Matthew 26  Jesus clearly reveals to His disciples what is about to happen.  Judas makes his deal with the chief priests. The disciples gather in the upper room for their last Passover with Jesus. Again, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that His body will be broken and His blood shed.  They go into Gethsemane where Jesus prays and the disciples sleep.. and the betrayer comes.

Everything that happens.. every detail.. is according to God's plan.  Prophecy is fulfilled. Jesus is condemned to die and the Jewish leaders are taking upon themselves the shedding of innocent blood.
Judas has committed a betrayal that Jesus says is so horrid that it would have been better if he had never been born.  Peter fails to keep his word and denies even knowing Jesus.

At that moment in time.. darkness is apparently winning.. but, oh how thankful we are that this is not the end of the story!  Christ will die, but He will rise again! God's plan will fulfill His purpose.. Christ will die, but not in vain.. for this is the price of all mankind's sin.  Christ will rise again.. and this will be a fulfillment of all the Word.. the resurrection testifies of God's greatness and grace.  Jesus is the First and because He lives.. we can too!  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

"Tell me the old, old story.. that I may take it in.. That wonderful redemption, God's remedy for sin..."

Father in heaven, You sent Your only begotten Son, that His death and resurrection would open the way for our salvation.. for life.  Thank You for saving us through Jesus Christ, the Lord, Who even now intercedes for us at Your right hand. Amazing Grace!  We exalt in You.  We praise Your name.
We seek Your will and Your power to live in faith and to obey Your word. Amen.

Matthew 24-25 The disciples ask Jesus about the future and He answers them in great detail. It is hard to summarize all that He teaches.  But, I want to think about and draw attention to some of these things....

As bad as things are in our country and in the world.. things will get worse:
False messiahs will deceive people more and more.
Wars will continue and escalate.
There will be more disasters - famines and earthquakes.
Christians will be persecuted, hated, and killed in "all nations". (even ours)
Lawlessness will increase.
Love for others will decrease.

The good news is that those who endure to the end will be saved. And the gospel will be preached in the "whole world". 

There will be another "abomination of desolation" in the "Holy place".
There will be a great tribulation for Israel that "has not occurred since the beginning of the world.. "
There will be more "false Christs". 
There will be many deceived.

But, when Christ does return, it will be undeniable.
The sun, moon, and stars will be darkened.
"The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky." 
The trumpet will sound and the believers will be gathered to the Lord.

Jesus says that we can look for the signs, but more importantly, we need to "be ready". 
Be ready by doing what He has called us to do.. to be faithful servants. 
Be ready by being wise and prepared. 
Be ready by doing well and being faithful stewards of all He has given us. 
Be ready by doing to the "least of these" what we would do for Christ Himself... feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, inviting in the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and the imprisoned. Doing what is right in the ways of Jesus. 

Father in heaven,  help us to be alert and to keep our eyes open for the signs of Christ's return. But, even more, we pray that You will help us to be faithful in serving You and serving others. Spirit of God fall fresh on us once again, that we will be strengthened by the power of Your might to live lives of humble obedience to our God.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 23 In this passage, Jesus concisely points out the "leaven" of the scribes and Pharisees.  He is talking to the "multitudes and His disciples.."   This message is for all of us, lest we also be deceived and become guilty of the hypocrisy prevalent in the religious men of that time.

Jesus tells His listeners that they needed to observe the Word - but not to do the deeds of the scribes and Pharisees.  The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was evident:
They placed "heavy loads" on people, but would not help anyone.
They did religious acts to be noticed, not for God.
They wanted to be respected, praised, looked up to, and perhaps even envied.
(All things evident in every false religion.)

This is NOT the will of God, Jesus explains:
Don't even be called Teacher or Rabbi - just be a brother to each other.
Don't be called "father" - the Only Father is God in heaven.
Serve one another.
Be humble, for "whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." 

Jesus lists the hypocritical actions that make the Pharisees and scribes condemned before God:

They keep others from entering into the "kingdom of heaven".  They put stumbling blocks in people's way. They speak lies to deceive others.

They devoured "widow's houses"... even while they were showing off by making long prayers. They hid their sinfulness with pretense.

They traveled far and wide to bring back Jewish converts.. but made them "sons of hell"..

They swore by the temple or by the altar - as things of no value; and did not keep their oaths.
They consider gold or offerings as things of value - making in obligatory to keep an oath.
They had no understanding of God's view on this - the Temple was His dwelling place. It was where the offering was sanctified - set apart for Him. If they swore by heaven, they were actually swearing by His throne, so by Him, for He sits on the throne.  To then fail to keep that oath was to consider God Himself unworthy..

They were careful to consider small tithes -  of  "mint and dill and cumin"; but they failed to do justice or have mercy, or to be faithful - the things that really matter.

They were careful to clean the outside of their cup, but were blind to recognize the filth of their own hearts. They looked perfect on the outside, but were "full of dead men's bones" on the inside.

They thought they were better than their own ancestor's, admitting that they did kill the prophets. But, never realized that their desire to kill Jesus was the same.. and even worse.

