MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:19 keys of the kingdom of heaven. Peter is given the authority to admit entrance into the kingdom through preaching the gospel, an authority that is subsequently granted to all who are called to proclaim the gospel. (Note the contrast with the scribes and Pharisees, who shut the kingdom in people’s faces, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to enter; see 23:13.) In Acts, Peter is the apostle who first preaches the message of the kingdom to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2), to the Samaritans (Acts 8), and to the Gentiles (Acts 10). whatever you bind … whatever you loose. Peter also has authority to exercise discipline concerning right and wrong conduct for those in the kingdom, an authority that is not exclusive to Peter but is extended to the church as a whole in Matt. 18:18; cf. John 20:23. Jesus delegates authority to human leaders in the church who are called to govern his church on earth, under his ultimate authority, through the application of his Word.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:20 Jesus warned his disciples against telling anyone that he was the Christ, since the concept of Christ/Messiah was widely misunderstood by the crowds—and often by the disciples themselves. See note on 8:4; cf. 9:30; 12:16; 17:9.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:21–17:27 The Suffering of the Messiah Revealed. Jesus reveals the nature of his messiahship. He is a suffering Messiah, and those who are his disciples must suffer with him (16:21–28). Still, the transfiguration (17:1–13) discloses who Jesus really is: the Son of God. And believers, who are themselves sons of the kingdom, are free from the old era of the law (17:14–27).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:21–28 The Suffering Sacrifice. Jesus predicts his suffering and resurrection (vv. 21–23), and reveals the cost of discipleship (vv. 24–28).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:21 From that time marks the conclusion of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem to face the cross. This is the first of four times (v. 21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 26:2) that Jesus predicts his arrest and crucifixion.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:22 In the context of the Jewish master-disciple relationship, it would have been audacious for a disciple to correct his master, let alone rebuke him. This shall never happen to you. Peter, like most of his fellow Jews, resisted the idea that the Messiah must suffer, even though it is found in the OT (e.g., Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zech. 12:10; 13:7).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:23 Satan attempts to hinder Jesus’ mission through Peter, who must change his human-centered ideas about the mission of the Messiah (see note on v. 22). Peter still does not understand that Jesus’ messianic role must include suffering and death.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:24 take up his cross. See note on 10:38.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:25 Verses 25–27, each beginning with for (Gk. gar), provide three related reasons why a disciple must let go of his earthly life and take up his cross. whoever would save his life. The person who rejects God’s will and instead pursues his own will for his life ultimately loses eternally every earthly good he is trying to protect.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:26 gains the whole world. Acquiring all of the money, pleasure, and power of this world brings no lasting benefit if one forfeits his soul to spiritual death and separation from God (cf. Phil. 3:7–9).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:27 Son of Man is going to come. See note on 8:20. The second coming of Christ with his angels in the glory of his Father will bring judgment for those who have chosen to follow their own will, and reward only for those who have taken up the cross.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 16:28 Some of the Twelve who were standing there with Jesus in Caesarea Philippi would live to see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. This predicted event has been variously interpreted as referring to: (1) Jesus’ transfiguration (17:1–8); (2) his resurrection; (3) the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost; (4) the spread of the kingdom through the preaching of the early church; (5) the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in A.D. 70; or (6) the second coming and final establishment of the kingdom. The immediate context seems to indicate the first view, the transfiguration, which immediately follows (see also Mark 9:2–10; Luke 9:28–36). There, “some” of Jesus’ disciples “saw” what Jesus will be like when he comes in the power of his kingdom. This interpretation is also supported by 2 Pet. 1:16–18, where Peter equates Jesus’ “glory” with his transfiguration, of which Peter was an eyewitness. At the same time, interpretations (2), (3), and (4) are also quite possible, for they are all instances where Jesus “came” in the powerful advance of his kingdom, which was partially but not yet fully realized. Some interpreters think that Jesus is more generally speaking of many or all of the events in views (2) through (4). View (5) is less persuasive because the judgment on Jerusalem does not reflect the positive growth of the kingdom. View (6) is unacceptable, for it would imply that Jesus was mistaken about the timing of his return.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:1–13 The Beloved, Transfigured Son. Jesus reveals his divine glory in the transfiguration (vv. 1–8) and explains how John the Baptist’s ministry fulfills the prophecy of Elijah’s return (vv. 9–13).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:1 After six days probably indicates that they are still in Caesarea Philippi. Peter and James, and John. The inner circle of disciples (cf. 26:37). high mountain. Church tradition identifies this as Mount Tabor, about 12 miles (19 km) from the Sea of Galilee, but most scholars favor Mount Hermon, outside of Galilee and rising 9,166 feet (2,794 m) above sea level.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:2 was transfigured. Jesus’ physical transformation was a reminder of the glory he had before he became man (John 1:14; 17:5; Phil. 2:6–7) and a preview of his future exaltation (2 Pet. 1:16–18; Rev. 1:16).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:3 The appearance of Moses and Elijah represents the Law and the Prophets, which witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the one who fulfills the OT (cf. 5:17). Elijah was considered the prophetic forerunner of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5–6; cf. Matt. 3:1–3; 11:7–10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:4 three tents. Peter wishes to make some sort of fitting memorial for this glorious event.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:5 bright cloud. Reminiscent of the cloud of God’s presence and glory that appeared at various times in the OT (e.g., Ex. 13:21–22; 34:5–7; 1 Kings 8:10–13). voice. God the Father’s public endorsement of Jesus his beloved Son echoes that given at Jesus’ baptism (Matt. 3:17). Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, superior to Moses and Elijah, so the disciples must listen to him in order to understand his messianic purpose.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:6 terrified. Fear was a common experience of people in the OT who witnessed the awesome reality of God’s presence (e.g., Ex. 19:16; Deut. 5:5).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:9 Tell no one the vision. See note on 8:4; cf. 9:30; 12:16; 16:20.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:10–13 Elijah has already come. See notes on Mal. 4:4–6 and Matt. 11:14. Jesus indicates that the ministry of John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:13 Then the disciples understood. “Understanding” is a key theme in Matthew’s Gospel, and it comes here as a result of Jesus’ teaching (cf. notes on 13:51–52; 16:6–12).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:14–27 Sons of the Kingdom. Through the healing and exorcism of an epileptic boy, Jesus shows the contrast between defective and effective faith (vv. 14–20). Jesus also teaches that his impending death will come through betrayal (vv. 22–23) and that the OT law has no claim on him or his disciples (vv. 24–27).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:15 By calling him Lord, the man shows respect for Jesus as an esteemed, righteous teacher, but he goes beyond that by believing that Jesus will show mercy and heal his son.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:17 faithless. In spite of the miracles and teaching of Jesus, the majority of people did not place their faith in him as the Messiah. Twisted indicates people’s distorted perception of Jesus and spiritual truth.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:20 little faith. The disciples are not, of course, devoid of faith, but their faith is not functioning properly. Faith can be stronger or weaker (cf. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Rom. 14:1). Moving a mountain was a common metaphor in Jewish literature for doing what was seemingly impossible (cf. Isa. 40:4; 49:11; 54:10; Matt. 21:21–22).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:22–23 to be delivered. This second prediction of Jesus’ passion (cf. 16:21), has an ominous new detail: Jesus will not only be handed over to his enemies, he will be betrayed.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:24 two-drachma tax. At the annual census, each person over the age of 20 was to give a half-shekel offering for the support of the tabernacle (Ex. 30:11–16), which was later applied to the temple. The religious tax collectors approach Peter, the disciples’ leader, rather than Jesus himself, perhaps in deference to Jesus’ esteem as a popular teacher.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 17:25–26 Then the sons are free. Because the temple is God the Father’s own house, the Son and those he has brought into the Father’s family (12:48–50) are exempt from the temple tax, signaling that, with the coming of the kingdom, believers are no longer under the OT law but the law of Christ (see Gal. 6:2).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:1–20:34 The Community of the Messiah Revealed. This is the fourth of Jesus’ five major discourses in Matthew’s Gospel (see Introduction: Key Themes; Literary Features). As his earthly ministry draws to a close, Jesus has spent considerable time clarifying his identity and mission (chs. 14–17). He instructs his disciples on the nature of his covenant community, explaining the kingdom community’s characteristics (18:1–35), its implications for the sanctity of marriage (19:1–12), and its value (19:13–20:34).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:1–35 Characteristics of Life in the Kingdom Community. Jesus instructs the disciples about the kind of community life that will characterize their relationships with one another and with the world at large.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:1 Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The disciples misunderstand greatness in terms of human endeavor, accomplishment, and status.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:2–4 Whoever humbles himself like this child. The humility of a child consists of childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his or her own cause apart from the help, direction, and resources of a parent.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:5–6 One such child (see vv. 2–4) and these little ones who believe in me both refer to Christ’s disciples (cf. 10:40–42).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:6–9 drowned in the depth of the sea … foot causes you to sin, cut it off … eye causes you to sin, tear it out. Jesus uses hyperbole (intentional overstatement) to emphasize the necessity of rigorous self-discipline and radically removing sin from the disciple’s life before it leads to judgment; see note on 5:29–30. The Greek for hell in 18:9 is gehenna, a name derived from the Valley of the Son of Hinnom near Jerusalem (cf. 2 Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31; 19:2; etc.), where rubbish was constantly burned so that it came to be seen as a metaphor for the fire of hell (cf. Matt. 3:12; Rev. 20:15; etc.).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:10 The heavenly Father uses angels to care for his childlike disciples (cf. Heb. 1:14), but their angels does not imply that each disciple has one assigned “guardian angel.” always see the face of my Father. These angels do, however, have continuous and open communication with God.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:12 a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray. Here the wandering sheep represents a believer, but in a similar parable in Luke 15:3–7 it is an unbeliever. Jesus draws upon the OT images of God’s people as both secure sheep (e.g., Psalm 23; Isa. 53:6; Jer. 13:17; Zech. 10:3; 13:7) and straying sheep (e.g., Ps. 119:176; Jer. 23:1–4; 50:6; Ezek. 34:1–30). Cf. also John 10:7–8; 1 Pet. 5:2–4; Rev. 7:17.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:14 little ones should perish. A dangerous yet real possibility is that apparent followers of Jesus may not be true disciples at all but only professing believers (e.g., Judas Iscariot).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:15 go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If a matter can be settled without getting others involved, that will keep rumors and misunderstandings from multiplying and will keep the conflict from spreading (cf. Prov. 25:9). gained. The ultimate objective is restoration of the offending brother or sister to the path of discipleship.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:16 Evidence of two or three witnesses follows the guideline in Deut. 19:15 and refers to witnesses of the subsequent confrontation described in this verse, not necessarily eyewitnesses to the original offense (Matt. 18:15).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:17 If the offending party of vv. 15–16 will not repent after the matter has been brought before the entire church, then he or she is to be excluded from the fellowship and thought of as an unbeliever. Gentile and tax collector describes those who are deliberately rebellious against God.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:18 whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Peter’s foundational authority is extended to the entire community of disciples, giving them the authority to declare the terms under which God forgives or refuses to forgive the sin of wayward disciples (see note on 16:19).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:20 there am I among them. Jesus affirms that he will be divinely present among his disciples as they seek unity in rendering decisions, which is rightly understood also as an affirmation of omnipresence and therefore of deity.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:21–22 how often will … I forgive him? Within Judaism, three times was sufficient to show a forgiving spirit (based on Job 33:29, 30; Amos 1:3; 2:6), thus Peter (seven) believes he has shown generosity. But true disciples of Jesus are to forgive without keeping count (seventy-seven times). This may echo and reverse Lamech’s boast of vengeance in Gen. 4:24.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:24 ten thousand talents. In OT times, a talent was a unit of weight equaling about 75 pounds (34 kg). In NT times, it was a unit of monetary reckoning (though not an actual coin), valued at about 6,000 drachmas, the equivalent of about 20 years’ wages for a laborer. (A common laborer earned about one denarius per day.) In approximate modern equivalents, if a laborer earns $15 per hour, at 2,000 hours per year he would earn $30,000 per year, and a talent would equal $600,000 (USD). Hence, “ten thousand talents” hyperbolically represents an incalculable debt—in today’s terms, about $6 billion.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:25 sold, with his wife and children. A practice common in the ancient world (cf. Ex. 21:2–11; Deut. 15:12–18; 2 Kings 4:1; Neh. 5:4–8), often as punishment for those whose debts could not possibly be repaid.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:27 forgave him the debt. The forgiveness of such a massive debt (equivalent to $6 billion; see note on v. 24) is a dramatic illustration of (1) the massive debt that people owe, because of their sins, to the holy, righteous God; (2) their complete inability ever to pay such a debt (“For the wages of sin is death … ,” Rom. 6:23a); (3) God’s great mercy and patience (Matt. 18:26, 29) in withholding his immediate righteous judgment that all people deserve for their sins; and (4) God’s gracious provision of Christ’s death and resurrection to pay the debt for sins and to break the power of sin (“but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Rom. 6:23b). The two central points of the parable are: first, that the gift of salvation is immeasurably great (“how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Heb. 2:3); and, second, that unless a person is comparably merciful to others, (a) God’s mercy has not had a saving effect upon him (Matt. 18:32–33), and (b) he will be liable to pay the consequences himself (vv. 34–35).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:28–32 a hundred denarii. This was still a large amount (equivalent to about 20 weeks of common labor, or about $12,000 in today’s terms), but compared to the debt that the wicked servant himself owed ($6 billion), it was a relatively small amount. The servant’s unwillingness to forgive even this amount, though having been forgiven his own insurmountable debt, revealed the servant’s true wicked character (v. 32) and that he had not in fact been transformed by the forgiveness that his master had extended to him.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:34 delivered him to the jailers. A metaphorical allusion to eternal punishment that the wicked servant justly deserves (cf. 8:12; 10:28; 13:42, 49–50; 22:13; 24:51).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 18:35 not forgive your brother from your heart. A transformed heart must result in a changed life that offers the same mercy and forgiveness as has been received from God (cf. Isa. 40:2). Someone who does not grant forgiveness to others shows that his own heart has not experienced God’s forgiveness. Throughout Scripture, the heart refers to the center of one’s being, including one’s reason, emotions, and will.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:1–20:34 Valuing the Kingdom Community. The great Galilean ministry has now ended, and Jesus and his disciples begin the momentous journey to Jerusalem. Jesus explains the sanctity of marriage (19:3–12) and reveals the tragedy of the rich young man (19:16–22), in contrast to the gracious reward awaiting those who follow him (19:23–30). This leads to the parable of the vineyard workers (20:1–16). Jesus then gives his third prediction of his death (20:17–19) and sets an example for community sacrifice, suffering, and service (20:20–28). As he and his disciples begin their ascent to Jerusalem, Jesus mercifully heals two blind men in Jericho (20:29–34).
