Week 6
Monday, February 3
Matthew 26:1-30
Commentary
Today’s
reading begins with Jesus telling of his impending arrest and execution and the
chief priests, elders of Jerusalem, and high priest start plotting how they
will destroy Jesus later that week. When Jesus is in Bethany, a town close to
Jerusalem, a woman anoints him with a costly ointment, made of myrr. Mark 14:15
tells us that this was worth over a year’s wages. This flask of expensive
ointment would’ve been an emergency provision for this woman – she was left
without a father or husband to provide for her, she could sell the myrr and
have months of provision. To give a modern metaphor, she emptied her 401k to
anoint Jesus for his burial. This is devotion worth honoring and imitating
(v11)!
Judas
goes to the chief priests and agrees to set up Jesus for them to arrest him for
only 30 sheckles, the price of a slave according to the law and about 120 days
of wages.[1] Next we
see the establishment of the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion or Eucharist)
as Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples. The Jews celebrated the
Passover every year to commemorate God delivering the Israelites from bondage
in Egypt. The reason it was called the Passover is because God passed over the homes
that had doors covered in the blood of a sacrificial lamb. In this last meal
with his disciples, Jesus alludes to his impending sacrificial death. God
spares believers from Hell not because of our merits but because we are covered
by the blood of the great and final sacrificial lamb, Christ.
In the midst of the Passover meal, Jesus said that one of the disciples would betray him. Judas, of course, had already agreed to betray Jesus and would soon fulfill that agreement, but even Judas pretends to be sorrowful and asks if it would be him. Jesus, in his typical style of not answering questions as directly as the inquirer would expect, tells Judas he has said so – and of course, Jesus divinely knew that Judas indeed said he would betray Jesus. Jesus declared woe (great sorrow or doom) to the one who betrays him, although Jesus’ death is necessary in God’s plan. We are accountable for the moral choices we make, even if our intentionally sinful decisions end up producing good. We don’t know exactly why Judas betrayed Jesus, but we do know that Jesus allowed himself to be betrayed, arrested, mocked, tortured, and finally killed for our sins. Praise God for our true and final Passover lamb.
Application/Discussion
1. The woman in Bethany gave something that represented her entire future and provision up to honor Christ. How have you sacrificed your own possessions or desires for Christ, or what opportunities do you have to sacrifice things for Christ? Think about relationships or money that you can better devote to the kingdom, or ministry opportunities God may be calling you to embrace.
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for sending Jesus to die for us as our sacrificial lamb.
2.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in putting the kingdom first in your life.
3. Pray for the people in your church to stay on mission for Christ rather than being distracted by sin or worldly matters.
Going
Deeper
To
learn more about the Lord’s Supper, see this post on the Family Bible Reading
blog: https://familybiblereading.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-sermon-on-lords-supper.html
Tuesday,
February 4
Matthew 26:31-46
Commentary
Jesus’
arrest and death march closer and closer in this passage. When Jesus tells the
disciples they will all fall away (all the disciples fled at Jesus’ arrest
and/or trial), Peter insists that he won’t even if the others do. Of course, the
very next thing we see is that Jesus asks the disciples simply to pray with him
and they all, repeatedly, fall asleep. It wasn’t just Judas who failed Jesus in
his last hours; all the disciples would abandon him in fear. Yet, all of them
but Judas would come back to Christ in repentance. That is the difference
between Judas and the other disciples – all of them were sinners, yet Jesus
forgave all those who repented. Why would Jesus forgive and pardon his friends when
they couldn’t even stay awake to pray with him on the most heart-wrenching
night of his life? Because he loved them and he died for their sin – and yours!
Don’t be afraid to own up to your mistakes and ask for forgiveness!
This
passage really shows the humanity of Jesus. Remember that while Jesus has
always been fully God, he also became fully man in his incarnation. Jesus had
real worry at the very real agony he would soon face on the cross. Jesus even
asks the Father if this cup could pass from him, if he could be spared of the
Father’s wrath being poured out on him as he died on the cross. Thankfully, he
never fell to temptation, even on this dreadful evening as he waited for his
betrayer to come, and he indeed faithfully obeyed the will of his Father and
served as our Savior and sacrifice by dying on the cross.
We need a Savior who is both fully God and fully man. Only God had the authority and power to come to the earth in the way Christ did, do the acts he did, and serve as the sacrifice he was. God is the author of all things and the ultimate standard of good, so he is ultimately the offended party in the case of sin. A mere human, then, cannot pay for or make up for humanity’s sins. One who is both fully God and fully man, however, could both be sufficient to pay the price for humanity’s forgiveness and truly tempted to sin. Despite all the temptations Jesus faced, especially the temptation to turn away from the cross and save himself that horrible suffering, Jesus persevered, succeeding in the face of temptation where Adam and all men after him failed. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Application/Discussion
1. How does this passage highlight Jesus’ humanity? How does seeing Jesus’ human nature and genuine anguish about dying on the cross increase your love for him?
