NT: Matthew - the Olivet Discourse and the Crucifixion

After some between-sermon parables and good works, Jesus gives his sermon on the Mount of Olives

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

As you may surmise, Jesus is giving the Disciples a heads-up on what to expect as the end times begin, including this famously inept prediction:

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

The sermon continues through the end of Chapter 25.

In Chapter 26, Jesus begins a more informal discussion on his coming arrest and crucifixion.

Chapter 27 contains the crucifixion, which is a lot less dramatic in Matthew than in, say, The Passion of the Christ.

35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
...
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
...
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Chapter 28 is action-packed with Mary Magdalene, lightning, an earthquake, a resurrection (or more properly, word of a resurrection), the empty tomb, Jesus’ reappearance and some good words to the disciples. All in all, two thumbs up.

I suspect that, if I chip away at the Gospels, Acts, a few Pauline Epistles, and Revelation, that I might have reason to revisit my very-high-level notes on Matthew. As I said originally, my notes are meant only as reminders of what occurred and in what order, and may get revised as I delve into the other interesting books of the NT.

Good times!