Jesus’ Final Journey to Jerusalem
Though John mentions several trips to Jerusalem by Jesus during his ministry, Matthew, Mark, and Luke recount only one, which occurred as Jesus prepared for his triumphal entry and subsequent death and resurrection. Beginning at Capernaum, Jesus was apparently diverted from the more direct route when Samaritans refused him access (Luke 9:51–56), so he may have crossed the Jordan and traveled through Perea. Jesus then passed through Jericho and proceeded to Jerusalem.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:1 Judea beyond the Jordan. Most likely Perea, the area just east of the Jordan River between Samaria and the Decapolis, whose population was largely Jewish (see map).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:2 large crowds followed him. Jesus’ fame has quickly spread, due to his healing ministry in Galilee.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:3 Pharisees … tested him. See note on 3:7. The religious leaders try to get Jesus to incriminate himself through misinterpreting the law. divorce. There was a significant debate between Pharisaical parties on the correct interpretation of Moses’ divorce regulations (Deut. 24:1), as noted in this excerpt from the Mishnah, Gittin 9.10: “The school of Shammai says: A man may not divorce his wife unless he has found unchastity in her. … And the school of Hillel says: [He may divorce her] even if she spoiled a dish for him. … Rabbi Akiba says, [he may divorce her] even if he found another fairer than she” (see Mishnah, Gittin 9 for an example of a Jewish certificate of divorce and the terms required for remarriage; see also Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 4.253 for the phrase “whatsoever cause”).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:4–5 He who created them … said is a strong affirmation of the divine inspiration of the OT Scriptures, because Jesus goes on to quote words from Genesis that are not attributed to any speaker (“Therefore a man …” cf. Gen. 2:24) and attributes those words to God.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:6 What … God has joined together implies that marriage is not merely a human agreement but a relationship in which God changes the status of a man and a woman from being single (they are no longer two) to being married (one flesh). From the moment they are married, they are unified in a mysterious way that belongs to no other human relationship, having all the God-given rights and responsibilities of marriage that they did not have before. Being “one flesh” includes the sexual union of a husband and wife (see Gen. 2:24), but it is more than that because it means that they have left their parents’ household (“a man shall leave his father and his mother,” Gen. 2:24) and have established a new family, such that their primary human loyalty is now to each other, before anyone else. let not man separate. Jesus avoids the Pharisaic argument about reasons for divorce and goes back to the beginning of creation to demonstrate God’s intention for the institution of marriage. It is to be a permanent bond between a man and a woman that joins them into one new union that is consecrated by physical intercourse (Gen. 2:24).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:8 Because of your hardness of heart should not be understood to mean that only “hard-hearted” people would ever initiate a divorce. Rather, it means, “because there was hard-hearted rebellion against God among you, leading to serious defilement of marriages.” The presence of sin in the community meant that some marriages would be seriously defiled and irretrievably damaged, and God therefore provided divorce as a solution in those cases. Moses allowed you to divorce. The Pharisees had asked why Moses commanded divorce (v. 7), but Jesus corrects them, showing that divorce is not what God intended from the beginning, and that even when it is allowed, it is permitted only on very specific grounds but never required. See note on Deut. 24:1–4. From the beginning it was not so points back to God’s original intent that marriage would be lifelong.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:9 Every phrase in this verse is important for understanding Jesus’ teaching on divorce. whoever divorces his wife. “Divorces” is Greek apoluō, which always means “divorce” in contexts concerning marriage. Some commentators have claimed that apoluō means “separates from, sends away” in this verse (implying separation but not divorce), but this is not persuasive because (a) this word has not been shown to include the sense of “separate” in any other contexts concerning marriage and (b) the same word clearly means “divorce” in the Pharisees’ question in v. 3 (the current dispute among Jewish rabbis was about divorce, not separation), and therefore it should be understood to have the same meaning in Jesus’ response to their question in vv. 8 and 9. except for sexual immorality (Gk. porneia). (1) This implies that divorce and remarriage on the grounds of sexual immorality are not prohibited and thus do not constitute adultery. This is the one exception Jesus makes to the requirement that marriage be lifelong, for sexual immorality grievously defiles and indeed corrupts the “one flesh” union (v. 5). (2) The parallel passages in Mark 10:11–12 and Luke 16:18 omit “except for sexual immorality,” but that was probably because everyone, whatever their position in Jewish disputes over divorce (see note on Matt. 19:3), assumed that divorce was allowed in the case of adultery (i.e., the question of divorce because of adultery was not at issue in the immediate context in Mark 10 and Luke 16). But Matthew includes this fuller account of Jesus’ words, with the exception clause, perhaps to prevent any possible misunderstanding in other contexts, and perhaps to explicitly situate Jesus’ teaching within the context of the Jewish debates, for the benefit of his Jewish-Christian audience. (Also note that Matthew sometimes includes clarifying exceptions not included by Mark and Luke; e.g., Mark 8:12 quotes Jesus saying “no sign will be given to this generation,” whereas Matt. 16:4 says “no sign will be given to [this generation] except the sign of Jonah.”) (3) Some have claimed that porneia in this context refers to a very narrow, specific kind of sexual immorality, either sexual relations among close relatives or sexual immorality discovered during the betrothal period. Those who hold this position then argue that divorce in any other case is always prohibited, or else if divorce is allowed, remarriage is never allowed. But porneia had a broader range of meaning in ordinary usage, referring to any sexual intercourse that was contrary to the moral standards of Scripture, and nothing in this context would indicate that this should be understood in such a restricted sense (see note on 5:31–32). and marries another, commits adultery. (1) If a divorce is obtained for any reason other than (“except for”) sexual immorality, then the second marriage begins with adultery. Jesus is prohibiting divorce for the many trivial reasons that were used so frequently in the first century, leading to widespread injustice, especially for women whose husbands suddenly divorced them. (2) “And marries another” implies that the second marriage, though it begins with adultery, is still a marriage. Once a second marriage has occurred, it would be further sin to break it up. The second marriage should not be thought of as continually living in adultery, for the man and woman are now married to each other, not to anyone else. (3) If the exception (“sexual immorality”) occurs, then the implication is that remarriage to “another” does not constitute adultery and is therefore permissible. (4) Divorce, it must be remembered, is permitted but not required in the case of sexual immorality. Since God’s intention is that marriage should be for life (19:4–8), this provides good reason to make every reasonable effort to achieve restoration and forgiveness in marriage before taking steps to dissolve a marriage through divorce. This makes Jesus’ teaching fundamentally different from all of first-century Judaism, which required divorce in the case of adultery. (On the question of divorce and desertion, see 1 Cor. 7:15 and note.)
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:10–12 After hearing Jesus nullify most of the currently popular grounds for divorce, the disciples overreact and say, it is better not to marry (than to run the risk of a lifelong unhappy marriage). This saying is best understood as referring to that statement (“it is better not to marry”). Jesus explains that what they have said is true, but only for those to whom it is given, namely, for eunuchs. This would include those without the capacity for sexual relations, either through a birth defect or castration, and those who have chosen a life of abstinence. Celibacy is an acceptable alternative to marriage (cf. 1 Cor. 7:6–9; and note on 1 Cor. 7:6–7).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:13 lay his hands on them. A traditional manner of blessing children in Israel, especially when passing on a blessing from one generation to the next (cf. Gen. 48:14; Num. 27:18).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:14 to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. See notes on 18:2–4; 18:5–6. Children serve as a metaphor of the humility necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:16 a man came up to him. Verses 16–22 have been called the story of the “rich young ruler” since he is rich (v. 22), young (v. 20), and a ruler (cf. Luke 18:18). He may have been a religious lay leader, quite possibly a Pharisee (because of the diligence he displays in following the law). After addressing Jesus as Teacher, a title of respect, he asks what good deed he must do to have eternal life. “Eternal life” is virtually synonymous with expressions such as “entering the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20) and being “saved” (19:25–26); it is the first occurrence of this expression in Matthew (cf. v. 29; 25:46). In the parallel accounts (Mark 10:17–22; Luke 18:18–23), the wording of the question and answer differs somewhat, but there is no contradiction, and it seems to be a case of different Gospels reporting different parts of the same conversation.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:17 There is only one who is good. Only in understanding God as infinitely good can the young man discover that human good deeds cannot earn eternal life. keep the commandments. Jesus is not teaching that good works can earn eternal life, for in vv. 21–22 he will show the man how far short he falls of keeping the first commandment (cf. Ex. 20:3) and the first of the two greatest commandments (cf. Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:36–40). But obedience to the law is also an expression of belief in the truly good God who is the source of all good, including eternal life. Scripture elsewhere clearly affirms that salvation is a gift of God’s grace received through faith, and not by works (see notes on Eph. 2:8; 2:9–10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:18–19 Which ones? Jesus gives a representative list of laws, including five commandments from the second half of the Decalogue (cf. Ex. 20:1–17; Deut. 5:7–21), and the second of the two greatest commandments (Lev. 19:18; cf. Matt. 22:36–40).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:20 All these I have kept. The man implies he has kept not only these, but the entire law, which they represent. He views his obedience to the law as complete, but he still senses that something is lacking.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:21 If you would be perfect. Jesus knows the man’s wealth has become his means to personal identity, power, and a sense of meaning in life—that it has become the idolatrous god of his life (cf. note on v. 17). Jesus’ strategy is to turn this man from focusing on external conformity to the law to examining his heart, revealing his ruling god. give to the poor. The man had no doubt given some money to the poor, as the giving of alms was considered a pious duty, especially among the Pharisees. But Jesus calls him to give everything away, exchanging the god of wealth for the eternal treasure found in following Jesus as the one true God. Jesus’ ultimate answer to the question posed in v. 16 (“What … must I do to have eternal life?”) is to follow him.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:22 went away sorrowful. Even though he wants “eternal life” (v. 16), the young man cannot bring himself to cease worshiping the ruling force in his life, his great possessions.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:23 only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Wealth is both deceptive and intoxicating: it fools a person into thinking that he or she is self-sufficient apart from God; and the rich person wants desperately to hold on to that supposed self-sufficiency. The general attributes of the “rich” are the opposite of those of a “child” (cf. 18:1–5; 19:13–15).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:24 camel. The largest land animal in Palestine. the eye of a needle. The smallest opening found in the home. Jesus paints a picture of something impossible in order to illustrate that even the seemingly impossible is possible with God. There is no evidence for the popular interpretation that there was a gate in Jerusalem called “the eye of the needle,” which camels had to stoop to their knees to enter. Such an interpretation would miss the point: it is not merely difficult for the wealthy to be saved; without God’s grace it is impossible (cf. v. 26).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:25 astonished. Wealth was often equated with God’s favor and blessing (cf. Deut. 28:1–14).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:26 For the wealthy to shift their primary allegiance to God is humanly impossible, but with God all things are possible, as evidenced by the conversions of rich men like Joseph of Arimathea (27:57) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:9–10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:27 we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have? In response to Peter’s self-seeking and perhaps self-pity, Jesus acknowledges the rewards that his disciples will receive. But his parable in 20:1–15 will be a subtle rebuke.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:28 the new world (Gk. palingenesia, lit., “renewal” or “regeneration”). The term occurs in the NT only here and in Titus 3:5. In Titus it refers to present, individual regeneration, but here it looks forward to the future end-time renewal of the world (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10–13; Revelation 21–22). judging. In this new world, the twelve apostles (except for Judas, see Acts 1:12–26) will participate in the final establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:29 receive a hundredfold. Cf. 13:8. Those who have given up the god of their lives to follow Jesus will receive abundant reward (the other Synoptics add “in this time”; cf. Mark 10:29–30 and note; Luke 18:30) and will inherit eternal life. Eternal life (which is a gift) is an inheritance, not an earned reward.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. See note on 20:16.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:1 the kingdom of heaven is like. See note on 13:24. vineyard. Grapes were one of ancient Israel’s most important crops, and thus Israel was often referred to as the “vine” or “vineyard” of God (e.g., Isa. 5:1–7; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1; cf. Matt. 21:28–46). “Vineyard” represents the activity of the kingdom in this world (cf. Matt. 21:28–46).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:2–15 denarius. A typical day’s wage for a laborer. third hour. 9:00 A.M. The workday was typically divided into four three-hour increments, running from approximately 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. eleventh hour. 5:00 P.M., near the end of the workday. These workers are desperate enough to continue waiting for work. each of them received a denarius. Surprisingly, the last laborers to be hired are paid a complete denarius, the same as those who had worked all day. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. The landowner addresses the worker gently, explaining the fairness of his actions. do you begrudge. Literally, “Is your eye evil?” The laborer failed to be thankful for his own wage because he was blinded by his self-interested lack of compassion for his fellow worker.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last. A disciple of Jesus should not measure his or her worth by comparing it with the accomplishments and sacrifices of others, but should focus on serving from a heart of gratitude in response to God’s grace. Jesus is not denying degrees of reward in heaven (see note on 1 Cor. 3:14–15) but is affirming that God’s generosity is more abundant than anyone would expect: all the laborers except the very first got more than they deserved. It is probably correct also to see here a warning that Jesus’ early followers (such as the Twelve) should not despise those who would come later.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:17–19 the Son of Man will be delivered over. This is the third of four predictions of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. See note on 16:21; cf. 17:22–23 and 26:2. The reference to Jerusalem, the religious leaders, and the Gentiles heightens the drama; for the first time in the narrative, Jesus gives additional clues about his betrayal and who will carry out his arrest and crucifixion.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:20 Salome (cf. 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1) was not only the mother of the sons of Zebedee, she was also in all probability the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother (cf. John 19:25), so that James and John were in fact Jesus’ cousins. She was among the women who stayed with Jesus at the cross and later witnessed the empty tomb. with her sons. Mark 10:35–37 focuses on the sons themselves and reports her request as their words. Two solutions to this apparent inconsistency are possible: (1) Based on the principle that an agent of a person counts as the person himself (see note on John 3:17), Mark may be reporting the mother’s words as the words of James and John, who had told her to ask this; or (2) Matthew and Mark may be reporting different aspects of a longer conversation, in which the mother first asked Jesus the question and then Jesus asked the brothers if that was actually what they wanted. In either case, beginning in Matt. 20:22, the plural “you” shows that Jesus is speaking directly to James and John, as well as to their mother. kneeling. Salome shows respect to Jesus as her messianic Master, but she also evidently hopes to use her and her sons’ earthly kinship with Jesus to her sons’ advantage.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:21 these two sons of mine are to sit. Salome’s petition was likely inspired by Jesus’ remarks in 19:28, where he had announced the Twelve’s rulership with him in his future kingdom. right hand. A place of honor (1 Kings 2:19; Ps. 16:11; 110:1, 5; cf. Matt. 22:44).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:22–23 You. The plural pronoun indicates that Jesus addressed the mother and the brothers directly. The cup in Scripture is symbolic of one’s divinely determined destiny, whether blessing (Ps. 16:5) or disaster (Jer. 25:15), salvation (Ps. 116:13) or wrath (Isa. 51:17). Here it refers to Jesus’ forthcoming suffering (Matt. 26:39).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:23 You will drink my cup. James became the first apostolic martyr (Acts 12:2), and John suffered persecution and exile (Rev. 1:9). for whom it has been prepared by my Father. They must submit to the Father’s will for their future, just as Jesus does.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:24 indignant. They were perhaps not as upset by the immodesty of the request as by the brothers’ attempt to use their family relationship to Jesus to gain an unfair advantage in obtaining what they themselves also wanted.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:26–27 A servant was a hired worker who maintained the master’s household, and a slave was someone forced into service. These were two of the lowest positions in Jewish society, yet Jesus reverses their status in the community of disciples to indicate prominence and greatness.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:28 Son of Man. See note on 8:20. came not to be served but to serve. Jesus himself is the primary example of servanthood. Jesus will give his life as a ransom (Gk. lutron, the price of release, often used of the money paid to release slaves) for many. “For” (Gk. anti) means “in place of” and signifies the notion of the exchange and substitution of Jesus’ life on the cross for all those who accept his payment for their sins (see notes on 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:29 Jericho. Not the ancient city of OT fame (e.g., Joshua 5–6), but the new Jericho nearby, about a mile (1.6 km) to the south. This new Jericho surrounded a huge palace complex first built by the Hasmoneans (2nd century B.C.), which Herod the Great expanded. Matthew says the healing of the blind men took place as they went out of Jericho (and Mark 10:46 agrees), but Luke 18:35 says it was “as he drew near to Jericho.” It is possible that Matthew and Mark refer to the new Jericho, and Luke to the old Jericho nearby, or vice versa. Another possibility is that the blind men cried out to Jesus first as he was entering the city (Luke 18:35), but he did not respond and heal them until he was leaving the city. Since none of the accounts tells everything about the event, this may simply reflect the selection of different details about the event by the different Gospel writers. None of the accounts tells everything about the event.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:30–31 two blind men. Mark 10:46 and Luke 18:35 mention only one blind man, and Mark gives his name (“Bartimaeus”). This does not mean that Matthew’s report of two blind men is inaccurate, only that Mark and Luke focused on the one. The blind men recognize Jesus as the Son of David (cf. note on Matt. 9:27).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 20:34 Jesus in pity touched their eyes. In the face of rejection by his own people, and impending betrayal as he enters Jerusalem, Jesus continues to show compassion for those in great need.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:1–23:39 The Messiah Asserts His Authority over Jerusalem. Jesus’ authority over Jerusalem is revealed in his triumphal entry (21:1–11), actions in the temple (21:12–17), cursing the fig tree (21:18–22), debates with religious leaders (21:23–22:46), and woes pronounced on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (23:1–39).
Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus
By the time of Jesus, Jerusalem had grown from a modest military fortress to a world-class city with a newly renovated temple that rivaled nearly any in the ancient world. Public pools were fed by the Gihon Spring and by two aqueducts that brought water to the city from as far as 7 miles (11 km) away. The towns of Bethphage and Bethany were located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, which lay to the east of Jerusalem. See also Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:1–11 The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem: Jesus’ Authority as Messiah. As he enters Jerusalem, Jesus is acclaimed as the Messiah; but he enters humbly, riding on a donkey.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:1 Jerusalem is the city of the Great King (Ps. 48:1–2), the center of Israel’s religious life and messianic expectations. Bethphage (see note on Luke 19:29) is traditionally located less than a mile east of Jerusalem on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives (see note on Mark 13:3), which rises 2,660 feet (811 m) above sea level and lies to the east of Jerusalem, directly overlooking the temple area.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:3 Jesus plainly refers to himself as the Lord, the sovereign orchestrator of these events.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:4–5 This took place to fulfill. Matthew specifies that Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem upon a colt fulfills the prophecy of Zech. 9:9. Jesus’ action is an open declaration that he is the righteous Davidic Messiah, for the prophecy says, “your king is coming to you.” Matthew could also be alluding to Gen. 49:8–12, where Jacob prophesies about a kingly descendant of Judah whose rule will extend to the nations. The first line of the OT quotation, however, is from Isa. 62:11 and uses the phrase daughter of Zion to refer to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. On a colt can also mean “and on a colt” (see esv footnote); cf. Matt. 21:7. In Zechariah it is an example of Hebrew poetic parallelism, where an idea is stated twice, in successive lines, using slightly different wording.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:6–7 the donkey and the colt. Matthew alone mentions two animals, which Zechariah’s prophecy allows. Having the mother donkey move alongside her unbroken colt would be the best way to calm it during the noisy entrance into Jerusalem. and he sat on them. “Them” refers to the cloaks (which is the closest antecedent in Gk.), not to the two animals.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:8 Cloaks on the road symbolized the crowd’s submission to Jesus as king (cf. 2 Kings 9:13). Branches (palms) symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory (see John 12:13). They were connected with prominent Jewish victories (e.g., 1 Macc. 13:51) and with the Festival of Tabernacles; palm motifs were common on both Jewish coinage and synagogue decoration.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:9 Hosanna. Hebrew, meaning “O save” (cf. 2 Sam. 14:4). Son of David. The crowd acknowledges that Jesus is the Davidic Messiah (see note on Matt. 9:27).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:10 whole city. Just as “all Jerusalem” was “troubled” in 2:3 when the King of the Jews was born, so here the religious establishment is once again stirred up, fearing that Jesus may usurp their power.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:11 the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee. Although Moses had predicted the coming of a “prophet like me,” to whom “you shall listen” (Deut. 18:15–18; see note on John 6:14), there is no indication that the crowds here in Jerusalem recognized Jesus as that prophet.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:12–17 The Temple Actions: Jesus’ Pronouncement on the Temple Establishment. John’s Gospel records a similar cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (John 2:13–17). Interpreters have proposed two explanations: (1) there was only one cleansing, but John narrated the action at the beginning for thematic/theological purposes, while the Synoptic Gospels narrate the actual historical chronology; (2) there were indeed two similar but distinctly different temple cleansings. The differences of detail seem to indicate the latter, for while the initial action is similar, Jesus’ statement (Matt. 21:13) and the challenge from the Jewish leaders (vv. 15–16) are entirely different from what John records. In addition, John places the event so early in his Gospel that it would be difficult to think he wanted readers to take it as anything but an event that happened early in Jesus’ ministry. Thus Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning as a warning, and at the end of his ministry as a statement of judgment on the leadership of Israel.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple might seem to suggest that this cleansing of the temple took place immediately after Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Sunday (vv. 1–11), but Mark clearly places the incident on Monday morning (Mark 11:12–19). At times Matthew condenses some of the narrative of Jesus’ activities during Holy Week and arranges it topically, which is the case here. Once Matthew tells readers that Jesus entered Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1–11), he recounts what else Jesus did in Jerusalem (vv. 12–17) without specifying that it was the next day. all who sold and bought. Within the temple was a sort of market where commercial activity enabled pilgrims from throughout the Diaspora (see note on John 7:35) to participate in temple activities, exchange their own currency for temple currency (Matt. 17:24–27; cf. Ex. 30:11–16), and purchase animals and other items for sacrifices.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:13 Jesus compares the temple and its keepers to a den of robbers. Thieves often used caves to store their ill-gotten wealth and to plot future crimes.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:15–16 Hosanna to the Son of David! Jesus acknowledges the children’s praise and links it to Ps. 8:2, which the religious leaders should have known applied such praise to God, thus confirming Jesus as the divine Messiah.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:17 to Bethany. A village about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Perhaps Jesus lodged at the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, with whom he had close association (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–44; 12:1–3).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:18–22 Cursing the Fig Tree: Jesus’ Judgment of the Nation. Matthew discusses the cursing of the fig tree and the disciples’ reaction together, treating the events topically just as he did the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the temple (see note on v. 12). Mark gives the probable chronological order, while Matthew gives a literary compression of the account. Thus the tree was cursed most likely on Monday morning on the way into the city, and on Tuesday morning the disciples react to the withering on their way back to Jerusalem (cf. Mark 11:12–14, 20–26).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:19 found nothing on it but only leaves. Since the fruit of the fig tree begins to appear about the same time as the leaves (or a little thereafter), the appearance of leaves in full bloom should have indicated that fruit (in the form of green figs) was already growing. Jesus’ actions here have symbolic importance, signifying the hypocrisy of all who have the appearance that they are bearing fruit but in fact are not (cf. Hos. 9:10–17).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:21–22 if you have faith … say to this mountain. See note on 17:20.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:23–22:46 Controversies in the Temple Court over Jesus’ Authority. On Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus presents three extended parables showing God’s judgment on the leaders for not encouraging the people to accept Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom of heaven (21:28–22:14). This is followed by a series of four interactions as the religious leaders try to trap Jesus, who in turn reveals his true identity as the Son of God (22:15–46).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:23 These things most likely refers to Jesus’ disrupting of the commercial activities of the temple the previous day (vv. 12–13), and also to his authority to heal (vv. 14–16) and to teach in the temple (v. 23), because he is neither an official priestly nor scribal authority.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:25–27 From heaven or from man? The leaders’ refusal to answer this question shows their dishonesty, but Jesus also traps them, for as religious leaders they must now profess their ignorance. And if they do not know whether John was from God, how can they judge whether Jesus is?
