Matthew 24:36-25:13 New International Version (NIV)

The Day and Hour Unknown

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Jesus prepared his disciples for his final return.

Jesus told his disciples that the world would end (verse 35). He said that they (and we) must be ready for that time. (Read 24:36–44.) Then Jesus told them three parables.The parables emphasized his message to the disciples. (Read 24:45–25:13.)

When Jesus comes for the second time, nobody will be expecting him. Non-Christians will not be ready (verses 38–41). But it will also be a surprise for believers (Christians) (verse 44b). Jesus said that even he himself did not know when it would happen (verse 36).

This last fact is a mystery to Christians. Surely, Jesus would know, since he is God! Some Christians have even changed the Greek text! But one thing is clear. We must never try to work out exactly when Jesus will return. It is of no use to do this. It also goes against God’s specific command. So, it would be a sin.

We do not know when Jesus will return. So, we must be ready all the time. We must not guess about the date or the time when Jesus will return. Jesus himself warned us against this. So, to be ready does not mean to examine various signs. To be ready means that we will always be loyal to Jesus. We will continue the work that he gives us to do. Jesus told the story about two servants as an example of this. (Read 24:45–51.)

So, Christians must be good citizens. They must be good members of the church. They must tell other people the good news about Jesus too. These things are the Christian’s duties. They are his or her responsibilities. It is a very serious matter for Christians who refuse to do these things. (Read verses 48–51.) That does not mean that we can do things to earn our salvation. But it does teach that real salvation will have results. Real Christians will serve God. They will continue to serve God whatever happens. They will never allow things to stop them from serving God.

Jesus will come back to earth. Jesus emphasized this fact in verses 14, 35, 46 and 50. We can be certain about it. We must be ready for it.

Wise people and foolish people (25:1–13)

In Israel, a wedding was (and still is) a great occasion. All the people in the village would go with the married couple to their new home. They would often take the longest route. In this way, the couple could receive good wishes from more people!

A married couple would not go away from their home immediately after their wedding. They would stay at home. For a week, anybody could visit them. People dealt with them and spoke to them as if they were king and queen. But only their special friends went to the wedding. They waited for the couple to arrive at their new home. Often, the man (bridegroom) would delay his arrival. He wanted to see if he could find his guests asleep. So, he might arrive during the night. The guests must go out to meet him, whatever the time was. They would carry lamps if it were at night.

Jesus referred to this custom in his parable. Jesus used the story to teach that:

►  Many people would be waiting for him to return. They would all seem to be the same. Jesus’ story described 10 girls. They were all very excited as they waited for the bridegroom (the man who had just married).

►  Many of those people would join the wedding. But 5 girls did not have enough oil for their lamps. Without oil, their lamps would go out. Those girls were foolish. They were just not ready. His disciples must be ready for him to return. They must continue to prepare for this time. They must be careful to do their duties and their tasks well.

►  The 5 foolish girls could not get oil from the other girls. In the same way, nobody can get real religion from someone else. The foolish girls could not attend the big meal. In the same way, when Jesus returns, some people will not be ready for him.

►  A time will come when it will be too late to change. It may happen suddenly, as it did for the girls.

This parable gave a very simple word picture. It has a message for us today. Some people say that they are Christians. The parable is a message to them. Jesus (our ‘bridegroom’) will return. We do not know when he will come. So, we must be sure that we are always ready.

Questions

1. In what ways are you getting ready for Jesus?

2. What are the main subjects for discussion in your church? What are the main disagreements about? Remember that the end of the world will come. How important will these things be then?

3. What will life be like in 2050 if Jesus has not returned by then? Should we be preparing for that time?

Matthew 24:15–35

“Daniel the prophet spoke about ‘the horrible thing that destroys.’ You will see this terrible thing standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) ¹⁶ “At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. ¹⁷ If a person is on the roof of his house, he must not go down to get anything out of his house. ¹⁸ If a person is in the field, he must not go back to get his coat. ¹⁹ At that time, it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! ²⁰ Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away. ²¹ This is because at that time there will be much trouble. There will be more trouble than has ever happened since the beginning of the world. And nothing as bad as that will ever happen again. ²² God has decided to make that terrible time short. If that time were not made short, then no one would go on living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen. ²³ At that time, someone might say to you, ‘Look, there is the Christ!’ Or another person might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them. ²⁴ False Christs and false prophets will come and perform great things and miracles. They will do these things to the people God has chosen. They will fool them, if that is possible. ²⁵ Now I have warned you about this before it happens.

²⁶ “If people tell you, ‘The Christ is in the desert’—don’t go there. If they say, ‘The Christ is in the inner room’—don’t believe it. ²⁷ When the Son of Man comes, he will be seen by everyone. It will be like lightning flashing in the sky that can be seen everywhere. ²⁸ Wherever there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ “Soon after the trouble of those days, this will happen:

‘The sun will grow dark.
    And the moon will not give its light.
The stars will fall from the sky.
    And everything in the sky will be changed.’

³⁰ “At that time, there will be something in the sky that shows the Son of Man is coming. All the peoples of the world will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds in the sky. He will come with great power and glory. ³¹ He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the world.

