After Adam and Eve were cursed and driven from the Garden of Eden, they probably longed for the days of easy gardening and painless childbirth, but I think their greatest regret was the loss of a direct line of communication with the Father. No longer could they speak with their creator in the cool of… Continue reading Matthew 24:15 – Abomination, Judgment, and Mercy
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Matthew 24:6-14 – Wars, Earthquakes, and False Prophets
After warning the disciples about the coming of false Christs and imploring them to not be led astray, Jesus begins painting a picture of the end times when he says, 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is… Continue reading Matthew 24:6-14 – Wars, Earthquakes, and False Prophets
Matthew 24:3-5 – Do Not Be Led Astray
This next passage of Matthew’s Gospel is often called “the Olivet Discourse,” primarily because Jesus spoke it while sitting on the Mount of Olives. It has also been referred to as “the Little Apocalypse” because its language and content mirror many passages found in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. Matthew introduces this passage with the following… Continue reading Matthew 24:3-5 – Do Not Be Led Astray
Matthew 24:1-2 – Banishing Evil and the Coming of the Father’s Eternal Kingdom
Many of the oldest biblical manuscripts, when it comes to the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, do not include the final phrase “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.” In most instances, whether this line is part of the original prayer is of no real consequence, but in the… Continue reading Matthew 24:1-2 – Banishing Evil and the Coming of the Father’s Eternal Kingdom
Matthew 23 – Woe, Woe, Woe! – Part 2
Last week concluded with Jesus pronouncing two woes upon the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees because they, according to Jesus, kept people out of the kingdom of heaven and raised up followers who were twice as bad as the scribes and Pharisees. These were not, however, the only woes Jesus pronounced on the scribes… Continue reading Matthew 23 – Woe, Woe, Woe! – Part 2
Matthew 23 – Woe, Woe, Woe! – Part 1
In the past few weeks we have looked at a number of events and parables that shed light on how to better pray, “deliver us from evil,” but we have paid little attention to how these events and parables parallel sections of the Sermon on the Mount. Here are just a few brief comparisons: Now… Continue reading Matthew 23 – Woe, Woe, Woe! – Part 1
Matthew 22 – A Wedding, Taxes, and Heinous Evil
Among the many limitations that result from writing about Scripture in sections, the most grievous is treating each section in isolation from the surrounding context. This week’s passage really only makes sense if we refresh our memory about those verses that came before. Jesus had just told two parables, one about two sons and one… Continue reading Matthew 22 – A Wedding, Taxes, and Heinous Evil
Matthew 21:18-45 – Fig Trees, Isaiah, and More Evil
I often wonder how good the disciples’ memory was, but for that matter, I wonder if our memory is any better. Other than questioning why Jesus would want to eat figs in the first place, it seems that the following verses did not elicit a memory of Jesus’s previous teaching. Matthew writes, 18 In the morning,… Continue reading Matthew 21:18-45 – Fig Trees, Isaiah, and More Evil
Matthew 20:29-21:17 – New Eyes and Old Evil
Here again, as we are moving into a new section of Matthew’s Gospel as seen through the lens of the Lord’s Prayer, is a brief outline of our study thus far. We have seen that, If you have even a basic knowledge of the Lord’s Prayer, you will know the next petition is “but deliver… Continue reading Matthew 20:29-21:17 – New Eyes and Old Evil
Matthew 20:1-28 – The First, the Last, Death, and Greatness
Jesus, if you recall, had just told the disciples that the rich will find it difficult to enter heaven. Peter responded by asking if the rich couldn’t get into heaven, who could? He also asked what was in it for him and his fellow disciples since they had left everything. At this point, Jesus told… Continue reading Matthew 20:1-28 – The First, the Last, Death, and Greatness