Fourth Narrative Section: The Jerusalem Ministry (19:1–22:46)
Divorce (19:1-12)
Jesus and his disciples leave Galilee and journey to Judea.
Large crowds follow him and he heals them.
Some Pharisees show up and ask Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
Jesus quotes from Genesis, saying:
“Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
They then ask him why Moses allowed men to write their wives a certificate of divorce.
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
The disciples hear this and conclude that it must be better not to get married.
Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Eunuchs for sake of kingdom (19:10-12) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Some have argued that Jesus is speaking about homosexuality in this passage, but this is not the case. Eunuchs and homosexuals are not the same. When he says some are born eunuchs, he is referring to males who were born with undescended testicles. When he says some were made eunuchs, he is referring to actual eunuchs, whose testicles have been either accidentally damaged or removed by the owner of the eunuch. When he says some choose to live as eunuchs for the Kingdom, he is talking about men with no damage or deformity to their testicles who choose to live celibate lives as their own personal way of honoring God.
The Little Children and Jesus (19:13-15)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 10:13-16
The Rich and the Kingdom of God (19:16-30)
A rich young man comes up to Jesus and asks him what good thing he can do to earn eternal life.
Jesus asks him why he’s talking to him about goodness, because there’s only One who is truly good. (In saying this, Jesus was hinting that he in fact was God.) He then tells the man to follow the commandments if he wants to live.
The man wants to know which commandments, so Jesus lists off several for him.
The man tells Jesus that he already keeps all of these, so what else does he need?
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The man is sad to hear this and walks away.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples are surprised to hear this and like, “Well then, who can ever be saved?”
Jesus says, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter points out that they’ve all left everything to follow Jesus, so what reward will the receive?
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (20:1-16)
Laborers in the vineyard (20:1-16) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Many of Jesus’ parables weren’t actually original to Jesus.
What Jesus, like other rabbis, often did was to take common well-known fables or short stories and retell with a special, often shocking, twist to them, in order to teach people about the true nature of God and the Kingdom of God.
The parable of the workers in the vineyard is one such example.
First, here is the parable in another context as told by another rabbi…
"A king had a vineyard for which he engaged many laborers, one of whom was especially apt and skillful.
What did the king do? He took this laborer from his work, and walked through the garden conversing with him. When the laborers came for their hire in the evening, the skillful laborer also appeared among them and received a full day's wages from the king.
The other laborers were angry at this and said, 'We have toiled the whole day, while this man has worked but two hours; why does the king give him the full hire, even as to us?'
The king said to them: 'Why are you angry? Through his skill he has done more in the two hours than you have done all day.'
So is it with Rabbi Abin ben Ḥiyya.
In the twenty-eight years of his life he has learned more than others learn in 100 years.
Hence he has fulfilled his life-work and is entitled to be called to paradise earlier than others from his work on earth; nor will he miss aught of his reward."
And now, here is Jesus’ version of that parable in the context of those who are first and last in the Kingdom…
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time (20:17-19)
Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.
On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
A Mother’s Request (20:20-28)
She asks Jesus to let James and John sit on his right and left when in his kingdom.
Jesus says, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He adds, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
He is referring to his own impending death and resurrection he had just been talking about.
They say that they can drink it.
Jesus agrees that they will in fact drink from his cup, but tells them that whoever gets power in God’s kingdom is God’s business.
Later, when the other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they shook their heads and couldn’t say anything nice to them.
Jesus then steps in and calls them all together to give them all a lesson of about what the Kingdom of God is really like.
He says to them:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Two Blind Men Receive Sight (20:29-34)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 10:46-52
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King (21:1-11)
As they approach Jerusalem, Jesus sends two of his disciples ahead, telling them that they will find a donkey with a colt. He tells them to untie them and bring them to him, and if the owner asks what they’re doing, to just tell them that the Lord needs them, and everything will be fine.
Matthew says that this took place to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah:
“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.’”
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
King coming on donkey fulfilling Zechariah (21:5) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The disciples brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple (21:12-17)
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.
He quotes from both Isaiah and Jeremiah, saying, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.”
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 have ordained praise’?”
you have ordained praise’?”
Here, Jesus is quoting Psalm 8:2…
“From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.”
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.”
Why is it God has ordained praise from their lips? Because of His enemies, in order to silence them.
Who is Jesus suggesting are the enemies of God? The chief priests and Torah teachers!
No wonder they hate him so much!
