Readings for Easter Sunday

 

Episodes

• The Women and the Empty Tomb (Mark 16:1–8; parallels Matthew 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–11)
• Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple at the Tomb (Luke 24:12; John 20:1–10)
• Mary Magdalene and the Risen Lord (John 20:11–18; Mark 16:9–11^{[Longer Ending]})
• Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35; Mark 16:12–13^{[Longer Ending]})
• First Appearances to the Disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36–48; parallel Mark 16:14^{[Longer Ending]}; John 20:20–25)
• Jesus Later Appears to Thomas (John 20:26–29)
• The Purpose of the Gospel according to John (John 20:30–31)

 

 William-Adolphe Bouguereau, "Women at the Tomb"

The Women at the Tomb: Mark 16:1–8; Matthew 28:1–15; Luke 24:1–11

Because of the important contributions of each of the Synoptic accounts of the empty tomb, we have included all three here. The earliest account from Mark is also—at least in the most secure manuscript traditions—the shortest, leaving the women who came to the tomb fleeing it amazement. Matthew’s version provides the additional detail of an angel descending to remove the stone that blocked the tomb’s entrance, frightening the guards. It also records an appearance of the Risen Lord as the women went to tell the other disciples that the tomb was empty. In many ways Luke’s is the most refined, and it also includes an element that we will see is common to John’s account, that of Peter’s visit to the empty tomb.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 212–218.

Mark

16

¹Now when the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. ²Then very early in the morning on the first day of the week, after the sun had risen, they came to the tomb. ³They began to say to each other, “Who will remove the stone from the entrance of the tomb for us?” ⁴Yet when they looked up, they saw that the stone—which was very large—had already been dislodged. ⁵Then after they had gone into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ⁶But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen and is not here! See the place where they laid him. ⁷Now go, tell his disciples, and Peter, that he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸Then, having gone out of the tomb, they fled, for they were out of their wits with amazement, and they did not say anything to anyone, because they were afraid.

 

Matthew

28

 ¹After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week dawned, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ²Then look, a great earthquake occurred! For an angel of the Lord, who had descended from heaven and come to the tomb, dislodged the stone and sat on top of it. ³Now his face was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴The men who were on guard were shaken out of fear of him, and they became like dead men. In response, the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. Come, see the place where he lay! ⁷Now go quickly and tell his disciples that he has been raised from the dead, and look, he is going ahead of you into Galilee! There you will see him. Look, I have told you!”

⁸Then after they had quickly left the tomb, with both fear and great joy they ran to make the proclamation to his disciples. ⁹Then look, Jesus met them, saying “Rejoice!” When they came up to him, they took hold of his feet and worshipped him. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go, proclaim to my brothers that they should go to Galilee. There they will see me.”

¹¹Now as they were going, look, when some of the guard had gone into the city, they reported to the chief priests all that had happened. ¹²After the chief priests had gathered with the elders and made a plan, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³saying, “This is what you should say: When his disciples came during the night, they stole him while we were sleeping,’ ¹⁴and if this is heard by the governor, we will reassure him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵So after they had taken the money, they did as they had been directed, and this story has been spread widely among the Jews until today.

 

Luke

24

 ¹On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices that they had prepared. ²Then they found that the stone had been dislodged from the tomb. ³Yet when they entered it, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were uncertain as to what this meant, look, two men in gleaming clothing suddenly stood near them. ⁵Now while the women were afraid and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you looking for one who is alive among the dead? ⁶He is not here but has risen! Remember what he said to you when he was still in Galilee, ⁷saying, ‘The Son of Man must be handed over into the power of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’” ⁸Then they remembered his predictions.

⁹When they had returned from the tomb, they proclaimed all these things to the Eleven and all the others. ¹⁰Now they were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them—they told the apostles, ¹¹but these reports seemed to them to be nonsense, and they refused to believe them. ¹²Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb, but when he stooped down to look, he only saw the linen wrappings. Then he went home, wondering to himself about what had happened.

 

Harry Anderson, "Mary Magdalene and the Risen Lord"

Mary Magdalene, the Empty Tomb, and the Risen Lord: John 20:1–18

John’s account of the events at the empty tomb that first Easter morning is different enough to warrant particular attention. First, it portrays Mary of Magdala coming to the tomb alone, without the other women. She informs the male disciples, which leads Peter and the Beloved Disciple to come to the tomb (although we have seen that Luke preserves an independent memory of Peter visiting the burial site). Second, it records the moving encounter of Mary with the Risen Lord, a unique scene with particular power and significant interpretive potential.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 218–224.

