Category: Matthew studies

First id like to explain why I went from Matthew chapter 27 straight to Luke chapter 24. In Luke chapter 24 it explains a bit more than Matthew chapter 28 does, so that is why and you will understand more as you read, so lets get started.

At the beginning of this story you can start to notice immediately that the two men are sad because of all the events that had happen. They were sad because of the torture, mocking, and the death of Jesus. They hoped he was the Messiah who would rescue Israel yet their leading priests and leaders handed him over to die. Now God had made it where the men did not know who Jesus was, he disguised him , he did this so they would speak truthfully, and not yet know about Jesus’ resurrection.

“Then Jesus said to them ,”You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Luke 24: 25-26

Jesus is now calling and foolish people. The reason being this is because with everything they have heard ,everything prophets have wrote down in the Scriptures. They still were foolish, and did not know. They still didn’t understand enough to see the truth. they were negligent, reckless and foolish people. The truth was right in front of their eyes yet they could not see it.

Sometimes we are these people sometimes God is showing us amazing things that we should pay attention to yet we’re so foolish and ignorant. We can’t see what’s in front of us. 

“Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Here Jesus is now showing them everything. Moses, in all the prophets wrote, and explaining every. So that they Can understand everything that was written about Jesus. He was showing them scripture and writing to show about himself and the events that would happen but they didn’t know they was talking to Jesus because remember God made it so they wouldn’t recognize him. 

“By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them.” Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now they walked almost 7 miles  that’s 2 and a half hours and they was talking with Jesus and near the end Jesus acted as if he wasn’t gonna stop and as if he was gonna keep walking I believe this was to see what they would do. For them this man talking to them and walking with them was just a stranger, not a prophet , not a priest let alone did they think he was the messiah. And yet the kindness in their heart they begged him to stay the night with them as well as to eat with them. They did this for a mere stranger whom they have never seen before yet they had kindness in their hearts. 

Now after they sat down Jesus broke bread and their eyes was opened they realized who he was and just then he vanished . 

“They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After realizing who he was they immediately understood who he was.

“At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭45‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

6 hours he was on the cross before he died  from 9am till 3pm. The pain he endured on that cross was unimaginable, his feet and hands  was pierced into the cross with nails, his body was at an angle it wasn’t straight . Jesus went thru beatings and it still wasn’t enough for then . Every single breath he took for 6 hours was painful . Literally every breath , every breath he took he needed to pull himself up so he can get air . Now imagine his hands are nailed to the cross as well as his feet and yet he had to pull himself up to breathe it’s almost impossible . The pain he went thru was not right, but he did it for you. 

“At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭46‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus cries out to his father in heaven asking him why has he forsaken him. Even here he was fufilling the scriptures because it Psalms Chapter 22 verse 1 it says .

 “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They thought when he said “ Eli , Eli” that he was calling out Elijah which is easy to understand why 

“One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬

the word vinegar is derived from French words vin aigre which means ‘sour wine’. When wine was first made, natural sugars were fermented into alcohol. Over time, bacteria in the air transformed the alcohol into acetic acid, which gave the ‘sour wine’ its bite 

Now Jesus is offered sour wine 3 times before he dies first in Matthew Chapter 27 Verse 34 it says 

“The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So I found out that Wine mixed with gall was used as a pain numbing drink to help with pain. What’s gall? Gall is a berry type plant 

“The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭36‬-‭37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why is he being offered sour wine????

Roman soldiers would drink sour wine normally to stay hydrated they called is posca. Sour wine was a cheap wine that peasants and soldiers would drink. 

I believe at this point on the cross they were simply trying to give Jesus something to drink and that’s all they had 

This is the scripture that was fulfilled 

“But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭69‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭49‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Elijah was known as a big prophet someone who did such great miracles by faith in God . 

He made fire fall from heaven in ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬  it says.

“Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.”

He resurrected people 

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭21‬-‭22‬

“And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived!”

He went fully body and all into heaven with out physically dying 

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.”

So it’s understandable why they thought  Jesus was calling out to Elijah and why they thought he of all people might save Jesus from the cross.

“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭50‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Once again he fulfilled scriptures that was said before he was on this earth. 

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus made sure that he complete his mission and fulfilled prophecy before he died . His final last words were “it is finished”

“At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭51‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What curtain?

