Matthew 23: 1-12 HUMBLING EXPERIENCES
1. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND
I have spoken a lot to you about Matthew, the tax collector, who wrote this book. Before this passage, Christ answered the Sadducees' questions. They were the Jewish religious party that said there was no resurrection, no life after death. How sad, you see. :) After our passage, Christ gives seven "woe to yous" about the scribes and Pharisees. Our passage today is the introduction to this.
2. CHRIST SPOKE ABOUT THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (VERSES 1 - 4): DO WHAT THEY SAY, NOT WHAT THEY DO.
The scribes were the copiers of the Old Testament texts. They were so meticulous with their work that if there was one mistake, they burned the manuscript. One positive result of this is that the copies that have been discovered (the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.), show that the accuracy of the Old Testament has been preserved over thousands of years. This is even more true with the New Testament, but that's a different message. See More Than A Carpenter or Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell for more information. The Pharisees were the Jewish religious party who DID believe in the resurrection, life after death, and in future rewards and punishments.
Christ gave a warning to the religious leaders of His time, which still applies today. We need to be careful that we practice what we preach. His reference to Moses may refer to religious leaders sometimes thinking more highly of themselves than they ought. Religious leaders can put a lot of burdens on people, perhaps making them feel too guilty or by preaching AT them, instead of being WITH them in their struggles. Religious leaders sometimes do not reach out to help the unwanted. They only want to be around the important people, the ones with power. The points I make about religious leaders can apply to all believers, since we are all supposed to be examples.
Part of my 68th Corps Support Battalion is planning on leaving in a little while for Southwest Asia. I am bringing several books to read, including Who Is My Enemy? Welcoming People The Church Rejects by Rich Nathan, pastor of one of the largest Vineyard churches, 6000 in attendance, which is in Columbus, OH. We need to be open to people joining us we are not comfortable with, whether it be "gays, liberals, feminists, new-agers, postmoderns, everyone on the cultural left." We need to love everyone.
3. PHYLACTERIES AND TASSELS (VERSE 5)
Christ said, "They do all their deeds to be noticed." We see this by them wearing phylacteries. These were prayer bands, little boxes tied on the forehead with a leather strap with scripture inside them. They were also worn on the left arm next to the heart. These were a reminder, like we sometimes put a rubber band around our wrist. These phylacteries were reminders to keep the scriptures in mind and in the heart.
"The Pharisees broadened their phylacteries to render conspicuous their superior eagerness to be mindful of God's law." (Vine's Expository Dictionary) They made them bigger out of pride. Tassels are the appendages that the Jews attached to their mantles to remind them of the law. (KJV Lexicon) You can sometimes see both of these if you look at a picture of Jews worshipping at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. We need to be careful of the clothes we wear, so that they do not attract attention to us, instead of to God. That is one reason in my denomination, the Vineyard, the pastors tend to dress down, not wearing liturgical clothes, or even suits or ties, a lot of the time. We want to send the message that you can "Come as you are, and you'll be loved," as I have on my bumper. It is not until people get into leadership that we start setting limits & boundaries.
4. VIP SEATING AND TITLES (VERSE 6, 7)
Religious leaders need to be careful not to take advantage of their position for personal gain. The Pharisees sometimes abused this, which is not "fair, you see." :) One positive thing about the scandals we have had in the church over the years is that it has made the leaders more accountable. Church boards are looking more closely at the books to make sure the finances are correct, people are holding the leaders more accountable, etc. In the Army, it is the chaplain assistant and others, like our ushers, who handle and count the offering money. This keeps the chaplains accountable. Also, our assistants help us in other ways to be accountable as well, by asking us questions, etc.
5. DON'T BE CALLED TEACHER. (VERSE 8)
The next several verses show the Hebrew form of hyperbole or exaggeration, when Christ said to not call anyone teacher, father or leader. According to Dr. Douglas Hare, a professor from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where I went, in his Interpretation (of) Matthew commentary, "Only after 70 (A.D.) did the practice develop of using rabbi as a technical term to designate those of the Pharisaic tradition who had been trained as teachers and set apart by ordination. Presumably it is used here in its non-technical sense (Christ died about 33 A.D.) . . . In the Greek the opening word of verse 8 is emphatic and contrastive: "As for you, however, you are not to be addressed as "Rabbi"". It must have been natural to address the next generation of Christian teachers in the same way. . . (Christ was trying to bring a word of caution or balance here.) The eagerness of laypeople to exalt ordained persons by the use of honorific titles, however, intensifies the minister's responsibility to work diligently at breaking down the barrier between clergy and laity." This is important in my denomination as well, as we teach everyone to minister to others with the Holy Spirit's fruit and gifts. The pastors, chaplains, chaplains' assistants, etc., cannot do it all. We need you to help us. That is why, during our time of prayer at the end, I allow time for you to pray out loud as well.
