The week surrounding Jesus’s death and resurrection is called “Holy Week,” spanning from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. During Holy Week, we often think about the Last Supper, washing the disciples’ feet, the betrayal of Judas, the death and resurrection of Jesus and other stories. But if we look carefully, we will notice that the chapters that take place during Holy Week are filled mostly with Jesus’s teachings and parables. The book of Matthew gives us a great look at some of these final teachings. It is interesting to think that, even as Jesus was preparing for His death and sacrifice, He continued to teach. 

In Matthew 22, we see the Pharisees come with a question about paying taxes. They try to trap Jesus, asking Him a question where there isn’t really a good answer. If He says that they should pay taxes, then many would be upset because it would sound like he was pro-Rome. But if He says that they shouldn’t pay taxes, then many would be upset because it would sound like He was anti-Rome. And yet Jesus uses this situation to teach us about the complexity of life and how to commit to God and our civic responsibilities.  

In Matthew 22, we see the Sadducees come with a question about marriage during the resurrection. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach the people that they are not correctly understanding the resurrection. Jesus spends a lot of time correcting poor interpretation and misunderstanding of Scripture. A core theme found in Matthew 5 is Jesus correcting poor interpretations of the Law which extends throughout His ministry. Not even Jesus’s closest friends and followers are spared correction. And here, we see that Jesus is correcting the most learned members of society.

In Matthew 24, Jesus talks about when He will return to fully usher in the Kingdom of God. He explains that no one knows when this will happen but that we must all “keep watch” (verse 42). We might not know the exact time, but we can all be ready. Jesus used this time, during Holy Week, to teach us that we should constantly be prepared for His return.

And in Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables. The last parable Jesus tells before His death is the parable of the Sheep and the Goats. This parable is all about how followers of Jesus should be living in the world and taking care of others because of their love and faith in Jesus. 

What we see during Holy Week is that Jesus truly was a Rabbi. He couldn’t help but teach even up until His death. All the teachings above occur on the Monday of Holy Week. We encourage you to do your own searching and reading to discover the other teachings (See Bible Readings). Even though we may be very familiar with the story of Holy Week and the story of Easter, we must make sure that we are true disciples being constantly taught by our Rabbi. May we be attentive to the teachings of Jesus during Holy Week and may we live them out in the world.

• March 1:  Matthew 21:12-17
• March 2:  Matthew 21:18-22
• March 3:  Matthew 21:23-27
• March 4:  Matthew 21:28-32
• March 5:  Matthew 21:33-46
• March 6:  Matthew 22:1-14
• March 7:  Matthew 22:15-22
• March 8:  Matthew 22:23-33
• March 9:  Matthew 22:34-40
• March 10:  Matthew 22:41-46
• March 11:  Matthew 23:1-12
• March 12:  Matthew 23:13-39
• March 13:  Matthew 24:1-35
• March 14:  Matthew 24:36-51
• March 15:  Matthew 25:1-13
• March 16:  Matthew 25:14-30
• March 17:  Matthew 25:31-46
• March 18:  Matthew 26:6-13
• March 19:  Matthew 26:17-30
• March 20:  Matthew 26:36-46
• March 21:  John 12:20-36
• March 22:  John 12:37-50
• March 23:  John 13:1-17
• March 24:  John 14:1-4
• March 25:  John 14:5-14
• March 26:  John 14:15-31
• March 27:  John 15:1-17
• March 28:  John 15:18-25
• March 29:  John 15:26-16:15
• March 30:  John 16:16-33
• March 31:  John 17