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree (21:18-22)
Jesus spends the night in the nearby village of Bethany, and early the next morning he heads back to the big city.
He gets hungry along the way, and stops by a fig tree along the path, but it was covered in nothing but leaves.
He then curses it, saying, “May you never bear fruit again!” and immediately the tree withers.
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. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
But wait a minute… why did Jesus curse the fig tree again? The other Gospel writers let us know that it wasn’t even the season for figs. So what was Jesus point? Was he just having a bad day?
Many scholars see the fig tree as representative of Jerusalem, and Jesus is using the fig tree as a visual aid for a parable.
Just as the fig tree did not produce the kind of fruit that Jesus demanded, continuous and not seasonal, so too the people of Jerusalem had not produced the kind of “fruit” that God demanded.
Just as the fig tree did not recognize its creator and submit to his will when he approached, the same was true with Jerusalem, the city of God… and both would be destroyed.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned (21:23-27)
Jesus goes to the Temple, and the Pharisees ask him a question: Where did you get your authority?
Jesus answers with another question: Where did John the Baptist get his authority?
Within Jesus’ question is the answer. When Jesus is baptized by John, John declares him to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world;” also, the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and the voice from Heaven said, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus got his authority from the testimony of both John the Baptist as well as God Himself, but the Pharisees didn’t want to admit to that, so they decided to play stupid.
Jesus ends the conversation by saying that since they claim to have learned nothing from John, they won’t learn from him either.
The Parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32)
The two sons (21:28-32) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Jesus then tells the Pharisees a parable about themselves.
“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.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“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. 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 (21:33-46)
Jesus continues with 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. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“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.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“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.”
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’?
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“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. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Kingdom taken from you and given to others (21:43) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (22:1-14)
Here is another example of Jesus using a common well-known story of the time and adding his own special twist to it to teach something.
First, here is another rabbi’s version of the parable…
"A king invited his servants to a banquet without stating the exact time at which it would be given.
Those who were wise remembered that all things are ever ready in the palace of a king, and they arrayed themselves and sat by the palace gate awaiting the call to enter, while those who were foolish continued their customary occupations, saying, 'A banquet requires great preparation.'
When the king suddenly called his servants to the banquet, those who were wise appeared in clean raiment and well adorned, while those who were foolish came in soiled and ordinary garments.
The king took pleasure in seeing those who were wise, but was full of anger at those who were foolish, saying that those who had come prepared for the banquet should sit down and eat and drink, but that those who had not properly arrayed themselves should stand and look on."
And now, here is Jesus’ own version of that same parable…
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
“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.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 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.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“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.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Marriage of king's son, and man with no wedding garment (22:1-14) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar (22:15-22)
Covered more thoroughly in Luke 20:20-26
Marriage at the Resurrection (22:23-33)
Covered more thoroughly in Luke 20:27-40
The Greatest Commandment (22:34-40)
The Pharisees and Sadducees go back and forth to Jesus with leading questions about taxes and marriage in order to trap him in his words, but Jesus doesn’t fall for any of their traps.
Finally, the Pharisees come back with a question: Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Whose Son Is the Messiah? (22:41-46)
Jesus then asks the Pharisees a question: What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?
They say that he’s of course the son of David.
Jesus asks, “Then why does David, inspired by the Spirit, refer to him as ‘Lord’?”
He then quotes Psalm 110:
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’
Jesus asks them, “Why would David refer to his own son as ‘Lord’?”
Jesus is implying that the Messiah, the son of David, would be greater than David Israel’s greatest king – and he was also implying that he himself was the Messiah, and that he in fact was greater than Israel’s greatest king, David.
Nobody knew how to respond to Jesus’ question, so they stopped asking him questions.
Fifth Major Discourse: Warnings of Final Judgment (23:1–25:46)
A Warning Against Hypocrisy (23:1-12)
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
He continues:
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
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“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
In Jewish culture, long tassels and wide phylacteries were physical representations of the keeping of the Law of Moses.
Moses had commanded that people wear tassels on their clothes, so extra long tassels were a way people tried to show just how devoted they were to the Law.
