Mk 9:30-10:12

• vv30-32: Jesus predicted his death and resurrection; the disciples didn't understand and were afraid to ask.
  
• Anyone wants to be first -> he must be the very last, and the servant of all;
• Welcome Jesus -> welcomes God;
• Whoever not against us is for us (v40)
• what happened to the 'middle ground,' one might dare to ask; is this a 'false dichotomy' or a 'false dilemma'?
• To put things in perspective:
• Mk 9:40:
• for whoever is not against us is for us
• 不 敵 擋 我 們 的 ， 就 是 幫 助 我 們 的 。
• Mt 12:30:
• He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters;
• 不 與 我 相 合 的 ， 就 是 敵 我 的 ； 不 同 我 收 聚 的 ， 就 是 分 散 的 。
• Lk 9:50:
• for whoever is not against you is for you
• 因 為 不 敵 擋 你 們 的 ， 就 是 幫 助 你 們 的 。
• Lk 11:23:
• He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
• 不 與 我 相 合 的 ， 就 是 敵 我 的 ； 不 同 我 收 聚 的 ， 就 是 分 散 的 。
• While many things are not absolute, when it comes to truth it is 'black-and-white'; for example, the question 'is there a God?' can have only one answer--the truth can be either 'yes' or 'no' (a true dichotomy); one might say 'I don't know', but that doesn't change the fact that the true answer can be only one; truth is exclusive by nature, and it compels all serious person to find out the answer; the challenge is does one dare to try (Sapere aude);
  
• 10:9 - what God has joined together, let man not separate
• v11 - Any one who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and same for the wife;
  

Mk 9:1-29

• The Transfiguration
• Jesus took 3 disciples:
  
• Peter
• James
• John
• transfigure:
• clothes dazzling white
• whiter than anyone in the world can bleach them
• appeared with Elijah and Moses
• It's good for us to be here, said Peter
• he did not know what to say (he was too frightened), so he said he'd build 3 shelters for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses; why say anything at all when one doesn't know what to say?! Sometimes silence can carry a message, too.
  
• when they looked around, they saw no one except Jesus (v8); it's a common prayer for the worship;
  
• 'If you can?' (v22, v23) - certainly that's the wrong attitude--we shall leave not the slightest doubt in our mind of what Jesus can do. 'Everything is possible for him who believes' (v23b) The only thing Jesus not capable of doing is to sin. He is not limited by any laws in the physical world--the world was created through him! (Jn 1:3)
  
• Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" I really like his reaction--suddenly he realized there's doubt harboring in his mind, and without any hesitation he's ready to get rid of it; he took the leap of faith instantly;
  
• v29: some spirit (e.g. the deaf and mute spirit-v25) can come out only by prayer (and fasting)

Mk 8:11-38

• vv14-21: yeast (->teaching) of the
  
• Pharisees -> hypocrisy
  
• Herod -> worldly desires
  
• v14: they forgot to bring bread, but Jesus warned them of the yeast of Pharisees and Herod, which made the disciples very confused (v16), but what they've forgotten is not only the bread, but that Jesus is the Lord and can perform miracles; didn't he feed 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and again 4000 with 7? Didn't they even have leftovers each time? Food is not the issue here, Jesus' concern is towards the spiritual wellbeing of his students;
• v21: had Jesus lost his patience on his students? He should know they were slow when he selected them (spiritual alertness was probably not a criterion). Jesus was surely a stern master. I think only after his death did the disciples realize how much trust their master had laid upon them--to carry on the daunting task of the great commission; Jesus then empowered his disciples and had been ever so encouraging to them; a stern master he was during the training period, but also he's trusting and inspiring as a leader--perhaps that's the model for discipleship?
• vv22-26: A 2-step healing? Why the hassle of going outside the village and spitting? Couldn't he just say it on the spot and heal the blind? Of course he could. Nothing is impossible for him. So there must be a reason for his doing so--although it's not immediately obvious to me at this time.
• vv27-33: see also Mt 16;
• v31: Jesus predicted his death and resurrection;
• v33: 'Get behind me, Satan!'--so it was not Peter who said it; did Satan speak through the mouth of Peter? I can imagine Peter's reaction when hearing this (especially after Jesus praised him for recognizing Jesus is the Christ (which was revealed by God--Mt 16:17);
• v34: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
• v36-37: What good is it for a an to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mk 7:24-8:10

