Bible Commentaries

Matthew 10:23 — destruction of Jerusalem. [Note: Carson, "Matthew," pp. 250-53.] "What was proclaimed here was more fully demonstrated in the apostles’ lives after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) in the spread of the gospel in the church (e.g., Acts 4:1-13; Acts 5:17-18; Acts 5:40; Acts 7:54-60). But these words will find their fullest manifestation in the days of the Tribulation when the gospel will be carried throughout the entire world before Jesus Christ returns in power and glory to establish

Matthew 11:2-3 — Herod Antipas had imprisoned John in the fortress of Machaerus east of the Dead Sea (cf. Matthew 4:12; Matthew 14:3-5). [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of. . ., 18:5:2.] There John heard about Jesus’ ministry. Matthew wrote that John heard about the works of "the Christ." This is the only place in Matthew where the name "Christ"

Matthew 17:1 — best prepared and most receptive of the Twelve to receive this revelation, not the best loved, since Jesus loved all His disciples equally. Interestingly when Moses ascended Mt. Sinai he took with him three companions: Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu (Exodus 24:1). The mountain where the Transfiguration happened is traditionally Mt. Tabor, a 1,900-foot hill that rises conspicuously at the east end of the Jezreel Valley. However, Josephus wrote that there was a walled fortress on its summit then. [Note: Josephus,

Matthew 18:5-6 — The child in view in these verses is not a literal child but the disciple who has humbled himself or herself and in so doing has become childlike (Matthew 18:3-4). Jesus was speaking of receiving a humble disciple of His in Matthew 18:5. (Jesus taught the importance of receiving a little child in Mark 9:36-37 and Luke 9:48.) Whoever does this "in Jesus’ name" welcomes the disciple because he

Matthew 22:43-45 — 110, the most frequently quoted Old Testament chapter in the New Testament. This was a psalm that David wrote, as is clear from the superscription. Jesus regarded it as He regarded all the Old Testament, namely, inspired by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 22:43; cf. Acts 4:25; Hebrews 3:7; Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 10:15; 1 Peter 1:21). Jesus assumed that Psalms 110 was Davidic and Messianic, and the Pharisees agreed. He referred to the psalm’s inspiration here to reinforce its correctness in the minds of

Matthew 23:35 — of the Jews, the limit of misbehavior had been almost reached, and with the murder of the Messiah and His Apostles would be transgressed." [Note: Plummer, p. 320-21.] Abel was the first righteous person murdered that Scripture records (Genesis 4:8). We do not know exactly when Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, died, but he began prophesying as a young man in 520 B.C. and delivered some prophecies in 518 B.C. He may have been the last martyr in Old Testament history. [Note: See Gleason

Matthew 28:16-20 — 4. The King’s final instructions to His disciples 28:16-20 (cf. Mark 16:15-18; 1 Corinthians 15:6) Whereas the chief priests used bribe money to commission the soldiers to spread lies, the resurrected Jesus used the promise of His power and presence

Mark 4:33-34 — The summary conclusion 4:33-34 (cf. Matthew 13:34-35) Some of the other parables Jesus taught included the following that Matthew recorded. He taught the parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30; Matthew 13:36-43), and the parable of the yeast hidden in the meal (Matthew 13:33)

Mark 6:14 — Herod Antipas was not really a king, "king" being a popular designation rather than an official title in his case. He was the tetrarch who was born in 20 B.C. and ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39, when he was banished to Gaul. Perea lay east of the Jordan River and south of the Decapolis. Its northern border was about half way between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, and its southern border was about half way between the

Mark 9:49 — This verse evidently alludes to Leviticus 2:13 (cf. Exodus 30:35; Ezekiel 43:24). The "everyone" in view could refer to unbelievers who enter hell. Unbelievers are the immediate antecedent of this verse. As salt preserves food, so God will preserve them forever in torment. A second possibility is that "everyone"

