Matthew 26:47-56 Deserted

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Plymothian

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”[d]

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Deserted

Although Peter was willing to fight for you, he was shut down.  You told him definitively that the way of violent revolution was not an option.  I believe this was the moment Peter had been anticipating all along.  He would fight at your side, make a stand for truth and defeat the enemies that opposed you.  The defeat that you would issue was to be wholly different.  You would defeat death through sacrifice.  You would have victory through surrender.

I am in a tactical struggle with issues in life and my church.  Do I take an aggressive stance and oppose what I perceive to be wrong thinking?  Do I submit?  Do I sacrifice?  Give me wisdom about when to stand up and be counted and when to lay down and die.

Questions

  1. How did Jesus respond to his arrest?
  2. How did the disciples respond?
  3. How did Jesus know what to do?
  4. How do you make a decision about strategies you use in life?
  5. How do you respond to the actions of Jesus?

 

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Matthew 26:36-46 The Cup

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Plymothian

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

The Cup

Jesus, the cup of your suffering was immense.  I will never have to face anything in my future like you had to face into.  You were sorrowful and troubled.  How do you calm storms and heal sickness and become troubled.  However, in the light of such immense pressure, you were faithful to the plan.  You stuck it out to the end.  The courage here is immense.  Help me to have such courage.  I feel that I am week, but the Spirit carried you in that time.The same Spirit walks with me, transforms me, emboldens me.  May I speak the truth and walk in truth without timidity and fear.  May I fix my eyes on you and walk with perseverance the way marked out before me.  May I prove faithful even if I have to walk in the valley of the shadow of death.  Please do not allow my children to be harmed.  I want to be their protector, but I am inadequate to the task.  I pray that you would protect them. However, if you were to lead me down that, the worst of paths, then give me the grace to survive.  Whatever you want, do your work in me.

Questions

  • What was Jesus’ cup?
  • What is your cup?
  • Will you drink it?
  • Are you thankful that Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath?
  • What would be your condition if he had not?  How does his anguish relate to your fate?
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Matthew 26:26-35 Last Supper

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Plymothian

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[c]

32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Last Supper

Jesus, you took The Passover and changed it.  You had the authority to do that because it all pointed to you.  You made it significant, but somehow the significance has been lessened in my life.  I remember being raised in a Plymouth Brethren church and breaking bread each Sunday.  I remember the wine because it had a richer hue than grape juice.  I remember the smell of it as it passed around the room.  It was thick like blood as it sloshed in the glass.  You almost expected a tube to be emptying someone’s veins into it.  Emptying your veins.  There was one cup and the elders wiped the rim.  The bread was a big, old English loaf crusty and broken by an elder’s hands before he passed the two halves around the room.  In the silence you could hear the bread ripping as it was torn – it reminded me of the flesh ripped apart on the cross.

I agree with the use of cracker bread, it resembles Passover more.  However, the rushed way we whip around the elements reminds me more of crackers and juice for a snack.  I barely have time to reflect, yet in the Brethren service the whole service was centered around the communion table.  We thought deeply about your death and your resurrection.  I was looking forward to going back to England and breaking bread with my church family there.

Questions

  1. What do the bread and wine represent?
  2. Why do some believe that the bread and wine literally transform into what they represent?
  3. How would you describe the mood at this meal? 
  4. How and when do you eat the Lord’s Supper?
  5. Could a private family administer the Lord’s Supper to its members?
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Matthew 26:14-25 Betrayed

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Plymothian

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

Betrayed

Jesus, we don’t know why he did it, but I think we see the lack of commitment in our own day and age.  People turn on friends and causes quite frequently.  What do we do with that?  I guess we can come to you.  You had developed twelve trusted friends.  You shared all you had with them.  One of those who shared everything with you accepted money so that you would be killed.  I have had people say harsh things about me or turn their back on me.  I have even had ex-girlfriends cheat on me, but I have not had anyone turn me over to be killed.  It seems so abstract in the plain retelling of the familiar story.  However, I feel closer to is when I remember seeing someone in my own life betray me.

