This week’s readings are all from Matthew 26. Click here to see a full listing of each day’s reading and the full chapters of Matthew 26. Full readings of each day’s smaller segments of the readings will be posted on this site during the week.
Today's Reading
26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. 4 They planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”
6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil, and she poured it on his head as he was at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste? 9 It could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor!” 10 When Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good service for me. 11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me! 12 When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” So they set out thirty silver coins for him. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
So in todays reading using the Life Application Bible that has a map of the walled city of Jerusalem and the surrounding area and I was startled to learn the following…I have always been familiar with the events that took place around the Passover meal…but based on the map, that has a mileage scale, the walk from the house with the upper room to the Mount of Olives is approximately 8 miles…not just a short evening stroll after dinner 🤔🤔😉👍
but based on the map, that has a mileage scale, the walk from the house with the upper room to the Mount of Olives is approximately 8 miles…not just a short evening stroll after dinner
hmmm. No. That scale would be off.
The walk from the traditional location of the Upper Room (which may have historical validity in terms of proximity) is about 1 mile walk to Gethsemane, at the base of the Mount of Olives. However, that evening and the morning prior to his crucifixion, Jesus would have walked several miles on hilly terrain:
- from the Mount of Olives to the upper room (1 mile+),
- back to Gethsemane (1+ mile),
- after his arrest to Caiaphas' house (1+ mile),
- to the Sanhedrin (.3 miles),
- to Pilate for questioning (about .5 miles),
- to Herod Antipas for examination (.5 miles, maybe closer),
- to the Antonia Fortress where the cohort beat him (.5 mile),
- back to Pilate for the final condemnation (.5 miles),
- the way to the cross (.25 miles).
The total on that is about 5 to 6 miles, depending on some locations
We walked this journey on one of my trips. Someone's step tracker registered 8 miles total walking that day.
I thought that my understanding from the Life Application Bible was a long..long..walk🤔😉👍🐮
Upon. Loser look at the map and scale in the life application bible this morning, I see a little itsy bitsy decimal in front of the one🤪🤪