• vv24-30: the woman's faith saved her daughter, who was possessed by a evil spirit;
• Parents' faith is a blessing to their children; parents are privileged and are responsible for praying for their children; the children wouldn't know what's going on, it's the parents' responsibility to tell them that God has answered the prayers;
  
• v26: her faith humbled the woman, who begged Jesus to drive out the demon from her daughter;
• Jesus healed the deaf, who couldn't talk, either:
• put his fingers into the man's ears
• spit and touched the man's tongue
• said, 'Be opened!'
• Jesus fed 4000
• been with Jesus for 3 days and have nothing to eat (what they brought have probably been gone);
• some of them were from far away;
• Jesus would feed them with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish;
  
• the people ate and were satisfied;
• the leftovers filled 7 baskets;
• after that they were sent home;
  

Mk 7:1-23

• v3-4: traditions of the Jews--not just for sanitary purposes, it's a religious ceremony as well;
  
• v6: their hearts are far from me;
  
• v7: they worship me in vain (Isa 29:13);
  
• v8-9: you let go of the commends of God and are holding on to the traditions of men, and have a fine way to explain it => seek the original meanings of traditions; return to God, return to God's words!
• v15: unclean -> not goes into but comes out of a man;
• v23: all these evils come from inside men's hearts:
• sexual immorality
• theft
• murder
• adultery
• greed
• malice
• deceit
• lewdness
• envy
• slander
• arrogance
• folly
  

Mk 6:30-56

• v31: 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,' Jesus told his disciples; isn't that a great idea even nowadays?
• v33: many saw them and followed; the place was quiet no more;
  
• v34: Jesus had compassion on them and began his teaching; that wasn't the plan, but Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd (lost, unprotected, and prone to danger);
• v44: 5000 men ate, and they were satisfied (v42); the leftover filled 12 baskets
  
• v50: Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.
• v51; When Jesus is abroad, the wind died down.
  

Mk 6:1-29

• Isn't he--
• a carpenter?
• son of Mary?
• brother of James Joseph, Judas and Simon, and his sisters?
• They say 'Familiarity breeds contempt' (see v3b);
  
• A prophet is not regarded as one when he's home, in his own house and among his relatives (v4).
• v5: when people don't believe him, he could not do miracles on them (Jesus probably would should they come);
• v7: 2x2 (6 teams):
• gave them authority over evil spirits
• instructed them to:
• take nothing except a staff
• no bread
• no bag
• no money
• wear sandals, but not extra tunic
• stay at the same house in a town until you leave that town
  
• leave if any place not welcome or listen to you, and shake off the dust on your feet when you leave;
• Death of John the Baptist
• Herodias ask her daughter to ask for John's head to Herod, whom she married to after being the wife of his brother, Philip;
• John was buried by his disciples in a tomb;

Mk 5:21-43

• v36: Don't be afraid; just believe. When situation seems helpless to men, Jesus has the power to turn things around--just like he had turn the dead back to live.
• vv25-34: the bleeding woman
• 12 years
• saw many doctors
• suffered a great deal
• spent all she had (not just money, but everything)
• she heard -> came -> touch Jesus' cloak
• v28: so she thought; that's just her wishful thinking, and she got it--she was healed; => first thing is believe!
  
• v30: Jesus felt it (that power had gone out from him); but he knew she was coming, and he knew who she was; yet he asked (for the sake of others), 'Who touched me?'
• v34: your faith has healed you; go in peace and be freed from your suffering; this is the official certificate--now the woman didn't steal it from Jesus, it's given to her; without this she probably won't have the peace of mind because she wouldn't know what Jesus might say about her 'uninvited' request; now she knew, and what a warm feeling that must have been;
• v42: the girl was 12 years old; it's the same year when she was born that the woman mentioned above began to have her disease; both of them got a new life;

Mk 4:26-5:20

• v27:growth of kingdom of God-- it's a gradual process, and it'll become huge (v32);
• Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
• 5:8: the demons, by the name of 'Legion' (for they are many), was the same ones driven out by Jesus from another person (v8), now they possessed another man in Gerasenes.
• v13: 2000 pigs drowned because the demons went into the pigs;
• v18: the man begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus declined. He asked the man to go and be a witness of the Lord's mercy to his family. And he did (v20).
  

Mk 3:31-4:25

• Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother (v35)
• Jesus' mother and brother came to look for him (v32)
• when other told him that, he said, 'who are my mother and my brothers?'
  
