Passover meal. Jesus never eliminated or rebuked the idea of traditional religious practices. Instead, He actively took part in and modeled them with His friends and family. This brings to mind how many today condemn those who practice orthodoxy. While every Christian participates in communion, most disregard other traditional practices. Recently, I have seen many people include these ancient Jewish practices in their Passover celebrations. This is likely something me and my wife might do as well to honor Christ and remember what He has done for us. While we do not need to do such practices in remembrance of Christ—this is what communion is for—it can be a healthy practice of humility and devotion unto the LORD to institute some. If Jesus took part in every festival and feast and went to extensive lengths to do so properly, then maybe we should follow His example. But this example goes beyond practicing ancient orthodoxy, as the Christian should put these principles into practice in every facet of life. We should do things with the utmost effort and care, including our jobs, hobbies, etc. If Jesus went to these lengths to do things with careful precision, then what honors Him more than doing the same in our lives? May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:20-25. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Ibid. [3] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [7] Ibid. [8] Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [9] Ibid. [10] Comfort and Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [11] O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 314, Matthew 26:14-16 — Judas’ Bargain Matthew 26:14-16 (NASB1995) “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. 16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.” Context Matthew 26 details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His arrest and crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we concluded the story of the precious ointment. The image was of a woman approaching Jesus and pouring an expensive perfume on His body at a dinner party. While some condemned this act of worship, Jesus affirmed her humility and devotion. Jesus explained the significance of the act and how it symbolizes the commencement of His death and burial. He then added that it will be remembered wherever the gospel goes for all time. This is significant because it demonstrates how even the most simple-looking act of kindness and honor toward another person will always remain a memory for those involved. Despite not being the most extravagant act, she intimately poured it out from the deepest love in her heart for her Savior. It is in these moments of humble self-sacrifice—whether given or received—that the gospel tangibly makes itself known. Those who perform such acts of kindness toward others do so not only for the person receiving them but also for Jesus Himself (25:34-40). What the disciples saw as a loss of a most valuable resource, Jesus saw as a priceless, eternal currency that transcends time. Discussion Today, we read about Judas’ bargain. Matthew sandwiched the story of Jesus’ anointing (vs. 6-13) between this and the religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus (vs. 3-5), perhaps to juxtapose humility and devotion of Mary from the pride and greed of Judas and the religious leaders. We detailed the religious leaders’ plots to kill Jesus on Day 309, where they desperately reached out to the high priest, Caiaphas, for help. During his entire 18-year tenure, Caiaphas had legitimate influence with Rome, maintaining peace between them and the Jewish population. In John 11:49-50, Caiaphas suggested they bring Jesus in quietly to avoid a riot and to do so immediately, as Jesus’ influence was growing exponentially. If they fail, the Jews will probably incite a riot and kindle Rome’s wrath against the religious leaders for not keeping the people in line. Thus, they need help to fulfill their plot. Matthew writes, “14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15a and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’” This might come as a surprise for those who do not already know the story. John 12:6 clarifies that Judas was stealing from ministry funds, but there are no references to Judas’ evil intentions in Matthew until now.[1] It seems as if Jesus’ rebuke of Judas about the perfume in front of the other disciples pushed him over the edge, as Matthew and Mark each put Judas’ betrayal immediately following Mary’s anointing. Perhaps Judas’ pride and greed had reached a breaking point at that moment? Many theories come to mind about Judas’ thinking process. Logically, there was no way that Judas acted impulsively. Since he spoke out against Mary for pouring the perfume over Jesus, maybe Judas suspected Jesus knew his intentions with the funds? Maybe Judas had an epiphany and realized Jesus knew he was stealing funds the entire time? John’s account claims even the disciples knew about it. However, John 13:2 clarifies that Judas’ decision to hand Jesus over was not his own. We will speak further about this when we read about the last supper (Mt. 26:20-25). Others claim Judas had a growing disdain for Jesus’ ministry approach, as he was a fervent nationalist.[2] Thus, instead of using His divinity for power to overthrow Rome, Jesus taught against vengeful violence, seeking power, and desiring earthly possessions, including wealth. This has some credibility, as Jesus’ seemingly passive ministry and teachings led many away from following Him. Many Jews expected the Messiah to be a warrior king who would overthrow Rome and reestablish Israel to its former glory—but this idea contrasts Jesus’ true mission to suffer rather than lead.[3] Regardless of the other influences, it was Judas’ greed that led him to betray Jesus.[4] Matthew adds, “and they [the religious leaders] weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.” This verse reveals it was indeed a financial decision for Judas to turn on Jesus. Notably, thirty silver was not an exorbitant amount. In fact, it is the same amount people paid for the lives of accidentally killed slaves in the Old Testament (Ex. 21:32). The example Mosaic law gives says that the owners of an ox must pay the slave’s master thirty shekels of silver to compensate for the death of a slave. This is clearly a shockingly low price to betray the Son of God. The amount also echoes the story of the faithful and rejected shepherd from Zechariah 11:12. In short, it is “about the failure of the shepherding process among God’s people, and God’s subsequent judgment.”[5] The story has prophesied Messianic connotations that parallel Jesus’ rejection by Israel.[6] Notably, the passage uses the same word for ‘weighed out’ as Matthew, suggesting an agreed business proposal.[7] In the end, the amount was paltry and reveals the lack of respect the religious leaders had for Jesus and possibly Judas’ motivations.[8] Because Judas was such an esteemed business person, it seems he could have negotiated for more. However, his decision to accept the thirty-silver offer from the religious leaders reveals that his motivation might have been personal to push his agenda and stop Jesus’ growing influence.[9] Matthew then transitions the narrative into its next phase, saying, “16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.” After agreeing with the religious leaders to betray Jesus for thirty silver, the final scheme to kill Jesus was set. Now they simply had to wait for the opportune moment to turn on Jesus and hand Him over. The only missing piece was finding an intimate moment away from crowds to arrest Jesus in stealth, so a riot would not ensure. Once fulfilled, Judas would get paid and hopefully see Israel rise to its former glory as militant Jews plan for an uprising at the coming of their idea of the Messiah. We will read about the preparations for the Passover supper tomorrow. Application Before studying for this post, Judas’ motivations never crossed my mind. He was simply an afterthought. However, it was fascinating to learn how his demise started long ago—and that it was not an impulsive decision to turn on Jesus. Judas had implanted in his heart to turn on Jesus, envisioning a Messiah of his own making. He refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah, which culminated in this decision to betray Him here. Many Jews believed the same as Judas, yearning for Jesus to overthrow Rome. However, this was a complete misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission. These people simply created a different version of the Messiah in their minds, which blinded them to the reality of the true Messiah’s nature. They simply believed in a false Messiah. Oh, how prevalent this is today… so many in our modern world have created individual versions of Jesus. A Jesus who tolerates sin. A Jesus who does not judge. A Jesus who does not rebuke or correct. A Jesus who does not punish sin. A Jesus who you can use as a genie in a bottle. I could go on forever. However, these versions of Jesus are not the real Jesus. Likewise, Judas and many others had a varying version of the Christ in their minds. In Judas’ case, he went to extreme lengths to eliminate the real Messiah for his idea of who the Messiah should be. The plague of progressive Christianity has infiltrated many churches, allowing many today to live believing in a Jesus who allows sinful lifestyles. However, this version of Jesus, who allows sin to go unpunished, does not save. The real Jesus transforms hearts to turn from sin, not tolerate sin. May we reflect on if we believe and follow the real Jesus and not a version of Jesus we have twisted to fit our views and agenda. May we repent for doing so and turn back to the truth of Christ. May we boldly stand for the truth and proclaim Jesus’ true teachings to a world deceived by many false ones. May we remain faithful to Christ and not sellout for thirty pieces of silver. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:17-19. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [2] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [3] Comfort and Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [4] Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [5] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [6] Myron Augsburger, “Preacher's Commentary Series.” [7] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [8] Augsburger, “Preacher's Commentary Series.” [9] Ibid. Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 313, Matthew 26:13 — The Precious Ointment Matthew 26:13 (NASB1995) “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” Context Matthew 26 directly follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (23-25), as the gospel transitions into its final act. The chapter details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we continued the story of the precious ointment and discussed the incredible symbolism behind Mary’s act of worship. Jesus explains the significance of her worship, as it was a once-in-history act. Mary did not simply anoint just anyone but the Messiah King, who will pay for humanity’s sins. However, Mary’s act of worship went beyond just worship. It served as a starting point for Jesus’ death and burial, as she poured a perfume specifically used for burial practices. Since ancient Jews did not embalm dead bodies, the corpses would reek. Thus, they used this kind of perfume made of nard ointment to counter the odor. Whether or not she was aware of this, anointing Jesus with this specific perfume was literally and symbolically preparing Him for His burial. The timing of this anointing makes it even more memorable, as it will be the only time such an anointing will ever happen. In the coming hours, Jesus will be arrested and face a hasty trial leading to His crucifixion and death. Since Jesus will face execution as a criminal, He will not be given the honor of a proper Jewish burial. Thus, Mary anointing Jesus’ body with the exact ointment used to prepare bodies for burial was extremely timely and significant. It is as if God sovereignly provided space for this moment to happen in this exact way. Discussion Today, we conclude the story of the precious ointment. The image is of a woman approaching Jesus and pouring an expensive perfume on His body at a dinner party. While Judas and some disciples condemned this act of worship, Jesus affirmed her humility and devotion. He went on to explain that it was immensely significant, symbolizing the commencement of His death and burial. Following Jesus’ affirmation of Mary’s act of worship and preparation of His body for its burial, He adds, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” Jesus uses the language “truly I say to you” to emphatically make a point. Notably, Matthew records this phrase thirty-one times in his gospel whenever Jesus makes an authoritative declaration (Mt. 5:18).[1] In this verse, Jesus employs the phrase to declare the universal proclamation of the gospel, echoing Matthew 24:14. He does so along with honoring Mary further, explaining that her humble act of devotion will be remembered wherever the gospel goes for all time. This is significant because it demonstrates how even the most simple-looking act of kindness and honor toward another person will always remain a memory for those involved. Despite not being the most extravagant act, she intimately poured it out from the deepest love in her heart for her Savior. In the same way, I vividly remember every intimate act of kindness shown toward me and also vividly remember the times I have helped those in need. It is in these moments of humble self-sacrifice—whether given or received—that the gospel tangibly makes itself known. Those who perform such acts of kindness toward others do so not only for the person receiving them but also for Jesus Himself (25:34-40). What the disciples saw as a loss of a most valuable resource, Jesus saw as a priceless, eternal currency that transcends time. The reality that every gospel writer includes this story—outside of Luke—proves Jesus’ words true as we read about it over two-thousand years later. Indeed, throughout history, her humble act of worship has not been overlooked. Even more, it stands not merely as a story to be read but as a convicting blueprint of one’s intimate devotion toward Christ. She did not act out of force or reward-seeking but out of genuine love for Jesus. This shows us that no one’s worship is ‘too little’ for Christ. He gladly receives it all the same, whether one sacrifices ‘little’ or ‘a lot.’ It matters not how significant the world sees our worship, but that we genuinely worship from the deepest desire of our hearts. Jesus cares not about the outward appearance of our worship but the inward surrender unto Him. This is the worship that Mary showed Jesus in this story. Regardless of those judging her in a public setting, she poured out her love to the Savior of the world and it will be remembered for all time. We will read about Judas’ bargain tomorrow. Application There have been many times when I feel like my good deeds go unnoticed or seem overlooked. It is easy to allow the feeling of pride and resentment to arise in these moments. However, these are moments when the Holy Spirit convicts my heart and reminds me that God sees my good deeds. I do not need to seek the applause of man for fulfillment, like the religious leaders sought. While the feeling of not feeling important enough can be embarrassing and difficult to process, we must remember that our desire to do good should come from our love of Jesus—not to be seen. Even in the moments where we may look foolish around certain parties, showing someone kindness should always take priority. It is in these humble moments of obedience that the LORD likely works the most. Sometimes I have shrunk back in fear of what others might think. But this fear is not of the LORD. We must not allow the fear of man to keep us from honoring Christ and serving Him in whatever way the Spirit leads. While it might never be extravagant or sightly or rewarding in an earthly sense, the LORD is cheering us on as we obey Him and love others as He loves us. May we repent for avoiding showing kindness to others because of fear. May we recognize future opportunities to worship Jesus even when it looks and feels foolish. May we always remember that Jesus loves our worship and we do not need to force it to be noticed—because He notices even the smallest, beautiful thing. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:14-16. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 312, Matthew 26:10-12 — The Precious Ointment Matthew 26:10-12 (NASB1995) “But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. 11 For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12 For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.’” Context Matthew 26 directly follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (23-25), as the gospel transitions into its final act. The chapter details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we continued reading about the precious ointment and discussed Judas’ greed. Following Mary’s act of reverence in anointing Jesus, Judas annoyingly speaks out and condemns her for wasting the perfume. John adds the perfume smelled of pure nard ointment, which was an extremely luxurious oil from India that was known for its pleasant aroma (Jn. 12:3). He also reveals that Judas became frustrated because they could have sold the perfume for three hundred denarii and given it to the poor. However, Judas was not genuinely concerned about the poor but about selling the perfume for a profit—a profit that he would have pocketed for himself since he was embezzling ministry funds. In the end, Judas’ bondage to wealth led to this greedy outburst. There is little doubt he wanted to sell the perfume for anything other than to pocket additional ministry funds, revealing his slavery to the sin of greed. Discussion Today, we continue the story of the precious ointment. The image is of Jesus, Lazarus, his sister Mary, and the disciples around a table at Simon the Leper’s home (Mk. 14:3-9; Jn. 12:1-8). During the evening, Mary comes to Jesus and pours a flask of perfume on Him in a humble act of reverence. But not everybody present saw this as a humble act of worship, as Judas condemns her for wasting the perfume rather than selling it for a profit. Jesus then responds, saying, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me.” Although Judas rebuked Mary for ‘wasting’ the perfume, Jesus affirms her and says that her act of humble devotion was a beautiful thing. He does not condemn her for pouring her heart out to Him. Instead, He accepts her worship and rebukes Judas, knowing his thoughts and plans to pocket any profit made from selling the perfume. Notably, Mark claims that ‘some’ disciples rebuked Mary rather than just Judas (Mk. 14:4). It is likely that these other disciples had nobler intentions with the potential profit than Judas’, but Jesus rebukes them all the same for missing the significance of her act. Jesus then reveals the symbolism of Mary’s worship. He says, “11 For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.” Jesus could have continued to rebuke the disciples at this moment but uses it to teach them instead. He explains how they will always have opportunities to help the poor (Deut. 15:11) but will not always have the opportunity to show this kind of humble, reverent worship to Him.[1] Remember, we are just hours from His crucifixion and death.[2] Thus, Mary’s decision to honor Jesus in this way was supremely symbolic and powerful, as it was a once-in-history act of worship. She did not simply anoint a person she respects but anointed the Messiah King who will soon sacrificially pay for humanity’s sins with His life. This was arguably the most intimate act of worship unto Jesus in history, as she honored Him in one of His last moments with His close friends. However, her act of worship was not just that but a symbolic beginning contribution to Jesus’ death and burial. Jesus adds, “12 For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.” Jesus reveals that her pouring of this perfume was a symbolic preparation for His coming burial. Notably, the perfume Mary poured on Jesus was used specifically for burial practices, making the symbolism immensely fascinating. Since ancient Jews did not embalm dead bodies, the corpses would reek. Thus, they used this kind of perfume made of nard ointment to counter the odor. Whether or not she was aware of this, anointing Jesus with this specific perfume was literally and symbolically preparing Him for His burial. Furthermore, the timing of this anointing makes it even more memorable, as it will be the only time such an anointing will ever happen. In the coming hours, Jesus will be arrested and face a hasty trial leading to His crucifixion and death. Since Jesus will be convicted and executed as a criminal, there will not be an opportunity to prepare His body for burial[3]—we will refer to this in the future (Mk. 16:1-5). Thus, Mary anointing Jesus’ body with the exact ointment used to prepare bodies for burial was extremely timely and significant. It is as if God sovereignly provided space for this moment to happen in this exact way. We will conclude this story tomorrow. Application I never recognized the significance of the timing of this story until studying this passage. God’s sovereignty simply blows me away. The details are just too specific to not be an ordained moment in history. Since Jesus will not have the time to prepare and anoint His body for burial, God knew the details and arranged for Jesus' body to be anointed in the traditional ways of His people before His death. It is mesmerizing. The application remains the same for the most part, showing us that Jesus is worthy of every fiber of our worship. While we always can help the poor, using specific moments to honor Him and keep Him first is most important. Jesus simply wants our complete devotion and to be at the center of our hearts’ desire. It can be easy to become distracted by life—and this includes being distracted with ministry and other ‘Godly’ things. However, we must never allow these things to take priority over our intimate time with the LORD. Jesus must be at the center of all things. While doing good works and serving Him by serving others is good and commanded, the burnout of doing for Jesus without resting in Him is a very real threat. We must take time to remain connected to the vine of Christ and make sure He has all of our heart—only then can we rightly serve others through the power of His Spirit. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:13. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 311, Matthew 26:8-9 — The Precious Ointment Matthew 26:8-9 (NASB1995) “But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, ‘Why this waste? 9 For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’” Context Matthew 26 directly follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (23-25), as the gospel transitions into its final act. The chapter details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we started reading about the precious ointment. The setting of this story is in a town called Bethany, one-to-two miles outside Jerusalem. Following Jesus’ Olivet discourse, the image is of Him returning to Bethany to settle at Simon the Leper’s home. We know little about this Simon other than his reference to this story. It is likely he was the recipient of one of Jesus’ miraculous healings, who then followed Jesus and opened his home to Him here. During the evening, a woman comes to Jesus with a flask of perfume and pours it on His head. John’s account confirms this woman is Mary, sister of Lazarus. It was common in ancient Jewish culture to anoint honored guests with oil. However, the woman pours out an expensive perfume made of nard from India, rather than a common household oil. Notably, pouring oil on one’s head signified blessing and favor from God in the Old Testament and symbolized countless other positive types of anointing and worship throughout Scripture. Thus, the woman’s anointing of Jesus was an intimate act of reverence and humility. However, not all at the table saw this as an intimate, holy act of reverence. Discussion Today, we continue the story of the precious ointment. We will continue to reference John’s account for further context. The image is of Jesus, Lazarus, his sister Mary, and the disciples around a table at Simon the Leper’s home. During the evening, Mary comes to Jesus and pours a flask of perfume on Him in a humble act of reverence. But not everybody present saw this as a humble act of worship. Matthew adds, “8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, ‘Why this waste? 9 For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’” Matthew reveals that Mary’s pouring of perfume annoyed the disciples. However, it was not an annoyance at her act of worship toward Jesus, but because she wasted an entire flask of expensive perfume. John adds the perfume smelled of pure nard ointment, which was an extremely luxurious oil that was known for its pleasant aroma (Jn. 12:3).[1] People normally used this kind of perfume to cover the odor of the dead body at burials.[2] John also adds that not every disciple voiced their opinion, but Judas alone. This context provides clarity about the situation, because Judas handled the group’s finances. John 12:4-6 says, “But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, 5 ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?’ 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.” John reveals Judas was not genuinely concerned about the poor but about selling the perfume for a profit—a profit that he would have pocketed for himself since he was embezzling ministry funds. Judas rebukes Mary, claiming the perfume could have netted three hundred denarii, which was equal to one year of a common laborer’s salary.[3] In short, Judas expressed annoyance towards Mary for wasting the expensive perfume on Jesus instead of selling it. There is little doubt he wanted to sell the perfume to pocket additional funds. This story reveals Judas’ bondage to wealth, as we will discuss further in the coming days. Furthermore, Matthew's placement of this story is interesting because it rests between the religious leaders' plot to kill Jesus (vs. 3-5) and Judas’s bargain to betray Jesus (vs. 14-16). Perhaps Matthew does this to contrast the humility and reverence of Mary and the pride and greed of Judas and the religious leaders.[4] We will read and discuss Jesus’ response tomorrow. Application The greed of Judas is not surprising, as we know how his story turns out. However, it is still fascinating to see somebody so overcome by the idea of wealth. Rather than seeing the beauty in Mary’s act of worship toward Jesus, symbolizing her priceless love for Him, Judas was blinded by his sinful desire for wealth. He chose his master long ago (Matt. 6:24). This story is very applicable as wealth has such a stranglehold on the world. It sometimes seems like the engine that keeps the world running. Thus, our pursuit of comfort and leisure becomes a battle between whom we serve: this world or God. Wealth is not evil, yet it is one of the more slippery slopes one can crumble their faith on. It is such a subtle temptation to want more for a variety of reasons. But the believer must not allow their worldly desires for wealth to have priority over obedience to God. In the end, this story reminds me of the cost of my worship. Will I allow outside things to take priority over my relationship with God? Will I sell my perfume or lay it at Jesus’ feet? There are many paths that lead to destruction and wealth is one of them, especially in the modern world we live in now. One day, some will have to decide whether their allegiance is to Christ or the world and one’s desire for comfort and wealth will be at the center. May we remain faithful to Christ amid all worldly temptations. May we remember the beauty of Christ and seek to worship Him above all the wealth and power in the world. May we repent for chasing certain lusts and turn back to Him and lay them at His feet. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:10-12. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [2] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [3] Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [4] Ibid. Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 310, Matthew 26:6-7 — The Precious Ointment Matthew 26:6-7 (NASB1995) “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.” Context Matthew 26 directly follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (23-25), as the gospel transitions into its final act. The chapter details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we read about the religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus. The religious leaders have plotted Jesus’ death since the beginning of His ministry (Mt. 12:14). In the passage, they call together a council to voice concerns about Jesus’ growing influence. This council comprised various high-ranking or influential representatives, including Caiaphas, the high priest. In the meeting, they admit that Jesus’ miracles were changing the hearts of many and converting them away from Judaism. This led to a growing fear of Rome. Rome occupied the region at the time but allowed the religious leaders to keep crumbs of influence as long as the Jewish people were in line. However, any pushback from the people would incite the Empire to take away the religious leaders’ power and influence. Caiaphas’ inclusion was highly significant because he was the longest-standing high priest of the first century (18-36 A.D.) and carried influence with Rome that maintained peace. Caiaphas explains the religious leaders needed to expedite Jesus’ death before it was too late and they needed to do it quietly to avoid inciting a revolt. This would likely have forced Rome to intervene and caused mass bloodshed. Thus, his idea of eliminating one man for the sake of many made logical sense. If they could kill Jesus quietly, then it would save millions of Jewish lives. Conversely, failing in this plot would lead to Rome’s wrath. Discussion Today, we read about the precious ointment anointing of Jesus. Notably, Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-8 document this exact event, while Luke 7:36-50 records a similar one.[1] We will reference John’s account for further context. Matthew writes, “6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper.” The setting of this story is in a town called Bethany, one-to-two miles outside Jerusalem.[2] This is the town where Jesus has been staying since His triumphant arrival in Jerusalem (Mt. 21:1). Throughout the week, Jesus would go into Jerusalem to teach and then head back to Bethany at night (21:17). Following Jesus’ Olivet discourse, it seems the image here is of Him returning to Bethany to settle for the evening. Simon the Leper is an interesting figure in this story with no other references anywhere in the gospels. It is likely he was the recipient of one of Jesus’ miraculous healings, who then followed Jesus and opened his home to Him here.[3] The nickname ‘the leper’ likely stuck with him as a reminder of his former disease.[4] This is significant because leprosy was a severe disease that required people with it to live outside of cities. If Simon was still leprous, everybody at his home would have been ‘unclean’ and unable to take part in the Passover festivities. Thus, the reference to his diagnoses reveals he must have been made clean, allowing him to host this event without consequence. While Matthew and Mark record this story nearly verbatim, including the reference to Simon the Leper’s home, John provides further details. John 12:1 says, “Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.” John reveals Jesus was staying with Lazarus, likely at the home of Simon the Leper as the other gospel writers claim. Furthermore, the general timeline of Jesus’ stay in Jerusalem remains consistent, but the timing of this event varies in John's account. He puts it before Jesus’ triumphant entry, six days before Passover, while Matthew and Mark place it just before His betrayal, two days before Passover. Regardless, one evening in Bethany, Jesus shares a meal with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, and the twelve, at the home of Simon the Leper. During the evening, “7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.” Without further context, the image is bizarre. A woman comes before Jesus with a vial or flask of perfume and pours it on His head. As bizarre as this scene sounds to the modern reader, though, it was common in ancient Jewish culture to anoint honored guests with oil.[5] However, this anointing in Matthew escalates because the woman pours out an expensive perfume made of nard from India, rather than a common household oil.[6] Notably, pouring oil on one’s head signified blessing and favor from God in the Old Testament and symbolized countless other positive types of anointing and worship throughout Scripture.[7] Psalm 23:5 says, “You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” God also speaks to Moses about anointing oil as well (Ex. 30:22-33). He commands Moses in Exodus 30:25, saying, “You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.” Among many others, Proverbs 27:9 also says, “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.” Back to the story, Matthew and Mark leave the woman nameless, but John clarifies that it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. John also adds that Mary poured the perfume on the feet of Jesus rather than His head and wiped it with her hair (Jn. 12:3). Regardless, the woman’s anointing of Jesus was an intimate act of reverence and humility. Perhaps Jesus raising her brother Lazarus from the dead led to this level of intimate anointing, among other things. However, not all at the table saw this as an intimate, holy act of reverence. We will read about this tomorrow. Application Throughout Scripture, the idea of pouring oil was an anointed act of worship toward God and symbolic of His blessings toward His people. We see the former in this passage as the woman honors Jesus by anointing Him. Whether this woman was Mary, sister of Lazarus, or somebody else, the principle remains the same. She showed utmost reverence and humility to Christ in the presence of others. Many use this passage to prescribe how we should anoint ourselves with oil. However, the focus of this passage is not on us, but on Christ. The woman acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah and does the most intimate act of worship one can do by anointing His feet. This image of intimate worship here is convicting. How often do I find myself at the feet of Jesus, unapologetically worshiping Him? While we do not need oil or other forms of liquid to worship Jesus, we can intimately do so in other ways. One is simply sacrificing our time and spending intentional time with Him. How often do we go about our busy schedules without even a thought of Christ? This does not make us less of a Christian, but it can reveal where our priorities are. Are we willing to cut out some of our everyday plans and desires to spend time with Jesus? We will explore this passage more in the coming days, but for now I pray to have a heart of worship and reverence for Jesus the same way this woman did. I pray I make intentional time to spend at His feet and humbly seek to honor Him in all I do. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:8-9. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [5] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [6] Ibid. [7] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 309, Matthew 26:3-5 — The Plot to Kill Jesus Matthew 26:3-5 (NASB1995) “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; 4 and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. 5 But they were saying, ‘Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.’” Context Matthew 26 directly follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (23-25), as the gospel transitions into its final act. The chapter details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we read about the significance of Passover and its typological connection to Jesus’ death. Following Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23-25), He foretells His coming death to the twelve one last time. Jesus foretold His death before but this one has added weight, as we are just hours from its fulfillment. He also adds that it will happen during Passover. This timing was significant because Passover was a time of celebration for ancient Jews to remember God saving them from Egyptian slavery. During the first Passover in Exodus 12, God ‘passed over’ the homes of His people who marked their houses with the blood of a lamb (Ex. 12:13). The Egyptians who did not faced the angel of death who killed every firstborn son. The symbolism between that story and Jesus’ own Passover narrative here is striking. In the Exodus narrative, God saved His people and passed over their firstborn sons by the blood of lambs in Exodus. However, He will not Passover His own Son in the Passion Narrative because Jesus is the Lamb of God and His blood saves. Thus, just as the ancient Hebrews used the blood of a lamb to save themselves during the first Passover, Jesus is the spotless lamb whose blood will save His people from the penalty of death brought by sin at the last. God could have planned for Jesus’ death to occur at any time. However, God precisely planned for it to happen during Passover week—the very week that has represented His redemption of His people throughout history. We can never overstate the significance of this timing. Discussion Today, we read about the religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus. We will reference John’s gospel for further context. Even though the religious leaders accused Jesus (Mt. 12:10), challenged His authority (21:23-27), and threatened to put Him to death many times, Jesus continued to proclaim the truth of the kingdom of God and accomplish His will. Jesus also never refrained from the reality of His coming death, foretelling it many times (Mt. 9:14-15; 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:1-2). While Jesus was preparing His disciples for His death, the religious leaders continued to plot against Him. Matthew writes, “3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; 4 and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. 5 But they were saying, ‘Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.’” The religious leaders have plotted Jesus’ death since the beginning of His ministry (Mt. 12:14). In Matthew 12, they plot to kill Him because He healed a lame man on the sabbath. However, they have had zero justification to condemn Him then, as the Jewish courts of the period could not enforce the death penalty for sabbath violations. Thus, they sought help outside of Mosaic Law. In the Pharisees’ minds, gaining support from somebody with a higher authority or political influence would help them destroy Jesus (i.e., Caesar, the Herodians). In this passage, the religious leaders seek help from the high priest, Caiaphas. Notably, John 11:47-53 provides extensive details about Caiaphas and the council of religious leaders who gather for this plot. John 11:47-48 says, “Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’” With this added context, we find the religious leaders call together a council to voice concerns about Jesus’ growing influence. This council or ‘Sanhedrin’ was literally the Supreme Court of Israel and its other high-ranking or influential representatives.[1] In the meeting, they admit that Jesus’ miracles were changing the hearts of many and converting them away from Judaism. But their general fear was not about Jesus gaining power and influence—it was a fear of Rome. The Roman Empire occupied most territory at the time and forced all non-Romans to essentially ‘fall in line.’ Since Rome was focused on broader reach, it allowed the religious leaders to keep crumbs of influence as long as the Jewish people were controlled.[2] However, any riots of other forms of revolution from the people would incite the Empire to enforce their wrath upon the Jews and take away the religious leaders power and influence. Thus, Caiaphas’ inclusion in this meeting is highly significant because he was the longest-standing high priest of the first century (18-36 A.D.) and carried influence with Rome that maintained peace.[3] John 11:49-50 adds Caiaphas’ comments about the situation. It says, “49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.’” This comment reveals Caiaphas’ discernment of the situation. He understood the reach of Jesus’ influence and the challenges of managing the people because of it. The religious leaders needed to expedite Jesus’ death before it was too late—and they needed to do it quietly to avoid inciting a revolt for two reasons. First, since Caiaphas had influence with Rome, he knew that waiting to kill Jesus would lead to mass bloodshed as His influence grew. In theory, Jesus’ fame could have outgrown Rome, leading to a war for power. But obviously, this was not why Jesus came. Second, killing Jesus publicly would lead to the people revolting against the religious leaders (Mt. 21:26). This would likely have forced Rome to intervene and likely cause mass bloodshed. Ironically, this happened anyway in 66-70 A.D. when the Jews revolted against Rome over taxes. Thus, Caiaphas’ idea of eliminating one man for the sake of many made logical sense (i.e., ‘for the greater good’). If they could kill Jesus quietly, then it would save millions of Jewish lives.[4] Conversely, failing in this plot would lead to Rome’s wrath. Furthermore, the timing of Passover week made things more complicated as tens of thousands of pilgrims from across the world were in Jerusalem. If a riot happened during this specific week, then the bloodshed could be countless. In the end, no matter how sound their plan was, the risks were high. However, one person close to Jesus will soon approach these religious leaders with the plan of plans. We will read about this in the coming days. Tomorrow we will read about the precious ointment. Application There are a couple applicable thoughts from this passage. While it is a straightforward descriptive text, it is telling to see the religious leader’s reaction to a change in culture. They feared the people and allowed that fear to dissuade them from surrendering their power and influence. How relevant is that for today? This man-made fear of losing their worldly power and influence transcends time. Even today, many church leaders are falling into sin and being exposed as wolves—and many through their submission to political ideologies. They refuse to call out sin and reject worldly ideas to maintain their platform. However, the idea of seeking influence contrasts the teachings of Jesus—even if it is done in Christ’s name. In reality, following Jesus will produce hate and disdain from the world because the world hates Christ. Thus, we cannot allow ourselves to fall into the trap of seeking worldly influence because it can open a door to all sorts of ungodliness and sin (e.g. pride, lust, greed, etc.). While the LORD will bless some with influence it does not mean they can use that power and authority for their own gain. With influence comes the inevitable decision to maintain Christlikeness or submission to the world in fear of persecution. We must remain focused on Christ regardless of the amount of influence God gives us. In the end, He is the One giving it, not us. We must remain obedient to Him and the truth of His word and not fall to the pushback of the world. May we stand strong against persecution and the prideful desire for power and influence. If this influence does come, may we remain Christ-centered and teach the truth without sugarcoating it. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:6-7. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 308, Matthew 26:1-2 — The Passion Narrative Matthew 26:1-2 (NASB1995) “When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, 2 ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.’” Context Matthew 26 directly follows Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (23-25), as the gospel transitions into its final act. The chapter details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we concluded Jesus’ final teaching about the separation of the sheep and goats (25:31-46). Contrasting the fate of the sheep who inherit the kingdom of God, the goats receive a terrible fate originally designed for Satan and his demons. In the beginning, hell was not humanity’s destination, as God did not design us for destruction. However, the fall of Adam and Eve cursed humanity with a sinful nature that must face judgment. Thus, Jesus tells these unbelieving goats to depart from Him into an eternity of torment. Notably, the guilt of the goats comes not from wrongdoing or blatant sinfulness but from their failure to do right. This does not mean their salvation would have come from doing good works but that their lack thereof revealed their absence of genuine love. While salvation is found in faith in Christ alone, a genuine love for Christ will produce self-sacrificial acts of service and love. While works do not qualify one righteous in God’s sight, there is a symbiotic relationship between faith and works that proves one’s righteousness. Thus, Jesus confirms the condemnation of the goats comes from their lack of genuine faith. They did not produce good works from a heart of self-sacrificial love and compassion. Instead, they question Jesus and claim ignorance. This contrasts the humility of the sheep. In the end, those who remain faithful to Christ will produce fruits of active service and receive the gift of eternal life, while those who reject Christ will lack fruit and receive eternal condemnation. Discussion Today, we read about the importance of Passover and its connection with Jesus’ death. Matthew writes, “1 When Jesus had finished all these words.” Notably, this phrase signifies a narrative transition into the next section of one’s writing.