This Sunday we’ll be continuing our trek through Matthew 24, reading v15-35. Much of what Jesus predicts in this section deals with the upcoming siege of Jerusalem, a prediction that was fulfilled in 70 AD.

As we did last week, we’ll focus on the instructions we receive from Jesus concerning how we respond and live in light of the temporal nature of this world’s systems. As  you read through the passage, pay attention to the places where Jesus gives specific instructions to his disciples and consider how those instructions would apply to our lives in this present world.

While so much of our modern Church’s interest is in the speculations about when, what and who of these predictions, Jesus seems to focus on more pragmatic issues. What can that tell us about how we, as the Church, should respond to these words?

This will, hopefully, be an encouraging study – I hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM.

This Sunday we’ll be starting chapter 24 of Matthew’s gospel this Sunday reading the first 14 verses. End time predictions are almost a cottage industry in the Church over the years…needless to say, we won’t be adding to those. What we’ll learn from Jesus is that there is a presupposition of the world’s ending. It’s how we live in the time we have that’s truly important.

v1-3 give us the overall heading of this section. Jesus predicts the end of something – what is it? The disciples ask him when this will happen, and what sign to look for to signal his coming. Do you find that odd? He’s right in front of them – why are they asking about his coming? They didn’t expect him to leave – what were they talking about? The word “coming” in the Greek is “parousia” – the arrival of a king. They are asking when he’ll be revealed as King and bring the present, broken world to it’s conclusion. They don’t realize it, but they are asking two different questions. What then, are the two subjects in view in this section?

Jesus describes things that sound like current events to us and could be alarming – except for what Jesus says in v6. What are these events, in his view?

Instead of giving his disciples a straight forward answer about when these things would happen – what does Jesus say to his disciples as instruction? (hint: v4, v6, v13)

Before things really end, what is happening according to v14? What is our mission then, in light of the end? Does knowing when the end may come have any bearing on what our mission is? Does it change? If not, what does that tell us?

We may not all agree on how to view eschatology (views on the “end times”), but that should never be a reason to divide us. Let’s approach this text as objectively as we can and see what we may learn by God’s Spirit. See you this Sunday!

Has someone ever taken something that belonged to you – or at least you felt belonged to you? How did that make you feel?

Have you ever been in charge of something and someone else starts stepping all over your authority? What do you want to do in a situation like that? We’re going to be thinking about that theme this Sunday as we continue our study in Matthew, reading chapter 21:33-46.

Jesus tells a parable that traditionally is referred to as “the parable of the wicked tenants”…but it could be more accurately called “the story of the renters from hell”.

Read the parable over.  Who do you think the sharecroppers, who are renting the property, represent?  Who would they represent as we try to apply this parable to our own lives and church context?

Who does the Landowner represent?  What do we learn from about Him from His responses to the growing tensions?

What was the last straw in this stand-off?  What drove the Landowner to action?  What can we learn from this story about our own lives and the choices and responses we have?

Jesus perpetually challenged the religious system – and this Sunday will be no different. I hope you can join us!

This Sunday we’ll be reading the account of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, something we’ve called the “Triumphal Entry”. It’s a very familiar event from the Gospels, and one that we might miss the significance of because of that familiarity. We’ll be reading Matthew 21:1-17 as we continue our study of that Gospel.

This event is pointing back to ancient prophecies about the Messiah, as well as prior historical events in Israel, and all of it is meant to create a contrast between the kingdoms of this world and how God rules His kingdom. That’s something we’ll be digging into in our examination of the text.

We’ll also be reading about Jesus’ actions in the temple. Normally when we hear about Jesus driving out those who were selling sacrificial animals and exchanging money in the temple, we assume his motive is to rebuke commercialism/consumerism within the house of worship. I would say the majority of people read it that way…I know I always did.