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:28–32 The parable of the two sons demonstrates the religious leaders’ failure to respond rightly to John the Baptist’s prophetic ministry. They hypocritically did not live up to their talk. The fruit of one’s life ultimately proves whether or not one is obedient to God’s message. A person’s actions ultimately prove whether or not he is obedient to God.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:33–46 The parable of the wicked tenants continues the vineyard metaphor to show that God is taking away the kingdom from Israel.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:33 master of a house. Large farming estates owned either by foreigners or by wealthy Jews were common in Palestine (see note on Mark 12:1). The landowners frequently rented their vineyards to farmers so they could attend to other interests.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:34–37 beat, killed, stoned. The treatment of the servants brings to mind what God’s prophets had experienced throughout OT history (e.g., 1 Kings 18:4; Jer. 20:1–2). son. An unmistakable allusion to the Father sending his own Son, Jesus. The parable publicly declares Jesus’ divine Sonship.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:42 cornerstone (cf. Ps. 118:22). The rejected Son will receive the position of ultimate prominence and importance.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 21:43 kingdom of God will be taken away. The leaders have failed to carry out their obligations to God both in their personal lives and in leading the nation of Israel. Their privileged role in caring for God’s vineyard/kingdom is now being taken away and given to a people producing its fruits. The church will be a new “people” (Gk. ethnos, “nation, people”) consisting of disciples, both Jews and Gentiles, gathered out of many “nations” (28:19; plural of Gk. ethnos) and brought together as one new “nation” (1 Pet. 2:9; singular of Gk. ethnos) in the unfolding of God’s kingdom in the present age.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:1–14 The parable of the wedding feast describes the consequences that will befall the derelict religious leaders.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:1–2 wedding feast. In this case, a countrywide celebration that would have continued for several days. This “feast” represents enjoying fellowship with God in his kingdom, and coming to the feast thus represents entering the kingdom.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:3 they would not come. To refuse a direct invitation from the king would be an extreme insult and a dangerous affront to his authority.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:7 burned their city. An extreme punishment reserved for serious treason and revolt against the king; possibly an allusion to the forthcoming destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:9 The wedding invitation to those not previously invited anticipates the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles (28:18–20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16). Cf. note on Matt. 15:24.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:11 a man who had no wedding garment. Everyone was invited, but proper wedding attire was still expected. There are two possibilities for what this means: (1) There is some evidence in the ancient world for a king supplying garments for his guests (cf. Gen. 45:22; Est. 6:8–9), and, more broadly, there is the story of God clothing his unworthy people in beautiful garments (Ezek. 16:10–13). Jesus could thus be alluding to imputed righteousness, which Paul elaborates later (e.g., Rom. 3:21–31; 4:22–25). Thus by not wearing the garments provided, this guest has highly insulted the host. (2) The wedding garment may refer to a clean garment, symbolizing evidence of righteous works (see note on Matt. 5:20). In either case, the man lacks something that is essential for being accepted at the wedding feast.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:13 weeping and gnashing of teeth. A common description of eternal judgment (cf. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 24:51; 25:30).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:14 Many (Gk. polloi) are called means that many have been invited to the wedding feast. But not all those invited are actually the ones who are supposed to be there, because few are chosen. This has been described as the doctrine of a “general calling”: the gospel is proclaimed to all people everywhere, both those who will believe and those who will not. However, Paul also mentions another kind of calling, an effective calling from God that comes powerfully to individuals and brings a positive response. When the gospel is proclaimed, only some are effectively called—that is, those who are the elect, who respond with true faith (1 Cor. 1:24, 26–28). This is consistent with Jesus’ statement that “few are chosen,” for the ones “chosen” (Gk. eklektos, “selected, chosen”) are “the elect,” a term used by Jesus to refer to his true disciples (cf. Matt. 11:27; 24:22, 24, 31; on the theme of election, see note on Rom. 9:11).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:15 entangle. The Pharisees hope that Jesus will say something to incriminate himself, which they can use to bring him before the Romans for execution.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:16 their disciples. Probably those in training to become full members of the brotherhood of the Pharisees, and perhaps deceptively sent to appear as less of a threat than their masters. Herodians. A loosely organized group that sought to advance the political and economic influence of the Herodian family (c. 37 B.C.–A.D. 93). Although the Herodians and the Pharisees were adversaries in regard to many political and religious issues, they join forces here to combat the perceived threat to their power and status.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:17 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Taxes were a volatile issue in Israel. All of Rome’s subjects, including the people of Israel, labored under the empire’s heavy taxation. Some Jews believed that paying any tax to pagan rulers contradicted God’s lordship over his people.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:18 Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Jesus’ questioners reasoned that if he answered that it was right to pay taxes, he would lose favor with the tax-burdened people, but if he answered that it was wrong, they could accuse him of insurrection.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:19 On one side of the silver denarius was a profile of Tiberius Caesar, with the Latin inscription “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” around the coin’s perimeter. On the opposite side was a picture of the Roman goddess of peace, Pax, with the Latin inscription “High Priest.”
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:21 render to Caesar … and to God. Jesus is not establishing a political kingdom in opposition to Caesar, so his followers should pay taxes and obey civil laws. There are matters that belong to the realm of civil government, and there are other matters that belong to God’s realm. Jesus does not here specify which matters belong in which realm, but many Christian ethicists today teach that, in general, civil government should allow freedom in matters of religious doctrine, worship, and beliefs about God, and the church should not attempt to use the power of government to enforce allegiance to any specific religious viewpoint. All forms of the Christian church throughout the world today support some kind of separation between matters of church and matters of state. By contrast, totalitarian governments usually try to suppress the church and subsume everything under the realm of the state. And some extreme Islamic movements have tried to abolish independent civil government and subsume everything under the control of Islamic religious leaders. Historically, when the church and state have become too closely aligned, the result most often has been the compromise of the church.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:23 Sadducees (see note on 3:7) drew mainly or exclusively on the Pentateuch for doctrine (see Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament), so they did not believe in the resurrection, a theme developed more clearly in later OT books (cf. Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2). They asked him a question in order to trap him theologically. They assumed that those who believe in a resurrection life think it is like the present life, suggesting that a woman who has been married more than once will be found guilty of incest after the resurrection. They hope hereby to show that the idea of resurrection is really absurd.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:24 Moses said. The Sadducees cite the OT law of what is later called “levirate marriage” (from Latin levir, “brother-in-law”), in which the surviving brother of a childless, deceased man was obligated to marry his sister-in-law in order to provide for her needs and to preserve the deceased brother’s family line (Deut. 25:5–10; cf. Gen. 38:8).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:29–30 The Sadducees are making two errors: (1) they do not know … the Scriptures well enough to know that Scripture teaches the reality of the resurrection, and (2) they do not know the power of God to create a much more wonderful world than anyone can now imagine. They neither marry nor are given in marriage implies that the present institution of marriage will not continue in heaven. But are like angels in heaven means living without an exclusive lifelong marriage commitment to one person. This teaching might at first seem discouraging to married couples who are deeply in love with each other in this life, but surely people will know their loved ones in heaven (cf. 8:11; Luke 9:30, 33), and the joy and love of close relationships in heaven will be more rather than less than it is here on earth. Jesus’ reference to “the power of God” suggests that God is able to establish relationships of even deeper friendship, joy, and love in the life to come. God has not revealed anything more about this, though Scripture indicates that the eternal glories awaiting the redeemed will be more splendid than anyone can begin to ask or think (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9; Eph. 3:20).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:31–32 I am the God of Abraham, and … Isaac, and … Jacob. The present tense in the quotation from Ex. 3:6 logically implies that when God spoke these words to Moses, God was still in covenant relationship with the patriarchs, even though they had been dead for centuries. If the Pentateuch thus implies that the patriarchs are still alive, and if the rest of the OT points to the resurrection (as it does), then the Sadducees should recognize God’s power to raise the patriarchs and all of God’s people to enjoy his eternal covenant in a life beyond this one.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:35 A lawyer is an expert in the law; this is another expression for “scribes of the Pharisees” (Mark 2:16; cf. Acts 23:9; and Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:36 the great commandment. The rabbis engaged in an ongoing debate to determine which commandments were “light” and which were “weighty” (cf. 23:23; and note on 5:19). The Law refers here to the entire OT.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:37–38 love the Lord your God … heart … soul … mind. This command from Deut. 6:5, repeated twice daily by faithful Jews, encapsulates the idea of total devotion to God and includes the duty to obey the rest of God’s commandments (cf. Matt. 5:16–20). “Heart,” “soul,” and “mind” do not represent rigid compartments of human existence but rather together refer to the whole person.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:39 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. See Lev. 19:18, 34. Love signifies a concrete responsibility to seek the greatest good of one’s neighbors, both Jew and Gentile.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:40 The kingdom life that Jesus initiated—summarized in these two commandments—fulfills the deepest longings of human beings created in the image of God to display his glory. the Law and the Prophets. See note on 5:17.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 22:41–46 Having dealt with malicious questions from his adversaries, Jesus now asked them, concerning the long-awaited Messiah (the Christ), Whose son is he? Their reply, “The son of David,” reflected the common understanding that the Messiah would be a royal descendant of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12–14; Ps. 89:4; Isa. 11:1, 10; Jer. 23:5). Jesus then quotes from Ps. 110:1, one of the most important messianic texts in the OT and the one most quoted in the NT. The Pharisees would have recognized this psalm of David as a divinely inspired messianic prophecy. In the psalm, David said that the coming Messiah (i.e., David’s “son”) will not be just a special human descended from David; he will be David’s Lord. Because the Pharisees acknowledged the messianic import of the psalm, they did not dare to ask Jesus any more questions. The fact that David’s descendant (Jesus) would have a more prominent role and title than the ancestor (David) further indicates the uniqueness of the Messiah and the greater honor that is due him as the Son of God. Matthew does not say how exalted a person Jesus was claiming to be in his use of Ps. 110:1; but the psalm itself may well imply the deity of the Messiah (see note on Ps. 110:5), i.e., that the Messiah is to be Yahweh incarnate (cf. John 1:14).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:1–12 Warnings against the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Jesus warns the crowd and his disciples not to follow the false leadership of the Pharisees (vv. 1–12), then directly pronounces woes upon those leaders for their deadly actions (see vv. 13–39).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:2 The scribes and the Pharisees were two distinct groups, though there was some overlap between them: the scribes were the professional interpretative experts on the Torah itself, while the Pharisees were experts in theological matters that the Torah raised. Moses’ seat. Traditionally understood as referring symbolically to the authority of Moses. However, recent archaeological evidence has revealed a literal chair found in early synagogues. Whether literal or figurative, it refers to a place from which experts on the law taught.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you. Jesus recognized the Pharisees’ official function as interpreters of the Law of Moses, and insofar as they accurately interpreted Scripture, they were to be obeyed. However, “so” (Gk. oun) connects this verse with v. 2 and the mention of Moses, and therefore “whatever they tell you” should probably be limited to “whatever they tell you about the Law of Moses” and does not include the Pharisees’ later extensive additions to Mosaic laws which rabbinic teachers made. but not what they do. Jesus is about to show that much of the Pharisees’ practice and their extrabiblical tradition is wrong.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:4 Heavy burdens describes the extrabiblical tradition of the rabbis that was a pillar of the Pharisaic branch of Judaism. It was intended as a means of making the OT relevant to new life situations, but its massive obligations had become burdensome and oppressive.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:5 phylacteries. Small cube-shaped cases made of leather, containing Scripture passages written on parchment. They were worn on the left arm and forehead as a literal way to obey the admonition of Deut. 11:18 (cf. Ex. 13:9; Deut. 6:8). fringes. Tassels with a blue cord that were attached to the four corners of a man’s garment (Num. 15:37–41; Deut. 22:12), reminding the people to obey God’s commandments and to be holy (Num. 15:40).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:6 place of honor. Seating at banquets was assigned to guests based on their rank or status. best seats in the synagogues. Excavations at early Galilean synagogues indicate that bench seats were built along the sides of the synagogue (see note on Luke 4:16; and The Synagogue and Jewish Worship). In any meeting place, some seats are regarded as better than others.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:7 Rabbi (Hb. rabbi) literally meant “my lord,” but it was used generally for outstanding teachers of the law, most frequently heads of rabbinical schools.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:8–10 not to be called rabbi, … call no man your father … Neither be called instructors. Jesus’ disciples should not try to gain authority over one another as teachers or masters, since Jesus is ultimately each disciple’s teacher and master (you have one teacher … one instructor), to whom the disciple is accountable. Jesus does not literally forbid use of the titles “teacher,” “doctor,” or “father” for all time in all circumstances, but he prohibits his disciples from using these terms in the way the Pharisees used them, in a spirit that wrongly exalted leaders and reinforced human pride.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:13–36 Woes of Judgment against the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Jesus now addresses the scribes and Pharisees directly, declaring a series of seven “woes” upon them that echoes the criticisms he has repeated throughout his ministry. These seven woes stand in contrast to the first seven “blessings” that introduce the Sermon on the Mount and describe Jesus’ true disciples (5:3–9). (For a similar list of woes, see Luke 11:37–54.)