The heart of Jesus was deeply burdened for the City of God. He wanted to gather them all to Himself and to cover them with His salvation.  But, they would not receive Him. He saw the coming desolation. And it broke His heart.

Father in heaven, hallowed is Your Name. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done.  Let us hear the Word and be doers of it, to the praise and glory of Your Name. Keep us from the lies of the evil one and of his followers. Light of the World, overcome the darkness and bring Truth, the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Christ to our world today.  We seek to know You more and to love You completely.  Keep us in Your hand.  May we not be stumbling blocks or hypocrites. May we love justice, do mercy, and walk humbly with our God.  In Jesus' name we pray. amen.

Matthew 22  Starting in verse 15,  the Pharisees, Sadducees, and company try to trick Jesus by asking what they think are difficult questions that "might trap Him".  It is clear that they still had no idea who they were dealing with!

At first they send their disciples, their students and a group called the Herodians. These were well-to-do, politically motivated, "religious" leaders.  The question had to do with paying taxes.  Jesus, knowing their "malice", challenged them to think beyond earthly allegiances.  " Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's" He tells them.  Like us sometimes, the focus on earthly values - like power, wealth, and influence - got in the way of thinking about Truth.  If these men had a proper relationship and understanding of Who God is.. they would not have concerned themselves at all with the "things" of Caesar.

The second group, the Sadducees, had a complicated question about the woman who was widowed 7 times by 7 brothers, with no children.  The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection, but their question was about what would happen in heaven after the resurrection.  This kind of situation was probably one of the reasons they wouldn't believe that there would be a resurrection.. they couldn't logically reconcile whaat would happen in such a case.  Jesus challenges their thinking, too.
First of all, He tells them, there is no marriage in the resurrection, " but  they are like the angels in heaven." ( This is one of those mysteries we cannot yet comprehend either).
Secondly, God is the God of the living, not of the dead.  "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.."  God has not changed and He will never change. The Sadducees were silenced at this astonishing answer.

The third group to question Jesus was the Pharisees, with a law expert as their spokesman.  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"  This was the perfect question for Jesus.  He wanted them to know this Truth.. " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  It is interesting to note that neither of these are from the 10 commandments, but that all of the "Law and the Prophets" are summed up with these 2 commands.
There is no reply recorded here. Nothing else could be said.

Jesus had a question of His own for the Pharisees.  He asked them, "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?"  They knew the answer - "the son of David".  What they didn't know was how David could call his "son" Lord.  They just refused to hear the truth.

Father in Heaven,  You call us to faith and love and hope in Christ Jesus, the One You have anointed as King of heaven and earth.  Help us to know You more through Your word.  May we grasp the truth of Who You are and that You are of much more value than any earthly position or opinion.  May we know the greatness of Your power and majesty and sovereignty over all the living and the dead.  May we see Your heart, valuing love more than anything else.  May we truly love You will all our hearts and souls and minds.. and love others as we love ourselves.  Jesus is the Lord of all, and we pray in His name. Amen.

Matthew 21-22  Jesus tells two more parables about the Kingdom of God.

The first, in Matthew 21:33-40 is about the landowner who rents out his vineyard.  When he sends his slaves to receive the produce of his vineyard, the vine-growers beat them, stone them, or kill them.  Another, larger group of slaves are sent, and they are also beaten or killed.  Finally, the landowner sends his son, saying, "They will respect my son."   But, the renters, take the son and kill him too, thinking they will steal his inheritance.  Jesus asks his listeners, "Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?"  The chief priests and Pharisees know the answer.. and they understand that he is talking about them. The "wretches" will come to a "wretched end".  They were supposed to be stewards of God's kingdom, but they desired to have it all for themselves.  Like Satan, they were trying to usurp God's possessions and God's place.

And the part that brings me to tears.. they killed the Son.. how could they think that they could do that?

The second parable is found in Matthew 22:1-14.  Here, the king prepares a feast for the wedding of his son.  The invitations were sent out, but when it came time for the guests to come, they refused!
They were "unwilling".  They "paid no attention and they went their way".   The king declares that "those who were invited were not worthy "; not suitable, not deserving.  On top of that, they mistreated or killed the messengers!  So, the king sent his armies to destroy those evil doers.  Then he sent his slaves to invite as many as they could find on the main highway, and so they did.  Soon, the wedding hall was filled with guests.  However, even then, some were not properly dressed and were cast out.  Jesus concludes with these words, " For many are called but few are chosen." 

God's Kingdom has come and Christ is Lord over it all.  He is the Son who was slain, but He is also the Son who rose again!  The time is coming when the wedding feast will be held.. and only those who respond to the invitation and who come with proper attire.. will enter.  We are not only the invited guests.. we are the Bride of Christ.. Amazing!  We enter the Kingdom by His grace through faith.. accepting the invitation and coming to Him.  And we are dressed in His righteousness.. the only worthy attire!