We need to be humble - offering up our seat sometimes if need be. I realize the need for titles in the military, but I believe we need to be careful about this, so that we do not let it get to our head. This is why, when it is appropriate, I ask to be called Steve by officers or civilians. Another reason is that being a chaplain is what I do, prayerfully only 40 hours+ a week, and Steve is who I am, 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours.
There is only one omniscient, all-knowing Great One / Honorable Sir (some of the definitions of Rabbi), that is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the one we should ultimately learn from, by reading the Bible, the book about and by Him and His followers. We can also learn directly from Him by asking and getting answers from prayer. Are we taking time to listen and then responding?
Our battalion just returned from the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, CA. Thanks for praying for us. No one died, which sometimes happens out there. One great story of God at work involves CH TM from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. He felt led by God one day to pray with his company commanders about safety. That night, one of their soldiers was run over by a truck. Thank God, all that happened to him is that he had fractured ribs and a cut liver and spleen. I believe it is a miracle he did not receive any brain injury, paralysis, etc. This is an example that I have taught on before about the Holy Spirit giving us gifts, such as in 1 Corinthians 12, the word of wisdom or word of knowledge, so we have something specific to pray about. I pray that all of us hear from God as well as CH Meador did.
Another way to interpret this passage is as a warning to teachers. I consider myself a teaching preacher. Since we educate people, we are held to a higher standard. As I have mentioned before, I do a lot of research for my messages before I give them, to make sure I am accurate. Again, hold me accountable. If there is something I say that you do not agree with, let me know, and we can discuss it, and I will do more research. I take my job seriously, and I ask that you pray that I hear from God on what to teach.
6. DON'T CALL ANYONE FATHER. (VERSE 9)
According to Dr. Hare, "Some rabbinic leaders were addressed as Ab "Father". It is generally agreed that reference is made here not to one's male parent, but to a religious authority." Again, there is only one omnipresent, all-present parent, and that is God the Father. This is why we pray the Lord's Prayer every week, since it is the prayer Christ taught us. When we pray it today, pay attention to the words. They are very powerful, and we sometimes take them for granted. Since we memorized it, we need to listen.
7. DON'T BE CALLED LEADER. (VERSE 10)
There is only one omnipotent, all-powerful guide or Master (some definitions of leader), that is, God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three in one. Gee, that rhymes. :) In the midst of leading communion, Christ said in Luke 22: 6, "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant." When we have communion today, remember that Christ is our ultimate Commander-in-Chief, who humbled Himself by coming to earth in the form of a man. He suffered, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. He did this so our sins could be forgiven, and if we are sorry and try to change, God will forgive us and give us heaven to look forward to. 1 John 1: 9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God will clean us up by Christ's blood through the Holy Spirit.
8. HAVE A SERVANT HEART. (VERSE 11)
"But the greatest among you will be your servant." Some of our greatest leaders have started out with humble beginnings. As Dale Carnegie wrote in How To Win Friends And Influence People, "an uneducated, poverty-stricken grocery clerk (studied) some law books he found in the bottom of a barrel of household plunder that he had bought for fifty cents. You have probably heard of this grocery clerk. His name was (Abraham) Lincoln." (p. 49) We need to have a servant heart, especially the leaders among us. Remember, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Romans 12 is service.
9. "WHOEVER EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE HUMBLED; AND WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED." (VERSE 12)
This verse was made real to me in a couple of ways at NTC. I have a couple of stories of humbling experiences and one story of God perhaps exalting me because of these. I was given a GP medium tent to use as a chapel. It is similar to the tents you would see on MASH. I am glad we had it, so we had a good-sized space in which to worship. But the stakes that came with it were small ones, not intended for a big tent. So, a couple of weeks into NTC, when it became windy, it blew over.