• the Bible didn't say Jesus stopped his preaching immediately and went outside to see his visiting family, instead he continued and gave a broader definition of his mother and his brother;
• the Bible didn't say why his mother and his brother came, but I take it as personal matters (or family issues) should be secondary compared to God's calling of one's life;
• In John 19:26-27, Jesus had a new definition of son for his mother. While on the cross, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son.' The son was probably his disciple John. And as if that's not enough to settle the matter, he said to John, 'Here is your mother.'
  
• The parable of the Sower
• I'm most interested in what's causing the 3rd type to fail--making it unfruitful (v19)?
• worries of this life
• deceitfulness of wealth
• desire for other things
• I think I'm this type (or 'Category-III'); who doesn't have worries? isn't wealth still an attraction? Oh, and speaking of other desires, the list is long for me. Now the real question is how to prevent a complete failure. Part of the answer is probably in God's hand, but there're certainly things within my own control. Perhaps I can learn from the Category-IV people. How do they produce a crop--30, 60, and 100 folds? Perhaps when one turn his focus on Jesus, the rest will fall into place. And that's something my conscious can control. So here's the key: Turn your eyes upon Jesus...
• Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed; whatever concealed brought out into open; first off, no one can hide anything from God. God is a spirit, and He is omnipresent; secondly, can one really deceive oneself and one's conscience? We know what's right and wrong (sometimes more clearer than others), we just ignore the speaking of our conscience.

Mk 3:7-30

• Appointing the Twelve
1. Simon Peter
2. James
• Zebedee's son
  
3. John
   
• Zebedee's son
  
• aka Boanerges--Son of Thunder
4. Andrew
• Brother of Peter
5. Philip
• 'the evangelist' (Acts 21:8)
  
• preach the Gospel in Samaria, Caesarea
  
• preach to the Ethiopian eunuch
6. Bartholomew
7. Matthew
• tax collector
  
8. Thomas
• aka 'Doubting Thomas'
  
9. James (2)
• son of Alphaeus
10. Thaddaeus
11. Simon (2)
• the Zealot
12. Judas
• the Iscariot
• v20: too busy to eat
• v21: Jesus' family mad at him; the Bible didn't mention Jesus' response to this, but from elsewhere I can see his general approach; his calling is definitely bigger than his immediate family; when his family becomes too attached to him for his mission, he'd respectfully distant himself (repeatedly if need be);
• v29: blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will NEVER be forgiven; he's guilty for eternal sin.
• the teachers accused him for driving out demons by the prince of demons
• 
  

Mk 2:13-3:6

• Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth; Jesus called Levi to follow him;
• Jesus dined at Levi's home (v15), where there were many tax collectors;
  
• Jesus came to call the sinners (v17);
• v19: Jesus is the one people are waiting for; while he is with them it's time to celebrate; when the day comes for his departure, that's when they should fast;
• vv21-22: this implies it's the beginning of a new era; from the start Jesus is declaring his Messiahship; false Christs nowadays follow the same path; truth itself is exclusive--only one can be true;
  
• Lord of the Sabbth; he's the Lord of all, he is the Word of God, he is God;
  

Mk 1:29-2:12

• v30: Peter (a.k.a Simon) was married; I wonder why there's no mentioning of his wife anywhere;
• v30-34: Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law and many others; drove out many demons;
• v35: Jesus got up before daybreak to pray in a solitary place;
• v38: Jesus wanted to go elsewhere when everyone in the villages was looking for him; he came to preach, not just to heal the sicks;
• v45: again Jesus switch places when his name is known for healing a leper;
• 2:1-12: Jesus healed a Paralytic
• in Capernaum; Jesus preached in a room;
  
• a paralytic was carried by 4 men;
• they had to find a creative way to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd;
• so they dig a hole in the roof and lower the men in a mat to Jesus;
• Jesus saw their faith (v5);
• Which is easier?
  
• to heal, or
• to forgive sins
• Jesus did both (first he forgave the sins of the men, then healed his paralysis);
• the crowd was amazed and praised God!
  