³² “The fig tree teaches us a lesson: When its branches become green and soft, and new leaves begin to grow, then you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to come. ³⁴ I tell you the truth. All these things will happen while the people of this time are still living! ³⁵ The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed!

The time when enemies will destroy Jerusalem city

Jesus warned about the time when enemies will destroy Jerusalem city. He gave practical advice to the people who would see it happen. He encouraged people who would live in the times after that event. He wanted them to take the Good News to everyone in the world.

In the Old Testement, Moses promised that God would send someone special. (Read Deuteronomy 18:18–19.) This person would speak for God. What he said about the future would happen. This would prove that he had come from God.

For a Jew, one prophecy just did not seem possible. It was that an enemy would destroy Jerusalem. Surely, that could not happen. Jerusalem was their capital city. God was there. Yet this is exactly what Jesus said would happen.

Jesus did not give many prophecies while he was on earth. There was his death. There was the time when he would come back to life. This chapter contains almost all of the rest of the prophecies. But the things that he said about Jerusalem were wonderful. And history proved that his words were correct. Some people have even said that his words were too exact. So, these people have an idea. They think that Matthew must have written his book after the events happened!

Jesus said when these events would happen. Some of the people who were listening to him would still be alive (verse 34). He was speaking in about AD 30. In AD 70, the Romans completely destroyed Jerusalem. Most of what Jesus said in verses 15–26 is history. It is in official records. Nobody could tell about the future like this man! Jesus was not just a prophet. He is called the Word in John 1:1–18. ‘The Word was God.’ Enemies did destroy Jerusalem. That showed that Jesus was right. He was, and he still is, the great King. People of all nations belong to his kingdom. (Read verses 29–31.)

Jesus repeated several Old Testement verses in this passage. He repeated:

•     Isaiah 13:10 and 34:4 in verse 29

•     Daniel 7:13–14 in verse 30a

•     Zechariah 12:10–14 in verse 30b. And, in verse 31, he used

•     Isaiah 27:13; Deuteronomy 30:4 and Zechariah 2:6. (This is clear in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.)

These verses help us to understand Jesus’ words.

Josephus, a writer of history, tells about the time when enemies destroyed Jerusalem city.

The Romans ruled the Jews in Jesus’ time. (Note: The Romans were the people from Rome. This was a great capital city.) The Roman Empire included the many countries that they ruled. In AD 66 the Jews decided to refuse their rule. Then a Roman General, Titus, attacked Jerusalem. He destroyed the Jews’ capital city in AD 70.

Josephus lived from AD 37 to AD 100. One of his history books was called ‘the Jewish War’. This book shows how accurate Jesus’ words were. (Note: Famine means that there is no food. This is often because of a lack of rain. But on this occasion, it was because of the Romans. They would not allow any food to go into the city.)

Josephus wrote:

Then the famine got much worse. It destroyed all the people who were in houses. And it destroyed whole families. The upstairs rooms were full of women and children who were dying. The narrow roads of the city had many dead bodies of old people. Children and young men wandered about. They looked like shadows. They fell down dead.

It was not possible to bury them. The people who were ill could not do it. The people who were well enough did not do it. There were two reasons for this. First, the number of bodies was so great. Also, the healthy people did not know how soon they would die themselves. Many people died as they were burying other people. Nobody cried. The famine stopped any natural feelings. Those who were about to die looked at the dead people with dry eyes and open mouths. There was a deep silence too. It seemed like night in the city. As every one of them died, they were looking at the Temple.

Josephus said that the Romans were going to take things from the houses. But they found entire families of dead people. The upstairs rooms were full of dead bodies. These strong men had seen many ugly sights before. But they looked at this terrible sight. Then they left. And they did not touch anything.

The Romans made 97 000 Jews prisoners. But more than 110 000 Jews died at that time.

Questions

1. Many terrible things have happened to the Jews. But they still exist. Does God still have a purpose for the Jews today?

2. Jerusalem city has been very important in world history. Why do you think that this is true?

3. What things from this passage could encourage the members of your church? How safe can we expect to be in wars? How safe can we expect to be when there are earthquakes? Can we expect God to keep us physically safe?

Matthew 24:1–14

Jesus left the Temple and was walking away. But his followers came to show him the Temple’s buildings. ² Jesus asked, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another.”

³ Later, Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. His followers came to be alone with him. They said, “Tell us when these things will happen. And what will happen to show us that it is time for you to come again and for the world to end?”

⁴ Jesus answered: “Be careful that no one fools you. ⁵ Many people will come in my name. They will say, ‘I am the Christ.’ And they will fool many people. ⁶ You will hear about wars and stories of wars that are coming. But don’t be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes. ⁷ Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will be earthquakes in different places. ⁸ These things are like the first pains when something new is about to be born.

⁹ “Then men will arrest you and hand you over to be hurt and kill you. They will hate you because you believe in me. ¹⁰ At that time, many who believe will lose their faith. They will turn against each other and hate each other. ¹¹ Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe false things. ¹² There will be more and more evil in the world. So most people will stop showing their love for each other. ¹³ But the person who continues to be strong until the end will be saved. ¹⁴ The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.

We are waiting for Jesus to return.