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:13 First woe: the shut door. The woes are a mixture of condemnation, regret, and sorrow. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees are false leaders who have drawn the people away from the kingdom of heaven instead of toward it.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:15 Second woe: entrapped converts. Jesus does not criticize proselytism per se, but the manner in which the Pharisees zealously sought converts, only to place them under the burdensome weight of the many requirements in their extrabiblical traditions. child of hell. Literally, “child of Gehenna,” a reference to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem, where refuse was burned. Jewish and NT writings used it as a metaphorical picture of eternal punishment (see note on 18:6–9).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:16–19 Third woe: binding oaths. The Pharisees distinguished between oaths made by the temple and those made by the gold of the temple, and between oaths made by the altar and those made by the gift on it. As in much of their belief system, they focus on misguided superficial distinctions and overlook the higher principles of the law.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:20–22 whoever swears. Those with faith in God who recognize their constant accountability in his presence need only give a simple “yes” or “no” as a binding oath (see 5:23, 34–37).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:23 Fourth woe: neglecting the weighty matters of the law. tithe. The Mosaic law required giving a tenth of all that one produced for the ongoing work of the Lord through the Levites and priests (e.g., Lev. 27:30–33). mint, dill, cumin. The Pharisees were so scrupulous in following this injunction that they paid a tithe even from their smallest garden crops. Jesus does not say that they were wrong in this (“These you ought to have done”), but that they should do this without neglecting the far more important matters.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:24 straining out a gnat. The rabbis strained wine to remove even small, unclean insects (cf. Lev. 11:23, 41) that could contaminate it. swallowing a camel. The camel was the largest land animal in Palestine (cf. Matt. 19:24), also ceremonially unclean (Lev. 11:4). Jesus is speaking in obvious hyperbole (an intended overstatement to make a point). The Pharisees had become lost in the minute details, while neglecting the law’s overarching intent.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:26 Fifth woe: clean outside, filthy inside. clean the inside. While seeking external purity, the Pharisees were oblivious to the corrupt internal condition of their hearts.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:27–28 Sixth woe: whitewashed tombs. The Pharisees were like tombs, which in Jesus’ day could be outwardly very beautiful but within held nothing but death and decay. These tombs were customarily whitewashed to identify them clearly to passersby, since people would be rendered unclean for seven days through any contact with them (Num. 19:16; cf. Luke 11:44).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:29–32 Seventh woe: descendants of murderers of the prophets. In scheming to have Jesus executed, the religious leaders show that they are following in the footsteps of their ancestors, who had persecuted and murdered God’s prophets.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:29 tombs … monuments. Funerary art became rich and varied around this time, with widespread ornamentation of tomb facades, ossuaries, and stone coffins, as well as wall paintings and graffiti.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:33 serpents … brood of vipers. Virtually synonymous terms that magnify the guilt of these religious leaders (see notes on 3:7; 12:33–35).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:35 The interval from the blood of righteous Abel (Gen. 4:8–11) to the blood of Zechariah (2 Chron. 24:20–22) encompasses all of OT biblical history. Abel was the first person murdered in the OT and Zechariah is the last murdered, since 2 Chronicles (where the murder of Zechariah is recorded) is the last book in the Hebrew canon (see 2 Chron. 24:20–22). There is a difficulty with the phrase son of Barachiah, however, since in 2 Chron. 24:20 Zechariah is called the “son of Jehoiada,” while the more famous prophet who wrote the book of Zechariah is “Zechariah the son of Barachiah” (Zech. 1:1). Several solutions have been proposed: (1) Just as Zechariah the prophet can be called either “the son of Barachiah” (Zech. 1:1) or “the son of Iddo” (Ezra 6:14; Iddo was his grandfather), so the Zechariah in 2 Chron. 24:20 could have been the son of an otherwise unrecorded “Barachiah,” with “Jehoiada” (who lived 130 years; 2 Chron. 24:15) being Zechariah’s grandfather. (2) As was the case with a number of people in the OT, the father of Zechariah mentioned in 2 Chron. 24:20 could have been known by more than one name—i.e., Jehoiada and Barachiah. (3) The reference may not be to the Zechariah in 2 Chron. 24:20–22 but to Zechariah the prophet, as is suggested by some extrabiblical Jewish literature that includes a tradition telling about the murder of Zechariah the prophet (who comes near the end of the OT prophets). (4) The phrase “son of Barachiah” may have been a very early textual addition by a scribe who thought “Zechariah the son of Barachiah” was intended (one significant early manuscript, Sinaiticus, in fact, omits the words “the son of Barachiah”). Each of these proposed solutions presents a plausible possibility, though there is not enough information to determine which is most likely.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:36 Rather than respond to the unique opportunity they had to receive their Messiah and participate in the kingdom of heaven, the religious people of this generation would continue to spill righteous blood—now that of Jesus and his followers—and so face God’s wrath.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:37–39 Lament over Jerusalem. Jerusalem apparently refers to the whole nation of Israel, for whom Jesus deeply laments.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:38 house. In the OT, this is an expression for the temple; possibly here it has broader reference to Jerusalem’s leadership. All Jewish religious authority will collapse with the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 23:39 As Jesus cites Ps. 118:26 (cf. Matt. 21:9), he identifies himself with God’s Messiah and Savior who will once again come to his people, but only after a time of great judgment, when they are finally ready to receive him.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:1–25:46 The Delay, Return, and Judgment of Messiah. These two chapters are often called the “Olivet Discourse” because Jesus “sat on the Mount of Olives” (24:3) when he spoke these words. It is the fifth of Jesus’ five major discourses recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (see Introduction: Key Themes; Literary Features). Addressed to his disciples, it is intended to give them a prophetic overview of the events to transpire in both the near and distant future.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:1–14 The Beginning of Birth Pains. Jesus previews the general conditions of the earth, which in some sense characterize the entire age, before he returns: sufferings throughout the world (vv. 4–8), the suffering of his disciples (vv. 9–13), and the preaching of the gospel to all nations (v. 14).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:1 left the temple. The road from Jerusalem to Bethany, where Jesus and his disciples stay each evening, takes one alongside the Mount of Olives, which affords a spectacular view of the temple in the distance.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:2 Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Roman army under Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Not … one stone upon another may be intended as a metaphor for total destruction, or it may be understood as something that was literally fulfilled in the destruction of the temple building itself (but not the entire Temple Mount, some of which remains to this day).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:3 The disciples ask two questions: (1) when will these things be, and (2) what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Jesus’ answer to these questions apparently intertwines prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming. The near event (the destruction of Jerusalem) serves as a symbol and foreshadowing of the more distant event (the second coming). The discourse can be divided into three parts: (1) a generally chronological description of events preceding Christ’s return (vv. 4–31); (2) lessons on watching, waiting, and being prepared for Christ’s return (24:36–25:30); and (3) a warning of judgment and a promise of reward at the time of Christ’s return (25:31–46). On the Mount of Olives, see notes on 21:1 and 24:1. Matthew’s version of this question, with explicit mention of the second coming, is more developed and detailed than the question in the parallel passages in Mark 13:4 and Luke 21:7.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:5 saying, “I am the Christ.” Throughout the history of the church, and even today, many have made claims to messianic identity. Jesus’ disciples must be on their guard against such people.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:6–7 wars … famines and earthquakes. Such cataclysmic events will be a regular part of this age until the return of Jesus to redeem all of creation.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:8 Birth pains indicates that there will be a time of suffering prior to the messianic age (cf. Rom. 8:22–23). OT prophets use the metaphor to depict terrible suffering in general (cf. Isa. 13:8; 21:3; 42:14; Jer. 30:5–7; Hos. 13:13) as well as suffering that Israel will endure prior to her deliverance (cf. Isa. 26:17–19; 66:7–11; Jer. 22:23; Mic. 4:9–10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:11 false prophets. Deception both from the world and from within the church will be prevalent (1 John 2:18–27; 4:1–6). Disciples must “test the spirits” to determine whether or not they acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah (1 John 2:22; 4:2–3).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:13 end. Either the end of the persecution when the Son of Man returns (cf. 10:23), or the end of one’s life. will be saved. Not from physical death (cf. 24:21–22), but from divine wrath and human persecution, to experience the full blessing and peace of salvation when Jesus returns.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:14 One distinct indicator that will signify the nearness of Christ’s return is when the gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed throughout the whole world, that is, to all nations (plural of Gk. ethnos, “nation, people”), a task that began with Jesus’ command in 28:19.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:15–31 “Great Tribulation” and the Coming of the Son of Man. Jesus moves from the general characteristics of this age to describe the “great tribulation” (vv. 15–28) that will precede the coming of the Son of Man (vv. 29–31).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:15 Daniel 9:27 tells of the abomination of desolation. Several times in Jewish history it was thought that this prophecy was being fulfilled—most notably during the days of the Maccabees when Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king, ordered that an altar to the Greek god Zeus be constructed in the temple (167 B.C.). He also decreed that swine and other unclean animals were to be sacrificed there, that the Sabbath was to be profaned, and that circumcision was to be abolished. But Jesus clarifies that the complete fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy will be found in (1) the Roman destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and (2) the image of the Antichrist being set up in the last days (cf. 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:14).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:16 flee to the mountains. The ancient church historian Eusebius reports that, during the Jewish revolt (A.D. 67), Jesus’ warning was fulfilled when Christians fled to the mountains of Pella (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.5.3).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:17 on the housetop not go down. There will be no time to gather provisions.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:20 not … in winter or on a Sabbath. They should pray that the harshest conditions and most revered traditions not be a hindrance to fleeing.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:21 great tribulation. The time of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was horrible, but the vision Jesus paints will have an even more horrific fulfillment in the future (see note on 24:1–25:46).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:22 if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. Some suggest this means that, if God’s wrath were to continue unchecked against the wickedness of humanity, no one would survive the eventual destruction. Others see in this a reference to a cutting short of either the seventieth “seven” (week) of Dan. 9:27 or the 42 months of Rev. 11:2. It is evident that the reference is not to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, since the unprecedented destruction described in Matt. 24:21 did not take place in 70. The elect includes all those who follow Christ during this period (cf. vv. 24, 31).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:24 signs and wonders. Supernatural signs and miracles will have the appearance of coming from God but that will actually be the work of Satan and his evil forces. (On testing false prophets, see notes on 7:15–20; 9:34; 1 John 4:1.)
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:26–27 Look, he is in the wilderness … Look, he is in the inner rooms. The Messiah will not come secretly to a select group and stay hidden from public view. Rather, he will appear like a flash of lightning—sudden and visible to all.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. It seems best not to “over-interpret” this striking proverbial expression. It probably means simply that, just as people from far away can see vultures circling high in the air, Christ’s return in judgment will be visible and predictable. A similar view is that the vultures suggest the widespread death that will accompany the return of Christ to judge those who have rejected his kingdom. In either case, it will be impossible for people not to see and recognize the return of Christ.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:29 sun … moon … stars … powers. It is possible that this is entirely literal language (with “stars” perhaps referring to a large meteor shower). Others take it as a mixture of literal and figurative language, and still others take it as entirely figurative, pointing to political judgment on nations and governments. The argument in favor of a figurative interpretation is that this verse echoes possibly figurative language about heavenly disturbances in the OT prophets, such as Isa. 13:10; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:10; and Amos 8:9. Those arguing for a literal interpretation point to biblical accounts of actual darkness: cf. Ex. 10:21–23 and Matt. 27:45. The idea of the stars falling and the heavens being rolled up is mentioned elsewhere in the NT as well (see Heb. 1:12; 2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 12; Rev. 6:13–14). Whether these events are to be understood as being primarily literal or primarily figurative, it is clear that these will be “earth-shattering” events, through which all creation will be radically transformed at the return of Christ. (Regarding the “new heavens and the new earth,” see Isa. 65:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1.)
