Jesus' Ministry, per Matt, Mark & Luke (part 21)

• For the entire itinerary, see Ministry Itin'ry;
• in (parentheses) is the location per today's geography.

[18] in Galilee; along the border of Galilee & Samaria; in Judea;

[19] 3rd time in/around Jerusalem-- mid-fall, Feast of Tabernacles:

1. in Jerusalem-- halfway through the Feast, to the Temple courts;
2. to the Mount of Olives (south-central West Bank)-- for 1 night;
3. back in the Temple courts of Jerusalem;
4. Jesus spoke again to the people; as He went along...;

[20] 4th time in Jerusalem-- winter, Feast of Dedication;

[21] to Judea & surroundings (southern West Bank & E of the southern Jordan River):

1. went on the other side of the Jordan R. (west-central Jordan);
2. approached, entered & left Jericho, NE of Jerusalem (southeast-central West Bank);
3. in Bethany (El-Azarireh, SE of Jerusalem; south-western West Bank) on the Mount of Olives, less than 2 mi. from Jerusalem-- raised Lazarus;
4. in Ephraim (NE of Jerusalem; central West Bank);
5. back in Bethany, 6 days before the Passover-- Jesus' feet anointed:
6. came to Bethany & Bethphage (between Jerusalem & El-Azarireh in the West Bank), at the Mount of Olives-- 2 disciples sent;

D. (cont'd) During the 5th time in/near Jerusalem 

  17. Jesus includes remaining alert & prayer in standing firm; parable: 'It's like a man going away' [22] above (3nd pt.)-- the 'standing firm' we saw in PerMtMkLk20 D.15. requires being watchful; highlighted in peach below is the parable Jesus gave

• Matt 24:36-52 No 1 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 & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; & they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came & took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the SON of Man. 2 men will be in the field; 1 will be taken, & the other left. 2 women will be grinding with a hand mill; 1 will be taken & the other left. Therefore keep watch, because You do not know even 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 & 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. Who then is the faithful & 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 & says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' & he then begins to beat his fellow servants & to eat & drink with the drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him & at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces & assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping & gnashing of teeth.
• Mark 13:32-37 No 1 knows about that day or hour, not even the angel in Heaven,  nor the Son, but only the FATHER. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a parable of a man going away: He leaves his house & puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, & tells the 1 at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-- whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to You, I say to everyone: 'Watch.'
• Luke 21:34-38 Be careful, or Your hearts will be weighted down with dissipation, drunkenness & the anxieties of life, & that day will close on You unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, & pray that You may be able to escape all that is about to happen, & that You may be able to stand before the SON of Man. Each day Jesus was teaching at the Temple, & each evening He went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olive, & all the people came early in the morning to hear Him at the Temple.

  18. Parable: 'The kingdom of Heaven will be like 5 foolish & 5 ready virgins' [22] above (3nd pt.)-- this parable is plainly about Christians knocking at the door. It is not about Jesus knocking. Note that all 10 were virgins with lamps-- which is not about sex, but denotes those who had sins like scarlet & red as crimson in their hearts, but now have vague memories of the sins that are white as snow & like wool on the outside (Isa 1:18), no matter the severity, length & variety of past sins (that memories of past sins can penetrate the heart was brought to my attention again-- I cringed as I witnessed someone obviously on-fire-for-the-Lord be reminded of her past life, & momentarily be embarrassed beyond description). Bona fide Christians opened the door (& ABC'd) when Jesus knocked-- we have the resurrected Jesus saying in Reve 3:20, 'I stand at the door & knock. If anyone hears MY Voice & opens the door, I will come in & eat with him & he with ME-- this is the golden opportunity to ABC (admit, believe, confess), as we've seen about several times. But no, this is about Christians knocking. Way back in Sermon4 Sermon teaching #15 the idea was introduced-- in general, Jesus said, 'knock, & the door will be opened (Matt 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10). However, here we see no opening for the foolish virgins, who were denied the intimate wedding banquet.

• Matt 25:1-13 At that time the kingdom of Heaven will be like 10 virgin who took Their lamp & went out to meet the bridegroom. 5 of Them were foolish & 5 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, & They all became drowsy & fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all the virgins woke up & 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 & you. Instead, go to those who sell oil & buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on there 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.
• Mark
• Luke