Points of Prayer
1. Thank God for Jesus’ perfect obedience and painful suffering for
our sake.
2.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in resisting temptations and pointing others to
Christ.
3. Pray for one of your lost family members by name.
Going
Deeper
These
articles/sermons/videos give further insight into the humanity of Jesus:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/jesus-is-fully-human
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-hypostatic-union
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-humanity-of-christ
Wednesday,
February 5
Matthew 26:47-75
Commentary
Today
we see the arrest of Jesus, thanks to Judas leading the religious authorities
to Jesus when he would have been hard to find during the busyness and bustle of
Passover week, let alone identify in the dark. Remember, they wouldn’t have had
much to describe Jesus, he would’ve looked like a Jewish man with a bunch of
ragtag buddies following him around. Notice Jesus’ firm resolve now compared to
his dread in yesterday’s reading. He is ready and willing to be arrested,
falsely tried, tortured, and killed, all so that he could be the sacrifice for
our sins and our triumphant Savior.
While
Peter brashly tries to defend Jesus, Jesus tells him to put his sword away and
assures him that if he needed defending, he could call heaven’s armies. Jesus
comments that the religious authorities could have arrested him at any point
before now, as he had been openly teaching for some time, but of course, they
arrested Jesus under the cover of night to avoid any attention or opposition
from the people. When Jesus is arrested, the disciples all fled, showing Jesus’
earlier prediction to be true. Any of us would just as likely flee in terror
when we saw our teacher being arrested – to the disciples, who are only seeing
things with their limited understanding from that side of the cross, it looked
as if it was all over.
Jesus is brought to the high priest and charged with blasphemy for saying he would destroy the temple and rebuild it and for claiming to be the Christ and Son of Man. (Of course, this would only have been blasphemous if what Jesus said wasn’t true.) This process was done quite illegally – trials couldn’t happen at night or during festivals, and someone could not be sentenced to death with only a few hours of a trial. By this point, the religious have had it with Jesus and they are trying to kill him at any cost. While Jesus is being tried, beaten, and mocked, Peter sits in the courtyard, trying to be as close to Jesus’ trial as he can without being in danger himself. He is so afraid that he can’t admit to anyone that he knows Jesus, not even a servant girl. The rooster crows just as Peter denies Jesus the third time and Peter rushes out, weeply bitterly. Unlike the apparent guilt and remorse we will see from Judas tomorrow, however, Peter’s guilt will lead him to repentance. Christ forgave even the coward who abandoned him and couldn’t admit to knowing him, because he paid for that sin and more with his death on the cross.
Application/Discussion
1. Jesus
did not try and defend himself with actions or with words, instead letting
himself be tried and condemned and trusting God through it all. Sometimes, its
best to press on faithfully, regardless of what others say or think about you,
and trust God to work things out. He will set everything right one day, we do
not (and should not) take every chance we can to vindicate ourselves.
2. Have you ever been in a situation where you denied or considering denying your faith? What made you feel that pressure? Why is it important to use every opportunity you have to tell others about Jesus?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for Jesus’ patient endurance in his trial and torture.
2.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help to boldly and joyfully tell others about Jesus.
3. Pray for the justice system in your community/country.
Going
Deeper
This
article from Cru is a great guide for praying for your political leaders:
https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/prayer/pray-for-government-leadership.html
Thursday,
February 6
Matthew 27:1-26
Commentary
As
the morning breaks, the Jewish leaders condemn Jesus and hand him over to
Pilate, the Roman governor of Israel. Legally, only the governor could carry
out a sentence of execution. Upon seeing Jesus being brought to Pilate, Judas
throws the money back at the chief priests and elders and goes to kill himself.
Judas’ grief or guilt or whatever he felt didn’t lead him to repentance, but to
his doom. If you sin, that’s already bad enough, don’t further dishonor the
Lord by hanging onto that sin rather than repenting.
Pilate asks
Jesus if he is “king of the Jews” – this was the main charge the high priest
passed on to Pilate. The Roman authorities wouldn’t have cared as much about
internal religious matters like Jesus claiming to be the Christ, but if Jesus
claimed to be the king of Israel, that would be a direct threat to Rome that
had to be quelled. Jesus answers that Pilate has said he is the king of the
Jews and doesn’t answer any other charges. Jesus didn’t answer any accusations
or defend himself so that he would be sentenced to the cross. Jesus gave up his
life willingly.