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:30 sign of the Son of Man. Some suggest that this is a type of heavenly standard or banner that unfurls in the heavens as Christ returns in “power and great glory,” while others understand it to be the arrival of the Son of Man himself as the sign of the end-time consummation of the age (cf. 16:27; 26:64). mourn. Either a sorrow that produces repentance, or a great sadness of regret in light of coming judgment. they will see the Son of Man (see note on 8:20) coming on the clouds of heaven. This most clearly is end-time language that recalls Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 7:13–14) and points to Jesus’ return at the end of the age (cf. 2 Thess. 1:7–10; Rev. 19:11–16). with power and great glory. Christ will be revealed as the eternal ruler of the kingdom of God, designated by the Ancient of Days to receive worship and to exercise dominion over the earth and all of its inhabitants (cf. Dan. 7:13–14). The return of Christ is a literal event, in which Christ “will come in the same way” that the disciples “saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:31 A trumpet call is associated in Jewish end-time thought (Isa. 18:3; 27:13) and also in Christian writings (1 Cor. 15:51–52; 1 Thess. 4:16) with the appearance of the Messiah. his angels … will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. The involvement of angels probably indicates that, when Jesus returns, he will not only gather to himself all believers alive on the earth but will also bring with him all the redeemed who are in heaven (cf. 1 Thess. 4:14; Rev. 19:11–16).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:32–41 The Nearness and Time of Jesus’ Coming. Jesus moves from describing future events to dealing with the attitudes that should characterize his followers as they prepare for the end (vv. 32–35), knowing that his return is imminent (vv. 36–41).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:34 this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Several interpretations have been offered for this difficult passage: (1) Some think “this generation” refers to the disciples who were alive when Jesus was speaking, and “all these things” refers to the beginning but not the completion of the sufferings described in vv. 4–25. (2) Others see in “all these things” a prediction with multiple fulfillments, so that Jesus’ disciples will be both “this generation” that sees the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and also those at the end of the age who see the events surrounding the “abomination of desolation” (v. 15). (3) Since “the generation of …” in the OT can mean people who have a certain quality (cf. Ps. 14:5; 24:6; cf. Gk. genea in Luke 16:8), others understand “this generation” to refer either (a) to “this generation of believers” throughout the entire present age, or (b) to “this evil generation” that will remain until Christ returns to establish his kingdom (cf. Matt. 12:45; Luke 11:29). (4) Others, particularly some dispensational interpreters, understand “generation” to mean “race” (this is another sense of Gk. genea) and think it refers to the Jewish people, who will not pass away until Christ returns. (5) Others understand “this generation” to mean the generation that sees “all these things” (Matt. 24:33), namely, the generation alive when the final period of great tribulation begins. According to this view, the illustration of the fig tree (v. 32) shows that when the final events begin, Christ will come soon. Just as “all these things” in v. 33 refers to events leading up to but not including Christ’s return, so in v. 34 “all these things” refers to the same events (that is, the events described in vv. 4–25).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:35 my words will not pass away. Jesus attributes divine authority and permanence to his own teaching—it is greater even than heaven and earth.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:36 In response to the disciples asking, “when will these things be?” (v. 3), Jesus says no one knows, not even … the Son, but the Father only. In his incarnate life, Jesus learned things as other human beings learn them (cf. Luke 2:52; Heb. 5:8). On the other hand, Jesus was also fully God, and, as God, he had infinite knowledge (cf. John 2:25; 16:30; 21:17). Here he is apparently speaking in terms of his human nature. This is similar to other statements about Jesus which could be true of his human nature only, and not of his divine nature (he grew and became strong, Luke 2:40; increased in stature, Luke 2:52; was about 30 years old, Luke 3:23; was weary, John 4:6; was thirsty, John 19:28; was hungry, Matt. 4:2; was crucified, 1 Cor. 2:8). Taking account of these verses, together with many verses that affirm Christ’s deity, the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451 affirmed that Christ was “perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man.” Yet it also affirmed that Jesus was “one Person and one Subsistence.” With regard to the properties of his human nature and his divine nature, the Chalcedonian Creed affirmed that Christ was to be “acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved.” That meant the properties of deity and the properties of humanity were both preserved. How Jesus could have limited knowledge and yet know all things is difficult, and much remains a mystery, for nobody else has ever been both God and man. One possibility is that Jesus regularly lived on the basis of his human knowledge but could at any time call to mind anything from his infinite knowledge.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:40–41 taken … left. The description may indicate that one is taken away to final judgment (cf. v. 39) while the other remains to experience salvation at Christ’s return. Or possibly the one who is taken is among the elect that the Son of Man will “gather … from the four winds” (v. 31).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:42–25:30 Parabolic Exhortations to Watch and Be Prepared for the Coming of the Son of Man. Jesus gives four parables to explain to his disciples how and why they should be prepared for his coming: the homeowner and the thief (24:42–44), the good and wicked servants (24:45–51), the 10 virgins (25:1–13), and the talents (25:14–30).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:42 stay awake. Christians should not merely keep looking for the coming of the Son of Man. Instead they should be completing the work of the Great Commission (28:19–20), as well as being prepared and expectant, because the time of Christ’s return is unknown (24:36). On readiness for Christ’s return; cf. 1 Thess. 5:1–11; 1 Pet. 4:7; 2 Pet. 3:2–18.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 24:48–51 delayed. The behavior of the wicked servant indicates he is a false disciple (cf. Gal. 5:19–21) and is deserving of that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, a description of hell (cf. note on Matt. 8:11–12).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:1 the kingdom of heaven will be like. See notes on 3:2; 13:24. ten virgins. Bridesmaids. bridegroom. As God referred to himself as the “husband” of Israel in the OT (e.g., Isa. 54:4–6), so Jesus pictures himself here as a bridegroom (cf. Matt. 9:14–15). It was the Jewish marriage custom (cf. 1:18) for the groom and his friends to leave his home and proceed to the home of the bride, where the marriage ceremony was conducted, often at night. After this, the entire wedding party returned to the groom’s home for a celebratory banquet.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:3–4 lamps. Large dome-shaped torches, fueled by rags soaked in oil and used for walking outside. oil. With extra containers of oil, the torches could last for several hours.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:9–10 not be enough for us and for you. Torches required regular refilling. those who were ready. It was the responsibility of each person to be prepared individually to go with the bridegroom to the wedding banquet.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:11–12 I do not know you. The OT speaks of God “knowing” his chosen people (Jer. 1:5; Hos. 13:5; Amos 3:2). The same theme continues in the NT, where it describes a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ (cf. Gal. 4:8–9; 2 Tim. 2:19).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:13 Watch therefore. The point of the parable is that disciples must “watch correctly” in order to be properly prepared and ready to accompany the Son of Man when he returns. you know neither the day nor the hour. See note on 24:42.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:15 talents. See note on 18:24.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:16–17 The first and second servants acted industriously and earned a return on their entrusted amounts, probably by setting up some kind of business.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:18 dug in the ground. Since there were no banks in ancient times, it was common practice to bury valuables (see note on 13:44).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:19 after a long time. Cf. “delayed” in the previous two parables (24:48; 25:5).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:20–23 Well done, good and faithful servant. The master’s identical statements of praise to both servants show that what was important was not the total amount earned but faithfulness in utilizing their gifts and potential. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Faithful stewardship in this life will result in being given greater responsibility and stewardship in the life to come.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:24–25 Master, I knew you to be a hard man. The third servant’s actions result from his apparent misperception of his master, which manifests itself in laziness and bad stewardship.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:27 you ought to have invested my money with the bankers. In the OT, Israelites were forbidden from charging interest to other Israelites (Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:35–37; Deut. 23:19), but it was permissible to charge interest on money loaned to Gentiles (Deut. 23:20). In any case, the central point of the parable concerns the importance of being a faithful servant of all that God has entrusted to one’s care.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:29 to everyone who has will more be given. Using one’s God-given abilities wisely and productively is a vital aspect of discipleship and will be rewarded with additional opportunities to serve God faithfully and fruitfully.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:30 outer darkness … weeping and gnashing of teeth. A typical description of hell and eternal damnation, occurring six times in Matthew and once in Luke. See note on Matt. 8:11–12.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:31–46 Judgment at the End. Jesus’ disciples are to wait patiently in anticipation of reward at his return, when the unprepared and unrepentant will receive only judgment.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:31 Son of Man. See note on 8:20. angels with him. See 13:41–42; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 14:17–20. sit on his glorious throne. As both Judge and King.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:32 all the nations. Both Jews and Gentiles, who are the object of the Great Commission throughout this age (see note on 28:19). he will separate people one from another. See 7:21–23; 13:40–43.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:34 King. The Son of Man upon his throne (v. 31) recalls the prophecy of Dan. 7:13–14, in which the Ancient of Days bestows the kingdom upon “one like a son of man.” blessed by my Father. The blessing to the “sheep” (Matt. 25:32) consists of their inheritance of the Father’s kingdom, given not as a reward for good works but because of their saving relationship with the Father and the Son.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:40 In the context of the parable the least of these refers to those who are most needy among Jesus’ brothers—a reference most likely to Jesus’ disciples and by extension all believers. The “sheep” are commended for their great compassion for those in need—for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger; for those who are naked, sick, or in prison. The righteous will inherit the kingdom not because of the compassionate works that they have done but because their righteousness comes from their transformed hearts in response to Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom, as evidenced by their compassion for the “least of these.” In caring for those in need, the righteous discover that their acts of compassion for the needy are the same as if done for Jesus himself (you did it to me).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 25:41–46 Then he will say to those on his left. In contrast to the sheep (who will “inherit the kingdom”; v. 34), the goats are condemned to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The reason for their condemnation is that they are guilty of sins of omission—that is, they have refused to show compassion to the least of these, which is the same as if they failed to have any care for Jesus himself. Given the evident unrighteousness of their hearts, they are condemned to eternal punishment. Some interpreters hold that this judgment (these will go away) will occur prior to the inauguration of Jesus’ earthly millennial kingdom, and that the “sheep” (v. 33) are those blessed to enter and live under Jesus’ dominion. Others equate this judgment scene with that which closes the earthly age, just prior to the eternal state (Rev. 20:11–13). The most important point, however, is that judgment will come.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:1–27:66 The Crucified Messiah. Matthew narrates the events leading to Jesus’ death: (1) the Passover and Lord’s Supper and events in Gethsemane (26:1–46); (2) Jesus’ arrest, trials, and conviction (26:47–27:26); and (3) Jesus’ flogging, crucifixion, death, and burial (27:27–66).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:1–16 Plot, Anointing, and Betrayal to the Religious Leaders. Jesus predicts his arrest and crucifixion, plotted by the religious leaders (vv. 1–5). Matthew then recounts how Jesus was anointed at Bethany (vv. 6–13) and how Judas arranged the betrayal (vv. 14–16).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:2 The Passover was celebrated annually in remembrance of Israel’s exodus from Egypt under Moses’ leadership (see notes on Exodus 12). Son of Man. See note on Matt. 8:20. This is the fourth and final time that Jesus predicts his arrest and crucifixion (cf. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:3–4 chief priests and the elders of the people. Representatives of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body in Jerusalem, but not the full assembly. palace. The private residence of the high priest. Caiaphas (high priest A.D. 18 to 36, and son-in-law of Annas, the previous high priest; see note on John 18:24). Archaeologists discovered in 1991 an elaborate ossuary (a box for reburying the bones of the dead) in a burial cave in Jerusalem with slightly varied inscriptions that read, “Joseph son of Caiaphas.”
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:5 feast. Thousands of pilgrims annually made the journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, and nationalistic fervor ran high as they recalled the liberation of their ancestors from bondage in Egypt. uproar. Popular uprisings were increasingly common especially during such feast periods, and the chief priests and elders were reluctant to arrest Jesus openly because of his popularity with the people.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:6–13 Matthew thematically organizes this account of Jesus’ anointing at Bethany, while John (John 12:1–11) places it chronologically on Saturday night before Jesus’ triumphal entry.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:6 Bethany. See note on 21:17. Simon the leper had most likely been healed by Jesus, since the meal is hosted in Simon’s home even though lepers were required to live apart from the general population.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:7 a woman. Identified in John 12:3 as Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. expensive ointment. “Pure nard” (cf. Mark 14:3; John 12:3), a perfume oil used for solemn acts of devotion. More common household oils were used to anoint guests, for medicine, and for other purposes (see note on Mark 14:3–5).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:8–12 given to the poor. What seems like a waste to the disciples, Jesus calls a beautiful thing. If the disciples’ real concern was for the poor, there would always be an opportunity to care for the poor because they will always have the poor with them (v. 11). There would not be much opportunity, however, to demonstrate their love for Jesus. Given his impending death, the anointing of Jesus’ body becomes a dramatic foreshadowing of the events to come. prepare me for burial. In her act of devotion, Mary unknowingly prepares Jesus’ body for being laid to rest in the tomb.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:9 large sum. The perfume was valued at “more than three hundred denarii” (Mark 14:5), approximately a year’s wages for the average worker. poor. Poverty was widespread in Israel.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:14 one of the twelve. The treachery of Judas’s deed is heightened by the fact that he is one of Jesus’ chosen apostles.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:15–16 thirty pieces of silver. In the OT, this was the penalty paid by the owner of an ox that gored a slave to death (Ex. 21:32). Equivalent to about four months’ wages for a laborer (about $7,500 in modern terms), this meager sum suggests the low esteem in which Jesus was held by both Judas and the chief priests. opportunity to betray him. Judas’s treachery reveals that he was not a true believer (cf. Luke 22:3–4).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:17–35 The Passover and the Lord’s Supper. Jesus and his disciples prepare for, and then partake in, the Passover meal. Jesus reveals his betrayer and institutes the Lord’s Supper.