A phylactery is a box strapped to one’s body that contains tiny scrolls of scripture in it. Moses had figuratively told the people to wear the Law of God upon their bodies, but the people took this literally and actually walked around with scrolls tied to their bodies as a way of showing off how much the Law meant to them.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees (23:13-39)
Woes to Pharisees (ch 23) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The seven woes of hypocrisy are:
1. They taught about God but did not love God — they did not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, nor did they let others enter. (Matt 23:13-14)
2. They preached God but converted people to dead religion, thus making those converts twice as much sons of hell as they themselves were. (Matt 23:15)
3. They taught that an oath sworn by the temple or altar was not binding, but that if sworn by the gold ornamentation of the temple, or by a sacrificial gift on the altar, it was binding. The gold and gifts, however, were not sacred in themselves as the temple and altar were, but derived a measure of lesser sacredness by being connected to the temple or altar. The teachers and Pharisees worshiped at the temple and offered sacrifices at the altar because they knew that the temple and altar were sacred. How then could they deny oath-binding value to what was truly sacred and accord it to objects of trivial and derived sacredness? (Matt 23:16-22)
4. They taught the law but did not practice some of the most important parts of the law — justice, mercy, faithfulness to God. They obeyed the minutiae of the law such as tithing spices but not the weightier matters of the law. (Matt 23:23-24)
5. They presented an appearance of being 'clean' (self-restrained, not involved in carnal matters), yet they were dirty inside: they seethed with hidden worldly desires, carnality. They were full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matt 23:25-26)
6. They exhibited themselves as righteous on account of being scrupulous keepers of the law, but were in fact not righteous: their mask of righteousness hid a secret inner world of ungodly thoughts and feelings. They were full of wickedness. They were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but full of dead men's bones. (Matt 23:27-28)
7. They professed a high regard for the dead prophets of old, and claimed that they would never have persecuted and murdered prophets, when in fact they were cut from the same cloth as the persecutors and murderers: they too had murderous blood in their veins. (Matt 23:29-36)
The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times (24:1-35)
Jesus leaves the Temple and his disciples are admiring all the fancy buildings.
Jesus tells them that the Temple will be destroyed one day and not one stone will be left on another.
They go to the Mount of Olives and the disciples ask him when all of this is going to happen.
They also ask him, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus first warns them about things that would happen that should not be interpreted as signs:
Some would claim to be Christ. It was a general belief that if the Jewish Messiah arrived in Jerusalem, it would mean that the Kingdom of Heaven was imminent.
There would be wars and rumors of wars.
Then Jesus identifies the beginnings of birth pangs, a metaphor for 'false alarm':
Nations rising up against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms.
Earthquakes
Famines
Pestilence
Fearful events
Next he described more birth pangs which would lead to the coming Kingdom:
False prophets
Apostasy
Persecution of the followers of Jesus
The spread of Jesus' message (the gospel) around the world
Jesus then warned the disciples about the Abomination of Desolation "standing where it does not belong".
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark add "—let the reader understand—". This is generally considered to be a reference to two passages from the Book of Daniel.
One view (Futurism) is that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in contemporary human society.
Another prophetic view (Preterism) is that all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in AD 70.
A key issue in Jesus' discussion concerns the illustration of the fig tree (and other trees).
This is a juxtaposition, balancing the two parts of the discussion.
The first part being the answer to the first question concerning the destruction of the Temple, the second part being the answer to the question of Jesus' return at the end of the world.
Hence, concerning the first he says that "this Generation" would see the fulfillment, whereas the second, "No man knows", not even Jesus himself.
The Day and Hour Unknown (24:36–25:46)
Jesus says that not even he knows the day of his return, so everyone must be ready.
Jesus then lays out several quick parables to provide a better understanding of his future coming.
First Parable: Noah (24:37-39)
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.”
Second Parable: The Field and the Mill (24:39-41)
“That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
Third Parable: The Thief (24:42-44)
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 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. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Fourth Parable: The Servant (24:45-51)
“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? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 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. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Fifth Parable: Ten Virgins (25:1-13)
Wise and foolish virgins (25:1-13) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘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.’
“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.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Sixth Parable: The Talents (25:14:-30)
The talents (25:14-30) unique to Matthew’s Gospel, but similar to parable of pounds in Luke 19:11-27
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents of gold, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five talents of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five talents more. So also, the one with two talents of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“The man with two talents of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Then the man who had received one talent of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Seventh Parable: The Sheep and the Goats (25:31-46)
The sheep and the goats (25:31-46) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Goats don’t pay attention to their master’s voice, but sheep recognize it and follow it.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Fifth and Final Narrative Section (26:1–28:20)
Fifth and Final Narrative Section (26:1–28:20)
The Passion Story (26:1–27:66)
The Plot Against Jesus (26:1-5)
The priests plot to kill Jesus but they fear a riot during the festival
Covered more thoroughly in Luke 22:1-6
Jesus Anointed at Bethany (26:6-13)
Covered more thoroughly in Luke 7:36-50
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus (26:14-16)
Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?”