The curtain mentioned is being referred to the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place which is mentioned is exodus chapter 26 verses 31-33

““For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. Hang this curtain on gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood. Overlay the posts with gold, and set them in four silver bases. Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.”

‭‭

Well why did he tear it ?

As a symbol to show he was the final and most important sacrifice. His blood was offered for all of our sins, for the sins of people he didn’t even know, for the sins of the people he knew would be against him and not even acknowledge him in the future. He did it for US knowing that we will sin everyday and abuse the word forgiveness. 

“But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭52‬-‭53‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Was they raised and seen before Jesus rose? Or was they raised and uncovered and waited until Jesus rose to be seen by people?

“On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The scripture in which Jesus is referring to is
Zechariah 13:7 and it says
““Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, the man who is my partner,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn against the lambs.”

Now when Jesus tells this to Peter he is telling him that once he is crucified all the disciples will scatter from each other


“But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Jesus is letting them know that he will be raised from the dead and meet them in Galilee he’s telling them what will happen after he is crucified.

“The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is where Jesus is telling Mary Madeline and the other Mary to tell his brothers who are the disciples to start to leave for Galilee and they will see him there.

The parable about the three servants is one of many stories Jesus tells us that have to do with us being ready for his return.

““Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭14-15NLT‬‬

Jesus is the master in this parable and we are the servants he’s leaving from this world and going to heaven to be with his father and he’s leaving his servants gold.
Now what this means is that when Jesus leaves us to be in heaven he is leaving all of us with resources that we need.

The resources he’s leaving us with is wisdom, faith, good works, and his commandments. Now when he comes back to earth he wants to see how we used what he gave us , some people used what he gave them to grow in the spirit and become a better Christian than they was when Jesus left as well as to follow his instructions he left us with . But quite a few people don’t do anything with what he left them. Instead they just hold on to it and are afraid and too lazy to do any work to increase what he left them.

So when Jesus comes back and sees that his faithful servants have increased the gifts that he left them with , he will be so proud and he will celebrate with you and you will be able to be with him in heaven.

But when Jesus comes back and sees that some servants haven’t done anything with what he left them he will be furious because he gave you these gifts in order to make them more than what they are and yet you were to lazy to even invest in something good. You were to lazy to give someone a price of bread or l to lazy to even try to help someone in need instead you sat there and hid what he gave you as if you was scared to lose it . But because you don’t that our master is furious he gave you sacred gifts and you abused them so now Jesus will take what he gave you and throw you into the darkness which is hell.

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The lesson he is that we are Jesus servants and as Jesus’ servants we must work diligently for Him while waiting for His return, not wasting the talents and resources he has given us .

““A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭45‬-‭47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A faithful and sensible servant will be someone who is faithful and does good works for the lord our master . While he is gone from earth, a faithful servant is suppose to take care of Gods other people and his household . He should clothe, feed, and shelter the other servants because when Jesus comes back and sees that we was good and faithful servants we will be rewarded and not rewarded as in worldly riches and treasures but we will be rewarded with spiritual riches and treasures in heaven . Jesus can come back at any moment so we need to always be ready and prepared. We can make sure we’re ready by doing what is right. We can help Gods people when they need help , whether they needs clothes, food, money, shelter , or even just a prayer, we need to help and when we help we need to do it whole heartedly and expect nothing in return other wise those good works are corrupt and now we are not ready for when Jesus returns.


“But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭48‬-‭51‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now a evil servant is someone who thinks they can do whatever sin and evil things they want because they think that Jesus will not becoming back soon so they believe they have all the time they need to be corrupt and do all the sins they can . They will also abuse Gods people by not helping them , cheating them, killing them, or even helping but for the wrong reasons. And when Jesus comes back and sees this ,these people will be sent to hell because they did not follow his rules or laws they did what they wanted and thought they could do unrighteous things because Jesus wouldn’t be back for a while.


We need to be like the faithful and sensible servant we need to be ready and do what is right because Jesus can come back at any second of any hour of any day it says here in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 Verse 2
“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”

We need to do what is right and not what is wrong . We need to help and not expect anything in return , we need to praise God and give our lives to him. When Jesus comes back we can’t be surprised and not ready.