Chapter 1
- Genealogy to show Jesus is from Abraham and legitimate in the eyes of the Jewish
- Historical Gospel book
- Matthew’s old name was Bartholomew
- Most in the line were all sorts of colourful characters
- David’s 5th wife is not mentioned by name for a very colourful reason
- Jews respect lineage lines of family, shows legitimacy and descendant line of Jesus
- verse 18 starts the gospel
- Joseph in interesting situation, he is righteous with a pregnant fiance, and hte Lord told him to take her
- he believed in the Spirit of the law
- They will call him Immanuel
- They kept it quiet so she would not get stoned
Chapter 2
- Magi saw the star and went to see the prophecy from a dream
- Herod did not like it
- Prophecized by Micah
- Non-Christians, Magi, also had dreams
- Flee -> Egypt
- Prophecy of fleeing in Hosea 11:1
- Prophecy of Jeremiah 31:15
- Archelaus took over from Herod
- They still avoid and went to Nazarene / Nazareth
Chapter 3
- John the Baptist with repentance came along preaching
- John starts the “good tree, good fruit” example
- Water symbolic of repentance
- Jesus will come along and bring judgment
- He gathers the useful people and burns everyone else
- When Jesus came, John did not want to baptise him because Jesus was blameless
- Jesus wanted to do it to identify with sinners and be righteous, confess for the nation to push God’s mission
- Matthew 3:15, Jesus talks!
Chapter 4
- Christ fasts and the devil tempts him
- Christ counters him
- verse 8, on the highest mountain he fights temptation
- verse 4, Jesus views more important matters than food
- Devil uses bible against Jesus
- Devil offers him the planet, Jesus tells him to leave
- verse 12 it begins
- verse 17, Jesus has first preach
- Peter and Andrew join him right away
- James and John were next
- The masses now know of Jesus
Chapter 5
- verses 3-11, inward attittudes apply to within and inner changes
- Need atittude to change
- The blessing will be a future reward
- Our attitudes should grow into these listed
- Our deeds for our father, so others can praise our father
- jesus follows the Law of prophets
- Follow all laws, small or big, tell others to follow and be righteous as or greater than teachers
- Follow the law for what it means, not face-value of law
- Being angry equivalent to murder
- Settle matters before they get bigger
- verse 27, lust, thinking about a woman is already sin
- Husband and wife should lust for each other only
- verse 30, a metaphor of hand being cut off
- Divorce is a chain of bad events
- All this goes to heart and attitude
- Keep your vows/promises/oaths and let your yes mean yes
- Lying or breaking promises shame the Lord
- No revenge, no pushover, let your light shine
- Pray for enemies, love and greet non-Christians as well
Chapter 6
- Do not show off deeds, do it for God, not to be seen by men
- Don’t ask for credit, it is all for God
- It is all back to inner feelings and mindset
- Doing charity in secret, so the Lord sees
- Pray what you mean, no repeat or babbling, it is hypocricy
- Pray and mean it, or do not do it at all
- Fasting for God, not to show others you are fasting
- fast if you want to do it with genuine desire, not because you have to
- verses 19-21, money won’t last, treasure in heaven is eternal
- back to heart and motive
- Cannot serve God and money
- Seek his Kingdom and righteousness and your needs will be provided
Chapter 7
- verses 1-2 go together
- Don’t judge or the standard will be tested against you
- If you ask, it will be given (ask, seek, find, knock)
- The narrow gate is the way
- Recognize false people by their fruits (good tree example)
- What you say to Lord, you have to mean it and live it
- inner motive is reflection in exterior action and talk
- Jesus taught like SALT, not like a text-lawyer
Chapter 8
- People spread news even though Jesus told them not to
- Jesus wants to be teacher first, doctor second
- Now Romans ask for help
- Roman officer faith greater than Jewish leaders
- Jesus mentions his word is for all mankind, don’t discount the gentiles
- Roman said he’s not worthy to have Jesus visit his house
- verses 11-12, is takedown of proud leaders
- fulfilled prophet Isaiah’s verse
- Reference in verse 17 that sin is root disease of all diseases, hence why people insult the sick and the disabled
- verse 20 is PWNAGE, following Christ will cost us Earthly pleasures
- verse 21, disciple wanted to enjoy and get inheritance before serving, bad excuse
- men used to be fishermen, Jesus found they had lack of faith
- Jesus sleeps!
- Some other men were sailors and they panicked
- Have faith because Christ is always here
- Demons recognize Jesus as son of God
- Jesus exorcised the demons out of pigs
- townspeople had wrong ideas and valued pigs > healed men
Chapter 9
- Jesus heals a paralytic and silences a group of lawyers
- Matthew is next to be enlisted
- Jesus counters the pharisees on their so-called righteousness
- John’s disciples insult Jesus about fasting, but it means the messiah not here yet
- Jesus counters arguments that he came to bring new system
- Once again, people mock Jesus for waking the dead but he stood them up
- It is not too late or impossible for Jesus
- Jesus shows healing is by faith
- Another example of people not following instructions
- They call him Son of David
- Pharisees are jealous and claim Jesus is prince of demons
- Jesus calls the people lost sheep and calls the work a harvest
- Jesus calls us to contribute too
Chapter 10
- Names of the 12 disciples
- These 12 can heal and cast out demons
- They did not go to gentiles, started with the Israel sheep
- They shall not want, God will provide for their needs
- Blessings can be given and removed
- Those who do not listen will have it worse than Sodom and Gomorrah
- Jesus teaching them balance of speaking, like a sales man
- Be confident through the Spirit against all opposition of the world including family members
- Whoever endures the punishment of the world in the end will be saved
- Student cannot be greater than teacher or servant greater than master, can be close but not greater
- Don’t fear people who beat you up, but God who can take your body and soul
- Humans more valuable than animals, so don’t worry
- Whoever acknowledges Christ will be saved in front of God
- verse 36, beware of family and sharing the gospel
- Wise as serpents, innocent as doves
- verses 37-39, love God first, family is a close second
Chapter 11
- John expected something else from Christ, but Christ blesses those who do not take offense of him
- John’s role was to be sent ahead and prepare for Christ’s coming
- People are cold-hearted and selfish that they find John and Christ to be boring
- People still denied Jesus’ miracles
- Jesus did miracles in those cities, but still people did not believe
- Must take Jesus and God together
- Christ is revealed to us because we came to him
Chapter 12
- the pharisees made accusations against the Lord by letter of the law and no compassion
- Jesus faces the accuser, yet the pharisees want to kill him
- Jesus left, mentioning Isaiah
- No more to deal with Jews, now spends time with Gentiles
- Blasphemy against is Spirit is a huge NO-NO
- Good tree -> good fruit analogy
- Reference to John the Baptist
- What you say reflects your heart
- Jesus example of Jonah helping city of Nineveh repent, yet Jesus is better but nobody repents
- Each generation will get worse
- If we clean our heart but not Christ filled, Satan attacks
Chapter 13
- some seeds will eventually land on good soil and and produce a crop yielding 30x to 100x the original crop sown
- if you do not see results, be patient, eventually teaching the word God will make the rest grow
- Jesus spoke in parables so that those who really listen will learn and to filter out the lazy folks who do not want to understand
- the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled
- Anyone who hears the Kingdom but does not understand, the evil one comes and takes them away
- Anyone who has no root and hears the good news, they will only experience a temporary joy but no strong foundation to keep going
- Anyone who hears the word but only worries about life and materialism and wealth will choke on it
- But the person who received the seed on good soil, when he listens he does understand
