James 1, True Religion

There is another letter (in addition to the book of Hebrews) aimed at Jewish believers -- the letter of James.

This short book is a little depressing (to me) at times, since it assumes that Christian believers are struggling and suffering under some persecution.  That they are always financially very poor!  Yet there are benefits to reminding us (yes, even us rich Americans) of this point of view.

Here we examine the first chapter of the letter (epistle) of James.  This letter is written to Jewish believers and contains numerous "wisdom" teachings, short pithy sayings, similar to the book of Proverbs.

James 1:1, Greetings to the Jews far away,
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.          

Although tradition has it that James was the brother of Jesus (and leader of the church in Jerusalem), the author merely claims to be a servant of God.  Right away we see that this letter is aimed at Jewish believers, that is, remnants of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is intended for a variety of groups, many of them presumably not in the area around Jerusalem. But no more details are given.

The word "servant" is sometimes translated "bondservant" or "slave".

The Messiah Jesus is not mentioned much in this letter. Only here and one other time.  (If James is the brother of Jesus, why does he not mention this?)

The Greek word translated "Greetings" here is chairein, and occurs only two other times in the New Testament as part of a greeting. One of those times is in Act 15, in a letter written by James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem. This is apparently a fairly standard (and secular) greeting.

James identifies himself very simply, as a servant (‘doulos’ = servant or slave) of God and Jesus Christ. ‘Servant’ is a significant, serious term, indicating permanent commitment. It the same word that is translated "bondslave" at the beginning of Philippians.

James 1:2-4, Trials and Temptations

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.          

Apparently trials (testing, struggles) are to be expected in human life and have some type of goal.  If so, we are develop perseverance, endurance -- it is more of a marathon than a sprint -- and James encourages us to allow the struggles to strengthen us, to create a stable, mature individual, someone who is complete.

In the Star Wars science fiction world, young Luke (or anyone seeking to be a Jedi master) must be developed.  They must mature.  Luke groans and struggles against master Yoda's statements that he is "not yet ready".  Luke is impatient.  James would agree with Yoda -- let time and training build you and don't quit early.

What are we to consider joyous?  Is the author deliberately slapping us with an opposite?  Rejoice in pain??  How healthy is that?  Why are we doing this?

There does seem to be a goal here – that suffering brings perseverance and (here is the point) that if we persevere, perseverance will “finish” its work and bring us maturity.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be “mature and complete, lacking in nothing”?

Perseverance is personified, as if Perseverance were looking over our shoulder, working on our character.

James 1:5-8, Seeking wisdom in faith
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 

We are encouraged to ask for wisdom from God who is willing to give it generously, without chiding us for past mistakes or past stupid actions.  But then there is an aspect to this request; after asking for wisdom, we should trust that it is being given to us (although possibly given rather slowly, in my experience!) and we should move on in confidence, not timidly blown around like seafoam.

But what about those of us who ask while doubting?  Indeed, won’t most of us have doubts the first time we try to apply James 1:5?  This doesn’t seem fair.  Or maybe something else is meant by doubting here – the doubter is describe in further detail as someone of two minds, unstable, blown and tossed by the wind.  Instead we are to be steady, to persevere.  So doubting may be more closely linked to our long-term action?  

Obviously there are several types of doubts.  If one is being encouraged to believe something, a certain type of doubt is acceptable, or we would not even do the encouraging.  Any transition from one set of opinions to another includes a place where new beliefs are challenged.

James 1:9-11
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 

A major theme of James: chiding and scolding the rich.  Here the rich are viewed as unrealistic, expecting their "blossoms" to last awhile, when instead they collapse in the summer heat. The humble and the proud are sharply contrasted, as is one’s status and God’s development of it.  God lifts the humble, reduces the proud and rich.

James is about to bring an accusation against these believers; it will run throughout the book.  These believers have become too complacent and comfortable.

There is a sharp tone to all of this that I now find a bit disconcerting.  Am I now too content?  Too rich?  What should I do?

James 1:12, Transition
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 

Instead, we (the people of humble circumstances) are to patiently endure, completing our marathon, a demonstration (in some way?) of God's love.  I'm not sure that this is especially encouraging to me....What does it mean to receive “the crown of life”?  (What is that?)

James 1:13-15, Birth of sin
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 

What does it mean, that God does not tempt anyone?   Isn’t God in charge?  Is it really any different to say, “God allows temptation”?

We are told not to blame our difficulties and temptation on God.  Apparently much of it is our own faults, deeply embedded in our own selfish desires.  (Notice the progression of sin, as something that comes to life and grows.)

Surely, if we examine ourselves carefully, much of our own suffering is due to our selfishness and unwillingness to look up and care for others. But not all of it....  Some of it is part of the "natural" living in a broken world.

