# verses

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then Jesse begot David the king. Then King David begot Solomon by her <i>who had been</i> of Uriah, <n>Sins may be forgiven, but your curriculum remains. The only women included in the genealogy (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth [Deut. 23:3], Bathsheba) represent some violation—perhaps to emphasize the grace of God.</n> 


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then Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was begotten Jesus, who is called Christ. <n>Here the formula changes, because Jesus could not be the son of Joseph—cf. Jeremiah 22:30.</n> 


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So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the Babylonian captivity are fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian captivity until the Christ are fourteen generations. <n>This is really Joseph’s genealogy. As foster father he confers the legal right to the throne of David on Jesus. Since the throne of David has to do with the covenant people, this genealogy only goes back to Abraham. In contrast Mary’s genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) goes back to Adam and God—Jesus was literally son of both Adam and God. It has been observed that from David to the captivity there were seventeen kings, but Ahaziah reigned only one year, Amon only two and Abijah only three, so they would not count as generations—Matthew is correct in saying there were fourteen ‘generations’.</n> 


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<i> Conception of Jesus—5 BC</i> Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they joined together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.


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Then Joseph her husband, <n>The betrothal was legally binding, so the man was then called ‘husband’, even before the physical union.</n> being a just man and not wanting to humiliate her publicly, decided to repudiate her secretly.


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But while he pondered these things, wow, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary as your wife, because that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.


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And she will give birth to a Son and you will call His name Jesus, because <i>He</i> will save His people from their sins.”


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Now all this happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely:


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“Behold, the virgin will become pregnant and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel”, <n>The quote is from Isaiah 7:14. Matthew uses the Greek <i>parthenos</i>, which unambiguously means ‘virgin’, to translate the Hebrew <i>’alma</i>, which is ambiguous—it refers to a young woman who may be a virgin, but not necessarily. Isaiah did not use <i>bethulah</i>, which refers unambiguously to a virgin, because, I suppose, the context demands an immediate fulfillment, which was supplied by Isaiah’s wife, as the next chapter makes clear.</n> which being translated is, ‘God with us’.


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Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as that angel of the Lord commanded him and received his wife, <n>Apparently there was some urgency involved; it sounds like he did it that same night (Mary was at least three months pregnant).</n> 


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but did not know her until <n>The use of this conjunction implies that they had normal relations after Jesus’ birth, and in fact they had at least six children together. In the Bible the verb ‘to know’ is used to refer to sexual intercourse.</n> she had given birth to her son, the firstborn. <n>Only 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “her” and “the firstborn” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). That’s eight manuscripts against 1,454 that have been collated, but there are probably over 300 others yet to be collated that will swell the number against the eight.</n> And he called His name JESUS.


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<i> Jesus is born—4 BC The ‘wise men’</i> Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men (magi) from the East came into Jerusalem,


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saying: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.”


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And gathering all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. <n>The magi said, “King of the Jews”; Herod said, “Messiah”. Evidently he knew something about O.T. prophecy.</n> 


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‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not at all the least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a Ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’.”


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And directing them to Bethlehem he said, “When you get there search carefully for the young child; and should you find him, bring back word to me so that I also may go and worship him.”


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<i> The Star!</i> So having heard the king they departed, and there was the star that they had seen in the East! It went before them until it arrived and stopped above where the young Child was.


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Now when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy! <n>It reappeared after two years. They had undertaken an expensive and dangerous journey in the dark, as it were. Now God confirms that they are on the right track. They are beside themselves with joy!</n> 


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And coming into the house <n>Joseph probably used the stable (Luke 2:7) for only one night; the next day he would look for more adequate quarters. That Jesus was born at night is clear from Luke 2:8-12. The angels appeared at night (verse 8) and said “this day” (verse 11)—the shepherds were Jews, and the Jewish day began at 6:00 p.m. Since the shepherds broadcasted the message delivered by the angel, any people in the town who loved God would want to help Joseph. The Text says ‘young child’, not ‘baby’—the visit to Jerusalem (Luke 2:22-38) is now well behind them.</n> they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, <n>They may have arrived at night. The Text says that they saw Jesus and Mary; Joseph isn’t mentioned. Perhaps he was sleeping in another room. If the magi took off immediately, as I suppose, then the angel roused Joseph as soon as they were out the door.</n> and falling down they worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh. <n>Because the gifts were three, some have assumed that the magi were three, but nowhere does the Text specify the number. Now, as then, those who are wise still seek Him. The gifts were providential to meet their financial needs in Egypt and beyond, quite apart from any symbolism.</n> 


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Then, having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their <i>own</i> country by a different road.


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<i> The flight to Egypt</i> Now when they had departed, again, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying: “Get up, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you; because Herod is about to seek the young Child to destroy Him.”


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So he got up and took the young Child and His mother by night <n>That same night, immediately. A suspicious man like Herod doubtless sent a spy to keep an eye on the magi. When they took off in the opposite direction Herod would have been informed within a few hours. If Joseph had waited until morning it would probably have been too late.</n> and departed for Egypt.


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And he was there until the death of Herod, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely: “Out of Egypt I called my Son.” <n>The time spent in Egypt was possibly only a month or two. The quote is from Hosea 11:1, which in that context refers to Israel, but Jesus was/is literally God’s Son—O.T. prophecies often have a dual reference/application.</n> 


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<i> The massacre</i> Then Herod, when he saw that he had been deceived by the wise men, became very angry, and he sent out and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.


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“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children and not wanting to be comforted, because they are no more.” <n>Ramah was a district of Bethlehem. The quote is from Jeremiah 31:15. The birth of the Savior resulted in the massacre of many infants; being the fulfillment of prophesy means it was part of the Plan. God’s ways seem strange to us at times, but He is under no obligation to explain His actions. (However, based on Jeremiah 31:16 I wonder if God didn’t compensate the parents somehow.)</n> 


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<i> The return to Natsareth</i> Now Herod having died, there, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt


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saying, “Get up, take the young Child and His mother and go into the land of Israel, for those <n>The Text is plainly plural here, so who else besides Herod had died? That massacre would not be a nice thing to have on the record, and it may be that Herod had ordered the execution of others who were involved.</n> seeking the life of the young Child have died.”


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But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream he proceeded into the region of Galilee.


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And upon arriving he settled in a city called Natsareth [Branch-town], <n>We know from Luke that Natsareth was Joseph’s home—his house and business were waiting for him (although he had been gone for quite a while). The name of the town in Hebrew is based on the consonants ר צ נ (<i>resh, tsadde, nun</i>), but since Hebrew is read from right to left, for us the order is reversed = n, ts, r. This word root means ‘branch’. Greek has the equivalent for ‘ps’ and ‘ks’, but not for ‘ts’, so the transliteration used a ζ (<i>zeta</i>) ‘dz’, which is the voiced counterpart of ‘ts’. But when the Greek was transliterated into English it came out as ‘z’! But Hebrew has a ‘z’, ז (<i>zayin</i>), so in transliterating back into Hebrew people assumed the consonants ר ז נ , replacing the correct <i>tsadde</i> with <i>zayin</i>. This technical information is necessary as background for the next footnote.</n> so that what was spoken through the prophets should be fulfilled, that He would be called a Natsorean [Branch-man]. <n>Neither ‘Nazareth’ nor ‘Nazarene’, spelled with a <i>zayin</i>, is to be found in the Old Testament, but there is a prophetic reference to Messiah as the Branch, <i>netser</i>—Isaiah 11:1—and several to the related word, <i>tsemach</i>—Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12. So Matthew is quite right—the prophets (plural, being at least three) referred to Christ as the Branch. Since Jesus was a man, He would be the ‘Branch-man’, from ‘Branch-town’. Which brings us to the word ‘natsorean’. The familiar ‘Nazarene’ (Ναζαρηνος ) [Natsarene] occurs in Mark 1:24, 14:67, 16:6 and Luke 4:34, but here in Matthew 2:23 and in fourteen other places, including Acts 22:8 where the glorified Jesus calls Himself that, the word is ‘Natsorean’ (Ναζωραιος ), which is quite different. I have been given to understand that the Natsareth of Jesus’ day had been founded some 100 years before by a Branch family who called it Branch town; they were very much aware of the prophecies about the Branch and fully expected the Messiah to be born from among them—they called themselves Branch-people (Natsoreans). Of course everyone else thought it was a big joke and tended to look down on them. “Can anything good . . . ?”</n> 


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<i> Ministry of John the baptizer—26 AD</i> Now in those days John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness of Judea


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For this is he who was referred to by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “A voice crying-out, ‘Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD , make His paths straight’.”


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Now John actually used clothes <i>made</i> from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; while his food was locusts and wild honey.


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<i> A bunch of snakes</i> But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: “Brood of vipers! Who tipped you off to flee from the coming wrath?


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and don’t <i>even</i> think to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father’, <n>They had notions of spiritual privilege based on birth, but as someone has said, God has no grandchildren. Later on Jesus will make clear that they did in fact reject John’s message.</n> for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.


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Indeed, already the ax is being laid to the root of the trees. <n>The Messiah was already present, and He would condemn the Pharisees and Sadducees.</n> So every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


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“I baptize you with water unto repentance, but the One coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. <i>He</i> will baptize you with Holy Spirit. <n>There is no article with ‘Holy Spirit’, so I take the phrase as a proper name. The ‘and fire’ we are used to is read by only 20% of the Greek manuscripts. The 80% includes the best line of transmission.</n> 


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His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” <n>Can you have wheat without chaff? Isn’t the chaff part of the wheat plant? What might the implications of this analogy be for the Church? What percentage of the plant is edible wheat? Wherever Christianity is the state or majority religion, or part of the prevailing culture, a large majority of the ‘Christians’ will be chaff. Where Christians are persecuted a high percentage will be wheat. Since Judaism was part of the prevailing culture, presumably most of John’s hearers were chaff (just compare the attitude of the crowds on Palm Sunday and Good Friday). </n> 


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But John tried to dissuade Him saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me?”


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But in answer Jesus said to him, “Permit it now, because thus it is appropriate to us to fulfill all righteousness”. <n>Our Lord’s statement here seems difficult to us. Since Mark 1:4 and Luke 3:3 state that it was “a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins” but Jesus had no sins to repent of, in what sense was He “fulfilling all righteousness”? Perhaps as Messiah and Great High Priest He needed to identify Himself with those of His people who were truly repentant.</n> Then he permitted Him.


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And having been baptized Jesus came up directly from the water, when <i>wow</i> , the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and alighting upon Him. <n>The episode is presented from John’s perspective, while in Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22 it is presented from Jesus’ perspective. Just as at Pentecost the Holy Spirit translated into the ears of the foreigners, I take it that here Jesus heard one thing and John another.</n> 


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And wow, a Voice from the heavens saying, “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am <i>always</i> well pleased!” <n>The Trinity is clearly manifested: voice = Father, Jesus = Son, dove = Holy Spirit. This was an important confirmation for Jesus.</n> 


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<i> Jesus tested by Satan</i> Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil.


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And having fasted forty days and forty nights afterward He was hungry. <n>This episode was ordained by the Holy Spirit. Jesus had to confront Satan when He was physically the weakest He would ever be (40 days without food!). When Satan failed to defeat this weakened Jesus he was probably filled with despair—he now knew that he could never defeat Him. (But he would still try to kill Him.)</n> 


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And coming to Him the tempter said, “Since you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread”. <n>Satan was not so foolish as to question Jesus’ identity, “if”; he was more subtle, “since”.</n> 


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But in answer He said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word coming out of God’s mouth’.” <n>See Deuteronomy 8:3.</n> 


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Then the devil takes Him into the holy city <n>‘The holy city’ was evidently Jerusalem. One is tempted to ask, what was ‘holy’ about it?</n> and sets Him upon the pinnacle of the temple, <n>This is literal; Satan has the power to transport things. Matthew has the correct sequence, whereas Luke inverts the order of tests 2 and 3 (Matthew uses adverbs of sequence, but Luke does not).</n> 


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and says to Him, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: ‘He will give orders to His angels about you, and they will lift you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone’.” <n>See Psalm 91:11-12. Satan knows the Bible, and how to twist it.</n> 


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Jesus said to him, “It is <i>also</i> written: ‘You shall not test the LORD your God!’” <n>See Deuteronomy 6:16.</n> 


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Again the devil takes Him to a <i>very</i> high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. <n>This also is literal and obviously supernatural. We have here a master-stroke of Satan—Jehovah the Son took on human form in order to recover what the first Adam had lost, and Satan offers it to Him on a silver platter, with just one ‘small’ condition . . . .</n> 


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Then Jesus says to him: “Get behind me, Satan! <n>88% of the Greek manuscripts have “Get behind me . . .”; in Luke 4:8 at least 97% have “Get behind me . . .”.</n> For it is written: ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve’.” <n>See Deuteronomy 6:13.</n> 


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Then the devil leaves Him, and <i>then</i> , angels came and began ministering to Him. <n>The impression one gets is that the angels weren’t allowed to help Jesus during His direct confrontation with Satan.</n> 


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<i> Jesus chooses Capernaum as His base of operations—27 AD</i> Now hearing that John had been put in prison, Jesus departed into Galilee. <n>The early Judean ministry, as recorded in John 1, 2 and 3, ends here.</n> 


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And leaving Natsareth behind <n>See Luke 4:16-30. Presumably Jesus moved His belongings out of Natsareth at this time.</n> He went and took up residence in Capernaum by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali;


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The people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and upon those sitting in the place and shadow of death light has dawned.” <n>See Isaiah 9:1-2.</n> 


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<i> Jesus calls four fishermen</i> From then on Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has come near.” <n>Right! The King was walking among them. “Kingdom of the heavens” and “kingdom of God” are synonyms, as can be seen by comparing parallel passages in Mark and Luke. Jesus continues with John’s message, since the herald is now out of action.</n> 


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And walking by the Sea of Galilee He saw two brothers, Simon (the one called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).


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And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James (the one of Zebedee) and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And He called them.


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So leaving the boat and their father immediately they followed Him. <n>All four of these men had spent time with Jesus already, so this was not ‘out of the blue’.</n> 


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<i> A tour of Galilee</i> Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every illness among the people.


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So His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were sick—suffering with various diseases and torments, and being demonized and being moonstruck and paralytics—and He healed them.


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So large crowds followed Him—from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and beyond the Jordan. <n>Luke 5:1 says that this same crowd was hungry to hear the Word of God, and they did indeed hear the Sermon on the Mount, but Jesus used healing and deliverance to attract the crowd.</n> 


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<i> The Sermon on the Mount</i> Now seeing the crowds He went up on the mountain, and upon His sitting down His disciples approached Him.


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<i> The Beatitudes</i> And opening His mouth <n>This appears to be a Hebrew idiom indicating a formal or serious pronouncement.</n> He started teaching them, saying:


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Blessed are the meek, <n>‘Meek’ is not ‘weak’, it is power under control. It was said of Moses that he was the meekest man in his time, precisely because he was also the most powerful.</n> for they will inherit the earth.


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Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. <n>In James 2:12-13 we read: “Speak and act as being those who are about to be judged by a law of liberty (the judgment will be without mercy to the one not showing mercy). <i>That law</i> exalts mercy over judgment.” This accords with the description that Jehovah gave of Himself to Moses, on that rarest of occasions: “Jehovah, God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children unto the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7). He keeps mercy to the 1000th generation, He punishes to the 4th; the proportion is 250:1. That’s why it’s importantthat we show mercy.</n> 


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Blessed are those who have been persecuted on account of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. <n>These “beatitudes” are in the third person and so presumably of general application. From verse 11 on Jesus uses the second person and so the specific application is presumably to His disciples. The first and last of these ‘beatitudes’ say, “theirs is the kingdom of the heavens”. In Matthew 18:3 the Lord will say we have to become like little children to enter the Kingdom—that’s being ‘poor in spirit’. To face persecution, you must be committed.</n> 


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<i> For disciples</i> “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and speak all kinds of evil against you, lying, because of Me.


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Rejoice and exult, because your reward in the heavens is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


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You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt becomes insipid with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled down by the people. <n>“Christians” who have caved in to the world’s values and life style are like insipid salt—good for nothing except to be thrown out. The implications of this have become increasingly serious in today’s world.</n> 


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Nor do they light a lamp and place it under the hamper, but on the lampstand, and it shines on everything in the house.


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So also let your light shine before the people so that they may see your good works and may glorify your Father in the heavens. <n>Nowadays if you stand up for Biblical values you will probably be persecuted, not praised; but the darker the night, the farther a light can be seen.</n> 


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<i> Jesus interprets the Law</i> “Do not suppose that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.


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For assuredly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, <i>not one</i> iota nor one tittle shall pass away from the Law until everything happens. <n>The Lord here makes an impressively strong statement about the preservation through time of the precise form of the Sacred Text. Since our only access to the meaning is through the form, any alteration in the form will alter the meaning. One of the most effective ways of annulling a commandment is to corrupt the Text—something Satan understands quite well.</n> 


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Therefore, whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches that to the people will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches <i>them</i> , <i>he</i> will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.


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For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will absolutely not enter the kingdom of the heavens! <n>Did you get that? If you are like the scribes and Pharisees what are your chances?</n> 


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<i> About respecting others</i> “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder, so whoever murders will be liable to the judgment’. <n>The scribes had diluted the Text—the Law demands the death penalty (Exodus 21:12).</n> 


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But I say to you that whoever gets angry with his brother without cause will be liable to the judgment. <n>God hates injustice and will judge it. Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “without cause” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). NIV, NASB and LB favor us with a footnote informing us that “some manuscripts” add ‘without cause’—by “some” they mean 98% of them!! More serious, the shorter text has the effect of forbidding anger, which would contradict other Scriptures (Ephesians 4:26, Psalm 4:4) and the Lord’s own example (Mark 3:5).</n> And whoever says to his brother, ‘Numbskull!’ will be liable to the council. <n>The Greek text has a transliteration of the Aramaic term, <i>raka</i>. The idea seems to be that this was an offensive epithet that could lead to a court case, for defamation of character (or whatever).</n> But whoever says, ‘You absolute idiot!’ will be liable to hell fire. <n>This presumably involves an offense against God, denigrating His image, disparaging His work. <b>However</b>, note that the Lord is talking about saying this to a brother. He Himself applied this term to the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23.</n> 


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Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, <n>Verse 23 is linked to 22; insult or injury is involved—an overt action, an unpleasant scene that will presumably be alive in your memory.</n> 


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leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled with your brother and then, returning, offer your gift. <n>Verses 23-24 refer to moral debt, through abusive language.</n> 


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Be agreeable to your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest the adversary hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.


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Assuredly I say to you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny. <n>Verses 25-26 refer to financial debt, through property damage, a loan, etc. There is no doubt about the fact of the debt, and the time limit has expired; and you are on the way to court—at that point the only way out is to humble yourself and throw yourself on the mercy of the creditor.</n> 


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But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. <n>If he had the courage and the opportunity, he would do it.</n> 


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So if your right eye is causing you to fall, tear it out and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell. <n>This is literal, but mostly theoretical, since by the time people realize they are in trouble it is usually too late; they are already trapped.</n> 


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And if your right hand is causing you to fall, cut it off and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell.


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But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for a case of fornication, <n>Presumably a reference to pre-marital sex, where a groom discovers that his bride is no longer a virgin (like the situation that Joseph faced in 1:18-19). See 19:3-12.</n> causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.


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<i> About swearing</i> “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord’.


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nor by the earth, because it is a stool for His feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.


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But let your word be ‘yes yes’, ‘no no’; <n>Presumably this precludes any and all exaggeration, putting a ‘spin’ on things, etc.</n> for whatever is more than these is from the malignant one. [!!] <n>Do we really believe this? If not, we had better go back to the drawing board.</n> 


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<i> About retaliation</i> “You have heard that it was said: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ <n>The reference is to Exodus 21:24, but verse 22 makes clear that it is “as the judges determine”—we are not to take the law into our own hands.</n> 


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But I say to you not to resist the evildoer; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. <n>Do not use physical violence to respond to physical violence—but we can use our spiritual authority. Animals must resort to force, but Adam was given dominion over the animals, which presumably was not exercised with physical force—we should not lower ourselves to the animal level; but Satan tries to trick us into doing so. If someone lashes out in anger, turning the other cheek should shame him.</n> 


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And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have the cloak as well. <n>Do not use legal action to respond to legal action—but we can use our spiritual authority. If they are resorting to legal action they presumably don’t want to talk it over, they are trying to impose something on us; so turning the other cheek could shame them.</n> 


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And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. <n>A Roman imposition on subjugated peoples—any Roman soldier could compel a local non-Roman citizen to carry his pack one mile. A cheerful response to this humiliating situation could at least deprive the soldier of sadistic satisfaction, and maybe even shame him into carrying his own pack.</n> 


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Give to him who asks you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. <n>Presumably this does not refer to professional beggars (2 Thessalonians 3:10), but to someone overtaken by adversity who needs temporary help, someone you know who is part of the community.</n> 


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<i> How to treat enemies</i> “You have heard that it was said: ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. <n>Leviticus 19:18 says to “love your neighbor”, but not “hate your enemy”. The scribes had added an unwarranted inference.</n> 


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But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, <n>Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, offer a truncated form of this verse (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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that you may prove to be sons of your Father in the heavens; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust.


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For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?


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And if you greet only your friends, what are you doing extra? Do not even the tax collectors do so? <n>The reference to “reward” and “extra” suggests that the procedures previously enjoined are demonstrations of practical righteousness—we are to be examples, rise above the level of the surrounding society. Tax collectors were Jews, part of the community, but despised as traitors.</n> 


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Therefore, you be perfect just as your Father in the heavens is perfect. <n>“Perfect”—the Father is our point of reference; we are to be like He is. A standard is a standard; it is not invalidated just because we may feel that it is unattainable. Comparing this passage with texts like Deuteronomy 7:10, “He repays those who hate Him to their face,” and Psalm 5:5-6, “You hate all workers of iniquity,” I take it that we must distinguish between personal enemies (those who oppose us for personal reasons) and enemies of God and His truth. To be like the Father we also must hate workers of iniquity (because of the consequences to others).</n> 


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<i> Jesus warns against religious ostentation</i> “Be careful not to do your charitable giving before the people so as to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in the heavens. <n>Note that the reward has more to do with the person’s motive than the charitable act itself.</n> 


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Therefore, whenever you do charitable giving do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by the people. Assuredly I say to you, they <i>already</i> have their reward.


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so that your charitable giving may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will <i>Himself</i> repay you openly. <n>This is amazing; the Father <b>Himself</b> will repay = a good investment! (“Himself” is omitted by 24% of the Greek manuscripts; “openly” is omitted by 6%.)</n> 


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And whenever you pray do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by the people. Assuredly I say to you that they <i>already</i> have their reward.


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But you, whenever you pray, go into your room, and having shut the door pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you openly. <n>About 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “openly”.</n> 


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<i> How to pray</i> “But when you pray do not babble like the heathen; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.


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So do not be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. <n>We do need to ask, but we should do it simply, and without undue repetition (God isn’t deaf). Further, we should ask with confidence.</n> 


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Therefore, <i>you</i> pray like this: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, let Your name be reverenced;


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And do not bring us into testing, but rescue us from the evil one; because <i>Yours</i> is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ <n>About 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the last clause (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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But if you do not forgive people their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. <n>Forgiveness is a very serious matter!</n> 


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<i> How to fast</i> “Also, whenever you fast do not become gloomy like the hypocrites, because they disfigure their faces so that people will notice that they are fasting. Assuredly I say to you that they <i>already</i> have their reward.


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so that you do not appear to the people to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. <n>Some 10% of the Greek manuscripts add ‘openly’ (as in AV and NKJV).</n> 


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<i> The right attitude toward material supply</i> “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust ruin and where thieves break in and steal;


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but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust ruins and where thieves neither break in nor steal;


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because where your treasure is there your heart will be also. <n>That is the crucial question: where is your heart?</n> 


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<i> About world-view</i> “The lamp of the body is the eye. So if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. <n>Of course we have two eyes, but the Text has “eye” in the singular. I take it that the reference is to the way we interpret what we see (which is our real “eye”)—two people, one pure and one vile, observing the same scene will give very different interpretations to it.</n> 


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But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. <n>“Evil” here has the idea of malignant—aggressively evil. Someone with a malignant mind will give an evil interpretation to everything he sees, and in consequence his being will be filled with unrelenting darkness. Cf. Titus 1:15.</n> So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!


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<i> “You cannot serve God and money”</i> “No one is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. <n>The Text has “mammon”, which presumably includes more than just money; anyone who has materialistic values is serving mammon. But I fear that comparatively few speakers of English today know the word, so I put ‘money’.</n> 


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Therefore, I say to you not to worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?


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Look at the birds of the air, that they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not superior to them?


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And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither labor nor spin,


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Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, you little-faiths?


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Therefore do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’


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For the pagans seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need each of these things.


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Rather, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. <n>“These things” refers to food, drink and clothes—the basics. Jesus does not promise luxury.</n> 


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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own affairs. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


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<i> The right attitude toward others</i> “Do not judge, so that you be not judged. <n>By whom? Perhaps both God and man.</n> 


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Because with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. <n>The use of the future tense probably points toward God. If we call for judgment, not mercy, on others, by so much we are calling for judgment, not mercy, on ourselves.</n> 


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So why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but do not consider the plank in your own eye?


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Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’, when hey, there’s a plank in yours?


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Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. <n>Can you have a ‘plank’ in your eye without knowing it? (The tiniest bit of grit is an unbearable irritant.) When a person does not want to admit or correct his own failures, it is standard defensive procedure to call attention to the failures of others.</n> 


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<i> Analyze your audience</i> “a Do not give what is holy to the dogs, b nor cast your pearls before the pigs; b lest they trample them with their feet, and a turning around they tear you to pieces. <n>This verse may be a chiasmus, ab,ba. But just who are “the dogs” and “the pigs”? A pig will sniff the pearl and perhaps think it a stone—it not being edible the pig will ignore it and it will get trampled into the mud. So a “pig” is someone who is incapable of recognizing or appreciating the “pearl”—the reaction will be one of total indifference. So don’t waste your time. In contrast a “dog” reacts in an aggressively hostile manner against what is “holy”. So a “dog” is presumably someone who is committed to evil and will therefore attack what is holy. In general our media today are controlled by “dogs”. So don’t innocently offer what is holy to a “dog”—you’ll get chewed up! We need to try to convert the “dogs”, but you need to understand what you’re about. Nothing like a stout stick to teach a mad dog respect.</n> 


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<i> Be persistent, yet considerate</i> “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.


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For each one asking, receives; and the one seeking, finds; and to the one knocking it will be opened.


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If you then, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in the heavens give good things to those who ask Him! <n>I take it that we are authorized to ask!</n> 


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So then, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. <n>This is the so-called ‘golden rule’—if everyone did this the world would be a better place.</n> 


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<i> Eternal destiny</i> “Go in through the narrow gate; because wide is the gate and broad is the way which leads away into perdition, and those who are going in through it are many.


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How narrow is the gate and confined the way which leads away into life, and those who are finding it are few! <n>Observe that the Lord Jesus Christ affirms that “few” find the way of life. He Himself makes clear that to travel the way of life requires commitment to the Owner of that ‘way’. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts have the weaker “Because narrow . . .”, as in KJV and NKJV.</n> 


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<i> A tree is known by its fruit</i> “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. <n>Probably demonized; demonic prophecies are always destructive.</n> 


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You will know them by their fruits. Do people gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?


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Just so, every good tree produces good fruits, but the rotten tree produces evil fruits. <n>The Lord uses “rotten” and “evil” (or “malignant”) because He is really talking about people, not trees.</n> 


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<i> We have to do the Father’s will</i> “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will go into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of my Father who is in the heavens. <n>If we don’t <b>do</b> the will of the Father, we won’t enter the Kingdom.</n> 


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Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and perform many mighty works in Your name?’


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And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me you practitioners of lawlessness!’ <n>Evidently they did indeed cast out demons and perform mighty works—so if it wasn’t by God’s power, by whose power was it? Could it be that Satan works with those who think they are serving the Lord but are really “lawless”, to confirm them in their error?</n> 


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<i> All face adversity—foundation determines outcome</i> “Therefore whoever hears these words of mine and does them, I will compare him to a prudent man who built his house on the bedrock;


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and the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and attacked that house; and it did not fall, because it was founded on the bedrock.


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But every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand;


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and the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall!” <n>Here again, we have to do the words. Note that both houses had to face the same circumstances, but the verbs are different. Everyone faces adversity in this life—your foundation determines the outcome.</n> 


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<i> Editorial comment</i> And so it was, when Jesus had ended these words, that the crowds were astonished at His teaching,


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for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not like the scribes. <n>The scribes would not dare to say, “<b>I</b> tell you”; they would quote a variety of scholars and leave the question up in the air.</n> 


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<i> The Messiah demonstrates His power Jesus heals a leper</i> So when He came down from the mountain large crowds followed Him.


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And then, a leper came and worshipped Him saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean”.


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So reaching out His hand Jesus touched <n>To touch a leper was unheard of, because of the contamination; this was a powerful demonstration of authority.</n> him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed”. <n>Beautiful!</n> And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.


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And Jesus says to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a <b>proof</b> to them.” <n>A proof that the Messiah had arrived—who else could cure leprosy?</n> 


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<i> Jesus heals at a distance</i> As He entered Capernaum a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him


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But in answer the centurion said: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but only speak a word and my servant will be healed.


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For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this’, and he does.”


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Upon hearing <i>him</i> Jesus marveled, and said to those who were following: “Assuredly I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith!


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And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens;


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but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the darkness farthest away. <i>There</i> there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” <n>“Sons of the kingdom”—those who knew the truth and rejected it will have the severest judgment—“farthest away”. (Dante’s view of hell is perhaps not entirely mistaken.)</n> 


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Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; and let it be done for you just as you believed”. And his servant was healed in that very hour. <n>Jesus healed a serious case at a distance.</n> 


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<i> Peter’s mother-in-law</i> Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law laid up and burning with fever.


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So He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and began to serve Him. <n>Jesus healed the consequences as well—normally a high fever leaves you weak.</n> 


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And when evening came they brought to Him many who were demonized. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, <n>Jesus did not touch the demonized, nor did He argue with them; He expelled the demons with a word.</n> 


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so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet should be fulfilled, namely: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” <n>See Isaiah 53:4. If the main fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy took place on the cross, this would be an application.</n> 


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So Jesus says to him, “The foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of the Man does not have where He may lay His head”. <n>That’s what the Text says, “the Son of the Man”, which appears to be a phrase coined by the Lord Jesus to refer to Himself; the phrase doesn’t make very good sense in English, at first glance, but if “the man” refers to pristine Adam and “the son” to an only pristine descendent, it makes great sense. It seems to indicate a perfect human prototype, like Adam was before the fall—the human side of the God-man.</n> 


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Then a different one of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father”.


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But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” <n>When it comes to discipleship, Jesus is very demanding—ordinary physical comfort and normal human relationships must be held in abeyance.</n> 


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And then—a great tempest <n>The word rendered “tempest” usually means ‘earthquake’; one could render, “there was a big earthquake in the sea”—which would produce sudden, unexpected waves. Maybe that’s what happened (that lake is right on a major fault line).</n> arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves. But He was sleeping.


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And He says to them, “Why are you cowardly, you little-faiths?” Then rising He rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. <n>The implication is that they should have solved the problem. Again Jesus undoes the consequences, as well as the cause.</n> 


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So the men marveled, saying, “What sort of being is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” <n>Well, what were the options?</n> 


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<i> Jesus controls any number of demons</i> Upon His coming to the other side, to the region of the Gergesenes, <n>Some 98% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘Gergesenes’, rather than ‘Gadarenes’. Gadara was the Roman capital of the province of Perara, located some six miles from the Sea of Galilee. For the swineherds to run six miles to the city to report the incident and then walk back with the people would take quite a while. It seems more likely that there was a village named ‘Gergesa’ near by, whose people came and asked Jesus to leave.</n> two demonized men <n>As a tax collector, numerical precision was important to Matthew. Where other Gospels may select an individual as sufficient for the narrative, Matthew specifies that there were actually two (also blind men and donkeys).</n> met Him, coming out from the tombs, <b>very</b> dangerous, so that no one could pass that way.


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And then—they cried out saying: “What do you have to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” <n>The demons knew who Jesus really was, and also about their own destiny. The parallel accounts in Mark 5 and Luke 8 give added detail—their name was ‘Legion’, and there were about 2,000 pigs. In Luke 8:31 they kept imploring Him not to send them to the Abyss—they were really worried; they knew something we don’t.</n> 


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So the demons kept imploring Him saying, “Since you are going to cast us out, permit us to go into the herd of pigs”.


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So He said to them, “Go!” And coming out they went off into the herd of pigs. And then—the whole herd of pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water! <n>I really doubt that the demons did it—why would they want to destroy their new ‘house’? Perhaps the pigs preferred death to demons (animals often show more common sense than people do).</n> 


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So the swineherds ran away, and going into the town they told everything, including about the demonized men.


