The Chronological Gospel – Holy Week: Wednesday Part 2, Be Ready! Matthew 24:36-41, Luke 21:34-36, Mark 13:33, Be alert! Be on guard! Mark 13:34-36, Matthew 24:43-51, Mark 13:37, Parables about Readiness Matthew 25:1-13, Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:14-30, Parable of the Talents, revisited Matthew 25:31-46, Parable of the Sheep and the Goats Matthew 26:1-12, Predictions and omens of Jesus’ death Luke 22:3-4, Matthew 26:15a, Luke 22:5, Matthew 15b, Luke 22:6, Judas decides to betray Jesus. More of The Chronological Gospel Copyright information, disclaimers, and sponsors Return to homepage

Matthew 24:36-41, Luke 21:34-36, Mark 13:33, Be alert! Be on guard! (9/4/14)

No angel, and not even Jesus, knows when the end will come. Needless to say, neither do I, nor you. Be ready!

36 “But as to that day and the exact time no one knows – not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

37-39 ‘For as it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the Coming of the Son of Man. At that time, before the Deluge, men were busy eating and drinking, taking wives or giving them, up to the very day when Noah entered the Ark, nor did they realize any danger till the Deluge came and swept them all away; so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man.

40 Then will two men be in the open country: one will be taken away, and one left behind.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken away, and one left behind.

34-35 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your souls be weighed down with self-indulgence and drunkenness or the anxieties of this life, and that day come upon you, suddenly, like a falling trap; for it will come on all dwellers on the face of the whole earth.

36 But beware of slumbering; and every moment pray that you may be fully strengthened to escape from all these coming evils, and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”

33 Take care, be on the alert, and pray; for you do not know when it will happen.

Mark 13:34-36, Matthew 24:43-51, Mark 13:37, Parables about Readiness (9/5/14)

Jesus says that since no one knows when the end times will come, it’s necessary to be ready at all times. This also applies to you personally – God loves you and will be really sad if you die right before the moment you intended to turn to him! Death-bed conversion are much better than no conversion at all, providing you live to make one.

34 It is like a man living abroad who has left his house, and given the management to his servants – to each one his special duty – and has ordered the porter to keep awake.

35-36 Be wakeful therefore, for you know not when the master of the house is coming – in the evening, at midnight, at cock-crow, or at dawn. Beware lest He should arrive unexpectedly and find you asleep.

43 But of this be assured, that if the master of the house had known the hour at which the robber was coming, he would have kept awake, and not have allowed his house to be broken into.

44 Therefore you also must be ready; for it is at a time when you do not expect Him that the Son of Man will come.

45-47 “Who therefore is the loyal and intelligent servant to whom his master has entrusted the control of his household to give them their rations at the appointed time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes shall find so doing! In solemn truth I tell you that he will give him the management of all his wealth.

48-51 But if the man, being a bad servant, should say in his heart, ‘My master is a long time in coming,’ and should begin to beat his fellow servants, while he eats and drinks with drunkards; the master of that servant will arrive on a day when he is not expecting him and at an hour of which he has not been informed; he will treat him with the utmost severity and assign him a place among the hypocrites: there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

37 Moreover, what I say to you I say to all – Be wakeful!”

Matthew 25:1-13, Parable of the Ten Virgins (9/8/14)

Jesus taught this famous parable on Wednesday of Holy Week. His point: Be ready! You might not get a second chance.

1 “Then will the Kingdom of the Heavens be found to be like ten bridesmaids who took their torches and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2-4 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their torches, did not provide themselves with oil; but the wise, besides their torches, took oil in their flasks.

5-6 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, so that meanwhile they all became drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there is a loud cry, “‘The bridegroom! Go out and meet him!’

7 “Then all those bridesmaids roused themselves and trimmed their torches.

8 “‘Give us some of your oil,’ said the foolish ones to the wise, ‘for our torches are going out.’

9 “‘But perhaps,’ replied the wise, ‘there will not be enough for all of us. Go to the shops rather, and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “So they went to buy. But meanwhile the bridegroom came; those bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterwards the other bridesmaids came and cried, “‘Sir, Sir, open the door to us.’

12 “‘In solemn truth I tell you,’ he replied, ‘I do not know you.’

13 “Keep awake therefore; for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Matthew 25:14-30, Parable of the Talents, revisited (9/9/14)

The interesting thing to me about this parable is that the servant who gives back exactly what his master gave to him is not only slothful (which we can all agree on), but also wicked. Now, I can see that if I stole something from my master, that would be wicked. Apparently not bringing my master a positive gain is also wicked! So Jesus says, “Be ready!” And in the meantime, he says, “Be fruitful!”

14-15 “Why, it is like a man who, when going on his travels, called his bondservants and entrusted his property to their care. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one – to each according to his individual capacity; and then started from home.

16-17 Without delay the one who had received the five talents went and employed them in business, and gained five more. In the same way he who had the two gained two more.

18 But the man who had received the one went and dug a hole and buried his master’s money.

19 “After a long lapse of time the master of those servants returned, and had a reckoning with them.

20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, and said, “‘Sir, it was five talents that you entrusted to me: see, I have gained five more.’

21 “‘You have done well, good and trustworthy servant,’ replied his master; ‘you have been trustworthy in the management of a little, I will put you in charge of much: share your master’s joy.’

22 “The second, who had received the two talents, came and said, “‘Sir, it was two talents you entrusted to me: see, I have gained two more.’

23 “‘Good and trustworthy servant, you have done well,’ his master replied; ‘you have been trustworthy in the management of a little, I will put you in charge of much: share your master’s joy.’

24-25 “But, next, the man who had the one talent in his keeping came and said, “‘Sir, I knew you to be a severe man, reaping where you had not sown and garnering what you had not winnowed. So being afraid I went and buried your talent in the ground: there you have what belongs to you.’