I do not want to betray you. I want to know you and be known by you.  I want you to know me as weak and confused, but as faithful.  I want to be loyal.  Help me to deal healthily with anything that leads astray.

Questions

  1. How did Jesus identify his betrayer?
  2. What did Judas receive?
  3. What do you think might have been his real motive?
  4. What would cause you to betray the cause of Jesus?
  5. How have you been hurt by betrayal?  What does it mean to you that Jesus was betrayed?
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Matthew 26:1-13 Beautiful Waste

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Plymothian

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Beautiful Waste

Jesus, you seem to have been less pragmatic than we are.  There is a beauty in extravagance, it shows how we value the one we lavish our resources upon.  The temple in the Old Testament reflects this.  The churches of the Middle Ages reflect this.  However, our protestant churches are mostly pragmatic architectural embarrassments.  We worship you in spirit and in truth and we reject the love of icons that catholics have.  So we worship you in shades of beige, darkened boxes, and hospital green.  We create Starbucks in the lobby with the hope that people will ignore the drab exterior.  We wouldn’t dare lavish funds on the creation of a house of worship when so many people are starving in Africa.  People were starving in the world when the temple was built.  People were poor when a woman poured expensive perfumes on you.  Cut flowers die and that is part of the reason they are valuable.  They are a sign of extravagant love.

Jesus, we are still extravagant.  We are extravagant toward ourselves.  We let your church live in poverty, unable to fund great architecture, acts to stem social evils, and unable to invest in education, whilst we get fat on too much food, whilst we buy clothes that are more expensive than we need, whilst we buy tickets to events we need not attend.  Our financial acts of lavishing riches show the kind of love the woman in the story above showed you, but we lavish resources on ourselves.  We excuse ourselves from wasting our resources on you.

Questions

  1. Where is Jesus?
  2. Why were the disciples upset?
  3. Why do you think expensive things are ‘wasted’ on God (e.g. the excess of resources that went into building the temple)?
  4. How has a selfish view of pragmatism made the church ugly?
  5. Upon whom or what do you lavish resources?
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Matthew 25:31-46 Living a Goat’s Life

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Plymothian

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For 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, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Living a Goat’s Life

Recently, Jesus, I have put you off.  I have put you down the list of priorities.  Of course, I have excuses:  My teaching job has been hectic because it is the end of the semester;  I have been disorganised and tired because of staying up late each night;  I lost the commentary that I start my devotions by reading.  None of these things really matter, but the break in structure meant I was living the life of the goat.  I didn’t see you as much.  I didn’t notice you in the world around me.  The good that I might have done was undone.  The worst thing, though, was this sense that I was living life in discord.  I was out of sorts because the quality of my most important relationship was diminished. 

Living the life of the goat makes me more determined to live the life of the sheep.  It is a matter of priority and connection.  I need to keep you as the first thought in the day.

Questions

  1. What is the fate of the sheep and the goat in the parable?
  2. What was the difference in perspective between the sheep and the goats?
  3. How does this parable connect with the other two parables in the chapter?
  4. Would you classify yourself as more sheep or goat lately?
  5. How does one cultivate the life of the sheep?
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Matthew 25:14-28 Getting God Wrong

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Plymothian

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘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!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘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!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Getting God Wrong

Jesus, it strikes me that when we come to you we don’t really know who you are.  We get you wrong.  We think of you as the sugar-daddy who will fix our problems; we think of you as the one who will remove our addictions; we think of you as a kind and careful servant pandering to our whims; we form you often in our own image.  Perhaps the worst distortion of you and your Father is the depiction of the cruel, self-obsessed tyrant.  I see this distortion of biblical understanding in popular works like the Brick Testament (http://thebrickbible.com/) where a man makes cute, Lego depictions of  biblical events but subtly makes God look fierce and angry and his servants look vengeful and cruel.  My own family struggles with the God of the Old Testament as if he were different than the God of the New Testament.  However, you and the Father are one and whoever has seen you has seen the Father.   The problem with the man who had less talents was not his work with the talent so much as his caricature of the one who gave him the talent.  He was afraid of the master, but he didn’t really know him at all.  It is good to be afraid of the Father, he is treated with far too much irreverence today.  However, he is loving and kind and not unjust.  Why do we make him so when we don’t get our own way or we don’t get as much as others from him?