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And then, the whole town went out to meet with Jesus; and upon seeing Him they begged Him to depart from their borders. <n>Apparently Jesus never went back there; they didn’t want Him and that was that (I don’t think the inhabitants were Jews). The dead pigs represented a big economic loss; the pigs were more important to them than the two men—what Jesus represented threatened their way of life.</n> 


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And then, they came to Him carrying a paralytic lying on a pallet. And seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, “Courage, son; your sins are forgiven you!”


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So Jesus, knowing their thoughts, <n>Jesus could read people’s minds.</n> said: “Why do you think evil in your hearts?


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So which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say ‘Get up and walk’? <n>Obviously it is easier to say “your sins are forgiven” because no one can see if it happened or not; but “get up and walk”—if he doesn’t you look silly!</n> 


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But so that you may know that the Son of the Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—then He says to the paralytic, “On your feet, pick up your pallet and go to your house”.


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And seeing it the crowds marveled and glorified God, the one giving such authority to the people. <n>This way of putting it intrigues me. The people were getting the benefit from just one person who was using God’s authority. How many people do you know who use God’s authority on a regular basis? What would happen if a few appeared on the scene?</n> 


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<i> Matthew called</i> And going on from there Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He says to him, “Follow me”. So getting up he followed Him.


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Now it happened, as He was reclining <i>at the table</i> in the house, <n>Matthew’s; see Luke 5:27-29. Matthew prepared a special meal and invited all his colleagues. He would have to turn his responsibilities as tax collector over to them.</n> that behold, many tax collectors and sinners had come and were reclining <i>at the table</i> with Jesus and His disciples.


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Upon seeing this the Pharisees said to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat and drink <n>I follow the best line of transmission that has ‘and drink’, although 70% of the Greek manuscripts omit the words.</n> with the tax collectors and sinners?”


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But Jesus heard it, so He said to them: “Those who are strong do not need a physician, but those who are sick.


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But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”


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<i> Fasting</i> Then the disciples of John come to Him saying, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast <i>about</i> many things, but your disciples do not fast?”


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So Jesus said to them: “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.


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<i> Old wineskins</i> “And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment and the tear becomes worse.


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Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst and the wine spills out, and the wineskins will be ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” <n>What are the implications here for established ecclesiastical structures? How many churches have been split by ‘new wine’? But, so, how should we go about trying to renew a dead church? Or should we just pull out and ‘leave the dead to bury their dead’?</n> 


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<i> Jesus raises the dead</i> While He was saying these things to them, there he was; a certain ruler came and worshipped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live”.


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And then—a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.


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For she kept saying to herself, “If only I may touch His garment I will be healed”. <n>It is clear from Mark 5:27-30 that the woman was healed before Jesus turned around. At other times contact with the shadow or a handkerchief brought healing. There is a principle at work here that we no longer understand, but satanists use all the time.</n> 


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But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you well”. And the woman was healed from that <i>very</i> hour.


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<i> Jesus restores sight and speech</i> As Jesus went on from there two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”


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And arriving in the house, the blind men approached Him; so He says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They say to Him, “Yes, Lord”.


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And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the crowds marveled saying, “Never was it seen like this in Israel!” <n>I take it that the events recorded in verses 10-33 happened one right after the other, probably within two or three hours—the Lord had very little time to Himself; someone was clamoring for attention constantly. To be alone with the Father He had to slip away at night.</n> 


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But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” <n>At this point the Pharisees committed the unpardonable sin; see Mark 3:29-30.</n> 


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<i> The harvest needs workers</i> Then Jesus went around to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people.


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Seeing the crowds He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and prostrated, like sheep without a shepherd. <n>Who or what did the harassing? Sheep without a shepherd have no protection.</n> 


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<i> Jesus commissions and orients the twelve disciples—28 AD</i> So summoning His twelve disciples He gave them authority over unclean spirits so as to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every illness.


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Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first Simon (the one called Peter) and Andrew his brother, James (the son of Zebedee) and John his brother,


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Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew (the tax collector), <n>Matthew insists on recording the fact that he was a tax collector—perhaps to underscore God’s grace in choosing someone from a despised occupation.</n> James (the son of Alphaeus) and Lebbaeus (who was surnamed Thaddeus),


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<i> Orientation with immediate effect</i> These twelve Jesus sent out, <n>The Lord gives the example; He sends out the twelve (9:38).</n> and commanded them saying: “Do not go off into the road of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.


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But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. <n>See Matthew 15:24; the emphasis of the Lord’s earthly ministry was upon “the house of Israel”.</n> 


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Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. <n>Some 94% of the Greek manuscripts do not have “raise the dead”, as in KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. (most versions in English).</n> You have received free of charge, give free of charge. <n>What would happen if the Church started following this instruction?</n> 


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nor a knapsack for the road, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; <n>They were to travel ‘light’—a spare staff would just be extra weight (they went everywhere on foot); with no knapsack a spare tunic and pair of sandals would just get in the way.</n> because the worker is worthy of his food.


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“In whatever city or village you may enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there until you go out.


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and should the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but should it not be worthy, let your peace return to you.


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And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, as you go out from that house or city shake off the dust from your feet. <n>This is an instruction, an order. Paul did it at least once—Acts 13:51 (as have I). Jesus Himself declares this judgment upon Capernaum—Matthew 11:23-24, thereby setting the example.</n> 


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Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of judgment than for that city!


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<i> Orientation with prophetic effect</i> “Now then, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be prudent like snakes and innocent like doves.


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And you will be brought before governors and even kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the nations.


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But whenever they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you will speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; <n>As one of my seminary professors once said, this instruction is for martyrs, not preachers. But wouldn’t it be nice if more preachers got their messages from the Holy Spirit?</n> 


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for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. <n>God still speaks in and to the world today, using our mouths.</n> 


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<i> Like master, like slave</i> “Furthermore, brother will hand over brother to death, and a father a child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.


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And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake; <n>This is already happening in North America. Anyone who stands up for Biblical values—speaks out against homosexualism, for instance—is ridiculed, and more physical forms of persecution have already started.</n> but the one enduring to the end, <i>he</i> will be delivered.


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But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to another. <n>This sounds like the life of a refugee.</n> For assuredly I say to you, you will certainly not go through all the cities of Israel before the Son of the Man comes. <n>Beginning with verse 18, but especially in verses 21-23, Jesus is probably referring to the end times, more than to the immediate future.</n> 


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It is enough for a disciple that he become like his teacher, and a slave like his master. <n>This should be our goal: be like Jesus, do like Jesus.</n> Since they have stigmatized the master of the house as Beelzebub, how much more those of his household!


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So do not fear them; because there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and secret that will not be known.


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<i> “Do not be afraid”</i> “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.


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And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.


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Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father’s <i>will</i> .


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<i> Jesus demands total commitment</i> “Now then, everyone who will confess me before the people, I will also confess him before my Father who is in the heavens.


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But whoever should deny me before the people, I will also deny him before my Father who is in the heavens. <n>If Jesus denies us in front of the Father, what are our chances? Maybe this is why the Text says that a coward doesn’t enter the Kingdom (Rev. 21:8).</n> 


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For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;


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“The one who is more devoted to father or mother than to me is not worthy of me, and the one who is more devoted to son or daughter than to me is not worthy of me;


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and he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. <n>Notice that it is Jesus who sets the parameters, not we. Rather than people “accepting” Jesus, the question is whether He will accept us.</n> 


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The one ‘finding’ his life will lose it, and the one ‘losing’ his life for my sake will find it. <n>I take it that the reference is to the potential that your life represents, potential in the interests of God’s kingdom. To the extent that your life revolves around God’s will and kingdom you will both find and save it—of course from the world’s perspective you’ll be throwing it away.</n> 


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The one receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, <n>I assume that the point here is identification: you are identifying with the prophet whose name you invoke; and if that prophet is in prison you are taking a risk.</n> and the one receiving a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.


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And whoever should give so much as a cup of cold <i>water</i> to one of these little ones, in the name of a disciple, assuredly I say to you, he will certainly not lose his reward.” <n>Presumably the rewards mentioned here are received in this life, since the good deeds mentioned could be performed by an unbeliever. I suggest that God blesses anyone who takes sides with what is right, good, decent, honorable, just—but if that person does not belong to Christ the blessing is limited to this life.</n> 


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<i> The Pharisees reject Jesus as Messiah</i> And so it was, when Jesus finished directing His twelve disciples, that He moved on from there to teach and preach in their cities.


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<i> John needs reassuring</i> But John, hearing in prison <i>about</i> the works of the Messiah, sent two of his disciples


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to say to Him, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” <n>John was in prison, which was contrary to his expectations; like all the others he expected Jesus to set up the kingdom right then. In answer the Lord says, in effect, that the Kingdom is not based on our expectations.</n> 


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blind regain sight and lame walk, lepers are cleansed and deaf hear, dead are raised and the poor are evangelized.


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<i> Jesus commends John the Baptizer</i> So as they departed Jesus began to say to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see, a reed shaken by the wind?


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But what did you go out to see, a man clothed in soft garments? Actually, those who wear soft material are in kings’ houses.


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But <i>really</i> , what did you go out to see, a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.


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For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way ahead of you.’


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Assuredly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptizer; but he who is least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. <n>Evidently, as forerunner of the Kingdom John was not part of it—the Kingdom was rejected at that time; both forerunner and King were killed—those who participate in the actual future Kingdom will be more privileged. “Born of women” excludes Adam. Men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel would be of equal standing, just not “greater”. But those who live during the Millennium will be more privileged than all except Adam, because the earth will return to conditions similar to Eden.</n> 


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But from the days of John the Baptizer until now the kingdom of the heavens is being aggressive and aggressive people are seizing upon it. <n>Note that Jesus is referring to a period of about two years. With the King physically present and giving a living demonstration of the Kingdom, the Kingdom was being more aggressive in this world than it had been since the time of Moses. In the present tense of a Greek verb a single form serves for both the middle and passive voices—the verb βιαζεται has usually been translated as passive in our versions, ‘suffers violence’, but I think it makes much better sense to translate it as middle, as I have done. Given the hostility of the religious leaders, it would take someone with plenty of backbone to openly side with Jesus.</n> 


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and if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. <n>Jesus declares that the real Elijah is still going to come. John fulfilled the role for Messiah’s first advent that Elijah will fill for the second.</n> 


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“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in a marketplace and calling to their friends


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and saying, ‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we mourned for you and you did not lament’.


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the Son of the Man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Just look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Indeed, wisdom is vindicated by her children.” <n>Instead of “her children”, just 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, have “her works” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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<i> Jesus denounces three cities</i> Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.


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“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Because if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.


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And you, Capernaum, ‘the one having been exalted to heaven’, you will be brought down to Hades! Because if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.


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So I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of judgment than for you.” <n>Evidently there are degrees of judgment, based on the amount of “light” received. To be worse off than Sodom—help! (See 10:14-15.)</n> 


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<i> “I praise You, Father”</i> At that time Jesus reacted and said: “‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes.


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Yes, Father, because thus it was good to You.’ <n>I take it that this was said out loud, so those around could hear.</n> 


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“All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one really knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone really know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son may will to reveal <i>Him</i> .


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Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls;


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for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” <n>To be without a yoke is not an option in this world. It’s either Jesus’ yoke or Satan’s—if you refuse Jesus’ yoke you remain under Satan’s yoke, which is always heavy. Being born sinners we are born under Satan’s yoke—Jesus offers us a way out.</n> 


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<i> Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath</i> At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbaths. <n>“Second-first Sabbath”—Luke 6:1; this was evidently a special day, but we have lost the relevant cultural information.</n> But His disciples became hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.


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And upon seeing it the Pharisees <n>Most probably the Pharisees had ‘observers’ tagging along everywhere Jesus went.</n> said to Him, “Hey, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!”


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But He said to them: “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and those who were with him,


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how he entered the house of God and ate the loaves of presentation, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests?


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Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?


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If you had but known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’, <n>The quote is from Hosea 6:6.</n> you would not have condemned the innocent.


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Furthermore, the Son of the Man is Lord of the Sabbath!” <n>Who but the Messiah, or God Himself, could be Lord of the Sabbath? Jesus was hitting the Pharisees where they lived. He had also just said that He was greater than the temple.</n> 


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And <i>there</i> was a man with a withered hand! And they asked Him saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him.


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So He said to them: “What man will there be among you who has one sheep, and should this <i>one</i> fall into a ditch on the Sabbath, will he not lay hold of it and lift it out?


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Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”


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Then He says to the man, “Stretch out your hand”. And he stretched it out, and it was restored whole like the other.


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But going out the Pharisees plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. <n>They couldn’t answer Him, but didn’t want to submit to Him either. So He threatened all that they held dear.</n> 


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<i> A tactical withdrawal</i> So being aware, Jesus withdrew from there. And large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all. <n>He didn’t go looking for sick people to cure, but He healed all who came to Him.</n> 


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“Behold my Servant whom I chose, my Beloved in whom my soul is well pleased! I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the nations.


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A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench, until He sends justice forth to victory. <n>The quote in verses 18-21 (see Isaiah 42:1-4) is tied to verse 16. Since after His resurrection the Lord commanded them to go to the whole world and preach the Gospel to every person, I take it that the “until He sends justice forth to victory” was fulfilled at His death and resurrection. So the description in verses 19-20 is limited to His earthly ministry and is not an example for us to follow now—see Matthew 10:27, etc.</n> 


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<i> The Pharisees blaspheme the Holy Spirit</i> Then a demonized man was brought to Him, blind and mute, and He healed him, so that the a blind and b mute both b spoke and a saw. [a chiasmus—ab,ba] 


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But upon hearing it the Pharisees said, “This <i>fellow</i> does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, ruler of the demons.”


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But knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.


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And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. <n>Jesus seems to be affirming that their sons did indeed cast out demons; the implication is that they were doing so by Satan’s power. Further, if they didn’t protest when their sons did it, why did they protest when He did it?</n> 


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Or how can anyone go into the house of the strong <i>man</i> and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? <i>Then</i> he can plunder the house. <n>The use of the definite article with “strong man” (its first occurrence) means that the entity has already been introduced in the previous context—the reference is to Satan. Here is biblical basis for binding him.</n> 


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<i> The unforgivable sin</i> “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. <n>There is no ‘neutrality’; you are either for or against. There are only two teams, two sides, two kingdoms in this world. Either God or Satan, light or darkness, truth or falsehood. Whose side are you on? Really.</n> 


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Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven people.


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And whoever speaks a word against the Son of the Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in the present age nor in the next. <n>Mark 3:30 makes clear that “the blasphemy against the Spirit” is to ascribe His working to Satan.</n> 


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<i> Jesus denounces the Pharisees</i> “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by the fruit.


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Brood of vipers! <n>At no time did the Lord make any effort to conciliate the Pharisees.</n> How can you, being malignant, speak good things? <n>Jesus appears to be saying that a malignant person is incapable of speaking good.</n> For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.


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The good man out of the good reservoir brings forth good things, and the malignant man out of the malignant reservoir brings forth malignant things.


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Furthermore I say to you that for every useless word whatever that people may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of judgment.


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For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” <n>“Every useless word whatever”—do we really believe that? This may be why certain orders of monks took an oath of silence (but how can you be ‘justified’ by your words if you never say anything?). </n> 


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<i> The sign of the prophet Jonah</i> Then some of the scribes and Pharisees reacted saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you”. <n>Jesus had already performed hundreds of signs, and doubtless they had seen some of them. Their request was not honest.</n> 


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But in answer He said to them: “A malignant and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the sea monster, so will the Son of the Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. <n>“In the heart of the earth”—here we seem to have instruction from the Lord on the location of Hades—it is inside the earth, somehow. Cf. 1 Samuel 28:13 where Samuel, returning from Hades/Sheol, comes up from inside the earth.</n> 


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Ninevite men will arise with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and really, a greater than Jonah is here.


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The queen of the South will be raised with this generation at the judgment and she will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and really, a greater than Solomon is here. <n>Jonah, and the sea monster, are just as historical as Solomon, the queen of Sheba, Nineveh—we have it on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.</n> 


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<i> An empty ‘house’ is bad</i> “Now when an unclean spirit [demon] goes out from a man, he goes through arid places looking for rest, but finds none.


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Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came’. And coming he finds it unoccupied, swept and put in order.


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Then he goes and takes along with himself seven different spirits, more malignant than himself, and going in he dwells there; and the last <i>state</i> of that man becomes worse than the first. Just so it will be for this malignant generation also.” <n>Jesus does not say why the demon left, but obviously a vacuum is dangerous. Jesus seems to be implying that the Pharisees are already demonized, but will become worse! Actually, in verse 34 He said they were malignant, poisonous snakes; to be malignant is to be aggressively evil, the term is regularly used of Satan. In fact, later on Jesus says they are sons of Satan.</n> 


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<i> New relationships</i> But then, while He was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.


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So someone said to Him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you”.


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And stretching out His hand toward His disciples He said: “<i> Here</i> are my mother and my brothers!


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For whoever does the will of my Father in the heavens, <i>he</i> is my brother and sister and mother.” <n>Notice again that the key is doing the Father’s will.</n> 


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And large crowds were gathered together to Him, so He got into a boat to sit down; and the whole crowd stood on the shore.


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<i> Parable of the soils</i> Then He spoke many things to them in parables saying: “Listen, a sower went out to sow.


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Others fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; so they sprouted quickly because they had no depth of earth.


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<i> The reason for parables</i> And the disciples approached and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” <n>From Mark 4:10 it appears that this occurred later, probably after verse 33. Mark has two parables that Matthew doesn’t—Mark 4:21-29.</n> 


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So in answer He said to them: “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given.


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For whoever has, to him more will be given and he will have abundance; <n>But he will have to give an accounting for it all.</n> but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. <n>Spiritual growth is like going up an incline on a bicycle without brakes; if you stop pedaling you go backwards. We must keep learning and growing; if we stop we start losing.</n> 


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Therefore I speak to them in parables, that seeing they not see and hearing they not hear nor understand. <n>This is in response to their choice, as verses 14-15 make clear. But Jesus only started using parables after the Pharisees blasphemed the Holy Spirit—they formally rejected Jesus as Messiah. Notice that the declared purpose of the parables is that the people not understand. It follows that doctrine should never be based on a parable, unless Jesus interprets it—the interpretation may be used, but not the parable itself.</n> 


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And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘By hearing you (ye) will hear and <i>not</i> understand, and seeing you will see and <i>not</i> perceive.


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Because the a hearts of this people have grown dull, and their b ears hard of hearing, and their c eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their c eyes and hear with their b ears and understand with their a hearts, and turn around; and I would heal them.’ <n>A triple chiasmus—abc,cba. The Text is clear to the effect that if they turn around He will heal.</n> 


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for assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous ones desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.


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When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand, the malignant one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart—this is the seed sown alongside the road. <n>In sowing the seed is scattered on top of the soil, not planted, and is therefore vulnerable—maybe that’s why the great commission is to disciple. Observe that Jesus is teaching that the devil can invade a person’s mind.</n> 


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but he has no root in himself and is short-lived; for when trial or persecution comes because of the word, directly he is offended. <n>This is typical of the ‘prosperity gospel’.</n> 


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But the seed sown among the thorns—this is he who hears the word, but the care of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and it becomes fruitless. <n>Both the seed on stony places and among thorns sprouted—there was life.</n> 


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Now the seed sown on the good ground—this is he who hears the word and understands, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”


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<i> Wheat and tares</i> He put another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;


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But when the stalk sprouted and produced fruit, then the tares also appeared. <n>It is only when the “fruit” appears that you can tell the difference.</n> 


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So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? How then does it have tares?’


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He said to them, ‘An enemy did it’. The servants said to him, ‘So do you want us to go and gather them up?’


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Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn”’.”


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<i> Mustard seed</i> He put another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;


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which indeed is smaller than all the seeds, <n>That is, seeds normally planted in gardens.</n> but when it is grown it is greater than all the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and rest <n>The verb I have rendered ‘to rest’ is a compound form. The noun root refers to a temporary shelter, like a tent or a hut. The verbal form means to make use of such a shelter. Here the preposition <i>kata</i> is prefixed to the verb, emphasizing, as I suppose, the temporariness. In Mark 4:32 the Text says that the birds can use the shade, not the branches. But shade moves with the sun, and with the wind—how can you build a nest in something that keeps moving around (the Text actually says ‘under its shade’)?</n> in its branches.”


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<i> Yeast</i> He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of the heavens is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened.”


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All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and without a parable He did not speak to them,


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so that what was spoken through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” <n>The quote is from Psalm 72:2—Matthew calls Asaph a prophet.</n> 


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<i> “Wheat and tares” explained</i> Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples approached Him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field”.


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The field is the world; as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, while the tares are the sons of the malignant one.


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The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.


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Therefore just as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age.


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The Son of the Man will send out His angels, <n>The angels are going to be busy.</n> and they will collect out of His kingdom everything that is offensive, and those who perpetrate lawlessness; <n>I take it that the “kingdom” here is physical (not merely ‘spiritual’) and includes the whole planet, because it contains “offensive” things and “lawless” people.</n> 


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and they will throw them into the furnace of fire. <i>There</i> there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.


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<i> Treasure and pearl</i> “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in a field, <n>Although 70% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘the’ field, the best line of transmission has ‘a’ field, which is correct.</n> which a man found and re-hid, and in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.


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<i> A seine</i> “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a seine that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind,


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which, when it was full, they pulled upon the shore; and sitting down they collected the good into vessels, but threw out the bad.


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So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth and will separate the malignant out from among the righteous,


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and they will throw them into the furnace of fire. <i>There</i> there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


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So He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been discipled into the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, a householder, who brings out of his reservoir things new and old.” <n>A “scribe” was instructed in the Law and the prevailing interpretations of it (the ‘old’), but if he had also been discipled into the Kingdom his thinking would be re-oriented about many things (the ‘new’).</n> 


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<i> A visit to Natsareth</i> Now it happened, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.


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And coming into His hometown He began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said: “Where did this man get this wisdom, and the mighty works?


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Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joses and Simon and Jude? <n>Here we have the names of Jesus’ four half-brothers, and the plural ‘sisters’ means there were at lest two of them. Joseph and Mary had a normal family.</n> 


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So they were offended at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house”.


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and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and therefore the powers are at work in him”.


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For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.


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For John would say to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her”. <n>The impression one gets is that John took Herod to task several times—a coward he was not.</n> 


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But while Herod’s birthday was being celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and she pleased Herod.


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So she, having been prompted by her mother, she says, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist!”


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And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and those who were reclining <i>at the table</i> with him, he commanded it to be given.


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<i> Food for 15,000</i> Upon hearing it Jesus departed from there by boat to a deserted place privately. <n>From Mark we learn that Jesus and the disciples were under heavy pressure from the crowds—no time even to eat. So when He hears of John’s death, and under such ignominious circumstances, Jesus wants to get away so He can grieve and assimilate the news.</n> But when the crowds heard it, they followed Him on foot from the towns.


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So when Jesus disembarked He saw a large crowd, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick. <n>In Mark it is even clearer that the people ran along the shore and got to the destination first, before the boat. Naturally the faster runners were there first, but others kept arriving so that in the end there were thousands of people. In the town there wasn’t space for everybody to get to Jesus, but out in the open—so when the news got around people came from all over.</n> 


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Now with evening coming on His disciples approached Him saying: “The place is uninhabited and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”


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But Jesus said to them: “They do not need to go away. <i>You</i> give them to eat.” <n>Really now, with what? Although Jesus had to take the initiative, the disciples did participate in the miracle.</n> 


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Then He commanded the crowds to recline on the grass. And taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, He blessed; and breaking the loaves He gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.


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Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. <n>Since any large crowd is likely to have more women and children than men, there were probably at least 15,000 people there. “They were filled”—how much food does it take to ‘fill’ 15,000 hungry people? Notice the care not to waste anything—the fragments were collected.</n> 


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<i> Peter walks on water</i> Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.


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And having dismissed the crowds He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. So when night came He was alone there. <n>Finally, Jesus manages to be alone, to think and pray.</n> 


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But the boat was already in the middle of the sea, <n>Perhaps 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, read “many furlongs away from the land” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> being harassed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.


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So in the fourth watch of the night <n>The fourth watch, using Roman time, was from 3 to 6 a.m.—the disciples had had a rough night!</n> Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.


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And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they became agitated saying, “It’s a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.


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So He said to him, “Come!” And stepping down from the boat Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus.


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But seeing the strong wind he became afraid, and beginning to sink <n>Peter knew how to swim (John 21:7), but he was walking on top of the water (a totally new experience) and then he was wading; and the storm was scary.</n> he cried out saying, “Lord, save me!”


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And immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him and says to him: “You little-faith! Why did you doubt?”


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And when they got into the boat the wind ceased. <n>Why did the wind cease? Was it a supernatural wind? If so, who caused it?</n> 


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Then those who were in the boat came and worshipped Him saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!” <n>They took a lot of convincing, but aren’t we the same way?</n> 


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<i> At Genesaret</i> When they had crossed over they came to the land of Genesaret. <n>The best line of transmission, along with the Targum, spells the place with one ‘n’; 70% of the Greek manuscripts follow the LXX in using two.</n> 


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And when the men of that place recognized Him they sent <i>messengers</i> into all that surrounding region and they brought to Him all who were sick.


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And they would beg Him that if only they might at least touch the hem of His garment; and as many as touched were completely healed.


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<i> Jesus antagonizes the Pharisees—29 AD</i> Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem approached Jesus saying:


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“Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands whenever they eat bread.”


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So in answer He said to them: “Why do you even transgress the commandment of God through your tradition?


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For God commanded saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’, and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death’.


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But you say: ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever you might be profited by me is a gift <i>to God</i> ”—


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then he must not honor his father or mother.’ <n>Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “or mother” (as in NIV, LB, TEV, etc.). NASB informs us that “many” manuscripts omit “or his mother”—by ‘many’ they mean three, against some 1700!</n> Thus you have nullified the commandment of God through your tradition.


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‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, <n>Perhaps 2% of the Greek manuscripts omit “draw near to me with their mouth and” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> but their heart is far away from Me.


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But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’.” <n>Are there no such “doctrines” in our churches? The Lord Jesus declares that such worship is <b>in vain</b>—if it does you no good, you are wasting your time.</n> 


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Not what goes into the mouth defiles the man, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles the man.”


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Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that upon hearing this saying the Pharisees were offended?”


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Leave them alone. <n>Jesus makes no effort to conciliate or to convert the Pharisees. For all that, some did convert.</n> They are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guides the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”


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Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is expelled into the sewer?


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But the things coming out of the mouth <i>actually</i> come from the heart; <i>those</i> are the things that defile the man.


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Because out of the heart proceed malignant thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, <n>This is one of a number of places where “adultery” and “fornication” both occur in a list of sins—it is clear that they are distinct in meaning, and so ‘fornication’ does not include ‘adultery’; and so to render ‘fornication’ as ‘sexual sin/immorality’ is misleading.</n> thefts, false witness, blasphemies.


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<i> A crumb for a little dog</i> Going out from there Jesus withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.


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And then, a Canaanite woman coming from those parts cried out to Him saying: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demonized.”


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But He answered her not a word. <n>“Son of David”—as a Canaanite she appealed to the Jewish Messiah, upon whom she had no claim.</n> So His disciples came and urged Him saying, “Send her away, because she is crying out after us”.


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But in answer He said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. <n>Although His ultimate mission included the whole world, His earthly ministry was directed to the “house of Israel”.</n> 


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So she came and worshipped Him saying, “Lord, help me!” <n>Here she drops the appeal to the Messiah—evidently the Lord spoke loudly enough for her to hear.</n> 


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But in answer He said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs”.


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So she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table”. <n>We may feel that Jesus was harsh with her, but in this way He put into bold relief her faith and humility—and she got her crumb!</n> 


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Then Jesus answered and said to her: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that <i>very</i> hour.


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<i> Food for 4,000 men</i> Moving on from there Jesus went alongside the Sea of Galilee, and going up on the mountain He sat down there.


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And large crowds approached Him, having with them lame, blind, mute, maimed and many others, and they placed them at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.


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So the crowds marveled—seeing mutes speaking, maimed made whole, lame walking, and blind seeing—and they kept glorifying the God of Israel.


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Then Jesus summoned His disciples and said: “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already remained with me three days, and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”


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So His disciples say to Him, “Where could we get, in an uninhabited place, enough bread so as to satisfy such a great crowd?”


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And taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks, broke and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.


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So they all ate and were filled; and they took up seven hampers full of the fragments that remained. <n>Where did the “hampers” come from? Probably from fishing boats that stopped by.</n> 


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Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. <n>Again, the crowd was much larger than just the 4,000 men; probably at least 10,000 people.</n> 


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And having dismissed the crowds He got into the boat and went to the region of Magdala. <n>Magdala was Mary Magdalene’s hometown; perhaps this was when Jesus delivered her from the demons (Mark 16:9). Less than 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, read “Magadan” instead of Magdala (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). The parallel passage in Mark 8:10 has ‘the region of Dalmanutha’—I assume that Magdala was in that region.</n> 


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<i> The sign of the prophet Jonah</i> The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. <n>Pharisees and Sadducees were theological enemies, but they join forces against Jesus.</n> 


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and in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast’. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky but cannot <i>discern</i> the signs of the times.


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A malignant and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And leaving them behind He went away. <n>He left by boat—He did not want to waste time with them. Jesus calls them “malignant”—they are aggressively evil.</n> 


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<i> “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees”</i> Upon arriving at the other side His disciples had forgotten to take bread.


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But Jesus, being aware, said to them: “You little-faiths! Why are you reasoning among yourselves because you didn’t bring any bread?


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Do you not yet perceive nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?


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How come you don’t perceive that it wasn’t about bread that I told you to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?”


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Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the <i>doctrine</i> of the Pharisees and Sadducees.


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<i> Jesus openly declares His death and ministers on that basis</i> When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He questioned His disciples saying, “Who do people say that I, the Son of the Man, am?”


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So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”.


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And in answer Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in the heavens.


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And I further say to you that you are a stone, but on this bedrock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not withstand her. <n>There is a play on words here, <i>petros</i> VS <i>petra</i>—the bedrock was obviously not Peter. The bedrock presumably has to do with the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. “Gates” do not attack, but are the last line of defense—it is the Church that is attacking Hades. Hades is not hell. Hell is the Lake of fire, the second death; Hades is the halfway “house” where departed spirits await the judgment.</n> 


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And I will give you (sg) the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in the heavens.”


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Then He ordered His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah. <n>As is clear from Luke 9:20-22, verses 21-23 here form part of the same conversation. At this point Jesus changes the game plan—He declares that He is going to die and orders the disciples to stop presenting Him as the Messiah.</n> 


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From then on Jesus began to show to His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.


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So taking Him aside Peter began to rebuke Him saying: “Grace to you, Lord! This shall <i>not</i> happen to you!”


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But turning He said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not mindful of God’s values, but of men’s values.” <n>Satan put those words in Peter’s mouth, but he agreed with them. Note that within 3-5 minutes Peter spoke twice, under inspiration; the first time inspired by God (verses 16-17) and the second by Satan (verses 22-23). It is God the Son who tells us what really happened.</n> 


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<i> How to save your life</i> Then Jesus said to His disciples: “If anyone desires to come after me, let him really deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.


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For whoever desires to save his life will waste it, but whoever ‘wastes’ his life on my account will find it. <n>What is in view here is the potential your life represents.</n> 


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For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?


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For the Son of the Man will certainly come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will recompense each according to his performance. <n>We will be judged on the basis of what we did with our potential.</n> 


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Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who will <i>not</i> taste death until they see the Son of the Man coming in His kingdom.” <n>Presumably this was fulfilled at the transfiguration—a manifestation, in miniature, of the Kingdom (Jesus the King, Moses and Elijah representing glorified saints [who will participate in the administration] and the three disciples representing the normal inhabitants of the earth at that time).</n> 


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<i> Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah</i> Now after six days Jesus takes Peter, James and his brother John and leads them up on a high mountain, in private.


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And He was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun, while His clothes became as white as the light.


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Then Peter reacted and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us <n>Instead of “let us”, perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, have “I will” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> make three booths: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”


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While he was still speaking a brilliant cloud overshadowed them and, double wow, a Voice <n>Peter never forgot that voice (2 Peter 1:17)! He even coined the phrase, Magnificent Glory, to describe the source. Evidently what happened on that mountain was totally overwhelming.</n> came out of the cloud saying: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am <i>always</i> well pleased. Hear <i>Him</i> !”


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So lifting up their eyes they saw no one but Jesus only. <n>Luke 9:37 makes clear that they spent the night on the mountain. Evidently what has been recorded here (and in Mark and Luke) gives but a thumbnail sketch of all that took place.</n> 


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<i> Elijah and ‘Elijah’</i> As they were coming down from the mountain Jesus commanded them saying, “Tell no one the vision until the Son of the Man is risen from the dead”.


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But I say to you that ‘Elijah’ has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. Thus also the Son of the Man is about to suffer at their hands.”