- Weeds sown alongside seeds show that Christians live with non-Christians on the same world, eventually the harvest will come and all weeds will be removed and thrown away (Judgement) we must be ready
- Even the tiniest mustard seed can be planted and grow into a giant tree of beauty
- verse 37, the one who sows good seeds is the Son of Man
- As the weeds are pulled out by angels and burned, it will mark the end of an age
- the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father
- The Kingdom is valuable and shouldn’t hold on to world possessions and lose it
- God paid the ultimate price to redeem us
- Similar to catching fish, all the bad ones are thrown away
- People in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth refused to believe that a local would have such wisdom and power
- Jesus did not perform much miracles there due to the local population’s lack of faith
//
Chapter 14-19 (to be uploaded later)
//
Chapter 20 (first half to be uploaded later)
- 29-34
- Jesus left Jericho and headed to Jerusalem
- Two blind men begged Jesus to restore their sight
- The crowd shouted against the men for supposedly bothering Jesus
- Jesus asked what they wanted, they answered for their sight
- Despite what the crowd wanted, Jesus restored their sight
- Ironic that blind men see he is the son of David, yet the crowd does not
- Believing with your heart > believing with your eyes
- Even the blind can “see” the miracles of Christ, yet those who eyes cannot
Chapter 21
- 1-11
- Jesus sent two disciples into a village near Mount of Olives (Bethphage)
- They were to retrieve a donkey and colt
- Jesus would ride the donkey into Jerusalem as written in prophecy of Zechariah 9:9
- Sign of of Jesus’ kingship
- crowds placed cloaks and tree branches on the road and shouted Hosanna
- The whole city was stirred
- People shouted out that Jesus is the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee
- Jesus rode in as the King of Peace
- However the crowds would turn against him later due to political pressure
- Don’t give in to superficial acclaim for Christ
- 12-17
- Jesus went to the temple area and drove out the sellers and buyers
- He called for a house of prayer, not a den to house thieves
- He healed all the blind and lame who came to him
- The children shouted Hosanna
- The priests and teachers were displeased what with happened
- Jesus told them the children know what’s going on
- Jesus left and went to Bethany to spend the night
- Do not turn your home into a dark place where sin prevails
- Again, even kids can figure out that Christ is the son of David, why can’t adults?
- Second time Jesus cleared the temple area
- Anything that prevents praising God at home or church should be stopped
- 18-22
- Jesus walked back to the city with the disciples
- He was hungry and saw a fig tree on the side but it was just leaves
- He commanded the fig tree to wither and bear no more fruit and it did
- The discple were amazed and asked how did that happen so fast
- Jesus answered that anything is possible when asked in prayer
- Why do we not pray for the impossible? Do we think God can’t do it?
- Jesus demonstrated a parable to the tree of being good on outside, but no substance inside
- Genuine faith is to bear fruit for the kingdom and put it to work in your life
- Can be applied to Food Cell and why am I disappointed that no one showed up
- Reference to Mark 11:13-26, it was not the season for figs that time
- To move mountains is not physical but a metaphor to challenges we face in our lives
- The strengthen of our faith reveals how far we can move mountains with our minds
- If we have faith in the Lord, nothing is impossible for us and in him.
- 23-27
- The Chief priests and elders questioned Jesus on where his authority came from
- Jesus wanted them to answer a question on who gave authority to John’s baptism
- The pharisees believed two scenarios, if John’s authority from God, how come they do not believe
- Second scenario, if John’s authority given by the people, pharisees would be seen not believing in prophets anymore
- They responded they did not know, and Jesus would not answer because they do not know
- They tried to trap Jesus if he answered God empowered him, they say he created blasphemy
- They also tried to trap him if Jesus said he acted on his own, the people see pharisees > Jesus
- Jesus exposed the pharisees motive to trap him with questions
- The pharisees only wanted the truth if it suited their own ends and don’t care about all truths
- Do not be like people who only do right or good when it suits them, do good always
- 28-32
- Parable of the father with two sons
- He told the first son to work in the vineyard, he refused at first, but eventually worked
- The second son gladly said yes, but did not go out to work later on
- The disciples replied that the father wanted the first son after what happened
- Jesus answered them that even lower people enter heaven faster than the disciples
- This is because John showed them righteousness yet they did not believe him, yet lower social people did
- Just because you are higher up in society does not give you priority to enter Heaven
- Don’t under estimate lower social people, they can believe as well as you, if not better
- We as children have a higher expectation placed on us and we can’t be cocky just because we are his children
- If your father in heaven tells you to do someone, do it regardless how much you dislike it
- Don’t go lying that you’ll do it and you do not, keep your promises to everyone and to the Lord
- If you say one thing and do opposite, you are just a fraud and disobedient to God’s will
- Our actions must follow our words
- 33-46
- Another parable about a landowner who made a vineyard, walled it, made a watchtower, and rented out to tenants
- He left town, but when season arrived, he sent his servants back home to collect the harvest
- The tenants refused and killed some of the servants, the owner sent even more servants but they killed them too
- Then owner decided to send his son back home to face the tenants, the tenants saw a chance to kill the heir
- They killed the son
- Jesus’ parable is a comparison to the pharisees wanting to kill son of God
- God reached out in love for us by sending his son and his sacrifice to make us listen, love, and obey him
- If we ignore God’s son, we also ignore him
- Jesus asked the disciples what the owner what have done next, they said the owner would bring is wrath upon them
- Then rent it to tenants who will let the owner have a share of the harvest
- Jesus referenced scripture Psalm 118:22-23 and refers to himself as stone that the builders reject
- When people rejected Jesus as the saviour and heir, he became the capstone, most important part of the church
- The Kingdom of God will be taken away from those who do not believe and given to those who bear fruit
- Christ is the building block for his children, and crushing stone against God’s enemies
- verse 44, “who falls on this stone” broken into pieces or crushed by it, considered a metaphor
Chapter 22
- 1-14
- Jesus tells another parable about a king preparing a wedding banquet for his son
- The king sent out servants to invited guests and tell to them, but the guests refused
- Then went the banquet was ready, the king again sent more servants to guests and tell them to come
- Some of the guests refused, some ignored, others killed the servants
- the king was enraged and sent his army to destroy the murders and burn their city
- Then the king sent his servants to go out to the streets and invite anyone, literally anyone
- The servants went out and invited all kinds of people back to the banquet hall, both good and bad people
- The king noticed one man not wearing the proper wedding attirement, he asked why he’s not wearing wedding clothes
- The man said nothing and the king told his attendants to tie the man up and throw him out
- Verse 14: “For many are invited, but few are chosen”
- The Lord invites us to eternal salvation many times, yet some of us keep refusing
- It was tradition for guests to wear wedding garments at the party, to refuse was arrogant and insulting
- Wedding closes is a metaphor to the requirement of righteousness to enter Heaven (God’s Kingdom)
- We have to choose weather to wear the garment and accept the open invitation
- 15-22 (Why we should vote in an election when it doesn’t involve us?)
- Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus using words, they sent disciples (with Herodians) to ask Jesus a trick question
- The disciples first complimented Jesus on his integrity and teacher of God in accordance with the truth
- Then they asked Jesus whether it was right to pay taxes to the Roman Caesar
- Jesus know the evil trick in the question and called them hypocrites
- Jesus then asked one of them to show him a Roman currency coin, it had Caesar’s face on it
- Jesus asked whose face is on the coin, they replied the Caesar’s
- He then told them that you give to Caesar what belongs to him, just as you give to God what belongs to him
- The disciples were amazed and went away
- You can’t trick God or riddled questions
- Even if we are Christians but citizens to a country that might not be fair, we still obey laws and pay taxes
- The israelites objected to paying taxes to the Roman Empire who occupied their land, put money in their armies, and funded the pagan temples encroaching on their land
- Even as Christians, we are also citizens to Kingdom of Heaven and must still be obedient and committed
- Pharisees and Herodians were bitter enemies, but united against Jesus and used this trap on him
- If Jesus said don’t pay, Herodians would arrest him on inciting rebellion against Rome
- If Jesus said it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, pharisees would accuse him of denying the true God
- Jesus saw through that, just as we should see through other people’s tricks
- 23-33 (Religious Leaders question Jesus about the Resurrection)
- Saduducess, a group that does not believe in resurrection gave a question to Jesus
- They asked of seven brothers, the eldest married but died before having any children (A Mosiac Law)
- The next elder brother became the wife’s husband, but he died, straight down to the last brother
- The wife died before giving any children, they asked whose husband does the wife belong to
- Jesus saw the trickery and instead told them they are in error of the scriptures
- At resurrection, nobody will marry or be married off, God is of the living, not the dead
- everyone will be like angels in Heaven
- Sadducees tried to trick Jesus in an interpretation of scripture, law, and the resurrection
- We should not about the resurrection so that other people can’t trick us, or give a false definition
- Laws on earth does not mean the same thing will happen in Heaven, there’s no sin there, but we have them here so people know what is protocal and what is the right thing to do
- The Herodians and Pharisees failed to trap Jesus, so the Sadducees tried to deceive Jesus
- The reason the Sadducees do not recognize the resurrection because not mentioned/taught in the Pentateuch (represents the first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy)
- The law for the widow was meant to protect women and not leave her alone in society, women were vulnerable
- Jesus accused the Sadducees of interpreting their own version of Heaven with faulty ideas or what they want to see
- Heaven is based on God’s power and glory and we cannot marginalize it by our own thinking, we degrade Heaven
- Heaven will be beyond anything we have ever known
- Jesus answered the Sadducees question by using material straight from Exodus, a book with the Pentateuch
- Jesus refers to the resurrection in present tense because through him we enjoy salvation and eternal life
- 34-40
- Pharisees got together to test Jesus again
- One of them, a law expert questioned Jesus on what is the greatest commandment
- Jesus responded that #1 is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind
- #2 is to love your neighbour as yourself
- All the prophets and laws hang onto these two commandments
- They tried to make Jesus fall into a trap again but he saw through it
- Based on old Testament law in the Book of Deuteronomy and Book of Leviticus
- When you love God and everyone, it is foundation for other things
- You wouldn’t commit sin or break law against someone you truly love and care for
- If you love God you would also follow him and obey his rules
- Hence why all laws and commands based on these, if you cared you won’t break laws
- By fulfilling these two commands, any person can follow the rest
- These two laws are summary of the Ten commandments are other important laws
- Useful to apply in other parts of life
- If you love God, no temptation, no illegal downloading, academic shortcuts, etc.
- 41-45
- Jesus gave a question to the Pharisees
- He asked to whom Christ is the son of, they answered David
- Jesus asked how can David, speaking by the Spirit, call him Lord
- Jesus quotes from Psalms 110:1, referring that he is the Messiah
- He then asks the Pharisees how can David call him Lord even if he is the son
- The Pharisees do not have an answer for this and nobody dared ask again
- Jesus gave scripture proof that he is the Messiah and son of David
- They cannot counter it, no laws, no scripture, no arguments, just silence
- Know your scripture so that you are blameless and no one can say anything bad
- Pharisees cannot counter that Messiah is descendant of David, but unware it was God
- Psalms 110:1 refers that the Messiah will be greater than David
- Can we say what we truly believe about Christ and who is really is?