Mk 1:1-28

• vv1-8: John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• v1: the beginning of the gospel
• As prophesied by Isaiah (v2), so came John (v3)
• Image of John (v6):
• wore clothing made of camel's hair
• leather belt
• ate
  
• locusts and
• wild honey
• Compared with Jesus:
• will come after John
  
• Jesus is more powerful
• John is not worthy even to untie the thongs of his sandal
• will baptize with the Holy Spirit
  
• vv9-13: Baptism and Temptation of Jesus:
• Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove (v10). My take is there must have been some sound and wind when it happened--just like that of a dove when it lands
  
• The Spirit sent Jesus to the desert for 40 days (v13); he was
• tempted by Satan
• with the wild animals
• has angels attending him
• vv14-20: The Calling of the First Disciples
• v14: John was put in prison
• Simon and his brother Andrew (were casting a net):
• will make you fishers of men
• James and his brother John (were preparing their net)
• vv21-28: Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit
• Jesus in Capernaum (v21)
  
• Unlike any teachers of the law, Jesus had authority (v22)
• an evil possessed man was in the synagogue (v23)
• v25: Be quiet! Come out of him!
• The evil spirit
• shook the man violently
• came out
• with a shriek
• People were amazed; news about Jesus spread over Galilee.
  

Mt 28:1-20

• vv1-10: The Resurrection:
• v1: first day of the week (after the Sabbath) - Sunday
• v1: the 2 Mary's
• Mary Magdalene
• the other Mary -> mother of James and Joses, wife of Clopas (Jn 19:25)
• v2: an angel from heaven rolled back the stone;
• v6: he is not here; he has risen;
• v9: Jesus met the 2 women
• v10: Jesus -> tell my brothers to meet me in Galilee
• vv11-15: The Guards' Report:
• v11: some of the gurads returned to the city to report to the chief priests;
• v12: chief priests and elders devised a plan to let the soldiers lie;
• vv16-20: The Great Commission:
• v16: the 11 disciples met Jesus in Galilee
• vv19-20: Jesus' instructions:
• go
• make disciples of all nations
• baptize them in the name of
  
• the Father
• the Son
• the Holy Spirit
• teach them to obey everything I have commanded you;
• v20b: I am with you to the very end;
  

Mt 27:32-66

• vv32-44: The Crucifixion:
• v33: Golgotha = The Place of the Skull;
• v34: Jesus tasted wine mixed with gall;
• v35: Jesus' clothes divided among the soldiers;
• v37: plate with the charge: 'This is Jesus, the king of the jews'
• v38: 2 robbers also crucified along with Jesus;
• vv39-41: Jesus insulted and mocked:
• passing-by's: save yourself! Come down from the cross
• chief priests, teachers, elders: he can't save himself; He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now; let God rescue him now;
  
• the two robbers: passed the same insults
• vv45-56: The Death of Jesus:
• v45: 6th-9th hour -> darkness came over all the land;
• v46:9th hour -> My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
• v48: wine vinegar offered to Jesus;
• v50: Jesus died;
• vv51-53: at that moment:
• the curtain of the temple ->
  
• torn in two
  
• from top to bottom;
• earth shook
• rocks split
• tombs broke open
• the bodies of many holy people were raised to life
• the appeared to many people after Jesus' resurrection
  
• by-standers:
• Mary Magdalene
• Mary the mother of James and Joses
• Zebedee's wife (mother of James and John);
• vv57-61: The Burial of Jesus:
• v57a: in the evening (Friday);
  
• v57: a rich man from Arimathea, Joseph
• v58: he went directly to Pilate
• Joseph
  
• took the body,
  
• wrapped it in linen cloth
• placed it in his own new tom
• rolled a big stone in the front
• The two Mary's were there
• vv62-66: The Guard at the Tomb:
• v62: the next day (Saturday) morning
• chief priests and elders requested Pilate to send guards to the tomb; it was granted
  

Mt 27:15-31

• vv15-26: Jesus Before Pilate (contiued)
• v15: amnesty during the feast
• v17: Pilate offered the crowd a choice: Jesus or Barabbas (Mk 15:7, Lk 23:19)
  
• v18: envy?! the high priests and elders are envious of Jesus' power and influence? Or is it something else?
• v19: Pilate's wife sent the message to plead for Jesus
• vv22-23: those who yelled 'crucify him' what do they have against Jesus? Must be coming from the persuasion of the chief priests and elders (v20). They didn't know what they were doing.
• v25: on us and on our children
• vv27-31: The Soldiers Mock Jesus
• v28: they put on Jesus:
• a scarlet robe
• crown of throns
• a staff in his right hand
• vv29-30: they also -
• knelt in front of him and mocked him
• 'Hail, king of the Jews'
• spit on him
• repeatedly struck him on his head with the staff
• the humiliation is unbearable; I'd like to hit the 'Fast Forward' button on these scenes; But Jesus endure it all--every single second of it--for us;

Mt 26:69-27:14

• vv69-75: Peter Disowns Jesus:
• 3 times:
1. in the court yard to one servant girl, "I don't know what you're talking about.'
   