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Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptizer. <n>At this point John is already dead, but in verse 11 the Lord declares that Elijah is still going to come—John performed the function for Christ’s first advent that Elijah (literally) will perform for the second advent.</n> 


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<i> A tough kind of demon</i> As they came to the crowd a man approached Him and kneeling to Him said:


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“Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is moonstruck and suffers badly! For he often falls into the fire and often into the water.


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Then in answer Jesus said: “O faithless and perverse generation, <n>Why “perverse”? To reject the truth and the evidence is to be perverse. This word was presumably directed to the disciples, who should have known better by now. So how about us—are we living on the basis of the truth and the evidence? Really?</n> how long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”


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And Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that <i>very</i> hour.


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So Jesus said to them: “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed <i>has</i> , you (ye) will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. <n>What kind of “faith” might a mustard seed have? Albeit so small, it reacts without question to the climactic circumstances, and grows to remarkable proportions. If we reacted similarly, without question, to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, our spiritual ‘climactic circumstances’, we should indeed move mountains, literally.</n> 


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However, this class does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” <n>Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit this whole verse (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, [TEV], etc.). I take it that this was true up until the Lord’s victory on the cross and the resurrection. Now we are in Christ at the Father’s right hand, far above all principality and power, etc., which includes Satan and all classes below him in rank—Ephesians 1:19-21, 2:6. (There is nothing wrong with Christ’s victory and authority, but our spiritual condition does not always permit us to make full use of that victory.)</n> 


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While they were staying in Galilee Jesus said to them, “The Son of the Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,


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<i> Money from a fish</i> When they entered Capernaum those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”


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He says, “Yes”. So when they entered the house Jesus anticipated him saying: “Simon, what do you think? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers?”


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But, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And opening its mouth you will find a ‘stater’ [a coin] ; take that and give it to them for me and you.” <n>The <i>stater</i> was the exact amount for two people. Presumably somebody had lost the coin in the water.</n> 


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<i> How to be ‘big’ in the Kingdom</i> At that time the disciples approached Jesus saying, “Who then is greater in the kingdom of the heavens?”


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and said: “Assuredly I say to you, unless you change and become like little children, you will <i>not</i> enter the kingdom of the heavens.


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Therefore whoever will humble himself like this little child, <i>he</i> is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens.


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but whoever should cause one of these little ones who believe into me <n>“Into” not “in”. The Lord Jesus always said “believe into [Greek εις ] Me”, never “believe in [Greek εν ] Me”. (In John 3:15 a very few Greek manuscripts of inferior quality have “in”, against 99.5% that have “into”.) People believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, the goodness of man, or whatever, but it doesn’t change their lives. Similarly there are many who say they believe in Jesus, but it makes no difference in their lives. You have to believe <b>into</b> Him—commitment and identification are involved.</n> to fall, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung on his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea! <n>It is preferable to suffer an ignominious physical death than to destroy the faith of a child who believes into Jesus. What is worse than an ignominious physical death? Spiritual death—in verses 8-9 Jesus refers overtly to hell fire. If you send a child to hell, you go too!</n> 


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Woe to the world because of offenses! Now it is necessary that offenses come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes!


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“If your hand or your foot is causing you to fall, cut them off and throw them away! It is better for you to enter into the life lame or maimed than to be thrown into the everlasting fire, having two hands or two feet.


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And if your eye is causing you to fall, tear it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter into the life one eyed than to be thrown into the fiery Hell, having two eyes. <n>I believe this is literal, but largely hypothetical—by the time someone realizes what is happening, it is usually too late. Maybe that’s why we are supposed to exhort one another daily.</n> 


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<i> God loves children</i> “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father, who is in the heavens. <n>“These little ones” refers to the literal children who were in the room. In verse 2 Jesus called one over, so it was obviously in the room, but the playmates would naturally stop to see what was going to happen, so there were several in the room. This verse suggests the existence of guardian angels.</n> 


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For the Son of the Man came to save the lost. <n>Just 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit verse 11 (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, [TEV], etc.).</n> 


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What do you think? If some man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains <n>“In the mountains”—note that the 99 weren’t left in a safe fold somewhere; they were left unprotected. The shepherd takes a calculated risk.</n> to go and search for the stray?


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And if he happens to find it, assuredly I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.


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Likewise it is not a desire, in the view of your Father in heaven, that one of these little ones should be wasted. <n>The Lord’s statement here is round about, not direct—I tried to reflect that ‘round-aboutness’.</n> 


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<i> Handling a recalcitrant brother</i> “Now if your brother sins against you, go, confront him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have won your brother.


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But should he not hear, take along with you one or two more, so that every word may be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses.


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And should he refuse to hear them, tell it to the congregation. But should he refuse to hear even the congregation, let him be to you just like the heathen and the tax collector. <n>In other words, such a person is to be excommunicated, ostracized.</n> 


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<i> Agreeing in prayer</i> “Assuredly I say to you, whatever (pl.) you (pl.) may bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you may loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. <n>The tense of the Greek verb phrase here is a periphrastic future perfect, passive voice (so also in 16:18). Thus, “will have been bound/loosed” not “will be bound/loosed”. We are not telling God what to do; we are to apply down here that which He has already done in heaven. What had been just for Peter is now given to all the disciples.</n> 


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Assuredly again, I say to you that if two of you should agree on earth about any subject whatever that they may ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. <n>“Any subject whatever”—do we really believe this?</n> 


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Because where there are two or three gathered together into my name, there I am in their midst!” <n>The Greek text has “into my name”, not “in”—commitment is involved.</n> 


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<i> About forgiveness</i> Then Peter approached Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him; up to seven times?”


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Jesus says to him: “Not, I tell you, up to seven, but up to seventy-seven times! <n>77, not 490. Well, actually the Greek phrase is ambiguous—it could be either. In either case Jesus is saying that forgiveness should not be limited by number.</n> 


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“Therefore the kingdom of the heavens is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.


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But since he had nothing with which to repay, his lord commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and everything he had, so as to be repaid.


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So then the servant fell down and did obeisance to him saying, ‘Lord, be patient with me and I will repay you all’.


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“But when that servant went out he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and grabbing him he started choking him saying, ‘Pay me back what you owe!’


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So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and kept begging him saying, ‘Be patient with me and I will pay you back’. <n>The picture is that he kept begging all the way to the prison.</n> 


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But when his fellow servants saw what had happened they were really grieved, and they went and reported to their lord everything that had happened.


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Then summoning him the lord says to him: ‘Malignant servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.


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Were you also not obligated <n>Notice the verb ‘obligated’; verse 35 makes clear that this is the way God looks at it—His having forgiven me obligates me to forgive others. Observe that the king reversed his pardon—what might the implications of that be?</n> to have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’


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So in anger the lord handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed to him.


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“My heavenly Father will handle you just like that, if each of you does not forgive his brother his trespasses, from the heart.” <n>This is a very strong statement! Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “his trespasses” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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<i> Jesus ministers in Perea—29/30 AD</i> Now it happened, when Jesus had finished these words, that He departed from Galilee and went to the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan.


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<i> Jesus denies divorce</i> The Pharisees also came to Him to test Him saying to Him, “Is it permissible for a man to divorce his wife for <i>just</i> any cause?”


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So in answer He said to them: “Have you never read that the Creator at the beginning made them a male and a female?


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And He said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be turned into one flesh’. <n>“Two”—not three, four, five, etc. “The two” refers to one man and one woman—not two men, a man and an animal, a woman and a demon, or whatever.</n> 


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So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God joined together let not man separate!”


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They say to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to dismiss her?” <n>They distorted the Text: Moses didn’t command divorce. The Lord corrects their distortion.</n> 


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He says to them: “Because of your hard-heartedness Moses <i>permitted</i> you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so.


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And <i><b>I</b></i> say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries a divorcee commits adultery.” <n>“Fornication” is distinct from “adultery” and does not include it. Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the last clause of v. 9 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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His disciples say to Him, “If that’s the situation of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry!” <n>Why the strong reaction from the disciples? Obviously Jesus did not give the expected answer, namely that infidelity justifies divorce.</n> 


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So He said to them: “Not all <i>can</i> assimilate this word, but those to whom it has been given. <n>The demonstrative pronoun “this” is probably cataphoric, referring forward to the content of verse 12.</n> 


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For there are eunuchs who were born that way, from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were castrated by men; and there are eunuchs who castrated themselves for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens. He who is able to assimilate it, let him assimilate.” <n>What in the world do “eunuchs” have to do with divorce and remarriage? Well, do eunuchs have sexual relations?</n> 


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<i> Jesus blesses children</i> Then little children were brought to Him, that He might lay hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them.


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So Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens”.


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<i> It is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom</i> And then, a certain one came and said to Him, “Good teacher, what good thing must I do so that I may have eternal life?”


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But He said to him: “Why do you call me good? No one is <i>good</i> except One, God. <n>Jesus is not denying that He is good. He is challenging the man’s opinion about Himself. The man was not recognizing Jesus to be God—if he had, Jesus would not have objected. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “Good” before “teacher” in verse 16 and have Jesus saying, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is One who is good” here in verse 17 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). The minority reading makes Matthew contradict Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:9.</n> But if you want to enter into the life, keep the commandments.”


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He says to Him, “Which ones?” <n>Did he think that some were not necessary?</n> So Jesus said: “‘You shall not murder’, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, ‘You shall not steal’, ‘You shall not give false witness’,


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Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me”.


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So upon hearing that word the young man went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. <n>Jesus emphasized the commandment about loving one’s neighbor because that was precisely the one that the young man wasn’t keeping. He went away sorrowful because Jesus made him see that he wasn’t keeping it, and worse yet, wasn’t prepared to keep it.</n> 


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Then Jesus said to His disciples: “Assuredly I say to you that <i>only</i> with difficulty will a rich person enter into the kingdom of the heavens.


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And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” <n>This seemingly difficult statement has given rise to several attempts to avoid the literal meaning. However, since in verse 26 Jesus says it is “impossible” we may stay with the literal meaning. Jesus had already said that one cannot serve God and money, so someone who “trusts in riches” (Mark 10:24, as in 99.5% of the Greek manuscripts) simply cannot be saved.</n> 


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Then Peter answered and said to Him: “See, we have left all and followed you. So what will <i>we</i> have?”


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So Jesus said to them: “Assuredly I say to you that in the Regeneration, <n>I take it that Jesus is referring to His millennial reign, when the earth will be “regenerated”, being restored to conditions reminiscent of Eden. For instance, if He doesn’t regenerate the magnetic field pretty soon, life on this planet will become less and less viable.</n> when the Son of the Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. <n>I wonder who will occupy the Iscariot’s throne? I see no reason to doubt that the Lord is being literal here.</n> 


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And, everyone who left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife <n>Perhaps 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “or wife” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.)—the idea of having 100 wives was no doubt objectionable. ‘Eternal’ life is a quality of life, and it begins down here.</n> or children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit life eternal.


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<i> The desperate landowner</i> “For the kingdom of the heavens is like a certain landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.


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And he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard and I will give you whatever is right.’ So off they went.


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Now about the <i>eleventh</i> hour he went out and found others standing idle, and he says to them, ‘Why have you stood here idle all day?’ <n>How did he know they had been there all day? He had seen them, and had himself refused to hire them until the end. As his desperation level increased, he became less and less choosy about the quality of the workers [I take it that for some reason the grapes had to be collected that day; any that were left until later would be lost]. As the Church is in its eleventh hour, or later, it seems to me that we see God doing just like the landowner.</n> 


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They say to him, ‘Because no one hired us’. He says to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right’. <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the last clause (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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So when evening had come the owner of the vineyard says to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning at the last to the first’. <n>Presumably the usual procedure would be to pay the first ones first, so they could head for home; by inverting the order the owner provoked the confrontation. What about our own notions of ‘fairness’?</n> 


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So when the first ones came they supposed that they would receive more; yet each of them also received a denarius.


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saying, ‘These last worked <i>only</i> one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden and the heat of the day!’


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But in answer he said to one of them: ‘Friend, I am not wronging you. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?


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Or isn’t it permissible for me to do what I want with what is mine? Is your eye evil because I am good?’


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Just so the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.” <n>Just 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the last sentence (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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<i> Jesus alerts the disciples, again</i> As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem He took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them privately:


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“Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of the Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,


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and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge and to crucify. And on the third day He will rise!”


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<i> Selfish ambition rebuked</i> Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him, with her sons, and kneeling down she asked something from Him.


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So He said to her, “What do you wish?” She says to Him, “State that these my two sons may sit one on Your right and one on Your left in Your kingdom”.


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But in answer Jesus said: “You (pl.) do not know what you are asking. <n>Jesus sees that the sons had put their mother up to it and answers them, not her.</n> Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am being baptized with?” <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “or be baptized with the baptism that I am being baptized with” and also the corresponding clause in verse 23 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> They say to Him, “We are able”.


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And He says to them: “You will indeed drink my cup, and you will be baptized with the baptism that I am being baptized with, but to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give; rather it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” <n>We may well be surprised at the Father’s choices.</n> 


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Now when the ten heard it they were indignant at the two brothers. <n>Why were they indignant, unless they had similar ideas?</n> 


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But summoning them Jesus said: “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and the great exercise authority over them;


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but it must not be so among you. Rather, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,


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just like the Son of the Man—He did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”


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And then, two blind men sitting alongside the road and hearing, “Jesus is passing by!” cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”


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So the crowd threatened them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more saying, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!!”


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Jesus stopped, called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” <n>The question may seem unnecessary, but Jesus obliged them to state plainly what they wanted.</n> 


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So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.


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<i> The last week The triumphal entry—Sunday, 03/31/30AD</i> Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethsphage, opposite the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,


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saying to them: “Go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose <i>her</i> and bring <i>them</i> to me.


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And if anyone says anything to you, <i>just</i> say, ‘The Lord needs them’, and immediately he will send them.”


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“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your King is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, in fact, a young donkey, foal of a beast of burden.’” <n>The quote is from Zechariah 9:9. Unfortunately the KJV (corrected by the NKJV) mistranslates both the Hebrew and the Greek, making it appear that Jesus rode both animals, which was not the case; He rode only the colt.</n> 


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the disciples brought the <i>female</i> donkey and the young donkey. And they placed their clothes on them and He sat down on them [the clothes] . <n>It must have been a curious sight—no one had ever seen anything like it. Mark 11:2 and Luke 19:30 make clear that no one had ever ridden the colt. It was so young it was still staying close to “mother”, so if she was tied he was too. Jesus was going to expose the colt to a frightening experience—be ridden for the first time, by a stranger, someone perhaps heavier than the colt, and in the middle of a noisy crowd! So He has them bring the mother along as moral support. The disciples put clothes on both animals (the clothes would be very strange to the young donkey, but seeing his mother take it patiently would help his peace of mind), but Jesus rode only the colt—maybe He had to lift His feet so they didn’t drag! It was probably comical, a strange way for a King to present Himself.</n> 


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And the very large crowd spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.


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Then the crowds who went in front and those who followed kept crying out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD ! <n>See Psalm 118:26.</n> Hosanna in the highest <i>heaven</i> !”


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So when He came into Jerusalem the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” <n>Really and truly: can’t you just see the hubbub! The crowd with Jesus was not from Jerusalem (John 12:12), so the locals were taken by surprise.</n> 


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<i> The second cleansing of the temple <n>Mark and Luke have the correct sequence of events for that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday—Matthew rearranges the material for stylistic reasons (presumably). For the correct sequence of events, read Matthew 21:1-11, 18-19, 12-17, 20-22, 23-46. Chapters 22-26 are in sequence.</n> </i> Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold the doves.


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And He says to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’, but you have made it ‘a cave of bandits’.” <n>See Isaiah 56:7 (Jeremiah 7:11).</n> 


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But seeing the wonders that He did, and the children calling out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the chief priests and the scribes became indignant


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and said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” So Jesus says to them: “Yes. Have you never read that ‘Out of the mouth of babies and nursing infants You have prepared praise <i>for Yourself</i> ’?” <n>See Psalm 8:2.</n> 


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<i> “If you have faith”—Monday, 04/01/30 AD</i> Now in the early morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.


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And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it, just leaves. And He says to it, “May you never again produce fruit!” And forthwith the fig tree became withered.


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So in answer Jesus said to them: “Assuredly I say to you, if you (pl.) have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you should say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and be thrown into the sea’, it will happen.


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<i> About John’s baptism—Tuesday, 04/02/30 AD</i> So He came into the temple, and as He was teaching the chief priests and the elders of the people approached Him saying, “By what kind of authority are you doing these <i>things</i> ?” and “Who gave you this authority?”


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But in answer Jesus said to them: “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these <i>things</i> :


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The baptism of John—where was it from; from heaven or from men?” So they reasoned among themselves saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’


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So in answer to Jesus they said, “We do not know”. So He said to them: “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these <i>things</i> .


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<i> Two parables against the Pharisees</i> “But what do you think? A certain man had two sons, and going to the first he said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard’.


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And going to the other he said likewise. And in answer he said, ‘I <i>go</i> , Sir’; yet he did not go.


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Which of the two did the will of the father?” They say to Him, “The first”. Jesus says to them: “Assuredly I say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will go into the kingdom of God before you do. <n>The Lord’s words were definitely not designed to make them happy! In effect, He goes on to show that their refusal to answer His question was duplicitous. They knew good and well that John’s baptism was from heaven.</n> 


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For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, yet when you saw it you did not afterward repent, so as to believe him.


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“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to farmers and went on a journey.


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But when the farmers saw the son they said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take possession of his inheritance.’


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They say to Him: “He will miserably destroy those miserable men! And he will lease the vineyard to other farmers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”


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Jesus says to them: “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ‘A stone which the builders rejected, <i>this</i> one became the cornerstone. This was the LORD ’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? <n>See Psalm 118:22-23.</n> 


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Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘a nation’, which makes me wonder which ‘nation’ that might be. Since at any given time a nation is made up of the people alive at the moment, an Israel in the distant future would be a different ‘nation’.</n> 


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Also, whoever falls upon this stone will be broken to pieces; but upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” <n>Two Greek manuscripts (of inferior quality: D and 33—Codex D is possibly the worst copy in existence), against some 1800, omit verse 44. In consequence the so-called ‘critical’ text, UBS4/N-A27 (which reproduces the text of UBS3/N-A26), places the verse within brackets, thereby affirming that in their opinion the verse is not genuine. NIV informs us that “Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.” By “some” they mean two against 1800. To join Jesus means you have to be broken (so you can be re-made), but to reject Him . . . .</n> 


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As the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables they knew that He was speaking about them. <n>They understood, so they were warned; but they did not pay attention to the warning. They went to hell with their eyes open. They would rather go to hell than acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. Today it’s the same way. Many would rather go to hell than acknowledge Jesus as Creator and Savior.</n> 


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And although they wanted to seize Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they considered Him as a prophet.


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And he sent out his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, but they did not want to come.


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Again he sent out other servants saying: ‘Say to those who have been invited: “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast”!’


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So when that king heard <i>about it</i> he was furious; and sending his troops he destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. <n>There is a contrast between the indifferent (verse 5) and the malignant (verse 6)—the indifferent missed out on the feast, but the malignant were destroyed. In the kingdom of the heavens there is only one wedding feast for the King’s Son, so far as I know, called “the marriage supper of the Lamb” in Revelation 19:9. So who might the ‘indifferent’ be?</n> 


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“Then he says to his servants: ‘The wedding is <i>ready</i> , but those who were invited were not worthy.


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So go on the roads leading out <i>of town</i> , and as many as you may find invite to the wedding feast.’


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And going out on the roads those servants gathered together everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding <i>hall</i> was filled with guests.


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But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had not been clothed with a wedding garment. <n>Obviously people grabbed off the street would not have appropriate attire—the wedding garment must have been issued to each one as he went in.</n> 


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So he says to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.


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Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, take him away and throw him out into the darkness farthest away’. <n>Someone tried to ‘crash the party’ and had even taken a place at a table, but it didn’t work. I suppose there may be those who think they can crash “the marriage supper of the Lamb”, but if you aren’t dressed in the righteousness of the Bridegroom you won’t make it.</n> <i>There</i> there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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<i> Jesus bests the Herodians</i> Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might trap Him in <i>some</i> word.


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So they send their disciples to Him, with the Herodians, <n>The Pharisees and the Herodians were political enemies, but in their desperation they joined forces against Jesus.</n> saying: “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth; and you are not impressed by anyone, for you do not look at people’s faces. <n>They really tried to butter Him up.</n> 


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They say to Him, “Caesar’s”. Then He says to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to <i>God</i> the things that are <i>God’s</i> !”


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<i> Jesus bests the Sadducees</i> The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him


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saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if someone dies having no children his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.


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Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring he left his widow to his brother.


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Therefore in the resurrection whose wife, of the seven, will she be? For they all had her.” <n>To dream up hypothetical situations is typical of those who really don’t want to acknowledge or obey the truth. No doubt they thought they were being clever.</n> 


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So in answer Jesus said to them: “You are self-deceived, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God! <n>Alas! Is this not true of large segments of so-called evangelical Christianity? The Lord puts His finger on the Sadducees’ real problem—they were spiritually bankrupt.</n> 


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For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. <n>Jesus does not say that angels don’t have sex/gender. Evidently no baby angels (good or fallen) are born, but if angels are of only one gender they cannot reproduce in kind. Whenever an angel takes on human form in the Bible it is always the form of a man. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “of God” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God saying,


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‘I <i>am</i> the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? <n>See Exodus 3:6,15-16—Jesus attributes this text to God!</n> God is not God of dead <i>people</i> but of living.” <n>Jesus argues on the basis of the present tense of the verb—if Abraham was simply eradicated it would have to be “was”. Jesus implies that they should have figured it out for themselves.</n> 


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<i> Jesus bests the Pharisees</i> Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they got together.


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So Jesus said to him: ‘”You must love the LORD your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind.’


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‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right until I place your enemies as a footstool for your feet”’? <n>See Psalm 110:1—note that Jesus affirms that David was inspired.</n> 


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And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to question Him anymore.


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<i> Jesus excoriates the scribes and Pharisees</i> Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples


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so whatever they may tell you to observe, you should observe and do; but do not do according to their deeds, for they say and do not do.


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For they package loads <i>that are</i> heavy and hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of the people; but they <i>themselves</i> do not want to move them with one of their fingers.


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“Rather, they do all their works in order to be seen by people. They make their phylacteries broad and the tassels on their garments large;


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<i> We have only one Teacher and one Father</i> “But you (pl.), do not be called ‘Rabbi’; because your Teacher is <i>one</i> , the Christ, <n>Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “the Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and you are all brothers.


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And do not call anyone on earth your ‘father’; because your Father is <i>one</i> , He who is in the heavens. <n>Since the second person here is plural, the Lord is evidently referring to calling someone your spiritual father; He is not saying not to acknowledge your physical father. “Your (pl.) Father is one”—obviously they did not all have the same physical father.</n> 


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Neither be called leaders/guides; because your Leader is <i>one</i> , the Christ. <n>This may be why we have no record in Scripture of a Christian calling someone his disciple; even in 1 Corinthians 3:4 Paul evidently avoids using the term. I take it that our Lord is forbidding any effort by one Christian to control the spiritual life of another.</n> 


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<i> A series of ‘Woes’</i> “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you devour the houses of the widows, while making long prayers as a pretense. Therefore you will receive a greater condemnation. <n>They are already condemned, but are making it worse. Perhaps 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit this verse (as in NIV, [NASB], LB, [TEV], etc.). A very small minority, perhaps another 1%, reverse the order of verses 13 and 14 (as in KJV and NKJV).</n> 


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Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!! Because you bar <i>the entrance to</i> the kingdom of the heavens in the face of the people; for you neither go in <i>yourselves</i> nor do you allow those who are trying to enter to go in. <n>Those guys were really perverse! If you don’t want to go in yourself, that’s your problem; but to try to keep others from going in is satanic, really and truly satanic.</n> 


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Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!! Because you travel all over, land and sea, to make one convert, and when he joins up you make him twice as much a son of Hell <n>Where do you suppose a ‘son of hell’ is going to spend eternity?</n> as yourselves.


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“Woe to you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated’.


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And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it is obligated’.


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And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by Him who used to dwell in it. <n>Some 10% of the Greek manuscripts have “dwell” in the present tense, rather than the past. I take it that Jesus was telling them that God had left their temple (see verse 38). Thus verse 22 is in contrast with verse 21.</n> 


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“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you pay a tithe of mint and dill and cummin, but have neglected the weightier items of the law: justice and mercy and faith. <i>These</i> it was obligatory to do, while not neglecting those.


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“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!! Because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of plunder and injustice.


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Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and the dish, so that their outside may also be clean.


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“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!! Because you resemble whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly but inside are full of dead bones and of all uncleanness.


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Just so you also outwardly appear <i>to be</i> righteous to the people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


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“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!!! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous;


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yet you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets’.


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<i> Snakes!</i> “Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape from the condemnation of Hell? <n>Would you say that Jesus is trying real hard not to hurt their poor little feelings? So are we supposed to avoid hurting people’s feelings? When and why?</n> 


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So take note: I will send you prophets and wise men and Biblical scholars; <n>Jesus makes this statement knowing that He will die within a few days. Obviously He also knows that He will rise from the dead and return to the Father’s right hand—it is from that position that He will do the sending.</n> some of them you will kill, even crucify; some of them you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from city to city


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—so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel up to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. <n>A terrible statement! But Jesus is addressing persons who will condemn the Messiah to death with total premeditated malice.</n> 


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<i> Jesus laments over Jerusalem</i> “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, she who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children, just like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not want to.


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For I say to you, you will <i>not</i> see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD ’!” <n>Apparently He did not return to the temple any more; He had declared judgment upon it: “your house is left to you abandoned.”</n> 


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<i> The Olivet Discourse</i> So as Jesus was going out, departing from the temple, His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.


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But Jesus said to them: “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, absolutely not a single stone here will be left upon another, that will not be thrown down.” <n>This was literally fulfilled in 70 AD. The Jews used the temple buildings as their last bastion of defense. They themselves set fire to some buildings and the Roman soldiers finished the job. Apparently the gold on the dome melted and ran down the cracks between the stones. So the looters literally tore stone from stone to make sure they got all the gold.</n> 


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<i> “A beginning of birth pains”</i> Now as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to Him privately saying: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the completion of the age?” <n>There are two questions: “When these things?” and “What the sign?” The answer to the first is given in Luke 21:20-24. The answer to the second begins here in verse 5.</n> 


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You will be concerned when you hear of wars and rumors of wars; see to it that you not get worked up; for all of it has to happen, but the end is not yet.


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For nation will be raised up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places;


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<i> The increase of lawlessness</i> “Then they will hand you over to oppression and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.


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And many false prophets will be raised up and they will deceive many. <n>The verb is in the passive voice, ‘will be raised up’: the obvious question is, by whom? Here we have a clear hint of supernatural activity behind the scenes.</n> 


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So the one who perseveres to the end, <i>he</i> will be saved. <n>The Greek text is emphatic here—it is the one who perseveres who will be saved.</n> 


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And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth as a witness to all the ethnic nations, and then the end will come. <n>The ‘end’ of what? There are at least four possible relevant ends here—of the world, of the Millennium, of the Great Tribulation, of the Church Age. Just as this day, this week, this month, this year, etc. all have ends but those ends are rarely coincidental, so the four ends above are not coincidental. So which ‘end’ is it? The immediately following context points to the Great Tribulation.</n> 


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<i> The Great Tribulation</i> “So then, when you (ye) see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” <n>“Standing”—presumably a person, therefore.</n> (let the reader understand),


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and anyone in the field should not go back to get his cloak. <n>Wait a minute! If you are on the housetop or in the field, how can you “see” the ‘abomination’ so you know it’s time to run? Well, how about wrist TVs, hand held computers, cell phones with internet access, etc.? So how did Jesus know about these gadgets 2,000 years ago?</n> 


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And pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. <n>Well now, any such praying needs to be done before the fact to do any good. Do you know anyone who is praying like this?</n> 


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Because then there will be a <i>great</i> tribulation, such as has never been since the beginning of the world until now, and never again will be. <n>There has always been tribulation and distress in the world, and continues to be, but nothing to compare with the Great Tribulation, which has not yet happened.</n> 


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And unless those days were cut short no flesh would be saved; <n>Adding up the percentages of destruction in Revelation, it appears that only one sixth of those who are alive at the beginning of the Great Tribulation will still be alive at its end. If six billion go in, only one billion will come out. So much for the overpopulation problem!</n> but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. <n>Just who are the “elect” here (and in verse 31), if the Rapture has already taken place? I believe there will be many millions of conversions immediately after the Rapture—unsaved church members who are left behind. And if the Rapture is partial, all the lukewarm Christians will all of a sudden get serious.</n> 


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Because false christs and false prophets will be raised up, <n>Here is the passive voice again, ‘will be raised up’. In this context it seems clear that they are Satan’s servants.</n> and they will give great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.


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So if they should say to you, ‘Look, He is in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, in the secret rooms!’ don’t believe it.


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Because just as the lightning comes from east and shines to west, so also will be the coming of the Son of the Man;


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for wherever the carcass may be there will be a gathering of vultures. <n>The point of verses 26-28 seems to be that the Lord’s return will be very obvious, like the lightning or the circle of buzzards above a carcass—so if someone says He has returned secretly, don’t believe it (see verse 30). The word “then” in verse 23 makes clear that what is being described here is the Lord’s return to the earth after the Great Tribulation, to set up the Millennial Kingdom.</n> 


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<i> The King’s return to earth</i> “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. <n>“Stars” often refer to angels, in the Scriptures, and “the powers of the heavens” most probably refers to high ranking fallen angels. It is at this time that Satan will be confined in the Abyss (Rev. 20:1-3).</n> 


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And then the sign of the Son of the Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn <n>Literally, ‘beat the breast’—in Semitic cultures this action expresses strong emotion, involving some combination of grief, fear and despair.</n> —they will see the Son of the Man coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory.


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And He will send out His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will collect His elect from the four winds, from one extreme of the heavens to the other.


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<i> Learn from the fig tree</i> “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that the summer is near.


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Assuredly I say to you, this generation will <i>not</i> pass away until all these things happen. <n>“This generation” could refer to the Jewish race (render ‘this race’), but I think it more probable that it refers to the generation that “sees all these things”. To be more precise, I think that those who were alive on the planet in 1967 (when the city of Jerusalem returned to the political control of the nation Israel) are the generation in question.</n> 


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The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. <n>The Lord Jesus declares the eternal authority of His own word.</n> 


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<i> The Rapture</i> “But no one knows concerning that day and hour, <n>It is typical of Hebrew prose (Jesus is a Jew) to re-tell a sequence of events from different perspectives. He is still answering “What is the sign?” but here He starts over and comments upon something that will happen before the “abomination” (see the next footnote).</n> not even the angels of the heavens, except my Father alone.


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For just as they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, in the days before the flood until the day that Noah entered the ark,


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and were not aware until the flood came and took all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of the Man.


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But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into.


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Therefore you also be ready, because the Son of the Man is coming at an hour that you do not suppose. <n>I take it that for there to be the element of surprise the Rapture of the Church must occur before the “abomination of desolation”. When the Antichrist takes his place in the Holy of Holies and declares himself to be god there will be precisely 1,290 days until the return of Christ to the earth. “An hour that you do not suppose” presumably requires a pre-‘abomination’ rapture—if the rapture is pre-wrath but post-abomination, only a fool will be taken by surprise, unless the Rapture happens immediately after the ‘abomination’ (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).</n> 


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“Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom his lord placed over his corps of servants to give them food on schedule?


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the lord of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for <i>him</i> and at an hour when he is not aware,


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and will cut him in two and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. <n>Notice that the Lord consigns hypocrites to hell. That servant pretended to be faithful while the owner was around, but as soon as he turned his back . . . .</n> <i>There</i> there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. <n>This is a servant who had gained his master’s confidence, but then betrayed it—he winds up in hell. He was director of food services, and if he had been faithful there he would have been promoted to general director (verse 47), but . . . .</n> 


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<i> Parable of the ten virgins</i> “Then <n>“Then”—this temporal adverb links the parable to the prior context, which is dealing with the Rapture (I think). Since the foolish ones are virgins, not prostitutes, and since they also had some oil, this parable may point to a partial rapture; only those who are ready are taken.</n> the kingdom of the heavens will be like ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom.


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but the prudent ones took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. <n>From verse 8 it is clear that they all had oil in the lamp, but even with the wick down low their lamps were lit (they wouldn’t wait in total darkness) and were burning oil (3-4 hours). So the delay of the bridegroom meant that the oil in the lamps was used up—the wise ones had extra oil. Perhaps a modern analogy would be a car battery—if you use it without re-charging, it runs down, and finally goes dead. So how do we re-charge our spiritual battery? And what happens if we don’t?</n> 


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And the foolish ones said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out’.


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But the prudent ones answered saying, ‘No, in case there not be enough for you and us; instead, go to those who sell and buy for yourselves’.