Again, God gets the glory in this story, since no one was injured as it came down. It had large center poles that could have hurt someone as they fell. As a matter of fact, they fell near a soldier, and I was in the tent at the time, on the phone with the ER, checking on another soldier who had been injured. Thank God the poles did not fall on anyone, especially me! After this, my LTC was kind enough to give me an A-frame tent that was not being used, which was sturdier. Thank God as we head for SW Asia, there is already a built-up chapel where we are going, and a chapel that fits in a container is being sent over as well, which is very modern. This was a humbling experience for me, as people joked about it, but I am thankful for having a tent and for safety.
Another humbling experience happened as I had my first real test of land navigation. My assistant and I left early in the morning for a meeting we had in the desert several hours later. She presumed I knew where to go, and I presumed she knew where to go. I started us off in the wrong direction, since earlier I had gone out with my LTC, and I thought all the roads in the desert started from the one on post we drove on. We turned around, returned to the post to get better directions and better batteries for the GPS that I borrowed.
Now we headed off into the right direction, but this was the first time for me, as I said, and it has been a while since my assistant has done land nav. We made a couple of circles as we looked for our destination. For some reason, the roads are not labeled in the desert. :) We had to guess which way to go, even with a GPS that I was learning to use. We eventually made it to our destination, a little late for the chaplain meeting, and an enemy plane started "bombing" us, so we turned around and headed back, again, having trouble finding the right roads back. But we made it back to the post and heard that people had been calling for us. Our radio must have been turned down.
Again, this was a humbling experience, as my LTC gave me his compass to learn how to use. But he also said next time he would send an escort with us, which I appreciate, especially since we are leaving soon for SW Asia. The Provider Chapel NCOIC will give us land navigation training on Monday, and I will make sure I know how to use the map, compass, plugger, radio (if we get them), and a GPS I am considering buying, but I hear it could be jammed "over there." Please pray for us!
I believe God exalted us because of these experiences. We received a written review from a Chaplain Observer / Controller that was positive. He liked our heart for ministry and our good attitude in the midst of our trials, and he gave us a good evaluation overall, which I am thankful for. Again, if we are humble, God may lift us up.
10. APPLICATION / REVIEW / CONCLUSION
A. DO WHAT THEY SAY, NOT WHAT THEY DO.
B. HAVE THE WORD IN OUR HEART.
C. GIVE UP OUR SEAT.
D. TEACHERS, BEWARE!
E. "OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN"
F. GODLY LEADERS ARE SERVANTS.
G. "HUMBLE THYSELF"
Eight Woes
13 “But woe #1 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven [c]from [d]people; (anthropoi) for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [[e]Woe #2 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (This verse not found in early mss)] ARE OUR PRAYERS MEANINGFUL OR JUST LONG TO SHOW OFF? 15 “Woe #3 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [f]proselyte; CONVERT and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of [g]hell (Gehenna, valley of (the son of) Hinnom; or Ge-Hinnom, a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1067/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/)
as yourselves. ARE WE MAKING CHRISTIAN DISCIPLES (FOLLOWERS) WHO BECOME APOSTLES (SENT OUT ONES?) 16 “Woe #4 to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the [h]temple, SANCTUARY that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [i]temple Is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! Which is [j]more important, the gold or the [k]temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the [l]offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, which is [m]more important, the [n]offering, or the altar that sanctifies the [o]offering? 20 Therefore, [p]whoever swears by the altar, swears both by [q]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And [r]whoever swears by the [s]temple, swears both by [t]the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22 And [u]whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF SWEARING. 23 “Woe #5 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe (GIVING 10% LIKE IN MALACHI 3) mint and dill and [v]cummin (Similar to caraway seeds) and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! THIS IS AN EXAGGERATION. 25 “Woe #6 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [w]of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 “Woe #7 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe #8 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are [x]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how [y]will you escape the [z]sentence of [aa]hell? (Gehenna) 34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the [ab]temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” WHITEHEART SANG ABOUT THIS: https://genius.com/White-heart-jerusalem-lyrics
Footnotes
Matthew 23:5 I.e. small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposes
Matthew 23:10 Or teachers
Matthew 23:13 Lit in front of
Matthew 23:13 Gr anthropoi
Matthew 23:14 This v not found in early mss
Matthew 23:15 Or convert
Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna
Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
Matthew 23:17 Lit greater
Matthew 23:17 Or sanctuary
Matthew 23:18 Or gift
Matthew 23:19 Lit greater
Matthew 23:19 Or gift
Matthew 23:19 Or gift
Matthew 23:20 Lit he who
Matthew 23:20 Lit it
Matthew 23:21 Lit he who
Matthew 23:21 Or sanctuary
Matthew 23:21 Lit it
Matthew 23:22 Lit he who
Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds
Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
Matthew 23:33 Lit would
Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
Matthew 23:35 Or sanctuary
Matthew 24: Signs of Christ’s Return
24 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away [a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [c]Christ,’ (Messiah) and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN MY LIFETIME. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. DO NOT EXPECT EVERYONE TO BE GLAD WE ARE CHRISTIANS. 10 At that time many will [d]fall away and will [e]betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole [g]world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. "Of the world’s people groups, over 40% are considered unreached, meaning they have little to no access to the gospel," https://www.globalcp.org/statistics#:~:text=The%20World%20and%20Christianity%20Stats,than%204%2C000%20unreached%20people%20groups?