Pilate
gives “the crowd,” the Jews who had gathered outside his palace given the
hustle and bustle of Jesus’ trial, the option to release either Jesus or a
notorious criminal, Barabas. The governor seems to have picked up that the
charges the high priest brought against Jesus were frivolous, but by this
point, the Jewish crowd is just as adamant about killing Jesus as the religious
leaders. Pilate washes his hands of this matter to declares his own innocence
and releases Barabas, keeping Jesus to be crucified.
The
governor had the authority to declare Jesus innocent and release him, but he
feared upsetting the Jews more than he feared killing an innocent man. Pilate’s
cowardice and the Roman soldier’s torture and killing of Jesus make the Romans
just as guilty as the Jews in the killing of Jesus. This is fitting because God
gave his only Son because of his love for the world, not just the Jews or
Romans or any other single group.
Before being led to the cross, Jesus is scourged. As Craig Blomberg explained, “This scourging, itself often fatal, employed a metal-tipped whip known as the flagellum, which repeatedly ripped into the naked flesh of the victim’s back.”[2] This was just the beginning of the agony Jesus would face over the next several hours, all out of obedience to God and love for those who would come to believe in him.
Application/Discussion
1. How
does this passage show the liability of the religious leaders, crowd, and
Pilate for Jesus’ death?
2. How does this passage show Jesus’ love for humanity?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for loving us and sending us a Savior rather than damning us for our
sin.
2.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in emulating Christ’s humility.
3. Pray for God to save two lost friends by name.
Going
Deeper
Matthew’s
citation of Jeremiah’s prophecy is worth studying in further detail with these
articles:
· https://www.gotquestions.org/Matthew-27-9-Jeremiah-Zechariah.html
· https://www.billmounce.com/monday-with-mounce/bible-contradiction-matthew%E2%80%99s-citation-jeremiah-matt-27-9
Friday,
February 7
Matthew
27:27-44
Commentary
The
Roman soldiers ridicule Jesus as they bring him to the cross, giving him a mock
coronation, beating him, and spitting on him. They conscripted someone to help
carry the beam of Jesus’ cross; he was too weak to carry the beam of the cross
and likely beaten and battered beyond recognition at this point. At the
crucifixion site, the soldiers would’ve driven the vertical beam into the
ground and attached the shorter beam to it before nailing the victim to the
cross through his wrists and ankles. Golgotha was a hill prominently positioned
just outside of Jerusalem and a regular crucifixion site.
The
soldiers offered him wine mixed with gall (a bitter substance from plants),
intended as a mild painkiller. Jesus, however, refuses this offer, and the
later offer of wine, facing the fullness of the pain of the cross. While Jesus
is on the cross, surrounded by criminals on either side, the soldiers cast lots
for who gets his clothes and he is faced with numerous sources of further
mockery and scorn.
Craig Blomberg wisely summed up: “Here truly is Jesus’ last great temptation, to come down off the cross, and he could have chosen to give in to it… For the sake of our eternal salvation, we praise God that he chose to remain faithful despite this unspeakable and excruciating agony. He thus perfectly illustrated the principle of 16:25 (“whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it”), which applies to all people. It is difficult to study the crucifixion sensitively and sympathetically and not break down in tears. It is almost inconceivable that believers who frequently meditate on Jesus’ suffering on their behalf could exalt themselves or quarrel with each other (hence 1 Cor 1:18–2:5 as Paul’s response to the problems of 1 Cor 1:10–17). The ground is indeed level at the foot of the cross.”[3]
Application/Discussion
1. How does this passage make you feel emotionally? How does it make you feel about your sin? How does it make you feel about Christ’s love for you?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for sending Jesus to be our perfect Savior and show his mercy to us,
despite the abundance of our sin and the weakness.
2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you and your church love each other and the lost as Christ has loved you.
Going
Deeper
· Matthew says Jesus’ robe was scarlet, while Mark and John say his
robe was purple. This has long puzzled scholars but there are two likely
explanations: either the robe was a reddish-purplish color, or the soldiers
gave him one of their red cloaks, then put a purple robe on him.
· For a look at how the Old Testament prophesied the sufferings of
Christ on the cross, see Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
Saturday,
February 8
Matthew 27:45-66
Commentary
There
are a lot of strange and glorious things happening in this passage. From the
sixth hour until the ninth hour (12pm-3pm), darkness covers the land, signaling
God’s judgement or an apocalyptic event. Jesus cries out words from Psalm 22,
asking why God has forsaken him. Jesus typically addresses God as “Father,” but
as God’s wrath is poured out on Jesus for the sins of the world, there is some
kind of relational and spiritual separation that happens. Jesus finally cries
out and breathes his last.
At
that moment, the curtain in the temple is torn in two and the earth quakes.
This was the curtain that separated the court of Gentiles from the rest of the
temple. Because of Jesus’ atoning death, believers have their sins completely
and permanently paid for, they have unlimited access to God, and all of them,
Jew and Gentile alike, are brought into God’s family. With the fulfillment of
the temple and all its sacrifices coming in Christ’s death, we don’t need the
temple curtain or even the temple itself.