John

20

¹On the first day of the week, early in the morning Mary of Magdala came to the tomb when it was yet dark, and she saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ²She ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

³So Peter and the other disciple set out and came to the tomb. ⁴Now the two had been running together, but the other disciple ran more quickly than Peter and arrived at the tomb first. ⁵After he had stooped down to look, he saw the linen wrappings lying there, though he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived, went into the tomb, and saw the linen wrappings lying there ⁷as well as the face cloth, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who had arrived at the tomb first, also went in, and he both saw and believed, ⁹for they had not known before this time the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples went back to where they had been staying.

¹¹Mary, however, remained standing there outside the tomb, mourning. As she mourned, she stooped to look into the tomb ¹²and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you mourning?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

¹⁴After she had said these things, she turned herself around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you mourning? Whom are you looking for?” She, thinking that he was the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” After she turned towards him, she said in Aramaic, “Rabbouni!” that is to say, “My Master!” ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to me! I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God.’

¹⁸Mary of Magdala went, proclaiming to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” and the things he had said to her.

 

 J. Kirk Richards, "Road to Emmaus"

Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13‒35

Unique to Luke is the episode about two disciples who encounter the Risen Lord on the road to Emmaus. This account is significant because, like the story about Mary of Magdala, it emphasizes the witness of everyday disciples rather than just the special apostolic witnesses of the remaining members of the Twelve.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 224–28.

Luke

24

¹³Now look, that same day two of them were traveling to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and they were talking together about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵Then it came about that while they were talking together and discussing it, Jesus himself, after he had come up to them, started walking with them. ¹⁶But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷He said to them, “What are these things that you are discussing as you walk along?” Then they stood still, looking downcast. ¹⁸One of them, Cleopas by name, said to him in response, “Are you only a visitor in Jerusalem, one who does not even know what has happened these past days?”

¹⁹Then he asked them, “What sort of things?” They answered him, “All about Jesus from Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in deed and in word before God and all the people. ²⁰Also, how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to a death sentence and crucified him, ²¹but we had been hoping that he himself was about to redeem Israel. Yet as it happens, it is now the third day since all these things happened. ²²But now, some women from our group have confused us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning ²³and did not find his body there, they came back, telling us they had even seen a vision of angels, who told them that he was alive! ²⁴And some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and they found it just as they women had described, but they did not see him.”

²⁵Then he himself said to them, “O, how foolish you are and slow in heart to believe all the things that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Didn’t the Christ need to suffer these things to enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he began to explain everything about himself in the scriptures.

²⁸Then they came up to the village where they had been heading, but he walked as if he would go farther. ²⁹But they prevailed upon him, saying, “Please stay with us, because it is nearly evening and the day is waning.” So he went inside to stay with them. ³⁰And it came about that while he was reclining at dinner with them, after he took some bread, he blessed it, and after he broke it, he gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. ³²So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us along the road, and as he opened up the meaning of the scriptures to us?”

³³Getting up that very hour, they returned to Jerusalem and found the Eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴who told them, “The Lord has arisen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵And these men, for their part, related all the things that had transpired along the road, and especially how he was recognized by them in the breaking of bread.

 

Carl Bloch, "The Doubting Thomas"

First Appearances to the Disciples in Jerusalem: Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–31

Only Luke and John provide accounts of a visit later that day to the disciples. In both versions he gives them tangible proof that he has bodily risen from the dead.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 228–232.

Luke

24

³⁶Then, while they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood in the middle of them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” ³⁷But they, alarmed and frightened, thought they were seeing a spirit. ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why are doubts arising in your hearts? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet, how it is really me! Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰After he had said this, he presented his hands and feet to them.