Perilous Times
15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), THE OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCES ARE:
Ezekiel 33:29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’
Daniel 11:31 Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 12:11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. (3 1/2 YEARS)
16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [h]Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 [i]Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no [j]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [k]elect (chosen ones, THIS IS GETTING AT PREDESTINATION (CALVIN) VS. FREEWILL (ARMINIUS) those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [l]Christ,’ or ‘[m]There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will [n]show great [o]signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the [p]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. IT WILL BE QUICKLY. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the [q]vultures will gather.
The Glorious Return
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from [r]the sky, and the powers of [s]the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His [t]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, [u]recognize that [v]He is near, right at the [w]door. 34 Truly I say to you, this [x]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. HE WAS GETTING AT HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. BE CAREFUL OF PEOPLE SAYING THEY KNOW WHEN CHRIST WILL RETURN. IT'S INTERESTING IT SAYS THE SON DOES NOT KNOW. 37 For [y]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 [z]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one [aa]will be taken and one [ab]will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the [ac]mill; one [ad]will be taken and one [ae]will be left.
Be Ready for His Coming
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [af]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 [ag]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. 45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his [ah]master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ai]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 [aj]master [ak]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the [al]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 [am]cut him in pieces and [an]assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
Matthew 24:1 Lit and
Matthew 24:3 Or consummation
Matthew 24:5 I.e. the Messiah
Matthew 24:10 Lit be caused to stumble
Matthew 24:10 Or hand over
Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of many
Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
Matthew 24:17 Lit He who
Matthew 24:18 Lit He who
Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
Matthew 24:23 I.e. Messiah
Matthew 24:23 Lit here
Matthew 24:24 Lit give
Matthew 24:24 Or attesting miracles
Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
Matthew 24:29 Or heaven
Matthew 24:29 Or heaven
Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
Matthew 24:33 Or know
Matthew 24:33 Or it
Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
Matthew 24:34 Or race
Matthew 24:37 Lit just as...were the days
Matthew 24:39 Lit know
Matthew 24:40 Lit is
Matthew 24:40 Lit is
Matthew 24:41 I.e. handmill
Matthew 24:41 Lit is
Matthew 24:41 Lit is
Matthew 24:43 Lit know this
Matthew 24:43 Lit dug through
Matthew 24:45 Or lord
Matthew 24:46 Or lord
Matthew 24:48 Or lord
Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
Matthew 24:50 Or lord
Matthew 24:51 Or severely scourge him
Matthew 24:51 Lit appoint his portion
Matthew 25:1-13 ARE WE READY?
1. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND
Matthew is the tax collector who wrote this book. Before this passage, Christ spoke about Signs of His Second Coming, Perilous Times, The Glorious Return, and Being Ready for His Second Coming. After our passage, He talked about the Coming Judgment. This is a popular topic, as many people like studying the prophetic books of the Old Testament, the Book of Revelation, etc. This is also seen in popular fiction books in the Frank Peretti and Left Behind series.