Chapter 23
- 1-12
- Jesus told the crowd that law teachers and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat
- He warns not to be like Pharisees, who do not practice what they preach (talk but no walk)
- They make others do the hard work and unwilling to get their own hands dirty
- They want to enjoy all the benefits, respect, prestige, honor, and credit but do not real work, only do it in public
- Jesus says they do not deserve to be called Rabbi for there is only one Master and everyone is brothers
- And do not call anyone on Earth ‘Father’ because there is only one in Heaven
- There is only one teacher in Christ, the greatest among them will be a servant
- Whoever boasts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted
- Jesus call out the Pharisees as hypocrites who do not do any real work and take all the credit
- He calls them out on their bad doctrine of calling themselves great teachers and masters
- He also calls them out for boasting about their accomplishments instead of being humble
- The Pharisees consider their own rules as great as God’s laws and think they are just as good in everything
- In today’s time, do not boast about your works, they should be for God’s kingdom, don’t lavish in the glory or the credit
- God is your Master, Christ is your teacher, don’t think you are as good or better, that’s being too prideful
- humble yourself as a servant of God, our actions must match our beliefs
- Greatness comes from serving, not showing off your work
- 13-36
- Jesus calling the pharisees and law teachers as hypocrites, gives half a dozen examples
- First parable, shutting the door to the kingdom and don’t let others get it
- Second parable, spend so much to convert one and turn them as bad as they are
- Third parable, swearing by possessions and not the altar or the kingdom
- Fourth parable, show off sacrifices and donations, but forget the meaning of being faithful, merciful, and just
- Fifth parable, open clean the outside of a cup, but inside still dirty, have to clean your inward self first
- Sixth parable, like tombs like good on outside by unclean and dead on the inside
- Seventh parable, making claims about the forefathers and prophets but won’t do the hard work that they did
- Jesus accuses them of being snakes and brood of vipers who cannot escape condemnation
- The righteous blood will be shed in this generation
- Huge theme of being evil inside and doing good stuff outside, but motivated by selfish desires, agendas, opportunities, or greed
- Have to be changed on the inside and the outside will follow, do not make a giant show for people to see
- Foretelling that that pharisees and others like them will murder Jesus and his followers (shed blood)
- Comparing to the martyr of Abel and Zechariah
- Do not be corrupted by power
- Convert people to God, not the manmade institution of religion and the manmade rules surrounding it
- Do not donate 10% on one hand, on the other hand never sparing a minute to help others
- 37-39
- Jesus calls out to Jerusalem for being cold to prophets and God’s followers
- Jesus wanted to gather the children of Jerusalem (like a hen gathering her chicks) but they were unwilling
- He now sees the city as desolate, blind, and insensitive to God
- Jesus warns the city will not see him again until the inhabitants profess that “blessed be the name of the Lord”
- Jerusalem was the chosen city of God, ancestral home of King David, and location of the temple
- Was intended to be the centre of worship and symbol of justice, however the people distanced themselves from God
- Jesus feels for the lost people and the city, but they will not listen to him
- God gave us so much to be grateful for, and the proof was all around them, and all we do is ignore it or ungrateful
- Be glad for what the Lord has given you and feel for the lost people who pursue the wrong things of this world
Chapter 24
- 1-25
- Discples go up to Jesus after he leaves the temple
- Jesus says nto one of these stones will be around in their structured place, but thrown down
- The disciples then asked when is the sign of the coming and end of the age
- Problem is that they asked the wrong question to Jesus (he doesn’t tell them of course)
- Instead, Jesus warns them to watch out for deceivers and folks pretending to be Christ or a prophet
- Rumours of war are not to be taken seriously, natural disasters do happen and are expected
- Christians will be persecuted all over the world because we believe in Christ and their hate for him
- Most people will stop loving each other but whoever stands firm in the belief and faith will be saved in the end
- The signs of the coming of the end reflected as mentioned by the prophet Daniel
- People will flee to mountains, houses and farms will be destroyed, pain for pregnant women, great distress for in the world
- These signs will never to be equaled again
- The days will be cut short for the elect
- Possible interpretation that God’s children will leave the world before the worst is over?
- Do not believe anyone who says they saw Christ or perform suspicious miracles pretending to be a prophet near the end time
- Jesus tells us ahead of time the signs of the end time, but not exactly the end time, no one really knows
- Regardless of how we live, Christ is coming back soon and we have to be on guard and ready
- Especially with lots of crazy people around who think they know the end, beware of false knowledge or trickery
- Jesus mentioned all of this on the Mount of Olives, same place where the prophet Zechariah predicted the Messiah would stand to establish the kindgom
- We should not be concerned with the exact day or time of the end, yet so many people today go nuts wanting to know the end, that’s not the point!
- Jesus knew it was more important to warn about fake people than to worry about a specific end date of the universe
- Possibly don’t want people to take advantage of the end time for their own selfish gain or deception
- It’s all about focusing on Christ and his word, not panic over an end date
- Christians are still being persecuted in other nations and we have to do our best to support them in the missions field
- Most of the false prophets tend to preach on self-issues or downplaying sin, don’t fall for that!
- It’s about loving and serving others and pursuing God’s righteous light and being like Jesus, not our own seflish status
- Another sign of the end time is when an antiChrist will place an idol and force mankind to worship, don’t fall for it!
- God is in control and we have to trust him that he knows what’s best for us as the end time approaches
- The best defense against false teachings and false prophets is to be strongly grounded in the Word
- The last point: When Jesus comes back, it will be VERY OBVIOUS. If you have to be told, then it has not happened. It’s meant to be universally understood!