⁴¹While they could hardly believe it because of their joy and were still marveling, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴²So they gave him a piece of broiled fish. ⁴³After he picked it up, he ate it in front of them. ⁴⁴Next he said to them, “This is the meaning of the sayings that I spoke to you while I was still with you, how all that was written about me in the law of Moses, in the prophets, and in the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened up their minds so that they could understand the scriptures. ⁴⁶He told them, “Thus it was written that the Christ must suffer and rise again on the third day ⁴⁷and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, starting in Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹Look, I am sending what my Father has promised to you, but stay here in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

 

John

20

 ¹⁹When it was evening on that same day, the first day of the week, and when the doors of the room were shut where the disciples were because of fear of “the Jews,” Jesus came, stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy because they had seen the Lord! ²¹So he said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father sent me, I also am sending you.” ²²After he had said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³Whosever sins you forgive will be forgiven for them; whosever sins you retain will be retained.”

²⁴Yet Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was called “the Twin,” was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” He said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand in his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶Then eight days later the disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were shut, Jesus came, stood in the middle of them, and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Bring your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand here and put it in my side. Stop being unbelieving but be believing!” ²⁸Thomas responded and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Fortunate are those who do not see yet believe.”

³⁰Now there were many other signs that Jesus performed in the presence of his disciples, which have not been written in this book. ³¹But these have been written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Readings for Wednesday

Episodes

• The Plot to Kill Jesus (Mark 14:1–2; parallels Matt 26:1–5; Luke 22:1–2)
• An Unnamed Woman Anoints Jesus (Mark 14:3–9; Matt 26:6–13)
• Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus (Matt 26:14–16; parallels Mark 14:10–11; Luke 22:3–6)

 

Conspiracy and an Anointing: Mark 14:1‒11

The story of the unnamed woman who anointed Jesus’ head in Bethany (Mark 14:3–9; parallel Matt 26:6–13) is framed by the plot of the Jerusalem authorities to put Jesus to death (Mark 14:1–2; parallels Matt 26:1–5; Luke 22:1–2) and the decision of Judas Iscariot to hand Jesus over to them (Mark 14:10–11; parallels Matt 26:14–16; Luke 22:3–6).

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 90–98.

James Tissot, "Conspiracy of the Jews"

14

¹Now when the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, the chief priests and the experts at the law began to deliberate how they could take him by cunning and put him to death, ²for they said, “Not during the festival so that there will not be a commotion among the people.”

 

J. Kirk Richards, "Alabaster Box"

³While he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the dinner table, a woman who had an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment of pure nard came in. After breaking the flask, she poured it on his head. ⁴There were some who began to complain indignantly to each other, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you distressing her? She has done a fine thing for me. ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do something good for them, but you do not always have me. ⁸She has done what she could: she has anointed my body ahead of time for its burial. ⁹Truly, I say to you, wherever the good news is proclaimed throughout the whole world, this also which she has done will be recounted in her memory.”

 

Giotto, "Payment of Judas"

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to hand him over. ¹¹When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he began to look for a convenient opportunity to hand him over.

 

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Readings for Tuesday

 

Episodes

• Jesus Examined: Attempts to Catch Him in His Words (Mark 12:13–37; parallels Matt 22:15–46, Luke 20:20–47)
• Hypocrisy of Jesus’ Opponents (Mark 12:38–40; parallels Matt 23:1‒12; Luke 20:45‒47)
•  Seven Prophetic Woes (Matt 23:13‒36)
• The Widow’s Offering (Mark 12:41–44; parallel Luke 21:1–4)
• Jesus’ Second Lament over Jerusalem (Matt 23:37‒39)
•  The Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:1–38; parallels Matt 24:1–25:46; Luke 21:5–38)
• [Summary of Jesus’ Teaching (Luke 21:37–38; John 12:37–50)]

Francisco de Zurbarán, "Agnus Dei"
Just as the paschal lambs were observed in the days leading up to Passover, so did the chief
priests and scribes try to find fault with the True Lamb of God

Temple Teachings: Mark 12:13–44; Matthew 23:37‒39

The second set of Jesus’ temple teachings focus on his responses to questions posed to him by different groups within the ruling hierarchy, each of which tried to catch him in his words. Then, after posing a question of his own to them, he denounces them for their hypocrisy and contrasts them with the selfless faithfulness of a poor widow. The earliest versions of this material are preserved by Mark. Matthew adds a poignant lament that Jesus utters over Jerusalem.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 70–77.

