24The Son of the Man is really going just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of the Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man not to have been born."In John 17:12 the Lord calls him "the son of perdition" and declares him to be "lost".
46Get up, let’s go; see, the one who is betraying me has come!"
68saying, "Messiah, prophesy to us! Who is the one who hit you?"Just like Satan entered Judas (John 13:27), the gang here was probably under satanic influence (which would help to explain their perversity).
24five times from the Jews I received the ‘forty lashes minus one’;Deuteronomy 25:3 forbids exceeding forty blows, so the Jews always stopped one short, just in case they had miscounted.
25three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked (I spent twenty-four hours in the open sea)—
26in frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from my countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in cities, in danger in wildernesses, in danger in the sea, in danger among false brothers;
1Meanwhile Saul, still exhaling murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
16for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake."
34Peter said to him: "Aeneas, Jesus the MessiahThe Text being in Greek has "the Christ", but Peter was probably speaking Hebrew, and he was declaring Jesus to be the Messiah. Perhaps 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the definite article (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). is healing you. Get up and make your bed!"It had been eight years since the last time he could make a bed! You can believe that it gave him great pleasure. And immediately he stood up!
3"A voice calling out:‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,make His paths straight!’ "See Isaiah 40:3. My rendering follows that of the translation of the Jewish Publication Society, which reflects normal Hebrew parallelism.—
15and saying: "The time has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has approached. Repent and believe in the Gospel."John, His herald, is in prison—his ministry and function have ended. So Jesus takes up John’s message and continues with it.
24saying: "Hey, what do you want with us, Jesus Natsarene?!The name of the town in Hebrew is based on the consonants נצר (resh, tsadde, nun), but since Hebrew is read from right to left, for us the order is reversed = n, ts, r. This word root means ‘branch’. Greek has the equivalent for ‘ps’ and ‘ks’, but not for ‘ts’, so the transliteration used a ζ (zeta) ‘dz’, which is the voiced counterpart of ‘ts’. But when the Greek was transliterated into English it came out as ‘z’! But Hebrew has a ‘z’, ז (zayin), so in transliterating back into Hebrew people assumed the consonants נזר, replacing the correct tsadde with zayin. Neither ‘Nazareth’ nor ‘Nazarene’, spelled with a zayin, is to be found in the Old Testament, but there is a prophetic reference to Messiah as the Branch, netser—Isaiah 11:1—and several to the related word, tsemach—Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12. So Matthew (2:23) is quite right—the prophets (plural, being at least three) referred to Christ as the Branch. Since Jesus was a man, He would be the ‘Branch-man’, from ‘Branch-town’. Which brings us to the word ‘Natsorean’. The familiar ‘Nazarene’ (Ναζαρηνος) [Natsarene] occurs in Mark 1:24, 14:67, 16:6 and Luke 4:34, but in Matthew 2:23 and in fourteen other places, including Acts 22:8 where the glorified Jesus calls Himself that, the word is ‘Natsorean’ (Ναζωραιος), which is quite different. I have been given to understand that the Natsareth of Jesus' day had been founded some 100 years before by a Branch family, who called it Branch town; they were very much aware of the prophecies about the Branch and fully expected the Messiah to be born from among them—they called themselves Branch-people (Natsoreans). Of course everyone else thought it was a big joke and tended to look down on them. "Can anything good…?" Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
1Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus,I take it that Paul is claiming to be Christ’s apostle to them, so he is writing with specific apostolic authority. Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality (demonstrably so), omit ‘at Ephesus’ [such is the basis for the nasty footnotes in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.]. that is, the faithful in Christ Jesus:Paul defines what he means by "saints".
10with a view to administering the fullness of the times,The reference is not so much to chronological time as to occasions or epochs. Believe it or not, human history is being "administered". so as to bring all things together under one head in Christ—those on the heavens"On the heavens"—that is what the Text says. I take the reference to be to beings and things that are not an integral part of Heaven, temporary appendages—of course any beings and things on the earth are not an integral part of Heaven either. They all will jointly be subordinated to the Christ. and those on the earth—in Him[S],
19and 3) what the exceeding greatness of His power into"Into us"—that is what the Text says. Note that ‘believing’ is in the present tense. Please see the note at 3:20 below. us who are believing, according to the demonstration of the extent of His might
21His lord said to him: ‘Super, you good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
23His lord said to him: ‘Super, you good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’The two-talent man was just as faithful as the first one—he also doubled the principal—so he gets the same commendation. We are judged on the basis of what we do with our potential.
