Bible Commentaries

Mark 11:15-16 — Mark 11:17). During Passover season pilgrims could buy sacrificial animals and change their money on the Mount of Olives, so there was no need to set up facilities to do these things in the temple courtyard, which Caiaphas had done. [Note: Lane, pp. 403-4. See also V. Eppstein, "The Historicity of the Gospel Account of the Cleansing of the Temple," Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 55 (1964):42-58.] Jesus’ literal housecleaning represented His authority as Messiah

Mark 13:3-4 — disciples viewed the destruction of the temple and the end of the present age as occurring together. In His answer Jesus taught them that these events would not happen at the same time. Again a question from the disciples led to a teaching session (cf. Mark 4:10-32; Mark 7:17-23; Mark 9:11-13; Mark 9:28-29; Mark 10:10-12).

Mark 13:5-8 — 2. Warnings against deceptions 13:5-8 (Matthew 24:4-8; Luke 21:8-11) Jesus first answered the disciples’ second question about the sign of the end of the present age. He did so negatively by warning them of false signs (Mark 13:5-13). Then He gave them positive information about the event that

Mark 13:7-8 — signs of the end of the age. There will be many of these things before the end comes. The messianic kingdom will appear in history similar to an infant who emerges from a very painful birth experience (cf. Isaiah 66:8; Jeremiah 22:23; Hosea 13:13; Micah 4:9-10). Jesus compared wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, and famines to the beginning of these pains. These phenomena show that the kingdom is coming, but they do not enable observers to date its arrival precisely. They are part of God’s program

Mark 6:45 — of the Sea of Galilee south of Bethsaida Julius. This town stood immediately east of the place where the Jordan River empties into the lake on its northern coast. Some of the town may have been on the western side of the Jordan. [Note: Hiebert, p. 164.] Evidently Jesus sent His disciples to another Bethsaida, near Capernaum, by boat (cf. John 6:17). Peter, Andrew, and Philip were evidently from this Bethsaida (John 1:45; John 12:21), and Peter and Andrew’s home was in Capernaum (Mark 1:29).

Luke 1:29-30 — Perhaps he appeared at her door and she mistook him for an ordinary visitor. Gabriel calmed the fears he had aroused with an announcement of a special divine blessing (cf. Luke 1:13) by assuring Mary that God was happy with her (cf. Genesis 6:8; 1 John 4:17-18). Gabriel had come to announce a blessing, not punishment. "It is necessary here to recall our general impression of Rabbinism: its conception of God, and of the highest good and ultimate object of all things, as concentrated in learned study,

Luke 1:38 — in the Septuagint). Even though Gabriel’s announcement was good news, it was also bad news. Mary would bear the Messiah, but her premarital pregnancy would bring misunderstanding and shame on her for the rest of her life (cf. Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Therefore her humble attitude is especially admirable (cf. Genesis 21:1; Genesis 21:7; Genesis 21:12; Genesis 30:34). Unfortunately she did not always maintain it (cf. John 2:5). In this she was only human. "This passage suggests four other important

Luke 10:19 — experienced injury, so it was evidently a limited provision in view of the unique ministry of Jesus’ original disciples and apostles. Even during the apostolic age many disciples did not escape injury or death (Acts 7:60; Acts 12:2; 2 Timothy 4:20).

Luke 11:47-48 — the criminal’s crimes, blood money to atone for their shared guilt. Perhaps the lawyers were building the prophets’ tombs with the same motivation. [Note: J. D. M. Derrett, "’You Build the Tombs of the Prophets’ [Luke 11:47-51; Matthew 23:29-31]," Studia Evangelica 4 (1968):187-93.]