Mark

12

¹³Next, they sent some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to him to catch him in what he said. ¹⁴When they got there, they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and are not partial to anyone, for you do not look upon the people's appearance but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permissible to pay a tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” ¹⁵Because he recognized their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring a denarius to me so I may see it.” ¹⁶So they brought it, and he said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at him.

¹⁸Then some Sadducees, who say that there is not a resurrection, came to him and questioned him, saying, ¹⁹“Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If someone’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife but does not leave a child, his brother should marry the wife and raise up a posterity for his brother.’ ²⁰There were seven brothers. The first married a wife and, when he died, did not leave any posterity. ²¹Next the second married her, and he died, not leaving a posterity. Then the third did the same thing. ²²And so the seven men married her and did not leave any posterity. Last of all, the woman died, too. ²³In the resurrection, to which of them will the wife belong? For seven men had her as wife.” ²⁴Jesus said to them, “Is this not why you are making a mistake, because you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵For when they rise again from the dead, they neither enter into marriage nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in the heavens. ²⁶But concerning the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses how God spoke to him at the bush, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?” ²⁷He is not the God of the dead but the God of the living. You are making a great mistake!”

²⁸Next one of the experts at the law, when he had heard them debating and had seen that he had answered them well, came to him and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?” ²⁹Jesus answered, “This is the first: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, ³⁰and you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole mind, and with your whole strength.’ ³¹This is the second: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is not any commandment greater than these.” ³²Then the expert at the law said, “Quite right, Teacher! You have spoken truly that he is one and there is no other except for him. ³³Indeed loving him with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself is greater than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God!” After that no one dared to ask him anything.

³⁵Then while Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said in response, “How can the experts at the law say that the Christ is the Son of David? ³⁶David himself said by the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit here at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ ³⁷David himself called him ‘lord.’ How then is he his son?” And the great crowd heard him gladly.

³⁸So in his teaching he said, “Look out for experts at the law who take pleasure in walking about in long robes, receiving greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹having seats of honor in the synagogues, and getting places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰They are the ones who devour the houses of widows and make long prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive much greater condemnation.”

⁴¹When Jesus had sat down across from the treasury, he saw how the crowd was putting money into the treasury, and many rich people were contributing a lot. ⁴²When one poor widow came, she put in two small copper coins, which are worth a quadrans or penny. ⁴³Calling his disciples to him, he said, “Truly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who are putting into the treasury, ⁴⁴for they have all contributed out of their abundance, but out of her poverty she put in all that she had, her whole means of subsistence.”

Matthew

23

³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you did not want me to! ³⁸Look, your house is left empty! ³⁹For I say to you, you will see me no longer until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

 

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Harry Anderson, "The Second Coming of Christ"

The Olivet Discourse: Mark 13:1–37; Matthew 25:1–13, 31–46

Mark 13 comprises the longest single discourse of Jesus in that Gospel; elsewhere in Mark, Jesus’ sayings comprise short parables or teaching sayings. This discourse, which consists of a prophecy that Jesus delivered on the Mount of Olives, treats both the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world, before which Jesus will return in glory. Parallels appear in Matthew 24:1–25:46 and Luke 21:5–38. Matthew’s version is the longest of the three and includes several parables about preparing for the end, two of which are provided here.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 77–8

Mark

13

¹As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and buildings!” ²In response Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? A stone shall not be left here upon another stone that is not thrown down.”

³Then, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew began to ask him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will the sign be when all these things are about to be fulfilled?” ⁵ Jesus began to say, “See to it that no one leads you astray. ⁶For many will come in my name who will say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷Whenever you hear about wars and reports of wars, do not be upset. These must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various regions, and there will be famines. These are the beginning of labor pains.

⁹“But watch yourselves. They will hand you over to city councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and be arraigned before governors and kings on my account as a testimony to them. ¹⁰First the good news must be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹Yet whenever they arrest you and hand you over, do not be anxious about what you will say, but say whatever is given to you in that hour, for you are not the one who is speaking—it is rather the Holy Spirit. ¹²Now brother will hand over brother for death, and a father his child, and children will rise up in rebellion against their parents and put them to death. ¹³Then you will be hated by all on account of my name, but whoever stands his ground until the end will be saved.

