In today's episode of Word for Word: The Bible, we read Matthew chapters 24 through 26. Jesus tells His disciples about the temple's coming destruction and the end times, urging watchfulness since no one knows the day or hour. His parables drive the point home—readiness in the ten virgins, faithful stewardship in the talents, and in the sheep and goats, compassion for the hungry and imprisoned as the test of true faith. The reading then turns toward the cross: an anointing at Bethany, a Passover meal reinterpreted, an arrest, and Peter's threefold denial. Join Kevin Mooneyhan as the hour arrives.
Episode Overview
Today we read Matthew chapters 24 through 26. The disciples admire the temple buildings, and Jesus tells them not one stone will be left on another. What follows is a long discourse about what is coming—wars, famines, false messiahs, persecution—and a repeated instruction that matters more than the timeline: keep watch, because no one knows the day or the hour, not even the Son.
Three parables press it. Ten virgins, five who brought extra oil and five who did not, and a door that closes. Three servants given talents, two who invest and one who buries his out of fear. And then the sheep and the goats, where the criterion is startlingly concrete: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Both groups are surprised. Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.
Chapter 26 turns. A woman pours expensive perfume on Jesus' head at Bethany and is criticized for waste; Jesus says she has prepared Him for burial. Judas agrees to thirty pieces of silver. At the Passover meal Jesus takes bread and says this is my body, takes the cup and says this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. In Gethsemane He asks for the cup to pass and then accepts it. He is arrested, tried, condemned—and outside in the courtyard, Peter swears he never knew Him, three times, and the rooster crows.
Key Themes
• A temple admired and its destruction foretold
• Watchfulness over timeline speculation
• Readiness, stewardship, and mercy as the tests
• Bread and cup given new meaning
• A denial fulfilled before dawn
In This Episode You'll Discover
• What Jesus says about knowing the day or hour
• Why both the sheep and the goats are surprised
• What the anointing at Bethany was actually for
• What Jesus prays in Gethsemane
• The major lesson: caring for the least of these is caring for Jesus Himself
Today's Scripture:
Matthew 24–26
About the Podcast
Word for Word: The Bible is a chronological Bible study podcast hosted by Kevin Mooneyhan that takes listeners through the entire Bible one chapter at a time. Each episode combines Scripture reading, historical context, theological insight, and practical application to help listeners understand God's Word and grow in their faith.