Jesus knew what would happen in the future. He wanted to prepare his disciples. So he described to them what would happen. Then they could be ready.

In this passage, the events were similar to some Old Testament events. Ezekiel 11:23 told how the glory of the Lord left the Temple. It stopped on the Mountain of Olives for a short time. After this, the king of Babylon defeated the Jews. He destroyed the Temple.

Jesus spoke against the Jewish religion of his own time. (Read chapter 23.) Then he, too, left the Temple (24:1). He climbed the Mountain of Olives (24:3). He said that the enemy would destroy the Temple. So, the same things would happen again. In Old Testament days, God gave the Jews another chance. But this time there would be no second chance.

The disciples thought that awful events like this could only have one meaning. The end of the world was coming soon. The Jews in Jesus time thought that this was what it must mean. The disciples two questions in verse 3 showed this. They asked when the enemy would destroy Jerusalem city. They also asked when the end of the age would happen. Jesus answered both questions.

Verses 4–14 seem to refer to an entire period. Jesus went back to heaven. And Jesus will return to this earth one day. The verses may refer to the time between these two events. Jesus had a warning for the disciples. They must not expect him to return for the wrong reasons. (Read verses 4–8.) A person may try to persuade disciples that a false thing is true. This happens today as well. It is easy to agree with someone like that.

One day, Jesus will return to this earth. Jesus told his disciples about some things that would warn them about that time. (Read verses 6–8.) These signs should help disciples to be ready. The signs would be like the first pains when a woman gives birth. But there seems to be a problem. There have always been wars. There have always been famines. (These are times when there is no food. The usual cause is lack of rain.) There have always been earthquakes. There would have to be more of these events today than there were before. But there is no evidence that this is true. So, it cannot just mean that these things would increase before Jesus returned.

The first sign that Jesus spoke about is in verse 5. He warned the disciples that there would be ‘false Christs’. This has happened many times in the history of the church. At certain times, people have expected Jesus Christ to return very soon. So, some people have been ready to believe anyone who claimed to be ‘Christ’. Jesus was not speaking to non-Christians here. He was speaking to those who call themselves his disciples. Jesus will return to this earth. He wants us to be ready all the time for this great event.

Until Jesus returns, his disciples will have many troubles. (Read verses 9–13.) There is a warning in this passage. Hard times do not show that Jesus will return soon. Some people often suffer very much. This happens at every time in history. These people might expect Jesus to return to this earth. Then he would rescue them immediately. This thought would encourage them for a time. But Jesus might not come immediately. However, Jesus wanted to comfort them. Finally, Jesus would rescue them. They could be sure about that fact.

This does not ignore the facts today. Believers’ troubles will often be very serious. They could even die (verse 9). Non-Christians will deal with them very badly. But there will be something even worse. Many Christians will lose their faith. They will not be loyal to each other. False prophets will come too. They will cause many people to believe wrong things. (Read verses 10–12.) But some people will continue to be strong to the end. God will save them (verse 13).

There is another great sign for the future. It will show that the end of this age is near. Every nation will hear the Good News (verse 14). But this does not mean that the end would come immediately. Jesus is offering comfort and confidence to believers. Terrible events will happen in the world. Members of the church will suffer. There will be difficulties. But the disciples’ task will succeed. The disciples’ job is to bring people to Christ from all over the world. (Read 28:18–20.)

Important truths

There are many ideas about the meaning of Matthew 24. Many of them are hard to understand. It would be impossible to describe them all here. Jesus seems to be answering two questions. First, when would the enemy destroy Jerusalem? Second, when would the end of the world come? So, we will just divide the chapter into three parts. This is the simplest method.

►  Verses 4–14. This is a general warning. We must not try to decide the time when the world will end.

►  Verses 15–35. Jesus tells about the time when enemies would destroy Jerusalem city.

►  Verses 36–51. Jesus teaches about the time when he will return to this earth. He advises us to be ready all the time.

Questions

1. Think about the fact that Jesus Christ will return to this earth. Does this promise make you happy? Or is it like a danger to you? Make a list of what you might lose on that great day. Then make a list of what you will gain. Why is it hard for some Christians to believe that Jesus will return?

2. Imagine something. You know that Jesus will return in a month’s time. What would you do? What would be different in your church?

3. People in this world are suffering. There are many wars. What could we say to these people about this passage?

Matthew 23:1–39

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his followers. Jesus said, ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says. ³ So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you. But their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they don’t do the things themselves. ⁴ They make strict rules and try to force people to obey them. But they themselves will not try to follow any of those rules.

⁵ “The reason they do good things is so other people will see them. They make the boxes of Scriptures that they wear bigger and bigger. And they make their special prayer clothes very long so that people will notice them. ⁶ Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the most important seats at the feasts. And they love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. ⁷ They love people to show respect to them in the marketplaces. And they love to have people call them ‘Teacher.’

⁸ “But you must not be called ‘Teacher.’ You are all brothers and sisters together. You have only one Teacher. ⁹ And don’t call any person on earth ‘Father.’ You have one Father. He is in heaven. ¹⁰ And you should not be called ‘Master.’ You have only one Master, the Christ. ¹¹ He who serves you as a servant is the greatest among you. ¹² Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.