¹⁴“But when you see the devastating sacrilege standing where it should not be—let the one who reads understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, ¹⁵and let one who is on top of a house not go down or go into it to take anything out of the house, ¹⁶and let one who is in the field not turn back to pick up his cloak. ¹⁷But woe to those who are pregnant or who are nursing in those days! ¹⁸Pray that it does not happen during winter. ¹⁹For those will be days of affliction, such as have not occurred since God created the world until now and will not be again. ²⁰Unless the Lord shortens those days, no mortal life would be saved, but because of the elect whom he has chosen, he has shortened those days. ²¹If anyone says at that time, ‘Look, the Christ is here, look, he is there!’ do not believe it. ²²For false Christs and false prophets will appear, and they will perform miraculous signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²³But look out! I have warned you in advance about all these things.

²⁴“But in those days, after that tribulation, ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵and the stars will be falling from the sky,’ and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁶Then they will see ‘the Son of Man as he comes in the clouds’ with great power and glory. ²⁷Then he will send his angels and gather together his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

²⁸“From the fig tree, learn a parable: When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Thus it is even with you: When you see these things happening, you know that it is near, even at the doors. ³⁰Truly I say to you that this generation will not pass away until these things come about. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³²“Now no one knows about the day or the hour, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁴Look out, stay alert, and pray! For you do not know when the appointed time is. ³⁴It is like a man who is away on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, an assignment to each one, and ordered the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵Therefore stay alert! For you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, in the middle of the night, at the cockcrow, or in the morning, ³⁶lest coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you I say to all: Stay alert!”

 

Matthew

25

 ¹“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be compared to ten virgins, who, after taking up their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were thoughtful. ³Although the foolish took their lamps, they did not take oil with them. ⁴But the thoughtful ones took oil in flasks with their lamps. ⁵Because the bridegroom took his time, all the women grew drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶In the middle of the night there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!’ ⁷Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the thoughtful, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are sputtering out.’ ⁹But the thoughtful women responded by saying, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and for you. Rather go to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰And while they were gone to buy it, the bridegroom came, and the women who were prepared went into the wedding feast with him, and the door was closed. ¹¹Later the remaining virgins came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’ ¹²But in response he said, ‘Truly, I do not know you.’ ¹³Stay alert, therefore, because you do not know the day nor the hour.”

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels come with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²All the nations will be gathered together before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³Then he will put the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. ³⁴At that time the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father! Inherit the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in. ³⁶I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you cared for me; I was in prison, and you came to visit me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘When did we see you hungry and gave you something to eat, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you as a stranger and invited you in, or naked and clothed you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and came to visit you?’ ⁴⁰And in response the King will say to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you have done this for one of the least of my brothers or sisters, you have done it for me.’ ⁴¹Then he will say to those on his left hand, ‘Go from me, O cursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry, and you did not give me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give me something to drink; ⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you did not take care of me.’ ⁴⁴At that time they will answer him, saying, ‘When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and not help you?’ ⁴⁵And he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you have not done this for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ ⁴⁶These will go to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
 

Readings for Monday

 

Tissot, "The Accursed Fig Tree"

Episodes

·         Cursing of the Fig Tree (Mark 11:12–14; Matt 21:18–19a)

·         The Cleansing of the Temple in Mark (Mark 11:15–19)

·         Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree (Mark 11:20–26; parallel Matt 21:19b‒22)

·         Jesus’ Pattern of Teaching in the Temple (Luke 19:47–48)

·         Teachings in the Temple: Rejection of the Unbelieving in Israel (Mark 11:27–12:12; Matt 21:23–22:15; Luke 20:1–19)

·         Jesus and the Coming Hour (John 12:20–36)

 For a full discussion of these episodes, see https://huntsmanseasonal.blogspot.com/2013/03/monday.html 

The Fig Tree and the Temple: Mark 11:12–25 

The cursing of the fig tree Monday and its withering the next morning frame Mark’s account of Jesus’ actions in the temple. This structure was deliberate, leading Mark to place the temple incident here rather than immediately following the triumphal entry. The framing also provides the interpretive key to the incident, giving it a different meaning in Mark than it had in Matthew and Luke’s versions.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 54–56.

Huntsman photo, Leafy Fig Tree without Fruit

11

 ¹²On the following day, after they had left Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³When he saw from a distance a fig tree that had leaves, he approached it in case he might find something on it. Yet when he reached it, he found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴In response he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard this. 

