Author: Jim Cantelon

Key Verse: Matthew 26:11 “You have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

This chapter is the beginning of what is known as the passion narrative–the story of the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It begins with Jesus Himself predicting that at the Passover He would be handed over to be crucified. It’s at this point the chief priest and the elders of the people plot to kill Jesus, but they don’t want to do it during the feast of unleavened bread, which begins at the Passover, because they feel that there would be a riot among the people.

Nevertheless, the plot begins and the tension and speed of the narrative starts to pick up. It opens with a very unusual event in Bethany where Jesus is in the home of Simon the leper. Simon was probably someone whom Jesus had healed from leprosy. A woman, unnamed, comes to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and pours it on His head as He reclines at the table. The disciples, like all good Christians everywhere, were angry because this perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor. Jesus responded by saying this was a special event–“The poor you will always have to minister to, Me you will have only for a short period of time.” He goes on to say, “When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial”.

It could be that the woman thought she was forcing Jesus to claim the kingship because anointing on the head was something that was done to kings. It could be she thought that by doing this she might spur Jesus into some kind of action. What He did was turn the act into something else. He said that she may have thought she was anointing Him to be King, but in fact she was anointing Him for burial. It was a very poignant moment: one that Jesus said would be remembered wherever the Gospel was preached throughout the world. Nevertheless, He would not allow anyone, however loving and loyal he or she might be, to force Him to fulfill any agenda other than that of His Father in heaven.

Key Verse: Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; for He is risen, as he said.”

The account of Jesus’ resurrection is foundational to Christian faith. In fact, all of New Testament theology presupposes resurrection, and Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, says that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain. Why? Because if Christ be not risen, then the central point of His teaching is in question. He says that He is the Son of God, and as such He should be able to rise above mere human mortality, as human as He was. If He, like us, is mastered by the grave, then however kind, good, loving, and miraculous His ministry is, He is just like any other man.

We read there was a violent earthquake and an angel descended, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lighting, his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid that they shook and became like dead men; possibly lying unconscious in their fear. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came along. They had seen Jesus die, had witnessed His burial, and now they witnessed the empty tomb. The angel told them to bring a message to the disciples that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. Hurrying away, they suddenly encountered Jesus. As they clasped His feet and worshipped Him, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, go tell My brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see Me.”

Don’t be afraid? Who wouldn’t be afraid at a time like this? Never before had something like this occurred. That’s part of the legitimate lesson of Resurrection Day. Resurrection Day should inspire a certain kind of fear. One theologian said that we live in an enclosed valley called earth and Easter takes us to a neighbouring height to show us a world vaster than we have dreamed. It’s true!

Resurrection Day gives us an insight to the world that is to come. It brings a gripping historical confirmation to Paul’s theology which tells us that Christ is the first fruits of them that shall also rise, meaning you and me and all believers everywhere throughout history. We have a destiny, and we will individually be glorified and recognizable one to another. We will no longer be subject to death and decay. We will follow where Jesus has led us. That empty tomb is an open window to the kingdom of heaven.

Key Verse: Matthew 24:42 “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”

The subject of the end of the age is something that has been written and preached about to the point where one wonders if anything original can be said. So there’s no need to delineate all of the various details of this chapter and speculate as to their possible fulfillment, but there are a few things that jump out at you.

It starts with the disciples asking Jesus the question of what will be the sign of His coming and the end of the age. Jesus responds by mentioning four things: #1 There will be many people claiming to be Christ #2 There will be all kinds of wars, famines and earthquakes.. #3 The whole world will hate the believer and #4 the Gospel will be preached to that whole world as a testimony to all nations.

In the framework of those four things, Jesus says we’re not to be alarmed at the false prophets, and we should understand that the wars, famines and earthquakes are just the beginning of birth pains. We should also remember that, even while believers are being hated by all nations, the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And as far as the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached to the world is concerned, the end won’t come until the whole world has heard the message. Jesus then speaks of several other factor contributing to the end of the age. But He stresses again something He has said before–that no one knows the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Jesus does not emphasize end-time agenda or time frame here, although He does say that the generation which sees all of these things (especially the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world), will not pass away until all of the things that have happened culminate in the coming of the Kingdom.

The key word in this chapter is in verse 42, “Keep watch”. Stay alert. Keep your brain in gear. Keep your heart tuned to the voice of the spirit and expect the coming of the Lord at any time.