¹³ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter. ¹⁴ [How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You take away widows’ houses, and you make long prayers so that people can see you. So you will have a worse punishment.]

¹⁵ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person who will follow your ways. When you find that person, you make him more fit for hell than you are.

¹⁶ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, ‘If anyone swears by the Temple when he makes a promise, that means nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold that is in the Temple, then he must keep that promise.’ ¹⁷ You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple? The Temple makes that gold holy. ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar when he makes a promise, that means nothing. But if he swears by the gift on the altar, then he must keep his promise.’ ¹⁹ You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or the altar? The altar makes the gift holy. ²⁰ The person who swears by the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the altar. ²¹ And the person who uses the Temple to make a promise is really using the Temple and also everything in the Temple. ²² The person who uses heaven to make a promise is also using God’s throne and the One who sits on that throne.

²³ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give to God one-tenth of everything you earn—even your mint, dill, and cummin. But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being loyal. These are the things you should do, as well as those other things. ²⁴ You guide the people, but you are blind! You are like a person who picks a fly out of his drink and then swallows a camel!

²⁵ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes. But inside they are full of things that you got by cheating others and pleasing only yourselves. ²⁶ Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean and good. Then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.

²⁷ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine. But inside, they are full of the bones of dead people, and all kinds of unclean things are there. ²⁸ It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are good. But on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil.

²⁹ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets. You show honor to the graves of people who lived good lives. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our fathers, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.’ ³¹ But you give proof that you are children of those people who murdered the prophets. ³² And you will complete the sin that your fathers started!

³³ “You are snakes! A family of poisonous snakes! You will not escape God. You will all be judged guilty and be sent to hell! ³⁴ So I tell you this: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and teachers. You will kill some of these people. You will nail some of them to crosses. You will beat some of them in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town. ³⁵ So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth. You will be guilty for the murder of that good man Abel. And you will be guilty for the murder of Zechariah son of Berakiah. He was murdered when he was between the Temple and the altar. ³⁶ I tell you the truth. All of these things will happen to you people who are living now.

Jesus Feels Sorry for Jerusalem

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and kill with stones those men God sent to you. Many times I wanted to help your people! I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. ³⁸ Now your home will be left completely empty. ³⁹ I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus warned those who listened to him against false religion. It seemed to be correct. But it did not bring honor to God.

Matthew now recorded some of Jesus’ final teaching. (This is in chapters 23–25.) First, he spoke to the crowds (verse 23). Then he spoke to the disciples (verses 24–25). Some people may know that they are going to die. They will choose their words carefully. Jesus knew that he would die soon. So, his talks here were important. In this chapter, Jesus condemned the religious leaders. But he had a final appeal to the crowds too (verse 1).

In the first century, there were many religious systems. But Jesus was not speaking about false religion in this passage. He spoke about something that was more dangerous than that. It was to give the wrong meanings to true religion. That was what Jesus condemned.

There was the religion of the teachers and of the Pharisees. It was often wrong. But some very sincere people tried to obey it. The many rules and regulations were often stupid. Only very religious people could have accepted them. The religion of the teachers and of the Pharisees seemed to be very spiritual. It seemed to be about the right things. Its disciples were very eager to be right. They were eager to do what was right too. So, the Old Testament was the most important thing for them.

But there was a danger in all this. The religious teachers and the Pharisees had started right. Then they completely changed the true religion. It was hard to tell what was true and what was false. This is what Jesus talked about in the rest of the chapter.

Jesus suggested that this sort of religion was like a heavy load. It became just two long lists. There was a list called ‘Things that you must do’. There was another list called ‘Things that you must not do’. But this religion offered nothing that would make the load lighter. (Compare 11:28–30.) The teachers forced heavy loads on other people. But they found ways to avoid the load themselves.

There are people who have a religion like this. But these people have a wrong idea about the life that pleases God. (Read verses 5–11.) They want power and honor. They want people to respect and admire them. But Jesus gave a contrast. He spoke about the attitude of a real believer. A real believer is a servant of the Father in heaven. He or she is a servant of the Messiah. (Read verses 9–10.) There should always be a humble attitude in every action.

Very bad trouble will come (verses 13–39)

In these verses, Jesus pointed out some wrong attitudes. He was speaking about the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. It was their wrong attitudes to God’s word. They were giving wrong meanings to true religion. This was what Jesus taught. In this way, they avoided God’s word. (Read verses 16–22.)

An oath (a strong promise) had a purpose. It should mean that people could trust the words that followed. The teachers explained God’s word. But they did it in a way that made it easy to tell lies!

At the time of Jesus, there was an important subject. It was about an oath (strong promise). Jews often discussed when you must do what you had promised. But Jesus spoke about the important matter immediately. He reminded those who listened about the purpose of God’s laws. His laws in the OT were there to protect the truth. But the religious leaders did not seem to care about this. They invented ways to make oaths that had no meaning.

Then Jesus spoke about the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Their ideas about what was important were all wrong. They obeyed all the rules of the OT. But they forgot the principles of the rules. These principles explained the rules. (Read verses 23–24.)

