These chapters are commonly known as the Olivet discourse, because it was delivered to the disciples on the Mount of Olives. The theme of the discourse is Christ's second coming at the end of the present age to establish his millennial kingdom on earth. The message was prompted by the disciples' question, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" The answer Jesus gave is the longest answer given to any question asked in the New Testament. It is the revelation of our Lord, directly from His own lips, about His return to earth in glory and power.
Questions/Things to Consider:
- What is the primary lesson in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-12)?
- What is the primary lesson in the parable of the man giving the talents to his servants (Matthew 25:14-30)?
Matthew 26-28: Suffering Savior...Risen Lord
Matthew 26 begins the final and most pivotal section of this Gospel. Everything else has been a prologue, and introduction to the great conclusion, which focuses on the cross of Jesus Christ. Everything in the sacred story of God's redemptive plan does indeed center on the cross. All previous attempts to kill Jesus failed because it was not God's time or God's way for the Son to die. Only the sovereign grace of God could have brought Jesus to the cross. No human power could have accomplished it apart from God's will, and no human power could now prevent it, because it was now God's plan. The appropriate time for Jesus to die was at Passover, when the sacrificial lambs were slain, because that celebration pointed to "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The sacrifices of all the other lambs were but faint symbols of what the true Lamb was soon to accomplish in reality.
Questions/Things to Consider:
- Summarize the experience of Peter in these final three chapters of Matthew. What range of emotions did he go through?
- How would you characterize Christ's mood or demeanor during these final hours of His life? What emotions does He reveal? How does He demonstrate resolve?
- What detail(s) about Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion did you notice for the first time?
- Standing there looking at the resurrected Lord, the text says some of the disciples "worshiped Him; but some doubted (Matthew 28:17). How do you explain this?
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is a command to bring unbelievers throughout the world to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The true convert is a disciple, a person who has accepted and submitted himself to Jesus Christ, and all that may mean or demand. The truly converted person if filled with the Holy Spirit and given a new nature that yearns to obey and worship the Lord who has saved him. Even when he is disobedient, he knows he is living against the grain of his new nature, which is to honor and please the Lord. He loves righteousness and hates sin, including his own.
* Above notes taken from "Matthew: The Coming of the King," John MacArthur, 2007.
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