  19. Parable: 'It will be like a man who entrusted his property' [22] above (3nd pt.)

• Matt 25:14-30 Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants & entrusted portions of his property to them. To 1 he gave 5 talents, to another 2 talents, & to another 1 talent (1,000+ dollars), each according to his ability. We've seen 2 other parables about a man going on a journey: 1 went to a distant to become king & gave 10 minas (~30 months of wages) to each of 10 servants (see PerMtMkLk17 C.9.); the other rented the vineyard he owned to several servants (see PerMtMkLk18 D.5.). Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the 5 talents went at once & put his money to work & gained 5 more. So also, the 1 with the 2 talents gained 2 more. But the man who had received the 1 talent went off, dug a hole in the ground & hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants returned & settled accounts with them. The man who had received the 5 talents brought the other 5. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with 5 talents. See, I have gained 5 more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good & faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come & share your master's happiness-- like with a banquet. The man with the 2 talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with 2 talents; see, I have gained 2 more.' His master replied identically, 'Well done, good & faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come & share your master's happiness-- like with a banquet. Then the man who had received the 1 talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I know that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown & gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid & went out & 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 & 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 & give it to the 1 who has the 10 talents. For everyone who has will be given more, & he will have in 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 & gnashing of teeth.' This last under-lined phrase is the 7th time we've seen it-- which is the only 7 times it occurs in the Bible. I'm anxious to get on with the remainder of the gospels-- there's just 1 more topic before getting into the death, resurrection & ascension of our Lord, so I'll just list them; there are 6 in Matt & 1 in Luke (I'll say no more than to say that only some refer to the Kingdom of GOD encompassing the whole world-- let the reader understand):
  1. Capernaum2 C.3. included Matt 8:12, which spoke of the privilege of people entering the door of the Kingdom of GOD-- the worldly kingdom subjects not having entered will be thrown outside, into the darkness (many clueless assumers, not having entered the door, will come & take their places at the feast);
  2. Parable1 3. included Matt 13:42, which spoke of everything that causes sin & all who do evil, the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace;
  3. Parable2 B.3. included Matt 13:50, which spoke of the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous & throw them into the fiery furnace;
  4. PerMtMkLk12 B.62. included Luke 13:28, which is a repeat of the earlier telling in Capernaum2 C.3. (except this time it's more personal, as ref. those assumers, you yourselves will be thrown out, once the owner of the house gets up & shuts the door);
  5. PerMtMkLk18 D.6. included Matt 22:13, which referred to a specific assumer-- a man not dressed in wedding clothes, Many are invited, few are chosen-- chosen are those who have wedding garments to put on. Indeed, this assumer was clueless, as when he was asked why-not-dressed, he was speechless-- perhaps once-way-back he heard something about the adorable door, but long-time-ago dismissed it (he was bound hand in foot and thrown outside into the darkness);;
  6. PerMtMkLk21 D.17. included Matt 24:51, which referred again to a specific assumer-- this time a servant who thought it O.K. to mistreat fellow servants since my master is staying away a long time (he was cut to pieces & assigned a place with the hypocrites);
  7. We saw above.

  20. So there's no confusion about the fiery furnace (eternal fire)... [22] above (3nd pt.)

• Matt 25:31-46 When the Son of man comes in HIS Glory, & all the angels with HIM, HE will sit on HIS Throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before HIM, & HE will separate the people [Christians & non-Christians of every nation] 1 from another as a shepherd separates the sheep [Christians] from the goats [non-Christians]. HE will put the sheep on HIS Right & the goats on HIS Left. Then the KING will say to those on HIS Right, 'take Your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for You since the creation of the world. For
  1. I was hungry & You gave ME something to eat,
  2. I was thirsty & You gave ME something to drink,
  3. I was a stranger & You invited ME in,
  4. I needed clothes & You clothed ME,
  5. I was sick & You looked after ME,
  6. I was in prison & You came to visit ME.'

 Then the righteous will answer, LORD, when did We do any of these:

1. see YOU hungry & feed YOU, or
2. thirsty & give YOU something to drink? When did We
3. see YOU a stranger & invite YOU in, or
4. needing clothes & clothe YOU? When did We
5. see YOU sick or
6. in prison & go to visit YOU?

The KING will reply, 'I tell You the truth, whatever You did for 1 of the least of these brothers/sisters of MINE, You did for ME-- i.e., meet any need. BTW, this is not about charities, which are expressions of God's love & concern for the people of the world (& increases the likelihood that they will realize he has an ocean-of-love at his disposal. Then HE will say to those on HIS Left, 'Depart from ME, you who are still cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil & his angels. For

1. I & the least of mine was hungry & you gave ME nothing to eat,
2. I was thirsty & you gave ME nothing to drink,
3. I was a stranger & you did not invite ME in,
4. I needed clothes & you did not clothe ME ,
5. I was sick &
6. in prison & you did not look after ME.'

They also will answer, LORD, when did we see YOU

1. hungry or
2. thirsty or
3. a stranger or
4. needing clothes or
5. sick or
6. in prison, & did not help YOU?

HE will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for 1 of the least of these my brethren, you did not do for ME.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.