True religion affects the whole person. (Read verses 25–28.) Jesus gave two examples of this fact. First, he mentioned how careful the religious leaders were. They obeyed all the rules about ceremonies. They washed in special ways. They did this to make themselves ‘clean’. But Jesus described what this was like. It was as if they had washed the outside of cups and dishes. But inside they were full of dirt. Jesus said that the religious leaders were like this. They obeyed all the rules. But they did not care about the need to be morally good. Jesus’ point is clear. There must be a change of attitudes. Otherwise, there can be no real change in a life.

The next example is in verses 27–28. It is similar to the first one. The Jews buried dead people in special graves. They made the grave by cutting into the rocks. A large round stone would often cover the entrance. These graves could be anywhere. Religious people might touch them by mistake. This would make these people ‘dirty’. So, people would paint the graves white. This could make them look attractive on the outside. But, inside the grave there were bones of dead people. Jesus said that the religion of the false teachers might look attractive. But it did not deal with the bad attitudes of men and women.

People whose religion had false ideas refused to listen to the truth. Jesus said that the religious leaders were like this. These leaders were proud. In the past, Jews had behaved very badly. The religious leaders said that they would never have behaved like them. They were sure about this. In the past, Jews had acted against God’s prophets. The leaders thought that they would never behave like that. But, Jesus and his disciples were speaking God’s word to these leaders. And their reactions were exactly the same. Jesus made this clear to the religious leaders.

Jesus had some difficult things to say. But he did not say them in an unkind way. His great desire was that the people would accept him. So, he called those who were listening to him. He called them to come to him. But he warned them too. If they refused, there would be judgment for them. (Read verses 37–39.)

Questions

1. Other people can make religious demands on us. We can demand things from ourselves too. These damands can be things that Jesus does not ask from us. Why does this happen? Is it because of our consciences? Or is it because of what people might say? How can we escape from a false guilty feeling?

2. Christians must declare the full message of the gospel (the Good News about Jesus). It is Good News. But it includes the fact of judgment. God must judge people who refuse to accept Jesus. How can we declare these truths in a gentle way? Should we ever speak like Jesus spoke in this passage?

3. Non-Christians think that religion is dull. They feel that it is not important in their lives. They also think that it is hard and unkind. The Bible would show them that their ideas are wrong. How can people who are in the church help them? How can they show them what true religion is like?

Matthew 21:28–22:14

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

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

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ ³⁹ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

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

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’^[a]?

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^[b]

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Some people claim to be religious. But they do not live for Jesus. These people do not belong to God’s kingdom.

There are three stories in this passage. Jesus told the parables about the religious leaders. They followed on from what Jesus had just said. (Read 21:23–27.) Jesus showed the leaders that they were like blind guides. They could not recognize truth that was clear.

Yes and no (verses 28–32)

The first parable contrasted two groups. They were the religious leaders and the ‘sinners’. The leaders said that they were loyal to God. They wanted to obey his word. But this did not happen when John the Baptist came. (Read verse 25.) John had God’s message. But the leaders refused to follow him. So, their talk was good. They had many ceremonies. But these things did not mean anything really.

But there were the ‘sinners’. They had refused to obey God’s word in the past. (Their lives showed this clearly.) But they heard John’s message gladly. They wanted to follow Jesus. These ‘sinners’ had good reactions both to John and to Jesus. But this did not please the religious leaders. The result was that the ‘sinners’ were entering the kingdom of God. And the religious leaders did not enter the kingdom of God.

An impossible ambition (verses 33–45)

This is the second parable. It probably comes from a real situation. This sort of thing happened in ancient Israel. Owners of property there often lived far away from it. People would pay rent for the property or business. In this story, it was a fruit farm for grapes. The owner would expect to receive a share of the profits. In Jesus’ day, this situation was very unpopular.

In the story, the owner sent his servants to get his share of the harvest. The farmers attacked them and killed one of them. The owner sent more servants. But the same thing happened. He even sent his son. But they killed him too.

Jesus explained the meaning of the story. The owner was God himself. The fruit farm for grapes was the kingdom of God. (Note: This picture language was in the Old Testement too. Read Isaiah 5:1–7.) The farmers meant the religious leaders in Jesus’ time. The servants were the prophets. The son was Jesus. So, the lesson was clear. The Jewish leaders would lose their part in the kingdom of God. This was because they had refused to accept the prophets. (John the Baptist was the last of the prophets.) The Jewish leaders were planning to kill Jesus too.

Jesus was teaching important truths in this story. We can be citizens of God’s kingdom. This is a very great advantage. But there are responsibilities too.

There are three responsibilities here. First, a Christian should live a good life (verse 43). This is like a tree that should have fruit (verse 34b). Next, Christians must hear God’s word. And they must act on God’s word. We must not be like the farmers in Jesus’ story (verses 34–39). Lastly, Christians must believe Jesus’ words (verse 42). This is like ‘building’ upon Jesus. Jesus speaks about a danger too. It is to refuse to believe God’s word. It is to refuse to accept God’s Son. To do this will bring judgement (verse 41).