Luke 21:1-4 — 7. Jesus’ commendation of a widow 21:1-4 (cf. Mark 12:41-44) The connecting link in Luke’s narrative is the mention of a widow (cf. Luke 20:47). The contrast is between the false piety of the rich lawyers and the genuine piety of one poor woman. This is another lesson for Luke’s

Luke 21:36 — occur and before that the Rapture. The New Testament apostles voiced many of the same warnings urging watchfulness in view of the Rapture that Jesus gave in view of His second coming (e.g., Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; et al.). After the Rapture, people who become Christians will need to remain vigilant because they will go through intense persecution in the Tribulation. For them the Second Coming will be only a few years away. Jesus’

Luke 22:38 — intention. Some interpret "It (or That) is enough" as meaning two swords would be adequate in view of the coming conflict. This does not seem to be what Jesus meant since He later rebuked Peter for using even one sword to defend Him (Luke 22:49-51; cf. Matthew 26:52). Furthermore two swords would not be enough to defend Jesus against arrest. Others interpret Jesus as having meant that the possession of two swords was enough to identify Jesus and the disciples as criminals and so fulfill Isaiah

Luke 3:7-9 — John’s preaching is almost identical to Matthew’s. However, Luke never reported that John said, "Repent, for the kingdom is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). Luke waited to introduce the kingdom theme until Jesus began His ministry (Luke 4:43). As adders try to escape before an approaching brush fire, so the Jews of John’s day were trying to escape God’s coming judgment by fleeing to him for baptism. [Note: Marshall, The Gospel . . ., p. 139.] However, John sensed that their

Luke 5:17 — other religious leaders such as the Sadducees were absent. [Note: For a discussion of the religious leaders, see Steve Mason, "Chief Priests, Sadducees, Pharisees and Sanhedrin in Acts," in The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting; Vol. 4: The Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting, pp. 134-47.] Luke viewed the power of God as extrinsic to Jesus (cf. John 5:1-19). Jesus did not perform miracles out of His divine nature. He laid those powers aside at the Incarnation. Rather He did His

Luke 6:27-38 — The conduct of disciples 6:27-38 (cf. Matthew 5:43-48; 7:1-2) Jesus’ explanation of the importance of true righteousness was the heart of the Sermon on the Mount as Matthew narrated it (Matthew 5:17 to Matthew 7:12). The need of love is the heart of this sermon according to Luke. Matthew reported

John 1:5 — fallen humankind when He became a man. Furthermore the light that Jesus brought was superior to the darkness that existed both physically and spiritually. The darkness did not overcome (Gr. katelaben, "lay hold of," cf. John 6:17; John 8:3-4; John 12:35; Mark 9:18) and consume the light, but the light overcame the darkness. John did not view the world as a stage on which two equal and opposing forces battle; He was not a philosophical dualist. He viewed Jesus as superior to the forces of

John 1:7 — John the Baptist was the first of many witnesses to the light that John the Apostle identified in this Gospel (cf. John 4:39; John 5:32; John 5:36-37; John 5:39-40; John 8:18; John 10:25; John 12:17; John 15:26-27; John 18:13-18; John 18:37). The Apostle John frequently used courtroom terminology in his Gospel to stress the truthfulness of the witnesses to the Light. John

John 4:4 — Samaritans did not get along, most Galilean Jews chose to travel through Samaria rather than taking the longer route through Perea, east of the Jordan River, which Judean Jews preferred. [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20:6:1; Edersheim, 1:394.] Therefore John’s statement that Jesus "had to" pass through Samaria does not necessarily mean that divine compulsion alone moved Him to choose that route. However most students of this passage have believed that one of the reasons

John 9:37-38 — Jesus then identified Himself as the Son of Man (cf. John 4:26). Perhaps He said that the man had seen Him to connect the miracle with the miracle-worker. The man may have suspected that Jesus was his healer because of the sound of His voice, but seeing made the identification certain. The man had seen Him with