¹⁵Then they came to Jerusalem, and when he had come into the temple, he began to cast out those who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. ¹⁶Nor would he allow anyone to carry vessels through the temple. ¹⁷So he began to teach, saying to them, “Is it not written that my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a lair of bandits!” ¹⁸The chief priests and the experts at the law heard this and began deliberating how they might put him to death, for they were afraid of him because the entire crowd was amazed at his teaching. ¹⁹And when it was evening, he left the city.

²⁰As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots up. ²¹Remembering, Peter said to him, “Master, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered!” ²²In response Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³Truly, I say to you, that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be pulled up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will turn out for him. ²⁴Because of this I say to you, all things you pray and ask for, believe that you will receive, and they will come about for you. ²⁵When you stand to pray, forgive anything you have against someone, so your Father in heaven may forgive your wrongdoings too.” [²⁶But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your wrongdoings.”][1]

 

Teachings in the Temple: Rejection of the Unbelieving in Israel

Two short notices in Luke establish Jesus’s pattern of teaching daily in the temple and returning each night to Bethany, where he presumably stayed with friends like the family of Lazarus. The  earliest versions of Jesus’s temple teaching are found in Mark, the first two episodes of which are given here. John also has Jesus teaching in the temple, but as is typical for that Gospel, Jesus’s teaching is much more direct about his mission and his relationship with the Father.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 56–61.

Luke

19

 ⁴⁷And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, ⁴⁸And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

21

 ³⁷And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. ³⁸And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

 

Mark

11

 ²⁷And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, ²⁸And say unto him, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?” ²⁹“And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.” ³¹And they reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we shall say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? ³²But if we shall say, ‘Of men;’ they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.” ³³And they answered and said unto Jesus, “We cannot tell.” And Jesus answering saith unto them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

12

 ¹And he began to speak unto them by parables. “A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. ²And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. ³And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. ⁴And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. ⁵And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. ⁶Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’ ⁷But those husbandmen said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.’ ⁸And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹“What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. ¹⁰And have ye not read this scripture; ‘The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: ¹¹This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’”

¹²And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

The Johannine Passion Prediction: John 12:20–36

 John also has Jesus teaching in the temple, but as is typical for that Gospel, Jesus’ teaching is much more direct about his mission and his relationship with the Father. As is common in many of the discourses of Jesus in John, his words are in semi-poetic form, signaling the difference between his divine speech and that of other characters in the Gospel.[2]

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 61–64.

12

²⁰Now there were some Greeks among those who had gone up to worship at the festival. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you,

Unless a grain of wheat dies after it has fallen to the earth,

it remains one grain.

Yet if it dies,

it yields much fruit.

²⁵                    The one who loves his life,

loses it;

and the one who hates his life in this world,

will guard it to life eternal.

²⁶                    Whoever serves me,

let him follow me.

Where I am,

There my servant will be also.

Whoever serves me,

my Father will honor.

²⁷Now my soul is troubled, so what should I say? ‘Father, rescue me from this hour’? Yet for this I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,

“I have both glorified it,

James Tissot, "The Voice from Heaven"

and I will glorify it again.” 

²⁹Then the crowd that was standing there and had heard it kept saying it had thundered, but others started to say, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered and said, “This voice has come not for my sake but for yours.

³¹                    Now is judgment upon this world.

Now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

³²                    And when I am lifted up from the earth,

I will draw all to myself.”

³³This he said, indicating by what kind of death he was about to die. ³⁴Then the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ continues to live forever. How are you saying that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵Jesus said to them,

“The light is with you for a little while more.

Walk around while you have the light,

so that the darkness does not overtake you.

The one who walks around in darkness

 does not know where he is going.

³⁶                    While you have the light,

believe in the light,

that you may become the children of light.”

 

Jesus said these things, and after he had left, he hid from them.

 

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[1] Verse 26, which is translated as “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” in the KJV, in only found in later, Byzantine manuscripts. It is missing in the earliest, most reliable Greek manuscripts and was probably inserted here by later scribes by comparison with Matthew 6:15 (see Metzger, Textual Commentary, 93)

[2] Brown, Gospel according to John, cxxxii‒cxxxv; Huntsman, “The Gospel of John,” 314.