Ungrateful guests (22:1–14)

This parable is really three stories in one story. Verses 1–7 tell the story of an invitation to a royal wedding big meal. The guests whom the king invited did not want to go to it. He asked them again. But they still refused to come. Verses 8–10 tell how all sorts of people came to the big meal. Verses 11–14 tell the incident about the guest who did not wear wedding clothes. These three stories were describing the kingdom of heaven (verse 2).

►  Verses 1–7. The king is God himself. The big meal is for the Messiah. It will happen at the end of time. The servants are the prophets. The previous parable suggested this. But the prophets may include John, Jesus and the disciples. The story is about three things. First, there is God’s patience. There are many chances to enter God’s kingdom.

Next, there were the people who refused the king’s invitation. They were too busy, because they were doing other things. (These things were not wrong. But they were not as important.) But there was something more serious. They completely refused to accept the authority of the man who sent the invitation. So, there must be judgement for them.

It is hard to explain such behavior. The invitation was to a royal wedding. Most people would never refuse a chance like that! There is more. In the ancient world, any wedding was a happy occasion. Of course, a royal wedding was extra special. Most people’s lives were very dull. So, a wedding would give them a chance to enjoy something.

►  Verses 8–10. Some people lost their right to attend the wedding big meal. So, all sorts of men and women were there instead. They would know that they did not deserve to be there. It will be the same at the end of the world.

►  Verses 11–14. The details are not clear at first. There was a custom in Jesus’ time. It was to offer special clothes to guests at a wedding. One person seems to have refused this gift. Jesus was teaching that all are welcome to attend the big meal. They could be ‘bad people’. But they must accept the way that God does things. Otherwise, they would be as bad as those who refused the invitation. Verse 14 probably emphasized this idea.

The message of the parable is clear. Most of the Jews refused God’s invitation again and again. (This was especially true about the leaders.) It was a wonderful invitation. So it is hard to explain why the Jews would refuse it. Other people would accept the invitation. But these non-Jews must do two things. They must come to Jesus. And they must be willing to do what God wants.

Questions

1. Think about times when you have said ‘Yes’ to something that is good. Then you have decided against it. Now, think about times when you have said ‘No’. Then you have changed your mind. Make two lists. If the second list is longer, thank God!

2. The Jewish leaders thought that they had the right to have all of God’s benefits. Can people who are in churches today be like them? What should these people be like?

3. God has given the world to men and women. He wants them to look after it. If this is true, Christians should set an example. How can we do this?

4. God has an invitation for people today. Many of them make excuses not to accept it. Make a list of the reasons that they give. How can we make the invitation more attractive? (But we must show that it is a serious matter too.)

Matthew 21:18–27

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

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

False religion produces no ‘fruit’. (There are no spiritual results.) It must have the judgement of God. Jesus said that his authority came from God.

Jesus told the fig tree that it would never have fruit again. This action was a sign. Jesus was showing that false religion must receive God’s judgement. This event was in the month of April. Fig trees would not have either leaves or fruit at this time. On this occasion, Jesus saw a tree that had leaves. But it had no fruit.

This was like the religious leaders. They wanted people to notice them. But there were no spiritual results in their lives. The day before, they had been angry with Jesus. (Read 12:15.) Jesus seemed to be comparing them with the fig tree. Only real religion pleases God. Religion must have spiritual results.

The fig tree died at once. The disciples asked Jesus about it. Jesus answered their question with some teaching. He spoke about one of the marks of real religion. It is prayer with faith. (Read verses 21–22.)

Read Jesus’ words that are in verses 21–22. We must be very careful how we explain them. Often, people do not understand them correctly. These people say that Christians must have enough faith. Then they can ask God for anything and God will give it to them. But this may not happen. Then some believers feel that it is their fault. They must not have had enough faith. So they feel upset.

Jesus spoke about something that was impossible for humans. He did not mean us to follow his exact words. Jesus does not suggest that we must do it by ourselves. We cannot increase our own faith by hard work. More faith would not help us to have anything that we want.

We must look at what the whole Bible teaches. It teaches that God has all authority and power. He controls everything. It is about the word ‘doubt’ in verse 21. It does not mean to be unsure about something. It means that God has shown something clearly. And people still refuse to believe him. That is doubt.

So, to have faith is to trust God completely. We should pray with this sort of faith. Then impossible things can happen. This is because we are praying for what God wants. Jesus encourages us to have this kind of faith.

Jesus wins against those who oppose him (verses 24–27)

This passage records a discussion between Jesus and the religious leaders. By that time, there was plenty of evidence to show who Jesus was. Many Old Testement verses had come true that were about the Messiah. They came true about Jesus. He healed the blind men. (Read 20:29–34.) Isaiah 35:5 came true. Then, Jesus entered Jerusalem city. He was like a king who had won a battle. (Read 21:1–11.) Zechariah 9:9 came true. Jesus cleared out the Temple. (Read 21:12–13.) Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 described this event.

These and other similar events had happened. People had to believe two things. First, that Jesus’ words were special. (Read Matthew 7:28–29.) Also, that Jesus’ actions were special. (Read 8:27.) Slowly, men and women began to understand the truth. (Read 16:16.) But some people refused to believe the facts. We may not understand why these people were like this.