[1] Hence why Matthew uses it to introduce the final act of his gospel—he uses similar transitions in 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, and 19:1.[2] Many scholars say Matthew deliberately uses this five-act structure to copy the five-book Pentateuch and five-discourse structure of Deuteronomy.[3] These claims have credibility based on Matthew’s love for ancient Judaism and its roots, as we discussed at the beginning of our journey. Now following Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, He says to His disciples, “2 You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.” Jesus has foretold His death many times (Mt. 9:14-15; 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19), but this mention has added weight, as we are just hours from its fulfillment. However, He adds that He will be handed over for crucifixion during Passover. According to the ancient Jewish calendar, Passover day itself was on Nisan 14.[4] Since Jesus mentions Passover is in two days, this would mean the date was Nisan 12 or 13, depending on the exact time of this conversation with the twelve.[5] This timing was significant because Passover was a time of celebration for ancient Jews to remember God saving them from Egyptian slavery.[6] During the first Passover in Exodus 12, God ‘passed over’ the homes of His people who marked their houses with the blood of a lamb (Ex. 12:13). The Egyptians who did not faced the angel of death who killed every firstborn son. The symbolism between that story and Jesus’ own Passover narrative here is striking—and ironic. God saved His people and passed over their firstborn sons by the blood of lambs in Exodus, but He will not Passover His own Son here; because Jesus is the Lamb of God and His blood will save God’s people once again.[7] For Jews at this time, Passover was the most important annual festival.[8] Remember, we referenced it was Passover week during Jesus’ triumphant entry (21:1-11). Tens of thousands of pilgrims have traveled to Jerusalem for their annual sacrifices to celebrate. This is what led to Jesus’ table-flipping outburst against the hypocritical money-changers and religious leaders (21:12-17). That feels like ages ago, yet that was only the day before when we are now. What is most amazing about the timing of Jesus’ triumphant entry and soon-coming death is God’s unbelievable foreknowledge and sovereignty over it all. He could have planned for Jesus’ death to occur at any time. However, God precisely planned for it to happen during Passover week—the very week that has represented His redemption of His people throughout history. In conclusion, we cannot understate the significance of this timing, as it typologically ties to ancient Jewish history and Jesus' work on the cross.[9] Just as the ancient Hebrews used the blood of a lamb to save themselves during the first Passover, Jesus is the spotless lamb whose blood will save his people from the penalty of death brought by sin at the last. We will discuss the timing of all this more in the coming days. Tomorrow, we read about the scribes’ and Pharisees’ plot to kill Jesus. Application This is slightly embarrassing. Before studying this passage, I never really thought about the significance of Passover. Crazy, right? Obviously, I understood what it meant. But I just never thought about the detailed typology of it all. It is mind-boggling to see how God perfectly interweaves history, thousands of years apart. The connection between the first Passover and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is so beautiful. Honestly, the entire idea of how this all comes together just seems impossible to comprehend. But that is why God’s ways are higher than ours. This is an obvious example of our lack of understanding compared to His perfect understanding. God planned all of this and all we can do is simply sit in awe. When it comes to the topic at hand, I again just become undone at the love of Christ. The countless times He could have turned away from this path blows me away. Yet, He loved us so much that He endured to the end to save our souls from eternal judgment. We will discuss this all much more in the coming days. For now, may we meditate on the greatness of our God and His perfect plan of redemption and salvation. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:3-5. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] John Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [5] Ibid. [6] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [7] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [8] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [9] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 307, Matthew 25:41-46 — The Judgment Matthew 25:41-46 (NASB1995) “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see 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 say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Following two parables about the ten virgins (25:1-13) and the talents (25:14-30), Jesus transitions into the final teaching of His earthly life about the final judgment. Review Yesterday, we continued reading about the separation of the sheep and goats and discussed the fate of the sheep. Following the separation, Jesus will welcome the sheep on His right into the kingdom of God, whom He has chosen from the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). Jesus says these chosen sheep have served Him faithfully during their lives. In short, whenever the LORD was in need, they proved their faith by being doers of the word and not just hearers. They put their faith into action and self-sacrificially served the LORD. Practically, every one of these people did not literally serve Jesus in person because these sheep encompass every believer throughout all of history. However, Jesus reveals that these faithful sheep did indeed serve Him by serving His brothers. These brothers are all those in Christ (12:50). Some believe Jesus is speaking about those who provide hospitality to messengers of Christ, but receiving Christ’s messengers figuratively equates to receiving Christ Himself. In the end, Jesus intends His disciples to imitate His own concern for the poor and needy. Those who show self-sacrificial love to others and serve them with humility and Christlike compassion prove they are genuine followers of Christ by these actions. On judgment day, Jesus will welcome these sheep into their prepared eternal home with Him for this faith in Him and faithful, active service. Discussion Today, we conclude reading about the separation of the sheep and goats and discuss the fate of the goats. Notably, this passage adds to the theme of a believer having an active faith and warns of judgment against passive faithlessness, like we saw in the parable of the talents (25:14-30). Remember, the image is of a shepherd gathering his flock of sheep and goats and separating them from one another. After explaining the fates of the sheep that Jesus separates to the right (vs. 34-40), He explains the fate of the goats on the left. Jesus says, “41 Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Contrasting the fate of the sheep who inherit the kingdom of God, the goats receive a terrible fate originally designed for Satan and his demons. In the beginning, hell was not humanity’s destination. God did not design us for destruction.[1] However, the fall of Adam and Eve cursed humanity with a sinful nature that must be judged. Those who put their faith in Christ like the sheep receive eternal life as Jesus takes the punishment for their sins while those who reject Christ like the goats will face judgment alone for their unforgiven sins. This is the good news. Thus, Jesus tells these unbelieving goats to depart (7:23) from Him into an eternity of torment along with Satan and his demons (Rev. 20:10). Jesus then details the faithlessness of the goats, saying, “42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’” The guilt of the goats here comes not from wrongdoing and blatant sinfulness but from their failure to do right.[2] This does not mean that their salvation would have come from doing good works but that their lack thereof revealed their absence of genuine love.[3] Many people show kindness, even the most wicked of unbelievers.[4] Yet the goats condemned in this passage failed to willingly pursue such deeds. Thus, is the variance found in the self-sacrifice of the sheep versus the self-serving of the goats? Maybe. While salvation is found in faith in Christ alone—not additional works—a genuine love for Christ will produce self-sacrificial acts of service and love toward others. And these works are never self-seeking. The sheep act in ignorance from a heart of humble obedience to Christ while the wicked proclaim their works with great pride (7:21-23) and remain ignorant of their sins.[5] We see this in the goats’ reply. Jesus adds, “44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see 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 say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’” Jesus confirms the condemnation of the goats comes from their lack of active faith. They did not produce good works from a heart of self-sacrificial love and compassion. Instead, they question Jesus and claim ignorance.[6] This thinking contrasts the humility of the sheep who took zero credit for their deeds and were surprised by Jesus’ response to their faithfulness.[7] If the sheep believed they could earn their salvation through their works they would have said so rather than being ignorant of their righteousness. Conversely, the goats claim to have no knowledge of their lack of deeds. Yet this failure reveals their lack of faith in Christ, as one who truly loves Christ loves His people and proves this love through their actions without seeking a reward. Jesus then concludes this teaching by revealing the finality of the sheep and goats’ fates. He says, “46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” In the end, those who remain faithful to Christ will produce fruits of active service to others and receive the gift of eternal life while those who reject Christ will lack fruit and receive eternal condemnation. Notably, the reality of heaven and hell was prophesied long ago, as Daniel 12:2 says, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” While works do not qualify one righteous in God’s sight, there is a symbiotic relationship between faith and works that proves one’s righteousness—the goats have neither. We will conclude this passage with a quote from Martin Luther. “O it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them, and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever.”[8] We will read about the scribes and Pharisees’ final plot to arrest and kill Jesus tomorrow. Application As I have mentioned, I struggled with applying this passage early in my faith. This was because I had a misunderstanding of God’s grace and confused identity. I made my faith all about my works rather than Jesus’ work. What is interesting about this parable is the reality that some who reject Christ still do ‘good’ and show ‘kindness’ to others. However, this worldly compassion does not equate to a right-standing with God. Thus, these works are in vain. Notably, even some who claim Christ will find themselves condemned on judgment day as a goat because they put their faith in their works rather than in Christ alone (7:21-23). This is a reality that I wrestle with when thinking about it practically—because even I am conscious of the compassion I show others at times. There is a very real battle between pride and humility that must be understood when we seek to do good for Christ. A couple reflective questions come to mind regarding this: 1) when we do such works are we doing them for ourselves or for Christ? 2) Do we have a yearning for self-gratification or God’s glorification during these times? Truthfully, I have caught myself on both sides, even recently. But the moments of self-glory produce a Godly fear in me that leads to my acknowledgement that what I have done gains me nothing in God’s sight. This is a reality that we must all acknowledge. There are times when I think about myself but I understand that it is not Isaac doing good works—it is Christ in me, empowering me to self-sacrificially love others for His glory not mine. I pray the LORD continues to provide opportunities to self-sacrificially serve others and that the Holy Spirit continues to humble my heart and keep me from pride. In the end, I can do nothing on my own and would fall into pride every time. Thus, I am just so thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice and His transformative power to change my heart to love Him and love others above myself. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:1-2. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [3] John Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 306, Matthew 25:34-40 — The Judgment Matthew 25:34-40 (NASB1995) “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Following two parables about the ten virgins (25:1-13) and the talents (25:14-30), Jesus transitions into the final teaching of His earthly life about the final judgment. Review Yesterday, we started reading about the separation of the sheep and goats at Jesus’ second coming. This judgment includes a gathering of people from all nations and separating them into two groups for judgment. Some debate whether this judgment differs from the White Throne Judgment after the millennium. However, most scholars agree this judgment encompasses all humanity and symbolizes the general image of humanity’s two eternal fates. The image is of a shepherd gathering his flock of sheep and goats and separating them from one another. In ancient times, shepherding was a common profession. Since sheep and goats graze together, shepherds needed to separate them at night because goats needed warmth at night while sheep preferred open air. Sheep also held more value than goats and served as an image of God's people throughout the Old Testament. Thus, the idea of separating the two was common for various reasons. The emphasis of this passage is on the separation between two groups, representing the separation of people. In the image, Jesus will separate the people into two groups, one on the left and one on the right. Ancient secular texts reveal people considered the right as good and the left as evil, especially regarding judgment. In ancient Jewish history, many cultures claimed the right symbolized favor and blessings while the left symbolized disfavor and curses. Regarding sheep and goats, only seasoned shepherds could distinguish between them in their normal dirty state. Thus, it seems perfectly fitting that Jesus is the one who does this separating, as only He knows the true hearts of men. Discussion Today, we continue reading about the separation of the sheep and goats at Jesus’ second coming. The image is of a shepherd gathering his flock of sheep and goats and separating them from one another. In the same way, Jesus will return in great power and glory with a host of angels to begin His reign as the Messiah King and Judge of the nations, separating them into two groups, one on the right and one on the left. We will read about the right group today. Jesus says, “34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Jesus speaks of Himself as King here. Following the separation of the sheep and goats, He will welcome the sheep on His right into the kingdom of God, whom He has chosen from the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). These sheep have put their faith in Christ and faithfully endured the trials and tribulations of life. Notably, the idea of God’s sovereign choosing of the sheep sparks some debate between Calvinists and Arminians. The former argues God’s choosing means that humanity has zero responsibility in their salvation, while the latter argues God remains sovereign, yet gives humanity the free will to accept or reject His salvation. Regardless, God has prepared the kingdom for His chosen sheep to inherit. Jesus adds, “35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’” These verses add to the theme of a believer having an active faith, like we saw in the parable of the talents (25:14-30). Jesus says these chosen sheep have served Him faithfully during their lives and provided Him food, drink, hospitality, clothing, compassion, and time. In short, whenever the LORD was in need, they proved their faith by being doers of the word and not just hearers. They put their faith into action and self-sacrificially served the LORD amid trials and tribulations instead of shrinking away in slothful, faithless disobedience. These deeds were a basic standard in Jewish ethics, so devout Jews would have easily applied each, and likely already practiced them.[1] Jesus is making the case that He seeks His followers to serve others, even in the most miniscule ways. Notably, Paul outlines his similar experience in his letter to Corinth, explaining how he faced many beatings, imprisonments, and stoning, among various other trials, and also faced the dangers of hunger, thirst, and homelessness (2 Cor. 11:23-27). However, the sheep respond to the King, asking how it is possible that they served Him directly. They ask, “37 Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” In a practical sense, every one of these people did not literally serve Jesus in person in every one of these ways. The sheep in this passage encompass every believer throughout all of history. This is especially true for the Jewish listener, as Christ was only on the earth for thirty-three years. Thus, how could they have served Him in these ways? Jesus adds, “40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” Jesus reveals that these faithful sheep did indeed serve Him by serving His brothers. These brothers are all those in Christ (12:50). Some believe Jesus is speaking about those who provide hospitality to messengers of Christ, as referenced in 10:11-14.[2] In that passage, Jesus tells His disciples to bless those who provide them food and shelter during their missionary travels. Thus, receiving Christ’s messengers figuratively equates to receiving Christ Himself. Proverbs 19:17 refers to this principle saying, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” However, Jesus is not speaking to only those who do missionary work, or those who showed hospitality to missionaries. He is speaking to believers who showed Christlike compassion and love to all people. These people acted from their love of Christ without realizing that Christ Himself was the object of their every compassionate deed.[3] This love and service to others proves their love for Christ and genuine faith in Him. In conclusion, Jesus makes the application clear, intending that His disciples imitate His own concern for the poor and needy.[4] Those who show self-sacrificial love to others and serve them with humility and Christlike compassion prove they are genuine followers of Christ by these actions. On judgment day, Jesus will welcome these sheep into their prepared eternal home with Him for this faith in Him and faithful, active service. We will read about the fate of the goats tomorrow. Application I struggled with interpreting this passage when I first came to faith. I really did not understand how to differentiate the gospel of grace from a works-based gospel. There are so many passages that speak about needing us to faithfully serve God. However, Scripture is clear that our works do not save us, and by God’s grace, I fully understand that now. This does not mean a believer can be passive in their faith, though. We learned from the parable of the talents that the LORD seeks for us to have an active faith. Those who do prove their genuine love for Christ, like the sheep in this passage. I will admit that I have sometimes struggled to find the balance between faithfully serving others and setting boundaries for myself. When I was first born again all I wanted to do was serve others and did not care about myself. This was unhealthy and led to burnout. I have also been on the flip-side of this, putting myself and my time and my needs above serving others. This was unhealthy and led to a time of struggles with pride. Now the LORD has convicted me and revealed a better way to apply this very idea of serving others. This does not mean we should ignore ourselves and our personal need for time and space. The LORD desires for us to rest. However, we must not allow our personal space to turn into a prideful, self-serving slothfulness that ignores the needs of others. We must remain faithful to Christ and seek to have a heart of compassion for others—even if that sometimes makes us leave our bubble of comfortability. In the end, I hope to stand before Christ on judgment day as a sheep who faithfully provided for others and loved them from my love for Christ. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:41-46. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [4] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 305, Matthew 25:31-33 — The Judgment Matthew 25:31-33 (NASB1995) “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Following two parables about the ten virgins (25:1-13) and the talents (25:14-30), Jesus transitions into the final teaching of His earthly life about the final judgment. Review Yesterday, we concluded the parable of the talents and read about the consequences of passive living. After giving a stern rebuke, the master takes away the third servant’s talent and gives it to the first servant. Jesus illustrates this principle about giving and taking away in one of His first parables (Mt. 13:10-13). In short, the master takes away the third servant’s talent because he rejected the master. However, the talent still needs a steward, so the master rewards the first servant with more responsibility to manage this talent (v. 28). The parallel between the two parables leaves the faithful with more and the faithless with nothing. In the end, what we do matters to God. Anybody can proclaim Christ. However, not everybody obeys Him. Those who trust in Christ and love Him will be zealous for good works (Tit. 2:14). They will prove their faith through their actions (Jas. 2:18), being doers of the word and not just hearers (Jas. 1:22). Conversely, many prove their faithlessness through their passive living, which results in God’s judgment. This judgment results in eternal death in hell. However, the third servant ended up in hell not because he did not do enough for the master or even that he was disobedient, but because he blatantly rejected the master. He was not a genuine servant. Thus, the master rejects him. Likewise, there are many who profess Christ but are not genuine Christians. They claim to serve Christ and want the eternal reward of salvation yet refuse to obey Him. By doing so, they prove themselves to be false believers and Christ will reject them on judgment day. Discussion Today, we read about the separation of the sheep and goats at Jesus’ second coming. Following His final three parables about remaining prepared for His second coming, Jesus transitions into His final teaching about the final judgment. Jesus says, “31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” Jesus again refers to Himself here as the Son of Man. Remember, the ‘Son of Man’ was the Messianic title for the prophesied Messiah King. This description of Jesus’ second coming as the Son of Man provides an extravagant image of His great power and glory. We detailed His coming on Day 289, which also describes His coming as the Son of Man in the clouds with great power and glory (Mt. 24:30). Notably, the described coming of Christ in 24:30 and the coming described in this passage are the same, not two separate comings. Jesus also similarly describes His coming with a host of angels here, as in 24:31 and 16:27. In short, Jesus’ return will be in great power and glory to begin His reign as the Messiah King and Judge of the nations. Jesus adds, “32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” The judgment of the sheep and goats leads to varying interpretations. Some believe the ‘nations’ here speak of the entire world[1], while others claim ‘nations’ refers to Gentiles alone. Some also claim the ‘nations’ are only unbelievers[2]. However, the passage itself will settle this debate in vs. 34-46. One’s eschatological position likely determines their interpretation but the truth of judgment remains in each: Jesus will gather people from all nations and separate them into two groups for judgment at His return. Most scholars agree that this judgment encompasses all humanity. Notably, there are two judgments mentioned in Scripture. The ‘Bema Seat’ judgment is the judgment for believers where they will receive their eternal rewards (2 Cor. 5:10). Conversely, the ‘White Throne Judgment’ is the judgment for unbelievers after the millennium when God will declare their eternal fates (Rev. 20:11-15). Thus, the question about where this sheep and goat judgment fits in warrants discussion. Is this a real judgment? Or simply a general image of humanity’s eternal fates? Matthew refers to the idea of a separation of the believing and unbelieving in 13:49-50. It says, “49 So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Furthermore, the image of a shepherd separating his herd of sheep and goats fits the biblical idea of God as a shepherd. Ezekiel 34:17 says, “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.’” Shepherding was a very common profession among ancient Jews, so they would have understood the process of separating sheep and goats from their shared field. While it was common for sheep and goats to graze together, many shepherds separated them at night because goats needed warmth at night while sheep preferred open air.[3] This was because goats had thinner wool. Additionally, sheep held more value than goats and served as an image of God's people throughout the Old Testament.[4] Even within pagan traditions, people typically regarded sheep as good while viewing goats as evil.[5] Thus, the idea of separating the two was common for various reasons. The emphasis of this passage is on the separation between two groups, representing the separation of people. Following the gathering, Jesus says the shepherd will separate them by putting “33 the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.” In this image, we see the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Savior and Judge, King Jesus, separate the people. Ancient secular texts reveal people considered the right as good and the left as evil, especially regarding judgment.[6] In ancient Jewish history, many cultures claimed the right symbolized favor and blessings while the left symbolized disfavor and curses.[7] Regarding sheep and goats, only seasoned shepherds could distinguish between them in their normal dirty state.[8] Thus, it is necessary for only a seasoned shepherd to rightly separate the righteous and wicked. Like the wheat and tares (13:24-30), these individuals will look similar on the surface. However, one side knows Christ as Savior while the other does not. It seems perfectly fitting that Jesus is the one who does this separating, as only He knows the true hearts of men. We will continue reading about the separation of the sheep and goats tomorrow. Application Jesus brings the theme of judgment to the forefront once again in His final teaching in this passage. Although, this teaching had added flavor with Jesus being the one doing the judging. Most times, we imagine the coming of Christ in His glory as Savior and forget that He is also the ultimate judge. In the end, Christ will return to save the righteous and judge the wicked. This separation of the righteous and wicked will come swiftly. The nations will mourn at the sight of His coming as they realize the reality of His divine authority. The sad side of this reality is that many who proclaim Christ will find themselves among the goats crying ‘Lord, Lord.’ This truth fires me up about the dangers of complacency. After studying through the last three parables, it is evident that so many who proclaim Christ do not produce the fruit of a truly born again person. They reveal their lack of genuine faith in Jesus. However, for those faithful to Jesus, it will be a time of glorious celebration. While we will still face judgment for our deeds, it will be a time of humility and awe in the presence of our eternal King. We will discuss this judgment further in the coming days. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:34-40. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Myron Augsburger, “Preacher's Commentary Series.” [2] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [3] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [4] France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [5] Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [6] Ibid. [7] France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [8] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 304, Matthew 25:29-30 — Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:29-30 (NASB1995) “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Like the parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13), this one continues the theme from the end times discourse of being prepared for Jesus’ second coming. It also expounds on a principle from the parable about the faithful and wicked servants regarding how people are to live (24:45-51). Review Yesterday, we continued the parable of the talents and read about the passive servant. Following the accounting of the first two servants, the master turned to the third servant to settle his account. The servant called the master a ‘hard’ man, suggesting his unloving and violent character as the reason he buried his talent instead of using it. But this is a misreading of the master’s character employed simply to justify the servants’ inactive disobedience. He did not care about obeying the master, regardless of his character, and then blamed the master for his selfish apathy. In reality, he cowered from the responsibility given to him and hid it away to avoid the consequence of failure. However, his failure was not in minimal or unsuccessful effort compared to the other servants, but the lack thereof. He simply did not even try. Thus, he did not live prepared for the master’s return. In the end, the master tells the servant he could have succeeded by doing the very least. It did not matter how successful the servant was in his service, but just that he was active instead of passive. The master would have been pleased with the third servant the same as the first two—and the reward would have been the same as well. Even though the result would have been ‘less’ than the other two, it was active obedience that mattered most to the master, not the amount of return. Discussion Today, we conclude the parable of the talents and read about the consequences of passive living. The image is of a master who gives three of his servants each a portion of his wealth to manage while he is away. The master does not give further instruction about what to do with the respective talents but entrusted them with the responsibility to steward this wealth and make a profit. In the end, only two of the three put their talents into action. After giving a stern rebuke, the master takes away the third servant’s talent and gives it to the first servant. He did this because the first servant doubled his five to ten. Now we read about the consequences of the third servant who cowered from the responsibility given to him and hid his talent instead of using it. The master says, “29 For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” Jesus illustrates this principle about giving and taking away in one of His first parables. In Matthew 13:10-13, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the hidden mysteries of the kingdom that unbelievers cannot understand. Because the unbelieving world rejects Christ, God strips them of understanding and then gives further revelation and understanding to those who accept Christ and remain faithful to Him. Likewise, the master in this parable takes away the third servant’s talent because he rejected the master. Because he was disobedient, he will face punishment. However, the talent still needs a steward. Thus, the master rewards the first servant with more responsibility to manage this talent along with other things (v. 28). The parallel between the two parables leaves the faithful with more and the faithless with nothing. Furthermore, the point of this parable is that what we do matters to God. Anybody can proclaim Christ. However, not everybody obeys Him. Those who trust in Christ and love Him will be zealous for good works (Tit. 2:14). They will prove their faith through their actions (Jas. 2:18), being doers of the word and not just hearers (Jas. 1:22). Conversely, many prove their faithlessness through their passive living, which results in God’s judgment. We see this judgment in the parable’s conclusion. Continuing his response to the passive servants’ disobedience, the master says, “30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This language of outer darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth symbolizes the agony of hell.[1] Jesus employs this description throughout the gospels when announcing judgment against the wicked (Mt. 8:12; 13:42; 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; Lk. 13:28).[2] Notably, those who support a works-based gospel often misinterpret the context of this judgment. Along with other passages, they apply this parable to mean that one must work to attain salvation. However, the context of this parable shows the third servant thrown into hell not because he did not do enough for the master or even that he was disobedient, but because he blatantly rejected the master. He was not a genuine servant. Thus, the master rejects him. Likewise, there are many who profess Christ but are not genuine Christians. They claim to serve Christ and want the eternal reward of salvation yet refuse to obey Him. By doing so, they prove themselves to be false believers and Christ will reject them on judgment day. In conclusion, the apathetic rationality of the passive servant in this parable is like the wicked slave (24:45-51) and foolish virgins (25:1-13) in the previous parables. They did not rightly prepare for their master’s arrival, and he rejected them.[2] We will start reading about the final judgment tomorrow. Application The theme of God’s judgment is something the American church loves to avoid. But no matter how hard progressive and passive professing Christians attempt to silence it, Scripture echoes throughout eternity and brings it to the forefront of our wicked nation. In truth, Jesus spoke about judgment many times and warned unbelievers to repentance along with wooing them. In the end, every person will face the judgment, and some will find themselves on the weeping and gnashing end of it like the passive servant in this parable. Thus, we must apply this parable as boldly as Jesus speaks it. Judgment is coming, and He does not seek for His followers to sit on the sidelines. If one claims to know Christ, then he will prove his faith by his works. If not, then he will reveal his fruitlessness and false belief and remain in his sins because of it. However, this parable is not only one of judgment, but hope. There is hope in Christ and those who love Him will seek to love others through active service. The goods news extends beyond active service though, because our salvation does not come because of our service. We serve because we have been saved, not because we seek salvation. Furthermore, what we accomplish does not matter regarding our salvific state. We may not ‘do as much’ as another person, but our reward is the same. God does not play favorites and does not hold us to some human standard. He holds us to His standard, which is the standard of loving Him and loving others—and we do both by actively serving Him and serving others. I have mentioned it before, but this is something I struggled with early in my faith. Thankfully, the LORD revealed a better understanding of His grace and freed me from the chains of comparison and a works-based identity. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:31-33. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 303, Matthew 25:24-28 — Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:24-28 (NASB1995) “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Like the parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13), this one continues the theme from the end times discourse of being prepared for Jesus’ second coming. It also expounds on a principle from the parable about the faithful and wicked servants regarding how people are to live (24:45-51). Review Yesterday, we continued the parable of the talents. Upon the master’s return, he came to the three servants to settle their accounts. The language of ‘settling accounts’ implies that the master expected them to make a profit. The first servant reveals he doubled the wealth that was given to him. He was active with the masters’ talents and successfully used them according to his abilities. Likewise, the second servants did the same. Because of their faithfulness, the master applauds these servants with a shared joy, like a parent cheering on their children. He then reveals the confidence that he has in them by rewarding them with more responsibility. This responsibility likely includes management over more than just his possessions and wealth but his entire estate. The reward also includes having a closer relationship with the master. Notably, the rewards for each of these servants are the same. This is significant because it shows that the master does not have partiality. Even though the first servant had more responsibility, each received the same level of reward for their faithfulness. Jesus uses this parable to reveal that those who faithfully use their God-given skills and abilities for the kingdom will receive greater responsibility when He returns. Thus, believers should remain faithful and have confidence in the abilities God has given them to expand and build the kingdom before His return. Discussion Today, we continue the parable of the talents and read about the passive servant. Remember, the image is of a master who gathers three of his servants together to hand each a portion of his wealth to manage while he is gone. The master does not give further instruction about what to do with the respective talents, giving each servant the free will to do with it according to their own abilities. However, this money was not given to them to use as they please. He entrusted them with the responsibility to steward this wealth. Following the accounting of the first two servants’ active faith and obedience, the master turns to the third servant to settle his account. What is notable from the start is the third servant’s acknowledgment of the master. In its application, this third servant is like those who profess Christ. However, the servant has a wrong view of the master’s character that he uses as an excuse for his disobedient inactivity.[1] Jesus says, “24 And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.’” The servant calls the master a ‘hard’ man, suggesting he has an unloving and violent character. This explains the sowing and gathering without scattering seed comment. This image of harvesting where one does not sow implies that the master does not care about who is in his way as long as he wins in the end.[2] It is as if the servant thinks, ‘If I obey, the master reaps the rewards, and if I disobey, the master will mistreat me.’[3] Clearly, this is a misreading of the master’s character employed simply to justify the servants’ inactive disobedience. The servant adds, “25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.” The fear employed here is not a proper fear but an improper fear.[4] It represents the passive mindset of ‘playing it safe’, which correlates with one who finds more concern with not doing anything wrong rather than attempting to obey and do what is right.[5] He cares not about obeying the master, regardless of his character, and then blames the master for his selfish apathy.[6] Questioning the master’s character is ironic really when it is the servants’ very own character that needs to be called into question. Notably, the phrase “you have what is yours” was common among ancient Jewish transactions.[7] It essentially translates to ‘I am not responsible for this any further.’[8] But the third servant did not steward and take responsibility in the first place. He cowered from the responsibility given to him and hid it away to avoid the consequence of failure. However, his failure was not in minimal or unsuccessful effort compared to the other servants, but the lack thereof. He did not even try. Thus, he did not live prepared for the master’s return. In the same way, Jesus seeks for His followers to live with an active faith that is prepared for His coming. It is not a competition dependent on one’s results, but one’s simple obedience. The reward is the same for all. However, some think of God as cruel and unloving and then blame Him for their sin and fruitlessness.[9] This is a challenge even for those who proclaim Christ, which results in one ignoring the call to action for Him. Many professing Christians live passively, forgetting that Jesus saved them not only from their sins but unto His kingdom service.[10] In response to the servant’s inactivity, the master says, “26 You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.” In this reply, the master calls the servant wicked and lazy and suggests that even if he was cruel; it does not excuse the servant’s lack of effort. The sin of the servant is interesting because it is not from his actions against the master but his overall lack of action. In reality, it seems that one may proclaim Christ, or simply live ‘rightly’, and still fail through their passive living.[11] However, one’s refusal to serve reveals a lack of love for the one who employs the service. Someone who has truly been transformed by the love and grace of Christ will seek to share that love and will actively serve Him in whatever way they can, not shrink away in fear or passivity. In the end, the master tells the servant he could have succeeded by doing the very least. He says, “27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.” Jesus reveals it did not matter how successful the servant was in his service, but just that he was active instead of passive. The master would have been pleased with the third servant the same as the first two—and the reward would have been the same as well. Even though the result would have been ‘less’ than the other two, it was active obedience that mattered most to the master, not the amount of return. Thus, the master takes away the talent from the third servant and gives it to the first. The principle is that people lose gifts they do not use—and the same goes in the kingdom of God. We will conclude this parable and discuss the third servant’s consequence tomorrow. Application The theme of this passage continues with a heavy reality about obedience to Christ. One who truly loves Jesus will yearn to obey Him and heed the leading of the Spirit. They will remain active in their faith, not passive. While it is easy to get caught up in the idea of competition and comparison, that is not what matters. It does not matter if you have an online platform reaching millions or a lil’ ole blog reaching hundreds. A ministry reaching millions does not equate to more rewards over another reaching dozens. The eternal rewards are the same. In the end, God simply seeks for us to have an active faith. This active faith results from a revelation of Christ’s love for us, as we naturally respond to His love with love for others through self-sacrificial service. While it can be intimidating to obey the LORD, we must not make excuses to avoid doing what He calls us to do. If Jesus is our LORD, then we must obey Him. All we have is His, not ours. If we respond like the third servant and live in passivity, then we reveal our wicked character. A character that cowers in the face of service rather than responding in faith will be punished, as revealed in this parable. May we remain faithful to Christ and live with an active faith. May we live with boldness against the tide of the world rather than shrinking back into passivity through fear of judgment. May we carry out the duties entrusted to us by our LORD and use them to further the kingdom. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:29-30. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] John Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [2] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [3] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [4] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [5] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [6] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [7] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [8] Ibid. [9] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [10] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [11] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 302, Matthew 25:19-23 — Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:19-23 (NASB1995) “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Like the parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13), this one continues the theme from the end times discourse of being prepared for Jesus’ second coming. It also expounds on a principle from the parable about the faithful and wicked servants regarding how people are to live (24:45-51). Review Yesterday, we started the parable of the talents. The image is of a master who gathers three of his servants together to hand each a portion of his wealth to manage while he is gone. He distributes this wealth in a variable amount to each servant in sums of five, two, and one talent. The master does not give further instruction about what to do with this wealth, giving each servant the free will to do with it according to their own abilities. However, this money was not given to them to use as they please. He entrusted them with the responsibility to steward it while he was gone, not waste it on raucous living and possessions. The two servants who received five and two talents doubled their value by trading them. This resulted in a one hundred percent return on their talents and shows good stewardship of the master’s wealth. Conversely, the servant who received one talent did not steward the master’s wealth. Rather than simply investing the wealth or using it productively with his God-given abilities, he failed to produce a return. He put in zero effort and simply buried it in a hole in the ground. While this was a safe way to protect one’s wealth, it was not profitable. In context, Jesus is speaking about how God gives each person individual skills and abilities to use for the Kingdom’s expansion. Not one person has the same abilities as another, and each is responsible for stewarding their God-given talents well until Jesus returns. However, not all people use their gifts in this way. Some squander them and live like a Laodicean—useless for ministry (Rev. 3:14-22). The waiting for the master's return was not meant to be a delay for empty works, but for engaging in productive stewardship. Discussion Today, we continue the parable of the talents. The image is of a master who gathers three of his servants together to hand each a portion of his wealth to manage while he is gone. It was common for masters of households to leave for long periods of time on business. While away, they would put servants in charge of their household and wealth. In this parable, the master gives three servants talents, or money. The master does not give further instruction about what to do with the respective talents, giving each servant the free will to do with it according to their own abilities. However, this money was not given to them to use as they please. He entrusted them with the responsibility to steward this wealth—but only two of the three obeyed before the master returned. Jesus says, “19 Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.” Here we find the master returning from his long journey. The language of ‘settling accounts’ implies that the master expected the servants to make a profit.[1] Like the master of the wise and wicked slaves in 24:45-51, he returns and reviews what his servants did while he was gone. In that parable, one managed the master’s household well while the only abused his authority and took advantage of the other servants. In this parable of the talents, the master returns to find what his three servants did with his wealth. We will discuss the master’s response to the first two servants today. Jesus adds, “20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’” Upon the master’s return, the first servant reveals he has doubled the wealth that was given to him—and he does so confidently. His confidence is notable because it beautifully illustrates John’s words about having confidence on the day of judgment (1 Jn. 2:28-29; 4:17).[2] 1 John 2:28-29 says, “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.” Furthermore, 1 John 4:17 says, “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.” The first servant recognized the money was not his and faithfully put the master’s five talents in action and used them to the best of his abilities. Because of his fruitful faithfulness, the master replies, “21 Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” The master’s response to the first servant reveals how proud he is of him. Like a parent cheering on their child, the master applauds the servant with a shared joy. He then reveals the confidence that he has in him by rewarding him with more responsibility.[3] This responsibility likely includes management over more than just his possessions and wealth but his estate. The reward also includes having a closer relationship with the master. Jesus uses this parable to reveal that those who faithfully use their God-given skills and abilities for the kingdom will receive greater responsibility when He returns. Thus, believers should remain faithful and have confidence in the abilities God has given them to expand and build the kingdom before His return. The second servant then reveals that he has also doubled the amount of wealth entrusted to him. Jesus says, “22 Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’” Notably, the rewards for each of these servants are the same. This is significant because it shows that the master does not have partiality. Even though the first servant had more responsibility, each received the same level of reward for their faithfulness. Perhaps the reward represents how God distributes His grace to all who faithfully accept Christ. While one’s eternal reward and responsibility in the kingdom might be different based on one’s skills, all believers receive a closer relationship with God via eternal life in Christ. Regarding the parable, each servant received more responsibility over the master’s possessions. Notably, the money gained is not theirs but the master’s. However, they each remain in charge of stewarding the original portion, plus whatever else the master gives them. In the end, this parable symbolizes the return of Christ. After being away for 2,000-plus years, Jesus will one day return and judge the world for its faithfulness or faithlessness. We will discuss the faithlessness of the third servant tomorrow. Application The master’s response to the two faithful servants is arguably the most beautiful in the entire Bible, as it represents what every believer longs to hear. One day, Christ will return and will judge us all according to our faithful deeds. The verses today reveal the confident hope we should have in Christ as we await that day. In the meantime, believers cannot remain idle. We must be like the two faithful servants and use our God-given abilities for His glory. Our actions should always seek to glorify Him, especially in the ways we use our skills. Of course, we do not need to be perfect and double our skills. That is not what the parable is saying. Jesus is using hyperbole to explain how He wants His followers to have an active faith. Those who seek Him and truly love Him will want to obey Him and see others come to the faith or grow in it. It is not about performance for rewards but about obedience from the reward He has already given us. The born again life is not meant to be inactive or negligent. We are to be active and grow in our relationship with Christ as we seek to grow the kingdom with whatever skills the LORD has given us. The thought of performance can intimidate because it can make you feel you are never doing enough. Until recently, this was something I struggled with greatly. However, knowing God’s grace is enough gives me the confidence to obey Him and continue running the race before me. While it is never easy, it is hopeful and motivating—even when the motivation tangibly lacks. In the end, I know I must continue faithfully using my skills and remain faithful to Christ alone. May we know the love of Christ and recognize it is not about how much we do but that we simply do. May we repent of being passive in our faith and come back to our first love with zealous fervor for an active faith in response to the gospel. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:24-28. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [2] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [3] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 301, Matthew 25:14-18 — Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-18 (NASB1995) “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Matthew concluded Jesus’ end times discourse with a parable about being ready for His second coming (24:45-51). Now He teaches another parable that expounds on that principle. Review Yesterday, we concluded the parable of the ten virgins. After the bridegroom’s arrival, the wise virgins went to meet him while the foolish virgins left to purchase more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom greeted the wise virgins into the wedding feast, and shut the door behind them. Notably, shutting the doors to a wedding’s celebratory banquet was not common. However, Jesus is revealing the finality of God’s eschatological timeline. Once He returns, it will be too late for the unbelieving and unprepared to repent. Eventually, the foolish virgins return to attend the wedding feast. But it was too late. The bridegroom shut the door to the wedding feast. The foolish virgins cry ‘Lord, Lord’ to no avail, as the bridegroom responds that he does not know them. They were unprepared and tried to buy their salvation in the last minutes, but salvation cannot be bought. Similarly, an unbeliever cannot share in a believer’s salvation or purchase it through good works or riches or acclaim. Even if one produces ‘good’ works or uses their wealth for ‘good’, that alone cannot save them from their sins. It is only through faith in Christ that one can be welcomed into eternal life. Discussion Today, we read the parable of the talents. Like the parable of the ten virgins, this one continues the theme of being prepared for Jesus’ second coming. This parable also expounds on a principle from the parable about the faithful and wicked servants regarding how people are to live (24:45-51). Jesus says, “14 For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.” The image is of a master who gathers three of his servants together to hand each a portion of his wealth to manage while he is gone. He distributes this wealth unequally, assigning a variable amount to each servant in sums of five, two, and one talent. Notably, a talent, or tálanton in Greek, refers to a unit of weight, which can also be worth a significant amount of money as a monetary unit.[1] Depending on its substance (e.g., copper, silver, gold, etc.), one talent weighed between 57 to 80 pounds and was worth between 20 to 500 years of a common laborer’s wage.[2] In short, it is an astronomical amount of wealth. Jesus says the master gave one servant five talents, which equals to around 100 years of one’s salary compared to two and one talent for the others. The master does not give further instruction about what to do with the respective talents, giving each servant the free will to do with it according to their own abilities. However, this money was not given to them to use as they please. He entrusted them with the responsibility to steward this wealth while he was gone, not waste it on raucous living and possessions.[3] Jesus adds, “16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” Jesus reveals each servant used their respective amount of wealth in their own way. The two servants who received five and two talents doubled their value by trading them. Trading was very common among ancient Jews, so it is likely that they used their God-given abilities to buy and sell goods with them. This resulted in a one hundred percent return on their talents and shows good stewardship of the master’s wealth. Another way people grew wealth was by investing it with various money-changers who would use it to turn a profit and give them a substantial share.[4] Lending at interest was also profitable, as the interest rates of the period sometimes reached over twelve percent.[5] It was common for the wealthy to use their money in this way. Conversely, those with much less played it safe by burying it like the third servant.[6] Rather than simply investing the wealth or using it productively with his God-given abilities, he failed to produce a return. He put in zero effort to steward the master’s wealth. Notably, burying one’s wealth and possessions was also very common. While it was one of the safest ways of protecting one’s money, it was not profitable and sometimes became a wasted venture as some forgot where they buried it.[7] So, what does this parable mean? Notably, some claim this parable is speaking about literal wealth but that is not the case. While God blesses some people with wealth that should be stewarded well, that is not the context of this passage. Jesus is speaking about how God gives each person individual skills and abilities to use for the Kingdom’s expansion. Not one person has the same abilities as another, and each is responsible for stewarding their God-given talents well until Jesus returns.[8] However, not all people use their gifts in this way. Some squander them and live like a Laodicean—useless for ministry (Rev. 3:14-22). Like the virgins who lived unprepared, the third servant was passive in his stewardship. He did not bear the weight of responsible activity.[9] The waiting for the master's return was not meant to be a delay for empty works, but for engaging in productive stewardship. But instead of using his gifts, he lived passively and was useless. We will discuss this further tomorrow as we continue the parable of the talents. Application The application of this parable varies among denominations, but most scholars agree it refers to Christian service. We all have unique skills, abilities, and intellect, giving each of us specific ways we can interact with the world to expand the kingdom of God. While it is sometimes difficult to know what God’s will is for our lives or of what use our skills have, we can know to be faithful in the meantime. Whether we are newly born again and still learning the basics of the Christian faith or thirty-plus years faithful to Christ, each of us has unique skills that can be used for the kingdom. Personally, it took me years to feel confident about my calling—or whatever you want to call it. I always disliked writing and still struggle to find motivation reading anything but academic or sports content. But over the years of uncertainty, I remained faithful to what I felt the LORD was doing in my life. I figured I would write about sports forever until the LORD called me out of that industry. Once that happened, I felt like writing was for another life and I would never do it again. I thought I was going to be a youth pastor or work in young adult ministry. Never in a million years did I imagine myself writing or teaching in any capacity. But here we are. God used that period to allow me to grow in discernment and understanding. He was molding me for this moment. Honestly, it is not easy. I wake up some days with zero motivation. But I truly believe this is how God wants me to serve Him—outside of serving my local church in various ways. In the end, the Christian life is not about the skills or abilities we have but what we do with them. God has given each of us unique talents to serve Him in expanding the kingdom and discipling believers. The question is whether we will use these talents for His good like the two obedient servants or squander them like the disobedient servant. We will dive further into using our gifts more in the coming days. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:19-25. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [2] Myron Augsburger, “Preacher's Commentary Series.” [3] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [4] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [9] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 300, Matthew 25:10-13 — Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:10-13 (NASB1995) “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Matthew concluded Jesus’ end times discourse with a parable about being ready for His second coming (24:45-51). Now he transitions into another parable that expounds on this idea. This is not a separate teaching, but a continued thought connected to the previous passages. Review Yesterday, we continued reading the parable of the ten virgins. It continued with the delayed arrival of the bridegroom. Most times, the bridegroom did not arrive until after midnight, leaving the bridal party waiting expectantly throughout the evening. During the delay, much of the bridal party became tired. This was not a fault of theirs, as the bridegroom’s arrival was on his own time. Eventually, all ten virgins become too drowsy and fall asleep. The difference between the ten sleeping virgins is their preparation. The five wise virgins had their torches well-oiled and ready for whenever the bridegroom arrived, while the five foolish virgins did not. When the bridegroom arrives, the five wise virgins grab their oil-soaked torches and head out to welcome him. In contrast, the five foolish virgins notice their torches do not have sufficient oil because they failed to prepare and cannot go out to meet the bridegroom. In the end, the foolish ones asked the wise virgins for some of their oil, but the wise virgins rejected them. This seems selfish. However, sharing oil would have left too little for any of the torches to burn long enough to last through the procession, ruining the wedding ceremony. Thus, the wise virgins tell the others to get their own. Discussion Today, we conclude reading the parable of the ten virgins. Remember, the image is of a bridal party made up of ten virgins, or bridesmaids, going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him and bring him to the bride. After the bridegroom’s arrival, the wise virgins went out to meet him while the five foolish virgins left to purchase more oil because they were unprepared and did not have enough. Jesus says, “10 And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.” The conclusion of this parable has the foolish virgins leave the wedding to purchase more oil for their torches. In ancient times, it would have been nearly impossible to find open businesses at this time of night.[1] However, some in larger cities might have stayed open throughout.[2] Regardless, the foolish virgins were not going to make it back in time for the wedding procession and the ensuing ceremony and banquet. While the foolish virgins were gone, the bridegroom greeted the wise virgins and invited them into the wedding feast, and shut the door behind them. Notably, shutting the doors to a wedding’s celebratory banquet was not common. Most times, the doors remained open to allow the coming and going of family and friends.[3] However, Jesus is using this parable to reveal the finality of God’s eschatological timeline. Once Jesus returns in glory, it will be too late for the unbelieving and unprepared to repent. Only those who were ready and prepared for His coming will receive a welcome into the wedding feast. Those who reject Christ and live unprepared for His second coming will face His judgment alone. The parable also demonstrates that salvation cannot be bought. The foolish virgins first asked the wise ones to share their oil but were rejected. They then went to the market to purchase some of their own but failed to make it back in time. In the same way, an unbeliever cannot share in a believer’s salvation or purchase it through good works or riches or acclaim. Even if one produces ‘good’ works or uses their wealth for ‘good’, that alone cannot save them from their sins. It is only through faith in Christ that one can be welcomed into eternal life. Jesus adds, “11 Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’” Eventually, the foolish virgins return to attend the wedding feast. The parable does not say if they purchased oil or not, but it matters not. Even if they did, it was too late. The bridegroom shut the door to the wedding feast, and they could no longer enter. The foolish virgins out cry ‘Lord, Lord’ to no avail, as the bridegroom responds that he does not know them. The rejection of the foolish virgins parallels the same cry of the ‘many’ professing believers in Matthew 7:21-23. In that passage, many claimed Christ and did many works in His name, yet Jesus rejected them. This is because their faith was not truly in Christ alone, leaving them unprepared to face His judgment. One cannot come to Christ without being born again by the Spirit of God and cannot enter eternal life on borrowed powerless religion.