43-Matthew 25 – Mark 11
Oct. 17, 2009
We will continue our study this week in the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter 25. Last week we looked at the different events in the life of Jesus that were written with Jewish people in mind. We finished up with Jesus as He talked to His disciples about the end of the age on the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem. This week we will finish looking at this discussion and the rest of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Jesus continued to speak parables to His disciples in Chapter 25 encouraging them to work and be prepared for His return in the future. He began with a parable about ten virgins that were waiting for a wedding. Five of them were wise and took care of their lamps and conserved the oil they had brought. The other five virgins were foolish and burned up their entire supply of oil before the bridegroom came. They were unprepared and excluded from the wedding. We also need to be prepared for our Bridegroom, Jesus, when He comes for His bride, the Church. The next parable was about the talents. A talent was a measure of currency in those days that was equivalent to over $10,000 in silver at today’s value. The parable here speaks of talents in their monetary form but represents a teaching on the use spiritual gifts. The main idea is that some will receive more talents, or gifts, than others, but all that use their gifts will be rewarded. Salvation by grace was not in view here so the one who did not use the gift they received would be rebuked and condemned. Jesus said that in the end all nations would be gathered before Him and His angels; the believers, called sheep would be separated from the unbelievers called goats. Jesus will be able to tell them apart by the way they each treated His people during their lives. In Chapter 26 Jesus let His disciples know that in two days at Passover He would be handed over to the authorities and crucified. The disciples still did not realize what Jesus meant and while at supper in Bethany a woman came and anointed His head with an alabaster vial of costly perfume. Judas was upset at the waste of the valuable perfume that could be sold to help the poor. His real problem was that he was the group’s treasurer and wanted to steal the proceeds for himself. Jesus rebuked the disciples and commended the woman for her act. Judas then went to the Jewish leadership and betrayed Jesus for the price of a slave. The disciples were told to go into the city and find an upper room where they could celebrate the Passover meal with Jesus. They found it and ate the last supper with Jesus on earth. During the meal Jesus taught them how to perform the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of Him after He had gone. Even though Peter had stood up indignant for Jesus, the Lord told him he would betray Him three times before morning. Jesus then took Peter, James, and John out to the Garden at Gethsemane to stand watch for Him while He prayed. They were not able to stay awake and were awakened by Jesus when Judas came with some soldiers and betrayed Him with a kiss. Peter, as he often did, lost his temper and cut off a soldier’s ear with his sword. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed His captor and went with the men to stand trial. The disciples turned and fled from Jesus so as not to be taken captive with Him. The Lord’s words condemned Him to death before Caiaphas the High Priest. Peter also did deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed to signal morning. In Chapter 27 Judas realized what he had done and had remorse for his act of betrayal. He tried to return the silver to the temple but the priests refused the blood money. Judas Iscariot threw the silver to the temple floor and went out and hanged himself to death. The priests bought a potter’s field with the silver for a graveyard for the poor unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jesus was then taken before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, who asked Him if He was King of the Jews. Jesus replied that He was. The Jews did not have the authority to execute a prisoner on their own but had to receive permission first from their Roman rulers. Pilate believed Jesus was innocent and tried to have Him released. The Jews were given the choice of executing Jesus or an evil criminal named Barabbas. The Jews decided to spare the criminal and crucify Jesus. Pilate wiped his hands of the blood of Jesus and turned Him over to the Jews for crucifixion. Even with this act Pilate was still just as responsible for sending Jesus to the cross as we are by our sin. The soldiers mocked Jesus, stole His clothes, and beat and spit on Him. This was to weaken Him for what was to come. They then took Him to a place named Golgotha and nailed Him to a cross of wood. Some of our Lord’s last words from the cross before His death were recorded in verse 46 “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” This was the moment Jesus took upon Himself the entire sin of the world, past, present, and future and was separated from His Father for the first time in eternity. Because of this selfless act we all can be redeemed to God and experience eternal life. At His death the tombs opened, an earthquake occurred and the veil of the temple tore in two from top to bottom giving believer’s unlimited access to the Father from that day forward. A rich believer named Joseph of Arimathea offered his new personal tomb for Jesus and was given permission by Pilate. Jesus was quickly placed into the tomb before the Sabbath day began. The Pharisees reminded Pilate that Jesus said He would be raised in three days so Pilate ordered the tomb sealed and a guard placed there to ensure none of His followers could steal the body to prove the prophecy. In Chapter 28 Mary Magdalene and the mother of James and John came to the tomb to complete the burial process that was interrupted by the Sabbath. They noticed the guard missing and the stone cover rolled away. There was an angel on the stone that told the women that Jesus was not there but had risen as He said. They were told to go and tell the disciples. Jesus met the disciples and told them to go to Galilee. A false story was made up about His disappearance from the tomb to satisfy the Jews. In Galilee Then gave His disciples the great commission in verse 18-20 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This ends the Gospel of Matthew. We will now begin the next Gospel, the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who was a cousin of Barnabas, and a companion of Paul on his first missionary journey. Mark’s Gospel is believed to have been written sometime after 50 AD on Peter’s memory of his time with Jesus. Mark wrote his Gospel to Gentiles about the events in Jesus’ ministry on