While Jesus is standing before Pilate, His fourth trial, He is accused of many things such as perverting the nation, forbidding payment of taxes, and saying that He is Christ, a King. However, Jesus remains silent except to confirm that He is King of the Jews. “So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no fault in this Man.’ But they were the more fierce, saying, ‘He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.’”

“When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.” Jesus, standing trial for a fifth time in front of Herod, does not respond to the many false accusations that are hurled at Him. “Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.” 

Now Jesus is on trial for a sixth and final time. “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.” These hypocritical Jews have no problem lying, scheming, rejecting the Messiah, and plotting the murder of an innocent Man. However, they don’t want to defile themselves by entering the headquarters of Pilate.

Pilate tells the Jews to judge Jesus according to their law, but the Jews respond, “‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,’ that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.” Jesus has already said that He was going to be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14). 

So Pilate questions Jesus again, asking if He is the King of the Jews. Jesus responds, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here… You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

After talking with Jesus, Pilate goes out to the Jews and says he, like Herod, finds no fault in Jesus. “‘But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ Then they all cried again, saying, ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a robber… Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.” So the crowds are demanding the release of a guilty criminal in place of the innocent Christ.

“Pilate answered them, saying, ‘Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.”

“While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.’ But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said, ‘Barabbas!’ Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified!’”

“When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”

“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.”

Tomorrow Jesus, the final sacrificial Lamb, is led to the slaughter — to His crucifixion. But the story doesn’t end there, so keep reading. (Mark 15:2-5, Matthew 27:11-14, Luke 23:1-12, John 18:28-40, Mark 15:6-15, Matthew 27:15-26, Luke 23:13-25, John 19:1-16, Mark 15:16-20, Matthew 27:27-31, Luke 22:63-65)

Today Jesus faces His second trial as He is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and elders are assembled. They try to get false testimony against Jesus but find none, for the false witnesses’ testimonies did not agree. 

“And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’ But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, ‘Prophesy!’ And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.”

Meanwhile, Peter, out in the courtyard, continues to deny belonging to Christ. While he was denying Him a third time, a rooster crowed. “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So Peter went out and wept bitterly.”

The next morning Jesus faces His third hearing before the Sanhedrin where they ask Jesus if He is the Son of God. Jesus responds,”You rightly say that I am.” The religious leaders are still plotting to put Jesus to death, and since they don’t have the authority to kill Him, “they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.” 

Judas, overwhelmed with guilt for betraying Jesus, brings the silver back to the priests and elders saying, “‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’.. Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.’” (There are several possibilities on why Matthew said Jeremiah instead of Zechariah (11:12-13): translation issue, Jeremiah spoke the prophecy but Zechariah recorded it, or Matthew is referring to the scrolls of Jeremiah which include the Book of Zechariah. – from Blue Letter Bible). 

Tomorrow Jesus endures His fourth trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor over Judea. Keep reading. (Mark 14:53-65, Matthew 26:57-68, Mark 14:66-72, Matthew 26:69-75, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:25-27, Mark 15:1, Matthew 27:1-2, Luke 22:66-71, Matthew 27:3-10)

“Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.’”

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Instead of keeping watch and praying while Jesus was so distressed that He was sweating blood, the disciples went to sleep. When Jesus finds them sleeping, He tells them to “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” However, the disciples, unaware of the fact that this will be the last time they are with Jesus before His crucifixion, fall back to sleep. So Jesus comes to the disciples a third time to wake them, “And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’”

Then Peter, now fully awake, jumps into action and cuts off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. Peter still doesn’t understand that Jesus must die in order for him and anyone else who believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior to be redeemed and restored to the Lord. So Jesus tells Peter, “‘Permit even this.’ And He touched the ear of the servant and healed him.” Then Jesus tells them that He could pray to His father, the Lord, and He would provide Him with more than twelve legions of angels to help Him. However, Jesus is obedient and He willingly goes with them in order to fulfill Scripture and God’s plan for salvation.

Remember, after the fall in the garden, God promised Adam and Eve that He would send a Savior who would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). As a picture of this promise, God killed an innocent animal and covered Adam and Eve with its skin, illustrating that it is the shedding of the blood of the innocent that atones for the sins of the guilty (Genesis 3:21). Jesus Christ has come as that final Sacrificial Lamb, to shed His innocent blood on behalf of us, guilty sinners, serving the first blow to Satan by defeating death. The final crushing of the serpent will come upon Jesus’ return, when He will ultimately cast him into a lake of fire for eternity. 