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But while they went to buy, the bridegroom arrived, and the ones who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast—and the door was shut!


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Therefore, keep alert, because you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of the Man is coming. <n>About 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit “in which the Son of the Man is coming” (as in NIV, NASB, [LB], TEV, etc.).</n> 


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<i> Parable of the talents</i> “Because <i>the kingdom is also</i> like a man about to go on a <i>long</i> journey, who called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.


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To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on the journey.


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So the one who had received the five talents approached and brought five more talents saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I gained five more talents besides them!’


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His lord said to him: ‘Super, you good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’


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So the one who had received the two talents also approached and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted two talents to me; see, I gained two more talents besides them!’


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His lord said to him: ‘Super, you good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ <n>The two-talent man was just as faithful as the first one—he also doubled the principal—so he gets the same commendation. We are judged on the basis of what we do with our potential.</n> 


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“Then he who had received the one talent also approached and said: ‘Lord, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter.


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And being afraid I went off and hid your talent in the ground; here, take what is yours.’ <n>Evidently the third man did not identify with his lord’s interests. He served out of fear or necessity, but his heart wasn’t in it. He has a negative opinion of his lord and is unrepentant: “here, take what is yours”. He winds up in hell. Are there not many ‘Christians’ today who have a low opinion of God? Who feel that He is hard, unfair, unjust—and who ‘serve’ out of fear or a sense of obligation? If you believe into Jesus you identify with Him.</n> 


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So in answer his lord said to him: ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter. <n>Observe that the owner did not deny the description. The first two servants identified with the owner’s interests anyway.</n> 


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Therefore you were obligated to deposit my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what is mine with interest.


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For to everyone who has, <i>more</i> will be given, and he will have abundance; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. <n>Use it or lose it!</n> 


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And throw out the useless servant, <n>To be “useless” is not a valid option. We are here for a purpose, to serve, to be useful.</n> into the darkness farthest out!’ <i>There</i> there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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<i> Judgment in preparation for the Millennium</i> “When the Son of the Man comes in His glory, <n>The Lord Jesus uses “the coming of the Son of the Man” to refer to both the Rapture and the Second Advent.</n> and all the holy angels with Him, <n>Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “holy” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). From Revelation 5:11 it appears that the holy angels are well over 100 million.</n> then He will sit on His throne of glory.


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And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, <n>It is clear that the King is dealing with individuals here; nations are made up of people, and each person will be evaluated individually.</n> just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.


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Then the King will say to those on His right: ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you at the foundation of the world. <n>Wow!</n> 


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For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in;


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Then the righteous will answer Him saying: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?


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And in answer the King will say to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ <n>The King demands practical demonstrations of righteousness. As James says, a ‘faith’ that doesn’t produce won’t save anyone.</n> 


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“Then He will also say to those on His left: ‘Go away from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. <n>The Lake of fire was prepared for Lucifer (now Satan) and those angels that joined his rebellion (about a third of the angelic beings—Revelation 12:4). Human beings who side with Satan (there are various ways of doing that) will also share his destiny. The basic meaning of the word translated ‘angel’ is ‘messenger’; many human beings are Satan’s messengers.</n> 


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I was a stranger and you did not take me in; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’


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Then they also will answer saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’


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Then He will answer them saying, ‘Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, <n>“These”, both here and in verse 40, presumably refers to those on His right, the righteous. The wicked will be judged for how they treated the righteous (among other things).</n> neither did you do it to me’. <n>These people are basically selfish and self-centered, and self-centeredness is the essence of sin. That’s why Lucifer rebelled against God, etc.</n> 


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“You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of the Man will be handed over to be crucified.” <n>Jesus knew just how He was going to die. I take it that our Lord’s statement here settles the question of the exact day of the crucifixion. It was late Tuesday afternoon, probably about 6:00 p.m.—adding two days takes us to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, but the proceedings in the upper room began after 6:00 p.m. on that Thursday, which to the Jews was already Friday. Therefore Jesus died on a Friday [not Thursday]. Our Lord’s own statements have given rise to some confusion: referring to the time period between His death and resurrection He said—“on the third day”, “after three days” and “three days and three nights”. So some have argued that Jesus died on a Thursday, or even a Wednesday. Well, Wednesday won’t work because that would make 3 days and 4 nights; but Thursday gives 3 nights and 2 full days, plus a part of a third day; while Friday gives 2 nights and 1 full day, plus a part of a second day. We take it that “3 days and 3 nights” was an idiomatic expression that could refer to three 24 hour days represented by some part of each, but in sequence—in this case: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (See also Luke 23:54-24:1—Jesus was buried on Friday afternoon; then the women rested during the Sabbath [singular = just one day]; then early the first day of the week they went to the tomb.)</n> 


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<i> The Sanhedrin conspires—04/03/30</i> Then the chief priests, the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, the one called Caiaphas, <n>The real high priest was Annas, but in an effort to diminish the political power of the high priest the Romans obliged the Jews to name a different one every year, and that year it was Caiaphas.</n> 


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a woman approached Him, <n>This incident must not be confused with the one in John 12:1-11. In John, Mary anoints His feet on Saturday (03/30/30), while in Matthew and Mark an unidentified woman anoints His head on Wednesday (04/03/30). The houses are also different. In the earlier incident only Judas ventured to criticize the hostess, but here a number of them chime in—He had already been anointed once, so why do it again?</n> having an alabaster <i>flask</i> of very expensive perfume, and she began to pour it on His head as He reclined <i>at the table</i> .


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But being aware Jesus said to them: “Why are you bothering the woman? She has done something beautiful to me.


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You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have <i>me</i> . <n>Jesus is referring here to His physical presence (see Matthew 28:20).</n> 


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Assuredly I say to you, wherever this gospel may be proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman did will also be told in her memory.”


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<i> Judas offers to betray Jesus</i> Then one of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests


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and said, “What are you willing to give me so that I deliver Him to you?” <n>Apparently the ‘wasted’ perfume was the last straw for Judas. (If he also finally got the message that Jesus was about to be killed instead of setting up the Kingdom, he may have rebelled.)</n> So they counted out to him thirty silver <i>coins</i> .


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<i> The last night—begins Thursday evening, 04/04/30, and ends the next morning</i> Now on the first <i>day</i> of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus saying to Him, “Where do you want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”


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So He said: “Go into the city to ‘you know who’ and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near, I will do the Passover with my disciples at your <i>place</i> ”’.”


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<i> The traitor identified</i> When it was evening He was reclining <i>at the table</i> with the twelve.


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This really upset them and they each <n>Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, have “one after another” (as in NIV, LB, TEV, etc.), as if it were an orderly proceeding, each one politely waiting for his turn. Not really—they were shocked; what Jesus had just said couldn’t be true! As a gut reaction each one started saying, “It can’t be me, can it?”, all at once. Apparently none of them suspected Judas.</n> began to say to Him, “It’s not me is it, Lord?”


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The Son of the Man is really going just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of the Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man not to have been born.” <n>In John 17:12 the Lord calls him “the son of perdition” and declares him to be “lost”.</n> 


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Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “It’s not me is it, Rabbi?” He says to him, “You said it!” <n>Judas phrases his question just like the others, only saying ‘Rabbi’ instead of ‘Lord’. The Lord’s answer confirms that it is Judas. Mark and Luke also record this incident, but the one recorded in John 13:21-30 happened later.</n> 


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<i> Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper</i> Now as they were eating, <n>In John 13:1 we read, “before the feast of the Passover,” and in 13:2, “supper being ended” [less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, have ‘during supper’—as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.]. They ate an ordinary meal before the Passover ritual. In John 13:4-11 Jesus washes their feet because they could not proceed with the ritual while ceremonially unclean. In Matthew 26:21 they were eating the ordinary meal. Here in verse 26 they are now into the ritual (I think)—the foot washing happened between verse 25 and verse 26.</n> after taking the bread and blessing it, Jesus broke it, gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body”.


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for this is my blood, that of the new covenant, <n>Here, and in Mark 14:24, perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit ‘new’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). The original reading, as also in Luke 22:20 and 1 Corinthians 11:25, is new covenant.</n> that which is being shed on behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.


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Furthermore, I tell you that I will <i>not</i> drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” <n>“With you”—presumably at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? The vinegar in John 19:29 would not qualify as “this fruit”.</n> 


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<i> Jesus predicts Peter’s denial</i> Then Jesus says to them: “All of you will be caused to stumble because of me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’.


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Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if everyone <i>else</i> is caused to stumble because of you, <i><b>I</b></i> will never be caused to stumble”.


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Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I say to you that this night, before <i>any</i> rooster crows, you will deny me <i>three</i> times”. <n>The emphasis here is on the silence of all roosters until Peter denies at least three times. This is actually the third prediction—the first is in John 13:36-38 and the second is in Luke 22:31-34.</n> 


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Peter says to Him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will <i>not</i> deny you!” And all the <i>other</i> disciples said the same.


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<i> Gethsemane—Jesus almost dies!</i> Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He says to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray”.


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Then Jesus says to them: “My soul is in anguish, to the point of death. <n>I take it that Jesus faced the full implications of the cross at this point—that He would be made sin, be separated from the Father—and the anguish of soul was so terrible that He almost died. Luke 22:44 records that Jesus sweat blood, “great drops” of it—a rare condition that is usually fatal. Verse 43 records that an angel from heaven strengthened Him. I believe Hebrews 5:7 refers to this moment; Jesus cried out to be delivered from a premature death in the Garden, He had to get to the cross, and the Father sent an angel to strengthen Him. [Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit Luke 22:43-44.]</n> Stay here and watch with me.”


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And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by; nevertheless not as I wish, but as you do”. <n>How did Matthew know what Jesus prayed? It is not clear whether the “stone’s throw” (Luke 22:41) refers to the eight, or the three, but even if the three were within earshot how much would they hear asleep? Did Jesus tell them after His resurrection? Or did the Holy Spirit simply reveal it? And how did they know about the blood if they were asleep?</n> 


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Then He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and He says to Peter: “So, you (pl.) were not able to watch with me one hour!


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Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit on its part is willing, but the flesh is weak.”


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And going away a second time He prayed saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me unless I drink it, let your will be done”. <n>Notice that the second prayer is less ‘desperate’—Jesus is getting the victory over His anguish. I believe the real battle was won in Gethsemane—the cross was just the mopping-up.</n> 


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And coming He finds them sleeping <i>again</i> , because their eyes had been weighed down. <n>The Greek verb phrase here is a periphrastic pluperfect, passive voice = ‘had been’. The clear implication is that there was supernatural involvement. Just as Jesus had to face the devil alone in the desert, without angelic help (Matthew 4:11), so here He faced His trial alone, without human help.</n> 


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Then He comes to His disciples and says to them: “Sleep some more and take your rest! <n>I take it that Jesus is reproving them with a bit of gentle sarcasm, since He goes on to say, “Get up”.</n> Actually, the hour is here and the Son of the Man is being betrayed into sinners’ hands.


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<i> Jesus is betrayed</i> And while He was still speaking, there was Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a large crowd with swords and clubs, <i>sent</i> from the chief priests and elders of the people.


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So Jesus said to him, “Friend, what brings you here?” <n>Jesus knew perfectly well why Judas was there, so why did He call him “friend”? Perhaps to show that He held no personal animosity against him. Here read John 18:4-9. Jesus is clearly in control. They finally laid hands on Him only because He allowed it—it had to be; it was the Father’s will.</n> Then approaching they laid hands on Jesus and took Him.


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And then, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear! <n>From John 18:10 we know that it was Peter, and that the servant was Malchus. The Text has ‘the servant’, so the high priest had probably put him in charge of the operation.</n> 


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But Jesus says to him: “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword.


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Do you actually suppose that I cannot call upon my Father right now and He will place beside me more than twelve legions of angels? <n>That would be a minimum of 36,000—probably enough to handle the situation, don’t you think?</n> 


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At that time Jesus said to the crowd: “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as against a bandit, to arrest me? I used to sit daily with you in the temple, teaching, and you did not seize me.


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But all this has happened so that the Scriptures of the prophets should be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and ran away.


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So those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.


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Now Peter was following Him at a distance, up to the high priest’s courtyard. And going inside he sat down with the attendants, to see the end.


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<i> Jesus tried by the Council</i> The chief priests and the elders, in fact the whole Council, kept looking for false witnesses against Jesus so that they could put Him to death,


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but didn’t find any. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they didn’t find any. But at last two false witnesses came forward


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and said, “This <i>fellow</i> said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days’.”


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And standing up the high priest said to Him: “Do you answer nothing? <n>A freer rendering would be, “Aren’t you going to answer?”—the priest was frustrated, getting desperate. He had to get results.</n> What is it that these men are testifying against you?”


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But Jesus kept silent. So reacting the high priest said to Him, “I put you under oath by the Living God so that you tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God!” <n>What the priest did was cowardly and illegal. He had to come up with two witnesses on his own. Of course, under oath to the Living God Jesus had to answer, and of course He would tell the truth. And if He told the truth it wasn’t blasphemy. During His ministry He had given more than enough evidence in support of His claim. They simply refused to acknowledge it. From the way Caiaphas framed the oath, I think he knew in his heart that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (just as Satan knows it) but had determined to rebel against Him.</n> 


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Jesus says to him: “You said it. Furthermore, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of the Man sitting at the Power’s right, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” <n>Jesus made it easy for him, gave him more than he asked. According to the Plan, He had to be condemned.</n> 


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Then the high priest tore his clothes saying: “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you have heard His blasphemy!


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saying, “Messiah, prophesy to us! Who is the one who hit you?” <n>Just like Satan entered Judas (John 13:27), the gang here was probably under satanic influence (which would help to explain their perversity).</n> 


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<i> Peter denies Jesus</i> Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a certain servant girl approached him saying, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean”.


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And having gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and says to those who were there, “This <i>fellow</i> also was with Jesus the Natsorean”.


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But a little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Really, you too are one of them, because your very accent gives you away!”


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And Peter remembered <n>Yes, but only after Jesus looked at him (Luke 22:61) and broke the satanic spell (Luke 22:31).</n> the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before <i>any</i> rooster crows, you will deny me three times”. And going out he cried bitterly.


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<i> Crucifixion Day—Friday, 04/05/30</i> When early morning came all the chief priests and elders plotted against Jesus to kill Him.


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<i> The end of Judas—parenthetical</i> (Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, felt regret and returned the thirty silver <i>coins</i> to the chief priests and elders


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saying, “I sinned, by betraying innocent blood”. But they said: “What do we care? It’s your problem!”


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Then the chief priests took the coins and said, “It isn’t lawful to put them into the treasury, being blood money”. <n>Having gulped down a camel they now strain out a gnat. When you put on legalistic blinders you lose moral perspective.</n> 


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Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, <n>The quote resembles Zechariah 11:12-13 (not a perfect fit) but really has no counterpart in the canonical Jeremiah. However, Daniel (9:2) refers to “the books” (plural) in connection with Jeremiah the prophet. Just as Jude (verse 14) had access to a prophecy by Enoch, of which no copy survives, Matthew may have had access to other writings of Jeremiah (Daniel 9:2), of which no copy survives.</n> namely: “And they took the thirty silver <i>coins</i> , the value of the one who was priced, whom some of the children of Israel priced,


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<i> Jesus before Pilate</i> So Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “As you say”.


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<i> “We want Barabbas!”</i> Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they wanted.


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So while they were assembled Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Messiah?”


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Now as he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because I suffered a great deal in a dream today because of Him.”


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But the chief priests and elders had persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas, but destroy Jesus.


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So the governor spoke up and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”


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Pilate says to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Messiah?” They all say to him, “Let Him be crucified!”


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So the governor said, “But, what evil did He do?” But they kept yelling all the more saying, “Let Him be crucified!!”


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When Pilate saw that nothing was being gained but rather a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd saying: “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. <n>Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “righteous” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Notice that Pilate declares Jesus to be righteous.</n> It’s your problem!”


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So in answer all the people said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children!” <n>Terrible, terrible, terrible! This may well be the worst curse that any parents ever placed upon their descendants. Just terrible!!</n> 


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Then he released Barabbas to them but Jesus, after flogging Him, <n>Apparently flogging was considered to be a necessary part of the ritual/procedure—you had to flog first, and then crucify!</n> he delivered to be crucified.


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<i> Soldiers make fun of Jesus</i> Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.


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They plaited a crown out of thorns and put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and kneeling before Him they would mock Him saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” <n>They were really having fun! The soldiers weren’t Jews and presumably didn’t know anything about Jesus. They probably held a low opinion of Jews in general, and some ‘peasant’ who thought he was a king, well . . . .</n> 


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Spitting on Him they took the reed and hit Him repeatedly on the head. <n>Here they get nasty. The thorns were probably poisonous and the blows drove the points into His scalp down to the bone. His face began to swell from the poison; the blood oozing from the wounds was mixed with the spit. We assume from Isaiah 50:6 that the soldiers also yanked out parts of His beard, which would have torn away the skin as well. The total effect must have been horrible, leaving Jesus unrecognizable—Isaiah 52:14 was literally fulfilled.</n> 


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After they had mocked Him they took the cloak off Him and put His own clothes back on; and they led Him away to be crucified.


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<i> The crucifixion</i> Now as they went out they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon; they compelled <i>him</i> to carry His cross.


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they gave Him sour wine mixed with gall to drink; <n>This was a small humanitarian gesture—gall is a crude anesthetic, and would deaden the pain. But Jesus refused it, so He remained fully alert on the cross and felt it all.</n> but having tasted it He would not drink.


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Having crucified Him they divided up His clothes by casting lots. <n>If they divided up His clothes it means they were no longer on Him—one last bit of humiliation. Perhaps 95% of the Greek manuscripts do not have the rest of verse 35 as found in the KJV and NKJV, although it would make a nice addition.</n> 


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And sitting down there they guarded Him. <n>The Lord was alive on the cross for some six hours, and the soldiers had to stay there to make sure no one tried to interfere with ‘justice’. So naturally they sat down.</n> 


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And they put the charge against Him over His head in writing: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. <n>The board must have been of fair size, because the full Accusation, in three languages (John 19:20), was: “This is Jesus of Natsareth, the king of the Jews”.</n> 


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and saying: “You who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!” “If you are ‘Son of God’, come down from the cross!”


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“He saved others; himself he cannot save!” “If he is ‘King of Israel’ let him come down from the cross now and we will believe him!” <n>This was a lie; they already knew that Jesus was the Messiah but had deliberately rejected Him. However, if Jesus had descended from the cross (as presumably He had the power to do) we would be without hope. The people were being satanically nasty, but Jesus was totally committed to the Father’s will and thus the redemptive program was not aborted.</n> 


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“He trusted in God; let Him rescue him now, <i>if</i> He wants him; for he said that he was the Son of God.”


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Even the bandits who were crucified with Him were reviling Him in the same way. <n>Evidently they both started out by reviling Him, but later one of them repented—they were on the cross about three hours before the supernatural darkness, so there was time to think.</n> 


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<i> Jesus takes the “wages” for our sin</i> Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour a darkness came over all the land.


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And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a <i>loud</i> voice saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachtani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?” <n>I take it that the Father turned His back on the Son during those three hours—to be separated from the Father is spiritual death. For Jesus to pay for my sin and yours He had to take our wages: “The wages of sin is death”—both physical and spiritual.</n> 


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Right then one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed and started to give Him a drink;


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but the rest said: “Don’t! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him.” <n>Comparing this verse with Mark 15:36 we have an apparent discrepancy: Matthew records that others told the man to stop, while Mark records that the man told them to stop! So which is it? What I imagine is this: as both accounts state, a certain man [could it possibly have been John Mark himself?] decides to offer Jesus a drink of wine vinegar; several others, supposing that Jesus had just called on Elijah, tell him to stop; to which he retorts, “You (pl) stop!” and repeats their statement with sarcasm [anyone who really understood the language would have known that Jesus wasn’t calling Elijah at all]. However, it does appear that the man stopped his action before Jesus could drink, since a bit later Jesus says, “I’m thirsty” (John 19:28).</n> 


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<i> The shout of victory</i> Then Jesus called out again with a great shout and dismissed His spirit. <n>Oh praise God! Jesus dismissed His spirit (see also John 19:30)—it wasn’t the cross that killed Him (for details see note at 28:5 below). As He said in John 10:18, “no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself”. I take it that John 19:30 gives the content of the shout—Τετελεσται ! = “Paid in full!” It was a shout of victory.</n> 


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And <i>then</i> , the veil of the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom! <n>God Himself ripped the veil (or ordered it done). Access to God’s presence is no longer limited to one man once a year. See Hebrews 10:19-22.</n> And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,


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and coming forth out of the graves <i>after</i> His resurrection they entered the holy city and were made visible to many. <n>Wow! How would you like a departed saint to knock at your door?! It would be tremendous confirmatory evidence for Christ’s resurrection. The Text doesn’t say what happened to these resurrected saints, but to be sent back into the ground would be a real drag. It is more likely that they went with the risen Christ to heaven.</n> )


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Now when the centurion and those with him guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that happened they were scared stiff and said, “This <i>Man</i> really was the Son of God!” <n>“All that happened” is better explained in Mark 15:39—the loud shout followed immediately by death convinced the centurion. He had seen many crucifixions and was doubtless hardened to it. He knew that a person on a cross dies from asphyxiation. The weight of the body pushes the diaphragm against the lungs and you can’t breathe. Nailing the feet was a sadistic procedure that prolonged the agony—rather than die they would push against the nail to get a breath. Finally, when too weak to do that they would die for lack of air. (That’s why they broke the legs of the two thieves; they then died within a few minutes.) Obviously, if you are dying without air you can’t shout! The centurion knew that the cross hadn’t killed Jesus. But what mere human can just tell his spirit to leave? 2 + 2 = 4. Jesus had to be the Son of God.</n> 


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Many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from a distance; <n>“Ministering to Him”—here we may have a clue as to how Jesus was maintained financially during His ministry, since He presumably didn’t have time for carpentry.</n> 


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among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.


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<i> The burial</i> Now at evening there appeared a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. <n>He “appeared”—he had been waiting in the wings. Just as with the owner of the donkey, and the owner of the upper room, who were doubtless advised in advance that their services would be needed, Joseph was prepared. He didn’t just “happen” to have a tomb he didn’t know what to do with, complete with a large stone just right for sealing. According to Isaiah 53:9 He was to have a rich man’s grave, not whatever the common criminals got (the Father did not allow the Son’s body to suffer that humiliation).</n> 


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This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that the body be given.


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and placed it in his <i>own</i> new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and left.


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<i> The tomb is guarded</i> The next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate


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saying: “Sir, we remember that that deceiver, while still alive, said, ‘After three days I am going to rise’.


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Therefore command that the grave be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead’, and the last deception will be worse than the first.”


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So Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go make it as secure as you can!” <n>Was Pilate a happy camper? No he was not a happy camper. And maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as stupid as some might like to think. From Mark 15:44-45 we know that he debriefed the centurion, who had to explain why Jesus died sooner than expected! “Make it as sure as you can.” Right.</n> 


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So they went and secured the grave with the guard, having sealed the stone. <n>Ironically those great champions of the Sabbath had to violate the Sabbath to secure the tomb. They thought they were being shrewd, but only played into God’s hand. Their effort only made the evidence for the resurrection all the stronger.</n> 


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<i> Resurrection Day—Sunday, 04/07/30</i> Now after the Sabbath, at the dawning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, came to see the tomb.


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Now then, a big earthquake had occurred, because an angel of the Lord, descending out of heaven, had come and rolled back the stone from the door, <n>Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “from the door” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and sat on it! <n>The stone was not removed to let Jesus out, but to let the witnesses in.</n> 


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<i> The angel does his duty</i> Now the angel spoke up and said to the women: <n>Comparing this account with Mark 16:5-7 we conclude that the women didn’t see the angel outside on the stone—he only appeared to them inside the tomb. And if a shining angel had been on the stone Magdalene wouldn’t have assumed that the body had been stolen (John 20:2). If I had been one of those guards I think I would have converted on the spot—surely some of them believed and later they gave their eyewitness account to the Christian community.</n> “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for the Jesus who was crucified.


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He is not here, because He is risen, just like He said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying. <n>Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “the Lord” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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Now go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and get this, He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. There, I have told you!” <n>It almost sounds like he was glad to get it off his chest. I wonder why.</n> 


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<i> Jesus’ second appearance</i> But as they were going to report to His disciples, <n>Some 12% of the Greek manuscripts omit this first clause (as in NIV, NASB, [LB], TEV, etc.). Mark 16:9 makes clear that the first appearance was to Magdalene.</n> wow, Jesus met them saying, “Rejoice!” So approaching, they held His feet and worshipped Him.


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Then Jesus says to them: “Do not be afraid! Go report to my brothers <n>The angel said “disciples”, but Jesus said “brothers”. It may be that He was referring precisely to His half-brothers James, Jude, etc.</n> that they must go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”


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<i> Guards are bribed</i> Now while they were going, get this, some of the guard went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. <n>“Some”—so where were the rest? Those who were converted, as I suppose, would not want to be part of the cover-up.</n> 


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So taking the money they did as they were instructed. Their tale is widely spread among the Jews until this day.


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<i> The Great Commission</i> The eleven disciples went into Galilee to the mountain that Jesus had indicated to them.


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When they saw Him they worshipped Him; but some doubted. <n>The Text actually says “they doubted”—it seems improbable that all of them would doubt (after all, they had seen Him at least twice already), so most translations render “some”. Although verse 16 refers specifically to the eleven, there may have been others (like His half-brothers, verse 10) along who had not seen Him yet.</n> 


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And approaching Jesus asserted to them saying: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.


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As you go make disciples in all ethnic nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; <n>Our Lord defines the Trinity here. According to Greek grammar the use of ‘and’ plus the definite article with items in a series makes clear that the items are distinct entities. So “the Father” is different from “the Son” is different from “the Holy Spirit”. So we have three persons. But He also said, “in the name”, singular, not ‘names’. So we have only one name. God is one ‘name’ or essence subsisting in three persons.</n> 


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teaching them to obey everything that I commanded <i>you</i> ; <n>The ‘you’ here refers to the eleven (see verse 16), so they were to pass down all the commands that Jesus had given them. To be a disciple of Jesus you have to do everything that Jesus had commanded the eleven to do—this includes healing and casting out demons, as well as preaching the Gospel.</n> and take note, I am with you every day, until the end of the age!” Amen.


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A beginning <n>There is no definite article with ‘beginning’; and of course the other three Gospels have different ‘beginnings’.</n> of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God! <n>There is no definite article with ‘Son’, which in this case emphasizes the inherent quality of the noun.</n> 


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<i> John the Baptizer</i> As it is written in the prophets <n>Around 3.3% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Isaiah the prophet’ instead of ‘the prophets’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). The 96.7% are correct.</n> —“Take note, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” <n>See Malachi 3:1.</n> 


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“A voice calling out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD , make His paths straight!’” <n>See Isaiah 40:3. My rendering follows that of the translation of the Jewish Publication Society, which reflects normal Hebrew parallelism.</n> —


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John started baptizing in the wilderness <n>He was ‘preparing the way of the Lord’, and doing so in the wilderness.</n> and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. <n>There are those who squirm at the plain meaning of the Text—John was offering forgiveness of sins. Well, throughout the Old Testament, if you brought an animal offering you were confessing to being a sinner, and expecting to be forgiven. As forerunner to the Lamb of God, who would provide the ultimate payment for sin, John represented a transition, from the old to the new.</n> 


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Well the whole Judean countryside and the Jerusalemites started going out to him, and were all being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.


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Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist; and he was eating locusts and wild honey.


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And he was proclaiming: “After me my Superior is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.


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I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with Holy Spirit.” <n>There is no definite article with Holy Spirit, so I take it that we should consider the phrase as a proper name. Two baptisms are here contrasted: 1) John the agent with water as the vehicle; 2) Jesus the agent with the Holy Spirit as the vehicle. A baptism where the Holy Spirit is the agent is distinct from these. But how and when does Jesus baptize us with the Holy Spirit? He does so from His position at the Father’s right hand, when we believe into Him.</n> 


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<i> Jesus is baptized</i> Well it happened in those days that Jesus came from Natsareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.


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And immediately upon coming up from <n>Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘out of’ instead of ‘from’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> the water He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him.


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And a Voice came from the heavens: “You are my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased!” <n>Here we have the three persons of the Godhead clearly represented: the Father by the Voice, the Holy Spirit by the dove, and Jesus was the Son. This was doubtless an important affirmation for Jesus.</n> 


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And He was there in the wilderness forty days being tested <n>Our ‘test’ and ‘tempt’ are translations of a single Greek word, the context determining the choice. To tempt is to test in the area of morals. In this context I consider that ‘tempt’ is too limited.</n> by Satan, and was with the wild animals; <n>The Creator had nothing to fear from the animals.</n> and the angels were ministering to Him.


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<i> Jesus ministers in Galilee</i> Now after John was put in prison, <n>This was probably around a year after His baptism, during the second half of 27 AD.</n> Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom <n>Some 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘of the Kingdom’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> of God,


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and saying: “The time has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has approached. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” <n>John, His herald, is in prison—his ministry and function have ended. So Jesus takes up John’s message and continues with it.</n> 


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<i> Peter, Andrew, James, John</i> Then as He was walking beside the Sea of Galilee He saw Simon and Andrew his brother, of Simon, <n>Some 90% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘his brother, of Simon’—presumably a reference to their father. If Peter was the eldest son, he would have been named for his father.</n> casting a circular net onto the water, <n>Fishing with a circular net is very common here in Brazil. You have to throw it with a circular motion so it spreads out and lands on the water as a full circle. The lead weights around the edges then start sinking and hopefully some fish will be caught in the middle.</n> for they were fishermen.


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So Jesus said to them: “Come, follow me and I will turn you into fishers of men”. <n>They had already spent time with Jesus—the wedding in Cana, in Judea, in Samaria—so their reaction is not surprising.</n> 


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At once they left their nets <n>They had an assortment. They probably also had hired men (v. 20), so their equipment would be cared for.</n> and followed Him.


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And going on from there a little ways He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat mending their nets.


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Right away He called them, and leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men they followed Him.


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<i> A demonized man</i> Then they went into Capernaum. <n>By this time Jesus had been rejected in Natsareth (Luke 4:16-30) and had moved to Capernaum, that became His base of operations (Luke 4:31-32).</n> The very next Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.


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And they kept on being amazed at His teaching, because He was teaching them as one having authority, and not like the scribes. <n>Presumably the scribes would cite ‘authorities’ for more than one position, and leave the conclusion up in the air—but not Jesus.</n> 


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saying: “Hey, what do you want with us, Jesus Natsarene?! <n>The name of the town in Hebrew is based on the consonants ר צ נ (<i>resh, tsadde, nun</i>), but since Hebrew is read from right to left, for us the order is reversed = n, ts, r. This word root means ‘branch’. Greek has the equivalent for ‘ps’ and ‘ks’, but not for ‘ts’, so the transliteration used a ζ (<i>zeta</i>) ‘dz’, which is the voiced counterpart of ‘ts’. But when the Greek was transliterated into English it came out as ‘z’! But Hebrew has a ‘z’, ז (<i>zayin</i>), so in transliterating back into Hebrew people assumed the consonants ר ז נ , replacing the correct <i>tsadde</i> with <i>zayin</i>. Neither ‘Nazareth’ nor ‘Nazarene’, spelled with a <i>zayin</i>, is to be found in the Old Testament, but there is a prophetic reference to Messiah as the Branch, <i>netser</i>—Isaiah 11:1—and several to the related word, <i>tsemach</i>—Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12. So Matthew (2:23) is quite right—the prophets (plural, being at least three) referred to Christ as the Branch. Since Jesus was a man, He would be the ‘Branch-man’, from ‘Branch-town’. Which brings us to the word ‘natsorean’. The familiar ‘Nazarene’ (Ναζαρηνος ) [Natsarene] occurs in Mark 1:24, 14:67, 16:6 and Luke 4:34, but in Matthew 2:23 and in fourteen other places, including Acts 22:8 where the glorified Jesus calls Himself that, the word is ‘Natsorean’ (Ναζωραιος ), which is quite different. I have been given to understand that the Natsareth of Jesus’ day had been founded some 100 years before by a Branch family who called it Branch town; they were very much aware of the prophecies about the Branch and fully expected the Messiah to be born from among them—they called themselves Branch-people (Natsoreans). Of course everyone else thought it was a big joke and tended to look down on them. “Can anything good . . . ?”</n> Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”


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So Jesus rebuked him saying: “Shut up and get out of him!” <n>The demon had no business piping up, and he did so without due respect, so the Lord didn’t waste any kind words on him.</n> 


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The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. <n>Demons like to put on a show; but it could be counter-productive, if it only serves to impress people with God’s power.</n> 


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And all were astounded, so that they questioned among themselves, saying: “What is this? What can this new doctrine be? <n>Instead of ‘what can this new doctrine be’, perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘a new doctrine’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.).</n> Because with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”


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<i> Peter’s mother-in-law</i> Immediately upon exiting the synagogue they went into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.