2. CHRIST SAID THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE TEN VIRGINS AND A BRIDGEGROOM (VERSE 1)
George Ladd was a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in CA. I took a couple of classes from there at the Colorado Springs branch. He wrote A Theology of the New Testament (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1994). These are some deep thoughts he wrote about the kingdom. "Both 'the kingdom of God' and 'the kingdom of the heavens' are seldom used in Jewish literature before the days of Jesus . . . The Age to Come and the Kingdom of God are sometimes interchangeable terms . . . The Church is Not the Kingdom . . . The Kingdom Creates the Church . . . The Church (is a) Witness to the Kingdom . . . The Church is the Instrument of the Kingdom . . . The Church (is) The Custodian of the Kingdom". Then he starts bringing up some controversial ideas: "For the exorcism of demons was no mere peripheral activity in Jesus' ministry but was a manifestation of the essential purpose of the coming of the Kingdom of God in to the evil age . . . Although (the disciples had) a delegated power, the same power of the Kingdom worked through them that worked through Jesus."
As I have taught before, the Holy Spirit has fruit and gifts for all of us to help build the kingdom. Just as the disciples had delegated power from God, so do we. We need to study the gifts, experiment with them, find out which we are good with, and use them as God gives them. Now, back to our story.
The church is compared throughout the Bible as the bride of Christ, and Christ is described as the bridegroom. We see this especially in the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament, which is a love story between the bride and the groom. The Greek word in our passage for "virgins" is parthenoi, which also means girls, maidens, or bridesmaids. Another example of the church being the bride is in 2 Corinthians 11:2. Paul wrote, "For I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." We also see this in John, Ephesians, and Revelation. It is a common metaphor.
Do not read into the Matthew story that Christ was encouraging polygamy or that the ten virgins would fight over the bridegroom, like some of the TV shows we have today. :) We cannot push metaphors too hard, or they break down. Christ was using the story as a parable, for them to figure out, since stories were a popular way to communicate then, as they are now.
3. FIVE VIRGINS WERE FOOLISH, FIVE WERE WISE. (VERSE 2 - 4)
Five virgins were prepared by having the oil they needed for their lamps. It reminds me of Y2K, how some people prepared for the worst by getting plenty of food, water, etc. It also reminds me of my 68th CSB as we get ready to deploy. We are taking with us as many supplies as we can, in case we cannot get them easily at our "exercise in SW Asia" for the next year. Again, please keep us in your prayers about this.
According to Dr. Douglas Hare, from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where I went for my M.Div,, in his Interpretation (of) Matthew, Luther urged that the oil represents faith. Spiritual piety has also been proposed . . . It is possible that the oil that causes the lamps of the wise virgins to continue to burn brightly is enduring love. The most popular suggestion is that Matthew regards the oil as standing for good works."
4. WHEN THE BRIDGEGROOM WAS DELAYED, THEY FELL ASLEEP. (VERSE 5) ARE WE AWAKE?
This verse reminds me of the story of Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane in the next chapter of Matthew. Perhaps Christ knew that His disciples would fall asleep, and He was giving them some warning here to stay awake. What this story is hinting at is that we may be getting spiritually lazy, not doing the things we should be. Or we may not BE the Christians we should be, as we wait for Christ to return again, or for us to die and go to heaven, whichever comes first.
None of us knows when Christ will return again. The Jews are waiting for the Messiah to come for the first time, some cultic groups believe Christ already returned again, and WE wait for The Glorious Return. Christ gave us an idea earlier in this chapter about when it would be. He said in verse 14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and THEN the end shall come." If we look at the Greek in this passage, the word "nations" here is "ethnos", which means people groups or tribes. There are more than 200 countries in the world, and almost 17,000 people groups or tribes in the world. That is a lot of variety.
At the moment, only about half of the world has heard about Christ. The 10/40 Window is the area from the 10th latitude to the 40th latitude, which extends from West Africa to East Asia. This is where most of the world lives, where most of the world's poverty is, and where the least amount of Christians are. This is where Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam are in the majority. Because of the advance of technology in the world, with satellite television and radio, cell phones, the internet, and so on, we are able to reach that part of the world better than ever before. But we also need to send people there, missionaries to reach people in personal, life-changing ways.
This is one reason I am glad we are deploying to that part of the world. Even though, for understandable reasons for security and international relations, we cannot share the gospel with the locals, we CAN pray. We read in Psalm 22:3 in the King James Version "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabit(s) the praises of Israel".