2. out to the gateway to another girl, "I don't know the man!"
3. after a while to those standing there, "I don't know the man!"

• v74b: a rooster crowed;
• v75b: he went outside and wept bitterly; he did fall away--exactly as Jesus had predicted and as he claimed he never would; how shameful and yet he could not undo it; Peter probably would never forget this for the rest of his life. And he did spent the rest of his life as a minister for the Gospel. The shame had turned into a motivationg factor for him. Excellent example of 'in all things God works for the good of those who love him.' (Rom 8:28)
• 27:1-10: Judas Hangs Himself:
• v1: in the morning--Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion;
• v2: turned Jesus to Governor Pilate (a Roman); Jesus had not rest all night;
• v3: Judas' remorse;
• v4b: the high priests and elders didn't want any part of it;
• v5: Judas threw the money into the temple and went away and hanged himself; some argue that Judas must be a part of God's plan, but in 26:24 Jesus explained that he 'will go ust as it is written about him; but woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man.' Clearly God did not select which man to do the betrayal. Instead, Satan was out there 'prowling around' (1 Pet 5:8) looking for the weak links. One must 'resist him, standing firm in the faith' (1 Pet 5:9).
• v8: field of blood (see also Acts 1:18-19);
• vv11-14: Jesus Before Pilate:
• v11: Jesus admitted he is the king of Jews;
• v12,14: before the high priests and elders, Jesus kept silent to the testimony against him; now before Pilate he gave no explanation; he only admitted that he was the Christ and 'king of Jews', respectively;
• v14: Pilate was amazed;
  
• 
  

Mt 26:47-68

• vv47-56: Jesus Arrested:
• v47: here came Judas, and with him a large crowd, armed with swords and clubs. Not sure whether there were Roman soldiers in the midst (probably not because they were sent from the chief priests and elders?). Most likely they were all Jews--his own people had turned against him (how sad that must have been!), and that's just the beginning of the ordeal.
• v51: violence erupted
  
• vv52-53: one man and his sword is nothing compared with the 12 legions of angels, but Jesus wanted neither.
  
• v54, 56: He knew this was the path he must take--through trials and tourture and a humiliating death on the cross--to fulfill the purpose of his life. Only by his death can men's sin be cleaned, and their ransom paid. It's a huge price to pay, but that's what Jesus came for, and now the time had come. Obviously he had many choices at this juncture, but he did not sidestep--instead he got on it without looking back (but he did prayed very hard beforehand). What is the calling of our lives? Has it been clear yet? Do we have the determination to fulfill it?
  
• v56: all the disciples deserted him and left (the scene must be quite vilent: Mk 14:51-52). Some followed at a distance (v58).
  
• vv57-68: Jesus Before the Sanhedrin:
• v57: the crowd who arrested Jesus must have been led by someone like Paul--they thought the were doing God's will and loyal to the priests, teachers and elders (their authority of God's Law); "How could they be wrong? At least they can't be all wrong, can they?" -> Oh, yes they can! People in the crowd were zealous, but they didn't know what they were doing. They were blinded by their own zeal. This leads to the conclusion that zealousness by itself cannot be good--it must be balanced by cool discretion, an ability comes from knowing God and God's word. Can one be both at the same time? Porbably not. But one must reserve time for both.
  
• v64: Jesus admitted he's the Christ, the Son of God;
• v65: this became the evidence to execute Jesus;
• v67-68: then the scene turned ugly.
  

Mt 26:14-46

• vv14-16: Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus:
• v15: 30 silver coins - the 'reward' to Judas,
  
• he later (Friday morning--the morning of the day Jesus was crucified) returned the money (27:3-10) to the chief priests and the elders.
  
• Judas hanged himself afterwards (probably out of regret, 27:3).
  
• The chief priests and elders, considered it against the law to put the money into the treasury, then use the money to buy a piece of land (potter's field) as a burial place for the foreigners.
• The Bible did not say where, or whether, Judas' body was buried.
• This was a fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophacy (Zech 11:12-13, Jer 19:1-13, 32:6-9)
• vv17-30: The Lord's Supper:
• v17: first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread -> Jesus was arrested at this very night (Thursday, v31) and crucified the following day (Friday);
• v17b: the disciples are preparing for the feast (a.k.a. 'Passover'), totally unaware of what's going to happen in the upcoming days;
• v18: Jesus knew his appointed time is near;
• v21: Jesus said to the Twelve one of them will betray him;
• v24: woe to the man who betrays the Son of Man! It'd be better for him if he had not been born. <- This is very heavy stuff! I wonder how Judas felt at hearing it. But his heart was hardened and totally controlled by Satan. For him the struggle was over--he had lost.
  
