Posts

Showing posts from September 25, 2026

Featured

Browse at Your Own Pace

Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
Post a Comment
Read more

12. Matthew 25: The Sheep and the Goats — When Did We See You?

Image
Read along: Matthew 25:31–46 As I reach the final passage in this Matthew series, I return to a question that has followed me through these studies: What does our response reveal? I have been looking at invitation, preparation, readiness, and responsibility. Here, my attention turns to how people respond to those before them—and whether they recognize the significance of that response. Glory, the Throne, and the Gathering The passage begins with the Son of Man coming in Glory, accompanied by angels. He takes His throne, the nations are gathered before Him, and He separates people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. I want to notice the people and roles being named before trying to connect them with other passages. The King, the angels, the gathered nations, and those He calls His brothers should not automatically become interchangeable in my study. A connection needs more than similar imagery to establish that two groups are the same. This is also where I keep my chronology quest...
Post a Comment
Read more

11. Matthew 25: The Talents — What Do We Do With What Is Entrusted?

Image
Read along: Matthew 25:14–30 As I continue through Matthew, I keep returning to the relationship between receiving and responding. An invitation calls for a response. Provision opens an opportunity to prepare. Responsibility raises the question of what we do with what has been placed in our care. Here, I am looking at entrusted possessions and the account that follows. Different Amounts, the Same Commendation Before leaving on a journey, a man entrusts his possessions to three servants: five talents, two talents, and one talent, according to each servant’s ability. The first two put what they receive to work and double it. When the master returns, both receive the same commendation and invitation to share his joy. The different amounts catch my attention. I find myself asking how often comparison distracts me from my own responsibility. Am I measuring what I have against what someone else has? Does that keep me from attending to what is already before me? For my own study, those questi...
Post a Comment
Read more

10. Matthew 25: The Ten Virgins — What Does It Mean to Be Ready?

Image
Read along: Matthew 25:1–13 As I continue into Matthew 25, the question of readiness remains before me. In the previous chapter, I was looking at how the servant treated the household while the master was away. Here, my attention turns to preparation during a delay. The ten virgins are expecting the bridegroom. They have their lamps and go out to meet him. But as the account unfolds, their shared expectation does not mean they are equally prepared. All Ten Slept One detail became especially important as I studied this passage: all ten became drowsy and slept. I had to keep that in view when thinking about watchfulness. The distinction cannot simply be that five stayed awake while five fell asleep. When the midnight announcement comes, all ten rise and attend to their lamps. The difference was already present in their preparation. The prudent brought oil in flasks with their lamps; the foolish did not bring oil with them. That makes me pause over what it means to be ready. Expecting som...
Post a Comment
Read more

9. Matthew 24: Entrusted to Care for the Household

Image
The closing illustration in Matthew 24 brings readiness into the daily responsibilities of a household. After questions about timing, recognition, and an unexpected arrival, the focus turns toward what a servant is doing while the master is away. This connects with a question that has followed me through several studies: how does someone use what has been entrusted to them? Read along: Matthew 24:45–51 — LSB . Food at the Proper Time Jesus describes a faithful and prudent servant appointed to give the household food at the proper time. The servant found doing that work is blessed and receives greater responsibility. What draws my attention is the purpose of the appointment: someone has been entrusted with providing for others. For my own reflection, I want to consider responsibility in relation to the people it is meant to serve. Having something to share raises questions about how I share it. Am I attentive to what is needed? Am I handling what I have received faithfully? What Is Said...
Post a Comment
Read more

8. Matthew 24: Recognizing the Season and Remaining Ready

Image
After the description of the gathering, Jesus continues with illustrations about recognition and readiness. This part of the chapter drew my attention because it places things people can recognize beside something they do not know. I want to keep both in view as I follow the fig tree, the days of Noah, and the warning to remain ready. Read along: Matthew 24:32–44 — LSB . Learning From the Fig Tree Jesus describes tender branches and emerging leaves as an indication that summer is near. He then connects that recognition with seeing the things He has described. The illustration begins with observation. That fits something important to my study: noticing a detail is the beginning of an inquiry. I want to examine what the passage connects with it before deciding how far the comparison reaches. Words That Remain Verses 34–35 speak of this generation, the fulfillment of these things, and the enduring character of Jesus’ words. The scope of “this generation” and “all these things” deserves ca...
Post a Comment
Read more

7. Matthew 24: Glory, the Trumpet, and the Gathering

Image
This is one of the passages that brought several of my studies together. Daniel, Revelation, and the Glory study all came back into view as I considered the heavenly signs, the Son of Man, and the gathering of the elect. I want to begin with Matthew’s wording, then place the related passages beside it. Read along: Matthew 24:29–31 — LSB . After the Tribulation Verse 29 begins with a timing statement: immediately after the tribulation of those days. It describes the sun darkened, the moon withholding its light, falling stars, and the powers of the heavens shaken. I want that opening relationship to remain visible in my study. When comparing different accounts, I need to retain the timing expressions each passage actually supplies. Preserving the Moon’s Description During my earlier discussion, I recalled the moon becoming blood while referring to Matthew. Returning to the words brought an important correction: Matthew describes the moon not giving its light. Revelation 6:12 describes th...
Post a Comment
Read more