Key Verse: Matthew 23:39 “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

This chapter has been entitled “The Seven Woes” by many commentators, because seven times Jesus pronounces woe on the Pharisees. There’s no need to expand on the various criticisms that He has of the Pharisees, because the main point of the seven woes is in verse 3, “do not do what they do for they do not practice what they preach”. Jesus’ criticisms are about doing righteous things to be seen by man. He also addresses the misplacement of authority in calling various Pharisees “Rabbi”, “Father”, or “Teacher”. Does this mean we’re wrong to be calling anybody “Teacher” or “Professor” or “Master” or “Father”? No. In the context, Jesus is essentially flattening the spiritual pride He sees in the Pharisees and the titles they assume for themselves. He talks about their zeal to win converts and yet their blindness are guides. He talks about their ability to teach the Law and yet their inability to perform it. He also talks about the fact the He is going to send prophets, wise men, and teachers, to try and steer the Pharisees in the right direction, but predicts they will be killed and crucified just like others before them.

It’s in this context that Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. He uses the powerful imagery of a barnyard hen clucking a warning as her little chicks rush to nestle under her wings for protection from some intruder. It’s a very pastoral, loving, and compassionate picture. When Jesus, however, was “clucking”, the chicks were not running. Because of their inattention, their temple was going to be left to them desolate. Then He says, “I am going to be gone too.” Which only adds to the desolation.

Israel won’t see Jesus again until they say, “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord”. Here we have a reference to the end of days and the developing doctrine in the New Testament of the second coming of Jesus Christ and His triumphant reign as Messiah.

Key Verse: Matthew 22:21 “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Here we have one of the most famous stories about Jesus, when He comments on giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’. What is fascinating about the story is that the Pharisees and the Herodians got together in attempting to trap Jesus in His words. These two groups had very little to do with one another, and in fact represented totally different political points of view. The Pharisees tended toward ardent Nationalism, the Herodians toward cooperation with the growing force of occupation. So the Pharisees would be against paying tribute to Caesar, but the Herodians  would be for it. Yet here they were, working together. Both the religious and political establishment saw Jesus as a threat.

Jesus’ response to the question is anger, “you hypocrites, why are you trying to trap Me?”, and then tremendous cleverness, “show Me the coin used for paying the tax.” . (I think it is interesting Jesus didn’t have a denarius to His name.) The next question is simple, “whose portrait is this? whose inscription?” “Caesar’s”, they replied, then followed the famous answer.

Jesus refused to align Himself and His message with any kind of zealous nationalism. Though He claimed to be Israel’s leader, He denied any kind of kingship which was focused only on temporal and political power. The kingdom that Jesus represented was one in which everything is God’s. This meant that even though one rendered unto Caesar that which was Caesar’s, all of those monies and political infrastructures would ultimately fall under God’s dominion.

It’s a good point. Especially for those of us who associate Christianity with capitalism and the west. God is working powerfully in communist countries in the east. He’s not subject to our political ideologies and divisions, for He is Lord of all.

Key Verse: Matthew 21:22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

This chapter includes a tough passage. First of all, it seems uncharacteristic of Jesus to be going about cursing trees, especially trees, as Mark tells us, that are out of season. Secondly, even though we’re accustomed to Jesus using hyperbole (that is, exaggerating for the sake of emphasis), as any good Semitic teacher and rabbi would do, we are thrown by His reference to physical mountains being cast into the sea, and anything being received that is asked for in prayer with faith.

What is Jesus really telling us here? “If you have faith and doubt not, or if you believe, you’ll receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” The promise in its very form excludes a literal fulfillment. The phrase, “to remove mountains,” was a natural exaggeration and Jesus is referring to the mountains of difficulty that we face every day in life; but to refer to Mount Hermon, as likely this mountain indicates, just gave a greater vividness to an illustration which the disciples could easily understand. A mere physical miracle, such as Mount Hermon being thrown into the Mediterranean, would never in itself by the object of faith as Jesus describes it. The exaggeration is mean to impress on the disciples’ mind the truth that lies beneath it.

When Jesus says that belief will see you receiving whatever you ask in prayer, there is the implied condition, as we see in chapter 7, that what is asked is in harmony with God’s law and God’s will. In fact, if it weren’t in harmony with His law and His will it wouldn’t be asked in faith. Every true prayer involves submission to God’s will in the matter. This is why we need to be very careful with a passage like this, that we don’t use it as a springboard to irresponsible praying, or prayer, as a means to a worldly end.

We must always submit what it is we ask to the greater issue of God’s will for your lives and the world and commit ourselves in a childlike way to whatever He chooses to do.