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Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down with a fever, <n>The parallel passage in Luke 4:37 specifies that it was a high fever—she was burning.</n> so without delay they told Him about her.


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So He went and grasping her hand lifted her up; immediately the fever left her and she began to serve them. <n>A high fever usually leaves a person weak, even after it passes, so we really have a double miracle here: Jesus dismissed the fever, but also reversed its effect.</n> 


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<i> Many healings</i> That evening, when the sun had set, they started bringing to Him all who were sick and the demonized.


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and He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew He was Messiah. <n>I here follow some 40% of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission; most versions omit “He was Messiah”.</n> 


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<i> Alone to pray</i> Now very early, still night, He got up, slipped out, and went off to a solitary place, where He was praying.


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But He said to them: “Let us go to the neighboring towns, so I can preach there also; that is why I have come.” <n>I here follow some 40% of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission; most versions have ‘come forth’, presumably referring to why He had slipped out of town.</n> 


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He was constantly preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and also casting out demons.


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<i> The hinge—proof, evaluation, rejection, blasphemy A leper—the proof</i> A leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling before Him and saying to Him, “If you want to, you are able to cleanse me”.


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So being moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, <n>Wow! In those days, no one would touch a leper, because of contamination. Notice that Jesus agreed with the leper: “I want to; be cleansed!” Beautiful!</n> and said to him: “I want to; be cleansed!”


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by saying: “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing the things that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” <n>This would be the first case the priest had ever had of evaluating a cleansed leper, because only the Messiah could cure leprosy. By instructing the cleansed leper in this way, Jesus was serving notice to the priests that the Messiah had come.</n> 


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However he went out and began to proclaim it freely, spreading the news, <n>But he did go to the priest, which resulted in the following evaluation—Luke makes this point clearly in his parallel account. That said, however, I can sympathize with that leper—he had good reason to sound off! But it did increase the pressure on Jesus.</n> so that He was no longer able to enter a town openly, but remained outside in deserted places; yet they kept coming to Him from all over. <n>There were an awful lot of sick people who all of a sudden had hope.</n> 


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<i> A paralytic—the evaluation</i> Well a few days later, He again entered Capernaum, and it was heard that He was at home.


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Without delay so many were gathered together that there was no more room, not even around the door, and He was speaking the Word to them.


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And not being able to get near Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof where He was; <n>The roof was presumably flat, with an outside staircase leading up to it. I suppose damaging someone else’s roof could be considered a crime, but they were determined. If Jesus was in His own house, there would be no problem.</n> upon breaking through they lowered the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.


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Immediately Jesus perceived in His spirit what they were reasoning within themselves <n>Time and again the Inspired Record will point out that Jesus could read people’s thoughts.</n> and said to them: “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?


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Which is easier: <n>I suppose the point to be that the first is easier to <b>say</b>, because no one can see whether it happened or not. But if you tell a paralytic to get up and he doesn’t, you get egg on the face. The Lord did it that way to help them believe that He could really forgive sin. There was nothing wrong with the scribes’ inference; indeed only God can forgive sin, so in fact Jesus was claiming to be God!</n> to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins have been forgiven’, or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your pallet and start walking!’?


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But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—He says to the paralytic:


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So forthwith he got up, picked up his pallet and went out in front of them all; so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw <i>anything</i> like this!” <n>Quite right; they never had!</n> 


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<i> Matthew called</i> Then He went out again by the sea; and the whole crowd came to Him, and He began to teach them.


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As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow me”. So he got up and followed Him.


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Now it happened, as He was reclining at the table in his house, <n>Matthew’s—he evidently put on a big dinner and invited all his associates.</n> that many tax collectors and sinners <n>‘Tax collectors and sinners’ seems to have been almost a frozen idiom. A Jew who collected taxes for Rome was viewed as a traitor and held in very low esteem.</n> joined Jesus and His disciples at the table; for there were many and they followed Him.


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The scribes and the Pharisees, seeing Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, said to His disciples, “Why is it that He is eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners?”


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Upon hearing it Jesus said to them: “It is not the healthy who have need of a doctor, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” <n>Perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘to repentance’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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<i> Fasting</i> Now John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?”


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So Jesus said to them: “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom to themselves they cannot fast.


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But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast, in those days. <n>Some 15% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘day’ instead of ‘days’ (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.), but obviously the fasting would take place on more than one day.</n> 


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<i> Cloth and wineskins</i> “Further, no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new tears away some of the old, and a worse hole results.


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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine spills out and the skins will be ruined; rather, new wine must be put into new wineskins.” <n>There is no way of renewing an old wineskin. Whenever a church becomes an ‘old wineskin’, any introduction of new wine will always cause a split.</n> 


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<i> Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath <n>Between verses 22 and 23 all of John chapter 5 takes place—that chapter revolves around the second Passover of His public ministry, in 28 A.D. A year and a half have passed since His baptism.</n> </i> Now it happened, on a Sabbath, that He was passing through some grain fields, and His disciples began to make a path, picking the heads of grain.


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So the Pharisees said to Him, “Just look, why are they doing on a Sabbath that which is not permitted?”


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And He said to them: “Did you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him?


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How he entered the house of God (making Abiathar high priest) <n>My rendering is rather different than the ‘in the days of Abiathar the high priest’ of the AV. We are translating three Greek words that very literally would be ‘upon Abiathar high priest’. When we go back to the Old Testament account, we discover that David actually conversed with Ahimelech, Abiathar’s father, who was the high priest at that moment (1 Samuel 21:1-9). Within a few days Saul massacred Ahimelech and 84 other priests (1 Samuel 22:16-18), but his son Abiathar escaped and went to David, taking the ephod with him (1 Samuel 22:20-23; 23:6). That David could use it to inquire of the LORD rather suggests that it had to be the ephod that only the high priest wore (1 Samuel 23:9-12). That ephod was to a high priest like the crown was to a king; so how could Abiathar have it? The Text states that David’s visit filled Ahimelech with fear, presumably because he too saw Doeg the Edomite and figured what would happen. Now why wasn’t Abiathar taken with the others? I suggest that Ahimelech had a pretty good idea what would happen, so he deliberately consecrated Abiathar, gave him the ephod, and told him to hide; Abiathar escaped, but carried the news of the massacre with him; only now he was the high priest. Putting it all together, it was David’s visit that resulted in Abiathar’s becoming high priest prematurely, as David himself recognized, and to which Jesus alluded.</n> and ate the consecrated bread, which only priests are permitted to eat, and shared it with those who were with him?”


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Then He said to them: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. <n>This is a crucial point. The Pharisees, etc., had turned the Sabbath into an instrument of domination that they used to impose their authority on the people.</n> 


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Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” <n>The Lord of the Sabbath can change the rules, or even retire it!</n> 


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<i> A Sabbath healing—the rejection</i> Another time He went into the synagogue, and there was a man there with a withered hand.


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So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.


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Then He said to them: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.


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After looking around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts, <n>They had no compassion, no <i>agape</i>; their only concern was to preserve their system, their position and authority.</n> He says to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” So he stretched, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other! <n>Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘as healthy as the other’, as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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Then the Pharisees went straight out, and with the Herodians <n>Pharisees and Herodians were political opponents, so this was a strange alliance; evidently they perceived Jesus as a common enemy; such a serious enemy that He needed destroying.</n> started hatching a plot against Him, how they might destroy Him.


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<i> Healings by the sea</i> Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea; and a large crowd from Galilee followed Him—also from Judea,


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from Jerusalem, from Idumea and beyond Jordan; even those around Tyre and Sidon. A huge crowd came to Him, having heard the sorts of things He kept doing.


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So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the crowd, lest they should press in on Him.


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Because He had healed many, so that as many as had afflictions were pushing toward Him so as to touch Him.


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And the unclean spirits—whenever one saw Him, he would fall down before Him and cry out, saying, “You are the son of God!”


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And He kept giving them strict orders that they should not make Him known. <n>I wonder why the demons felt compelled to proclaim who Jesus was, evidently. I would say that He generally has the opposite problem with us!</n> 


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<i> The Twelve chosen</i> He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He wanted, and they came to Him.


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He appointed twelve, <n>Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, add ‘whom He also named apostles’, presumably imported from Luke 6:13, to be followed by NIV, LB, TEV, etc.</n> that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach


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—also to have authority to heal sicknesses and <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘to heal diseases and’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> to cast out demons:


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James son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (and a name He gave to them was Boanerges, that is, ‘Sons of thunder’);


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Andrew, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;


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Then they went into a house; <n>This may well have been His own house in Capernaum. If He were in someone else’s house, the hosts could have protected Him so He could at least eat.</n> and again a multitude gathered, so that they were not even able to eat bread.


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Well upon hearing this His family came to apprehend Him, because they were saying, “He is out of his mind!”


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<i> Scribes blaspheme the Holy Spirit</i> Then some scribes who had come down from Jerusalem <n>They had come all the way to Galilee, just to combat Jesus.</n> started saying, “He has Beelzebub”, and “It is by the ruler of the demons that he casts out demons”.


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No one can plunder the strong man’s goods, <n>Since the definite article occurs with ‘strong man’ the first time the phrase occurs, the entity has already been introduced, so the reference is to Satan. Here is a biblical basis for binding Satan, which is now possible because of Christ’s victory. Hebrews 2:14 informs us that Jehovah the Son took on human form to destroy the devil, while 1 John 3:8 affirms that He was manifested to undo the works of the devil. But in John 20:21 the resurrected Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so send I you”, and not long after that He returned to the Father. He defeated Satan alright, but it is up to us to ‘undo the works’.</n> invading his house, unless he first binds the strong man—then he may plunder the house.


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“Assuredly I say to you: all the sins of the sons of men can be forgiven, including whatever blasphemies they may utter;


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but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, read ‘sin’ instead of ‘condemnation’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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—because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit”. <n>Those scribes committed the unpardonable sin.</n> 


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<i> Jesus goes on the offensive New relationships</i> Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.


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A crowd was sitting around Him; so they said to Him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and your sisters <n>The reference to ‘sisters’ makes clear that the ‘brothers’ were indeed Mary’s sons. Some 30% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘and your sisters’ (as in TR, AV and NKJV).</n> are outside asking for you”.


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And looking around at those seated in a circle around Him He said: “Behold my mother and my brothers!


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Because whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, my sister, my mother.” <n>The claims of Christ’s Kingdom are more important than the claims of one’s family.</n> 


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<i> Many parables</i> Once again He began to teach beside the sea. And a large crowd was gathered to Him, so that He got into the boat and sat down, out on the water, while the whole crowd was on the land, at the water’s edge.


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And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell along the path, and the birds <n>The AV and NKJV add ‘of the air’, following the TR and perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts.</n> came and devoured it.


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Some fell on the rocky area where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of soil.


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And some fell into the good ground, and coming up and growing it started to produce fruit—yielding thirty times as much, sixty times as much, even a hundred times as much.”


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<i> The why of parables</i> But when He was alone, those who were around Him, with the twelve, <n>Evidently there were some regular followers beyond the twelve. In fact, later on He would send out seventy, two by two.</n> asked Him about the parable.


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So He said to them: “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, everything is being given in parables,


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so that: ‘Seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; so that they should not return and their sins be forgiven them’.” <n>See Isaiah 6:9-10. Jesus only started using parables after He had been rejected by the religious leaders. As Jesus clearly states, He started using parables so the people would not understand. (Any claim that Jesus was a ‘great teacher’ based on His use of parables is just hot air.)</n> 


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<i> ‘The sower’ explained</i> Then He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?


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These are the ones where the Word is sown along the path: as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts. <n>This statement is really a continuation of that given in Mark 3:27. The Lord Jesus declares that it is impossible to steal Satan’s goods unless we bind him first. (From His use of “no one” it seems clear that the Lord is enunciating a general principle or truth.) And what might the nature of those “goods” be? In the context (see Matthew 12:22-24) Jesus had delivered someone from a demon that caused blindness and dumbness, and in their comments the scribes and Pharisees include other instances where Jesus had expelled demons—it seems clear that the “goods” are people who are subject to Satan’s power, in one way or another. Thus we have the same essential truth as that declared in Acts 26:18—we have to do something about Satan’s power over a person so that he or she can be saved! But what does Satan do to people that makes it necessary to “bind” him?We find the answer in 2 Corinthians 4:4. Let’s begin with verse 3: “If our gospel is veiled it is veiled to them who are perishing, in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine in them.” The Text clearly states that Satan, ‘the god of this world’, is in the business of blinding the minds of unbelievers when they hear the Gospel, so they won’t understand, so they won’t be convicted, so they won’t repent and convert. This is a terrible truth, the most terrible truth in the world, at least as I see it. The enemy has access to our minds, access in the sense that he has the power or ability to invade them, whether by introducing thoughts or by jamming our reasoning. The Lord Jesus declared this truth when He explained the parable of the sower. “These are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown; but, as soon as they hear it Satan comes and takes away the Word that was planted in their hearts” (Mark 4:15). In the parallel passage in Luke 8:12 Jesus adds the following words: “lest they believe and be saved”. Note that the Word is already in the mind or heart of the person, but then Satan comes, invades the mind and “takes away” that Word. I’m not sure just how this intrusion by the enemy works, perhaps he causes a mental block of some sort, but the practical effect is that the Word becomes ineffective, as if the person hadn’t even heard it.</n> 


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Similarly, these are the ones sown on the rocky area: as soon as they hear the Word they receive it with joy,


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but since they have no root in themselves they are temporary—when oppression or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away. <n>Note that with both the stones and the thorns, the seed did germinate; there was life.</n> 


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but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the undue desires for other things come in and smother the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.


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And these are the ones sown on the good ground: such people hear the Word, welcome it and produce fruit—thirty times as much, sixty times as much, even a hundred times as much.”


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<i> The candlestick</i> Also He said to them: “The lamp is not brought to be put under a box <n>The reference is to a peck measure, whether a box or a basket (or a basin).</n> or under a bed, is it? Is it not to be placed on its stand?


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For there is no ‘hidden’ that may not be exposed, nor has anything been concealed but that it should come to light.


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Then He said to them: “Pay attention to what you hear. With the same measure you use it will be measured to you in return; and to you who hear, <n>Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘to you who hear’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. The phrase is relevant to verse 25.</n> more will be added.


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Because whoever has, to him more will be given; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” <n>To stand still spiritually is not an available option. Either we grow, or we lose. Spiritual growth is like riding up an incline on a bicycle with no brakes—if you stop pedaling . . . .</n> 


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<i> Spontaneous growth</i> He also said: “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter the seed on the ground


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and should sleep and get up night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.


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All by itself the earth produces fruit: first a shoot, then a head of grain, then full grain in the head.


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But as soon as the grain is ready, he sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” <n>We don’t have to understand how God works; we just have to do our part, and the harvest will come.</n> 


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<i> The mustard seed</i> Again He said: “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or with what sort of parable should we illustrate it?


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It is like a mustard seed, that when it is sown on the ground is the smallest of all such seeds, <n>The rendering ‘the smallest seed in the world/earth’ is unfortunate and misleading. The Text has ‘of those on the ground’, repeating the phrase above it, only eliding the verb. The Lord was not making a global botanical statement, as the next verse makes clear—He was referring to vegetables planted in a garden in His day and in that area, and of such herbs mustard had the smallest seed. To object that tobacco and orchid seeds are smaller is beside the point.</n> 


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yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs and produces big branches, so that the birds of the air are able to rest in its shade.” <n>The verb I have rendered ‘to rest’ is a compound form. The noun root refers to a temporary shelter, like a tent or a hut. The verbal form means to make use of such a shelter. Here the preposition <i>kata</i> is prefixed to the verb, emphasizing, as I suppose, the temporariness. The Text says that the birds can use the shade, not the branches. But shade moves with the sun, and with the wind—how can you build a nest in something that keeps moving around (the Text actually says ‘under its shade’)?</n> 


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But apart from a parable He did not speak to them; privately, however, He would explain everything to His disciples.


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<i> A supernatural tempest</i> On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go across to the other side”.


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Since He was already in the boat, <n>Going back to 4:1, He was already in the boat. I would say that the explanations recorded in 4:10-20 actually happened later.</n> they took off with Him, leaving the crowd behind (other little boats were also with Him). <n>I don’t know why Mark mentions the other boats—maybe some of the crowd had come in them. In any case, they evidently did not follow Him across the lake.</n> 


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Well a strong cyclonic wind came up, such that the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling up.


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But <i>He</i> was on the poop deck, sleeping on the cushion; <n>In keeping with the size of the boat, the poop deck was probably just big enough for someone to lie down on it. Jesus wasn’t down in the boat or He would already be covered with water. He was so worn out that not even the storm aroused Him—they probably had to shake Him.</n> so they awakened Him and said to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?” <n>There were professional fishermen in that boat, who had seen no end of storms on that lake, but this one was unusual. Satan saw where Jesus was heading and didn’t want to lose his prize victim, so he made a valiant effort to stop Him.</n> 


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Then, having been awakened, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Shut up; be muzzled!” So the wind stopped and there was a complete calm. <n>Jesus performed a double miracle here. First, He made the wind stop short. But once water is agitated, it takes a while to calm down, even if the cause is gone, so second, He smoothed out the water immediately.</n> 


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And He said to them: “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” <n>Jesus is evidently saying that they should not have been afraid, and that they themselves could have solved the problem—if they had the faith.</n> 


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They were terrified and started saying to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!?” <n>Well really, what were the options?—human being, angelic being (good or bad), God. Who can turn water into wine, cleanse lepers, raise dead, feed 5,000 with five loaves, etc.?</n> 


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<i> The ‘legion’</i> Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gadarenes. <n>A small handful (0.3%) of objectively inferior Greek manuscripts have ‘Gerasenes’ instead of ‘Gadarenes’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Gadara being the Roman capital of the province of Perara, located some six miles from the Sea of Galilee, ‘the region of the Gadarenes’ is a perfectly reasonable description of the site, especially since Mark was writing for a Roman audience.</n> 


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And when He got out of the boat, right away a man with an unclean spirit met Him, coming from the tombs


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because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, only to have had the chains torn apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; no one had been strong enough to tame him.


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Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. <n>Here in Brazil, where Spiritism and Satanism are out in the open, this sort of thing is well known. The demons ‘heal’ the victims so they don’t become incapacitated.</n> 


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When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and kneeled down to Him, <n>I find this to be curious: this was an unusually powerful demon, yet he kneeled to Jesus, whereas many lesser ones evidently did not.</n> 


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and with a loud cry he said: “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, <n>Now really, a demon appealing to God! Since he had recognized, correctly, that Jesus was ‘Son of the Most High God’, he was appealing to Him through His Father—pretty shrewd! (I assume that he had been informed that the attempt to destroy Jesus with the storm had failed.)</n> don’t torment me!”


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Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “Legion <n>A full Roman legion was 6,000 men, but many legions had only half that many. On the basis of verse 13, one wonders if there could have been 2,000 demons. This being the only recorded instance where Jesus asked a demon’s name, I wonder why He did. Since He presumably already knew, I take it that He did it so we would have a record of demonic infestation. I see no basis here for needing to know a demon’s name before you can cast it out.</n> is my name, because we are many”.


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He started begging Him repeatedly that He would not send them out of that region. <n>Demons are territorial. (See also Daniel 10.)</n> 


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So all the demons <n>Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘all the demons’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. (except that some supply ‘the demons’, but not ‘all’).</n> begged Him saying, “Send us into the pigs, so that we may enter them”.


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And forthwith Jesus gave them permission; and coming out the unclean spirits went into the pigs (there were about two thousand); but the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned by the sea. <n>For the demons to destroy the herd would be self-defeating; I take it that the pigs preferred death to demons (animals often show better sense than people). Since the Law forbad eating pork, presumably Jesus was not particularly disturbed (and I suppose it is possible that He Himself stampeded the pigs).</n> 


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So those who were tending the pigs ran off and reported it in the town and the country-side. And they went out to see what it was that had happened.


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They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demonized, who had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.


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Then they began to implore Him to depart from their borders. <n>So far as we know, Jesus never went back there. The loss of the pigs was a hard blow to the local economy, so Jesus was obviously a ‘dangerous’ person to have around.</n> 


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Well upon His getting into the boat, the man who had been demonized started begging Him that he might be with Him.


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But Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your family and report to them how much the Lord <n>Note that the Text has ‘the Lord’, not ‘God’—since Jesus presumably was speaking Hebrew, He probably used God’s personal name, Jehovah, to give that translation. In verse 20 the man credits ‘Jesus’.</n> has done for you; and He had mercy on you”.


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So he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all were marveling.


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Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.


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<i> A hemorrhage and a dead girl</i> And then, one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, comes, and upon finding Him he falls at His feet


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and pleads earnestly with Him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; do come and lay your hands on her <n>This sort of thing happened more than once; the Jews evidently believed that His physical presence was necessary.</n> so that she may be saved, and she will live”.


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and had suffered many things under many doctors, and had spent all that she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse—


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(She had kept saying, “If I can just touch His clothes, I will be healed”.) <n>The street was packed with people; the crowed was on both sides of Jesus, as well as behind. So she had to push her way forward, and no doubt got plenty of dirty looks, and maybe a few elbows—it would have been easy to give up, but she kept repeating her expectation to herself to keep up her courage (and she was desperate).</n> 


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Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she knew in her body that she was healed from the affliction.


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And instantly Jesus perceived within Himself that some power had gone out of Him, and turning around in the crowd He said, “Who touched my clothes?”


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So His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’?”


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So the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. <n>That wasn’t easy, in front of the crowd.</n> 


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And He said to her: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go into peace <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘into’ not ‘in’. To go in peace is to leave on good terms, no hard feelings. But what might going into peace be? I would say that you take the peace with you; you live within an atmosphere of peace. Now that is a proper ‘blessing’!</n> and be healed from your affliction.”


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<i> The dead girl</i> While He was still speaking, they came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying: “Your daughter died. Why trouble the teacher further?”


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But immediately upon hearing the spoken message Jesus said to the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe!”


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He allowed no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. <n>At this point He told the crowd to stop, so He could proceed at a brisk pace, accompanied only by the three disciples and the father (the messengers doubtless followed).</n> 


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So upon entering He said to them: “Why are you making such a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but is asleep.”


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But they started ridiculing Him. After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother, and those with Him, <n>Peter was there, and he helped Mark write this Gospel.</n> and went in where the child was lying.


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And taking the child by the hand He said to her, “Talitha koumi”, which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”


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Immediately the girl got up and started walking around (she was twelve years old). And they were overcome with great amazement.


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He gave them strict orders that no one should know about it, and said to give her something to eat. <n>Nothing like being practical! It had doubtless been a while since the last decent meal.</n> 


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<i> A visit to Natsareth</i> Then He went out from there and came to His hometown, <n>It had probably been over a year since they tried to kill Him (Luke 4:28-30), and He now had a significant ‘body guard’.</n> and His disciples followed Him.


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And when the Sabbath came He began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard were astonished, saying: “Where did this man get these things? What wisdom is this that is given to him? Such mighty works are being performed by his hands!


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Isn’t this the carpenter, <n>They call Jesus ‘the carpenter’, so Joseph had died.</n> the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” <n>I placed all the statements within a single set of quotes, but they probably came from different people. Four brothers are named, and ‘sisters’ is plural, so there were at least two of them. After Jesus, Joseph and Mary had a full family.</n> So they took offense at Him.


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But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, among his relatives, even in his own house”. <n>In fact, His brothers didn’t believe in Him until after His resurrection (John 7:3-5).</n> 


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He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.


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<i> The Twelve commissioned and sent</i> Then He summoned the twelve and began to send them out, two by two, giving them authority over the unclean spirits as He did so.


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And He commanded them to take nothing for the road, except just a staff—no knapsack, no bread, no coin in the belt—


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And He said to them: “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from that place. <n>Jesus was obliging the disciples to be dependent on others for food and lodging, since they were not to take money—if no one fed them, they would go hungry; if no one took them in, they would have to sleep under a tree. How many of us would follow such instructions?</n> 


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And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet as a testimony against them. <n>Note that this is a command. Paul did this at least once (Acts 13:51), and the Lord Jesus Himself gave the example (Matthew 11:23-24), except that He spoke the curse. (I have had occasion to do it.)</n> Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than for that city.” <n>Perhaps 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit the last sentence of verse 11, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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<i> Herod had executed John the Baptizer</i> Now King Herod heard <i>of Him</i> , because His name had become well known, and he said, “John the Baptizer has been raised from the dead, and that is why the powers are at work in him”.


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But when Herod heard he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” <n>Do you suppose Herod had a guilty conscience?</n> 


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You see, Herod himself had ordered John arrested, and bound him in prison, on account of Herodias, his brother Phillip’s wife; because he had married her


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—John had kept saying to Herod, “It isn’t lawful for you to have your brother’s wife”. <n>A coward John was not.</n> 


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So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him; <n>I suppose that Herodias was ambitious and figured that Herod offered more than did Phillip, so it was probably she that took the initiative; but she hadn’t counted on John being a persistent and vocal ‘conscience’.</n> but she couldn’t,


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because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a just and holy man. And consulting him he would do many things; <n>I here follow the best line of transmission, albeit representing only 20% of the Greek manuscripts, that has ‘consulting’ in the present tense; the rest, followed by all versions, have the verb in the past. But the immediately following ‘he would do many things’ is attested by over 99%—a mere handful (0.4%) have ‘greatly disturbed/very perplexed’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.), but why then did Herod hear John with pleasure, and why was he ‘very sorry’ (verse 26)? But what sorts of things would Herod take to John for his opinion? I suggest that Herod used John as a sounding board for administrative problems, and since he often followed his advice, he had an unusually good administration, there for a while. That’s why he was genuinely sorry to lose John.</n> indeed, he would hear him with pleasure.


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Then an opportune day came when on his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his courtiers, the military commanders, and the chief men of Galilee.


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When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those reclining with him, the king said, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you”.


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He even swore to her, “Whatever you may ask me I will give you, up to half of my kingdom!” <n>Herod had doubtless already drunk more than was good for him (he had probably started before the banquet), so his judgment was impaired. The girl’s request sobered him up—too late.</n> 


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So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And <i>she</i> said, “The head of John the Baptist!”


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Hurrying in directly to the king she requested, saying, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter!”


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Though the king became very sorry, because of his oaths, and of his guests, he did not want to refuse her.


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Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded the head to be brought. So he went and beheaded him in the prison,


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brought the head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. <n>What effect do you suppose all that had on the party? The sight of that gory head would be enough to turn anyone’s stomach. (And I wonder what she did with the head.)</n> 


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Upon hearing of it, his disciples came, removed the corpse and placed it in a tomb. <n>If I were one of those disciples I probably would have been just a little dissatisfied with God—how could He permit His servant to suffer such a ridiculous and humiliating death? God is under no obligation to explain Himself.</n> 


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<i> The Twelve return</i> Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and reported all to Him, both what they had done and what they had taught.


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Because so many were coming and going that they did not even have leisure to eat, He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile”.


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But many saw them going and recognized them, <n>There is an even split in the attestation; half the Greek manuscripts have ‘them’ and the other half ‘him’, but the best line of transmission has ‘them’. Consider: if the fishing boat were setting out to fish, there would not be 13 men in it; also, the boat was known and there was only one large group of men like that going around together; the people would not have to single out Jesus to know who they were. So ‘them’ is correct.</n> and they ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived before them and came together to Him. <n>Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘and came together to Him’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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Well upon disembarking Jesus saw a large crowd <n>Let’s try to get the picture. There is a large bay between Capernaum and Tiberias, the ‘mouth’ being some ten miles across. Just from the direction the boat took, many people would have a pretty good idea where they were headed. Unless there was a good tailwind, and especially if they had to row, people on the shore could easily outrun the boat, even covering a greater distance. Much like a modern marathon, the people would be scattered out along the shore for several miles, and any stragglers could follow the action. The front runners got ahead of the boat, and the followers were strung out, so wherever the boat put in, there would be people waiting; any who had gone too far would just double back. But people kept arriving and the crowd kept getting bigger (by the end of the day there were 5,000 men, plus women and children). The crowd frustrated the plan, but instead of being angry, Jesus felt compassion. [I’m afraid I often do just the opposite.]</n> and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and He began to teach them many things.


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When it was late in the day, His disciples came to Him and said: “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.


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Send them away so they may go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.” <n>This was an obvious cop-out; the surrounding area would not have enough extra bread to feed 10,000 people (or more).</n> 


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But in reply He said to them, “You feed them!” <n>They had no way of expecting such a response, since humanly speaking it was ridiculously impossible. In the end, the solution did pass through their hands, but unless Jesus was joking (which I doubt), He was telling them to perform the miracle, before they had seen it done.</n> They say to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and feed them?”


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So He says to them: “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they knew they said, “Five, and two fish”.


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And taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to His disciples to serve the people; <n>Let’s pause and recall the scene. The Sacred Text affirms that there were about five thousand men, <b>without counting the women and children</b>. Now then, whenever you see a crowd of people, what is there usually the most of—isn’t it women and children? In other words, I suppose that crowd was made up of at least 15,000 people. Okay, now try to imagine that you are one of those twelve disciples and you have just heard the Master say: “<b>You</b> feed them!” Now what? Did the disciples have anything? As a matter of fact, no. They had neither money (which wouldn’t have helped much since they were a long way from town) nor food. Even the five loaves and two fish belonged to somebody else. Can it be that Jesus was playing a joke on them, or was He serious? I don’t know, but I prefer to think that He would not make a joke out of such a situation. But if He was serious, how could the disciples obey? Only with a miracle. In fact, they couldn’t see a solution and gave the problem back to Jesus to solve; which He did. But did Jesus Himself hand the bread and fish to the crowd? No. Let’s think about that scene a little more and we’ll see that the disciples still had to exercise faith.The Record affirms that they all ate until they were “full” or “satisfied”. It wasn’t just a little something to tide them over. Have you ever considered how much bread and fish it would take to fill 15,000 people (who had gone without lunch)? It seems to me certain that when Jesus blessed and broke those loaves and fish there was not an instant multiplication such that there was enough for everybody; the tremendous pile would have buried Jesus, the disciples and the closest of the people! Really. Just stop and think about it. It must not have been instantaneous. When Jesus placed some bread and fish in the hands of each disciple that’s all there was, up to that moment.Now then, try to imagine that you are one of those disciples with a handful of bread and fish, and you have to feed at least a thousand people (12 disciples and 15,000 people). Can you picture it? Wouldn’t you feel just a little ridiculous taking that first step toward the crowd? Somehow the disciples find the courage and approach the people. The first one helps himself and, wonder of wonders, the supply is undiminished! The second one helps himself and the supply is unchanged. It was never used up—as they went around distributing, the food kept multiplying. If they had tired and stopped in the middle, half the people would have stayed hungry. If the disciples had decided to eat first, I rather imagine that the miracle would have been frustrated and the crowd would have gone hungry. The disciples ate last but they ate very well, thank you very much! (Have you ever tried eating a bushel of bread?)</n> He also divided the two fish among them all.


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And they <n>It probably was not the disciples who did the picking up, at least not by themselves. Also, those twelve baskets of pieces did not go with the disciples when they left.</n> picked up twelve full baskets of broken pieces; also of the fish. <n>The large baskets were probably borrowed from fishing boats near by (see the parallel accounts). Maybe the owners got their baskets back with interest!</n> 


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There were five thousand men who ate the loaves. <n>The term here refers exclusively to males, so with the women and children the crowd was doubtless over 10,000.</n> 


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<i> Jesus retires to pray</i> Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.


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<i> A walk on water</i> Now when evening had passed, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.


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And He saw <n>It was night, and they were about eight miles away, so this was supernatural vision.</n> them straining at rowing, because the wind was against them. Well about the fourth watch of the night <n>That was 3 a.m.!</n> He comes to them walking on the water, and would have passed by them; <n>They had been rowing for at least nine hours, and when Jesus sent them off He presumably knew what was going to happen. (We should not be surprised if God does similar things with us.) He obviously intended for them to see Him, otherwise He would not have come near enough. But He did not go straight at the boat, but was walking off to one side. Just why He did it that way, the Text doesn’t say, but from the parallel accounts we know that it gave Peter a chance to try a walk, and as soon as He got in the boat it was transported several miles to the shore.</n> 


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Because they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke with them and said: “Have courage! It is I; don’t be afraid.”


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Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were totally astounded within themselves, and kept marveling.


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<i> In Genesaret</i> After they had crossed over, they came to the land of Genesaret and anchored there.


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and running about that whole surrounding region they began to carry about on their pallets those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.


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Wherever He entered—into villages, towns, or country-side—they would place the sick in the marketplaces, and they would beg Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment; and all who touched Him were healed. <n>Wow!</n> 


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<i> Jesus rebuts scribes and Pharisees</i> Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him, having come from Jerusalem.


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And upon seeing some of His disciples eating bread with ‘unclean’—that is, ceremonially unwashed—hands, they found fault.


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(Because the Pharisees, indeed all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding to the tradition of the elders.