26-27 “‘You wicked and slothful servant,’ replied his master, ‘did you know that I reap where I have not sown, and garner what I have not winnowed? Your duty then was to deposit my money in some bank, and so when I came I should have got back my property with interest.

28 So take away the talent from him, and give it to the man who has the ten.’

29 (For to every one who has, more shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him who has nothing, even what he has shall be taken away.)

30 ‘But as for this worthless servant, put him out into the darkness outside: *there* will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:31-46, Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (9/10/14)

Jesus concludes his teaching on Wednesday of Holy Week with the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. It’s a little more pointed than the two previous parables: Be ready! Be fruitful! Or be sorry!

31-33 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then will He sit upon His glorious throne, and all the nations will be gathered into His presence. And He will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and will make the sheep stand at His right hand, and the goats at His left.

34-36 “Then the King will say to those at His right, “‘Come, my Father’s blessed ones, receive your inheritance of the Kingdom which has been divinely intended for you ever since the creation of the world. For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome; when I was ill-clad, you clothed me; when I was sick, you visited me; when I was in prison, you came to see me.’

37-39 “‘When, Lord,’ the righteous will reply, ‘did we see Thee hungry, and feed Thee; or thirsty, and give Thee drink? When did we see Thee homeless, and give Thee a welcome? or ill-clad, and clothe Thee? When did we see Thee sick or in prison, and come to see Thee?’

40 “But the King will answer them, “‘In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren, you rendered them to myself.’

41-43 “Then will He say to those at His left, “‘Begone from me, with the curse resting upon you, into the Fire of the Ages, which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels. For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat; when thirsty, you gave me nothing to drink; when homeless, you gave me no welcome; ill-clad, you clothed me not; sick or in prison, you visited me not.’

44 “Then will they also answer, “‘Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or homeless or ill-clad or sick or in prison, and not come to serve Thee?’

45 “But he will reply, “‘In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you withheld such services from one of the humblest of these, you withheld them from me.’

46 “And these shall go away into the Punishment of the Ages, but the righteous into the Life of the Ages.”

Matthew 26:1-12, Predictions and omens of Jesus’ death (9/11/14)

When we learn that a friend or family member has died or has been diagnosed with a fatal disease, we say, “Oh, no!” I suspect that mostly we don’t mean, “Oh, no, I grieve.” I think we mean, “Oh, no, there must be some mistake.” Jesus told his disciples straight out that his own death was by far the mostly likely ending to the growing polarization between himself and the religious establishment. He believed it, the high priests and elders believed it, and the woman in this story believed it. But apparently his disciples couldn’t believe it.

1-2 When Jesus had ended all these discourses, He said to His disciples, “You know that in two days’ time the Passover comes. And the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3-5 Then the High Priests and Elders of the People assembled in the court of the palace of the High Priest Caiaphas, and consulted how to get Jesus into their power by stratagem and put Him to death. But they said, “Not during the Festival, lest there be a riot among the people.”

6-7 Now when Jesus was come to Bethany and was at the house of Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with a jar of very costly, sweet-scented ointment, which she poured over His head as He reclined at table.

8-9 “Why such waste?” indignantly exclaimed the disciples; “for this might have been sold for a considerable sum, and the money given to the poor.”

10-12 But Jesus heard it, and said to them, “Why are you vexing her? For she has done a most gracious act towards me. The poor you always have with you, but me you have not always. In pouring this ointment over me, her object was to prepare me for burial.

Luke 22:3-4, Matthew 26:15a, Luke 22:5, Matthew 15b, Luke 22:6, Judas decides to betray Jesus. (9/12/14)

We don’t know Judas Iscariot’s motive in betraying Jesus, although that has not kept people from speculating about it. We do know it was a premeditated act, and one that he stood to profit from. If one of Jesus’ chosen few disciples, one who had spent much time in his company, could commit such a grievous sin, then any one of us is vulnerable. Pray to be kept from temptation, and pray for strength to resist it.

3 Satan, however, entered into Judas (the man called Iscariot) who was one of the Twelve.

4, 15a He went and conferred with the High Priests and Commanders as to how he should deliver Him up to them, and said, “What are you willing to give me if I betray him to you?”

5, 15b This gave them great pleasure, and they agreed to pay him, So they weighed out to him thirty shekels.

6 He accepted their offer, and then looked out for an opportunity to betray Him when the people were not there.

More of The Chronological Gospel

Birth Announcements and Early Lives of Jesus and John the Baptist
Early Ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist
Jesus’ Early Ministry
Jesus’ Galilean Ministry
Sabbath Controversies
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Plain
John the Baptist
Signs and Parables
Miracles and Mission Trips
Bread of Life
Miracles and Meanings
Transfiguration and Teachings
To Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles
Some Results of Luke’s Research
Light
More of Luke’s Research
On the Road Again
The Raising of Lazarus
Holy Week: Palm Sunday and Monday
Holy Week: Tuesday, Parables and Questions
Holy Week: Wednesday Part 1, Discussions
Holy Week: Wednesday Part 2, Be Ready!
Holy Week: Thursday Part 1, Jesus' Celebration of the Passover
Holy Week: Thursday Part 2, Jesus' Farewell Discourse
Holy Week: Friday Part 1, Jesus' Arrest and Two Informal Trials
Holy Week: Friday Part 2, More Trials
Holy Week: Friday, Part 3, and Saturday, Jesus' Death and Burial
The Empty Tomb
Final Appearances of Jesus Prior to Pentecost

Copyright 2014 by Regina L. Hunter. All rights reserved. Scripture readings are from the Weymouth New Testament (1912). This page has been prepared for the web site by RPB.

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