The chief priests and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus a question. (Read verse 23.) But they did not really want an answer to it. It was a reasonable question to ask. But what followed showed something. It showed that their question was unfair. Jesus could have said that his authority came from God. Then they would have accused him of ‘blasphemy’. This was a terrible sin. It was when someone claimed to be God. Also, Jesus could have refused to answer the question. But this would make Jesus’ disciples doubt him.

Jesus was wise. He knew what the religious leaders were trying to do. So he asked them a question instead! Their reaction showed what they were like. They seemed to have an interest in the truth. But it was false. (Read verses 25–26.) Jesus showed that the religious leaders were proud. They wanted people to accept their authority. They only cared about themselves. So they were unable to see the facts. The evidence about Jesus was there. But they could not believe it.

The whole story is funny. But it is very sad too. The religious leaders were behaving foolishly. They should have known the difference between true and false prophecy. That was part of their job. But they had to admit that they could not do their job (verse 27). So, they could not judge Jesus’ work either.

Questions

1. You believe the Christian message. People may tell you that this is stupid. What things in this passage would encourage you?

2. People or the members of a church can say that they ‘know God’. What does that mean?

3. Religious people often like official religion. (This means that they obey all the rules. But its real meaning does not affect them.) What is the reason for this? It has advantages. What are they? It has dangers too. What are they?

Matthew 21:1–17

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”^[a]

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna^[b] to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[c]

“Hosanna^[d] in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

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

Jesus at the Temple

¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’^[f]”

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants
    you, Lord, have called forth your praise’^[g]?”

¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

The Son of David claims what belongs to him.

Jesus entered Jerusalem. He was like a king who had won a battle. What happened there and in the temple showed who Jesus is. He is a phrophet, a priest and a king.

There was a large crowd of people. They were all going to Jerusalem. Every year, there was a great religious event there. The Jews remembered the time when God had saved them. They had been slaves in Egypt. But God had brought them out of Egypt. (The book of Exodus describes this time. Read Exodus chapter 12 especially.)

Many people who were in the crowd would have known Jesus well. But they began to recognize that there was a mystery about him. So they asked: ‘Who is this?’ It was not the first time that they had asked that question. (Compare 8:27.)

The answer (verse 11) was not complete. But it was correct. They may have been thinking about a passage that was in Deuteronomy 18:14–19. It had the promise that a very special prophet would come. People must ‘listen to him’. His words would be the words of God. He was called the prophet.

But Jesus was more than a prophet. This passage suggests that Jesus was (and is) a king too. ‘Son of David’ was a Jewish title. Jews were sure that it referred to the Messiah. And the Messiah would also be their king. (Read 20:29–34.) They expected him to be a peaceful ruler, like Solomon (verse 5).

There was a Jewish tradition. It was when a royal person was coming. The people would spread branches of trees on the road. It happened at another time too. People spread their clothes for Jehu to stand on. (Read 2 Kings 9:13.) This was when they were making him king. Verse 5 repeats Zechariah 9:9. Verse 10 of that passage speaks about a king who would rule the world.

Matthew emphasized all these things. They show what he believed. It was this. Jesus was the Messiah. He was also king of the Jews. There is something interesting about the Mountain of Olives too (verse 1). Jews believed that it had a connection with the Messiah. (Read Zechariah 14:4, 9, 12–19.) They expected the Messiah to come from there. He would ‘be king over all the earth’. Then he would punish the nations who were against the Jews.

He who will come will be the Lord (God) himself. The book of Zechariah makes this clear. Messiah is different from the Lord (God). At other times, he is the same person as the Lord (God). Matthew showed the great mystery about Jesus. He is God and he is man!

Proper and false religion

The priests and the teachers of the Law had many advantages. They were the religious leaders in ancient Israel. They were responsible for the Temple. God had said that he would live there. (Read 1 Kings 6:1, 2, 9–14; 8:10–29.) These leaders could go to the Temple at any time. They had studied God’s word. Their job was to teach that word.

The job of these religious leaders was special. But they had no respect for God’s house. They refused to obey his word. (Compare Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Verse 13 repeats words from both of these verses.) They studied God’s word eagerly. But they did not know its real meaning. One such verse was Malachi 3:1. Jesus had come. They should have known that the verse referred to him. But they did not know. There was a great contrast between these religious leaders and another group of people.

This other group of people could not go into the Temple. They were the blind people. It was the same for people who could not walk. Religious leaders made this rule. They repeated some words from the Old Testement. (Read Leviticus 21:18–21.) But they left out the next verse (22). These people could not serve in God’s house. But they could share in its benefits. The leaders used a tradition too. (Read 2 Samuel 5:6–8.)

There were also children. They had little importance in the religion of that time. (Read 19:13–15.) These three groups came to Jesus in the Temple. They began to experience good things. (Read verses 14 and 15.) They were things that God had promised. They would happen when Messiah came. (Read Isaiah 35:5, 6.) So, these people came to Jesus. But the chief priests and teachers were not like them at all. These leaders were very angry with Jesus.