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When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things they have received and hold—washings of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and couches.)


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Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, <n>They used tradition as an instrument of domination, to control the people. Jesus was challenging that control.</n> but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”


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So in answer He said to them: “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it stands written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.


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But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ <n>See Isaiah 29:13.</n> 


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Because having left the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men—washings of pitchers and cups, and many other similar things that you do.” <n>Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘—washings of pitchers . . . that you do’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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Indeed He said to them: “You are very good at nullifying the commandment of God, so that you may keep your tradition.


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For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death’. <n>See Exodus 20:12, 21:17.</n> 


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But <i>you</i> say that if a man should say to father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is Korban’ (that is, a gift <i>to God</i> ), <n>The inconvenient question begs to be asked, ‘Where did all the goods and money go?’ It went into the pockets of the leaders, presumably, so they were really stealing from the elderly.</n> 


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making the Word of God of no effect by your tradition that you have handed down. Yes, you do many such things.”


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<i> That which really defiles</i> Upon summoning the larger crowd He said to them: “Hear me, everyone, and understand:


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There is nothing outside a man that can defile him by going into him; <n>As the following context makes clear, the Lord is talking only about food. People are constantly being contaminated by things they see and hear.</n> rather, the things that come out of him, those are the ones that defile him.


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If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” <n>Just over 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit verse 16 entirely, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, [TEV], etc.</n> 


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When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples started to question Him about the parable.


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So He said to them: “Can you really be without understanding? Don’t you perceive that nothing that enters a man from outside can defile him,


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because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, which then expels the impure aspects of the food?” <n>A literal rendering would be, ‘then into the latrine, thus making all foods clean’. I take it that Jesus was referring to the process in the stomach having a ‘purifying’ effect, since the sewer does just the opposite. Perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts end the quote after ‘latrine’, and have Jesus declaring all foods clean.</n> 


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Because from within, out of men’s hearts, the evil designs proceed—adulteries, fornications, murders,


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<i> Unusual faith</i> Then He got ready and went from there into the region of Tyre and Sidon. He went into a house and didn’t want anyone to know it, but He couldn’t escape notice.


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In fact, as soon as she heard about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at His feet.


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Now the woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenecian by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. <n>Matthew 15:21-28 gives more detail, which see.</n> 


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But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first; it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs”. <n>Big dogs would not be in the house, so these would be little house pets, or perhaps puppies. This episode always moves me. In effect, Jesus called the woman a ‘dog’ (that’s what Jews called Gentiles), and she accepted the classification. She was determined to get her ‘crumb’, and she did! And she left us a great example of humility and faith!</n> 


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So she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs”.


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She went away to her house and found that the demon was gone and the daughter had been placed on the bed. <n>The verb ‘place’ is perfect passive; evidently the child was too small, or too weak, to have gotten there by herself.</n> 


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<i> Jesus heals a deaf mute</i> Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee by way of the Decapolis region. <n>He chose a round about way where He would not be known by sight, to avoid attention (presumably).</n> 


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Then they brought to Him a deaf man with thick speech <n>We learn to speak by imitating what we hear, so a deaf person will not speak correctly, even if there is nothing wrong with the tongue. In this case, the following verses indicate that there was also a problem with the tongue.</n> and begged Him to place His hand on him.


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After taking him aside, away from the crowd, He put His fingers in his ears; He also spat and touched his tongue.


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Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He would command them, so much the more they would proclaim it. <n>The news was so good they just couldn’t contain it.</n> 


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People were astonished beyond measure, saying: “He has done everything well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”


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<i> Food for 4,000 men</i> In those days, the multitude being very large and not having anything to eat, Jesus called His disciples and said to them:


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“I have compassion on the multitude, because they have stayed with me three days now and have nothing to eat.


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If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will give out on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”


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His disciples answered Him, “From what source could anyone satisfy these people with bread here in a wilderness?” <n>They had already forgotten the 5,000!</n> 


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So He told the crowd to sit down on the ground; then taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before the crowd, and they did.


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Well they ate and were filled; they even took up seven hampers of broken pieces that were left over.


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<i> Bad leaven</i> The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, requesting of Him a sign from heaven, by way of testing Him.


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But He sighed deeply in His spirit and said: “Why does this generation seek a sign? I tell you emphatically, no sign shall be given to this generation!”


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Turning His back on them, He got back into the boat <n>One gains the impression that the Pharisees hadn’t let Him get very far from the boat. Was Satan concerned to ‘protect’ Dalmanutha?</n> and went off to the other side.


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(His disciples had forgotten to take bread; they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.) <n>As with the 5,000, they did not keep the seven hampers of leftovers.</n> 


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And He charged them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod”. <n>These would be two different ‘leavens’.</n> 


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Being aware of it Jesus said to them: “Why are you reasoning because you have no bread? Do you still neither perceive nor understand? Do you still have hearts that have been hardened? <n>The verb is in the passive voice, so one wonders who did the hardening.</n> 


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When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you take up?” They say to Him, “Twelve”.


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“And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many hampers full of pieces did you take up?” And they said, “Seven”.


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So He said to them, “How is it that you still don’t understand?” <n>It is easy to criticize those disciples as slow learners, and indeed the Lord was evidently unhappy with them, but I wonder if we would have done any better.</n> 


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<i> A blind man</i> Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him and begged Him to touch him.


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So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; then spitting into his eyes <n>Dear me, how unsanitary! Jesus used a variety of procedures to heal people, and here He used two stages.</n> and laying hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.


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And looking up he said, “I do see men, only they look like walking trees”. <n>Evidently he was not born blind, because he knew what men and trees looked like.</n> 


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Then He put His hands on his eyes again, and made him look up; and he was restored and saw everyone clearly.


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Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the village nor tell anyone in the village”. <n>Evidently he didn’t live in that village. A small handful (0.5%) of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘nor tell anyone in the village’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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<i> Jesus declares His death, and ministers on that basis Peter is inspired</i> Then Jesus and His disciples set out for the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who are people saying that I am?”


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He said to them, “And who do <i>you</i> say that I am?” So Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ!”


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He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.


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But He turned, looked at His disciples, and rebuked Peter, saying: “Get behind me, Satan! <n>From the parallel passage in Luke 9:18-22, where we have three present participles—‘answering’, ‘warning’ and ‘saying’—it is clear that Peter’s two efforts form part of a single conversation. Well that scares me; that sends shivers up my spine. Within three minutes, or five at the most (we can see in Luke that this was a single conversation), Peter spoke two times. The first time it was God who put the words in Peter’s mouth. It was Jesus Christ, God the Son on earth, who explained the true nature of the transaction—Peter did not speak on his own but moved by the Father. So far so good; that God can do something like that comes as no surprise. It is the second time that is bothersome because this time it was Satan who put the words in Peter’s mouth! Again, it is Jesus Christ, God the Son on earth, who explains the true nature of the transaction. When He uses the enemy’s proper name, Satan, His meaning is inescapable. It really was Satan. Once again we are face to face with the most terrible truth that there is in this life, at least as I see it. The enemy has access to our minds, he can put words in our mouths. I wish in the worst way that it wasn’t true, but my wishes do not change reality.</n> You have in mind men’s values, not God’s values.”


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<i> The cost of discipleship</i> He summoned the crowd, along with His disciples, and said to them: “Whoever wants to follow along behind me must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.


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Because whoever may resolve to ‘save’ his life will waste it; but whoever may ‘waste’ his life for my sake and the Gospel’s, <i>he</i> will save it. <n>What does the Lord mean when He speaks of saving or losing one’s ‘life’? One does not lose one’s soul for love of Christ. Nor is the reference to being killed. Rather, Jesus has in mind the life we live, the accumulated results of our living. All that I have done up to this moment plus all that I will yet do until overtaken by death or the rapture of the Church, whichever happens first—that is the ‘life’ that is at risk (in my own case).Let’s look at our Lord’s words a little more closely. There seems to be a contradiction here—if you lose, you save; if you want to save, you lose. How can it work? The parallel passage, Matthew 16:27, gives more context. “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he will repay each according to his deeds.” Christ was thinking of the day of reckoning. In other words, “we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10) and “each of us will give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive his due according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). I understand that 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 is referring to the same occasion, the day of reckoning. After declaring that Jesus Christ is the only foundation, Paul speaks of different materials that one might use in building on it: “gold, silver, precious stones” or “wood, hay, straw”. (Although the primary interpretation of this passage presumably has to do with the performance of teachers and leaders in the church, I believe it clearly applies to the daily life of each believer as well.) The point is, our deeds will be tested by fire. If fire has any effect upon gold or silver it is only to purify them, but its effect on hay and straw is devastating! Okay, so what?Let’s go back to the beginning. God created the human being for His glory; to reflect it and contribute to it. I suppose we may understand Psalm 19:1 and Isaiah 43:7 in this way, at least by extension. But Adam lost this capacity when he rebelled against God. For this reason the sentence that weighs against our race is that we “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But the Son came into the world to restore our lost potential. Ephesians 1:12 and 14 tell us that the object of the plan of salvation is “the praise of His glory” (see also 2 Corinthians 1:20). And 1 Corinthians 10:31 puts it into a <b>command</b>: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Now then, the point of all this is not to ‘ruin’ our lives, to take all the ‘fun’ out of them (as many seem to think). God isn’t being arrogant, unreasonable, too demanding. Quite the contrary—He is just trying to save us from throwing away our lives. Sure, because the glory of God is eternal (Psalm 104:31), and when I do something for His glory that something is transformed and acquires eternal value—it becomes “gold, silver, precious stones”. Works done for the glory of God will go through the fire without harm. On the other hand, what is done with a view to our own ambitions and ideas is “straw”. We all know what fire does to straw! To be a slave of Christ means to live with reference to the Kingdom; it means to do everything for the glory of God. In this way the slave “saves” his life because he will be building it with “gold and silver”, which will pass through the fire at the judgment seat of Christ without loss. In contrast, the believer who refuses to be a slave of Jesus builds his life with “hay and straw”, which will be consumed by the fire—and so he ‘loses’ his life; he lived in vain; the potential that his life represented was wasted, thrown away. What a tragedy!</n> 


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Yes, whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of Him whenever He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels.” <n>The world in which we live is no longer ‘post-modern’, it is becoming increasingly anti Christian. In North America and Europe people have already been put in prison for preaching what the Bible says. To spend eternity in the Lake of Fire is the price you will pay for being ‘politically correct’ in today’s world.</n> 


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<i> A miniature of the Kingdom</i> And He said to them, “I tell you assuredly: there are some standing here who will certainly not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God present with power.”


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After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. Then He was transfigured in front of them;


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His clothing became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth is able to whiten.


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Well Peter reacted by saying to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three shelters: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah”.


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(Because they were terrified, he didn’t know what to say.) <n>He threw away an excellent opportunity to say nothing.</n> 


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With that a cloud was covering them and a VOICE <n>Peter never forgot that Voice! See 2 Peter 1:17-18.</n> came out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to Him!”


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Now as they were coming down from the mountain, <n>This was the next day; they spent the night on the mountain (Luke 9:37).</n> He ordered them not to recount to any one the things they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.


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So in answer He said to them: “Elijah indeed does come first, and restores all things; also how it is written concerning the Son of Man that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt.


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Still, I say to you that ‘Elijah’ has also come, and they did to him as they wished, as it is written about him.” <n>The Lord stated plainly that the coming of the real Elijah was still future. Since the Baptizer was Messiah’s herald at His first advent, Jesus refers to him as ‘Elijah’ (recall that John was already dead).</n> 


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<i> The nine couldn’t do it</i> Upon coming to the disciples, He saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.


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In answer a man in the crowd said: “Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a mute spirit. <n>Here was a desperate father who considered that his problem was more important than a theological discussion. So he interrupts.</n> 


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And wherever it seizes him it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth and gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. Indeed, I spoke to your disciples, that they might cast it out, but they could not.”


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But He answered him by saying: “O unbelieving generation, <n>I suspect that He was looking at the nine, not the crowd.</n> how long shall I be with you, how long shall I put up with you? Bring him to me!”


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So they brought him to Him. Upon seeing Him the spirit convulsed him, and falling to the ground he started wallowing, foaming at the mouth.


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Really, it has often thrown him both into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”


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Jesus said to him, “It’s ‘if you can believe’; <n>Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘believe’, which alters the meaning (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> all things are possible to the one who believes”.


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Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, with tears, “Lord, <n>Around 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘with tears’ and ‘Lord’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> I believe; help my unbelief!” <n>I can sympathize with this father. When I consider all the things that the Lord Jesus said could be done with faith, and that I have yet to do, I too must say, “Help my unbelief!”</n> 


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When Jesus saw that the crowd was running up, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, <n>The father had said it was a mute spirit; Jesus adds that it is also deaf—the two often go together.</n> <b>I</b> am commanding you, get out of him and never enter him again”. <n>Note that Jesus forbad any return. Demons will do anything to deceive, confuse or demoralize us. If you resist a spirit, he leaves, but another may immediately take the place of the first and produce the same effect, making you think that nothing happened, so that you feel demoralized. If you resist but do not forbid a return, he leaves but may come back, in an hour, a day or a week. If I have to rebuke the enemy I now rebuke not only the spirit actually at work but any and all others that might wish to attack the person in the same way. I used to forbid any repetition of the attack, but now I send them to the Abyss.I believe Luke 8:31 give us basis for consigning demons to the Abyss, thereby reducing the number of the enemy’s forces (against us). There we read that the demons begged Jesus “not to order them to go into the Abyss” (“the Abyss” is the same phrase that the AV renders as “the bottomless pit” in Revelation 20:1). That means that He could have—I conclude that He refrained from doing so because He had not yet won the victory, at that time. But now it’s different. In John 14:12 the Lord Jesus said to His disciples: “Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes into me, the works that I do he will do also; even greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.” What does “because I go to my Father” imply? I conclude that it must be His victory—could He have returned if He had failed, if He had not succeeded in destroying the devil (Hebrews 2:14)? That is why we are supposed to be doing “<b>greater</b>” works—like ordering demons into the Abyss, for instance.C. Fred Dickason, who has personally ministered to over 400 demonized believers, says that his experience indicates that once a demon is ordered into the Abyss it doesn’t come back (<i>Demon Possession & the Christian</i>, Moody Press, 1987). Paul E. Billheimer says much the same in <i>Destined to Overcome</i> (Bethany House Publishers, 1982, p. 46). Can you imagine if God’s people really got a hold on this? We could continuously <b>reduce</b> the number of demons opposing us! Hallelujah! So then, why not order all recalcitrant demons into the Abyss? In fact, why not do the same for any and all that intrude upon our notice?</n> 


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Then it yelled, convulsed him violently, and came out. Well he looked to be dead; so much so that many said, “He’s dead”.


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He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing except prayer and fasting”. <n>Four Greek manuscripts (all inferior), against 1651, omit ‘and fasting’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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<i> Jesus predicts His death again</i> Having gone out from there they were passing through Galilee, and He didn’t want anyone to know;


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because He was teaching His disciples and saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and once killed <n>This seems to us to be an awkward expression, but that’s what the Text says.</n> he will rise on the third day”.


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<i> About humility</i> Then He came to Capernaum; and once in the house He asked them, “What were you debating among yourselves on the road?”


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So He sat down, called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all”.


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“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not <i>only</i> me, but the One who sent me”.


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<i> Either for, or against</i> So John answered Him saying, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, one who doesn’t follow us; <n>Around 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘one who doesn’t follow us’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us”.


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But Jesus said: “Do not forbid him, because no one who works a miracle in my name can soon afterward speak evil of me.


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For he who is not against you is for you. <n>Instead of ‘you’, some 10% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘us’ (both times) (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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Further, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, I tell you with certainty, he will by no means lose his reward. <n>But how and where could an unbeliever be ‘rewarded’? I suppose with blessing in this life.</n> 


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<i> About offenses</i> “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe into me to fall, <n>It is clear from the context that the verb ‘fall’ throughout this paragraph refers to a spiritual fall with eternal consequences. I believe that the Lord was being perfectly serious and literal here. I suppose most deadly temptations come at us through the eye. Obviously it would be better to pluck out an eye, literally, if it would stop you in time, than to fall from the Faith and wind up in the Lake. In the first place, most people are not prepared to take such drastic measures, and in the second, by the time they wake up to what is happening, they have already crossed the line. That is why Hebrews 3:12-14 is precisely to the point: “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today”, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.”</n> it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. <n>The implication is clear: anyone who deliberately destroys a child’s faith in Jesus has bought himself a one-way ticket to the Lake of Fire. I suppose that ‘child’ could include high school and college students.</n> 


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Further, if your hand is causing you to fall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into the Life maimed than having both hands to go away into Gehenna, <n>Strictly speaking, ‘Gehenna’ was the local dump outside Jerusalem—something was always being burned, and there would be plenty of worms. But Jesus here uses it as a figure for the Lake of Fire, the ‘second death’.</n> into the unquenchable fire—


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where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched’. <n>See Isaiah 66:24. Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘into the unquenchable fire’ at the end of verses 43 and 45, and also omit verses 44 and 46 entire, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, [TEV], etc., except that most keep ‘into the unquenchable fire’ in verse 43 (but not in verse 45). I find the figure of an immortal worm to be rather daunting—always chewing on you, but never finishing you off! (Evidently there were those who thought that saying it once was quite enough.)</n> 


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And if your foot is causing you to fall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into the Life lame than having both feet to be thrown into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire—


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And if your eye is causing you to fall, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than having both eyes to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire—


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“Further, everyone will be seasoned with fire, <n>Now what might this mean? Well, those who believe into Him Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire; those who don’t, get a different fire.</n> and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. <n>Some 7% of the Greek manuscripts omit the second clause of this verse, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. But just what might this mean? Well, Romans 12:1 speaks of a ‘living sacrifice’ and in Matthew 5:13 Jesus calls His followers ‘the salt of the earth’. If you present yourself as a living sacrifice to Jesus, He will make you salty.</n> 


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Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” <n>For ‘salty’ people living and working together, ‘peace’ may not be easy.</n> 


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<i> Down with divorce!</i> Then He set out from there and came into the borders of Judea, by way of the other side of the Jordan. Again, crowds gathered to Him, and as was His custom, He began to teach them once more.


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Then some Pharisees approached to test Him and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce a wife?”


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They said, “Moses permitted one to write a certificate of divorce and to put away”. <n>See Deuteronomy 24:1, 3.</n> 


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Jesus answered and said to them: “It was due to your hardness of heart that he wrote you this precept.


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and the two will be turned into one flesh.’ <n>See Genesis 2:24. The Text says ‘two’, not ‘three’, ‘four’, or whatever. The ‘two’ are a man and a woman; not two men, not a woman and a demon, or whatever.</n> So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.


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and if a woman divorces her husband and gets married to another, she commits adultery.” <n>Note that Jesus recognizes that the woman may take the initiative.</n> 


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<i> Jesus blesses little children</i> People started bringing little children to Him, that He might touch them; so the disciples started rebuking those doing the bringing.


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But when Jesus saw it He was indignant and said to them: “Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them, because the Kingdom of God is made up of such.


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I tell you assuredly, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child does <n>Jesus did not say that only children can be saved; rather, one must believe the way a child believes, without question, and literally.</n> will certainly not enter it.”


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And taking them in His arms and laying His hands on them, He blessed them. <n>Blessing children is an important thing to do.</n> 


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<i> A rich young man</i> As Jesus set out on the road, someone came running up, knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do that I may inherit eternal life?”


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So Jesus said to Him: “Why do you call me ‘good’? <n>Jesus was not denying that He was good; the trouble was that the man called him good without recognizing Him as God.</n> No one is good except one—God.


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You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery’, ‘Do not murder’, ‘Do not steal’, ‘Do not give false testimony’, ‘Do not defraud’, ‘Honor your father and mother’.”


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In answer he said to Him, “Teacher, <n>He did not repeat the ‘mistake’.</n> I have kept all these since I was young”.


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Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, <n>The verb is <i>agapaw</i>; He was concerned for his well being.</n> and said to him: “One thing you lack; go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, take up the cross, <n>Scarcely 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘take up the cross’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and follow me.”


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But he was dismayed at the suggestion and went away sorrowing, because he had many possessions. <n>Jesus had put His finger on the one the man wasn’t obeying—he wasn’t loving his neighbor as himself.</n> 


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Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to get into the Kingdom of God!”


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But the disciples were astounded at His words. So Jesus tried again and said to them: “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches <n>Five Greek manuscripts (all inferior), against 1650, omit ‘for those who trust in riches’, producing an obviously inferior text, but even so they are followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> to enter the Kingdom of God.


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It is actually easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” <n>Ouch! In the Old Testament it was expected that godly living would be accompanied by material blessing. The trouble is that we tend to get more attached to the blessing than to the Blessor. Our Lord’s words in Matthew 6:24 are to the point: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Any one who serves ‘mammon’ is not serving God, and therefore is not in the Kingdom.</n> 


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But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; because all things are possible with God.”


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<i> It pays to serve Jesus</i> Then Peter began to say to Him, “So, we have left all and followed you”.


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In answer Jesus said: “I tell you assuredly, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife <n>Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘or wife’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> or children or fields, for my sake and for that of the Gospel,


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who will not receive a hundred times more, now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and father and mother <n>I follow 40% of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission, in reading ‘father and mother’. 55% have ‘mothers’, as in most versions. Note that Jesus does not promise more wives!</n> and children and fields (with persecutions)—and in the age to come, eternal life.


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But many first will be last, and last first.” <n>This sounds like a push-down stack—first one in, last one out.</n> 


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<i> Jesus predicts His death a third time</i> Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going ahead of them; this surprised them, <n>I gather that Jesus was going forward with a determined pace, which at first surprised them, but then something about His demeanor made them apprehensive.</n> and as they followed they started to be afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that were about to happen to Him:


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“Take note, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles;


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and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And on the third day He will rise again.” <n>Jesus knew perfectly well that this was His last trip to Jerusalem. He would only leave as He returned to the Father.</n> 


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<i> Selfish ambition rebuked</i> Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we may ask”.


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They said to Him, “Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory”. <n>Isn’t this a strange request? Evidently visions of the Messianic Kingdom drove all other considerations from their minds, only they wanted to be top dogs!</n> 


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But Jesus said to them: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”


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They said to Him, “We are able”. <n>How did they know?</n> So Jesus said to them: “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;


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but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to grant, but is for whom it has been prepared.” <n>If Jesus Himself is at the Father’s right, then it follows that the Father is on Jesus’ left, so only one of the spots is ‘available’, except that the occupant is already known.</n> 


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Well when the ten heard it they began to be indignant with James and John. <n>Now just why, do you suppose, were they upset?</n> 


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But Jesus summoned them and said to them: “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.


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But it must not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you must be your servant,


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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”


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<i> Blind Bartimaeus</i> They came to Jericho. Then as He was going out from Jericho, with His disciples and a large crowd, the blind Bartimaeus <n>Mark is the only account that gives the man’s name—evidently he was known.</n> (son of Timaeus) was sitting by the roadside begging.


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And when he heard that it was Jesus the Natsorean, <n>The Text has ‘Natsorean’, not ‘Nazarene (Natsarene)’. Natsorean is presumably a reference to Isaiah 11:1, the Branch—Jesus was the Branch-man. Natsarene just means that He came from Natsareth.</n> he began to call out and say, “O Son of David, <n>Bartimaeus addresses Jesus as the Messiah.</n> Jesus, have mercy on me!”


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Many started telling him to shut up, but he started calling out even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”


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So Jesus stood still and said to call him. Then they called the blind man, saying to him: “Courage! Get up! He’s calling you!”


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Tossing off his cloak, <n>Now why did he abandon his cloak? He expected to be healed—being able to see he could easily find it (and who else would want a beggar’s cloak?).</n> he got up and went to Jesus.


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Jesus reacted by saying to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” <n>Does God ever take anything for granted from us? He knows what we need before we ask, but we must ask.</n> The blind man said to Him, “Raboni, that I may see again!”


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So Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has healed you”. And immediately he could see, and followed Jesus on the road.


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<i> The last week The ‘triumphal’ entry—Sunday, 03/31/30 AD</i> Now when they were drawing near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples,


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saying to them: “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you enter it you will find a foal tied, on which no man has sat. Untie and bring it.


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And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’, and thereupon he will send it here.” <n>At first glance the rendering, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly”, looks inviting, but it doesn’t quite fit. The animal would be gone for a number of hours, and one would expect a different verb. The seeming difficulty posed by the change from ‘he’ to ‘they’ (in verse 6) is easily answered: in verse 3 the ‘he’ agrees in number with the preceding ‘anyone’, and the owner of the animal may have been among the bystanders (verses 5 & 6). In any case, the owner evidently knew who ‘the Lord’ was, and had presumably been forewarned—why else was the foal already tied outside?</n> 


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And many spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting leafy branches from the trees <n>Well under 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘fields’ instead of ‘trees’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and spreading them on the road.


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Both those who went in front and those who followed started calling out, saying: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” <n>See Psalms 118:26.</n> 


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“Blessed is the Kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord!” <n>Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘in the name of the Lord’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Different people were saying different things and Mark records some of the variety (he may well have been there; in fact I suspect that he probably was).</n> “Hosanna in the highest!”


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So Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when He had looked around at everything, <n>He knew what He had to do the next day, but there wasn’t enough time to do a proper job just then.</n> the hour being late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.


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And seeing from a distance a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it He found nothing but leaves, because it was not fig season. <n>Even though it was no longer fig season, sometimes an occasional fig would dry on the tree, and of course a dried fig is edible. Had the leaves all fallen, He could have seen from a distance that there weren’t any figs (any fig that was visible would have been eaten long before).</n> 


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So Jesus reacted by saying to it, “Let no one ever eat fruit from you again!” <n>Dear me; it would seem to be unreasonable to curse a tree out of season—it wasn’t the tree’s fault that it had no figs! First, being the Creator, Jesus had the right to do as He did; but second, it was probably a prophetic act wherein the fig tree represented Israel; and third, He wanted to teach His disciples about faith.</n> And His disciples were listening.


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<i> Jesus ‘purifies’ the temple (2nd time)—Monday, 04/01/30 AD</i> So they came to Jerusalem, and entering the temple Jesus began to drive out those who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers.


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And He kept teaching them by saying: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? <n>See Isaiah 56:7. Note that it has always been God’s intention that the whole world know and worship Him.</n> but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’!” <n>See Jeremiah 7:11. I get the impression that He kept repeating this as He went about His task.</n> 


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Well the scribes and the chief priests heard it, and kept on looking for a way to destroy Him; <n>They had already determined that they had to kill Him, long before.</n> because they were afraid of Him, in that all the people were astonished at His teaching.


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<i> How to drown a mountain</i> Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.


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So in answer Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God. <n>I wonder if the intended meaning might not be, ‘have the faith of a god’ (‘god’ is in the genitive case and without an article)—a god giving an order would expect to be obeyed.</n> 


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Because I tell you assuredly, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be picked up and be thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that the things he says will happen, he will have whatever he says. <n>It is an ongoing source of frustration to me that I have not yet attained to this level of faith.</n> 


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That is why I say to you, whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe that you receive, and you will have them.


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“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your trespasses.


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But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” <n>Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit verse 26 entire, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, [TEV], etc. The last three words of verses 25 and 26 are identical (in the Greek Text), giving rise to a common transcriptional error—after writing the first, the copyist’s eye returns to the second and he continues, having omitted what was in between. Verse 26 reinforces and emphasizes the need for forgiveness—the reference is to things done against us personally.</n> 


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<i> Jesus’ authority questioned—Tuesday, 04/02/30 AD</i> Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes and the elders came to Him.


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And they said to Him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” and “Who gave you this authority to do these things?”


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So in answer Jesus said to them: “I also will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.


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The baptism of John: was it from heaven or from men?” <n>Some 80% of the Greek manuscripts continue with ‘answer me’, as in most (if not all) versions; I follow the best line of transmission, albeit representing only 20% of the manuscripts. ‘Answer me’ is already in verse 29.</n> 


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They considered among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven’, he will say, ‘So why did you not believe him?’


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But if we say, ‘From men’ . . .”—they feared the people, for everyone held John to really be a prophet.


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So they answered Jesus by saying, “We don’t know”. <n>Of course they did know, and they also knew who Jesus was, and the source of His authority.</n> And in answer Jesus said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things”.


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<i> Parable of wicked tenants</i> Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard—put a hedge around it, dug a wine trough, built a tower—rented it to farmers and went on a journey.


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At the proper time he sent a slave to the farmers, that he might receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.


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Again he sent another slave to them, and that one they wounded in the head by stoning, <n>Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘by stoning’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and sent him away shamefully treated.


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Finally, still having his one beloved son, he even sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son’.


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But those farmers said to one another: ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours.’


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So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. <n>The details of this particular parable strike me as improbable. Most owners would take punitive measures after the second slave, if not the first. But the parable was a picture of how Israel had treated God, over the centuries, culminating in the death of His Son.</n> 


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“What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those farmers, and give the vineyard to others.


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Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected, is the very one that became the cornerstone;


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So they started looking for a way to arrest Him, because they knew He had spoken the parable against them, but they were in fear of the crowd. Then they left Him and went away.


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<i> Render to Caesar</i> Then they <n>The reference is presumably to the leaders mentioned in 11:27.</n> sent some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to Him, in order to trap Him with a question.


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Upon arriving they said to Him: “Teacher, we know that you are honest—you do not ‘protect’ anyone, because you do not consider the position of people, but teach the way of God in truth <n>They were really almost too obvious.</n> —is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?


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Should we pay, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them: “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”


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So they did, and He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s”.


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Then Jesus answered them by saying, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”. <n>We are to do both: tithe and pay taxes.</n> And they marveled at Him.


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<i> A hypothetical situation <n>If you ever have to deal with someone who wants to argue on the basis of a hypothetical situation—be careful! Like these Sadducees, they will have a hidden agenda.</n> </i> Then some Sadducees came to Him—they say there is no resurrection—and asked Him, saying:


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“Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife, but no children, then his brother should take that wife and raise up offspring for his brother.


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In the resurrection, whenever they may rise, whose wife will she be?—because all seven had her as wife.”


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Then in answer Jesus said to them: “You do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God <n>What a sad commentary! But is it not true of most religious leaders today, as well?</n> —is this not the reason that you err?


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Whenever people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in the heavens. <n>Jesus does not say that angels do not have gender. Angels are always treated as male, not female—without females there could never be baby angels. That may be why they are evidently fascinated by the female of our species (1 Corinthians 11:10).</n> 


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But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?


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He is not the God of dead people, but the God of living ones. You are therefore badly mistaken.” <n>The Sadducees were basically materialists, and like them any materialists today will also be badly mistaken in their whole worldview.</n> 


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<i> The greatest commandment</i> Then one of the scribes came on the scene, heard them arguing, realized that He had answered them well, and asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”


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Jesus answered him: <n>I take it that Jesus answered without hesitation.</n> “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD your <n>I follow the best line of transmission in reading ‘your’, albeit some 75% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘our’, as in all versions.</n> (pl) God, the LORD is one;


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and you (sg) shall love the LORD your (sg) God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ <n>See Deuteronomy 6:4-5.</n> This is the first commandment. <n>Just over 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘this is the first commandment’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’. <n>See Leviticus 19:18.</n> There is no other commandment greater than these.”


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So the scribe said to Him: “Well said, teacher; you said truly that He is one, and there is no other except He.


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And to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the soul <n>Perhaps 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘and with all the soul’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and with all the strength, and to love the neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”


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Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God”. And after that no one dared ask Him any question.


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<i> Is the Christ David’s son?</i> Then, teaching in the temple, Jesus reacted by saying: “How is it that the scribes say that the Messiah is David’s son?


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Because David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet”.’ <n>See Psalm 110:1. Note that the Lord Jesus affirms that David wrote under divine inspiration!</n> 


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Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so how can He be his son?” The large crowd listened to Him with pleasure.


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<i> Down with hypocrisy!</i> Then He said to them in His teaching: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and to get greetings in the market places,


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who devour the houses of widows, <n>Presumably, when the man died the widow no longer had the means to clear any debt; so they would just take over the house and put the widow out in the street.</n> while praying long and loud for a show. These will receive a more severe judgment.”


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<i> A widow’s offering</i> Then Jesus sat down opposite the offering chest and started watching how the people were depositing money into the chest. Many rich people put in large amounts.


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A certain poor widow also came and put in two ‘lepta’, which equal a ‘quadrans’. <n>The ‘lepta’ was a tiny coin used in Israel, but not in Rome; their smallest coin was a ‘quadrans’. Since Mark is writing for a Roman audience, he uses a value they can understand.</n> 


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So summoning His disciples He said to them: “I tell you assuredly that this poor widow has put more in the chest than all these contributors;


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because they all gave out of their excess, but she, out of her lack, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” <n>Wow!</n> 


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<i> The temple will be destroyed</i> Then as He was going out from the temple, one of His disciples said to Him: “Teacher, just look! Such stones, such buildings!”