So Jesus is taken off to the first of a six part trial, three in a religious court and three before a Roman court. The trials show the level of hatred for Jesus by the religious leaders as they break many of their own laws in an attempt to destroy Him – “And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year.” 

“And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside.” Many believe that the other disciple was John. However, when Peter is brought in, the servant girl who kept the door asks if Peter is one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter responds, “I am not.” This is the first of three times Peter will deny Jesus.

We end the reading with the Annas questioning Jesus about His disciples and His teachings. Jesus responds, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” Then Jesus is struck by an officer for speaking truth, and He is bound and sent to Caiaphas, the high priest. 

Tomorrow the unlawful trials continue and Peter continues to deny Jesus. Keep reading. (John 18:1-2, Mark 14:32-42, Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46, Mark 14:43-52, Matthew 26:47-56, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:3-24)

Jesus tells His disciples that the world will hate them just as it hated Him and that there will be persecution. As Christ followers, we should not expect less. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

By grace through faith we are saved — brought from death to life. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). This is why Jesus tells His disciples it is better for them if He goes to be with the Father so He can pour the Spirit out on them. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” Jesus is going to be crucified, but then He will rise from the dead three days later defeating death. After forty more days on earth, Jesus will ascend to be with His Father in heaven. However, He will not leave His disciples alone, for He will send them the Helper, the Holy Spirit, ten days after His ascension to heaven. 

Jesus says to the disciples that the sorrow they feel now at the news of His departure will be replaced with joy upon seeing the resurrected Christ, and this joy will be sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Although they will experience various trials and persecution, they can rejoice knowing that Jesus has defeated death and ultimately the world who hates Christ followers. Jesus assures His followers, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Jesus prays for unity for His current disciples, protection from the evil one, and sanctification by His truth, which is His word. Jesus also prays for all His future disciples who will hear His testimony and believe — “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

We see the heart of Jesus in this prayer. Although He is praying for His disciples, He is still looking out at the lost and dying in need of a Savior. In a broken world, our unity in Christ is designed to draw others to Jesus, so they may become heirs of the kingdom of God.

Tomorrow Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and put on trial. Keep reading. (John 15:18-17:26)

Since Judas has left the table to go and betray Jesus, Jesus begins looking toward the cross. Jesus does not see the cross as one might think; He looks to the cross and says “glorify” five times – “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.” Jesus knows the cross, although humiliating, disgraceful, and beyond painful, is the only way to provide salvation to the world. Jesus tells His disciples where He is going His disciples cannot come, and He urges them to love one another – “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee’” (Matthew 26:31, Zechariah 13:7).

Peter says he will never stumble, even if all others do, and that he will lay down his life for Jesus. However, Jesus responds, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.” Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows Peter. He knows that when the situation becomes dire, Peter is going to stumble and deny Him. However, Jesus still loves him in spite of his upcoming betrayal. And Jesus won’t leave Peter in his failure. After Peter sees the resurrected Christ and is filled by the power of the Holy Spirit, he will never again deny Christ. Peter will proclaim that Jesus is Lord and the only way for salvation until the time he is crucified upside down on a cross, not deeming himself worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

Jesus tells His disciples not to be troubled for there are many mansions in His Father’s house. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” It’s hard for our finite minds to understand the Triune God which is God in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as one God. In an article written by Don Stewart from Blue Letter Bible, he explains how the three Persons of the trinity work together as One – “The Father creates, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit sets apart. Yet they perform these roles in full cooperation with the other members. In each operation, all three members are present. Although the Father is preeminently the Creator, the Son and Spirit were also involved. The Son is the Redeemer, yet God the Father and the Spirit are described as sending the Son to redeem. The Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier, yet the Father and Son also cooperate in this work… The general teaching on the subject is that the Father is the head of Deity; the Son is the one who reveals Deity, while the Holy Spirit carries out the work of Deity… While the members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, they have different roles or functions within the Godhead. This is known as the economic Trinity. Each performs their role with full cooperation of the other members.”

Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit, which will be poured upon His disciples ten days after His ascension to heaven – “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you… But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The Holy Spirit working within the disciples will allow them to be rooted in Jesus Christ in order to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. Jesus says to His disciples – “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” 

Jesus tells them these things so that His joy may remain in them, and that their joy may be full. Then He commands them to love one another as He has loved them, by laying down their lives for each other. Jesus reminds His disciples that He didn’t choose them just so they can sit at home full of joy; He chose them so they will go out in this world loving people well and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ so that others can experience the joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ – “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” 

More from Jesus tomorrow. Keep reading. (John 13:31-38, Mark 14:27-31, Matthew 26:31-35, Luke 22:31-38, John 14:1-15:17)

“After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.’”

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, tells the chief priests that he will betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The Jewish leaders obviously don’t value the life of Jesus for this is the price paid to a master for a slave gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). However, this payment amount was prophesied by Zechariah in the Return Era when the Lord commanded him to pretend to be a shepherd caring for a flock that was doomed for slaughter. The Lord was giving the people a picture of His past judgment on them for their disobedience. In the illustration, Zechariah was paid the insulting amount of thirty pieces of silver – “And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter” (Zechariah 11:13). Later, Scripture will be fulfilled when Judas feels the weight of his actions and throws the money into the temple. Then the Jewish leaders will use the money to buy a field from a potter.

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” Jesus then begins washing the feet of His disciples and tells them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’”

At the table, Jesus calls out Judas as the betrayer fulfilling Scripture – “He who eats with Me has lifted up his head against Me” (John 13:18, Psalm 41:9). “Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’ … Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”

The disciples at the table are confused by what Jesus said – “But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.” 

The disciples can’t see the heart of Judas. Outwardly Judas appears to be the same as they, as followers of Christ. However, as we see here, not everyone claiming to be a disciple of Jesus actually has a true love for Him over self. Many will claim to know Him, but few will actually inherit the kingdom of God. And Jesus knows the ones who belong to Him by their hearts, by their trust in Him as Lord and Savior.

Keep reading. (Mark 14:1-2, Matthew 26:1-5, Luke 22:1-2, Mark 14:10-11, Matthew 26:14-16, Luke 22:3-6, Mark 14:12-16, Matthew 26:17-19, Luke 22:7-13, John 13:1-17, Mark 14:17-26, Matthew 26:20-30, Luke 22:14-30, John 13:18-30)

Only God the Father knows when Jesus will return. Therefore Jesus tells us to be alert because it is going to come unexpectedly as in the days of Noah — “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” 

To be counted worthy you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Because on the day that God pours out His wrath on the whole earth, only those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will have the ability to stand.

Jesus gives two parables, the ten virgins and the three servants, to describe the kingdom of heaven. Both illustrate that we need to be watchful and prepared for Jesus’ return. In the three servants parable, Jesus makes the point that He wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us. The Lord expects us to use our given time, gifts, and talents to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. God could have chosen any way to advance the gospel, but He chose to use us, His disciples. Therefore, do the work of the Lord, then He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Jesus explains the final judgment – ”When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’” The righteous will ask when did we do all these things? And Jesus will respond, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

However, for those on the left hand who do not belong to Jesus, He will say, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels… And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

Tomorrow Jesus is betrayed by Judas. Keep reading. (Mark 13:32-37, Matthew 24:36-51, Luke 21:34-38, Matthew 25:1-46)

Today as Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives with His disciples, He foretells of three future events.

1. Jesus speaks about the temple that will be destroyed in 70 AD when the Roman army will invade and destroy Jerusalem – “Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” David Guzik writes, “Many Jews expected the Messiah to return in glory when hostile Gentile armies surrounded Jerusalem. However, Christians in Jerusalem knew what Jesus had said and they obeyed Him, fleeing across the Jordan River mostly to Pella. Few, if any, Christians perished in the fall of Jerusalem. The ancient Christian historian Eusebius wrote that Christians fled to Pella in response to ‘an oracle given by revelation’ (History of the Church, 3.5.3, cited in Morris)… History records that 1.1 million Jews were killed and another 97,000 were taken captive in one of the worst calamities ever to strike the Jewish people. Jesus warned them to avoid it. When the Romans were done with Jerusalem in A.D. 70 not a single Jew was left alive in the city.”

2. Jesus says an even more difficult time will occur at His second coming, which is described in detail in the Book of Revelation. He warns His disciples not to believe the false christs and false prophets who will rise up to deceive people before His return. Jesus foretells of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes which will occur. He says, “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”

3. Jesus tells His disciples that following Him is going to cost them their lives here on earth. However, they will be gathered to Him in heaven for eternity – “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls.”