Key Verse: Matthew 19:30 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

A rich young man comes up to Jesus and says, “What must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus’ response is a little strange. He says “Why do you ask Me about what is good? There’s only one who is good.” The initial impression is that this is a bit of put down. But then again, maybe Jesus is just trying, as He often does, to shock His listener into attention by saying what He least expected to hear. He then gets into the expected answer. “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” He asks which ones, and Jesus says such and so. And the young fellow says, “I’ve kept all of these.” Jesus then tells him that if he wants to become perfect, to go, sell his possessions to the poor, and then he’ll have treasure in heaven. Well, the young man left him sadly, because he had a lot of money.

At this point, Jesus uses the opportunity to teach His disciples that it’s very difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The disciples want to get a little deeper into this. In fact, they’re greatly astonished and ask, “Well then, who can be saved?” And Jesus says, “Naturally speaking, in the human realm, it’s impossible to be saved. Only with God is it possible to be saved.” Peter says, “Look, we’ve left everything to follow You. What’s going to be in it for us?” Jesus then tells them that whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, will receive one hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Then He throws in a disclaimer. Many who are first shall be last, and many who are last shall be first. This is, perhaps, to avoid any attempt on the disciples part, or on ours, to reduce entry into the kingdom of heaven to legalism such as: if you leave what’s valuable to you, or sell what is valuable, you’re guaranteed eternal life. Jesus says, “Not necessarily so.” A lot who appear to have done all this, in God’s eyes still will be lost. And many who have appeared to have neglected this, will be found. Obviously, He’s telling us, among other things, that what He said to the rich young ruler was a specific instance and shouldn’t be overly generalized.

Key Verse: Matthew 18:3 “Unless you…become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Even the disciples had egos. This must have been at the root of their question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Like you and me, they would want to hear Jesus say, “Frankly, in all honesty, you are.” And even as we humbly accepted it, we would be privately glowing, with smug joy at our special status. Well, Jesus characteristically surprised them all. He brought a little child, stood him among them and said, “You must become like a child or you’ll never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name, welcomes Me.”

The last thing an adult would expect is to be told to regress to childhood. What’s the point? It is simply this — a child recognizes authority. A child is forever learning, has a boundless enthusiasm, innocence, and malleability that an adult just doesn’t possess. And Jesus goes on to say that anyone who misleads a child is going to be in big trouble. More than that, Satan’s going to be in big trouble because of the stimulus he has provided to sin in mankind.

Jesus then turns to His disciples, changing pace somewhat, and says that if their foot or their hand or their eye causes them to sin, they should cut it off or gouge it out, or somehow maim themselves in order to avoid sinning.

Certainly, Jesus is not expecting a bunch of disfigured and dismembered disciples to be following Him about. He is, as He often does, using exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, but the point He’s making is clear. Sin is a serious thing. And even as a child is relatively sinless, so too we must approach the kingdom of heaven with that kind of innocence — an innocence which comes not from self-generated righteousness but from a committed belief in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Key Verse: Matthew 16:16 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

In chapter 16, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” And the answers were predictable. “Some say John the Baptist, others said, Elijah, some said Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you, who do you say that I am?” And it’s good old Simon Peter who answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is a great confession of faith, and Jesus replies, “Blessed are you Simon,” and He comments that this was not revealed by man, but by God the Father in heaven. It’s at this point Jesus says He’ll build His church on this rock, on this confession of faith; and as long as the church believes that Jesus is the Son of the living God, then that church will be well-founded and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

In that context, those who are a part of the church, especially of its leadership, will have authority on earth and in heaven, in terms of fellowshipping with, or disfellowshipping, individuals who may or may not be a part of the kingdom of heaven in that church on earth. But then Jesus does something very strange. He warns His disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Christ. The only thing that comes to mind here is that it wasn’t time yet for the general populace to hear about this. He then talks to the disciples about what He’s going to face before it’s finally revealed who He is. And as Jesus talks about His trials, His sufferings, His death and resurrection, Peter says, “Never Lord, this shall never happen to You.” Jesus turns on Peter, just after commending him, and rebukes him, “Out of My sight, Satan, you’re a stumbling block to Me.”

Why this strong reaction? Maybe it’s because this was almost like a fourth temptation to Jesus. And so Peter is almost like Satan here in terms of his tempting Jesus to avoid the issue and find some other way to establish His Christness in the public domain. It’s just another indication again of the remarkable hybrid that is man. We’re very much part of the earth, and at the same time the image of God which is in us has such heavenly potential. On the other hand, we can make great confessions of faith, and on the other hand, act as agents of the devil.