God shows up when people praise and pray to God, and where God is, evil cannot be. As we physically occupy an area, as they did in the Old Testament, we can claim it for God through prayer. It is more effective in the spiritual realm to pray at a location than from farther away, but that is a whole separate message. See me later if you want to talk more about this or get materials about this. But I digress.
5. THE MIDNIGHT SHOUT: "BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM! COME OUT
TO MEET HIM." (V. 6)
This verse can refer to the Rapture, a term used in Christianity to refer to Christ's second coming. We also read about it in Paul's letter 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel (Michael?) and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." This is somewhat controversial. Can you imagine the dead in Christ literally rising from the grave in their glorified or perfect bodies? This sounds like after Christ died, in Matthew 27: 52 "and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep (in other words, died), were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many." It sounds like something out of Night Of The Living Dead, or another horror movie, but as an example of the power of God, not of evil.
The military is working on ways to let individuals fly. I saw a Michael Jackson concert on TV where he had a jet pack on and was able to fly away as the show ended. The announcer said, "Michael Jackson has left the stadium", shades of Elvis, huh? :) But when Christ returns, we will be able to fly into heaven without the aid of technology.
6. THE FOOLISH VIRGINS NEEDED OIL, THE WISE ONES DID NOT. (VERSES 7 - 9) ARE WE READY?
These verses sound like the people who do not know Christ asking for help at the last minute. This reminds me of the phrase "foxhole Christians". I know that as people realize that they are about to die, they may try to get right with God, but then it might be too late. Who knows when we will die, or if we will have time to ask for forgiveness of our sins and ask Christ into our lives? As you know, there is more of a chance of us dying in a car accident than there is of getting killed in war. We see reminders of this at the entrances to post, where they show vehicles with signs saying "#1 soldier killer". When I worked for a year as a chaplain at Swedish Medical Center in Denver in the ER, every morning and afternoon we would have people come in because of car accidents during rush hour. We need to be right with Christ NOW, since driving on I-25 is more dangerous than deploying.
I am encouraged that as part of my battalion is getting ready to leave, more people are seeking God. I have had company commanders and those of lower and higher rank ask for prayer, religious materials, and so on.
I emailed a story from Guideposts, which has become popular here. It tells of a Marine Major praying to God for help in Kuwait: "Dear God, help me to lead my troops wisely. Watch over us. Keep us safe." It started raining for days. His response was "Father, please make this rain stop and protect us". They were about to cross the border into Iraq. As the rain stopped, it washed away the sand to reveal an Iraqi minefield. God had answered his prayer in a mysterious way. God again is using a potentially negative time for some positive spiritual growth in our battalion.
7. "THOSE WHO WERE READY WENT IN WITH HIM TO THE WEDDING FEAST." (VERSE 10)
At the end of this message, I will play a song for you that talks more about this verse. It will be a time of Celebration. This is one of the 5 Cs of Life-Giving churches by Ted Haggard, the pastor of New Life, the largest church in Colorado Springs, with 8700 attendees, which is at Highway 83 and Interquest. Believe it or not, it started in Ted's basement twenty years ago. It shows what God can do if we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives. I intend this service to be a time of celebrating who God is and what God has done in our lives. We do this by using a variety of media, such as music, videos, etc., to worship Christ.
The 2nd of the 5 Cs is Cells. These are the small groups that are essential for relationships to be built, with each other and with God. That is why I have them mentioned weekly in our bulletins. I encourage you to visit one or all of them. This can also be as informal as going to our snack time after the service in the Activity Room.
The 3rd of the 5 Cs is Churches or Congregations. It is not the beautiful building we are in; it is who we are, people worshipping God. Our chapels are intended to have an impact here at Ft. Carson and elsewhere. I am thankful to God that there are five chapels on post and about 20 chaplains with assistants, so we can do this.
The 4th of the 5 Cs is the City. Our chapels should impact the city. We do this by community outreach, our offerings, our prayers, etc. Our soldiers impact the city, so we need to influence the soldiers, from the inside out, of this chapel and the others.
The 5th of the 5 Cs is Countries. Our chapels should impact the world. We need to think globally and act locally. Again, we do this by our giving and our prayers, and as we send people out to do the work of the military and the work of God, to praise and pray where we go, so God will inhabit and occupy the lands, so Christ will be known.