So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.
From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Judas receiving thirty pieces of silver (26:15) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The Last Supper (26:17-30)
Jesus has his disciples prepare for the Passover celebration in the upper room of a rented house.
In the evening, they’re all reclining at the table when Jesus says, “One of you is going to betray me!”
All of the disciples deny this, but Jesus says, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Judas is like, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus is like, “You said it.”
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
So how exactly is this cup, this “fruit of the vine,” the blood of the covenant?
First, Abraham made a blood oath with God to be loyal to him. The penalty for disloyalty is death. But Abraham did not walk in the blood. God did. And God the Son paid the price that we, Abraham’s spiritual descendants, all owe for our disloyalty. His blood “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” is the price for our breaking the covenant with God.
Second, Jesus was also paying the price for every breaking of the Law of Moses. The Israelites made a blood oath but couldn’t keep their promises. And Jesus was paying that price, too.
Third, Paul later refers to the “blood of the covenant” in 1 Corinthians 11:25-27. He writes, “In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Paul says the Jesus made a “new covenant” with his blood. As we drink his blood, we are going all the way back to the original meaning of the blood oath — we are drinking the blood of the Messiah, entering into communion with him and promising to be loyal — to be faithful — to him. And he is promising to keep his promises to us.
Finally, Hebrews 10:19-22 explains, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
The reference to having “our hearts sprinkled” is a reference back to Exodus where Moses sprinkled the people to bring them into covenant with God. We have had the blood of Jesus sprinkled on us, making us a part of the holy community, recipients of the promises of the covenant with God, and parties to a blood oath.
More on the Passover Meal
By the time of Jesus, the meal was celebrated with four cups of wine, each reflecting a promise of God made to Moses and Israel at the beginning of their deliverance.
At least three of the cups were recorded in the Gospels’ account of the Last Supper.
In the traditional Passover meal, the head of the household would recite each promise from God with each cup.
The first cup, preceding the meal, is the Cup of Sanctification – based on God’s statement, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians”
The second cup, preceding the first course, is the Cup of Judgment or Deliverance — based on God’s statement, “I will deliver you from slavery to them.”
Luke 22:17 records, “After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you.’”
The family would then take the meal together, followed by the third cup, the Cup of Redemption – based on God’s statement, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”
Luke 22:20 records, “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”
The fourth cup is the Cup of Protection – based on God’s statement, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” In fact, pesach, translated Passover, most literally means “protection.”
Jesus did not take this cup, forfeiting the Passover, God’s protection against the death angel. Instead, he said, “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matt 26:29)
Although Jesus drank no more wine, he did drink from another cup. You see, the traditional Passover has a fifth cup, taken from Jeremiah 25:15-17, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.’ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it.”
This is the cup of God’s wrath, also known as Elijah’s cup. Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return shortly before the coming of the Messiah and day of God’s wrath against all wickedness.
“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.” (Mal 4:5)
At this part of the Passover ceremony, the door is opened, and the head of household says, “Pour out your wrath on the world!”
In the traditional ceremony, this cup is filled but not drunk — not until the coming of Elijah. But Jesus drank the cup.
Just a few verses later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” …He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Mat 26:39-42)
Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath against the nations.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (26:31-35)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 14:27-31
Gethsemane (26:36-46)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 14:32-42
Jesus Arrested (26:47-56)
After Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas shows up with an armed mob.
Judas goes to Jesus, saying, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and he kisses him.
Jesus tells him, “Do what you came for, friend.”
Jesus is arrested, but one of the disciples (Peter according to John’s Gospel) grabs a sword and strikes the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Jesus says, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who draw the sword will die by the sword! Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels! But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way!”
Jesus then says to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me! But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled!”
Then all the disciples ran away and hid.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin (26:57-68)
Jesus is taken before Caiaphas the High Priest (who was in on this whole scheme).
Peter follows the crowd, watching from a distance to see what happens.
The priests are trying to come up with a case against Jesus, but they can’t any witnesses who can agree with each other.
Eventually, two people agree that Jesus had claimed that he could destroy God’s Temple and rebuild it in three days.
The High Priest is like, “Aren’t you going to say anything, Jesus?”
