Institution of The Lord’s Supper (Communion)
Bible Book: Matthew
When our brothers and sisters in Christ behave badly, it’s important for us to recognize that they are not the enemy. Our real enemy – Satan – sometimes uses people to accomplish his wicked purposes within the Church. We need to understand that, and beware of becoming a tool of the enemy ourselves.
In this familiar story, we see a devoted woman anoint Jesus’ feet with oil and wipe them with her hair. Judas Iscariot was incensed by what he viewed as a waste of a precious resource. But Jesus rebuked him saying that she was anointing Him in preparation for His burial. We then see that Judas made up his mind to betray Jesus into the hands of the Jewish authorities.
In this passage we find Jesus’ familiar parable in which He likens God’s final judgment to a herdsman separating His sheep from His goats – the sheep being those who followed Him and will inherit eternal life with Him while the goats are those who rejected His Gospel and are therefore condemned for all eternity to be separated from God in what Jesus called “the outer darkness.”
Our ultimate antagonist is none other than Satan himself. He is God’s number one enemy and therefore makes him our number one enemy. If we are in a spiritual war where each day has the potential to bring us a new and different battle, then we must do some things to make sure we are prepared for the fight. One of the first things is to understand our enemy or enemies.
In this passage, we review two of Jesus’ so-called “kindom” parables in which He likens the coming Kingdom of God to some familiar earthly things. In the parable of the ten virgins, He warns us to always be prepared for His return because no one knows when He will come again. In the parable of the ten talents, He warns us not to squander the spiritual gifts He has bestowed upon us, but to use them faithfully in the work of His Kingdom.
This passage concludes the so-called “Olivet Discourse” in which Jesus answered His disciples questions about the end of days. At the end of this discourse, Jesus promised to return at that time to rule and reign. But Jesus was careful to point out that no one knows exactly when He will return, so we must be continually ready for His return which we await eagerly.
In this second part of the “Olivet Discourse” Jesus continues His answer to His disciples’ question concerning the signs of the end of the age and of His coming again. In particular, Jesus speaks of the “abomination which causes desolation” written of by Daniel the prophet.
In His parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus admonishes us to refrain from comparing ourselves to others, but to faithfully serve our LORD being grateful and joyful for the the rewards He has granted us without falling into the temptation of covetousness regarding the rewards He has granted to His other servants.
The Olivet Discourse – Introduction