James 1:16-18, Heavenly lights
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

Verse 16 (“Don’t be deceived…”) may be a transition verse.  But both Barclay and Jensen split the paragraph before it.  (I am reading a commentary by William Barclay, as I study the letter of James.)

James 1:17-20, True religion
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

James digresses to emphasize "true religion".  The phrase “change like shifting shadows" might remind us of verse six, where we are told not to be unstable.  We are reminded that although we might be unstable, constantly shifting, God is constant.

Firstfruits is an Old Testament term, used for the best things, put forward as a tithe.  So this is our role as the Church…..Verse 19 – more brief pithy advice.  Quick to listen, slow to anger ….  Note the simple, short contrasts.  Jensen has 19 as a new paragraph.

James 1: 21-25, Applying the Word of God
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.           

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

It is better to know the truth, even when it is painful, and begin to respond to it, than to conveniently forget.James’ metaphor:  what good is it to have a mirror if you look at it and then forget what you saw?

How does the Law give freedom?

James 1: 26-27, More short proverbs
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.            

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Verse 27 seems to have a positive and a negative component.  The positive: reach out to the vulnerable and help them.  The negative: avoid the world’s “pollution.”

Matthew 28, Easter Sunday

After Good Friday comes Easter Sunday, the first day of a new week.

Matt 28:1-7
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."

An empty tomb greets the women.

Matt 28:8-15
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." 

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. And this story has been widely circulated among  the Jews to this very day.

Confusion and cover-up.

Matt 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."

The book ends suddenly, with the resurrection and appearances of Jesus to his followers, followed by the "Great Commission", given here at the very end, as if a summary of Matthew's gospel.

Matthew 27: 32-66, The Crucifixion

Jesus has been turned over to Roman soldiers to be executed by crucifixion.  They have taunted him and repeatedly hit him; now they take him out to a nearby hill for the crucifixion.

Matt 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 robbers 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 robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The person carrying the cross is named, as if the readers may know of him?

Note the offer made by skeptics: "If he comes down, we will believe."  God did not accept that offer. Any similar offer should be viewed with suspicion; God does not usually stoop to such offers.

On verse 35 (from NIV footnotes): A few late manuscripts say, after the phrase "by casting lots", "that the word spoken by the  prophet might be fulfilled: 'They divided my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing'." (This is a quote from Psalm 22:18.)

Matt 27:45-54
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama --which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing there heard this, they said,  "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

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!"

The quote is from Psalm 22:1.  Numerous events in this account resonate with Psalm 22, a Messianic psalm.

This "new covenant" apparently breaks the temple curtain!?

In verse 54, the centurion could also be saying,  "Surely he was a son of God!"  The centurion need not know of the Jewish meaning of that statement.

Matt 27:55-66
Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had  followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, `After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the  dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

"Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

This gory day, now known as Good (!) Friday is done.

Matthew 27: 1-31, Good Friday Trial

Now the religious leaders have what they want, a criminal conviction of blasphemy.  It is time to get rid of Jesus.  

Matt 27:1-10, As Jesus is handed over to Pilate, Judas kills himself
Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the  thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." 

"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your  responsibility."

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is  against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field  as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:  "They took the thirty silver coins, 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."

What motivated Judas?  Notice how the chief priests stay true to their legalistic worldview. They have just betrayed the Messiah but want to make sure they follow the rules on tainted money in the treasury!

Verse ten quotes several Old Testament passages. See Zechariah 11: 12-13, Jeremiah 19: 1-13 and Jeremiah 32: 6-9.

Matt 27:11-18, Pilate interviews Jesus and tries to intervene
Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" 

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.  When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.

Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?"

But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.

Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent and that he should be able to find a way out of this bind.  So he offers to free either Jesus or this notorious criminal, thinking that the crowd will not want the criminal freed. But Pilate has misplayed his hand.

Matt 27:19-26, A reluctant Pilate
While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."  But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 

"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. 

"Barabbas," they answered.

"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. 

They all answered, "Crucify him!"

"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. 

But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent.  But Pilate is a politician.  He fears the power of the people and the people seem determined.  He believed that offering them a criminal like Barabbas would make them choose Jesus, but not so. Despite even his wife's dream, he reluctantly hands Jesus over to the Romans soldiers for execution.

Matt 27:27-31, Soldiers mock him
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Execution, in that time, was not a mercy killing.  It included taunting and violence.

Lloyd C. Douglass took this image, of Roman soldiers mocking the Messiah, and turned it into a novel, The Robe, presumably tracing the path of Jesus's robe after his crucifixion. That novel examines what it means to live as a follower of the Jewish Messiah, amidst the secular Roman world.