The Last Supper
After Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal, they crossed the Kidron Valley and entered a garden called Gethsemane (meaning “oil press”), where they often spent time while visiting Jerusalem (cf. Luke 22:39).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:17 first day of Unleavened Bread. The Festival of Unleavened Bread lasted seven days, from Nisan (March/April) 15 to 21 (cf. Lev. 23:5–6). prepare for you to eat the Passover. Preparations for the Passover were made on Thursday afternoon (Nisan 14). Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal after sundown on Thursday evening (now Nisan 15), with Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper later that evening. Jesus was crucified the following afternoon, Friday (still Nisan 15).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:18 Go … to a certain man and say to him, … “I will keep the Passover at your house.” Either Jesus had made prior arrangements with friends in Jerusalem in order to avoid the Jewish authorities, or the encounter was a miraculous work of God.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:20 reclined at table. In formal dining, guests reclined on a couch that stretched around three sides of a room. The host took the center seat at a U-shaped series of low tables, surrounded by the most honored guests on either side, with the guests’ heads reclining toward the tables and their feet toward the wall.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:23 he who has dipped his hand in the dish with me. The custom was to take a piece of bread or a piece of meat in bread and dip it into a common bowl of sauce on the table. Each of those around the room had done so, therefore at this point the betrayer could have been any of the Twelve. will betray me. The height of disloyalty and betrayal is sharing a meal with a friend before turning on him.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:24 as it is written. A reference to the suffering servant prophecies in Isaiah 42–53. woe. The certainty of divine judgment that will fall upon the one who betrays Jesus.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:25 Rabbi. The larger group around the table address Jesus as “Lord” (v. 22), but Judas addresses him as “Rabbi,” or “Teacher.” There is no record of Judas ever calling Jesus “Lord.” You have said so. A Greek expression that deflects responsibility back upon the one asking a question (cf. v. 64).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:26 bread … this is my body. Jesus’ body will be the once-and-for-all fulfillment of the ceremonies surrounding the Passover lamb and other OT sacrifices, as he will become the sacrificial atonement for the sins of the people.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:27 cup. Most likely the third of four cups at the Passover—the cup of blessing, or the cup of redemption—corresponding to God’s third promise in Ex. 6:6: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.”
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:28 blood of the covenant. The cup foreshadows the shedding of Jesus’ blood and the absorbing of God’s wrath, which opens the way for the redemption of all peoples through the new covenant relationship with God that was promised to the people of Israel (cf. Jer. 31:31, 34).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:29 drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. The messianic banquet (cf. 8:11; Rev. 19:9).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:30 hymn. Perhaps the Hallel (Psalms 113–118), or perhaps the last great Hallel psalm (Psalm 136).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:31 You will all fall away. Not just Peter, but all the disciples will forsake Jesus and run (v. 56). They will not cease being his disciples, but they will fail to stand with him in the face of persecution.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:32 I will go before you to Galilee. Jesus will graciously restore the disciples back to fellowship with himself following their failure to stand.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:33–35 Peter fails to heed Jesus’ warning and underestimates the extreme test of faith they will all soon encounter. all the disciples said the same. They are swayed by Peter’s bravado.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:34 rooster crows. Symbolic for the arrival of the day at sunrise.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:36–46 Gethsemane: Jesus’ Agonizing Prayers. Jesus experiences a time of overwhelming sorrow and distress as he faces the cross, and he expresses this in three agonizing prayers.
Jesus’ Arrest, Trial, and Crucifixion
The path from Jesus’ arrest to his crucifixion (part of which is often called the Via Dolorosa, “Way of Sorrows”) is difficult to retrace with certainty. According to a possible harmony of the Gospel accounts, after the Passover meal Judas led a contingent of soldiers to Gethsemane to arrest Jesus (1). From there Jesus was led to Annas (location unknown), who sent him to his son-in-law Caiaphas, the high priest (2). The Jewish leaders then appealed to the Roman governor Pilate to have Jesus put to death (3). Luke records that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas (4), who questioned Jesus but returned him to Pilate without rendering any judgment (5). Pilate then sent Jesus to be crucified at Golgotha (6).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:36 Gethsemane means “oil press,” indicating a garden area among the olive groves on the Mount of Olives where olive oil was prepared. The traditional location of Gethsemane is now marked by the modern Church of All Nations, which was built over a fourth-century Byzantine church.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:37–38 Jesus asks his inner circle of disciples (Peter, James, and John) to share with him this agonizing time of anticipation and sorrow as he faces the cross.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:39 fell on his face. In this typical posture of abject humility in prayer, Jesus lays his life before his Father in complete honesty and surrender. Jesus is facing the most severe temptation of his life, at the moment when he is ready to accomplish the culmination of his life’s mission—to bear the sins of the world—which is what this cup signifies. See note on 20:22–23.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:41 Their temptation was to succumb to physical sleep and so fail in their responsibility to support Jesus. It may point also to the temptation to deny Jesus when he is led away to the cross (cf. vv. 31–35).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:47–56 Jesus Arrested. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, and the temple guards arrest him.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:47 Matthew emphasizes Judas’s treachery by referring to him as one of the twelve. The great crowd consisted of a detachment of Roman soldiers assigned by Pilate to the temple for security, who were carrying swords, and Levitical temple police and personal security of the chief priests and Sanhedrin (elders), carrying clubs.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:48 kiss. A customary way for friends in ancient (and modern) Israel to greet one another now becomes the means of betrayal.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:49 Rabbi. See note on v. 25.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:50 Friend represents Greek hetairos, implying not the closeness and affection of the usual word for friend (philos) but only acquaintance and association. It was used previously by Jesus in parables concerning someone who has taken advantage of a privileged relationship (see 20:13; 22:12).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:51 one of those who were with Jesus. Simon Peter (John 18:10–11). servant of the high priest. Malchus (John 18:10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:52 Put your sword back. True disciples of Jesus do not seek to advance or impose God’s will on others through violent means.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:53 twelve legions. 72,000. A Roman legion at full strength had 6,000 soldiers.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:56 Their scheme had been predicted in the Scriptures of the prophets (cf. esp. Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12–13).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:57–27:10 The Jewish Trial of Jesus. Matthew narrates the events surrounding the trial of Jesus by the Jewish authorities: his stand before the Sanhedrin (26:57–68), Peter’s denials (26:69–75), the condemnation and deliverance of Jesus to Pilate (27:1–2), and Judas’s remorse and suicide (27:3–10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:57–58 The headquarters of Caiaphas the high priest was likely a palatial mansion, probably on the eastern slope of the “upper city” of Jerusalem overlooking the temple area (see note on John 18:24).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:59–60 The Sanhedrin tried to find false witnesses who would credibly testify that Jesus had violated the law, so that they could find him guilty as quickly as possible.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:59 The whole council (“Sanhedrin”) need not denote all 70 members but may just indicate those hastily assembled in the middle of the night (23 members made a quorum). “Sanhedrin” (Gk. synedrion) could refer either to a local Jewish tribunal (e.g., “council,” 5:22; “courts,” 10:17) or, as here, to the supreme ecclesiastical court (“council”) of the Jews, centered in Jerusalem. The Romans were ultimately in control of all judicial proceedings but allowed their subjects some freedom to try their own cases.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:61–62 I am able to destroy the temple of God. This saying, misquoted and taken out of context (cf. John 2:19–21), was easily distorted by Jesus’ opponents.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:63 silent. Jesus’ silence fulfills Isa. 53:7 and places the responsibility for his death squarely on his accusers. tell us if you are the Christ. Caiaphas wants Jesus to admit to this charge so that he can be accused of insurrection against Rome and tried before Pilate for treason.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:64 You have said so. See note on v. 25. Jesus declares that he is not only the human Messiah anticipated by the Jews but also the divine Son of Man (see Dan. 7:13–14; note on Matt. 8:20) who sits at the right hand of God (Ps. 110:1–2) and who will come on the clouds in power to reign over the earth.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:65 tore his robes. Normally prohibited for the high priest (Lev. 10:6; 21:10), but this astounding claim by Jesus evokes a vehement response. blasphemy. A reference to Jesus’ claim of divine status as the Son of Man.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:66 If Jesus is lying by claiming to be divine, then indeed he deserves death from the standpoint of the Jewish law (see Lev. 24:10–23). The irony is that he will be executed for telling the truth.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:67–68 The Jewish leaders’ physical abuse of Jesus and their mocking question, “Who is it that struck you?” demonstrate their disbelief in his prophetic gifts and thus their scorn for his claims to divinity (v. 64).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:69–70 Peter was sitting outside. Peter demonstrates courage by his presence in that hostile environment, but it fails him when his own personal safety is threatened.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:71–72 An oath was not profanity but calling upon something sacred (e.g., God’s name) to guarantee that what one said was true. Jesus warned against making such oaths, as they called into question one’s ordinary truthfulness and integrity (cf. 5:33–37).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:73 accent. Jesus’ disciples (except Judas) were from Galilee, and Judeans in Jerusalem looked down on Galileans for their regional pronunciations.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 26:74 curse … swear. Most likely calling upon God’s wrath to strike him if he is lying.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:1 When morning came on Friday, all the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled with a quorum so that they could give a more formal (with the appearance of a more legal) ratification of the earlier pronouncements against Jesus during the early morning hours (26:57–68).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:2 delivered him over to Pilate. The governor of Judea and Roman prefect under Emperor Tiberius. To maintain ultimate control, the Romans kept the death penalty under their own jurisdiction and reserved the right to intervene in any case. The Roman historian Tacitus records Christ’s execution “in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus” (Annals 15.44, published A.D. 115–120; cf. note on Luke 3:1).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:3–4 Judas’s feelings of remorse and his attempt to return the blood money are recorded only by Matthew. changed his mind (Gk. metamelomai). Judas experienced feelings of regret and remorse, but this is less than “repentance” (Gk. metanoia), which means a change of heart.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:5 Showing no sign of repentance, Judas hanged himself rather than face his crushing guilt. The account in Acts 1:18–19 is complementary, not contradictory; see note on Acts 1:18.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:6 blood money. Based on precepts found in Deut. 23:18.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:7–8 The name Field of Blood arose from its association with the violent death of Judas (cf. Acts 1:18–19) and perhaps also with the “blood money” (Matt. 27:6) paid for his betrayal of Jesus. Most church traditions from at least the fourth century place this in the Hinnom Valley south of Jerusalem (cf. note on 18:6–9), although it is difficult to confirm the precise location.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:9–10 the prophet Jeremiah. While drawing on a combination of words from Jeremiah (Jer. 19:1–13) and Zechariah (Zech. 11:11–13), Matthew attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah as the more prominent prophet. In the same way, Mark combines quotations from Isaiah and Malachi but cites only Isaiah as the more prominent prophet (see Mark 1:2; cf. Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:11–26 The Roman Trial of Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders lacked the final authority to impose the death penalty, and the charge of blasphemy was insufficient for a death sentence under Roman rule. So Jesus was sent to the Roman governor, Pilate, for trial.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:11 governor. Pontius Pilate (see note on v. 2). King of the Jews. Since blasphemy is not sufficient to warrant the death penalty under Roman rule, the Jewish leaders restate the charges when they hand Jesus over to Pilate (cf. Luke 23:2). Such a claim to kingship would be a direct challenge to Caesar. You have said so. See note on Matt. 26:25; cf. 26:64.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:12–14 he gave no answer … he gave him no answer. Jesus has sufficiently answered Pilate’s original question (v. 11), and there was nothing more to say that would change Pilate’s mind. See further Isa. 53:7.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:14 Pilate was greatly amazed at Jesus’ refusal to defend himself.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:15–18 release for the crowd. Pilate had apparently instituted this custom as a means of winning favor with the masses. Barabbas. A notorious criminal who had committed robbery (see note on John 18:40), insurrection, and murder (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:18–19). He may have belonged to one of the rural guerilla bands that victimized the wealthy upper class of Israel as well as the Romans and were therefore popular with the common people.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:18 envy. Pilate knows the high priest and the Sanhedrin are not concerned about threats to Roman rule; rather, they are envious of Jesus’ popularity and feel threatened by his authoritative ministry.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:19 dream. Romans often viewed dreams as omens. The dream was probably given by God as a sign of Jesus’ innocence.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:20–22 A few days earlier the people of Jerusalem had shouted “Hosanna!” at Jesus’ entry. Now they cry, “Let him be crucified!”