- 36-51
- Jesus iterates again that nobody knows when exactly the second coming will arrive
- He refers to Noah’s time when the world was flooded, nobody knew anything about it at all
- This time around, nobody knows, the angels do not know, Jesus does not know, only God knows
- Just because we do not know when does not mean we should preparing ourselves to be ready for his arrival
- Jesus can return at any moment and we have to be on guard and prepare
- He relates this to a thief coming to rob a house and the owner knows well ahead of time when the thief is coming and guards at the appropriate time
- Another parable relating to a master who goes on a trip, and differentiating between handing his slaves and property to a trusted servant over a wicked servant
- If the wicked servant messes around while the owner is gone, and the owner comes back at a time not known, the servant will pay dearly
- In application to us, we have been given so many years to prepare, have school, job, family, money, friends, yet so many people cheat, lie, sin, be greedy
- We have no excuse when he returns as to why we did not prepare ourselves
- Another reason why the date is not revealed to man, everyone would be lazy until the last minute and repent, not a way to live
- For the second coming, it will be sudden and no opportunity for the lazy last minute repenting
- Jesus did not bother giving fuel to doomsday sayers or giving fancy predictions, just saying be ready for it will soon arrive
- With the time we have now, take care of the body of believers, do his work on this Earth, and prepare for his return
- When Jesus returns, God’s judgement is at hand and there are those who will be in despair
Chapter 25
- 1-13
- Jesus uses another example of “The Coming”
- 10 virgins went out to meet the bridegroom and they all carried lamps
- 5 of them did not carry oil while the others did
- At midnight someone cried out that the bridegroom was coming, the 5 who had no oil panicked
- They were told to go buy some oil because there was not enough to spare
- The bridegroom and the 5 who were prepared entered the wedding banquet
- The other 5 came back but the door was shut, they asked to be let inside
- The bridegroom responded that he did not know them
- Jesus tells us to keep watch because we do not know when it will happen
- If we do not be ready, Jesus will pass us by and he will not recognize us, and we will have no excuse because we had so much time to get ready
- We are responsible for our own spiritual growth and conditioning
- Our relationship with God is our own and if we do not own up to it and neglect God, don’t be surprised if he says he does not know us
- 14-30
- Another parable of a man going on a journey, he gives his servants his money talents which he is gone and tells them to take care of his finances
- First man gets five talents, puts it to work and gets 5 more talents for a total of 10
- The second man gets two talents and gains two more for a total of 4 talents
- Third man gets one talent and just digs a ground and puts it in there
- Master comes back, he is happy with the first two men doubling the talents but is furious at the third man for being lazy and wicked
- Master argues that at the very least give one talent to a banker to gain interest but he did nothing at all
- The servant pointed out the Master harvested where he have not sown and gathered where he have not scattered seed
- Master takes that one talent and gives to servant who has 10 talents
- Master argues that who has, will be given more, and whoever does not, even what he has will be taken from him
- He orders the worthless servant to be thrown outside where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth
- If God entrusts with a gift or a talent, we should use it for glory to us kingdom, not waste/squander, do nothing, or do bad things with it
- Whoever uses their skills to serve will be blessed with more abundance, but whoever wastes it, will have it taken from them
- God gives us what we can handle and nothing more of a burden
- We use all our resources, skills, assets to serve the kingdom until Jesus returns and do our daily work out of love for God
- We have no excuse for not using our gifts accordingly or with good purpose, or for selfish gains, for he gave us the gifts, it is not ours to begin with
- 31-46
- Jesus tells of Final judgement, the Son of Man comes in glory with an army of Angels with him and sit on the throne in Heavenly glory
- All the nations will be gathered before him and the people seperated in two: sheep and goats
- Those on the right will gain their inheritance and the kingdom because they help him when he was hungry, thirsty, need a place to stay, sick, or in prison
- The King said they deserved it because they helped the least among them
- Those on the left are cursed and deserve eternal punishment because they did nothing for him when he was in need of any kind
- The King said to them that they did nothing for the least among them
- When judgement comes, what will you have done or felt for the kingdom and for those more poor amongst you?
- How do you treat the less fortunate people in your lives?
- You can’t trick God, he can tell a believer from a pretender in how we treat people because it tells how much Jesus is in our lives
- We have no excuse in helping and not dependent on how much money, food, time, or how big a house we have before we can start helping
- We ourselves have to serve the kingdom, not let others do it for us
Chapter 26
- 1-5
- Jesus tells his disciples that Passover is two days away and the Son of Man will handed over to be crucified
- The Chief Priests and elders met with High Priest Caiaphas at the palace to plot the arrest of Jesus and find a way to kill him
- They chose not do kill him during the feast for fear of a riot among the people
- Jesus reminds us that he is to be crucified for our sake, someone has to do it for all of us to be saved
- Caiaphas was in good relations with the Roman authority and wanted to get rid of Jesus to restore stability in the nation
- Motives for kiling Jesus, jealousy, they think its a crazy man pretending to be Messiah, Jesus not wanting to overthrow the Romans or be the herioc super-King
- Arresting Jesus during the Passover was in very bad timing and would be an unpopular move with the people
- 6-13
- Jesus and his disciples came to Bethany, the hometown of Simon the Leper
- A woman came up to him with an alabaster jar and poured a huge amount of perfume all over him
- The disciples came up and asked why she did this instead of selling the perfume and giving to the poor
- Jesus responded not to bother her, she was preparing him for burial, and there will always be poor people around
- Jesus also said that whenever the Gospel is preached around the world, it will be in remembrance of the woman
- Observation that we do things for Christ and his Kingdom, not about doing smart things, or getting more money thinking it fixes the problem
- Do not question someone else doing their work for God’s Kingdom, it may be strange but there is a purpose
- The interpretation was that the woman was Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus
- Bethany was a stop in the trip between Jericho and Jerusalem
- Jesus pointed out that Mary made a special sacrifice for him, perfuming the lamb to be sacrificed for all mankind
- Jesus’ reference to the poor is from Deuteronomy 15:11, meaning we do not ignore the poor, but don’t like act they never existed before, there’s always poor people around
- 14-16
- One of the 12, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests to bargain how much they would give him to hand Jesus over at the first opportunity
- They counted 30 silver coins for him as payment, and he waited for a chance to catch Jesus
- Jesus famously mentions the prophecy that one of his disciples will betray him and it is Judas
- Nothing will be gained by turning your back on the Lord, put your trust in him always
- Even the worst things you have done, come back to Christ and be cleansed of your sins
- Judas had an expectation that Jesus will be this mad powerful political military leader and overthrow the Romans, but instead Jesus is the humble lamb
- Judas had hoped to be a powerful figure in Jesus new kingdom, but when he realized it’s a spiritual kingdom and no quest for political power, he wanted out
- Judas also wanted to be in favour with the chief priests
- The payment of 30 silver coins is the same amount to purchase a slave
- The chief priests desired to wait until after Passover, Judas offered to do it faster, the opportunity the priests were waiting for
- Following Jesus is no promise of political power, more money, more fame, but it promises eternal life, salvation, and inherit God’s kingdom, something Judas did not care for
- 17-19
- Now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasts a week
- Disciples asked Jesus where to prepare for preparations to eat during Passover
- Jesus tells them to go to a certain man in the city and tell him that the teacher’s appointed time is near
- Jesus will also celebrate Passover with the disciples in his house
- The disciples did as Jesus directed them
- The date is nearing and Jesus and the disciples are preparing, although Jesus knows exactly what will happen
- During the Feast, all yeast removed from homes to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, who did not have time to make bread dough rise
- Many visitors across the Roman Empire visited Jerusalem during the Feast
- 20-30
- Jesus and the disciples share the last supper
- Jesus informs them that one of the disciples will betray him and they were very sad
- Each one of this asks whether they are the one who will betray him
- Jesus says the description of the betrayer is the one who dipped his hand in the bowl with him and it is already written, better that man was never born
- Judas then asks if he is the one, Jesus says yes
- Jesus took bread and give thanks and told the disciples to eat it as his body
- Jesus then took the cup and told them to drink his blood as the Covenant for forgiveness of sins
- Jesus will not drink again with them until the day they are together in the father’s Kingdom
- They sung a hymn and went to the Mount of Olives
- Jesus tells the disciples the prophecy and he knows it is Judas who will betray him
- Jesus establishes the Communion Covenant between him, the disciples, and all future followers of Christ
- This is to Remember Christ, the salvation we have in know, the Covenant re-established between us and God, and he will return to drink anew with us
- The Convenant is to wash away our sins and be renewed in Christ and become part of the Body of the believers of Christ, and to give thanks
- During the supper, they had common bowls of food that people picked with their hands (appetizers at a party)
- The bread and drink are a sign of his coming death and his sacrifice for us while we eat part of him, everyone now has access to God without an animal sacrifice
- Jesus is the final and ultimate sacrifice on behalf of mankind and merges the new with the old Covenants, a sinless man sacrificed to forgive once and for all
- Foretelling that Jesus will be crucified very soon but that the best has yet to come
- 31-35
- Jesus tells the disciples that all of them will fall away on account of him
- Parable of the Shepherd getting hit and the sheep run away in response
- Jesus says he will rise and go ahead of them to Galilee
- Peter replies that he never will fall away, but Jesus says he will deny him three times before the end of the day
- Peter declares even if facing death he will never disown Jesus, the other disciples agree
- A great test of our faith is that if someone assaults Jesus, do we stand up for him or we run away and cower to society pressure?