8. "LORD, LORD, OPEN UP FOR US." (VERSE 11)
It was too late for the unprepared five virgins at this point. This is similar to Matthew 7: 21 - 23 "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'"
Just because someone uses things that look like the gifts of the Spirit does not mean that they know Christ. An example of this is the televangelists who have been proven to be hoaxes and scams. Just like in politics, there are some bad apples in the bunch. We need to pray that those in leadership in the church and in politics are ethical and moral.
There are many Christian musicians who have written about this passage, such as Larry Norman, Amy Grant, Margaret Becker, DC Talk, etc. They sing that "It's Too Late For Walkin' In Darkness", "People Get Ready", and so on.
9. CHRIST'S REJECTION: "TRULY I SAY TO YOU, I DO NOT KNOW (EIDO) YOU." (VERSE 12)
The Greek word for "know" here is eido, which means "to be aware, behold, consider, look, perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish" (Strong's Concordance). Since Christ is omniscient / all-knowing, He knows everyone, but what this verse is getting at is that Christ will NOT know everyone as their Savior and Lord, since not everyone believes THAT is who He is. As the booklet, "Would You Like To Know God Personally" that we pass out in the Rapid Deployment Kits with camo Bibles says, "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." This is from John 1:12. "We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then we can know God personally and experience His love." This is the final law of the 4 Spiritual Laws by Campus Crusade For Christ, whose Military Ministry sent us 40,000! free deployment guides. If you would like one, see me.
We can intellectually know who Christ is in our heads, but what really matters is if Christ is in our hearts. We do this by asking God to forgive us of our sins, and ask Christ to be in charge of our lives. At our prayer time at the end of the service, I will give us a time of silence to do this. Or if you would like to do this with CH Harrison, CH Locke or me after the service, that is an option as well. We would love to pray for you.
10. "BE ON THE ALERT THEN, FOR YOU DO NOT KNOW THE DAY NOR THE HOUR." (VERSE 13)
This refers to what I talked about before. We need to be ready NOW! I would like to end by playing a live song that thousands are singing from what was formerly the Toronto Vineyard. Now they are independent. The words are on the back of the outline, and describe what the celebration in heaven will be like. Feel free to sing along.
11. APPLICATION / REVIEW / CONCLUSION;
A. ARE WE FOOLISH OR WISE?
B. ARE WE ASLEEP OR AWAKE?
C. ARE WE READY FOR THE 2ND COMING?
D. DID WE GET THE WEDDING INVITATION?
E. DID WE RSVP?
F. ARE WE ON THE ALERT ROSTER?
Matthew 25: 31-46 when did we see you?
Matthew 26: The Plot to Kill Jesus
1 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.” 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 Precious Ointment
6 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. 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.” 10 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. 13 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.”
Judas’s Bargain
14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me [a]to [b]betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty [c]pieces of silver to him. 16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to [d]betray [e]Jesus. 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?” 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.
The Last Passover
20 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 [f]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 [g]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.”
The Lord’s Supper Instituted
26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and [h]after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” 30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all [i]fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may [j]fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter *said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.
The Garden of Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “[k]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest
47 While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up [l]accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus [m]reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and [n]cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve [o]legions of angels? 54 How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
Jesus before Caiaphas
57 Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. 58 But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the [p]officers to see the outcome. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole [q]Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. 60 They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the [r]temple of God and to rebuild it [s]in three days.’” 62 The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I [t]adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are [u]the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, [v]hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his [w]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; 66 what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others [x]slapped Him, 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, You [y]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”
Peter’s Denials
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk [z]gives you away.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
Matthew 26:15 Lit and I will
Matthew 26:15 Or deliver
Matthew 26:15 I.e. silver shekels
Matthew 26:16 Or deliver
Matthew 26:16 Lit Him
Matthew 26:22 Or one after another
Matthew 26:24 Lit for him if that man had not been born
Matthew 26:26 Lit having blessed
Matthew 26:31 Or stumble
Matthew 26:33 Or stumble
Matthew 26:45 Or Keep on sleeping therefore
Matthew 26:47 Lit and with him
Matthew 26:51 Lit extended the hand
Matthew 26:51 Lit took off
Matthew 26:53 A legion equaled 6,000 troops
Matthew 26:58 Or servants
Matthew 26:59 Or Sanhedrin
Matthew 26:61 Or sanctuary
Matthew 26:61 Or after
Matthew 26:63 Or charge You under oath
Matthew 26:63 I.e. the Messiah
Matthew 26:64 Or from now on
Matthew 26:65 Or outer garments
Matthew 26:67 Or beat Him with rods
Matthew 26:68 I.e. the Messiah
Matthew 26:73 Lit makes you evident
Judas’s Remorse
27 Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor. 3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty [a]pieces SHEKELS of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7 And they conferred together and [b]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And [c]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 and [d]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.”