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:24 washed his hands. Not an attempt to purge himself of sin but a public demonstration that he finds no grounds for giving Jesus the death penalty.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:25 People (Gk. laos) is Matthew’s normal term for Israel as a nation. His blood be on us (cf. “Your blood be on your own heads!” Acts 18:6) was a common idiom denoting culpability for someone’s death. The people placed the responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion directly on themselves, and they were judged with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. However, future generations should not be held responsible for the sins of their ancestors, for that would be unjust (cf. Deut. 24:16; Jer. 31:29–30).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:26 scourged. Roman flogging was a horrifically cruel punishment. Those condemned to it were tied to a post and beaten with a leather whip that was interwoven with pieces of bone and metal, which tore through skin and tissue, often exposing bones and intestines. In many cases, the flogging itself was fatal. The Romans scourged Jesus nearly to death so that he would not remain alive on the cross after sundown.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:27–44 Jesus the Messiah Crucified. Matthew now takes readers to the very heart of his Gospel: the fulfillment of OT prophecies about the suffering servant (Isa. 42:1–4; 52:13–53:12) and Jesus’ own predictions (Matt. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 26:2) about his death.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:27 the governor’s headquarters. The Praetorium, Pilate’s official headquarters, doubled as a fortress (see note on John 18:28). whole battalion. Probably a maniple (a third of a cohort), which was 120–200 soldiers.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:28–31 put a scarlet robe on him. Roman soldiers in Jerusalem were infamous for playing cruel games with condemned prisoners, particularly insurrectionists, including dressing them in costumes and moving them around a huge game board as a “game piece.” Still, their actions spoke louder than they knew. The one they dressed and hailed as a king was truly the crucified King. Mark and John describe the same cloak as “purple,” but colors were not as clearly distinguished as they are today, and dyes varied, so a violet-red cloak might be called scarlet by some and purple by others.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:32 man of Cyrene. Cyrene was a region in North Africa (see note on Acts 13:1) with a large Jewish population. Simon was likely a Jew who had traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover. carry his cross. Jesus was severely weakened from the scourging and loss of blood (see note on Matt. 27:26) and was therefore unable to carry his cross (see note on v. 35), which weighed 30 to 40 pounds. The skin and muscles of his back would have been severely lacerated, and he could have suffered severe injury to his internal organs. The most common Greek word for “cross” (stauros), though originally designating a “sharpened pole,” became associated before the NT with various penal means of suspending bodies (before or after death), including those employing a crux, or cross-shaped device, for crucifixion.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:33 Golgotha. Transliteration of the Aramaic word for “skull.” It may have been given this name because it was a place of execution, or because the area had a number of tombs, or possibly because the site in some way resembled a skull (see Mark 15:22).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:34 This was one more mockery in that the wine they offered was mixed with gall, a bitter herb that could even be poisonous.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:35 crucified him. Crucifixion was widely practiced by the Romans, and the early Jewish historian Josephus mentions thousands of people crucified in first-century Palestine (mostly during rebellions against Rome). There are stories of Roman soldiers cruelly playing with different postures for crucified victims (e.g., Josephus, Jewish War 5.449–551), though the use of nails and a crossbar appear to have been common. Modern medical explanations for the cause of death on a cross have focused on either asphyxiation or shock. Crucifixion was widely believed to be the worst form of execution, due to the excruciating pain and public shame. Hanging suspended by one’s arms eventually caused great difficulty in breathing, which could be alleviated only by pushing up with one’s feet to take the weight off the arms. But that motion itself would cause severe pain in the feet, arms, legs, and back, causing the exhausted victim to slump down again, only to be nearly unable to breathe once more. Eventually, the victim would succumb to suffocation, if he had not already died as a result of the cumulative effect of the physical trauma inflicted on him. They divided his garments among them by casting lots is a clear reference to Ps. 22:18. Matthew alludes to Psalm 22 throughout much of the narrative without his typical fulfillment formula (see note on Matt. 1:22). His readers would know that the soldiers’ actions fulfill Scripture.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:37 charge. Written on a placard above Jesus’ head as a deterrent against any who would dare rise up against Rome. It was written “in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek” (John 19:20).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:38 Robbers (Gk. lēstēs) is sometimes rendered “insurrectionist,” which is possible, but the alleged examples in extrabiblical literature are not conclusive, and the meaning “robber” is appropriate in all 24 examples of lēstēs in the NT and Septuagint; see note on John 18:40. Nothing more is known about the background of these men. Jesus’ crucifixion with criminals fulfills Isa. 53:12.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:39–40 Since Heb. 13:12 says that Jesus was crucified “outside the gate” (the city gate), those who passed by probably included many pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover. derided. They mocked Jesus’ claim of supernatural power. wagging their heads. An allusion to Ps. 22:7; see notes on Ps. 22:6–8 and Matt. 27:35.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:41–43 chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him. The highest levels of Israel’s establishment seek one more opportunity to insult Jesus. The religious leaders do not address Jesus directly, but turn to one another as they mock him. let God deliver him. An allusion to Ps. 22:8; see note on Matt. 27:35.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:45–50 The Death of Jesus the Messiah. After being on the cross for about six hours (cf. v. 45 with Mark 15:25), Jesus dies.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:45 sixth hour … until the ninth hour. From noon until 3:00 P.M. Josephus says that the ninth hour was the time when Jews offered the daily evening sacrifice (Jewish Antiquities 14.65). darkness. Not a solar eclipse, since Passover occurred during a full moon, and a solar eclipse can occur only during a new moon; rather, it is a supernatural act of God, displaying his displeasure and judgment upon humanity for crucifying his Son.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:46 Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? Jesus quotes Ps. 22:1 (see note on Matt. 27:35). The last two words are Aramaic (the everyday language spoken by Jesus), and the first two could be either Aramaic or Hebrew. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Some of the most profoundly mysterious words in the entire Bible. In some sense Jesus had to be cut off from the favor of and fellowship with the Father that had been his eternally, because he was bearing the sins of his people and therefore enduring God’s wrath (cf. Isa. 53:6, 10; Hab. 1:13; Rom. 3:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 1 John 2:2). And yet, in quoting Ps. 22:1 Jesus probably has in mind the remainder of the psalm as well, which moves on to a cry of victory (Ps. 22:21–31); and he expresses faith, calling God “my God.” Surely he knows why he is dying, for this was the purpose of his coming to earth (cf. Matt. 16:21; 20:18–19, 28). And surely his cry, uttered with a loud voice, is expressing, not bewilderment at his plight, but witness to the bystanders, and through them to the world, that he was experiencing God-forsakenness not for anything in himself but for the salvation of others. Surely Matthew, understanding this, quotes Jesus’ words to challenge his readers. Jesus’ torment, despite his anticipations of it in Gethsemane, was surely inconceivable in advance (cf. note on 24:36).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:47 Elijah. Jesus’ call to God in Aramaic (’Eli, ’Eli) sounds similar to the Hebrew name for Elijah (’Eliyahu), which the bystanders misunderstand as a summons to the prophet.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:48 sour wine. Used as a daily drink with meals by common people and soldiers. It was cheaper than regular wine and effectively quenched thirst. Cf. Ps. 69:21.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:50 yielded up his spirit. Even in death, Jesus maintains authoritative control over his destiny (cf. John 10:17–18; Heb. 7:16). “His spirit” means his human spirit. While Jesus’ body remained on the cross and was then put in the tomb, his spirit went into the presence of God his Father (cf. Luke 23:43, 46; also Eccles. 12:7) and in this way he became the pattern for believers who would die after him (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:51–66 Testimonies, Women Followers, and Burial. A series of testimonies—from the temple (v. 51), the dead (vv. 51b–53), and Gentiles (v. 54)—indicate the historical and theological impact of Jesus’ death. Matthew mentions the women who watched these scenes unfold (vv. 55–56) and recounts the burial of Jesus and the posting of the guard at his tomb (vv. 57–66).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:51 curtain of the temple. The curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was an elaborately woven fabric of 72 twisted plaits of 24 threads each. It was 60 feet (18 m) high and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. No one was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place behind the curtain except the high priest, and he only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Heb. 9:2–7). Torn in two signifies the removal of the separation between God and the people. An extended commentary on this event, and the heavenly reality that it symbolized, is found in Heb. 9:11–10:22; see especially Heb. 9:12, 24; 10:19–20. earth shook. Palestine sits on a major seismic rift, so earthquakes were not uncommon, but the splitting of rocks and opening of tombs (Matt. 27:52) make this a major testimony to the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:52–53 saints who had fallen asleep. Probably pious OT figures and godly intertestamental Jews, reembodied to witness to the new order of things that was now in the process of dawning. This shows that the resurrection of people who died looking forward to the Messiah depends on Christ’s actual death and resurrection, just as does the future resurrection of Jesus’ disciples today. coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city. Matthew apparently jumps ahead here (treating materials topically, as he often does) and begins to speak of events that would happen after the resurrection. The wording suggests that these saints were not merely brought back to life (like Lazarus; John 11:44) but were “raised” (Matt. 27:52) with new, resurrection bodies, a foretaste of what would happen to all believers at Christ’s return. No other historical information about this event has been found, but it is natural to suppose that if they had resurrection bodies, they would not have died again. They may have been taken up to heaven at or after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:1–11).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:54 The centurion and his guards were accustomed to seeing crucifixions, but these cataclysmic events, coupled with the extraordinary self-control, purity, and love shown by Jesus in his death, made the centurion realize that Jesus was the Son of God.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:55–56 These women accompanied Jesus as his disciples (see Mark 15:41; Luke 8:1–3; 23:49), witnessed the crucifixion, and will be the first witnesses to his resurrection.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:57–60 Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin who did not consent to the actions against Jesus (Luke 23:50–51). His high standing within the Jewish community gave him access to Pilate. The location of Arimathea is uncertain—perhaps Ramathaim in the hill country of Ephraim, 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Jerusalem. asked for the body of Jesus. Jewish custom dictated that crucified bodies should be taken down before evening, especially before the Sabbath, which began at sundown on Friday. new tomb. A rectangular chamber cut into rock. It was accessed through a low entry room and blocked with a stone that could be rolled back and forth, mainly to protect the body from wild animals (see illustration of The Tomb of Jesus). The use of a rich man’s tomb fulfills Isa. 53:9.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:61 the other Mary (cf. 28:1). Most likely the mother of Joses (cf. Mark 15:40, 47; he was probably the same person as “Joseph,” Matt. 27:56).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:62 The next day, … after the day of Preparation is the Sabbath.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 27:65–66 guard. This was the same Roman military guard assigned to oversee temple security.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:1–20 The Resurrection and Commission of the Messiah. Matthew’s concluding chapter recounts Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. His resurrection confirms his identity and that his accomplishment at the cross was accepted by God the Father. Jesus now lives as the faithful companion, master, and Lord of those who respond to his great commission (vv. 16–20).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:1–10 An Empty Tomb and the Risen Jesus. The female disciples of Jesus discover an empty tomb (vv. 1–4). After an angel announces Jesus’ resurrection and instructs them (vv. 5–7), they meet the risen Jesus (vv. 8–10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:1 first day of the week. Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (cf. 27:61). The women remain courageously faithful. Cf. note on 26:31.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:2 great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord. The earthquake either occurred simultaneously with the appearance of the angel or was the means the angel used to roll away the stone.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:3–4 fear of him. The appearance of angels often produced fear (cf. Judg. 13:19–20). The guards are probably battle-hardened soldiers, but they have never witnessed anything like this.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:7 his disciples. Probably the Eleven. Galilee. The central location of Jesus’ earthly ministry continues in importance during his post-resurrection ministry.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:9 Took hold of his feet shows that this is no mere vision or hallucination but a physical resurrection. By allowing this act of worship, here and in v. 17, Jesus accepts the acknowledgment of his deity, as only God is to be worshiped.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:10 my brothers. Perhaps the Eleven, but more likely the broader group of disciples who had followed Jesus (cf. “my brothers” in 12:49–50; 25:40). If so, this is the larger group of disciples who will see the risen Lord (e.g., 1 Cor. 15:6).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:11–15 The Conspiracy to Deny the Truth of Jesus’ Resurrection. taken counsel. Faced with the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, the religious leaders are forced once again (cf. 26:3–5) to conspire together in order to preserve their religious and political influence. The soldiers faced possible execution for dereliction of guard duty, one of the most severe offenses while occupying foreign territory. In cooperating with the Jewish religious leaders, they at least have a chance to save themselves.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:16–20 The Risen Jesus’ Great Commission. As the resurrected Lord, Jesus calls upon his followers to make disciples of all people groups through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:17 Some doubted probably refers to people other than the 11 disciples (see note on 28:10).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:18 All authority. In his risen state, Jesus exercises absolute authority throughout heaven and earth, which shows his deity. His authority has been given by the Father, which indicates that he remains subject to the Father (see note on 1 Cor. 15:28).
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:19 The imperative (make disciples, that is, call individuals to commit to Jesus as Master and Lord) explains the central focus of the Great Commission, while the Greek participles (translated go, baptizing, and “teaching” [v. 20]) describe aspects of the process. all nations. Jesus’ ministry in Israel was to be the beginning point of what would later be a proclamation of the gospel to all the peoples of the earth, including not only Jews but also Gentiles. The name (singular, not plural) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an early indication of the Trinitarian Godhead and an overt proclamation of Jesus’ deity.
MATTHEW—NOTE ON 28:20 Teaching is a means by which disciples of Jesus are continually transformed in order to become more like Christ (cf. 10:24–25; Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18). observe. Obey. I am with you always. Jesus concludes the commission, and Matthew his Gospel, with the crucial element of discipleship: the presence of the Master, who is “God with us” (cf. Matt. 1:23).