Matthew
also gives us a detail mentioned exactly once in the Bible – the dead saints
(those saved/sanctified by God) were raised and appeared to many in Jerusalem.
This is given without much explanation and not mentioned anywhere else, so its
hard to say or speculate much about it. The soldiers watching Jesus at the
cross saw these events and remarked that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
Matthew tells us that several women close to Jesus were watching his death from a distance. Some of these same women would be the first witnesses to the Resurrection; they certainly would have known that Jesus was really dead and that the man they crucified was really Jesus. Joseph (a common Jewish name), a disciple of Jesus, asks for Jesus’ body and buries him in his own tomb. Even in death, the Son of Man had no place to lay his head (8:20). Although Pilate grants Jesus a burial, the Romans guard Jesus’ tomb fiercely, remembering Jesus’ promise to rise from the grave better than any of his followers. Reports of Jesus resurrecting from the dead would’ve been a political and social upheaval and a great embarrassment for Pilate, so keeping the body guarded in the tomb was a high priority. No power of hell or scheme of man could keep Jesus down though, and thanks to his victorious resurrection, these things can’t threaten believers either.
Application/Discussion
1. How
is God’s justice, wrath, and love shown as Jesus dies on the cross?
2.
How is the severity and extent of our sin shown as Jesus dies on the cross?
3. Jesus had treasured God’s Word in his heart to such an extent that he prayed out verses of Scripture even as he was dying. What does this say about the importance of Bible memory and meditation?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for Jesus’ atoning death and triumphant resurrection.
2.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help to serve God and point others to him.
3. Pray for the light of the gospel to spread to nations and peoples who haven’t heard it or have little Christian influence.
Going
Deeper
This
article further explores the significance of Jesus’ death:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-truths-about-the-death-of-jesus
Sunday,
February 9
Matthew 28:1-20
Commentary
Jesus
is alive! The two Marys go to Jesus’ tomb and find the guards crippled with
fear and an angel standing over the empty tomb. It is remarkable that two women
(one of whom was formerly demon possessed) were the first witnesses of the
Resurrection – their testimony wouldn’t have stood in court and they weren’t
the ones who led the church or wrote the New Testament. If the disciples had
manufactured the Resurrection story, they left some painfully obvious
plotholes. As they say, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction – the only
reason the disciples would’ve told (and died for!) such a difficult to believe
story was that it really happened. The women greet Jesus with worship, hugely
significant because nobody else had acknowledged Jesus as fully God in this way
until now.
The
chief priests and elders of Jerusalem bribed some of the Roman soldiers to
spread the rumor that they fell asleep and the disciples stole Jesus’ body,
trying to save face and discredit the disciples as much as possible. Why,
though, would the disciples do this? They gained little in this life for
spreading this message – they were so hated and persecuted from preaching
Jesus’ resurrection that they were martyred! And not one of them cracked along
the way, even if they just said they lied to escape persecution. Who would die
for something they knew to be false that brought them nothing but hardship? Not
many. But if you saw the Son of God risen from the dead face to face, well,
that might just be worth dying for.
Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. In one way, Jesus’ mission was finished, he had died on the cross and paid for our sins, and he rose from the grave as the victorious king. But in another way, his mission was just getting started, because through his followers, the good news of Jesus’ love and sacrifice would be spread all over Israel, Rome, and beyond. It’s spread even to us today, and it’s our mission to spread it further until Jesus comes back to bring his people home and finally defeat Satan and all who follow him.
Application/Discussion
1. Do
you believe Jesus rose from the dead? Do you think that truth is worth dying
for? Is it worth living for? How does your living reflect your beliefs on this
matter?
2. How are you involved in making disciples of all nations? How can you be more involved? Consider talking to your church leaders about how you can help.
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for Jesus’ triumphant resurrection from the dead and the certainty
that he will one day fully stop and punish sin, death, and Satan.
2.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in living for Christ and even being willing to
die for Christ.
3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you and your church to reach your community and beyond for Christ.
Going
Deeper
Gary
Habermas is probably the most well-read and eloquent scholar on the
resurrection of Christ in history. You can read this article to get an
introductory glimpse into his work on the proofs of Jesus’ resurrection:
https://ses.edu/minimal-facts-on-the-resurrection-that-even-skeptics-accept/
You
can also learn more about the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection by reading
this post on the Family Bible Reading blog:
https://familybiblereading.blogspot.com/2025/01/can-we-trust-bibles-claims-about-jesus.html
[1] Craig Blomberg, Matthew,
vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1992), 386.
[2] Craig Blomberg, Matthew,
vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1992), 414.
[3] Craig Blomberg, Matthew,
vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1992), 417.
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