Passages to Read

For a full account of the events of this day, see Matthew 21:23–26:5, Mark 11:27–14:2, and Luke 20:1–22:2, John 12:37–50.

Personal Study

After the excitement of Palm Sunday and the scene created in the temple Monday, Jesus could have easily taken a day off and stayed out of the public eye. Instead of staying in Bethany, He returned to the temple to face angry religious leaders and throngs of people. On Tuesday, Jesus would talk….a lot. The book of Matthew shares 212 verses (chapters 22-25) of Jesus’ teachings which were very important knowing how short His time was here on earth.

The previous day’s happenings led to a collision course with the local leaders. Jesus had just turned everything upside down – literally. The religious leaders were in a panic regarding how to weaken Jesus’ authority and diminish His followers. In order to do this, the Pharisees were trying to get Him to misspeak through baited questions. They wanted to catch Him in an untruth or to show that He was breaking the Law. 

Ultimately, they would be unable to outwit Him. Jesus shared several parables that challenged the authority of the religious leaders (parable of the two sons, parable of the wicked tenants, and the parable of the wedding feast). He used terms such as “blind,” “fools,” “hypocrites,” and “brood of vipers” to describe them. On this Tuesday, Jesus would expose the hardened hearts and fake religiosity of the Pharisees while still teaching the people of His Kingdom to come.

Prayer and Reflection Point

Jesus exposed the fake religious leaders on this day. He was concerned about the hearts of everyone listening and wanted them to know about the end times and His second coming. In light of the courage that Jesus displayed on this Tuesday, take time to examine your heart today. Jesus showed us that we can have great courage in whatever we are facing, being certain that the end is already written. Knowing Christ as Lord should give us peace in the midst of any daily storms we find ourselves in. 

Family Application and Map Check Point

Read Matthew 24:1-5. After reading the passage, help your child to find the Mount of Olives. Jesus left the city and went with his disciples that afternoon to the Mount of Olives that overlooks the city of Jerusalem. Look online to see what the Mount of Olives actually looks like. 

Jesus and the disciples spent a lot of time walking from Bethany to the Temple during Holy Week. Take a walk as a family today and pray for your neighbors and for the things that happened during the day. Pray about who you could invite to church for Easter Sunday services or the Sunrise Service. 

Holy Week Timeline

• Jesus gave His disciples the lesson of the Fig Tree (Mark 11:20-26).
• Jesus taught many parables (Matthew 21:28-22:14, 25:1-46).
• Jesus challenged the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-36).
• Jesus lamented Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-39).
• Jesus taught from the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:3-5).
• Jesus revealed the Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28-34).
• Jesus foretold the end of the world and His return (Mark 13:1-37).