Jesus says nothing.
The High Priest puts Jesus under oath and says, “Tell us if you’re the Messiah, the Son of God!”
Jesus says, “You said it.”
He then says to the crowd, “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
The High Priest tears his own clothes, crying, “Blasphemy!”
The crowd cries, “Kill him!”
They then attack Jesus, spitting on him and hitting him, and yelling, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who hit you?”
Peter Disowns Jesus (26:69-75)
Covered more thoroughly in Luke 22:54-62
Judas Hangs Himself (27:1-10)
When Judas sees that they’re going to kill Jesus, he is seized with remorse and tries to give the thirty pieces of silver back to the priests, saying, “I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
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The priests, whose job it is to lead sinful people back to God in confession and forgiveness, say to Judas, “What’s that to us? You’re sin is your own problem!”
Judas throws the money into the Temple and runs away and hangs himself.
The priests don’t know what to do with the money because they know it’s blood money, so they later decide to buy the Potter’s Field with it and they call it The Field of Blood.
Matthew says that this took place to fulfill the words of the prophets, and he quotes both Jeremiah and Zechariah, saying, “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
Judas returning thirty pieces of silver and his suicide (27:3-10) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Jesus Before Pilate (27:11-26)
Very early in the morning, the Sanhedrin decided to drag Jesus over to the Roman Governor Pilate for a decision on what to do with him.
Pilate: Are you the King of the Jews?
Jesus: You said it.
The priests started accusing Jesus of all kinds of stuff, but Jesus didn’t say anything, so Pilate was like, “Aren’t you going to say something in your own defense?”
But Jesus still said nothing and Pilate was amazed at him.
At this point the narrator informs us that it was traditional for a prisoner to be released once a year at the request of the people. He also tells us that there was at this time a known terrorist and murderer locked up in prison named Jesus Barabbas.
Pilate uses this opportunity to ask the crowd who they would like to release – Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ?
Pilate’s wife also shows up to tell her husband to have nothing to do with Jesus, saying that she’d had a terrible dream about that morning.
Pilate's wife's dream (27:19) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
But the crowd had turned against Jesus, and they were like, “No! Give us the terrorist! Set Barabbas free!”
Pilate thought this was kind of stupid, so he was like, “What should I do with this ‘King of the Jews’ then?”
The crowd shouted, “Crucify him!”
Pilate was dumbfounded, and asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?”
But the crowd kept screaming “Crucify!” so in order to avoid a riot, Pilate gave in to them.
He also symbolically washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood! He is your responsibility!”
The crowd shouted back, “His blood be on us and our children!”
He released Barabbas, and had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.
Pilate washing his hands (27:24-25) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The Soldiers Mock Jesus (27:27-31)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 15:16-20
The Crucifixion of Jesus (27:32-44)
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).
There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.
Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus (27:45-56)
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
He was quoting Psalm 22 – the Death Psalm.
Those nearby misheard him and thought he was calling for Elijah.
One of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with wine vinegar, put it on s staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
The others said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.
The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Saints raised from tombs (27:52-53) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Many women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph (Jesus’ mother), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons (James and John’s mother). They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.
The Burial of Jesus (27:57-61)
On the evening of Jesus’ death, a rich disciple named Joseph of Arimathea got permission from Pilate to remove Jesus’ body from the cross and place it in his own tomb before the Sabbath began at sunset.
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 15:42-47
The Guard at the Tomb (27:62-66)
The next morning (the Sabbath), the priests and Pharisees also went to Pilate to get permission to have Jesus’ tomb sealed and made secure so that no one could steal his body.
They said the reason the tomb needed to be guarded was because they remembered that while Jesus was still alive, he claimed that he would be put to death and be raised to life on the third day, and they were afraid the disciples would try to steal his body and try to convince people he’d returned from the dead.
They added that this last deception would be worse than the first, so Pilate posted a guard at the tomb.
Sanhedrin requesting guards to watch tomb (27:62-64) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Postresurrection Appearances (28:1-20)
Jesus Has Risen (28:1-10)
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said.
They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Earthquake at resurrection, angel appearing to guards (28:2-4) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
Women worshiping risen Jesus (28:9-10) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The Guards’ Report (28:11-15)
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
Matthew then tells the reader of his Gospel that this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Bribing of guards, claim that disciples stole body (28:11-15) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
The Great Commission (28:16-20)
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Command to baptize and great commission (28:16-20) unique to Matthew’s Gospel
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