Our salvation comes at a high cost, the life of God’s Son. So following the Son will come at a cost to us, our earthly lives – “But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

“Immediately after the tribulation… the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Therefore, eternally speaking, not a hair on our heads will be lost because no one can destroy those in Christ. We will spend eternity with Jesus. Tomorrow Jesus speaks more about His return, so keep reading. (Mark 13:1-23, Matthew 24:1-25, Luke 21:5-24, Mark 13:24-31, Matthew 24:26-35, Luke 21:25-33)

Yesterday the Lord silenced the Sadducees, and today the Lord silences the Pharisees – “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

The first command to love the Lord covers the first four of the Ten Commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before Me. 2) You shall not make idols. 3) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. 4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. And the second command to love your neighbor covers the next six of the Ten Commandments, making the law applicable to us today: 5) Honor your father and your mother. 6) You shall not murder. 7) You shall not commit adultery. 8) You shall not steal. 9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10) You shall not covet.

Jesus asks the Pharisees whose Son Christ is. The Pharisees respond that He is the Son of David. So Jesus responds saying “how can the Son be from David if David even calls Him Lord” (Psalm 110:1). “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.”

Jesus warns the multitude and His disciples of the hypocritical religious leaders – “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation… Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Just because someone has a leadership position in the church does not mean that they are pleasing to the Lord. Actually, Jesus is repulsed by these rich, fake, and showy religious leaders. However, there is one in the temple that Jesus sees who catches His heart. Jesus pulls His disciples in to show them a person the world neglects. But not Jesus. It takes spiritual illumination to see as the Lord sees – “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.’” 

Jesus never publicly addresses the faithful widow. However, He saw her and He was pleased, and that is all that matters! 

Tomorrow Jesus tells His disciples what awaits them in the future. Keep reading. (Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:35-37, Matthew 22:41-46, Luke 20:41-44, Mark 12:38-40, Matthew 23:1-12, Luke 20:45-47, Matthew 23:13-39, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4)

From today’s reading in Tyndale’s One Year Chronological Bible dated 10/25:

Today Jesus gives three parables against the hypocritical religious leaders:

1. The two sons: A man with two sons tells the older son to work in the vineyard. The son says no but later changes his mind and goes. This son represents the tax collectors and harlots. The other son says he will work the vineyard but doesn’t. This son represents religious leaders. Jesus uses this parable to rebuke the religious leaders for failing to respond to John the Baptist’s ministry — “Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.’”
2. The evil farmers: A vineyard owner sends his servants to check on his vineyard that was leased to evil vinedressers. The evil vinedressers beat, stone, and even kill some of the servants. The owner eventually sends his only beloved son, assuming that they wouldn’t kill his son. But they kill his son as well. Just as the people of Israel have beaten, stoned, and killed the Lord’s prophets throughout this story, they are about to kill God’s only beloved Son, Jesus. Therefore, the Lord will take the kingdom of God from them because of their rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior— “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” The church will be the new recipient of God’s kingdom made up of Gentiles and Jews across many nations.
3. The wedding feast: Jesus illustrates the consequences of ignoring the invitation to the kingdom of God. When the guests invited to the wedding feast ignore the invitation and go about their own business instead of coming when called by the king, the king sends his servants out to the highways to invite as many people as they can. “And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

We are only saved by true faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord knows the hearts of all and He knows who truly belongs to Him. “In short, many hear, few believe: many are members of the visible, but few of the invisible church” (Benson commentary).

The religious leaders are offended by Jesus’ stories so they continue to try “to catch Him in His words.” They ask Him if it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.”

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, ask Jesus about marriage in heaven. Jesus explains there is no marriage in heaven for in this respect we will be like angels. “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.’ … Then some of the scribes answered and said, ‘Teacher, You have spoken well.’ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.”

Jesus is saying that the Sadducees are wrong in their belief that there is no resurrection of the dead, as Jesus will soon prove. So keep reading. (Matthew 21:28-32, Mark 12:1-12, Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 20:9-19, Matthew 22:1-14, Mark 12:13-17, Matthew 22:15-22, Luke 20:20-26, Mark 12:18-27, Matthew 22:23-33, Luke 20:27-40)