Historical Jesus 13: Olivet Discourse
Did Jesus predict the destruction of the Temple in a.d. 70? Did he predict the end of the world? Learn about Jesus’ Olivet Discourse and discover what he said about false Christs, persecution, the abomination of desolation, and the coming of the son of man.
Course notes are available here.
I love the way Matt 25:40 is explained in the video. However, Jesus is referring to “brothers and sisters of mine” and I understood these to be the saints. So could the “righteous” in verse 37 be those, who are not the saints, but have at the end times provided assistance to the saints?
Miranda,
Good thoughts here. I’m not sure what Jesus meant by “brothers and sisters of mine.” Three possibilities come to mind: (1) he refers to disciples (2) he refers to Jews (3) he refers humankind. Here are a couple of relevant texts to consider about carrying out mercy ministries to non-Christians:
Also, when Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, he doesn’t say anything about the moral character or faith of the homeless man, and yet the rich man was judged based on how he treated him.
In our age, hospitality can be one of the most effective means of evangelism, since it genuinely combines our words with our actions. Rosaria Butterfield is a great example of how good old Christian hospitality melt away barriers and stereotypes about Christians.