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In answer Jesus said to him: “Do you see these great buildings? Here not a single stone will be left upon another; every one will be thrown down.” <n>This was literally fulfilled in 70 AD.</n> 


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<i> The Olivet Discourse The end of the age</i> Then as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, <n>I take the point to be that He could see the temple from where He was sitting.</n> Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately:


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“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign whenever all these things are about to be fulfilled?”


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But whenever you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t let it distress you; because happen they must, but the end is not yet.


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Because nation will be raised against nation, <n>The verb is in the passive voice, so the necessary question is, who does the raising?</n> and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and tumults. <n>In our day we have seen violence and looting in the wake of earthquakes and food shortages. Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘and tumults’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> These things are the beginning of birth pangs.


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“But watch out for yourselves, because they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in synagogues, and you will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them.


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Now whenever they lead you away and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand nor premeditate what you will say; <n>In Seminary I was taught that this instruction is for martyrs, not preachers! But churches today would be better off if their pastors got their messages from the Holy Spirit.</n> rather, whatever is given to you in that hour, speak that, because it will not be you doing the speaking, but the Holy Spirit.


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“Further, brother will betray brother to death and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.


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And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake, <n>It is already the case in many places that anyone who takes a public stand in defense of biblical values is vituperated by the media—some have gone to prison in what once were ‘Christian’ countries.</n> yet he who endures to the end, <i>he</i> will be saved. <n>We must endure persecution, without denying the Lord.</n> 


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<i> The Great Tribulation</i> “Now whenever you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, the one spoken of by Daniel the prophet, <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘the one spoken of by Daniel the prophet’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> standing where he should not”—let the reader understand—“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.


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Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. <n>I confess that I cannot imagine a situation where a few seconds would make any difference. Evidently the attack will be sudden.</n> 


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because those will be days of affliction such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never again shall be. <n>There has always been affliction and distress in the world, but not like what’s coming.</n> 


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If the Lord did not cut those days short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He did shorten the days. <n>The tense of the verb is definitely past. The Lord is evidently referring to something that has already been determined.</n> 


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because false christs and false prophets will be raised up, <n>Again, the voice is passive; I suppose it is Satan that does the raising up.</n> and they will show signs and wonders so as to even mislead the elect, if that were possible.


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<i> The return of Christ</i> “But in those days, after that tribulation, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;


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the stars of heaven will be falling, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken’. <n>See Isaiah 13:10, 34:4.</n> 


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And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. <n>Note that this Return will be visible.</n> 


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And then He will send His angels and gather together His elect from the four winds, from earth’s extreme point to heaven’s extreme point. <n>I have difficulty understanding this statement, if it is to be taken literally. That the elect will be collected from all over the world, no problem, but from all over heaven?</n> 


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<i> Parable of the fig tree</i> “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: whenever its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, one knows that the summer is near.


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Assuredly I tell you that this generation <n>What is meant by ‘this generation’? I suppose it is the generation that sees those things happen.</n> will certainly not pass away until all these things happen.


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The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away. <n>Jesus affirms that His words have eternal validity.</n> 


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<i> Watch!</i> “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels who are in heaven, not the Son, <n>While He was walking this earth as Jesus, He didn’t know, but presumably now He does.</n> but only the Father.


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Watch! Keep alert! Pray! <n>A mere handful (0.6%) of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘pray’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> Because you do not know when that time will be.


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It is like a man off on a journey, having left his house and given the authority to his slaves, and to each his work; and he commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.


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Therefore be watchful, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming—at evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or early morning—


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<i> The Sanhedrin make plans</i> It was two days before the Passover and the Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for an underhanded way to seize and kill Him.


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<i> An anointing in Simon’s house</i> Being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He was reclining at a meal, a woman came having an alabaster vase of very costly perfume of pure nard. Then she broke the vase and began to pour it over His head.


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But there were some who were expressing indignation to one another and saying: “To what purpose was this perfume wasted?


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It could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!” And they started censuring her.


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You will always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do them good; but you will not always have me.


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She did what she could. <n>She did what was in her power to do. I would be happy to have that epitaph on my tombstone (if I ever have one).</n> She has perfumed my body for the burying before the fact.


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Assuredly I tell you, wherever this Gospel may be proclaimed throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”


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<i> Judas is hired</i> Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests, so as to betray Him to them. <n>It was too much for Judas. On Saturday (03-30-30) Mary of Bethany had anointed His feet with 300 denarii worth of the same perfume, and now four days later (Wed., 04-03-30) another woman anoints His head with another 300 denarii worth of perfume (that was a lot of money, and he liked money). In both cases Jesus affirms they are anointing Him for burial (and He had repeatedly told them He was going to be killed). Judas figured out that his expectation of an immediate kingdom was unfounded, and he rebelled. (He might even have convinced himself that Jesus had deceived him when He called him to be a disciple.)</n> 


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Well upon hearing it they rejoiced and promised to give him silver coins. <n>I follow the best line of transmission and 40% of the manuscripts in reading ‘silver coins’ rather than ‘money’.</n> So he started figuring how he might conveniently betray Him.


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<i> The upper room is made ready</i> Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they would sacrifice the Paschal lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare, so that you may eat the Passover?”


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So He sent two of His disciples, saying to them: “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a clay jar of water; follow him.


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Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The teacher says, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’


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He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” <n>This had obviously been prearranged.</n> 


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So His disciples set out and came into the city and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.


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<i> The last night—begins Thursday evening, 04/04/30, and ends the next morning</i> When it was evening He came with the twelve.


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<i> The traitor identified</i> Now as they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Assuredly I tell you, one of you who is eating with me will betray me”.


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So they began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” And another, “Surely not I?” <n>Some 8% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘and another, surely not I’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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The Son of Man is indeed going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man not to have been born.” <n>Praying to His Father, Jesus said: “Those whom you gave me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). Judas was lost.</n> 


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<i> Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper</i> As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; <n>Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘eat’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> this is my body”.


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And He said to them: “This is my blood, that of the new <n>A small handful (0.6%) of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘new’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. Hebrews 8:7-10:18 clearly links the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 to the shed blood of God’s Lamb.</n> covenant, that is being shed for many.


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I tell you assuredly that I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”


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<i> Peter will deny Him</i> Then Jesus said to them: “All of you will be caused to stumble because of me this night, <n>Some 30% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘because of me this night’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> because it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered’. <n>See Zechariah 13:7.</n> 


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Jesus said to him, “I tell you assuredly that <i>you</i> , today, this very night, before a rooster crows twice,


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But he insisted even more vehemently, “If I have to die with you, I will absolutely not deny you!” And all the others said the same.


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<i> The agony in Gethsemane</i> Then they came to a place that was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray”.


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And He said to them: “My soul is overwhelmed with grief, to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”


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Going on a little, He fell to the ground and started praying that if it were possible the hour might pass from Him.


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And He said: “Abba (Father), <n>Presumably He was speaking Hebrew with the Father, and only said ‘Abba’, not ‘Abba ho Pater’. Having given the Hebrew, Mark gives us the Greek equivalent; not being part of the quote, I put it in ( ).</n> all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what you will.”


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Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter: “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you keep watch for even one hour?


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Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”


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And when He returned He found them sleeping again, because their eyes were being weighed down; <n>The verb is in the passive voice, so the necessary question is, by whom?</n> and they did not know how to answer Him.


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Then He came the third time and said to them: “You are still sleeping and resting! It is enough, the hour has come; yes, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.


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Get up, let’s be going. See, my betrayer has approached.” <n>There may have been pauses between the statements.</n> 


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<i> The betrayal and arrest</i> And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and with him a considerable crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.


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Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, he it is; seize him and take him away securely”. <n>Why the ‘securely’? Judas had seen so many manifestations of Jesus’ power, that he should have known better, but of course he was under Satan’s control at that time.</n> 


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But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. <n>We know from Luke 22:51 that Jesus immediately healed the ear—otherwise things could have gotten nasty.</n> 


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Then Jesus reacted by saying to them: “You have come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as if I were a bandit.


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I was with you daily in the temple, teaching, and you did not seize me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”


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Then they all deserted Him and ran away. <n>Mark’s account is brief. The parallel accounts fill in the picture of what actually happened.</n> 


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<i> A curious case</i> Now a certain young man had followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. The young men grabbed him,


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so leaving the linen cloth he fled from them naked. <n>Now why would Mark want to include an incident like this in his account? (None of the others do.) I rather imagine that he was that young man. Although not invited to the Passover, he probably waited outside and followed them to Gethsemane.</n> 


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<i> At Caiaphas’ house</i> They led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.


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Well Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the operatives and warming himself at the fire.


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<i> A farcical trial</i> Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus so as to kill Him, but were not finding any.


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“We heard him saying: ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands’.”


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But not even then did their testimony agree. <n>It was indeed false testimony, since that was not what Jesus said.</n> 


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Then the high priest stood up in the center and questioned Jesus, saying: “Are you not going to answer? What are these testifying against you?”


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But He remained silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned Him and said to Him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” <n>This was an illegal proceeding on the part of the priest: he was asking Jesus to testify against Himself.</n> 


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So Jesus said: “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of the heaven.” <n>Wow! Jesus gave him more than he asked for! But how and when will those men, certainly lost, “see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of the heaven”? They will still be in Hades when Christ returns. Will those in Hades be able to see what goes on outside? I don’t have an answer.</n> 


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You heard the blasphemy! <n>Wait a minute! How could the truth be blasphemy? They rejected the truth.</n> What do you think?” They all condemned Him to be deserving of death.


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Then some began to spit on Him, to cover His face, punch Him and say to Him, “Prophesy!” <n>They wanted Him to say who had hit Him.</n> And the operatives started slapping Him.


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<i> Peter’s denials</i> Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.


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And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Natsarene!”


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But Peter denied, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying”. And he went out into the entryway, and a rooster crowed.


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But that servant girl saw him again and began to say to those standing by, “This guy is one of them”.


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But again he kept denying it. Again, after a little while, those who were standing by said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them; because you really are a Galilean, and your accent agrees!” <n>Around 2.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘and your accent agrees’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> 


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And for the second time a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered <n>But only after the Lord looked at him and broke the spell (Luke 22:61).</n> the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times”. He broke down and started to cry.


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<i> Crucifixion Day—Friday, 04/05/30 AD</i> As soon as it was early morning, having already formed a plan, the chief priests with the elders and scribes, indeed the whole council, bound Jesus, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate.


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<i> Jesus before Pilate</i> Pilate asked Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” So in answer He said to him, “You stated a fact!”


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So Pilate asked Him again, saying: “Are you not going to answer? See how any things they are testifying against you!”


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<i> Barabbas</i> Now at the feast he would release to them one prisoner, whomever they would request.


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Well there was one called Barabbas, who had been bound with his fellow insurrectionists, who in the insurrection had committed murder.


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Then the crowd began to call out <n>A mere handful [0.5%] of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘go up’ instead of ‘call out’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.</n> and request that he do just as he always did for them.


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(He knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.) <n>And just why was Pilate dressed and waiting for them at 6 in the morning? Obviously this was a put up job. Pilate knew it was a farce, but he soon found himself in over his head.</n> 


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Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do to him you call ‘king of the Jews’?”


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So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and Jesus, after a flogging, he handed over to be crucified. <n>By comparing the parallel accounts we know that a great deal more happened than is given here.</n> 


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<i> Soldiers have a little ‘fun’</i> Then the soldiers led Him away into the courtyard (that is, the Praetorium) and assembled the whole garrison.


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They kept hitting Him on the head with a rod <n>This drove the thorns into His scalp, and since they were probably poisonous, His face began to swell.</n> and spitting on Him, and kneeling down they would ‘worship’ Him.


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When they had ridiculed Him, they took the purple off Him and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.


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<i> The crucifixion</i> A certain passer-by, Simon a Cyrenian (the father of Alexander and Rufus), <n>After carrying the cross, Simon doubtless stayed around to see what happened. In consequence he was no doubt converted, as were his two sons.</n> coming in from the countryside, was compelled to carry His cross.


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They offered Him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, <n>This was a humanitarian gesture—myrrh is a crude analgesic and would deaden the pain. But Jesus refused it; He wanted nothing to cloud His senses or diminish the suffering.</n> but He did not take it.


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After crucifying Him, they divided His clothes by casting lots for them, to see who would take what.


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So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors”. <n>See Isaiah 53:12. Around 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit verse 28 entire, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, [TEV], etc.</n> 


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Those who passed by kept ridiculing Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Hey! You who can destroy the temple and build it in three days,


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Similarly, the chief priests, with the scribes, kept mocking among themselves saying: “He saved others; he can’t save himself! <n>This was precisely true, but not in the sense they intended. To save us, He could not save Himself.</n> 


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Let the Christ, the king of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with Him insulted Him as well. <n>But one of them changed his mind later.</n> 


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Now when the sixth hour had come [noon], darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. <n>The darkness could not have been a solar eclipse, as some have ignorantly argued. The Passover always occurs at full moon, and a solar eclipse only occurs at new moon. Further, even a total eclipse only lasts for a few minutes, not three hours.</n> 


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At the ninth hour Jesus called out strongly, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lima sabachthani?” which is translated, “O God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” <n>See Psalm 22:1.</n> 


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Then someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a reed and started offering it to Him to drink, saying, “You let him be! ‘Let’s see if Elijah is coming to take him down’!” <n>To understand Mark’s turn of phrase, we need Matthew’s account (27:47-49). “Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, ‘Let him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save him’.” The ‘let him’ is 2nd person singular. But in Mark’s account, the ‘let him’ is 2nd person plural! How do we reconcile the two accounts? I suggest the following: First, the man was quite possibly Mark himself; next, anyone who really understood the language would know that Jesus had not called Elijah; so, he responds sarcastically to their erroneous interpretation and therefore unreasonable demand that he stop; he retorts, “You stop!” and repeats their interpretation in disgust.</n> 


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Then Jesus gave a loud shout and breathed out His spirit; <n>Both Matthew 27:50 and John 19:30 plainly state that Jesus dismissed His spirit. It was not the cross that killed Him [see the third note down]. As He Himself said in John 10:18, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” He chose to die so that we might live. Thank you, Lord!</n> 


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and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. <n>That veil represented the barrier between sinful man and a Holy God. For it to be ripped in two <b>from top to bottom</b> was obviously a supernatural event, and it followed immediately upon Jesus’ death—which means that the Father considered that Jesus had solved the problem. Hebrews 10:20 makes the connection. Because of Jesus’ death we can now have access to the Father.</n> 


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Well when the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw that He breathed out His spirit after giving such a loud shout, <n>A mere handful (0.4%) of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘after giving a loud shout’, to be followed by NASB and LB.</n> he said, “This man really was God’s Son!” <n>Any centurion would be a hardened soldier, who had seen no end of crucifixions. He knew that a cross killed by asphyxiation. Hanging from the hands, with the arms stretched out, pushes the diaphragm against the lungs so you can’t breathe. Nailing the feet was a sadistic procedure to prolong the agony—even though painful, the victim would push up so he could get a breath, until finally too worn out to do so. Breaking the legs would put an end to that expedient, and the person died within a few minutes, asphyxiated. Someone who is dying asphyxiated does not shout. Since Jesus gave a loud shout, but then immediately died, the centurion knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the cross had not killed Jesus (later, when Joseph asks for the body, Pilate is surprised that Jesus could already be dead). But who can just tell his spirit to leave? Putting two and two together, the centurion concluded that Jesus was a supernatural being. Just so!</n> 


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There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome


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—they used to follow Him and minister to Him when He was in Galilee—and many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem.


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<i> The burial</i> Now when evening had come, because it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),


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Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member who also himself was waiting for the Kingdom of God, came and boldly went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.


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Well Pilate was surprised that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion he asked him when He had died.


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Having bought linen, he took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of rock; then he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. <n>If he rolled it, it was in the form of a wheel; there would be a track in which it rolled, with a bit of incline, so that he and Nicodemus could roll it down into place, where it would stop; but it would take several men to roll it back up and away (16:3-4). Obviously all of this had been planned and prepared in advance—the donkey owner, the upper room owner, the sepulcher owner all knew in advance just what part they were to play.</n> 


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Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was placed. <n>They had seen where Jesus was placed, but obviously had not looked in the tomb—there were 100 pounds of spices in there, with enough linen to tie it all in.</n> 


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Now when the Sabbath was past, <n>After 6 p.m. that Saturday, shops could do business.</n> Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, in order to go and anoint Jesus. <n>I follow the best line of transmission and 30% of the manuscripts in reading ‘Jesus’, instead of ‘Him’.</n> 


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And they were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”


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Upon entering the tomb they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.


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But he said to them: “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Natsarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He isn’t here! See, the place where they laid Him.


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But go, tell His disciples, also Peter: ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you’.”


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Trembling and bewildered they went out and fled from the tomb; and they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. <n>That is, they said nothing to the guards or anyone else on the way, until Jesus appeared to them (Matthew 28:9-10). After that they weren’t afraid any more.</n> 


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<i> Jesus appears to the Magdalene, first</i> Having risen early on the first day of the week, Jesus <n>I follow the best line of transmission and 30% of the manuscripts in reading ‘Jesus’, instead of ‘He’.</n> appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.


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<i> Emmaus <n>We have no objective way to know if this was before or after the appearance to Peter—the second was to the women (Matthew 28:9-10).</n> </i> After these things He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking, going into the country.


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So they returned and reported to the rest; neither did they believe them. <n>Mark is writing for a Roman audience, so emphasizes that the disciples did not gullibly believe, just because they wanted to. Just the opposite.</n> 


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<i> Jesus appears to the ‘Eleven’, fifth</i> Later He appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.


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And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;


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they will remove ‘snakes’; <n>The NIV renders ‘they will pick up snakes with their hands’, the ‘with their hands’ being based on just over 2% of the Greek manuscripts. I would say that this particular statement of the Lord’s has been generally misunderstood. The verb in question covers a wide semantic area, one of the uses being to pick up the way a garbage man picks up a bag of trash—he does so to get rid of it (hence ‘remove’). I believe Luke 10:19 sheds light on this question. In Luke 10:19 the Lord Jesus said: “Behold, I give [so 98% of the Greek manuscripts] you <b>the</b> authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” The Lord is addressing the Seventy, not the Twelve, and others were doubtless present; further, this was said perhaps four months before His death and resurrection. It follows that this authority is not limited to the apostles, and there is no indication of a time limit. The Lord Jesus affirms that He gives us <b>the</b> authority over all the power of the enemy. In Matthew 28:18 He declares that He holds “all authority . . . in heaven and earth”, and so He has the right and the competence to delegate a portion of that authority to us. We may have any number of enemies, but the enemy is Satan. The phrase, “all the power”, presumably includes his works, followed by their consequences.Returning to Luke 10:19, the Lord gives us the authority to “trample snakes and scorpions”. Well now, to smash the literal insect, a scorpion, you don’t need power from on High, just a slipper (if you’re fast you can do it barefoot). To trample a snake I prefer a boot, but we can kill literal snakes without supernatural help. It becomes obvious that Jesus was referring to something other than reptiles and insects. I understand Mark 16:18 to be referring to the same reality—Jesus declares that certain signs will accompany the believers (the turn of phrase virtually has the effect of commands): they will expel demons, they will speak strange languages, they will remove ‘snakes’, they will place hands on the sick. (“If they drink . . .” is not a command; it refers to an eventuality.) But what did the Lord Jesus mean by ‘snakes’?In a list of distinct activities Jesus has already referred to demons, so the ‘snakes’ must be something else. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus called the Pharisees a ‘brood of vipers’, and in 23:33, ‘snakes, brood of vipers’. In John 8:44, after they claimed God as their father, Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil”. And 1 John 3:10 makes clear that Satan has many other ‘sons’. In Revelation 20:2 we read: “He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is a slanderer, even Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years.” If Satan is a snake, then his children are also snakes. So then, I take it that our ‘snakes’ are human beings who chose to serve Satan, who sold themselves to evil. I conclude that the ‘snakes’ in Luke 10:19 are the same as those in Mark 16:18, but what of the ‘scorpions’? Since they also are of the enemy, they may be demons, in which case the term may well include their offspring, the humanoids [see my paper, “In the Days of Noah”]. I am still working on the question of just how the removal is done.</n> and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them at all; <n>All the other ‘signs’ involve volitional participation on the part of a believer, but this one presumably refers to an enemy taking advantage of one’s trust or good faith and putting poison in one’s drink. I suggest that the Lord was enunciating a principle here that we can claim. Whenever we feel that someone has tried / is trying to harm us, taking advantage of our confidence, we can claim the nullifying of the attempt, based on this promise.</n> they will lay hands on sick people, and they will get well.”


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<i> The Ascension</i> So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at God’s right.


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And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the message by the accompanying signs. Amen. <n>For well over a hundred years, there has been an ongoing campaign to discredit the last twelve verses of Mark (16:9-20). I wonder where people get the motivation to expend so much time and energy on such an enterprise. Only three known Greek manuscripts omit the verses, and one of them is a falsification at this point [there would be no point in a falsification unless the first hand in fact contained the verses].</n>


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<i> Dedicatory</i> Given that many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those things that really did take place among us,


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just as those who became eyewitnesses, from the beginning, and ministers of the Word delivered them to us, <n>Luke insists that his information comes from responsible eyewitnesses, who were there all the time.</n> 


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it seemed good to me also, most excellent Theophilus, <n>‘Theophilus’ means ‘God-lover’; although Luke is evidently addressing a specific person, I would like to think that the account is also addressed to all lovers of God.</n> having taken careful note of everything from Above, <n>The normal meaning of the Greek word here, <i>ανωθεν </i>, is precisely ‘from above’, and I see no reason to reject that meaning. I take it that Luke is claiming divine inspiration, up front.</n> to write to you with precision and in sequence, <n>In fact, with a few exceptions Luke’s narrative is in chronological sequence, and as a physician he doubtless valued precision.</n> 


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so that you may <i>know</i> the certainty of the things in which you were instructed. <n>Given Luke’s stated purpose in writing, his account needs to be historically accurate.</n> 


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<i> The birth of John the Baptizer foretold</i> In the days of Herod, the king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the <i>priestly</i> division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth.


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They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.


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<i> The setting</i> Now it happened, as he was officiating as priest before God in the order of his division,


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according to the custom of the priesthood, that his lot was to burn incense, upon entering the sanctuary of the Lord;


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<i> Gabriel delivers</i> But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your prayer was heard, <n>Given his expression of doubt this evidently was not a recent prayer. Zacharias had given up hope, and may well have been unhappy with God for not having answered. He wasn’t even impressed with the tremendous things the angel said, but continued to doubt.</n> and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.


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For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he <i>must not</i> drink either wine or strong drink; indeed, he will be filled with Holy Spirit already from his mother’s womb.


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in fact he himself will go before Him <n>The antecedent of “Him” is “the Lord their God”; in effect Gabriel is affirming that the Messiah, Jesus, is God—since he was speaking Hebrew, he may well have said ‘Jehovah their God’.</n> in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of fathers to children’ <n>See Malachi 4:5-6.</n> and the disobedient to the mind-set of the righteous, <n>The righteous have one mind-set; the disobedient have a different one. To change someone’s conduct you need to change his mind-set.</n> to prepare a people made ready for the Lord.”


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<i> Zacharias doubts</i> But Zacharias said to the angel: “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” <n>Does it occur to you to wonder why God would choose such an old couple for a job like this? Perhaps because they would no longer be sidetracked by personal ambitions and would dedicate their energies to preparing John.</n> 


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So in answer the angel said to him: “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; <n>Gabriel is no ordinary angel; he is probably not far below Michael in rank. He imposes his authority on the priest.</n> I was sent to speak to you and bring you this good news.


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Now look, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day in which these things happen, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”


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<i> Zacharias punished</i> Now the people were waiting for Zacharias and wondering at his delay in the sanctuary.


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But when he came out he was unable to speak to them, and they understood that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary—he kept gesturing to them while remaining mute.


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And so, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he took off for home. <n>We know the time frame when it was the division of Abijah’s turn to serve. Assuming that Elizabeth became pregnant as soon as Zacharias got home, we may deduce that Jesus was born in September/October.</n> 


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Well after those days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and stayed in seclusion five months. <n>Her menopause was ancient history, so what was happening was ‘impossible’; besides, even if she was pregnant the likelihood of a miscarriage would be high; so she kept quiet. But after five months she would begin to ‘show’, and the prospect of success was good.</n> She kept saying,


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“So that’s what the Lord has done for me in the days <n>A pregnancy involves a fair number of days, and divine intervention was necessary all the time to enable her to carry the baby to term.</n> when He concerned Himself to take away my reproach among the people!” <n>At that time people looked down on a married woman who had no children.</n> 


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<i> The birth of Jesus foretold—5 BC</i> Now in the sixth month <n>Of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.</n> the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee named Natsareth, <n>For an explanation of this spelling, and its importance, please see the note at Matthew 2:23.</n> 


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to a virgin betrothed <n>This involved a signed legal document, so much so that the couple were then called husband and wife, so ‘engaged’ (at least in contemporary society) is not an adequate rendering.</n> to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house <n>See 2:4.</n> of David; the virgin’s name was Mary.


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So upon entering where she was the angel said, “Rejoice, recipient of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” <n>Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘blessed are you among women’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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But upon seeing him she was perplexed at his word and was trying to figure out what sort of greeting it might be. <n>In Zacharias the angel inspired fear, but Mary sensed immediately that the angel did not represent a menace or threat and concentrated on his astounding words. In typical female fashion, she was trying to figure out the hidden agenda.</n> 


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<i> Gabriel delivers</i> The angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, <n>He’s not telling her not to be afraid of himself, because she wasn’t; I take it that he’s telling her not to fear the future and the implications of his message.</n> Mary, because you have found favor with God.


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Now then, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS . <n>Although the angel presumably addressed Mary in Hebrew, when it came to pronouncing the name, he may well have used the Greek name as we know it.</n> 


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He will be great, and will be called ‘Son of the Most High’; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, <n>Through Mary Jesus received some of David’s genes; David was literally His ancestor.</n> 


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and He will reign over the house of Jacob <n>The ‘house of Jacob’ is not the Church, but the unending Kingdom will include much more than just that ‘house’.</n> into the ages; indeed, of His kingdom there will be no end!” <n>This world will come to an end, but not Christ’s Kingdom. What the angel said to Mary was even more tremendous than what he said to Zacharias.</n> 


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<i> Mary agrees</i> So Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I do not know a man?” <n>Zacharias expressed doubt, but Mary simply requests some necessary information. She has understood that God wants her to be the Messiah’s mother—she was doubtless highly intelligent and perceptive. (In the Bible the verb ‘to know’ is used to refer to sexual intercourse.).</n> 


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In answer the angel said to her: “Holy Spirit <n>The Text doesn’t have a definite article with ‘Holy Spirit’; I gather that the phrase is used as a proper noun.</n> will come upon you and the power of the Most High will hover over you; precisely for this reason the holy One who is to be born will be called ‘Son of God’! <n>Literally so—the Holy Spirit supplied the genes that normally are supplied by a human father.</n> 


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Furthermore, your relative Elizabeth, she has actually conceived a son in her old age and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren;


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So Mary said: “Yes, I am the Lord’s slave! Let it happen to me according to your word.” <n>Mary had to understand the proposal and be in full agreement, or she would not have been a good mother.</n> And the angel departed from her.


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<i> Mary visits Elizabeth</i> Then Mary quickly got ready and went into the hill country in those days, to a town of Judah,


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and entered the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth. <n>I take it that Mary understood that the angel’s reference to Elizabeth was relevant to her.</n> 


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Well it happened that as Elizabeth heard Mary’s salutation the babe bounced up and down in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit.


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<i> Elizabeth prophesies</i> And she cried out with a great voice <n>To cry or call out suggests unusual volume by itself, so why add ‘with a great/loud voice’? Since she spoke under the Holy Spirit’s control, there was probably an unusual quality to the voice, and the neighbors heard it.</n> and said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb!


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Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord <n>What Elizabeth is saying, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is that the Messiah is already in Mary’s womb, as witnessed by baby John’s reaction. There was no human way that Elizabeth could know of the angel’s conversation with Mary. Her prophecy served as a tremendous confirmation and encouragement to Mary—I imagine that the Holy Spirit fertilized her as soon as she said, “Yes”.</n> should come to me?


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Yes indeed, because as the sound of your salutation came into my ears the babe bounced up and down in my womb for joy. <n>The clear implication is that baby John was aware, was already a person in the womb.</n> 


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Blessed is she who believed, because there will be a fulfillment of the things that have been spoken to her from the Lord.” <n>She is stating that Mary had heard from God through the angel, although she had no human way of knowing anything about it.</n> 


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in that He paid attention to the humble station of His slave (f). Yes indeed, because from now on all generations will declare me to be highly favored, <n>So it has been for 2000 years; in every generation there have been those who called her ‘blessed’.</n> 


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He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has dispersed the arrogant in the reasoning of their hearts.


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He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. <n>This sounds like social justice.</n> 


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just as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed while <i>there is</i> an age.” <n>I follow the best line of transmission, as I believe, albeit representing only 35% of the Greek manuscripts, in this case. I take the point to be that the things mentioned are pertinent to this world, not the next.</n> 


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So Mary stayed with her about three months, <n>Those three months in the home of a priest were doubtless filled with relevant instruction from the Scriptures (of course Zacharias was mute, so he would have to write everything), part of Mary’s preparation for her role. Note that Mary evidently took off before John was born [I wonder why]. On the other hand, being three months pregnant it was high time that she go home and face the situation that awaited her. Although Joseph evidently took her to his house immediately, at God’s direction, after only six months a full size baby would be born.</n> and returned to her house.


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<i> The birth of John</i> Now the time for Elizabeth to give birth was completed and she bore a son.


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Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had used His great mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her.


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<i> John is named</i> So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child, <n>‘The eighth day’—two different blood clotting agents, vitamin K and prothrombin, are at their highest level (110% of normal) on the eighth day of a person’s life, so it’s the best of all days for minor surgery. Who but the Creator knew that 4000 years ago, when He told Abraham to do it?</n> and they started calling him by the name of his father, Zacharias.


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(Well a fear came on all who lived around them; and all these sayings kept being talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.


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All who heard kept them in their hearts saying, “What then will this child be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.) <n>The material within parentheses is an historical aside, after the fact. Presumably Zacharias started right in with his prophecy.</n> 


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<i> Zacharias prophesies</i> Now his father Zacharias was filled with Holy Spirit and prophesied saying:


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“Blessed be the LORD , <n>They spoke Hebrew in Judea, and Zacharias probably said “Jehovah”.</n> the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people;


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deliverance from our enemies and out of the hand of all who hate us; <n>Zacharias knew that the Messiah would soon be born, but was evidently expecting a physical, political kingdom that would deliver them from Roman domination.</n> 


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in holiness and righteousness <n>‘To serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness’—that is what life is supposed to be about, but is only possible because the Messiah came.</n> before Him all the days of our life.


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“And you, child, will be called Prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,


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to give a knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins, <n>In this paragraph Zacharias emphasizes the spiritual benefits of Messiah’s coming.</n> 


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through the merciful compassions of our God, with which the divine Dawn has contemplated us, <n>Without doubt, the coming of the Messiah, with all that involved, represented the dawning of a new Day for this world.</n> 


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to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”


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So the child kept growing and being strengthened in spirit, <n>The verb ‘strengthen’ is in the passive voice, so John had outside help—just like Gabriel said.</n> and he stayed in uninhabited areas until the day of his manifestation to Israel. <n>Because of their advanced age, his parents may well have died by the time he was a teenager. Although as Zacharias’ son he was in line to become a priest, he could not begin to serve until he was thirty.</n> 


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<i> The birth of Jesus—4 BC</i> Now it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole inhabited world should be enrolled. <n>Of course the Roman Empire did not control the whole world, but the decree was doubtless worded in grandiose terms.</n> 


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This first census took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. <n>Quirinius served two terms: the best known was in A.D. 6-10, but there is good evidence for a prior term in 4-1 B.C.</n> 


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<i> At night, in Bethlehem, the Savior is born</i> So Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of Natsareth town, into Judea to the city of David, that is called Bethlehem, because he was of David’s ‘house’, that is, line of descent,


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to enroll himself with Mary, the woman who had been betrothed to him, <n>That’s what the Text says. We know from Matthew 1:24-25 that Joseph had already received her as his wife, but still had not had sexual relations with her—obviously an atypical situation. He had taken responsibility for her as his wife, but as far as sex was concerned she was still ‘pledged’—thus Luke’s unusual turn of phrase.</n> who was pregnant.


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and she gave birth to her firstborn <n>Luke’s use of the term ‘firstborn’, writing after Mary had passed the age that she could bear children, clearly implies that she had other children after the first; otherwise Luke would have used ‘only’ rather than ‘first’.</n> Son, wrapped Him in pieces of cloth and laid Him in the manger, <n>Some 95% of the Greek manuscripts have the definite article with ‘manger’, so there was only one in the place, which implies that it was a stable. Since Bethlehem stands on a limestone ridge, there were probably natural caves that would make excellent stables. Actually, mother and baby were probably better off there than in the crowded lodging.</n> because there was no room for them in the lodging place.