After the taunting and violence, the Roman soldiers complete their task, executing Jesus. That account is next in Matthew.

Matthew 26: 36-75, Betrayal

Jesus has just told to his disciples that he will betrayed and killed.  Peter has insisted otherwise and claimed that he will stand by Jesus.  Now Jesus goes to a quiet garden area at the base of the Mount of Olives to pray.

Matt 26:36-46, Jesus overwhelmed
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.  "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

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." 

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because  their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third  time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Even Jesus is distressed about the upcoming events.

Matt 26:47-56, Judas arrives

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the  people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him."

Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "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?"

At that time Jesus said 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 deserted him and fled.

NIV footnotes say that Jesus's comment could also be translated, "Friend, why have you come?"

Note Jesus's confidence that all of this is the right thing.  He could, apparently, change the events if he wanted; he has the power.  (I don't know what a legion of angels is, or why Jesus mentions twelve....) But the disciples, who promised him power, desert him.  And the one who betrays him, does so with a kiss.

Matt 26:57-68, Peter follows
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, "This fellow said, `I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent. 

The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of  heaven."

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" 

"He is worthy of death," they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists.  Others slapped him and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?"

The rulers are unable to credibly attack Jesus.  Eventually they have to get him to say something that they view as blasphemy.

Matt 26:69-75, A rooster crows
Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.

But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of  Nazareth."

He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"

After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."

 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"

Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Poor Peter.  He is so confident and so weak. So human!

Matthew 26: 1-35, The Last Week

We are now well into the Passover Week.  Jesus has been visible, moving around Jerusalem and speaking in the temple area.

Matt 26:1-5, The Passover sacrifice is coming
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."

Both Jesus and the rulers of Jerusalem know that betrayal is coming.  The rulers see Jesus' popularity as a threat, enough so that they know they can't arrest him publicly.

Matt 26:6-13, A woman in Bethany
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at  the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Bethany is close to Jerusalem and apparently a favorite place for Jesus to stay.  Jesus continues to live among the poor.  Here he is with a leper.  And a "woman".

Matt 26:14-16, Thirty silver coins
Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The betrayal is set up.

Matt 26:17-25, The last supper

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,  `The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to  celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.'"

So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Jesus replied, "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."

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

One tradition has Jesus staying at the home of John Mark, the same place as mentioned in Acts 12:12-13.

Verse 25 has Jesus response as literally, "You yourself have said it".

Matt 26:26-30, Body and blood

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered 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 of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of  Olives.

In verse 28 some manuscripts (sasythe NIV footnotes) identify the blood of the "new covenant."

Matt 26:31-35, Even his disciples will leave him
Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I  never will."

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."

But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

The quote in verse 31 is from Zechariah 13:7.

Arrogant, confident Peter under-estimates the difficulties of the coming night.

*The Return of the Messiah

 In Acts 1:1-11, Jesus gives last words to his disciples and then ascends (disappears) into a cloud. We are told then that he will return, in the same way. This return is a concept that is taught throughout the New Testament, often enough that some have suggested that the delay (at least thirty years) in the the writing of the gospels is due to his followers believing that his return was imminent. That event is mentioned briefly throughout New Testament letters: in Titus 2:13, Revelation 1:7, 1 John 3:2.

It is discussed more deeply in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57. Also in the Upper Room, John 14. and in a discourse on the Mount of Olives, Matthew 24:1-31.
2 Peter 3:3-13.

See this Wikipedia article for a variety of historical interpretations.

The Day of the Lord

Zechariah 14, the feet of the Lord will stand on the Mount of Olives

 parousia (παρουσία, meaning "arrival", "coming", or "presence") 

epiphany: epiphaneia, appearing

Matthew 24

The Kingdom of God

The Last Days

Day of the Lord (Joel)

Rapture

Last Trumpet

Millenium

Tribulation

Judgment Day

Resurrection

Second Coming

New Heaven & Earth

New Jerusalem

Matthew 25: 31-46, The Sheep and the Goats

Jesus continues his description of the endtimes with a remarkable (and memorable) description of a final judgment.

Matt 25:31-40, The Son of Man in glory, power and judgment
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 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, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did  for me.'

Works – good compassionate works for others – are certainly important here!  We are to look at others as if they were Jesus! (Keith Green had an interesting song on this.)

Matt 25:41-46, Those who ignored the hungry and the stranger

"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, `I tell you the truth, 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."

This parable is a strong statement about active love and care for others.  It is how we care for the stranger (indeed, the immigrant) that is judged!  As Keith Green says in his song (linked above), the difference between the sheep and the goats "is what they did – and didn't – do."