Luke 16:14-15 — could accumulate was a sign of God’s blessing on them. This was a common misinterpretation of the law in Jesus’ day, as it is in ours. Their ostentatious display when giving alms may have been part of this hypocrisy too (cf. Matthew 6:2-4), but God was their real judge, and He knew their greedy hearts (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalms 7:10). What many people esteem highly is the pursuit of money. That is detestable to God because it is idolatry. It robs people of their future,

Luke 18:11-12 — took pride in his supposed superior status and the works that he did that separated him from others. The most pious Pharisees fasted twice a week (cf. Luke 5:33). [Note: Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, s.v. "nestis," by J. Behm, 4:930.] This Pharisee was also scrupulous about tithing (cf. Luke 11:42). "Never, perhaps, were words of thanksgiving spoken in less thankfulness than these. For, thankfulness implies the acknowledgment of a gift; hence, a sense of not having had

Luke 23:10-12 — later placed over Jesus after beating Him (Matthew 27:28; Mark 15:17; John 19:2). Perhaps it was this touch especially that united Pilate and Herod. They were two rogues who could at least agree to humiliate a pretender to the Jewish throne (cf. Acts 4:25-28). Luke did not record any judicial opinion that Herod may have sent back for Pilate here, but the implication is obvious that he viewed Jesus as a harmless phony. Pilate later announced Herod’s verdict to the people (Luke 23:15).

Luke 24:36-49 — 2. The appearances to the disciples in Jerusalem 24:36-49 Luke arranged his accounts of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to give the impression that an ever-increasing audience learned of this great event. First, he recorded an announcement of it with no witnesses (Luke 24:1-12). Then he told

Luke 4:3-4 — God’s word was trustworthy (Deuteronomy 8:3). God had revealed a plan for both that assured them that they would not die in the wilderness. Satan assumed that Jesus was the Son of God, as is clear from the first class condition in the Greek text (Luke 4:3; cf. Luke 3:22). Human welfare does not depend primarily on food or even physical provisions. It depends mainly on obedience to God’s will even though that may mean physical deprivation. By applying this passage to Himself Jesus put Himself

Luke 6:22-23 — from hatred to ostracism to insults and finally to character assassination. Luke recorded in Acts that all these forms of persecution overtook the early Christians. The New Testament epistles also warn Christians about them (e.g., 1 John 3:13; 1 Peter 4:14; James 2:7). Not just the prophets of old but also Jesus Himself experienced these persecutions. Disciples can expect the same. God will vindicate them eventually and reward them for their faithfulness (cf. Luke 12:37; Luke 12:42-44; Luke 18:1-8). The

Luke 7:16 — fear (Gr. phobos) gripped the people (cf. Luke 1:12; Luke 5:26). This is a natural human reaction to a demonstration of supernatural power. They also praised God that this act of power had such a beneficial effect (cf. Luke 2:20; Luke 5:25-26; Luke 18:43; Luke 23:47). The people remembered the life-restoring miracles of Elijah and Elisha in that very neighborhood centuries earlier. They quickly concluded that God had sent them another prophet similar to them (cf. 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:18-37).

John 15:11 — Loving obedience is the cause of the disciple’s fruitfulness, but joy is its result. The fullness of believers’ joy was John’s purpose for writing his first epistle, as it was Jesus’ purpose in giving this discourse (1 John 1:4). Specifically Jesus had told His disciples that joy would follow their obedience to His teachings (John 15:10). He intended His teachings to produce freedom and joy, not bondage and grief (cf. John 10:10; Matthew 11:30). "How can we tell when

John 19:1 — Pilate incorrectly hoped that if He flogged (Gr. emastigosen) Jesus this would satisfy the Jews (cf. John 19:4-6; Luke 23:16). Perhaps he thought that this action would increase popular support for Jesus against the chief priests, and then Pilate could release Him. "From him [John] we learn that Jesus was not scourged in order to be crucified but in order

John 2:13 — John alone recorded that Jesus went up to Jerusalem, topographically again, for three separate Passover celebrations. He referred to a second Passover in John 6:4 and to a third one in John 11:55; John 12:1; John 13:1; John 18:28; John 18:39; and John 19:14. Some interpreters believe that he mentioned a fourth Passover in John 5:1, but this seems unlikely. This first one was evidently the Passover of April 7,

Acts 4:4 — becoming Christians (cf. Acts 3:19), not believing and being baptized (Acts 2:38). Note that Luke wrote that they "believed" the message they had heard. The total number of male converts in Jerusalem now reached 5,000 (cf. Acts 1:15; Acts 2:41) because of Peter’s message. The Greek word andron specifies males rather than people. Normally most of the people in the temple courtyard who would have witnessed these events would have been males. Estimates of Jerusalem’s total population