The King and His Kingdom
Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew
The King's Victory
Estrategia pedagógica
The focus of this lesson is on the key activities recorded by Matthew of the final period of time in the earthly ministry of Jesus. Of special note in this lesson is how they show our Lord’s awareness of His mission to secure our salvation. Note: Questions and thoughts come from the text associated with this class. Teachers and students should read the biblical references and associated text before class to facilitate discussion and understanding.
Resultados del aprendizaje de los estudiantes
- Know: Understand how the final period of Jesus’ ministry on earth brought salvation to mankind.
- Feel: Appreciate the sacrifice made by our Lord as He purchased our salvation.
- Do: Demonstrate appreciation for our Lord’s sacrifice by living faithfully to His teachings.
Cuerpo de la lección
Preguntas de discusión
A continuación se sugieren preguntas para utilizar durante la parte de debate guiado de la lección. También se sugieren respuestas a las preguntas para ayudar a los alumnos a comprender los distintos conceptos. Se proporcionan para ayudar al debate y no se consideran respuestas "correctas o incorrectas".
The anointing
The woman anointing Jesus feet humbly recognizes Jesus as Lord and shows her devotion (see also Isaiah 52:7).
The Lord's Supper
Jesus pauses during this sacred period to teach about His sacrifice using bread and wine. This moment continues today as we are reminded each week of His love. Note: Consider drawing the link between the original Passover and this final Passover where Jesus becomes the sacrificial lamb.
Gethsemane
The third key event was the intense prayer of Jesus as he prepared Himself for the suffering and separation form God that was to come. Note: Consider asking students to identify key concepts or components of the prayer such as "not my will but thine." Use this to show that Jesus was well aware of what was to transpire but because of His love for the Father and for us, continued on with His mission to secure our salvation.
The trial before Caiaphas
This illegal trial was an attempt to have Jesus blaspheme or implicate himself. Jesus does not give the Jews true grounds for the charges. They relied on false charges and accusers.
The trial before Pilate
Since the Jews could not legally put Jesus to death, they needed the cover of the Roman government. Pilate finds no grounds for punishment but eventually gives in to their demands. Note: There was no credible evidence of sin in either trial, but especially this trial. Also note that those screaming for His crucifixion had just days before hailed Him as the deliverer as He entered Jerusalem.
The crucifixion – Once handed over to the Romans for crucifixion, Jesus is tortured and forced to carry His cross. After an intense period of time on the cross, Jesus finally submits to death but not before realizing He was separated from God for the first time in eternity (see vs. 46). The torture and death were horrible beyond our understanding, but the separation from God was the greatest pain.
The resurrection – True to His statement, Jesus rose from the dead after three days in the grave. Neither death, stone boulders nor guards could keep Him from concluding His mission and the defeat of death. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary found the tomb empty. They tell the disciples who rush to find for themselves the truth of the resurrection. They meet Jesus who tells them to tell the others of the great event and that He will appear to them in Galilee. Guards report what had taken place. They were told to lie about the event to cover it up.
The commission – As Jesus ends the time with His disciples after His resurrection, He tells them to make disciples for Him by baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all He has commanded them. This continues to be our charge and how we demonstrate faithfulness to Jesus today.
Although they didn't understand it at the time, the disciples did as Jesus instructed by returning to Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. As we read in the early chapters of Acts, they continued to faithfully anticipate Jesus' return. Then as happened in Acts, they received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and began to teach Jesus to all. Later, as persecution began (Acts 8), they remained in Jerusalem while the believers were scattered. Those scattered carried the good news of Jesus with them.
The same process continues today. We have the writings of the New Testament authors to teach us faithfulness and to help others discover and accept Jesus.
We must show our faith by becoming disciples of Jesus, growing spiritually in our faith (II Peter 3:18), and teaching others about Christ and living a full life of faith until the end. In doing so we show Jesus as our King, respond to His authority, carry His message to a starving world and live faithfully until His return.
Friends, in all things, we give God the praise and glory for His love for us as shown through the ministry of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!