30And throw out the useless servant,To be "useless" is not a valid option. We are here for a purpose, to serve, to be useful. into the darkness farthest out!’ There, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
45It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’See Isaiah 54:13. Therefore everyone who listens and learns from the Father comes to me.In verse 44 Jesus emphasizes God’s sovereignty; here He emphasizes human responsibility. We can ‘listen and learn’, and then ‘come’. But in what sense is everyone "taught by God"? Everyone has the light of creation and is born with a conscience, at least. Perhaps there are other ways that God ‘teaches’.
51I am the living bread which came down out of Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. Actually, the bread that I will give is my flesh,I take it that He is referring to His physical body, which represents the incarnation, with all that involved. which I will give on behalf of the life of the world.""The life of the world"—wow! Well, according to Romans 8:19-23 the whole creation is groaning, waiting for redemption.
58This is the bread that came down out of Heaven. Whoever feeds on this bread of mine will live forever (in contrast to your fathers who ate the manna and died)."Many of those who died in the wilderness died in rebellion against God, so the "died" here may refer to spiritual death as well.
4So those standing by said, "Do you reproach God’s high priest?"
8(Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel or spirit, but Pharisees confess both.)The Greek term here means precisely ‘both’; angel and spirit are treated as a single category.
30When I was told that the JewsPerhaps 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘the Jews’ and ‘about to’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.). were about to execute a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also directing his accusers to state the charges against him before you.Farewell."
5Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders,They used tradition as an instrument of domination, to control the people. Jesus was challenging that control. but eat their bread with unwashed hands?"
7But in vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’See Isaiah 29:13. Do none of our churches have doctrines that are mere ‘commandments of men’? All such ‘worship’ is in vain.
8Because having left the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men—washings of pitchers and cups, and many other similar things that you do."Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘—washings of pitchers… that you do’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.
6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost!’
24because this son of mine was dead and came to life; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’The older brother’s attitude really wasn’t all that unreasonable. Why should the younger son be rewarded for his irresponsible conduct? The father was celebrating the recovery, not the irresponsibility. The fatted calf was for a special occasion, and the older son’s faithful service was routine. However, he probably did get a young goat, after that.
5—and more than we had hoped, they first gave themselves to the LordIs obeying the commands of Christ the exclusive privilege of the rich? How about the first believers, there in Jerusalem, were they rich or poor? It would appear that the vast majority were poor; so much so that the few well-to-do were selling their property to feed the rest. (That is what gave rise to the case of Ananias and Sapphira [Acts 4:32-5:11].) They evidently did not want to leave Jerusalem, in spite of the Lord’s words recorded in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. So God Himself sent the persecutions to disperse them. And they scattered, preaching as they went, poor though they were. Here in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 we find an account that is very much to the point. Those Macedonian believers were very poor ("extreme poverty"). Furthermore, they were experiencing a "severe test of affliction". Even so, they insisted on giving. From verse 4 it almost seems that Paul felt a bit embarrassed about asking them to give—they needed help themselves! But they insisted; they wanted to give. And they gave more than they properly could ("beyond their ability"). But how was that possible? They had the mentality of the Kingdom—in verse 5 we read that "first they gave themselves to the Lord". And they must have understood the secret of God’s economy, as described in 2 Corinthians 9:8. (and due to God’s will, to us).
7that as you excel in everything—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—that you excel in this grace too.
19and not only that—he was actually chosen by the congregations as our traveling companion with this gift, that is being administered by us with a view to the glory of the Lord Himself, and to our own goodwill,
5"Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Look, your King is coming to you,humble and mounted on a donkey,in fact, a young donkey,foal of a beast of burden.’ "The quote is from Zechariah 9:9. Unfortunately the KJV (corrected by the NKJV) mistranslates both the Hebrew and the Greek, making it appear that Jesus rode both animals, which was not the case; He rode only the colt. For a more complete discussion, please see the Appendix: How many animals?