[4] Notably, the foolish virgins’ attempt to purchase oil reveals the desperation of many who seek salvation through means beyond the grace Christ extends. While the invitation to receive salvation goes out to everybody, not everybody will receive it. But the beauty of the gospel shows that those like the foolish virgins in this passage need not worry about the riches of the world to earn acceptance. God offers it freely to all who genuinely thirst for it. Isaiah 55:1-3 says, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.” Furthermore, Jesus says something similar to the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:18. He says, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” In this passage, the church in Laodicea is being judged for its useless works and desire for wealth instead of worrying about their spiritual state. This mindset is like the foolish virgins in this parable who live carelessly and unprepared for the return of Christ. Jesus concludes the parable, saying, “13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” This statement reiterates the point that He has been making for some time now: to remain in a constant state of readiness. Those who remain ‘awake’ and ‘alert’ will find themselves prepared for His second coming while those who fall away and ‘asleep’ and seek to earn their salvation outside of Christ will find themselves unprepared and rejected on judgment day. We will begin the parable of the talents tomorrow. Application The conclusion of this parable gives us one of the most terrifying phrases in the Bible: the bridegroom saying, “I do not know you.” It is a heavy and horrific truth that many who claim Christ will be rejected by Him on judgment day. Many will claim Him as ‘Lord’ and cry out, ‘Lord, Lord’, yet face the terror of His judgment. This parable should provoke every believer to reflect on their lives and see if their faith is genuine. We are either living faithfully prepared to face Christ or unfaithfully unprepared. Thankfully, there is no secret formula for salvation. You do not need to purchase salvation like the foolish virgins sought to purchase oil. You need only to genuinely seek Christ and come to Him with surrendered and repentant hearts, then He will give you the only oil needed for entrance to eternal life—His Holy Spirit. He will answer your cry and make you born again. However, there is only so much time that one can do so. We do not know what tomorrow holds. The world could fall into chaos at any moment, sparking the events that lead to Jesus’ second coming or we could die. When this world ends, every person will be accountable for their individual faith and response to Christ. There is nobody else that can fill the gap for you. It is only between you and Jesus. On that day, He will either welcome you into eternal life for your faithful preparedness or reject you for your faithlessness. May we be people who live faithfully and in a constant state of readiness for Jesus’ return. May we repent and turn back to Him if we have fallen away before it is too late. May we present the gospel in urgent fervor so every person can decide to put their faith in Christ and be welcomed to the wedding feast. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:14-18. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [4] Myron Augsburger, “Preacher's Commentary Series.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 299, Matthew 25:5-9 — Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:5-9 (NASB1995) “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’” Context Matthew concluded Jesus’ end times discourse with a parable about being ready for His second coming (24:45-51). Now he transitions into another parable that expounds on this idea. This is not a separate teaching, but a continued thought connected to the previous passages about being ready for His second coming. Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we started reading the parable of the ten virgins. The image is of a bridal party made up of ten virgins, or bridesmaids, going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him and bring him to the bride. His arrival normally happened at night, making it the bridal party’s responsibility to bring their lampas, or torches, with them to light the way for His coming. These ancient lampas were long sticks wrapped in olive oil-soaked rags at the top. Notably, the bride and her family did not know when the bridegroom would arrive, so they lived with an urgent expectancy of the bridegroom’s coming. The ten virgins needed to bring their lampas with them to give the bridegroom a sightly welcome. However, not every virgin was prepared for the bridegroom’s arrival. Five virgins had oil on their torches, while the others did not. Notably, the oil would dry out every 15 minutes, so the torch holders needed to keep them in a constant state of readiness, soaked in oil. In the end, the five wise virgins kept oil in their lamps, prepared for the bridegroom’s unexpected arrival. The five foolish virgins did not, leaving them unprepared to meet the bridegroom. In the same way, those who remain faithful to Christ are like the five wise virgins with well-oiled lampas, while those who reject Christ are like the five foolish virgins without oil-soaked torches. Discussion Today, we continue reading the parable of the ten virgins. Remember, the image is of a bridal party made up of ten virgins, or bridesmaids, going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him and bring him to the bride. Because the bridegroom’s arrival happened at night, it was the bridal party’s responsibility to bring their well-oiled lampas, or torches, with them to light the way for His coming. However, the bridegroom’s delayed arrival leaves the bridal party waiting longer than expected. Jesus says, “5 Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.” The parable continues with the delayed arrival of the bridegroom. Most times, the bridegroom did not arrive until after midnight, leaving the bridal party waiting expectantly throughout the evening. These wedding ceremonies occasionally lasted multiple days as well, so he could have arrived at any time over the course of those nights. During the delay, much of the bridal party would become tired and rest. This was not a fault of theirs, as the bridegroom’s arrival was on his own time. Notably, no one condemns the virgins for becoming tired and falling asleep.[1] All ten virgins become drowsy and fall asleep, even the wise ones. The difference between the ten sleeping virgins is their preparation. The five wise virgins had their torches well-oiled and ready for whenever the bridegroom arrived, while the five foolish virgins did not. Sleeping here represents the prolonged arrival of the bridegroom and also symbolizes the delay of Jesus’ second coming.[2] However, it also represents the danger of lethargy or inactivity.[3] Jesus said His followers must remain in a constant state of readiness, ‘awake’ and ‘alert’ for His coming (24:42)—a point He will repeat in 25:13 to conclude this parable. This ‘sleepiness’ of the virgins potentially reveals a yielding to the world and its pleasures, or the inability to endure to the end, resulting in faithless apostasy.[4] Regardless, Christians need to understand that Jesus will come unexpectedly, so they must remain ready and faithfully active in the waiting. Jesus adds, “6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.” These verses describe the long-awaited arrival of the bridegroom, which is the moment the bridal party has been waiting for. Even though they fell asleep, the time has come for them to go out and meet him. Immediately upon his arrival, the ten virgins arise and trim their lampas. This ‘trimming of their lamps’ literally translates to kosmeo, which means to ‘put in order.’[5] Remember, these ‘lamps’ are torches, not handheld lamps or lanterns. They are getting their torches ready by lighting them for the procession.[6] The five wise virgins are prepared and grab their oil-soaked torches and head out to welcome the bridegroom. Conversely, the five foolish virgins notice their torches do not have enough oil, as they fell asleep without rightly preparing for the bridegroom’s arrival. Because of this lack of oil, they cannot go out to meet the bridegroom with the other virgins until they can prepare their torches. Thus, they ask the wise virgins for help, saying, “8 ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’” At first glance, it seems selfish of the wise virgins to refuse to share their oil with the foolish ones. However, sharing oil would have left too little for any of the torches to burn long enough to last through the procession, ruining the wedding ceremony.[7] Furthermore, the wise virgins needed the right amount of prepared oil to keep their torches bright enough to light the way. Five brightly lit torches give more light than ten poorly lit ones.[8] Thus, the wise virgins tell the others to get their own. But what does this mean? Remember, Jesus is using this example of a bridal party having their lampas, or torches, oiled and ready for the bridegroom the same way He connects the days of Noah (vs. 37-41), a thief in the night (vs. 42-44), and the faithful slave (vs. 45-51) to support the idea of being ready for the unknown timing of His second coming. Those found faithful at His return are prepared for His arrival like the wise virgins, while the faithless are unprepared like the foolish virgins. We will discuss this further tomorrow as we conclude this parable. Application This parable has a weighty application, as all of humanity falls into the category of the wise or foolish virgins. In short, Jesus is showing that His followers must be ready when He returns, as He has been for the last few passages. Those who remain faithful to Christ and keep their torches lit will find themselves welcomed into eternal glory with Him. Those who do not keep enough oil for their torches will find themselves rejected by Him because of their unprepared faithlessness. One’s spiritual state cannot be purchased at the last minute, and they cannot rely on anybody else’s spirituality to save them. Only one’s personal relationship with God can save them. Having a good friend who knows Jesus and ministers to you does not mean that you are saved. Another person’s oil cannot be shared or split. We are responsible for what we do with our individual faiths. We either are faithful to Christ or reject Him with the way we live and believe. Those who profess Christ must remain prepared for His coming, faithfully obeying His Word. At His return, they will be saved. Those who profess Christ yet live a lethargic lifestyle, ignoring God’s word will be unprepared to face His judgment and miss their chance at salvation. Every person must deal with their individual faith on their own. This does not mean we are alone in our faith journey, but how we handle the faith given to us is our responsibility alone. In the end, we will find ourselves living faithfully prepared to face Christ on judgment day or living faithlessly unprepared. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:10-13. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [2] Ibid. [3] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [4] Ibid. [5] Comfort and Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [6] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [7] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [8] Comfort and Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 298, Matthew 25:1-4 — Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-4 (NASB1995) “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.” Context Matthew concluded Jesus’ end times discourse with a parable about being ready for His second coming (24:45-51). Now he transitions into another parable that expounds on this idea. This is not a separate teaching, but a continued thought connected to the previous passages about being ready for His second coming. Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we concluded Jesus’ end times discourse and read His parable about being ready for His second coming. In ancient times, it was common for the master of a household to put a trusted slave in charge of managing his estate while he was away. The master would normally not say how long he would be gone for, making his return unexpected. A faithful servant would manage the master’s household well, taking care of the estate’s daily functions and treating the other slaves with love and care, fulfilling every responsibility with integrity until his return. Conversely, a wicked slave would abuse their power and take advantage of the other slaves when the master was gone for extended periods. Even though the master could return at any moment, his extended absence left these wicked slaves tempted to do as they please. They likely assumed the master would never return or his arrival would be delayed further, giving them the illusion of endless freedom to live without consequence. Thus, the master’s return will catch the wicked slave off guard as they are living unprepared. In the end, Jesus wants His disciples to live responsibility, obeying His every command in love and selflessness. Those who remain faithful to Christ will not be surprised when He returns to judge the world like the faithful slave who managed the master’s household well. Those who do not live faithfully will be unprepared when He returns and will face the catastrophic reality of eternal judgment like the wicked slave who abused his authority. Discussion Today, we read the parable of the ten virgins. Jesus concluded His end times discourse by detailing the importance of recognizing the signs and being prepared for His second coming (24:32-51). Now he expands on this idea by teaching another parable that contrasts the prepared and the unprepared. Notably, this is one of the most common passages taken out of context in the American church. We will discuss some of these interpretations. Jesus says, “1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Jesus begins the parable by describing ten virgins waiting for the arrival of a bridegroom. While ‘virgin’ has a varying context in modern times, ancient Jewish culture commonly described young unmarried women as virgins. It may need said that the bridegroom is not marrying all ten women. The image is of a bridal party made up of these ten virgins, or bridesmaids or maidens, going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him and bring him to the bride.[1] “It was customary for girls to keep the bride company as they waited for the bridegroom, and to dance along the road with their torches in celebration.”[2] In ancient Jewish culture, weddings concluded in two stages.[3] The first was the betrothal or engagement between the couple, which lasted between one to two years.[4] This is like how modern couples remain engaged for a time before having an official wedding ceremony. During this time, the bride lived with her parents to make ready the coming of the bridegroom.[5] Notably, the bride and her family did not know when the bridegroom would arrive, so they lived with an urgent expectancy. While the bride prepared for the bridegroom’s arrival, he used this time to prepare his household. When the bridegroom arrived with friends and family to the bride’s home after that engagement interval, she and the bridesmaids (virgins) would go out to meet him for a formal ceremony and ensuing celebration banquet.[6] But before going out to meet the bridegroom, Jesus says the virgins need their lamps. But what use are lamps? What does Jesus mean? Notably, the Greek word for lamp here is lampas, which is more commonly defined as torch.[7] These ancient lampas were long sticks wrapped in olive oil-soaked rags at the top.[8] They were necessary because the arrival of the bridegroom happened at night. Because of this tradition, the ten virgins needed to bring their lampas with them in order to give the bridegroom a sightly welcome. However, not every virgin was prepared for the bridegroom’s arrival. Jesus says, “2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.” Because the procession would happen after dark, the bridal party was responsible for lighting the way for the bridegroom. However, Jesus explains that the bridegroom’s unexpected arrival caught half of the virgins off guard. Five of the virgins had oil in their lamps, while the others did not. Within its cultural context, another way to imagine this is a torch (lampas) freshly soaked in oil compared to one that is not. All evidence points to these being torches, not handheld lamps.[9] Those in charge of these torches needed to remain diligent because the oil would dry out every 15 minutes.[10] Thus, they needed to keep their lampas in a constant state of readiness, soaked in oil. Notably, many teach various interpretations of what the oil and lamps mean in v. 3, but this is not a complicated passage. Jesus is plainly speaking about being prepared for His second coming. The five prudent virgins kept oil in their lamps, prepared for the bridegroom’s unexpected arrival. The five foolish virgins did not, leaving them unprepared to meet the bridegroom. Jesus uses this example of a bridal party having their lamps ready for the bridegroom the same way He connects the days of Noah (vs. 37-41), a thief in the night (vs. 42-44), and the faithful slave (vs. 45-51) to support the idea of being ready for the unknown timing of His second coming. One way people misinterpret this passage is by connecting the ‘oil in lamps’ to mean one’s spiritual standing or anointing. This is an extremely popular interpretation in American evangelicalism. However, nothing within the context of this passage speaks about one’s ‘anointing’ or tier of spirituality. This is a works-based idea, antithetical to the gospel message. The point Jesus is making is not about having a ‘higher anointing’ or compounding good works, but simply by being ready for His coming by remaining faithful to Him. Those who remain faithful to Christ are like the five wise virgins with well-oiled lampas, while those who reject Christ are like the five foolish virgins without oil-soaked torches. We will continue this parable tomorrow. Application This was a very revelatory teaching, personally. I never connected this parable within the context of Jesus’ end times discourse or the theme about being prepared for His second coming. I remember always being taught various interpretations of its meaning, which all included some version of being ‘more holy’ or ‘more anointed’ or ‘more obedient’ regarding the wise virgins. But this could not be further from the truth. The correct interpretation is simply to remain faithful to Jesus, not all of that extracurricular stuff. With that said, the application is still relevant to us all—believers and unbelievers. Followers of Christ must keep their torches well oiled by remaining faithful to Christ and living lives set apart unto Him. Nothing can stamp out our oil other than ourselves and our faithlessness that can ultimately lead to apostasy. Those who reject Christ will find themselves unprepared when He arrives. However, these people are not just outright unbelievers but professing Christians who remain double-minded, rejecting Christ with their sinful lifestyles and lack of obedience, apart from the vine. In the end, there are not ‘levels’ or ‘tiers’ of oil or anointing. That is simply unbiblical. One will find themselves prepared for the bridegroom through their faithfulness, or unprepared through their faithlessness. May we remain faithful to Christ as well-oiled torches, living holy and spreading the gospel as He commands. May we do so with a faithful, Spirit-filled zeal that produces good fruit rather than fruitless works. May we repent of faithlessly living in sin and rejecting Christ, like dried out torches. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:5-9. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Myron Augsburger, “Preacher's Commentary Series.” [3] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [10] Ibid. Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 297, Matthew 24:45-51 — The End Times: Be Ready for His Coming Matthew 24:45-51 (NASB1995) “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51 and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Context Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ detailed discourse about the end times and His second coming. He spent extensive time answering the disciples’ questions about when He will return and what signs to expect (v. 3). Throughout this discourse, we find detailed descriptions of these foretold apocalyptic events (vs. 15-28). In the end, Jesus will return and bring judgment upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous (vs. 29-31). While we can recognize these signs of the end to know the nearness of His coming (vs. 32-35), we cannot know exactly when it will happen (v. 36). However, we must remain prepared and live ready (vs. 42-44). Review Yesterday, we continued Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the importance of being ready for His second coming. Jesus spoke about how the time of His coming will be like the days of Noah (vs. 37-39), as many will live life as usual, ignorant of His coming judgment. While nobody can know the day or hour of His return (v. 36), He explains His followers need to remain in a constant state of readiness. Many remain ‘asleep’ or are unconcerned about the afterlife, but Jesus does not want His followers to feel this way. He wants them to always stay ‘awake’, ‘alert’, and ‘ready.’ Jesus also used an analogy of a thief breaking into a home. If a homeowner knew the time a thief was coming, he would have made the necessary precautions to avoid the crime. The opposing view is of a homeowner unaware of the thief who will come while he is asleep—at an unsuspecting hour (v. 36). In the same way, Jesus wants His disciples to be like the homeowner who remains awake throughout the night, so they are ready for His coming, not asleep and unprepared when He arrives. Discussion Today, we conclude Jesus’ end times discourse and read His parable about being ready for His second coming. Remember, a parable, or parabolḗ in Greek, is an illustrative teaching with allegorical elements. Most of Jesus’ parables use an example or story from everyday life to illuminate a deeper or hidden spiritual idea. Jesus uses this parable to further make the point about being ready for His coming. Jesus says, “45 Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?” In ancient times, it was common for the master of a household to put a trusted slave in charge of managing his estate while he left on business.[1] The master would normally not say how long he would be gone for, so his return was unexpected. While he was gone, the leading slaves’ responsibilities included managing the day-to-day lives of the other slaves in a stewardship-like position. Among the various needs, some management decisions included giving proper food rations to the other servants.[2] A faithful servant would manage the master’s household well, taking care of the estate’s daily functions and treating the other slaves with love and care, fulfilling every responsibility with integrity. Jesus adds, “46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” One who faithfully manages the master’s household would find themselves blessed and honored with higher responsibilities and rewards when he returns. In the same way, those who remain obedient to Jesus while awaiting His return will find themselves rewarded for such genuine faithfulness. Jesus correlates this faithful servant to those who are ready for His return. This is a theme we will explore further in an upcoming parable (25:14-30). However, some leading slaves would abuse their power and authority and take advantage of the other slaves when the master was gone for extended periods.