earth with very little doctrine recorded. This is the shortest of the four Gospels for this reason. There is little material in Mark that would interest a Jewish reader. The Gospel of Mark skips the events surrounding the birth and early life of Jesus and also omits the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. Chapter 1 starts out with the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus Christ. From there the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is covered in a single verse. Also contained in Chapter 1 is the call of Simon Peter and Andrew, along with James and John. The men dropped everything when they answered Jesus’ call as shown in verse 20 “Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.” Jesus went out healing the sick and proclaiming the Gospel throughout the region. At the end of the chapter the fame of Jesus had grown so much He was unable to enter a town and stay because of the crowds that surrounded Him. The beginning of Chapter 2 contains the story of the paralytic man that was lowered through the roof where Jesus was to be healed. Jesus perceived there were some scribes present who thought He was blaspheming when He said He could forgive sins. He questioned the scribes on what they were thinking and healed the man to the amazement of all present. Next in the chapter was the call of Matthew the tax collector. When the scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus on why He ate with tax collectors and sinners He replied in verse 17 “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” When the Pharisees and John’s disciples fasted they asked Jesus why His disciples did not fast. Jesus tried to tell them in illustration that His disciples did not need to fast because they were already in the presence of God. The last event recorded in the chapter is where the disciples ate grain from the field during the Sabbath. In Chapter 3 Jesus healed a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath to the dismay of the Pharisees. From that moment on they together conspired to kill Him. Jesus then went to the Sea of Galilee and healed many. Here He appointed His twelve and gave them the power to heal and cast out demons so they could be sent out to preach to the people. The names of the apostles are listed here. Jesus was then rejected by His people and from then on spoke publicly only in parables. In Chapter 4 Jesus spoke the parable of the sower and the seed. This was to teach on what was required for spiritual growth and maturity. These stories were used by Jesus to illustrate His teaching to believers and to confuse His enemies. He then spoke other parables about seeds and the mustard seed. Jesus then stilled the sea while crossing over with His disciples. All He did to calm the raging storm was to utter the words in verse 39 “Hush, be still.” His men became afraid and said to themselves “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” In Chapter 5 on the other side of the sea in the country of the Geresenes Jesus came upon a man who was possessed with many demons. He told the demons to come out of the man. They asked Him if they could enter a herd of swine nearby. Jesus agreed and over two thousand pigs drowned when the demons caused them to run into the sea. Jesus left there and returned back across the sea and began healing the sick. He was approached by an official of the synagogue named Jairus who wanted healing for his sick daughter. Jesus followed him to his home but was touched by a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years the physicians could not cure. Jesus asked who touched His robe then healed the woman because of her faith in Him. When Jesus finally arrived at Jairus’ home his daughter had already died. Jesus told the crowd in verse 36 “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” He then told the child to come and she rose and started walking around to the astonishment of all that were there. In Chapter 6 Jesus went to Nazareth where He had been raised and was rejected by the townspeople. He left there healing few and did not return. He next sent out the twelve in pairs to further His ministry on earth. Next in the chapter is the story of the execution of John the Baptist. After this the disciples returned and gave Jesus an account of their travels and what they accomplished. Jesus saw that a large crowd had followed Him, and out of compassion began to teach. When the crowd became hungry He fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two small fish. He then walked across the sea to save His disciples from drowning when a storm came up on them. The next day He healed many at Gennesaret. The Pharisees were looking for anything to accuse Jesus, and in Chapter 7 they said His disciples were breaking the traditions of the elders when they did not wash their hands before eating. Jesus replied in verse 6-8 “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Jesus then healed a Gentile woman‘s demon possessed daughter from a distance because of her faith in Him. After this He healed a man who was deaf and unable to speak. Then in Chapter 8, Jesus fed four thousand men with a small amount of food out of compassion. Jesus warned His disciples on the leaven of the Pharisees and Peter gave his confession of faith. In Chapter 9 Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain and was transfigured before them. He wanted to show them a glimpse of His true glory. After His return from the mountain Jesus healed a boy who was demon possessed that His disciples could not cure. He rebuked their faith and healed the boy. He said that kind of demon required prayer to remove. He then told the disciples of His death and resurrection, He warned them of things to watch out for in the future. Jesus then, in Chapter 10, taught about divorce and blessed the little children. He talked to a rich young man who wanted eternal life but could not give up his wealth. Jesus told His disciples in verse 24-25 “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When they asked Him “Who could be saved?” Jesus answered in verse 27 “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Jesus then told His disciples how He would suffer and die. He told them in verse 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” At the end of the chapter Jesus restored the sight of a blind beggar named Bartimeaus. Chapter 11 covers the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King on the back of a donkey. After He entered the city He first went to the temple and threw out all who were buying and selling there and also overturned the tables of the moneychangers. At the end of the chapter the scribes questioned His authority but He refused to answer them. This ends our study for this week. Next week we will finish the Gospel of Mark and begin the Gospel of Luke.