16and said to Him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" So Jesus says to them: "Yes. Have you never read that‘Out of the mouth of babies and nursing infantsYou have prepared praise for Yourself’?"See Psalm 8:2.
19And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it, just leaves.As Mark points out (Mark 11:13), it was not fig season, but a tree with leaves might have some dried figs. Since dried figs are very good eating, any visible figs would have been eaten long since (the tree was near the road). And He says to it, "May you never again produce fruit!" And forthwith the fig tree started to wither.The Text has ‘the sap was cut off’; the result would not be visible immediately.
21but by what means he now sees we don’t know, or who opened his eyes we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself."
30The man answered and said to them: "Why, this is remarkable—you don’t know where He is from; yet He opened my eyes!
41Jesus said to them: "If you were ‘blind’ you would not have sin. But now you say, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.According to Romans 5:13, "sin is not imputed where there is no law", because it is the Law that defines what sin is (Romans 3:20). So those who are without the light of the Law are ‘blind’ in that sense, and their sin is not imputed. In contrast, the Pharisees prided themselves on having the light of the Law, to the point of being guides to the blind, but since they themselves did not obey the Law, their sin remained.
8and the two will be turned into one flesh.’See Genesis 2:24. The Text says ‘two’, not ‘three’, ‘four’, or whatever. The ‘two’ are a man and a woman; not two men, not a woman and a demon, or whatever. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
18So Jesus said to Him: "Why do you call me ‘good’?Jesus was not denying that He was good; the trouble was that the man called him good without recognizing Him as God. No one is good except one—God.
21Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him,The verb is αγαπαω; He was concerned for his well-being. and said to him: "One thing you lack; go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, take up the cross,Scarcely 1.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘take up the cross’ (to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). and follow me."
7So he said to the gardener: ‘Look, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and have not found any. Cut it down; just why must it waste the soil?’
25When once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ and in answer he will say to you, ‘I do not know you; where are you from?’
27But he will say: ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’The Lord is stating plainly that there are many who think they are in the Kingdom, but actually are not.
21solemnly proclaiming to both Jews and Greeks the repentance toward God and the faith into our Lord Jesus.Some 25% of the Greek manuscripts add ‘Christ’, as in AV and NKJV.
37Then they all wept freely, and falling on Paul’s neck kept kissing him,
38sorrowing most of all because of the word that he had spoken, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
4I have great confidence in you; I do a lot of boasting about you. I am filled with encouragement, overflowing with joy in spite of all our affliction.
9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry as God intended, so as not to be harmed by us in any way.The implication is that it is possible for those in spiritual authority to cause harm, through the misuse of that authority. I imagine that we have all seen this sort of thing happen in fact.
11Just consider your own being caused to sorrow in a godly manner, how much diligence it produced in you—what self-defense, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have demonstrated yourselves to be clear in the matter.
5Now the angel spoke up and said to the women:Comparing this account with Mark 16:5-7 we conclude that the women did not see the angel outside on the stone—he only appeared to them inside the tomb. And if a shining angel had been on the stone Magdalene would not have assumed that the body had been stolen (John 20:2). If I had been one of those guards I think I would have converted on the spot—surely some of them believed and later they gave their eyewitness account to the Christian community. "Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for the Jesus who was crucified.
6He is not here, because He is risen, just like He said! Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.Perhaps 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit "the Lord" (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
15So taking the money they did as they were instructed. Their tale is widely spread among the Jews until this day.
8Jesus answered: "I told you that I am he. So if it is me you are looking for, allow these men to go"
16But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper (f), and brought Peter in.
17So the servant girl, the doorkeeper, says to Peter, "You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?"Everyone there, including the girl, knows that John belongs to Jesus, so her question is perfectly natural, without malice—she assumes that Peter must also. Notice that Peter denies right in front of John! Don’t you know that John kept his eye on Peter from that moment on! He says, "I am not!"