Jesus ‘left them’ (verse 17). In those times, the glory of God left God’s people. (First, God’s glory came in 1 Kings 8:10–11. Then the glory left in 1 Samuel 4:12–22.) Jeremiah 7:13–14 and 26:4, 6 refer to this time in the city called Shiloh. God said that he would have to do the same thing again. The people refused to listen. So God had to let the enemy destroy the Temple. This happened in 587 B.C. (Note: B.C. means Before Christ.) The book of Ezra tells how the Jews rebuilt the Temple. Now Jesus went away from the Temple. He left the leaders. So God’s glory was no longer present. They must have God’s punishment instead.

Questions

1. You can know the truth. But you may not recognize its real meaning. Can you think about ways in which this might happen? Think about the religious activities in your life. Does Jesus seem to be absent from any of them?

2. We agree that Jesus is King. Think about your church’s ideas. Think about what its members do. Whose opinion is most important? Is it the opinion of the leaders? Is it the opinion of the members? Or does Jesus’ opinion come first? Think of some examples.

3. What exactly did Jesus not like in the Temple? Should we ever follow his example? What things would Jesus not like in churches today? What can we do to change them?

Matthew 20:20–34

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Jesus wants his disciples to serve other people. They must not give orders to people all the time.

‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ The disciples asked Jesus this question. (Read 18:1–5.) Jesus did not give a direct answer. Instead, Matthew recorded several incidents in Jesus’ life. He gave examples of Jesus’ teaching. These things showed what ‘citizens of the kingdom’ should be like. Then this passage gave a clear answer to the earlier question.

In the previous chapters, Jesus taught things about real disciples. They:

•  welcome people who do not seem to have any worth (18:1–9).
• care about the least important disciple (18:10–14).
• try to help another disciple who sins (18:15–20).
• do not claim their rights; but
• show the mercy that God has shown to them. They do this by their behaviour (18:21–35).
• obey Jesus’ words (19:1–30).
•  are glad when other people receive mercy.
• do not feel that they deserve more (20:1–16).
• follow Jesus’ example in all things (20:17–19).

Think about all these things. Then what Jesus said will not be a surprise. Nobody else has ever taught the things that Jesus taught. People use human methods and human standards to make themselves great. (Read 20:24–25.) But they cannot become great in God’s kingdom in that way. (Read verse 26a.) Those who follow Jesus must be different.

James, John and their mother did not understand this. (Read verses 20–22.) The mother’s request for her sons was natural. They were Jesus’ special friends (17:1).

But Jesus completely refused to agree with that idea. Instead, he referred to his own example. He served humbly. That is what it still means to be really great. (Read verses 27 and 28 especially.) For James, this would mean that he would die for Jesus. (Jesus suggested this in verse 23.) John would have to go far away from his friends and family. The authorities would send him to an island called Patmos. (Read Revelation 1:9.) All the disciples would suffer in some way. Their daily life would include hard discipline. There would be difficult circumstances. Their work with people would often make them sad too.

The humble Messiah who suffers

Up to this time, Jesus had not wanted people to know that he was the Messiah. (Read 16:20.) But now, he was going to Jerusalem city for the last time (20:18). So Jesus would not keep things secret any more. He had spoken about certain things. Now the time had come for them to happen.

The blind men called him ‘the son of David’. This was a Jewish title for the Messiah. Jesus accepted the title. Jews believed that the Messiah would do miracles. This belief came from the OT. Here, Jesus did a miracle. It confirmed the prophecies about him. (Read Isaiah 29:18 and 35:5, 6.)

So, Jesus accepted the title, Messiah. Then he did a miracle that proved it. He really was the Messiah. But he showed what sort of Messiah he had come to be. The title ‘son of David’ had a special meaning in Jesus’ time. The Romans ruled the Jews at that time. So the Jews thought that the Messiah would bring them national freedom. He would give the Jews freedom from the Romans.

But Jesus wanted them to think about another part of Messiah’s work. So he did a miracle. Isaiah (35:5) had promised it many years before. It was much greater than to give sight to blind men. But the Jews had neglected that other part. It was that the Messiah would suffer.

Matthew emphasized that Jesus felt pity and sympathy (20:34). This was like the ‘servant who suffers’ in Isaiah. (Read Isaiah 42:1–4 and 52:13–53:12.) Isaiah described someone who would die. He would cancel the effects of sin. Jesus was showing that Messiah would not save the Jews from the Romans. He would save men and women from the effects of their sin. (Read Matthew 20:28.)

In the Bible, ‘sight’ was often a sign. It described spiritual sight. Jesus gave the blind men physical sight. Then they followed Jesus. Matthew thought that this meant something. The word ‘follow’ sometimes had a religious meaning. It described what a disciple should do.

So, people received spiritual sight from the Messiah. Then they must follow Jesus. They must show the same love for people that Jesus showed for them. Their love must not be selfish. That love must show very much pity and sympathy too.

Questions

1. Read Matthew 20:20–28 again. Think about specific situations in your life. They could be at home, at school or at work. They could be at church too. How could the teaching in these verses help you?

2. How could the members of your church be ‘servants’ in society? Think about specific things that you could all do.

3. There are many social needs. They are national and international. How much should Christians do about these needs? First, answer this question about yourself. Then, think about the members of your church.