THIS WAS PROPHESIED IN Zechariah 11:13 "Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord."32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, [a]the owner shall give his or her master [b]thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
Exodus 23:32 states, "If the ox gores a male or female slave, [a]the owner shall give his or her master [b]thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned." THIS CAN BE AN INTERESTING COMPARISON TO CHRIST.
Jesus before Pilate
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And He did not answer him with regard to even a single [e]charge, so the governor was quite amazed. 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the [f]people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for [g]last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 But the governor [h]said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all *said, “[i]Crucify Him!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “[j]Crucify Him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” 25 And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas [k]for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [l]Praetorium (the governor’s official residence)
and gathered the whole Roman [m]cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a [n]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. 32 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, [o]whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
The Crucifixion
33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. 35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting [p]lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him [q]which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were [r]hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”THIS WAS REFERRING TO HIM BEING IN THE GRAVE FOR 3 DAYS. 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved others; [s]He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He [t]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. 45 Now from the [u]sixth hour 3PM darkness [v]fell upon all the land until the [w]ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, “[x]Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him[y].” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 And behold, the [z]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. NOT FROM BOTTOM TO TOP, SHOWING IT WAS GOD. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [aa]saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, (OVER 100) and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was [ab]the Son of God!” 55 Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while [ac]ministering to Him. 56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave. 62 Now on the next day, [ad]the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
Footnotes
Matthew 27:3 Or silver shekels
Matthew 27:7 Lit from them
Matthew 27:9 Or I took; cf Zech 11:13
Matthew 27:10 Some early mss read I gave
Matthew 27:14 Lit word
Matthew 27:15 Lit crowd
Matthew 27:19 Lit today
Matthew 27:21 Lit answered and said to them
Matthew 27:22 Lit Let Him be crucified
Matthew 27:23 Lit Let Him be crucified
Matthew 27:26 Or to them
Matthew 27:27 I.e. the governor’s official residence
Matthew 27:27 Or battalion
Matthew 27:29 Or staff; i.e. to mimic a king’s scepter
Matthew 27:32 Lit this one
Matthew 27:35 Lit a lot
Matthew 27:37 Lit written
Matthew 27:39 Or blaspheming
Matthew 27:42 Or can He not save Himself?
Matthew 27:43 Or takes pleasure in; or cares for him
Matthew 27:45 I.e. 12 noon
Matthew 27:45 Or occurred
Matthew 27:45 I.e. 3 p.m.
Matthew 27:49 Lit Permit that we see
Matthew 27:49 Some early mss read And another took a spear and pierced His side, and there came out water and blood (cf John 19:34)
Matthew 27:51 Or curtain
Matthew 27:52 Or holy ones
Matthew 27:54 Or a son of God or a son of a god
Matthew 27:55 Or caring for Him
Matthew 27:62 Lit which is after
Jesus Is Risen!
28 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “[a]Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them [b]and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. NOTICE CHRIST DID NOT STOP THEM, ACKNOWLEDGING HE IS GOD.10 Then Jesus *said to them, “[c]Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” 11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ THIS RUMOR STILL EXISTS TODAY. 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and [d]keep you out of trouble.” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
The Great Commission
16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 [e]Go therefore (or having gone, Greek aorist participle) and make disciples of all the nations, PEOPLE GROUPS / RACES baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you [f]always, even to the end of the age.”
Footnotes
Matthew 28:5 Or Stop being afraid
Matthew 28:9 Lit saying hello
Matthew 28:10 Or Stop being afraid
Matthew 28:14 Lit make you free from care
Matthew 28:19 Or Having gone; Gr aorist part.
Matthew 28:20 Lit all the days