Father, I love Your Word that reaches into my heart and sings the song of Your great Love and mercy.. filling my soul!  You have called me.. invited.. me. to the wedding feast.. to the Kingdom of heaven .  How amazing!  How wonderful.  Thank You. All glory and honor and praise to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Matthew 21  The message of Jesus, that the first will be last and the last first, is realized once again in this next chapter.  The Lord enters Jerusalem on a colt, the "foal of a beast of burden".  ( An amazing example of being "last" )  The multitude cries out, " Hosanna to the Son of David.."  Jesus goes into the temple and chases out the evil doers there.

The "first" - the chief priests and scribes -"became indignant".
But, the "last" - the blind and lame, and the children - "came to Him in the temple". 

Jesus tells another parable.  This one is about the man who has two sons. The "first" one says he will go into the vineyard, but doesn't. The "last" one says he won't go, but repents and obeys.  "Which of the two did the will of his father?"  Jesus asks.  "The latter."  they answer.   "Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots did believe him; and you seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him. "

The religious leaders, though "first" in their own eyes, would not come to God, would not obey the Word of God, and would finally kill the Son of God.  The "last", the weak and needy, the blind and lame, the humble of heart,  believed John and believed Jesus.  They entered the Kingdom of God and found eternal life in Jesus.

I'm drawn back to Matthew 19:29-34.  Jesus is heading from Jericho to Jerusalem for His final days.
There is a great multitude following Him.  Two blind men, sitting by the road, begin to call out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David."  The crowd tried to quiet them, but they persisted in crying out until Jesus stopped.  "What do you want Me to do for you?"  Jesus said to them. These two men, were "last". They were blind, and they were unseen by the crowd.  Yet, Jesus, answered their request and restored their sight. Now seeing, they "followed Him." 

The Pharisees wanted a sign.
The priests and scribes wanted to know what kind of authority He had.
The crowd wanted a King.
Even the disciples wanted a throne.
But, it was to the "last", the least, the humble, that Jesus said "What do you want Me to do for you?"

In great compassion and kindness, our Savior asks us, too, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

Lord, I want Your Kingdom to come.  I want Your will to be done.  I want to know You more and love You completely. I want to see You, to gaze at You, to fix my eyes on You and let go of all else.
I want to follow You all the days of my life, to dwell in Your presence, to abide in Your Spirit, and to be faithful to the end.  Have mercy on me, Son of David!  Keep me in Your Truth, I pray, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Matthew 20  At the end of chapter 19 Matthew records these words from Jesus, "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first."   Jesus then tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.  In verse 16 He again says, "Thus the last shall be first and the first last."  

This statement is significant somehow.. a kingdom principle that we need to grasp.  We need to think about the parable a bit more..

".. the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner.. "  This statement gives us a clear understanding that Jesus is talking about the Truth of how God rules and acts in His Kingdom.

The landowner went out and "hired" workers early in the morning.  These workers "agreed" with him to work the day for a denarius.

He then went out  4 more times... at the 3rd hour, the 6th hour, and the 9th  hour, and finally at the 11th hour.  The difference with these workers was that the landowner did not make a definite agreement with them about their pay,  he just said, " .. whatever is right I will give you."  They went to work,  having faith that the landowner would pay them something.

At the end of the day, the landowner paid all the workers the very same wages that he had agreed to give the first workers. These "first" workers were unhappy that the landowner gave the others as much as they got, for they had worked longer than all the rest.  However, the landowner reminded them that they had agreed to that pay and that he had the right to do whatever he wished with the others. He chose to be generous. They should not be "envious". This word is not the same as we think - it is actually translated from the Greek word "poneros"  meaning evil, hurtful, degenerate, vicious.. wicked. 

The word "last" also needs to be explored. It comes from the Greek word "eschatos" meaning - farthest, final, last, lowest, uttermost.  Not so much last - in time;  but more last as in the furtherest away, the most hopeless, the lowest status.. 

In Luke 13: 30 this phrase is used again, " And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."  In this passage Jesus is answering a question, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?"   He says, " Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."   Jesus goes on to say that once the door has been shut.. once the Kingdom has come in its fullness... even those who claim to know Him, but failed to receive Him.. would be unable to enter.  "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out." In other words, you cannot be saved unless you enter the narrow door!

Who will come into God's kingdom?  Jesus says, " And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God."  The lowest, the least, the last.. will come... but the "first", those thinking they are the greatest.. will be left behind.

This lesson is reinforced to the disciples when the mother of John and James asks Jesus to give her sons a significant place in His kingdom.  Jesus says that "whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave."  To be like Jesus, our example, we must choose the narrow door.. the road least traveled.. "to serve" not to be served; to give our lives and not try to keep it ourselves. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it."  ( Matthew 10:38-39)

Father in heaven, only with You are all things possible. To enter the narrow door... to lay down our lives.. and to dine with You in the Kingdom.. this is our greatest desire and need.  We come as willing slaves, slaves of Jesus Christ.. to lay down our lives and take up our crosses and follow You.  We come by faith and trust that You will do "whatever is right", for You are righteous and good, merciful and just.  Be glorified, Mighty and Gracious God. Thank You for loving us and calling us to be Your own.  In Christ we stand.  Amen.