• v25: Jesus indicated Judas (yes, it is you/you yourself have said it);
• vv26-28: Lord's prayer used at the communion;
• v30: they sang a hymn! I wonder how Jesus would have led the hymn. I pray that Jesus could show me the way.
• vv31-35: Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial:
• v31: all of the disciples will 'fall away' tonight; no exception! How difficult it is the challenge ahead of them!
• v32: Jesus looked past the death and talked about his resurrection. Death is not the end for us and certainly not for Jesus. Everyone must die, and after that he'll face judgment (Heb 9:27);
• v33 : Peter acclaimed he will never fall away. In v35, he again declared he'll never disown Jesus, even if he had to die together. Not just Peter, all others said the same thing (v35b). How feable is our resolution in dangerous situations!
  
• v34: 3 times will Peter disown Jesus before the rooster crows that night.
• vv36-46: Gethsemane:
• v39: Yet not as I will, but as you will.
• v41: the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. <- this is excatly the problem.
• v44: three times Jesus went to pray. Not that the number 3 has any special meaning, but only after 3 times, he felt ready.
• v46: here comes my betrayer!
  

Mt 25:31-26:13

Meimei slept through the night last night! And she was able to sustain sitting for quite some time.

• vv 25:31-46: The Sheep and the Goats
• Son of Man comes sitting on his throne in heavenly glory;
• separate the people as shepherd separates sheep and goats
• to the sheep on the right:
  
• come, you who are blessed by my Father
• take your inheritance
• when I was (vv35-36):
  
• hungry -> you feed me
• thirsty -> you gave me drink
• a stranger -> you invited me in
• in need of clothes -> you clothed me
• sick -> you look after me
• in prison -> came to visit me
• whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (v40); and vice versa (v45);
• go to eternal life (v46b)
  
• to the goats to hte left:
• depart from me, you who are cursed,
  
• into the eternal fire
• prepared for the evil and his angels
  
• you didn't perform any of acts as the sheep on the right (vv42-43);
  
• go to eternal punishment (v46a);
• 26:1-5: The Plot Against Jesus
• v2: Passover is 2 days away; passover begins at sundown on Friday, so at this time it should be in Wednesday;
• v2: Jesus knew his time has come;
• v3: meanwhile at the home of Caiaphas the high priest, a meeting was going on among the chief priests and the elders of the people;
• v4: they are plotting a sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him;
• v5: afraid of a riot, they decided not during the Feast (of Unleavened Bread--on Thursday, see v17);
• vv6-13: Jesus Anointed at Bethany (see also Jn 12:1-8):
• v6: the place- in the home of Simon the Leper at Bethany (not Jeruselem); Bethany is where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn 12:1);
  
• v7: a woman (Mary the sister of Lazarus, Jn12:3) poured a jar of very expensive perfume on Jesus' head;
• v8: the disciple (Judas, Jn 12:4) said it was a waste and the perfume could have been sold and the money (worth a year's wage, Jn 12:5) can be given to the poor;
• vv10-13: Jesus' reply:
• why bother this woman?
• she's done a beautiful thing to me
• the poor you'll always have, but not me
• she did it to prepare me for burial
• this will be told wherever this gospel is preached, in memory of her

Mt 25:1-30

• 25:1-13: The Parable of the ten vergins:
• v1: at that time - this is a continuation of the previous chapter about no one but God knows the time
• v3: the 5 foolish -> took their lamps but not the oil
• v4: the 5 wise -> took both the lamps and the oil in jars (but only enough for themselves)
  
• v9: Aren't they being too selfish? Well, the oil cannot be shared because if so then no one would have enough. At this moment, it'd already be too late for the 5 foolish.
  
• v11: the 5 foolish were late to the banquet because they went to buy the oil.
• v12: the bridegroom refused to let them in.
• v13: Jesus reminds us to be prepare always (keep watch) because the day or the hour is known only to God.
• vv14-30: The Parable of the Talents:
• 2 meanings of Talent
• unit of money: 1 talent ~ $1,000
• natural abilities or qualities (as in 'talented')
• v14: the master 'entrust' the money to the 3 servants; he did not 'give away'--it's still his money (vv19, 27).
  