Questions

  1. How does the servant with 5 talents perceive God?
  2. How does the servant with 1 talent perceive God?
  3. What happens to those who perceive God incorrectly?
  4. How does one get to know the true character of Go?
  5. Look through some stories in thebrickbible.com How does the author represent God?
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Matthew 25:1-13 Ditsy

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Plymothian

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Ditsy

Jesus, you masterfully preached in ways that utilized the forms people were familiar with. People were used to wisdom and folly being personified and so you gave them five wise and five ditsy women. It is wise to live as though your return is imminent; to be mindful of you and live as though you could return at any moment. However, when it comes down to the final assessment, our actions are an indicator whether we know you or not. If we are prepared for your return, it shows that you are a priority. If we live with carelessness and lack of thought, then we may doubt whether we are known by you. the story shows that those who are known by you live wisely, and when the end comes they will be ready.

In know that I have lived foolishly, but I think that I am wiser now than I once was. This gives me confidence that I know you. I come from a background where not wishing to presume too much is important, but sometimes my fear that I am not known by you denies the facts: My life is changed by your touch. In my marriage I am more resolute; in my teaching I am bolder; I care more and more for the fate of the individuals in my small group; and also my prayer life has improved this fall. I may not be perfect at your return, but I am looking for it. I see it as a homecoming, and I am glad that in your arms we have rest and security.

Questions

Who is waiting for the groom?
How do you think weddings in Jesus’ time were when compared to ours?
What did Jesus say when the foolish (ditsy) virgins came to his door?
How do you compare to the wise or foolish virgins?
Does Jesus know you? What does this have to say about revealing yourself to him and seeing what he has revealed to mankind?

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Matthew 24:36-51 Hour Unknown

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Plymothian

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Hour Unknown

Jesus, things aren’t really in place for you to come back, but maybe I don’t understand the signs.  I know that I would like you to come back now.  If children are saved by grace before an age of accountability, I would like you to come unexpectedly and take us all home with you.  This life lost its lustre a while ago.  The things that bring me joy are eternal things that will last, but I want my children to know you.  Does your grace cover them if they are unsaved?  I hope so.  You haven’t revealed it clearly in scripture and so your sudden return can’t be completely pleasant for me.  What is Daryl and Amelia were left here?  I know I have to long for you more than I long for them.  I should long for them for your sake, but I still long for you for their sake.  You are not high enough in my thinking for your return to be an event of complete joy.

I will trust you.  You are good and holy.  In this way, though, I am not worthy to be your disciple.  You said taht he who loves family more than you is not worthy to be your disciple.  Is it a happy day when you come back and sinners are washed away?  Is it a holy and terrible day?  Do we gasp, “God is good!” in stunned awe?  Do we weep for the lost for a moment?  Do we rejoice and laugh?

Your will be done.

Questions

  1. How is the day of Jesus’ return described?
  2. Why do you think Jesus couldn’t know the day?
  3. How should disciples act if they are unaware of when Jesus will return?
  4. How prepared are you for Jesus’ return?
  5. How much do you want Jesus’ return?
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Matthew 24:15-35 Distress

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Plymothian

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,     and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,     and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b]

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Distress

Jesus, I get annoyed when I have a headache, but nothing compares to the trauma in these verses.  I think a lot of this is yet to come, but that 70 A.D. acts as a sort of indicator of what might come in the future.  I believe that Jerusalem will be pivotal in the future as it once was in the past.  I believe the temple will be restored.  Just as the invading armies set up an ugly abomination that desecrated the temple in A.D. 70, so another enemy of God will set up some horrible abomination again in the future.  However, the rebellious people of the future will see your return and it will strike fear into their hearts.  Finally, you will be the king that everyone expected.

Questions

  1. What event happened in 70 A.D. that sheds light on this passage?
  2. How do you think 70 A.D. and the future are related?
  3. What might a future leader set up in the temple?
  4. How does this passage help you in present trials?
  5. Do you really want Jesus’ return?
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