- If someone bad mouths Christ name in public, do we step in or keep silent?
- The old Christians dealt with presecution, some renounced their faith to avoid punishment and death, how strong is our faith when we know the price of following Christ
- When baptised, you are warned it will not be an easy journey and people will be against you, some even want you dead
- The disciples only talked promises to Christ but will not back it up when the time comes for the authorities to come after them
- Our faith is genuine when facing pressure or discrimination we do not back down from what we believe in
- 36-46
- Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane
- He took Peter and the Zebedee brothers to pray to God about the sorrow overwhelming his heart
- He prayed to the Father to take away the cup if it is the Father’s Will
- He found the disciples sleeping and wondered if they could even keep watch for an hour
- Jesus returned to pray for the second time with the same request to the Father
- He again found the disciples sleeping and went back to do the exact same prayer a third time
- Again he returned and told the disciples to get ready because his betrayer was near
- Jesus sacrifice was all part of God’s plan despite what our opinion was whether Jesus was willing or not, God gave up his son to save us all
- Jesus knew he would have to endure pain of all the sins of mankind and the world and the plan was already in motion
- His prayer was to affirm that it was his Father’s Will and he will obey
- This death is worse than a normal death because it is for all humanity from now on
- We must be obedient to God’s Will and his plans for us even though we do not know what tomorrow will hold and place our trust with him
- The disciples falling asleep was a sign of weakness and letting temptation get the best of way insteading of keeping watch, be on guard, and continue to pray
- 47-56
- Judas arrived with a large mob armed with swords and clubs
- Judas made a signal that the one he kissed was to be arrested, then he stood in front of Jesus and kissed him
- Men tried to arrest Jesus and Peter tried to defend him by drawing his sword and cutting off one of the servant’s ears
- Jesus told his disciples to stand down and sheath their weapons since this is not part of his Father’s plans
- Jesus says he can easily call to his father to bring legions of Angels, however the scripture would not be fulfilled this way
- Jesus calls to the crowd to determine if he is leading a rebellion and when he taught in the temple, nobody tried to arrest him
- He said it is no accident that they are here so that the writing of the prophets might be fulfilled
- All of his disciples deserted him
- Earlier before, his disciples promised to stand by him, yet now they flee when an obstacle appears
- God’s Kingdom will not arrive due to might and arms, but by faith and obedience to God’s will
- If we are truly believers, do we stand up against the world who accuses us of being like Christ, or tremble, fall, and give in to the pressure and run like the disciples?
- Jesus brought his disciples to this retreat so that there would be no crowds or onlookers when he was arrested, Judas and the mob came at night for even less attention
- Judas agreed to be a formal accuser in the event of a trial and kissed him instead of pointing him out to the crowd
- Peter did not understand that Jesus had to sacrifice himself in order to achieve victory, not force it through a sword
- Jesus could have brought down an army of angels, that would not serve any purpose at all, and commits to his father’s plan
- 57-67
- Jesus was arrested and escorted to the courtyard of the High Priest Caiaphas, Peter followed from a distance
- Other priests, teachers of the law, and elders had assembled there as well
- They were looking for false evidence to prosecute Jesus but could not find any, instead they brought in false witnesses
- One of the fake witnesses gave false testimony that they hard Jesus intende to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in 3 days
- Jesus did not answer the accusations and Caiaphas asks him under oath whether he is the Son of God
- Jesus says he is and that Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the Migty One (God) in Heaven
- Caiaphas calls Jesus out on blasphemy and he believes that is enough evidence to put him to death
- They crowd assembled there believes that Jesus deserves death and they physically assaulted Jesus
- Those intellectuals could not find anything against Christ yet had to resort to petty tactics of fake witnesses and pretending to make up a Capital charge
- People will go to extreme lengths to commit sin and attack what they do not understand or respect
- The Roman authority gave the Sanhedrin power to deal with Religious disputes and highest political body in Jewish society
- The Sanhedrin overstepped their powers by ordering death upon Jesus even though they require permission from the Roman Authority
- All cases for the High Priest are to be done during the day, but they rushed a quick trial, breaking procedures and rules and performed it at night
- Jesus was first interrogated by Annas, father-in-law to Caiaphas before being sent to the court of the High Priest
- The false witnesses made up the story of Jesus plotting to destroy the temple because such a boast is blasphemy and enough to order the death penalty
- Jesus meant that the temple was his body, not the actual Temple in the city, and he will raise again in 3 days, not reconstructing a building
- The pharisees and elders attempting to beat up Jesus are actually fulfilling prophecy of his body being broken
- Because Jesus declared he is the Messiah, it was the tipping point for the pharisees and leaders to find any excuse to kill him
- Caiaphas used the law that anyone proclaiming themselves as God is punishable by death, they did not consider if what Jesus said was true
- Everything went as Jesus predicted they would and fulfilling all the events leading to his resurrection
- We have to decide for ourselves today whether Jesus is the Son of God, and the source of our salvation because eternally will come for all of us
- 69-75
- Peter was still in the courtyard and a girl asks if he was one of the men with Jesus, he publicly denies it right away
- He walk out of the courtyard and another girl asks if he was one of Jesus followers, again he desnie it
- Othe rpublic standing nearby said his accent makes him one of Christ’s followers and he starts screaming out that he is not one of the men with Christ
- The rooster crows and Peter suddenly remembers Christ’s warning that he will disown Christ three times
- The warning has come true and Peter starts to weep
- Everything that Christ said would happen so far actually occured and Peter knows it and fell right into it
- When times are rough and people pressure us, will be stand for what we believe in, or fall for the mistake of Peter denying Christ three times
- Peter should not have been haste to deny Christ or cave into public pressure
- Even if Christianity is held in a bad light against the views and opinions of society, do we still hold to what we believe or try to blend in?