[3] Jesus adds, “48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know.” Contrasting a faithful slave, a wicked slave would live carelessly and mistreat the other slaves. Even though the master could return at any moment, his extended absence left these leading slaves tempted to do as they please. They likely assumed that the master would never return or that his arrival would be delayed further, giving them the illusion of endless freedom to live without consequence. Thus, the master’s return will catch the wicked slave off guard as they are living unprepared. The household would not be in order and the other servants would be distressed and dispirited, as the wicked slave disobeyed the master’s commands to take care of them. In the parable, the wicked slave partied with drunkards and lived completely carelessly, ignoring the reality of the master’s return, instead of being faithful with his responsibilities. Notably, drunkenness was despised among servants, especially if they drank the master’s wine.[4] Because of this ignorance and wicked living, the slave will face harsh consequences. Jesus says, “51 and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is arguably the strongest verbiage Jesus uses to describe the punishment for the wicked. Notably, dismemberment was not a common punishment even among Rome, so Jesus’ words about being ‘cut into pieces’ should be taken as hyperbole.[5] Regardless, the point Jesus is making is that the eternal consequence of hell should breed immense conviction for the unfaithful servant. Despite serving the master, this servant is listed among the hypocrites for his wicked disobedience. Jesus used similar language when He condemned the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23.[6] Like the scribes and Pharisees who did not practice what they preached and treated their fellow Jews oppressively, the wicked servant in this parable faces similar punishment. The point Jesus is making in this parable is clear: “those appointed to spiritual leadership in the church must treat their responsibility with the greatest seriousness.”[7] Those who fail to do so will face a harsher judgment (Jas. 3:1). Furthermore, the wicked servant in this parable resembles those in Noah’s day who lived carefree until the flood came upon them unprepared (vs. 37-39). Likewise, those who live carelessly, ignoring God’s commands of faithfulness and warnings of judgment, will face His return with fear and trembling as they are unprepared for the judgment. Rather than remaining faithful to Christ, these people are so engrossed in their own pursuits that they are utterly unsuspecting of the catastrophe that will overtake them.[8] In conclusion, Jesus wants His disciples to live responsibly, obeying His every command in love and selflessness. Those who remain faithful to Christ will not be surprised when He returns to judge the world. Conversely, those who do not live faithfully will be unprepared when He returns and will face the catastrophic reality of eternal judgment. Application The weight of this passage cannot be understated. Many professing Christians will cry out on judgment day, yet face the horrific sorrow of being turned away because they did not truly believe in Him and live faithfully. Jesus gives these warnings of judgment so that His followers will know the truth of what is to come. While we will never obey Him perfectly and find ourselves stumbling at times, we can have assurance that Christ is with us when we genuinely repent and turn to Him. Judgment day does not need to make one anxious. Those who are faithful to Christ will rejoice when this day comes as the faithful servant who was rewarded for His obedience. If you are a person struggling with your obedience to Christ, it is never too late. Confess this to the LORD and allow His grace to pour over you. Allow His Spirit to encourage you and give you further peace, strength, and joy to continue living faithfully. Those who do so will be rewarded with eternal life. While the world mocks the return of Christ and His existence, believers must remain faithful and full of love and selflessness. May we live with urgency and act upon our convictions as we proclaim Christ to the nations and seek His soon-coming return. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:1-9. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Douglas R. A. Hare, “Interpretation Commentary.” [7] Ibid. [8] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 296, Matthew 24:42-44 — The End Times: Be Ready for His Coming Matthew 24:42-44 (NASB1995) “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” Context Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ detailed discourse about the end times and His second coming. He spent extensive time answering the disciples’ questions about when He will return and what signs to expect (v. 3). Throughout this discourse, we find detailed descriptions of these foretold apocalyptic events (vs. 15-28). In the end, Jesus will return and bring judgment upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous (vs. 29-31). While we can recognize these signs of the end to know the nearness of His coming (vs. 32-35), we cannot know exactly when it will happen (v. 36). Review Yesterday, we continued Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the suddenness of His second coming. Jesus uses examples of common laborers to show just how sudden His coming will be. One image shows a woman who is suddenly ‘taken’ away while the other is left. The most popular interpretation of this passage supports the pre-tribulation rapture view. However, Jesus referenced the days of Noah in vs. 37-39 to explain the suddenness of God’s judgment. In that context, Jesus is speaking of the ‘taken’ as those destroyed by the flood. If this is the case, then the ‘taken’ here are taken into God’s judgment, not gathered to Him for salvation. Notably, Luke 17 records Jesus’ words almost verbatim to Matthew. But unlike Matthew, Luke adds the disciples’ response to Jesus, which results in Jesus saying that the ‘taken’ are taken to where the vultures gather. Matthew records this verse about vultures in v. 28, which is the verse we believe he misplaced. In that verse, Matthew writes the vultures gather around ‘corpses.’ Similarly, Luke writes the vultures gather around the ‘bodies.’ Thus, it seems that the taken become corpses or dead bodies, as they gather where the vultures are. Within this context, it seems the correct interpretation of this statement is that it is a sign of God’s judgment against the wicked rather than a rapture of the righteous. Discussion Today, we continue Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the importance of being ready for His second coming. Jesus spoke about how the time of His coming will be like the days of Noah (vs. 37-39). Many will live life as usual, ignorant of His coming judgment. This suddenness of His return will catch them off guard, leading them to face the judgment unprepared (vs. 40-41). In this passage, Jesus amplifies the importance of being ready for His return. He says, “42 Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” Jesus already made it clear that nobody can know the day or hour of His return (v. 36). Now, He highlights that reality to make the point that His followers need to remain in a constant state of readiness. Other translations say to ‘stay awake’ rather than ‘be alert’, but the meaning is the same. Many remain ‘asleep’ or are unconcerned about the afterlife, but Jesus does not want His followers to feel this way. He wants them to always stay ‘awake’, ‘alert’, and ‘ready.’ Since this life is not the end, believers should remain focused on eternity rather than becoming too hyper-focused on this life. This is the issue with much of the unbelieving world. They reject Christ and the reality of eternity, focusing primarily on this life and its pleasures. Many professing Christians live this way as well, putting off repentance and succumbing to their sinful lifestyles. It is as if they are ‘asleep’ at the wheel, as Jesus references in Revelation 3:3 about the church of Sardis. In short, Jesus commands His disciples to remain ‘awake’ and ‘alert,’ so they will be ready to face His judgment. He adds, “43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” Jesus uses the analogy of a thief here to further make His point about being ready for His coming. If a homeowner knew the time a thief was coming to break into his home, he would have made the necessary precautions to avoid the crime. The opposing view is of a homeowner unaware of the thief who will come while he is asleep—at an unsuspecting hour (v. 36).[1] In the same way, Jesus wants His disciples to be like the homeowner who remains awake throughout the night, so they are ready for His coming, not asleep and unprepared when He arrives. Notably, there are multiple mentions of Jesus’ second coming being like a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2-3; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15).[2] The main point of these passages unanimously supports having a preparedness for the return of Christ and speaks about the judgment for the unprepared—contrasting the idea of salvation, as most teach. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, Paul writes, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” This is a common passage used to support a pre-tribulation rapture, made popular through the modern left behind ideology. However, Paul makes it clear that the passage is about God’s judgment coming upon the unprepared wicked. While they proclaim peace and live unconcerned with the reality of their sin, God will come like an unpronounced thief in the night and sweep them away into judgment. Peter also mentions Jesus coming like a thief, further supporting the theme of being unprepared for God’s judgment. 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” Jesus concludes this passage, saying, “44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” This ultimate verse uncomplicates the topic, clearly affirming Jesus’ words in vs. 42-43 about staying in a constant state of preparedness for His return. Believers who have put their faith in Christ and remain obedient will be ready for the judgment as they have Christ Himself to take away their sins. These believers are ‘awake’ and ‘alert.’ Conversely, those who are ‘asleep’ in this analogy are not saved by Jesus. They have not put their faith in Christ for salvation or live in unrepentant sin, unconcerned about their salvific state. Thus, they will not be ready to face Jesus’ judgment when He returns. We will conclude Jesus’ end times discourse tomorrow with a parable about this topic. Application This is one of the most applicable passages in Scripture for the believer. Jesus tells us we cannot know when He will return, but we can recognize the signs to know the time is near. But during the waiting, we cannot live idle or in unrepentant sin. We must remain close to the vine and run the race, enduring to the end, regardless of life’s circumstances. Those who fall away or stay asleep spiritually are in danger of being condemned on judgment day. Jesus promises that the day of His return will shock many, as they are not ready for it. It is so important for those who profess Christ as LORD to continually live closely with Him. Many will declare ‘Lord, Lord’ on judgment day and be cast away for their unbelief and unrepentance. Far too many passages speak about judgment against those living in sin. It is a serious matter for followers of Jesus to not forget this reality. However, we do not need to live in fear of God’s judgment, since we can know of our salvation by our fruit. The Holy Spirit will convict of sinful lifestyles and ungodly ways of thinking that lead us away from the truth of Christ. With His help, we can stand ready and prepared to face whatever comes, even attacks from the enemy. In the end, may we hear we are good and faithful servants of Jesus. May we stay prepared for the day of His return and obedient to His mission to make disciples who make disciples. May we not be caught off guard. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 24:45-51. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” [2] Douglas R. A. Hare, “Interpretation Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 295, Matthew 24:40-41 — The End Times: One Taken, One Left Matthew 24:40-41 (NASB1995) “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.” Context Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ detailed discourse about the end times and His second coming. He spent extensive time answering the disciples’ questions about when He will return and what signs to expect (v. 3). Throughout this discourse, we find detailed descriptions of these foretold apocalyptic events (vs. 15-28). In the end, Jesus will return and bring judgment upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous (vs. 29-31). While we can recognize these signs of the end to know the nearness of His coming (vs. 32-35), we cannot know exactly when it will happen (v. 36). Review Yesterday, we continued Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the days of Noah. Jesus references the story of Noah and the flood narrative recorded in Genesis 6-9 to explain how the end of the age before His second coming will be similar. God planned to destroy His entire creation with a flood because of its wickedness. However, God found Noah righteous and blameless before Him, so He warned Noah of the coming flood. While Noah was busy preparing for the flood, the world mocked Noah and continued living without regard for God’s warning of judgment. Likewise, Jesus says the unbelieving world will be completely unprepared for His second coming and even mock the idea of His return (2 Pet. 3:3-7). However, Christians who know Jesus and the truth of His word will recognize the signs of the times and be prepared for His coming. Conversely, the world will continue to eat, drink, marry, and simply live life without care, ignorant of God’s coming judgment. Jesus connects to Noah’s day by revealing the importance of being prepared for His coming. The main implication of this statement is not about the pronounced sin and wickedness of the world in the end, but the suddenness of God’s judgment. When Jesus returns, the unbelieving world will realize that it is too late to repent, while believers will be caught up in eternal glory. It will happen quickly. Thankfully, Jesus’ warning allows believers to remain watchful and prepared, knowing the end is coming rather than living blind. Discussion Today, we continue Jesus’ end times discourse and the theme about the suddenness of His second coming. Notably, this is a commonly misinterpreted verse that connects to Matthew’s misplacement of v. 28 that we discussed on Day 287. As mentioned in vs. 37-39, Jesus’ return will surprise the unbelieving world, leaving them unprepared to face His judgment. Only believers who know Jesus and the truth of His revealed word will be prepared to face it. Following those verses, Jesus says, “40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.” In ancient times, mill workers were predominantly women. One would sit on either side grinding at a shared hand mill.[1] In the example, one woman is suddenly ‘taken’ away while the other remains. Likewise, two men will be working in a field when one is suddenly ‘taken’ away while the other is left. Jesus uses these examples of common laborers working to show just how sudden His coming will be. But what does this mean? When read on its own, one can conclude various interpretations. The majority land on two ideas: the gathering and the judgment. Most American churches apply it to the gathering of believers at various times (e.g., pre-, mid-, post-trib) while others apply it to God’s judgment. The most popular interpretation in the American church is that this passage supports the pre-tribulation rapture view. This idea argues that the ‘taken’ are believers gathered unto Christ at His second coming before the tribulation. However, we have established that the Scripture reveals a pre-tribulation rapture is impossible. So what about a mid- or post-tribulation gathering? The idea can make sense if read on its own, but we must read the surrounding verses for the full context. As mentioned, Jesus referenced the days of Noah in vs. 37-39 to explain the suddenness of God’s judgment. In that context, Jesus seems to be speaking of the ‘taken’ as those destroyed by the flood since they stood condemned before God and unprepared to face His judgment. If this is indeed the case, then the ‘taken’ here are taken into God’s judgment, not gathered to Him for salvation. Notably, Matthew does not provide further context, which is why we concluded that he misplaced v. 28. Thankfully, Luke provides more context. It is important to note that Luke 17 and Matthew 24 both record Jesus’ end times discourse—these are not separate teachings but one teaching recorded by both in their respective gospels. Luke 17:34-37 says, “‘I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.]’ 37 And answering they said to Him, ‘Where, Lord?’ And He said to them, ‘Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.’” Luke 17 records Jesus’ words almost verbatim to Matthew here. However, he adds that two people will be sleeping in one bed when one is taken, and the other is left. Unlike Matthew, Luke also does not end the teaching there, adding the disciples’ response to Jesus. In their reply, they ask Jesus where the ‘taken’ are taken to. Jesus responds by saying that the ‘taken’ are taken to where the vultures gather. But does this mean? Notably, Matthew records this verse about vultures in v. 28. This is the verse we believe Matthew misplaced. In that verse, Matthew writes the vultures gather around ‘corpses.’ Similarly, Luke writes the vultures gather around the ‘bodies.’ Thus, it seems that the taken become corpses or dead bodies, as they gather where the vultures are. Within this context, it seems the correct interpretation of this statement is that it is a sign of God’s judgment against the wicked rather than a rapture of the righteous. For argument’s sake, if these verses support the rapture of the church, why will bodies gather where the vultures are instead of unto Him? If these verses support the rapture of the church, then why didn’t Jesus just say the taken are taken to Heaven? It seems appropriate to the text to apply this passage about the judgment rather than the gathering, especially when the previous verses speak about judgment. One scholar notes, there is simply no reason to doubt the authenticity of this saying regarding the impending judgment of the wicked.[2] We will continue Jesus’ end times discourse tomorrow. Application There was honestly much more to say about this passage because nearly every scholar agrees its interpretation is about the gathering of the righteous. However, these same scholars claim this exact passage is about the judgment when discussed in Luke. But how can that be? How can one interpret this passage to mean salvation in Matthew and then interpret it to mean judgment in Luke? This is a serious contradiction. Jesus only taught a single discourse about the end times. Thus, it can only have one meaning—not two that contradict each other. Furthermore, the surrounding verses about the days of Noah seem to support the idea of judgment rather than salvation. Luke 17:26-33 records the same, giving uniformity between both discourses. This is the only passage that scholars seem to contradict. I think I have found my dissertation topic. In the end, we are going to interpret this passage to mean that the taken are taken into judgment rather than salvation, as it aligns with the context of Luke 17 and the surrounding verses in Matthew. This interpretation is further supported when we dive into the bodies gathering where the vultures are, but that is for another day. May we be people who remain focused on Jesus and prepared to meet Him one day. May we stand righteous in God’s sight as we rest in the blood of Christ to cover our sins, saving us from His judgment. May the knowledge of God’s coming judgment motivate us to spread the gospel to those who remain condemned to face this judgment one day. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 24:42-44. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] I. Howard Marshall, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 294, Matthew 24:37-39 — The End Times: Days of Noah Matthew 24:37-39 (NASB1995) “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Context Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ detailed discourse about the end times and His second coming. He spent extensive time answering the disciples’ questions about when He will return and what signs to expect (v. 3). Throughout this discourse, we find detailed descriptions of these foretold apocalyptic events (vs. 15-28). In the end, Jesus will return and bring judgment upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous (vs. 29-31). While we can recognize these signs of the end to know the nearness of His coming (vs. 32-35), we cannot know exactly when it will happen (v. 36). Review Yesterday, we continued Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the unpredictable nature of Jesus’ return and explored His divine nature. Jesus makes certain that nobody knows exactly when He will return—only the Father in heaven knows exactly when this will happen. To better understand, we must acknowledge Jesus was fully God and fully human while on earth—a relationship called the hypostatic union. Because of this union, Jesus relinquished the divine foreknowledge of His coming. This does not mean He was not divine or all-knowing. However, for whatever reason, only God the Father has knowledge of Jesus’ second coming. Because of this uncertainty, attempting to pinpoint the exact moment of Christ’s return is a hopeless waste of time. Nobody can know. Thus, Christians should not pursue predictive conspiracies regarding the timing of Jesus’ second coming. It could very well happen in our lifetime, or in another two thousand years. Until then, Christians must remain faithful to Christ and in a constant state of readiness, as we can know that the time is near when we see the signs. In the end, one who discerns the signs might know a range of months or years, but no one can ever know the exact day or hour. Discussion Today, we continue Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the days of Noah. Jesus just explained how the day of His second coming is unknown to all other than the Father. However, Christians can recognize the time of His coming is near when they see the signs He spoke about. In the period leading to His second coming, Jesus says, “37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.” This is a reference to the story of Noah and the flood narrative recorded in Genesis 6-9. In Genesis 6:5-7, God grieves over the great wickedness of man, leading Him to want to destroy His entire creation. However, there was one man found righteous and blameless before Him within a world full of evil (Gen. 6:8-9). Thus, God showed mercy to His creation and promised to save Noah and his family. He told Noah to build an ark because He was planning to destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 6:13-17). Jesus makes this analogy about the time of His coming and the time of the flood because the wickedness of the world and its carelessness will be similar. Jesus adds, “38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark.” In Noah’s day leading up to the flood, the rest of the world mocked Noah during his construction of the ark. Yet, he remained faithful and trusted God’s covenant promise to him and his family and continued building it. There is no exegetical evidence of how long this took, but most scholars agree it took between 75-100 years for Noah to complete its construction. While Noah was busy preparing for the flood, the rest of the world continued living without regard for God’s warning of judgment. For those 75-100 years, they were eating and drinking and marrying until the very day Noah entered the ark. In the same way, Jesus says the unbelieving world will be completely unprepared for His second coming and even mock the idea of His return (2 Pet. 3:3-7). However, Christians who know Jesus and know the truth of His word will recognize the signs of the times and be prepared for His coming. Conversely, those who reject Christ and disregard the warnings of judgment will be caught by surprise when Christ’s judgment comes. The world will be eating, drinking, marrying, and simply living life without care, unknowing of God’s coming judgment that will come upon them. Jesus adds, “39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” If the time of Jesus’ coming is unknown, then it will catch people off guard—especially unbelievers. The similitude connection to Noah’s day suggests that God’s judgment is a major theme of Jesus’ second coming.[1] Jesus makes this connection to reveal the importance of being prepared for His coming. The wicked will not know or care or understand what is happening until it is too late. Perhaps this is why the nations will ‘mourn’ at the sight of Christ in the sky (v. 30). Notably, the main implication of this statement is not about the pronounced sin and wickedness of the world in the end but the suddenness of God’s judgment. When Jesus returns the unbelieving world will realize it is too late to repent while believers will be caught up into eternal glory. It will happen quickly. Thankfully, Jesus’ warning allows believers to remain watchful and prepared, knowing the end is coming rather than living blind. We will continue Jesus’ end times discourse tomorrow and read more about the judgment of the wicked. Application Before studying for this post, my understanding of this passage missed its point. I always understood this passage to reveal the wickedness of the world before Christ returns. While the societal decay is pronounced and will continue to grow until Christ returns, the main point of this passage is about the contrasting preparedness and unpreparedness of believers and unbelievers. Amplified wickedness is a sign that God’s judgment is near but that is not the point. Jesus wants His disciples to be prepared for His coming not blind to the reality of its happening like those who will perish in their sins. Another point is that it is possible to prepare for Jesus’ second coming, not by attempting to pinpoint its date, but by living in a constant state of readiness. The believer of Jesus should know how to remain watchful and recognize the signs of the end. While we cannot know when it will come, we can know the time is near and warn unbelievers of the coming judgment. Sadly, many will mock this reality as they mocked Noah. However, this should not stop us from remaining prepared and continually warning others. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 24:40-41. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 293, Matthew 24:36 — The End Times: No One Knows When Matthew 24:36 (NASB1995) “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Context Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ detailed discourse about the end times and His second coming, answering the disciples’ questions about when the end will come and what sign to look for. Following His explanation about the signs of the end and His second coming (vs. 15-31), Jesus transitions to a parable about recognizing these signs (vs. 32-35). Review Yesterday, we continued Jesus’ end times discourse and concluded the parable of the fig tree. There are multiple perspectives on what ‘this generation’ means in the passage, with each changing the meaning of the passage entirely. Full preterists prescribe a hyper-literal understanding of Jesus’ statement about ‘this generation’ to mean that those alive at that time would see ‘all these things’ (v. 33) come to pass. This means the events of 70 A.D. fulfilled all eschatological events, leading many to consider this view as heresy because it denies the hope of Christ’s return. Partial preterists claim some events were fulfilled in 70 A.D., partially fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy. However, they remain hopeful of a future return of Christ at the end of the age and judgment thereafter. Futurists claim ‘this generation’ includes believers living when these events happen in the distant future. Every event Jesus has mentioned throughout His discourse is still future. While some past events in 167 B.C. and 70 A.D. partially fulfilled various prophecies, they did not fulfill them entirely. In the end, Jesus wants His disciples to have complete faith and trust in Him. Trusting that He will return in power and glory to resurrect those who have perished and save those enduring horrific tribulation in His name is a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness. He has never gone back on His word and He never will. When the signs of the end begin, we can trust that He will return just as He said He would. Discussion Today, we continue Jesus’ end times discourse and read about the unpredictable nature of Jesus’ return and explore His divine nature. Jesus has spent extensive time answering the disciples’ questions about when He will return and what signs to expect (v. 3). Throughout this discourse, we find detailed descriptions of these foretold apocalyptic events (vs. 15-28). In the end, Jesus will return and bring judgment upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous (vs. 29-31). While we can recognize these signs of the end to know the nearness of His coming (vs. 32-35), we cannot know exactly when it will happen. Jesus says, “36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” This is one of the more popular verses in Scripture as it answers the one question the world wants to know—when exactly will Jesus return? With this statement, Jesus makes certain that nobody knows exactly when that time will come. Even though He has spoken about the importance of recognizing the signs of the end to know it is near, He refuses to put a date on it. Instead, He simply declares that nobody knows the day or hour other than the Father in heaven—not even the angels, who will play a significant role in His return, or Jesus Himself. The mystery and uncertainty of this statement have led to much discussion about its meaning, including some questioning Jesus’ divinity. If He was truly God, then how can He not know something? Especially not knowing when He is going to return? These are questions that need answering, especially when they arise amid a gospel presentation with an unbeliever. Thankfully, Scripture provides clarity, revealing that Jesus called Himself God multiple times (Jn. 8:58; 10:30). John 1:1 also acknowledges Jesus’ eternally divine nature, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John then confirms Jesus’ identity as the ‘Word’ in 1:14, saying, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” There are many other examples proving Jesus’ divinity throughout the New Testament (Mt. 14:33; 28:9; Jn. 20:28; Tit. 2:13; Col. 1:16-17; etc.). But this still does not answer how or why He does not know when He will return. To better understand, we need to first acknowledge that Jesus was fully God and fully human while on earth—this relationship is called the hypostatic union. Because of this union, Jesus relinquished the divine foreknowledge of His coming. This does not mean He was not divine or all-knowing. He read the minds of the Pharisees and others many times (Mt. 9:4; 12:25). However, for whatever reason, only God the Father has knowledge of Jesus’ second coming. Many reference Philippians 2:5-7 regarding this idea of Jesus relinquishing divine attributes. However, they do this out of context. It says, “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” The popular misinterpretation of this passage claims Jesus surrendered part of His divinity. Some use this idea to support His lack of foreknowledge about His second coming in our verse. This makes sense. However, Jesus never surrendered His divinity. He was always fully divine and fully human while on earth. The proper interpretation of that passage tells us that Jesus emptied Himself, not of His divine nature, but of His rightful position of honor.[1] This relinquishing of position among men contrasts humanity’s nature for higher authority and position (e.g., Adam seeking divinity in Genesis 3:5).[2] Thus, Jesus did not empty Himself of His divine nature, but used His divine nature as an opportunity to take on the form of a human servant instead of using it for His own self-exaltation (Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45). He could have used His divinity to force people to serve Him. Instead, Jesus came to humbly serve and die for them. He and the Father were always of the same divine essence within the Godhead.[3] Regarding His lack of foreknowledge in our verse, it remains a mystery why Jesus said this. However, His limited knowledge was only for a time. We can assume, now that He is in heaven with the Father, that He knows when He is returning. But the exact timing of His coming remains a mystery to everyone else, including the angels in heaven. Because of this uncertainty, attempting to pinpoint the exact moment of Christ’s return is a hopeless waste of time. Nobody can know. Sadly, many Christians lead others astray by their false predictions. If any teacher or denomination claims to know the day Jesus will return—run. This is false teaching and something Jesus warns us to rebuke (Mt. 24:23). No human can know details about Jesus’ second coming outside of recognizing the signs that it is near. In the end, one who discerns the signs might know a range of months or years, but no one can ever know the exact day or hour. In conclusion, Christians should not pursue predictive conspiracies regarding the timing of Jesus’ second coming. Nobody knows the day or hour. It could very well happen in our lifetime, or in another two thousand years. Until then, Christians must remain faithful to Christ and in a constant state of readiness, as we can know that the time is near when we see the signs. We will continue Jesus’ end times discourse tomorrow. Application Many professing Christians have attempted to predict the timing of the rapture over the years. Countless literature, film, and various other mediums of information have made guesswork of something Jesus declares we cannot know. For some reason, people enjoy ignoring Jesus’ words in this passage and seek the very knowledge that He says is unattainable. The amplification of this has become pronounced in recent years following the pandemic. People see what is going on in the world and assume the end is near. However, this is based on a misunderstanding of Jesus’ words earlier in this discourse. The natural disasters, rumors of wars, and other things many believe are ‘signs’ of the end are not actual signs the end is near. They are merely the ‘birthing pangs’ of a fallen world (v. 8). In reality, the only signs the end is near are the abomination of desolation (v. 15) and the sky opening at His return (v. 30). While we can discern the wickedness drawing us closer to the end, we cannot know exactly when this will be. The world seems more evil by the day, suggesting that Jesus is on the doorstep. However, there is still time until He comes and events that must take place. May we be Christians who remain faithful to Christ amid the waiting. May we run the race He has called us to until He calls us home or returns in glory. May we repent of pushing conspiracies about the timing of His return and rest in the joyous hope and knowledge that He will return one day. Regardless of when that day comes, may we be found faithful and stand righteous in God’s sight. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 24:37-39. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 292, Matthew 24:34-35 — The End Times: Parable of the Fig Tree Matthew 24:34-35 (NASB1995) “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Context Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ detailed discourse about the end times and His second coming, answering the disciples’ questions about when the end will come and what sign to look for. Following His explanation about the signs of the end and His second coming (vs. 15-31), Jesus transitions to a parable about recognizing these signs. Review Yesterday, we continued Jesus’ end times discourse and read the parable of the fig tree. Fig trees’ leaves do not appear until later in the spring, revealing the nearness of summer. Jesus uses this example of a fig tree to explain how near the end and His coming will be. Just as a fig tree begins to sprout leaves from its branches as a sign that summer is near, the aforementioned signs (vs. 15-30) being fulfilled signal the nearness of the end and His second coming. Some argue Jesus is speaking of the coming destruction of Jerusalem in this parable rather than the second coming. They claim this because it references the cursing of the withering fig tree in 21:18-22, which symbolizes Jerusalem’s soon-coming judgment. However, we have established that Jesus’ discourse reveals a still future fulfillment of these events. While some might have been fulfilled in 70 A.D., they were not fulfilled entirely. Regardless, the cursing of the withering fig tree (21:18-22) and the sprouting of the fig tree (24:32-33) have a meaning connected to near-future judgments. The main point Jesus is making is that His followers need to recognize the signs and heed His warnings about the nearness of the end when they see these signs happen. Jesus invites the disciples to find hope in the idea of summer’s nearness—the return of Christ—within the dire trials they will soon face. In the end, this parable reveals that Jesus’ second coming is both near and certain. While we cannot know when exactly, we can know the time is near when we see these signs. Thus, we have hope. Discussion Today, we continue Jesus’ end times discourse and conclude the parable of the fig tree. Jesus just told the twelve a parable about recognizing the signs to discern the end of the age and His coming are near. While the principle of trusting in His hopeful words is understood, there is much debate about what signs Jesus is speaking of. This debate rises to its zenith in the concluding verse of the parable. Jesus says, “34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” The debate comes from discerning what ‘generation’ Jesus is speaking about. There are multiple perspectives on what ‘this generation’ means, with each changing the meaning of the passage entirely. In response to the disciples’ question about the temple’s destruction in v. 3, the three perspectives are full preterist, partial preterist, and futurist. But which is right? What do they mean? Let’s discuss. The full preterist view claims that Jesus is speaking about His current generation of believers in 33 A.D. Full preterists believe all eschatological events were fulfilled by 70 A.D., whom much of ‘this generation’ lived to witness. These events include everything Jesus has mentioned in His discourse: the tribulation period, resurrection, second coming, and judgment. In short, it prescribes a hyper-literal understanding of Jesus’ statement about ‘this generation’ to mean that those alive at that time would see ‘all these things’ (v. 33) come to pass. Notably, this view is understood as heresy—even among partial preterists—because it completely denies three absolutes of the Christian faith (i.e., return, resurrection, judgment). It denies the hope of Christ’s return by claiming that He already returned in 70 A.D. and denies the future bodily resurrection of believers and final judgment by claiming that believers in 70 A.D. were ‘spiritually’ resurrected. However, Scripture clearly states that Jesus will return at a future period after 70 A.D. (Acts 1:11) and that the resurrection and judgment are still future as well (Jn. 28-29). If full preterism were true, then all believers after 70 A.D. are eternally hopeless. Thankfully, this is not the case. The partial preterist view claims that the events of 70 A.D. fulfilled Jesus’ words about the great tribulation and rise of the antichrist. It claims the destruction of Jerusalem and humanitarian atrocities thereafter fulfill the time of tribulation, and the Roman Emperor Titus fulfills the role of the antichrist. This supports Jesus’ words in this passage that ‘this generation’ would witness these events. However, we extensively discussed how these fulfillments are still future on Day 276 and Day 277 in our exegesis of the abomination of desolation (Mt. 24:15). While partial preterists believe those prophecies were fulfilled in 70 A.D., they remain hopeful of a future return of Christ at the end of the age and judgment thereafter. Hence the ‘partiality’ of their view. However, they deny a rapture of believers since they believe the tribulation already happened. Notably, partial preterists also deny the millennial reign of Christ. Instead, they claim the millennial age started at Pentecost and will continue until Christ returns. In the end, the partial preterist view is not heretical but misinterprets many eschatological doctrines, including the ‘generation’ Jesus is speaking about in this passage. The futurist view claims that ‘this generation’ includes believers living when these events happen in the distant future. This is the perspective that most Christians believe, including the view our study holds. As we have discussed, every event Jesus has mentioned throughout His discourse is still future. While some past events in 167 B.C. and 70 A.D. partially fulfilled various prophecies, they did not fulfill them entirely. One day, the antichrist will reveal himself (Mt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:3) and initiate the great tribulation period (Mt. 24:15-22). Following this period of tribulation, Jesus will return in the sky (Mt. 24:29-31) to judge the wicked and save the righteous. This is our great hope as we faithfully endure the trials and tribulations of this life until we meet the LORD in the air. Jesus concludes the parable, saying, “35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” This is an authoritative declaration, giving the disciples no doubt that every word He has spoken can be trusted. As if they needed further confirmation that His words were true? Jesus assures the twelve that heaven and earth will pass away but His words about what is to come will not. Notably, this statement is not exclusive to His prophecies in this discourse but includes all His teachings throughout His ministry.[1] Every word He has spoken remains true and will never change throughout eternity. They will never cease or be proven false. Every prophecy will come to pass, and every declaration will remain unchanged. If He said it, it will happen, including His prophetic words in this discourse about the end of days. In the end, Jesus wants His disciples to have complete faith and trust in Him. Trusting that He will return in power and glory to resurrect those who have perished and save those enduring horrific tribulation in His name is a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness. He has never gone back on His word and He never will. When the signs of the end begin we can trust that He will return just as He said He would. We will continue Jesus’ end times discourse tomorrow. Application The primary takeaway from this passage is that Jesus will do what He says He will do. He has never given believers a reason to doubt Him, so why would we question Him now? Sadly, some have fallen away from the faith because Jesus has not yet returned. Many unbelievers scowl and jest at believers for their continued faith in something that has not yet come to pass. However, we must remain faithful to Christ and trust His words. If His words never fail, then we need to trust them! When difficulties arise in this life, this truth should provide us great hope knowing that this is not the end. Even when life leaves us hopeless, we can remember Jesus’ words in this passage and write them on our hearts. This truth will be amplified if the time of tribulation comes in our lifetime. How can we face such horrible atrocities? It will honestly be impossible without Christ. However, having hopeful faith in the truth of His words will keep us on the path to salvation. We will need this faith when tests come to steal away our hope and trust. Many will fall away in the end, likely because of a loss of hope and trust in Jesus’ words. But if we genuinely believe God’s word and trust Christ, through the power of the Spirit, we will endure and victoriously overcome whatever comes to pass. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 24:36. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Philip Comfort and David R. Veerman, “Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament.” |
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