Matthew 25: 1-30, Waiting for the Bridegroom & Master

Jesus continues teaching on the coming of the final age and the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 25:1-13
"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, 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. `Sir! Sir!' they said. `Open the door for us!' But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

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

This is a warning, not especially about timing, but about preparation and the unexpected.  Notice what it says about the culture of the time, waiting for a party traveling at night.

Matt 25:14-18
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, 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 the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a  hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

A simplistic story has been set up -- 8 talents are distributed unevenly among three servants.  They respond in different ways.

In verse 15, the NIV footnotes says, "A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars."

Matt 25:19-30
"After a long time the master of those servants returned and  settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other  five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. 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 the two talents also came. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; 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 the one talent 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 talent 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.

 "`Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

This is a strange and rather scary parable.  It includes a message about being serious about the gospel, working hard in the role given you, with the abilities and skills learned or inherited.  But I still find it strange.

Matthew 24: 32-51, More on the "Second Coming"

(NASB)

===

Jesus is speaking to his disciples regarding a future "coming of the Son of Man."

Matt 24:32-34, The coming signs
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so you too, when you see all these things, [y]recognize that [z]He is near, right at the [aa]door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 

A significant question about all of this passage: is Jesus speaking of a close upcoming event (for example, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD) or a far off event, millennia away?  Or some combination of these?  At the beginning of this conversation, he is appears to be speaking of the generation of his listeners.

From the NIV footnotes: in verse 33, "it" could also be "he" as in "He is near".  And the word "generation" in verse 34 could also be translated "race", so this might not be describing the time frame of a "generation".

Matt 24:35-39, But that Hour will happen quickly and unexpectedly
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

"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. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [ab]the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [ac]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

In verse 36 some manuscripts do not include the phrase translated here "nor the Son."

Jesus makes it clear that the "end" will come quickly, will be a surprise.

Matt 24:40-44, Keep watch!
"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.

"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."

40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one [ad]will be taken and one [ae]will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the [af]mill; one [ag]will be taken and one [ah]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [ai]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

"Like a thief in the night," a favorite phrase for people discussing the endtimes....  I have to say that I am a bit immune to this phrase now and it is hard to go back to the first century and view this from their perspective.  (My college days included listening to Larry Norman's "I wish we'd all been ready.")

Matt 24:45-51, The master punishes a wicked servant
"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. I tell you the truth, 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.

45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his [aj]master put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ak]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [al]master [am]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50 then the [an]master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will [ao]cut him in two and assign [ap]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This appearance of the "owner" or "master", the Creator of the house, will apparently be a complete surprise.  Of course, for most of us, it is Death that comes first, sometimes as a surprise.

Matthew 24:1-31, The Coming of the Son of Man

(NASB)

===

Jesus has just finished warning the religious leaders about the effects of their hypocrisy and their narrow view of righteousness.  He now uses the nearby temple to transition into teachings on the end times.

Matt 24:1-2, No stone left
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way [a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

This will happen within 40 years!

Matt 24:3-8, When?  
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. 

"Tell us," they said, "when will this  happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."

3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one [c]misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [d]Christ,’ and they will [e]mislead many people. 6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

Are we still looking to the destruction of Jerusalem?  Or something much later?  Or both?

Matt 24:9-14, The gospel to the whole world

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 And at that time many will [f]fall away, and they will [g]betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will rise up and [h]mislead many people. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, [i]most people’s love will become cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole [j]world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Perilous Times

This now seems to be speaking of a period much further off than 40 years after this speech.

Matt 24:15-22, The abomination of desolation
"So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet  Daniel--let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive,  but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—[k]let the [l]reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [m]Whoever is on the [n]housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. 18 And [o]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 Moreover, pray that [p]when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no [q]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [r]elect those days will be cut short.

The quote in verse 15 is from the Old Testament book of Daniel: Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, Daniel 12:11.

The author of this book, Matthew, seems to insert the sentence, "Let the reader understand", as an alert of some kind.  If Matthew is writing just after the destruction of the temple (in 70 CE) then his readers would see some of this prophecy as already fulfilled. If Matthew is writing before the destruction of the temple, then this is presumably an alert to his readers.

Matt 24:23-28
At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the  Christ!' or, `There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.

"So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,'  do not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [s]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great [t]signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the [u]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man [v]be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the [w]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

Those inclined to pour over the first half of chapter 24, looking for special signs that fit their current history, should be discouraged by these warnings that there will be many false claims that "this is the end times!"  One need only have a passing familiarity with the history of Christianity to see many many false claims, "Here he is!"

Matt 24:29-31
"Immediately after the distress of those days "`the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [x]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Verse 29 is a rough rephrasing of Old Testament prophesies in Isaiah 13:10 and Isaiah 34:4.

Surely now we are looking to an event deeper in time, millennia away from this conversation with the disciples on the temple grounds.