This Sunday we’re going to challenge that idea. Jesus was certainly staging a prophetic rebuke…but of what? There is an alternative proposition about what Jesus was doing that I find quite persuasive, and the message if far deeper and heavier than mere consumerism. (Not to excuse a consumer mindset within the sphere of worship – there are other places in Scripture that address that as improper, I’m just not convinced that’s what Jesus was doing in this particular text).

I think this will be an enlightening, albeit challenging, study. I hope you can join us this Sunday!

This Sunday, in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we’ll be reading Matthew 20:29-34.

Like all the gospel writers, Matthew loves a good contrast. In this text, we find two blind and desperate men who are presented right on the heels of James and John seeking greatness in the last section. Instead of two self-assured followers of Jesus looking for advancement, we have these two beggars bereft of any self-confidence. It’s another reminder of what sort of attitudes rightly represent God’s kingdom activity.

When the blind men call out to Jesus for mercy, the crowd tries to silence them. What are some of the ways in which societal pressures or assessments try to silence our cries for God’s mercy? This passage is inviting us to consider the nature of God’s mercy and its powerful effect on our lives. When these men experienced the mercy of Jesus by receiving their sight, what did they do? When we’ve encountered God’s mercy in our lives, how can that draw us closer to him?

This story is a great reminder of the depths of God’s love for us, and his desire to meet our true needs, not just our immediate wants. I think it will be really encouraging! Hope you can join us this Sunday as we dig into scripture together!

This Sunday, we will continue our study in the Gospel of Matthew as we read Matthew 20:17–28.

In this passage, Jesus predicts His death for the third and final time (see also Matthew 16:21 and Matthew 17:22). Yet instead of seeing the disciples wrestle with or process what Jesus has just revealed, we immediately encounter an unexpected request. The mother of James and John approaches Jesus asking that her sons be given seats of honor in His kingdom.

Their reaction reminds me of this humorous scene from The Simpsons, when Marge gives Homer instructions for when she’s away:

Like Homer in the clip, the request from the disciples’ mother—and likely James and John themselves—shows little indication that they truly heard what Jesus was saying. Jesus is speaking about suffering, betrayal, and death in Jerusalem, yet their focus is on status and position.

The passage invites us to pause and reflect:
Are we really listening to what Jesus is saying?
Do we understand the road He is describing for His followers?

As the section unfolds, it becomes clear that the disciples are looking ahead to the throne awaiting Jesus, but they are not recognizing the cross that lies on the road to get there.

Jesus responds by teaching them that leadership in His kingdom must look radically different from the power structures of the world. Instead of authority being used to dominate others, greatness in God’s kingdom is defined by humility, service, and sacrifice.

We invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we dive into God’s Word together.

This Sunday we’ll be reading Matthew 19:27-20:16 – which includes a parable that is unique to Matthew’s gospel. It is the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.

In chapter 19, after witnessing what happened with the rich young ruler, Pete asks the question that is basically “after sacrificing all we had to follow you, what’s in it for us?”. Jesus does promise a reward to him, but where is it centered, according to the first part of v28? Given that context, what do you think the first/last dynamic is intended to teach us?

In chapter 20 Jesus tells a story about a rich landowner who hires day laborers to pick grapes during the vineyard’s harvest. The story is unsettling in it’s economic implications – but what about it’s spiritual ones? What reason does the landowner give for paying everyone the same amount? What do you believe that is teaching us about our pursuit of spiritual and eternal rewards and the actual source of it?

In v12, what is the chief complaint about the identical pay-stubs everyone had? What does this tell us about the self-perception of the complainers? In v 15 when it says “Or do you begrudge my generosity?”, it literally is asking “why do you give my generosity the evil eye?” Many, if not most, translations read a variation on “Should you be jealous because I am kind to others”. What are the complainers be envious of? They received what they agreed on as a wage. Justice was done…but something else was added – what? It’s interesting that they aren’t jealous of the money the short-timers received, they’re jealous of the landowners right to judge by his own standards. This really makes me think of something we’ll expound on in the teaching.

I find this whole story to be fascinating…hope you can join us on Sunday!