- Each of Peter’s deniels represnts a stage: 1st was confusion and pretending not to know
- 2nd deniel is that he swears under oath he does not know the man, a serious step up than the first one
- The last deniel he publicy curses that he does not know Christ, using vulgar language in vain and an insult to Christ
- When we talk with non-believers about Christ, attempting to change the subject or not admitting who you are is doing the same thing as Peter
- Denying Christ is one of the worst things we can do when avoiding to preach to others, we are not called out to do this
- The irony was that Peter was calling an oath on himself which is used in the court of law, and if he’s lying he tells God to strike him down
Chapter 27
- 1-10
- In the morning the Chief Priests and the Elders decided to put Jesus to death
- Jesus was sent to be handed over to Governor Pilate
- Judas was overwhelmed with remorse and wanted to return the 30 silver coins to the priests and confess that he sinned by betraying an innocent man
- The priests brushed him off and said it is his problem, not theirs
- Judas threw the money onto the ground and went and hanged himself
- The priests decided to use this “blood money” to buy a field to bury foreigners since it cannot be saved into the treasury
- Blood money is payment to someone to commit murder, so the priests paid off Judas to technically murder Jesus
- The burial place still known today as the Field of Blood
- Prophecy by Jeremiah is fulfilled
- Judas finally realized that Jesus was the real deal and he fell right into the prophecy of betraying the Son of Man
- The elders still do not care Judas realizes his mistake and they are so bent on getting rid of Jesus quickly
- Nobody can be neutral for Jesus, we are either with him or against him
- Jesus was sent to the Roman Governor Pilate because only he has the final authority to sentence someone to death
- From political perspective the priests & elders made it look like the Romans want Jesus dead and not them, they think it looks better
- If the Romans ordered Jesus dead, then the crowds would blame Jesus and not the Jewish leaders
- They used the ploy to convince the Roman authorities that Jesus tried to be a king and overthrow the rule of Caesar
- A lesson from Judas, we cannot be back on our words or our deeds, we must think before we do or say or else regret sets in
- The priests brushing off Judas are not doing their job of forgiveness or the real role of a Priest
- Hatred is so strong that it makes the priests do what they normally do not do, such as hire for murder or bring false evidence to accuse a man to the Romans
- The prophecy of Jeremiah is all used in the prophet Zechariah
- Do not let emotions cloud your judgement or make hasty decisions without thinking it through because you cannot travel back in time to reverse them
- 11-14
- Jesus stood before Roman Governor Pilate, and he asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews, Jesus replied that he is
- Pilate then asks him if he has anything to say about the accusations that the leaders and elders have brought against him, Jesus remained silent
- Pilate is amazed that Jesus would not defend himself against the charges
- Everyone knew that it was a fake trial and Jesus defending himself would not change anything, if not make things worse
- The charges heard in the court were actually different than what Jesus was arrested for
- Jesus was arrested for blasphemy, but the Romans do not care, so the elders changed it to Jesus telling society not to pay Roman taxes, claim to be a King and start riots
- The leaders were so determined to kill Jesus that they broke many rules to get their way
- Jesus silence fulfills the words of the Prophet Isaiah (verse 53:7)
- Governor Pilate had not reason to sentence Jesus to his death but he was told to keep the peace in the region and did not want the elders rioting against his decision
- 15-26
- It was a tradition of the Governor during the Feast to release a prisoner by asking the crowd
- There were two prisoners: Barabbas and Jesus
- Barabbas was a notorious criminal in custody during that time
- Pilate then asked the crowd who should be released, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ
- Pilate’s wife sent him a message that she had bad dreams and told him to have nothing to do with Jesus
- The Chief Priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas’ release and to have Jesus executed
- The crowded asked the Governor to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus
- Governor Pilate asked the crowded why crucify an innocent man
- The crowded shouter louder to crucify Jesus
- Pilate realized they would not change their mind so he washed his hands and told him blood is not on his hands
- The crowd was fine was having Jesus blood on them and their children
- Barabbas was released
- Jesus was flogged by the authorities and handed over to be crucified
- The elders manipulated the crowd to command what they do not know to punish a man what he did not do
- Hilarious how a criminal known to actually do bad things gets released but an innocent is put to death by popular choice
- Once again, we cannot take back our actions or words when it is too late
- Barabbas actually led a real rebellion against the Roman Government but his charges were placed on Jesus who had nothing to do with him
- Pilate had several reasons and considerable amount of time to overturn the decision and let Jesus go, but did not want to anger the crowd
- Nobody spoke up for Jesus and the crowd has mood swings: Sunday they loved him, by Friday they hated him
- Pilate was not going to sentence Jesus but the elders threaten to tell Caesar so he had no choice
- Pilate felt that the elders were jealous that Jesus as a teacher as more popular then they were
- Pilate was already under pressure from Rome not to anger the locales or lose his job
- Pilate is still guilty for handing Jesus’ fate over to crowds and him washing his hands does not cleanse him of this act
- Take responsibility for your actions and don’t let others or exterior factors hamper your decisions
- 27-31
- Roman soldiers brought Jesus into the Praetorium with a company of soldiers
- They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe, a staff, and thorny crown on him
- They mocked him, spit on him, and beat him with the staff
- Their insult was to sarcastically call him the King of the Jews
- They put his clothes back on him and led him to be crucified
- Jesus is endured the humiliation and shame so that we can come clean with ours when we approach him and ask for forgiveness
- 32-44
- As the Romans led Jesus out to be crucified, the soldiers met Simon from Cyrene and forced him to carry the cross
- When they reached Golgotha, Jesus was offered to drink wine with gall (abnormal plant growths caused by fungi, bacteria, and parasites)
- When he was crucified, they lotted out his clothing and soldiers kept watch over him
- A sign was over Jesus head mocking him as the King of the Jews
- Two robbers were also crucified beside him
- Civilians passing by threw insults at him claiming that if he is truly the Son of God, then he should have the power to get himself out of it
- Some shouted at him for misinterpreting the verse about destroying and rebuilding the Temple in 3 days
- The elders, teachers, and priests came to insult him some more and demanded if he is truly God’s son, he can get himself out and then they will believe
- The robbers also joined in and insulted Jesus as well
- People think that they can tell God what to do to show himself and prove he is truly God, God does not take orders or challenges from us
- Jesus did not come to Earth to put on a military powerful show, but to save people from their sins