• v15: in the Chinese Union version it says 'according to their talents' the man gave money to the 3 servants; but in NIV it just says he gave such-and-such 'to one', 'to another', and 'to another', as if it's arbitrary;
• The servant who received 5 talents:
• what he did (v16):
  
• he went at once
• put his money to work (e.g. trade, business)
• gained 5 more
• upon the return of his master (v20):
  
• he brought the other 5
• "see, I have gained 5 more"
• what the master did to him(v21, 28):
• "well done, good and faithful servant!"
• "You have been faithful with a few things;"
  
• "I will put you in charge of many things."
• "Come and share your master's happiness."
• were given the 1 talent from the third servant;
• The servant who received 2 talents:
• what he did (v17):
• same as the first one, and he got 2 more;
• upon the return of his master (v22):
• as the first one, he also came;
  
• "see, I have gained 2 more."
• what his master did to him (v23, almost exactly the same as the first):
• "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
• "You have been faithful with a few things;"
  
• "I will put you in charge of many things."
• "Come and share your master's happiness."
• The servant who received 1 talent:
• what he did (v18):
• went off
• dug a hole in the ground
• hid his master's money
• upon the return of his master (vv24-25):
• he came
• "I knew you're a hard man,
• harvesting where you have not sown and
• gathering where you have not scattered seed
• "I was afraid"
• "I went out and hid your talent in the ground"
  
• "See, here is what belongs to you."
• what his master did to him (vv26-30):
• "you wicked, lazy servant!"
• "you knew that I --
  
• harvest where I have not sown
• gather where I have not scattered seed?"
• "you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
• took the 1 talent from him and give it to the first servant;
• threw him outside into the darkness, where he will be
  
• weeping and
  
• gnashing of teeth
  
• v29: those who have -> given more; do not have -> take away what they were given;
  

Mt 24:29-51

• vv29-51: Signs of the End of the Age (continued)
• immediately after the distress of those days (vv29-31)
  
• the sun will be darkened
• the moon will not give its light
• the stars will fall fromthe sky
• the heavenly bodies will be shaken (Isa 13:10, 34:4)
  
• the sign of Son of Man will appear in the sky (v30)
  
• all the nations will mourn
  
• they will see
  
• the Son of Man coming on the cloud of the sky
• with power
• and great glory
• he will send his angels (v31)
  
• with a loud trumpet call
• they will gather his elect
  
• from the four winds
• from one end of the heaven to the other
• Learn the lesson from the fig tree (vv32-33):
• summer is near when
  
• its twigs get tender
• its leaves come out
• Son of Man is near when
• you see all these signs
• Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (v35)
• vv36-51: The Day and the Hour Unknown
• only the Father knows (v36)
• As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man
• before the flood, people were
  
• eating
  
• drinking
• marrying
• giving in marriage
• one will be taken and the other left
• of two men in the field
• of two women grinding with a hand mill
• v42: keep watch!
  

Mt 24:1-28

• 24:1-28: Signs of the End of the Age (Eschanton)
  
• v2: no stone will be left on another in the temple of Jerusalem;
• v3: disciples asked for the sign of Jesus' coming and the end of the age, Jesus replied:
• beginning of birth pains (vv4-8):
  
• many will claimed they're the Christ (the Messiah)
• you will hear of wars and rumors of wars
• nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom
• there will be famines and earthquakes in various places
• then (vv9-14)
  
• disciples will be handed over to be prosecuted and put to death
• they will be hated by all nations because of Jesus
• many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other
• many false prophets will appear, many will be deceived
  
• the love of most will grow cold due to the increase of wickedness (but all those who stand firm to the end will be saved)
  
• the Gospel will be preached in the whole world -> then the end will come
• when the holy place is occupied by 'the abomination that caused desolation' (Dan 9:27), then
• let those in Judea flee to the mountains
• let no one on the roof go down to take anything
• let no one in the field go back to get his cloak
• dreadful will be the pregnant women and nursing mothers
• pray that your flight (flee) is not in winter or on the Sabbath
• then there will be great distress--unequaled from the beginning till the end
• no one would survive had not those days been cut short
• don't believe the citation of seeing the Christ
• false Christs and false prophets will appear
  
• and perform great signs and miracles
  
• to deceive even the elect
• the coming of the Son of Man (v27)
  
• as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west; many false prophets and false Christs have been using this verse to acclaim themselves (e.g. the Eastern Lightning cult, Sun Myung Moon, Jeong Myong Seok).
  