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<i> Angels and shepherds</i> Now there were shepherds in that same area, staying out in the field and keeping the nightly watches <n>They would take turns standing watch.</n> over their flock.


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When <i>wow</i> , an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.


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The angel said to them: “Do not be afraid because listen, I am announcing the most joyful news to you, which will be to all the people!


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You see, today, <n>The shepherds were Jews, and their ‘day’ began at 6 p.m. The angel’s use of ‘today’ indicates that Jesus was born at night, since the angel delivered his message at night.</n> in David’s city, a Savior was born to you, who is Lord Christ!


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And this is the sign to you: you will find a Baby wrapped in pieces of cloth, lying in a manger.” <n>This may not seem like much of a ‘sign’ to us, but doubtless there was only one newborn baby in the whole area that met those conditions.</n> 


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“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward mankind!” <n>“Good will toward mankind” reflects some 1700 Greek manuscripts; only six known Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, read “among those with whom He is pleased” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.; the New Living Translation favors us with a footnote: “Some manuscripts read . . . , <i>goodwill among people</i>”—by ‘some’ they mean ± 1700 against six! [how could the editors be so perverse?]).</n> 


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<i> Shepherds go and report</i> So when the angels went away from them into the sky the men, the shepherds, said to one another, “Hey, let’s go to Bethlehem and see this event that has taken place, that the Lord made known to us!”


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And having seen they spread an exact account of the saying that had been spoken to them concerning this Child.


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The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God over all that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.


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<i> Jesus is named</i> When eight days were completed so as to circumcise Him, His name was indeed called JESUS , the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.


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<i> Jesus is presented to God</i> And when the days of their <n>The Text has ‘their’, not ‘her’; since a woman was not to have intercourse for forty days after giving birth to a boy (80 for a girl), Leviticus 12:2-5, her purification obviously affected her husband as well.</n> purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord


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(just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens a womb shall be called holy to the LORD ” <n>See Exodus 13:2, 12-15.</n> ),


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and to offer a sacrifice according to what was specified in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”. <n>See Leviticus 12:8. The prescribed sacrifice was a lamb; only if the couple was too poor to bring a lamb could they substitute the birds (since they could be caught in the wild, the poorest of the poor could meet this requirement). Evidently Joseph and Mary could not afford a lamb, which indicates that they had not yet received the gifts from the magi.</n> 


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<i> Simeon</i> Well now, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, expectantly waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and Holy Spirit was upon him.


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(It had been revealed to him repeatedly by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw the Lord’s Messiah. <n>The Greek Text has ‘Christ’, but the Holy Spirit presumably used Hebrew to communicate with Simeon. The man evidently lived in communion with God, and thus the Holy Spirit could guide him at any time—here He sends him into the temple at just the right moment.</n> )


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So by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought the Child Jesus in, to do concerning Him according to the custom of the law,


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“Sovereign, <n>Simon actually used the term from which we get ‘despot’, but in English this term has a negative flavor, unless one adds ‘benevolent’; but ‘benevolent despot’ doesn’t work very well in direct address—so I render ‘Sovereign’. [When I myself address God, I habitually follow Simeon’s example.]</n> now You can release your slave in peace, according to Your word,


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And Joseph <n>Instead of ‘Joseph’, about 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘his father’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.).</n> and His mother were marveling at the things being spoken concerning Him.


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Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother: “Listen, this One is appointed to bring about the fall and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is spoken against,


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so that the reasonings of many hearts may be revealed (furthermore, a sword will pass through your own soul also).” <n>Watching her Son suffer, Mary would also suffer. Jesus obliged the people, especially the leaders, to take sides, and so the reasonings of their hearts were exposed.</n> 


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<i> Anna</i> Also there was a prophetess Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher—she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity


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and having been a widow for about eighty-four years <n>If she married at 15 she would have been about 105 at the time.</n> —who did not depart from the temple, serving <i>God</i> with fastings and petitions night and day.


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Well she, having come up at that very moment, started praising the Lord, <n>Instead of ‘the Lord’, less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have ‘God’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and kept on speaking of Him to all those in Jerusalem who were looking for redemption.


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<i> Back to Natsareth</i> When they had completed everything, according to the law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to their own town, Natsareth.


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And the Child kept growing and being strengthened in spirit, <n>Less than half a percent of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘in spirit’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> being filled <n>Both ‘strengthened’ and ‘filled’ are in the passive voice; like John, only more so, Jesus had outside help.</n> with wisdom; yes, the grace of God was upon Him.


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<i> A twelve-year-old Boy</i> Now every year His parents would go to Jerusalem to the feast of the Passover;


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When they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but Joseph and His mother <n>Instead of ‘Joseph and His mother’, perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, have ‘his parents’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> didn’t know it.


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Supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey and <i>then</i> started looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.


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So it happened that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.


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(All who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.) <n>Really and truly—how many of us could discuss theology intelligently for one hour, let alone three days!</n> 


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So upon seeing Him they were amazed, and His mother said to Him: “Son, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in distress.” <n>They evidently thought that Jesus had met with foul play; they were afraid for His life. In contrast, Jesus never worried about suffering harm (see next note).</n> 


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So He said to them: “Why were you seeking me? Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s <i>concerns</i> ?” <n>At twelve Jesus knew precisely who He was—“my father” cannot refer to Joseph because Jesus wasn’t discussing carpentry with the doctors of the Law—He was consciously about God’s business. Notice that Jesus doesn’t even come close to apologizing; in fact He rebukes them for worrying—after all, they also knew just who He was. (Jesus was no doubt unusually mature for His age, and may have just had His <i>bar mitzvah</i>.) The only time Jesus feared for His life was in Gethsemane—Mt. 26:38, Mk. 14:34, Lk. 22:44, Heb. 5:7-8 (compare by contrast Lk. 4:28-30, Mk. 4:35-41, Jn. 8:59, 10:39, 18:6).</n> 


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But they did not understand the statement that He made to them. <n>Perhaps they should have, knowing who He really was, but by now they probably had at least four children and each day was filled with very ordinary concerns—do the concerns of life not cause us also to forget spiritual realities?</n> 


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Then He went down with them and came to Natsareth, and continued subordinating Himself to them; His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. <n>This is the second time Luke records this. No doubt Mary was one of the eyewitnesses that Luke interviewed; I imagine it was a long and detailed interview, and maybe several.</n> 


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<i> Enter John the Baptizer—26 AD</i> Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, while his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,


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during the high priesthood of Annas (also Caiaphas), <n>Annas was the real high priest, which office was for life. But in an effort to diminish the political influence of the high priest (presumably) the Roman government obliged the Jews to name a different high priest each year, and the governor dealt with him—so that particular year it was Caiaphas. Notice how Luke emphasizes historicity.</n> the word of God came upon <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘upon’ not ‘to’; I take it that that Word compelled him to action.</n> John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.


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So he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins;


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as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “A voice calling out: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness, make His paths straight. <n>The Hebrew text of Isa. 40:3 has “in the desert” here, making it overtly parallel to “in the wilderness”, so both are part of what the ‘voice’ is saying.</n> 


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Every ravine will be filled up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; <n>That is, where the highway passes, not all over the place; just like modern super-highways.</n> the crooked parts of the roads will be straightened out, and the rough parts will be smoothed out;


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and all flesh <n>That’s what the Text says. I resist the temptation to limit the reference to people, because the animals will also see it (Isaiah 11:6-9). In Genesis 6:17 “all flesh” clearly includes the animals.</n> will see the salvation of God.’”


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<i> “Brood of vipers!”</i> Then he said to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him: “You sons of poisonous snakes! <n>We don’t know the precise type of snake, except that it was presumably poisonous. The Text has ‘offsprings’, plural, which doesn’t make very good English, so I put ‘sons’.</n> Who tipped you off to flee from the coming wrath?


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Well then, produce fruits befitting repentance, and don’t <i>even</i> begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father’, because I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! <n>To be born into a Christian family is certainly an advantage, but does not guarantee your eternal destiny. God has no ‘grandchildren’; you must believe into the Lord Jesus Christ to become God’s child.</n> 


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But even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees; <n>The Messiah was about to be introduced and to begin His public ministry; among other things He would condemn the Pharisees and other ‘snakes’—‘thrown into the fire’ refers to their eternal destiny.</n> so then, every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”


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<i> “What shall we do?”</i> So the people <n>The Text has ‘crowds’.</n> started asking him, “What then must we do?”


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In answer he said to them, “He who has two coats, <n>Literally, ‘tunics’.</n> let him share with him who has none; and he who has food should do likewise”. <n>The verb ‘share’ is an aorist imperative, implying a one time event—you give the extra coat, but get to keep one. The verb ‘do’ is a present imperative, implying a continuing action—food is to be shared all the time.</n> 


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So He said to them, “Don’t charge more than what was determined to you”. <n>Right on. The tax collectors were hated, among other things, because they usually added a percentage for themselves.</n> 


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So the soldiers started asking him too: “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Don’t extort or harass anyone, and be content with your wages”. <n>Right on again. Soldiers would frequently try to ‘supplement’ their wages.</n> 


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<i> “A greater One is coming”</i> Now as the people were expectant and all were reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether he just might be the Messiah,


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John anticipated them all saying: “I indeed am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie. <i>He</i> will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire;


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whose winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” <n>“Unquenchable fire” is a clear reference to the Lake; recall that there is always more chaff than grain, but the chaff is also part of the wheat plant. I suspect that most churches have more chaff than grain.</n> 


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<i> John is imprisoned—an historical aside</i> (Indeed, with many other exhortations as well he kept on preaching to the people;


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but Herod the tetrarch—being reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother’s wife, as also about all the wicked things that Herod perpetrated <n>A coward John was not!</n> —


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<i> Jesus is baptized</i> Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus, having been baptized also, was praying, when the heaven was opened


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and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove <i>and rested</i> upon Him, and a Voice came out of heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; in you I am always well pleased.”


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<i> Mary’s genealogy <n>The genealogy interrupts the chronological sequence of the narrative, which resumes at 4:1.</n> </i> (Beginning His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (so it was supposed) a son of Joseph, Jesus Himself <n>There are several unusual grammatical features in the Greek text of this verse, which has been badly translated by every version I have seen; resulting in contradictions and errors of fact. Here is the Greek, for those who can read it: Και αυτος ἦν ὁ Ιησους, ὡσει ετων τριακοντα αρχομενος, ων ὡς ενομιζετο υἱος Ιωσηφ, του Ηλει, του Ματθαν, του Λευι, του Μελχι, . . . There are four words here that invite special attention: <i>και, αυτος, ἦν</i> and <i>ὡς</i> . Since verse 22 ends with a statement from the Father at Jesus’ baptism, it is clear that verse 23 begins another section. But the conjunction that signals the transition is <i>και </i> and not <i>δε </i>, as one would expect—this means that ‘Jesus’ continues as the topic. But in that event, how does one explain the personal pronoun <i>αυτος </i>, the more so in such an emphatic position? If the author’s purpose was simply to register Jesus as a son of Joseph, as many suppose, why didn’t he just write <i>και ὁ Ιησους ἦν υἱος Ιωσηφ </i>, etc.?But then, why write <i>ὡς ενομιζετο </i>? It seems to me that the normal meaning of “as was supposed” is to affirm that Jesus was in fact Joseph’s son; but that is precisely what Jesus <b>was not</b>. Luke has already made clear that Jesus’ real Father was the Holy Spirit— 1:34-35, 43, 45; 2:49. So what Luke is really saying is that although the people supposed Jesus to be Joseph’s son, He actually had a different lineage—we should translate “so it was supposed”. (Recall that a faithful and loyal translation seeks to transmit correctly the meaning intended by the author.)The verb <i>ἦν </i> is the only independent one in the whole paragraph, verses 23-38. Is it working with the participle <i>αρχομενος </i> in a periphrastic construction? That appears to be the tendency of the eclectic text that places the participle right after Jesus (following about 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality), which makes Jesus out to be in fact Joseph’s son. It seems to me to be far more natural to take the participial clauses as being circumstantial: “beginning at about thirty years of age” and “being (so it was supposed) a son of Joseph”. Setting those two clauses aside, the independent clause that remains is <i>ἦν ὁ Ιησους του Ηλει </i>, “Jesus was of Eli”.The participle ‘beginning’ requires an object, that the Text leaves implicit; from the context it seems clear that we may supply ‘His ministry’, or some such thing, which is why most versions do so. I suggest the following rendering: “Beginning <i>His ministry</i> at about thirty years of age, being (so it was supposed) a son of Joseph, Jesus was actually of Eli, of Mathan, of Levi, . . .” I take it that the emphatic pronoun <i>αυτος </i> heightens the contrast between what the people imagined and the reality. Jesus was a grandson of Eli, Mary’s father—Luke gives the genealogy of Jesus through His mother, while Matthew gives it through His stepfather.The eclectic text gives our verse a different wording: και αυτος ἦν Ιησους αρχομενος ὡσει ετων τριακοντα, ων υἱος, ὡς ενομιζετο, Ιωσηφ του Ηλι του Μαθθατ του Λευι του Μελχι, . . . The RSV translates it like this: “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, . . .” Is not the normal meaning of this rendering that Jesus was in fact the son of Joseph? However, every version that I recall seeing has “Joseph, the son of Heli”, which directly contradicts Matthew, “Jacob begot Joseph”. The word ‘son’ (without the article) occurs only with Joseph, although most versions supply it on down the genealogy. But Luke is precisely correct in not using it, because it would not hold for the first and last names in the list—Eli did not beget Jesus (nor Joseph) and God did not beget Adam.So then, properly understood Luke does not contradict Matthew (with reference to Joseph’s father), nor does he affirm an error of fact (with reference to Jesus’ father).</n> was of Eli, <n>All published Bibles that I have seen add ‘son’ or ‘the son’ to each prepositional phrase in the genealogy, but Luke didn’t write that—from ‘Eli’ to ‘God’ there is no ‘son’. Why not? I don’t know, I wasn’t there, but with both Eli and God the word would have a different meaning than with the rest of the names in the list. Adam could be called a ‘son’ of God by creation, but not procreation. I take it that Eli was Mary’s father, and thus the maternal grandfather of Jesus, so here also ‘son’ would have a different meaning. For all that, through Mary and Eli Jesus received some of David’s genes, so He was literally a descendent of David.</n> 


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of Matthan, <n>There is considerable confusion among the Greek manuscripts as to the spelling of all these names. I have generally just used the spelling we are used to, but not always.</n> of Levi, of Melchi, of Janna, of Joseph,


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of Joannan, of Rhesa, of Zerubbabel, <n>For more on this man see the whole book of Haggai and Zech. 4:6.</n> of Shealtiel, <n>The Greek form is actually ‘Salathiel’.</n> of Neri,


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of Amminadab, of Aram, <n>Rather than “of Aram”, a variety of modern versions have ‘the son of Admin, the son of Arni”, and they do so following the eclectic text that has been in vogue for several generations (UBS/N-A). As is their habit, the editors of that text follow the so-called ‘Alexandrian’ witnesses, but at this point those witnesses are scattered all over the back side of the desert—almost no two agree. One would have thought that this would give the UBS editors pause, but not at all. They were so intent on doing despite to Christ’s genealogy that they actually concocted a ‘patchwork quilt’ and intruded the fictitious Admin and Arni into that genealogy. UBS has presented the evidence in their apparatus in such a way as to obscure the fact that no Greek MS has the precise text they have printed (the same holds for N-A). In Bruce Metzger’s presentation of the UBS Committee’s reasoning in this case he wrote, “the Committee adopted what seems to be the least unsatisfactory form of text”. Is this not a good candidate for ‘chutzpah’ of the year? The UBS editors concoct their own reading and proclaim it “the least unsatisfactory”! And just what might be “unsatisfactory” about the reading of 95% of the Greek manuscripts except that it doesn’t introduce any difficulties?There is complete confusion in the Egyptian camp. That confusion may have commenced in the second century, resulting from several easy transcriptional errors, simple copying mistakes. The total confusion in Egypt does not surprise us, but how shall we account for the text and apparatus of UBS3/N-A26 in this instance? And whatever possessed the editors of NASB, NRSV, TEV, LB, Berkeley, etc. to embrace such an egregious error? ‘Admin’ and ‘Arni’ have no more place in Christ’s genealogy than does Idi Amin, although he at least is not a fiction.</n> of Joram, <n>‘Joram’—Luke 3:33 X Matthew 1:3, Ruth 4:19, 1 Chronicles 2:9. I follow 80% of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission, in placing Joram between Aram and Hezron. However, since both the Textus Receptus and the eclectic text currently in vogue follow the 20%, mine is the first version that I have seen that includes Joram. The obvious difficulty with this proceeding is that it goes against Matthew 1:3, Ruth 4:19 and 1 Chronicles 2:9, that have no ‘Joram’. The apparent disagreement with Matthew, Ruth and Chronicles would be an obvious inducement to omit ‘Joram’. But what possible motivation would there be to invent and insert an unknown name? And if someone did, how could it come to dominate the stream of transmission, to the tune of 80%? But wherever could Luke have come up with ‘Joram’? I understand that Luke obtained the information about Joram from records existing in his day, and being correct information was led by the Holy Spirit to include it in his Gospel. Just like Jude, who quoted Enoch—Enoch’s prophecy must have been in existence in Jude’s day, but we have no copy in Hebrew today (though Jews are reported to have used one so recently as the 13th century A.D.); similarly we have no copy of Luke’s source. Let’s recall Luke’s stated purpose in writing: “It seemed good to me also, most excellent Theophilus, having taken careful note of everything from Above, to write to you with precision and in sequence, so that you may <b>know</b> the certainty of the things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:3-4). Given his stated purpose in writing, Luke’s account needs to be historically accurate (cf. 2:2 and 3:1). So then, I take it that the Holy Spirit guided Luke to include Joram. So then, Aram (Ram) was actually a grandson of Hezron; Hezron fathered Joram, who fathered Aram. While I’m on this tack, my solution to the ‘Jeremiah’ problem in Matthew 27:9-10 is similar. Daniel (9:2) refers to “the books” (plural) in connection with Jeremiah the prophet. So I assume that Matthew had access to other writings of Jeremiah, of which no copy survives.</n> of Hezron, of Perez, of Judah,


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of Cainan, <n>Cainan2—Luke 3:36 X Genesis 11:12. There are several spelling variations that together are attested by almost 1% of the Greek manuscripts; 99% have Καιναν . Apparently only two omit, P75v and D, but no printed text follows their lead. So there is no reasonable doubt that Luke in fact wrote that Shelah was fathered by Cainan, not Arphaxad. This Cainan has been widely used to justify treating the genealogies in Genesis like accordions—if one name was demonstrably left out in the Genesis account, then who knows how many others were also left out. This Cainan is also used to deny the validity of constructing a strict chronology based on the time spans given in the genealogies.But where did Luke get this information? The LXX contains Cainan in Genesis 11:12, but is so different from the Massoretic text here that it looks like fiction. Recall that the LXX we know is based on codices Vaticanus, Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus, produced centuries after Luke. It is more likely that our LXX is based on Luke than vice versa. Where then did Luke get it? I understand that Luke obtained the information about this Cainan from records existing in his day, and being correct information was led by the Holy Spirit to include it in his Gospel (see my discussion of ‘Joram’ above).This brief note was inspired by the discussion of the subject given by Dr. Floyd N. Jones in <i>Chronology of the Old Testament</i> (which book comes close to solving all the alleged numerical discrepancies in the OT, at least as I see it). However, the explanation that follows is original with me (if anyone else has proposed it, I am unaware). Let’s recall the exact wording of Genesis 11:12-13. “Arphaxad lived thirty-five years and begot Salah; after he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.” The verb ‘begot’ requires that Salah be a blood descendent of Arphaxad, not adopted. He could be a grandson, the son of a son of Arphaxad, or even a great-grandson, etc., except that in this case the time frame only has room for one intervening generation. The plain meaning of the formula in the Text, ‘W lived X years and begot Y; after W begot Y he lived Z years,’ is that W was X years old when Y was born, is it not (and Y was Z years old when W died)? It follows that this formula destroys the ‘accordion’ gambit. There were precisely 130 years between Adam and Seth, 105 between Seth and Enosh, 90 between Enosh and Cainan1, etc., etc. (To argue that the years were based on lunar months will not save the gambit.) I take the clear meaning of the Hebrew Text to be that Arphaxad was 35 years old when Salah was born, whatever we may decide to do about ‘Cainan’.Let’s try to imagine the situation in the years immediately following the Flood. After the Flood the ‘name of the game’ was to replenish the earth. Indeed, the divine command was: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 9:1). So, whom could Noah’s grandsons marry? Obviously their cousins, Noah’s granddaughters. There would be an urgency to reproduce—thus, the girls would be married off at puberty, and the boys wouldn’t be wasting around either. The women would be giving birth as often as they possibly could. Really, the absolute top priority would be to increase the number of people. Arphaxad was born two years after the flood, but his wife could have been born a year or two earlier. (The Sacred Text is clear to the effect that only eight souls entered the ark, but some of the women could have conceived during the Flood, since they were in the ark for a full year.) Thus, Arphaxad could have fathered “Cainan” when he was 17/18. Similarly, Cainan could have fathered Salah when he was 17/18. In this way Arphaxad could be said to have “begotten” Salah when he was 35. Cainan could have died early or been passed over in Genesis because the timespan did not constitute a ‘generation’, or both. Or, as things got back to normal, culturally speaking, the haste with which Arphaxad and Cainan procreated might have been viewed as unseemly. The expedient of omitting Cainan would make the account more ‘normal’ while preserving precision as to the elapsed time. But Luke would be correct in saying that Salah was “of” Cainan who was “of” Arphaxad. Salah was Arphaxad’s grandson. In any case, the Messianic line was passed on by Salah. Without Luke’s record I, for one, would never have stopped to consider what must have happened immediately following the Flood—the absolute priority must have been to increase the number of people.</n> of Arphaxad, of Shem, of Noah, of Lamech,


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<i> Jesus tested by Satan</i> Then Jesus, full of Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,


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where He was tested for forty days by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, so after they were completed He was <i>hungry</i> . <n>This episode was ordained by the Holy Spirit. Jesus had to confront Satan when He was physically the weakest He would ever be (40 days without food!). When Satan failed to defeat this weakened Jesus, he was probably filled with despair—he now knew that he could never defeat Him (but he would still try to kill Him). Hebrews 2:18 and 4:15-16 give at least part of the reason why Jesus had to undergo this experience.</n> 


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So the devil said to Him, “Since you are Son of God, <n>There are several kinds of conditional clause in Greek, among them ‘of doubt’, ‘of fact’ and ‘contrary to fact’—Satan was not so crude as to express doubt about Christ’s identity, ‘if’, he was more subtle; he granted the fact, ‘since’, and appealed to His pride.</n> tell this stone to become bread!”


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Jesus answered him saying, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’.” <n>See Deuteronomy 8:3. Less than half a percent of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “but by every word of God” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, <n>Just three known Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality (against over 1,700), omit “the devil up on a high mountain” (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc., except that some keep ‘the devil’, but not the rest).</n> showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. <n>This is obviously supernatural. Even from a satellite you can’t see the whole world at once because it is a sphere.</n> 


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The devil said to Him: “To <b>you</b> I will give all this authority, and their glory, because it has been handed over to <i>me</i> , and I give it to whomever I want to.


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So you, if you would worship before me, all will be yours.” <n>This was a master-stroke. Jehovah the Son entered this world as the second/last Adam precisely to recover what the first Adam had lost, and Satan was evidently well aware of what was going on. So he offers it to Jesus on a ‘silver platter’, with just one small condition . . . . Note that Jesus does not deny Satan’s right to make the offer.</n> 


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In answer Jesus said to him: “Get behind me, Satan! <n>Some 3.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “Get behind me, Satan” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> It is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve!’” <n>See Deuteronomy 6:13.</n> 


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He also took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, <n>Matthew’s report has the temple before the mountain; since he employs adverbs of time (sequence) while Luke does not, I take it that Matthew gives the correct sequence. Luke handles the temple event almost as an afterthought.</n> and said to Him: “Since you are Son of God, throw yourself down from here;


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and, ‘They will carry you along on their hands, so you do not stub your foot on a stone’.” <n>See Psalm 91:11-12.</n> 


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In answer Jesus said to him: “The statement stands, ‘You shall not test the LORD your God’!” <n>See Deuteronomy 6:16. To do something irresponsible to try to oblige God to perform a miracle to save you from the consequences is forbidden. It would be a kind of ‘blackmail’.</n> 


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Having finished every test, <n>Jesus was tested in the three areas: “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).</n> the devil departed from Him until an opportune time. <n>“Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), but he is in the business of returning and renewing the attack—constant vigilance is required.</n> 


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<i> Jesus begins His public ministry, in Galilee <n>A number of months elapsed between verses 13 and 14; John 1:15-4:42 records some of what transpired during that interval.</n> </i> Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about Him spread throughout the whole surrounding area;


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<i> His hometown rejects Him</i> So He came to Natsareth, where He had been brought up; as was His custom He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.


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The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, so unrolling the scroll He found the place where it was written:


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“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He has anointed me to evangelize poor people. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, <n>Perhaps 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “to heal the brokenhearted” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to blind people, to send those who are oppressed out in freedom,


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to proclaim the Lord’s favorable year.” <n>Jesus interrupted the reading of Isaiah 61:2 at a coma—‘the great parenthesis’. The part that He read pertained to His first coming, but “the day of vengeance of our God” pertains to His second coming—the ‘parenthesis’ is closing in on 2,000 years.</n> 


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<i> “Today this Scripture is fulfilled”</i> Then, having rolled up the scroll and returned it to the attendant, He sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him,


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(All were bearing witness to Him and were marveling at the gracious words that were coming out of His mouth; <n>He doubtless spoke for a reasonable length of time and was producing a favorable impression, but at the end He got offensive; verses 23-27 presumably contain the conclusion of His discourse.</n> and they started saying, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”)


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He said to them: “Doubtless you will quote this parable to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’—do here in your hometown the things we have heard were done in Capernaum.”


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<i> Jesus treads on their toes</i> Then He said: “Assuredly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.


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Further, I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months and a severe famine came over all the land;


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And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet not one of them was cleansed—just Naaman the Syrian.” <n>It appears that Jesus antagonized them on purpose. Why? I see two possible answers: to remove any claim to special privilege that they might harbor because of being His home town; to be personally free from possible pressure arising from such a claim. In fact He moved out, choosing Capernaum as His base of operations.</n> 


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<i> Typical mob action</i> Well, upon hearing these things everyone in the synagogue was filled with fury, <n>The violent reaction was out of all proportion to the ‘provocation’. Presumably Satan took this opportunity to try to kill Him.</n> 


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and rising up they drove Him out of the town and took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him off the cliff.


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But He, passing through the middle of them, went on His way. <n>“Passing through the middle of them, He went on His way”—now how did that happen? To throw Him down, someone would have to be holding Him, probably a man on each arm, and they had gotten Him there by force. Obviously the Lord made use of supernatural power to free Himself from that situation—He had come to this world to die, all right, but not then and not in that way.</n> 


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<i> Capernaum becomes His base of operations—27 AD</i> Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee; He started teaching them on the Sabbaths.


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<i> A demonized man</i> Now in the synagogue was a man having a spirit of an unclean demon; he cried out with a loud voice


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saying: “Ugh! What do you want with us, Jesus of Natsareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!” <n>Evidently the Lord’s mere presence was enough to make the demons feel threatened. Based on John 14:12, I wonder if the same thing shouldn’t be true of us.</n> 


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So Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be muzzled, and get out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down in the midst, it came out of him without harming him.


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Everyone was taken with amazement and they started conversing together, saying: “What is this word! For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”


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<i> Peter’s mother-in-law</i> Then He left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering with a high fever, and they requested Him on her behalf.


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So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. <n>Normally a high fever leaves one weak, so the Lord reversed the consequences of the fever as well.</n> 


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<i> Healings at sunset</i> Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on each one of them and healed them.


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Moreover, demons came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, <n>Perhaps 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “the Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> the Son of God!” But rebuking them He would not allow them to continue speaking, because they knew that He was the Messiah. <n>I find this to be curious: the demons kept telling the truth about Jesus, but He evidently didn’t want testimony from that quarter. But it seems that the demons felt compelled to identify Him—I wonder why.</n> 


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Now at daybreak He departed and went to a deserted place; so the crowds started looking for Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them.


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But He said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because for this purpose I have been sent”.


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So He went preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. <n>Around 4% of the Greek manuscripts read Judea rather than Galilee, possibly influenced by Lectionaries. There is confusion among the 4% such that the prepositional phrase as given in UBS is read by less than 1%. However, Jesus was in Galilee (and continued there), not in Judea, as the context makes clear. In the parallel passage, Mark 1:35-39, all texts agree that Jesus was in Galilee. Thus UBS3 contradicts itself by reading Judea in Luke 4:44. Bruce Metzger makes clear that the UBS editors did this on purpose when he explains that their reading “is obviously the more difficult, and copyists have corrected it . . . in accord with the parallels in Mt 4.23 and Mk 1.39.” Thus the UBS editors introduce a contradiction into their text which is also an error of fact. This error in the eclectic text is reproduced by LB, NIV, NASB, NEB, RSV, etc. NRSV adds insult to injury: “So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.”</n> 


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<i> By the sea</i> Now it happened, as He had come along the Lake of Genesaret, that the multitude crowded Him to hear the Word of God;


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So He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. <n>Peter had already spent time with Jesus, so this was natural.</n> Sitting down He began to teach the crowds from the boat.


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<i> A miraculous catch</i> When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”.


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And in answer Simon said to Him, “Master, we have worked hard the whole night and caught nothing, but based on your word I will let down the net”. <n>Peter was the professional here, and figured he knew better than Jesus, but he does obey. However, Jesus had said to let down ‘nets’ (pl), but Peter let down only one. (Actually, Jesus put ‘let down’ in the plural, so there was at least one other in the boat, unless it was really His intention that both boats should go out.)</n> 


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So they signaled to their partners who were in the other boat to come help them; they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.


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Upon experiencing this Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees, <n>Jesus was still sitting in the boat, only now surrounded by fish, probably up to His knees.</n> saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” <n>Do you find Peter’s reaction to be curious? No doubt he felt pretty ‘small’ at that point.</n> 


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Because astonishment gripped him and all who were with him at the haul of fish which they had caught;


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yes, this included James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching people”.


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Pulling the boats up on the shore, they left it all <n>The hired men took care of the fish, etc. No doubt most of the crowd had stayed to watch, so getting rid of the fish probably was not a problem.</n> and followed Him.


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<i> The hinge: proof, evaluation, rejection A leper—the proof</i> Now it happened, while He was in one of the towns—a man full of leprosy! Upon seeing Jesus he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can cleanse me!”


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So He extended His hand and touched him, saying, “I want to; be cleansed!” <n>“I want to”—beautiful! To actually touch a leper was unheard of, but of course Jesus had no fear of contamination.</n> Immediately the leprosy left him.


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Then He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing just as Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.” <n>As a testimony about what? This would be the first time in the life of the priest that anyone had done this, because lepers didn’t get better. Who but the Messiah could heal leprosy? That they got the point is indicated by the examining council that is described in verse 17.</n> 


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However the news about Him spread all the more, and large crowds kept gathering to hear and to be healed by Him of their sicknesses.


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So He Himself would withdraw into deserted places and pray. <n>He made sure that He kept in touch with the Father.</n> 


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<i> An examining council—the evaluation</i> Now it happened on a certain day that He was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem, sitting there—and the power of the Lord was there to heal them. <n>The eclectic text currently in vogue makes a mess of this statement by changing ‘them’ to ‘him’, following about 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality. ‘him’ is in the accusative case, as is ‘them’, and is thus the direct object of the verb ‘to heal’. The modern versions that follow the 1% render ‘present with Him to heal’, or some such thing, which the text does not say.</n> 


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<i> “Your sins are forgiven”</i> And then, some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a cot, and tried to take him in and place him before Him.


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When they could not find how to do it, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with the cot through the tiling into the center, in front of Jesus.


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Seeing their faith He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you!” <n>Those men were really determined, but they wanted healing, not forgiveness of sins; however, Jesus had His own agenda.</n> 


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<i> A ‘discussion’ ensues</i> So the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying: “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” <n>Their theology wasn’t all that bad; they just didn’t recognize Jesus as God.</n> 


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But Jesus perceived their reasonings and reacted by saying to them: “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?


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Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you’, or to say, ‘Get up and walk!’? <n>“Your sins are forgiven” is easier to say, because no one can see if it happened or not. If you say, “Get up and walk!” and he doesn’t, it makes you look stupid.</n> 


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But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man: “I say to <i>you</i> , get up! Take your cot and go to your house.”


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<i> God is glorified</i> Immediately he stood up in front of them, took up what he had been lying on, and set out to his own house glorifying God.