- In Roman justice, prisoners had to carry their own crosses, but Jesus was badly beaten and so Simon was forced to help him carry it
- Golgotha got it’s nickname of the place of skulls for its appearance and many executions occured here
- Jesus took our place of where we should be for our sin and deserved death for all the grief Humanity has put him through, yet he did this for us, all for us
- Wine with gall was a primitive pain reliever but Jesus wanted to suffer the pain with a clear and fully conscious mind
- The soldiers casting lots for Jesus clothing fulfilled David’s prophecy of Psalm 22 (especially verse 18)
- Jesus stayed on the cross to fulfill his own prophecy, despite the challenges made by the people to reveal his true power
- The Book of Luke mentions that one of the robbers will eventually repent his sins
- Jesus went through a violent death for a short time so that we do not suffer for an eternity
- 45-56
- From six until the ninth hour, darkness engulfed the land
- Jesus cried out to Elijah why he was forsaken
- One of the bystanders tried to give Jesus a drink, the others said let’s see if Elijah will come and save him
- Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit
- Immediately when Christ died, the curtain of the temple split apart, an earthquake shook the land, and the dead started to rise again
- Many of these resurrected people walked among the streets of the Holy City
- The Roman guards around Jesus were scared and start thinking that Jesus really was the Son of God
- A group of women watch this from a distance, including Mary, James mother, and Zebedee’s wife
- Jesus died for all of us so that we can know him, be apart of the body, and be reconciled to God even though we did not believe before
- Only when he died that the proof came out for many to see and still people do not believe
- It is uncertain what caused the darkness to cover the land but it was both a spiritual and physical shock to everyone present
- Jesus was not complaining to God for help but he was quoting Psalm 22 to express his anguish
- At that moment, Jesus took on the sins of the entire world and he was disconnected from his Father
- Jesus death was and is more brutal than any other death any of us will suffer so that we will never know that pain
- The onlookers thought Jesus was calling out to Elijah since in scripture, Elijah ascended into Heaven without dying and assumed he would come back to help Jesus
- The curtain in the Holy Temple separated man and God and only the High Priest can enter once a year, with it destroyed, man can reconcile with God now
- Four major things happened right when Christ died: darkness cover the land, the temple curtain destroyed, an earthquake, and the dead rising up again
- 57-66
- A rich name from Arimathea, Joseph, made a request to Governor Pilate for Jesus’ body to be handed over to him
- Joseph as a man who made himself a disciple of Jesus
- Jesus’ body was wrapped in clean linen cloth and placed inside a a new tomb made of rock and had a big stone cover the entrance
- Both Marys sat just outside the tomb
- The next day, the pharisees, elders, and teachers convinced Governor Pilate to secure the tomb so that Jesus’ disciples could not steal the body and claim that he has risen
- The Governor’s soldiers placed a seal on the stone and guards at the entrance
- There was only one way into the tomb and new there is a Roman seal and soldiers, hard to get in
- The elders were jealous that the disciples might make a scene pretending that Jesus had arose from the dead and many people start believing
- It is ironic that a secret disciple openly asked to bury Jesus properly while his own chosen disciples were hiding in fear and did nothing this whole time
- The tomb was constructed such that people can walk in
- If we are public believers of Christ, we cannot just hide our faith, or someone with less prominence do the right thing better than we can
- If God wants something done, us trying to delay or block the way is futile (such as guarding the entrance to prevent rising from the dead)
- The religious leaders were more fearful than the disciples of what might happen on the third day, doing whatever they can to keep their power and the image that they are in control
- A cord was strung across the huge stone and sealed with clay and guarded by Roman soldiers, hence nearly impossible to get in unnoticed and without making noise
Chapter 28
- 1-10
- The first day after the Sabbath (a new week) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb
- An earthquake shook the area and an Angel came down to push the stone door and sat on it
- The Roman guards were freaked out and shocked
- The Angel instructs both Mary’s to go find the disciples and tell them that Jesus has risen and to go to Galilee
- The women had mixed emotions and went to find the disciples when Jesus found them
- Jesus greets them and tells them to go and find the other brothers and to meet him at Galilee
- The prophecy is fulfilled and Jesus is risen from the dead
- The Roman guards were expecting some folks to try to remove the rock, not an Angel
- The Angel spoke to the women first instead of the disciples since they believed more and took time to visit Jesus’ tomb
- The stone was removed so that people can see that Jesus was not in there and thus arose from the dead
- The Angel brought four instructions
- #1, do not fear for this is a joyous occasion
- #2, Jesus is not in the tomb because he has risen
- #3, Go inside if you do not believe, you will not find his body in there
- #4, this is a historic occasion and tell everyone as soon as you can and share the good news
- This event demonstrates that Jesus truly is the Son of God, it happened on the third day
- Jesus was resurrected, he defeated death, he fulfilled all old Testaments about the Messiah
- The Angel’s instructions to both Mary’s is the same for us to bear witness that Christ really is the Son of God
- Christ has proven his salvation is real and open to all of Humanity and all of us
- Funny how the women continue to keep watch over his tomb while the disciples are still nowhere to be found and no longer believe, don’t be like them
- 11-20
- Roman soldiers went to tell the chief priests what had transpired at the tomb
- The priests and elders devised a plan to bribe the Roman guards to change their report to the Governor, saying the disciples stole the body
- The Governor would get the fake report, the priests would persuade him to accept it, and the guards are off the hook
- The elders pushed this story to everyone that they think this happened
- The disciples went to Galilee mountain where Jesus said he would meet with them
- They saw him but were mixed between worshipping him and doubting him
- Jesus gives his great Commission to the disciples to go forth and make more disciples of all nations
- Then to baptise them in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit
- Jesus will be with us until the very end of the age
- No fabrication of events will prevent the truth from coming out that Christ has risen from the dead
- Jesus has forgiven the disciples for abandoning, he knew it would happen, and that he asks them to pursue a great mission in his name
- The religious leaders fought with the women’s stories about what happened and is still debated to this day whose story is right
- This was one of Jesus last commands before he left, and usually the last words are the most important on someone’s life
- The great commission is not soley for the remaining disciples for all who came after all the way to us today, we still follow this command
- We have to make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives and dictate every aspect of what we care for up to him
- The new Convenant is established and the way to salvation is through Christ and Christ alone
- Christ sent the Holy Spirit to be with us at all times