6. Matthew 24: Recognizing the Warning and Knowing When to Leave

Image
The next part of Matthew 24 brings Daniel directly into the discussion. This matters to my study because the connection is named within the passage. I want to follow that reference, the response Jesus calls for, and the warnings that surround it. Read along: Matthew 24:15–28 — LSB . The Reference to Daniel Verse 15 identifies the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel, standing in the holy place. The reader is urged to understand. Daniel 12:11 also connects the removal of the continual offering with the setting up of an abomination that makes desolate. That gives us wording to examine alongside Matthew. Read Daniel 12:11 . I want to begin with the actions and locations each passage supplies. What is removed? What is established? Where does it stand? These questions help me investigate the connection before fitting it into a larger understanding of timing. An Urgent Response Those in Judea are instructed to flee to the mountains. The person on the housetop must not go down f...
Post a Comment
Read more

5. Matthew 24: When Love Grows Cold

Image
As I continue through Matthew 24, my attention turns toward what happens among people under pressure. This part of the chapter has stayed with me personally. It brings suffering, betrayal, deception, love, and endurance into the same passage. I want to consider those details together, including what they ask me to examine in my own life. Read along: Matthew 24:9–14 — LSB . Pressure and Response In verse 9, Jesus tells His disciples they will face tribulation, death, and hatred because of His name. The following verse describes people falling away, betraying one another, and hating one another. The relationships draw my attention. The account concerns both what people suffer and how they respond to one another. That gives me a question to carry through the study: what happens to a person’s faithfulness when the cost of remaining faithful becomes greater? Deception Appears Again Verse 11 returns to false prophets and the deception of many. I want to keep this warning beside the surroundi...
Post a Comment
Read more

4. Matthew 24: The Questions and the First Warning

Image
As I move from the wedding-feast study into Matthew 24, I want to keep following the details that shape the account: where Jesus is, who approaches Him, what they ask, and how He answers. Before gathering the chapter’s images into a larger pattern, I want to begin with its opening conversation. Read along: Matthew 24:1–8 — LSB . Beginning at the Temple The disciples point out the temple buildings as Jesus leaves. His response describes their destruction. Later, on the Mount of Olives, they approach Him privately. Their questions concern when these things will happen and the sign of His coming and the end of the age. I want to preserve those questions separately as I read. They give me something to return to when considering the different parts of His answer. This is part of my study process: before deciding what a passage answers, look carefully at what was asked. The First Warning Jesus begins by warning them against deception. Many will come in His name, claiming to be the Christ, an...
Post a Comment
Read more

3. Matthew 22: The Wedding Garment — Called and Chosen

Image
The wedding hall is filled, and the king has entered to examine the guests. Now the account focuses on one man and his clothing. This was one of the places where I wanted to slow down most carefully: what does Matthew actually tell us, and what connections might help us understand it? Read along: Matthew 22:11–14 — LSB . What Is Missing? The king notices a man without wedding clothing. He asks how the man entered dressed that way, and the man is speechless. Matthew does not explain where the clothing should have come from. It does not say the king distributed garments or that this man refused one. I want to leave those details open rather than build an explanation upon something the passage has not supplied. During my study, my question was: Could this concern being clothed in righteousness? That question led me to look at other passages where clothing carries meaning. Clothing and Righteousness Isaiah 61:10 connects garments with salvation and a robe with righteousness. The verse also...
Post a Comment
Read more

2. Matthew 22: The Gathered Guests and the King’s Examination

Image
In the first post, I followed the invitation and the different responses to it. Now my attention turns to the gathering. This is where one of the details that first drew me into the study begins to appear: the movement from many people to one man among them. I want to follow that movement carefully, allowing each stage to retain its place. Read along: Matthew 22:8–11 — LSB . The Wedding Remains Ready In verse 8, the king says the wedding is ready, but those previously called were not worthy. What interests me is that the refusal has not ended the preparation for his son. I want to pause over that before moving forward. During my study, it became easy to concentrate on the rejection and judgment. Yet the wedding remains part of the account, and the king gives another instruction. The Invitation Goes Outward In verses 9–10, the slaves are sent to the roads to invite those they find. They gather both evil and good, and the wedding hall fills with guests. Those words caught my attention: b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Browse at Your Own Pace

Image
Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
Post a Comment
Read more

1. Matthew 22: The Invitation and the Response

Image
  While reading Matthew 22, I felt drawn to slow down and study the wedding-feast parable more closely. What caught my attention was how carefully the passage distinguishes the people involved and their responses. An invitation, a gathering, and the king’s examination are different parts of the account. I wanted to follow each movement before deciding how they connect. This first post begins with the invitation and what happens when it is received. Read along: Matthew 22:1–7 — LSB . A Feast for His Son Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven through a king holding a wedding feast for his son. I want to begin with those relationships: the king, his son, the messengers, and those invited. The Bride is not named in these opening verses. Psalm 45 came to mind during my study, but I wanted to leave that comparison beside the passage while continuing to follow Matthew’s own details. Calling Those Already Invited In verse 3, the king sends his slaves to summon people who have already been i...
Post a Comment
Read more