Mt 23:13-39

• vv13-29: 7 Woes (continued): Woe to you:
  
1. you hypocrites, for shutting the kingdom of heaven and not letting yourselves and others who are trying to;
   
2. you hypocrites, for converting people but making them sons of hell, twice as much as you do;
3. blind guides, for telling people only swearing by the gold in the temple and gift on the altar that counts (but not if by the temple itself and altar itself). It's the temple that makes the gold sacred, and the altar the gift;
4. you hypocrites, for ignoring the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faithfulness;
5. you hypocrites, with clean outside but full of greed and self-indulgence in the inside;
6. you hypocrites, who look beautiful outside but are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean in the inside (like whitewash tombs);
7. you hypocrites, who inheret the sins of forefathers, who murdered the prophets (from the righteous Abel), and cannot escape the condemnation of hell (snakes, brood of vipers)
   
• Jesus woes Jerusalem (v37)
  

Mt 22:34-23:12

• vv34-40: The Greatest Commandment
• v34: Jesus silenced the Sadducees with his previous answer
• Jesus questioned by an expert of law (v35), 'which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' (v36)
  
• Jesus replied more than what he asked for--
  
• the first and the greatest commandment is (vv37-38):
  
• Love the Lord your God with all your
• heart
• soul
• mind
• the second is like it:
• Love your neighbor as yourself (v39)
  
• All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments (v40)
• vv41-46: Whose Son Is the Christ
  
• Jesus silenced all with this question (v46):
• how can David calls Christ 'Lord' if
  
• Christ is son of David, and
• David is speaking by the Spirit
• Because it implies Jesus is
  
• Son of God and
  
• God Himself.
• 23:1-12: Seven Woes
• Pharisees did not practice what they preach (v3), so we should do as they say but not as they do;
• v12: whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted;
  

Mt 22:1-33

• vv1-14: Parable of the wedding banquet:
• king -> God
• king's son -> Jesus
• king's servants -> prophets
• those who had been invited -> Isrealites
• the invited people
  
• ignored the king's servants
  
• one went off to the field
• another to do his business
• the rest
• seized the servants
• mistreated them
• then killed them
• the king
  
• was enraged and
  
• send his army to destroy the murders and
  
• burned the city
• then asked his servants to
• invite anyone found on the street
• the servants
• went out into the streets
• gathered all the people they could find (good and bad)
  
• the wedding hall was packed
• one of the guest did not wear wedding clothes, when the king saw him he questioned him why. The man was speechless
• the king told the attendants
• tie him hand and foot
• throw him outside
• into the darkness
• where there willbe weeping and gnashing of teeth
• vv15-22: Paying taxes to Caesar
• the Pharisees and the Herodians schemed to trap Jesus (vv15-16)
  
• is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (v17)
• Jesus's reply was affirmative--give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's (v21)
• they were amazed (v22)
  
• vv23-33: Marriage at the Resurrection
• the Sadducees -> don't believe in resurrection
• they were wrong (v29); God is not the Godof the dead but of the living (v32)
• the crowds were astonished (v33)
  

Mt 21:23-46

It's February. I have survived the first month! Hallelujah! I attribute it to the inspiration from church leadership and cooperation in the family. I wish I can continue this till the day that I die.

• v23: on the 2nd day of the Passion week, Jesus entered the temple courts again and taught there.
  
• vv23-27: Jesus' authority questioned by the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now it showed how important the fact that Jesus was baptised by John, to which he hinged his answer (vv24-25). His reply proved to be a difficult one for the chief priests and the elders. It put them in such great dilemma (a classic case) that they could not reply either 'yes' or 'no' (vv25-26). So they picked neither (v27a). Jesus then easily brushed off their loaded question (v27).
• vv28-32: Parable of the two sons. What's said is not as important as what's actually done (v31).
• vv33-46: Parable of the Tenants. Those are wicked tenants--they kill the servants of their master and even the son of the master. Their motive? To take over the inheritance. They have positioned themselves directly against their master. And how will the master treat them? "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end." (v41)
  
• vv42-46: Jesus is the capstone that was rejected by the builders. And the weight of it will undoubtedly crush those whom it falls upon (v44). Jesus' harsh words to the chief priests and the Pharisees are in such sharp contrast to the compassion and gentleness he had on the poor and the needy.