Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”

So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

Commentary

Jesus is risen!! In the previous chapter, we talked about how Jesus took our sins upon Himself. The scarlet robe represented sin. The crown of thorns represented the curse given to Adam. Jesus’s death on the cross represented the death penalty He paid for our sins. In Christianese jargon, we call it “substitutionary atonement”.

But now, His rising from the dead represents Him having conquered death! This same resurrection from death is what He offers to us as well. We can escape death and instead live for eternity!

Of course, our physical, corrupted bodies will one day cease to function, but those who follow Christ by faith will be instantly transported to heaven and, at some point later, will be given a new physical body made of flesh and bone that is not subject to sin or decay. We will return to this earth with Christ and will be able, if we choose, to sit under the shade of a tree, drink an ice-cold lemonade, and watch the clouds roll by.

The point is that we will be alive!! Not in the form of an angel laying on a cloud and playing a harp for a thousand years. No! We will be alive! We will have avoided death! We will be right back here again on the earth enjoying for eternity everything that God created to be good!

[see 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14–15, John 11:25–26, Philippians 3:20–21, Revelation 21:3, Isaiah 65:17–24, etc…]

The morning of the third day is a good place to discuss what appears to be contradictions in the Bible. Remember, anytime you see something that looks like a contradiction, the error is not in the Gospels but in your own understanding.

In Matthew 28:1–10, it says that Mary and Mary went to the tomb, and the angel was sitting on the stone that had been rolled away. Regarding the same event, the apostle Mark says that Mary and Mary, along with Salome, entered the tomb and encountered the angel seated inside the tomb (see Mark 16:1–8). Luke, meanwhile, states that the women arrived at the tomb, found it empty, were puzzled about what had happened, and suddenly two angels stood beside them (see Luke 24:1–7). Lastly, John states that Mary Magdalene alone found the tomb empty and immediately fled to inform the disciples.

Salvation is by faith, which means we believe that what God has said about Himself is true and trustworthy. Thus, if there were errors and contradictions in the Bible, we would not be able to believe and trust that God’s Word is true.

In these accounts of the empty tomb, let’s first examine how Matthew describes it. Matthew states, “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.”

Meanwhile, Mark states, “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.”

When reading these two accounts side by side, it becomes obvious that the women were not present when the stone was rolled away. The guards were the ones present. The angel sat on top of the stone after rolling it away, and the guards were so afraid they fainted.

The angel then moved from atop the stone and entered the tomb. When the women arrived, they found the stone already rolled away.

The lesson to be learned is that we often make assumptions about what we are reading. Matthew’s account states that the women went to the tomb, and this is immediately followed by the account of the angel descending from heaven and rolling away the stone. Our error is in assuming that the women had already arrived when the stone was being rolled away, but the Scripture doesn’t say that. By rightly dividing the Word of God, we see that in Mark’s account, they arrived to find the stone already rolled away, having not seen the angel descend or sit on the stone.

All that being said, the whole of the four accounts are not so readily harmonized. However, we can assume that none of the four writers intended to record the entire sequence of events. Each selected portions of what happened. Using this approach, the four accounts can be fitted together approximately like this:

• Several women go to the tomb early Sunday morning.
• Mary Magdalene was among them.
• They discovered the stone had been rolled away.
• Mary apparently ran back to tell Peter and John.
• The other women encountered the angels and received the resurrection announcement.
• Peter and John came to the tomb.
• Mary returned and encountered Jesus.
• The women subsequently reported what they had experienced.

Verses 11-15

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Commentary

These verses are incredibly telling. No amount of evidence or proof was ever going to persuade the Pharisees.

Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ (Luke 16:31)

For the three years prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, these same Pharisees, elders, and chief priests saw Jesus miraculously heal people, cast out demons, and raise the dead to life, yet they continued insisting that Jesus give them a sign to prove He was who He said He was. Well, they finally got their sign, because today, every single one of them is in hell, able to look up and see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power (see Matthew 26:64).

Understand that today, every time a person demands proof of God, proof that Jesus was raised from the dead, or proof that Jesus ever lived at all, they are often issuing that demand as a kind of “gotcha” statement because they assume we’ll be unable to provide such proof. But know this: even if you could pull from your pocket undeniable proof of both God and Jesus and place it directly into their hand, they would reject it! When a person demands proof, they are not asking you to convince them. They are informing you of the conclusion they’ve already arrived at.

Verses 16-20

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Commentary

I want to focus on Jesus’s statement, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Nearly everything in life can be placed on a bell curve, with two opposite extremes and an average in the middle. In the case of church authority, the two opposite extremes are these: at one end of the bell curve are pastors and elders who seek to take Christ’s authority from Him and place it upon themselves as a kind of power trip. At the other extreme are church members who can’t be told what to do. You can’t even ask them to take the garbage from the church and put it into the dumpster. They think that’s someone else’s job.

Regarding pastors and elders on power trips who seek to control and manipulate the lives of their congregants, my advice is simply to find another church. Just put one foot in front of the other, walk out the door, and never return. In America, there’s a church on nearly every street corner.

When you first begin attending a new church, you should be ever watching and ever perceiving, looking to determine whether or not the fruit on their tree is good. This author’s position and attitude is that a church should be considered not good until proven otherwise, and this process can take three to six months of attendance.

But at the other end of our bell curve are congregants who, because of their pride, cannot receive instructions. Here’s a hypothetical example: After a fellowship dinner, the congregation is stacking and putting away chairs. Richard decides to lend a hand. He folds a couple of chairs and then leans them against the wall. The ministry leader, who’s in charge of organizing the fellowship dinners, says to Richard, “Don’t lean the chairs against the wall because they will leave marks on the wall.” Richard is offended at having been corrected.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. Jesus is the head of the church; the pastor and elders are the heads of the congregation, and the ministry leaders are the heads of their respective ministries.

The ministry leader’s authority to tell Richard where to place the chairs comes from Jesus Christ. When he says, “Don’t lean the chairs against the wall,” it’s the same as if Jesus Himself had told Richard not to do it. But what tends to happen is that people, because of their pride, are easily offended when they’re told what to do. They may even be inclined to leave the church and claim they were hurt by the church. They then use this as an excuse to stop attending any church at all. The reality in our example, however, is that Richard was the problem because he was unwilling to submit to authority.

If you have faith in Christ, then you believe that everything Jesus said is true. You also believe that everything Paul, James, Peter, John, Jude, etc., wrote came from the Holy Spirit through the authority of Jesus Christ and is as valid as if Christ Himself had said it.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Therefore, if you volunteer at church and think something should be done a certain way, but the ministry leader tells you they don’t want to use your suggestion, are you going to accept the authority of Jesus Christ, or are you going to stomp your foot, cross your arms, and quit the church like a spoiled brat?

And when it comes to Bible interpretation, it’s reasonable to recognize that all of us today are trying to understand the meaning of what is written in Scripture. It’s perfectly reasonable to debate biblical interpretation. This is one reason why having so many different denominations can be a blessing: it gives you the freedom to fellowship with like-minded Christians.

However, there are many people today, both inside and outside the church, who want to argue and debate the rationale behind certain biblical instructions (not the interpretation, but the validity). The rationale for what God said doesn’t matter. Christ has all authority. If He said it, the underlying reason, logical basis, or explanation for it is irrelevant.

If you have faith in Christ, you will desire to do what He said, even when you don’t understand why you’re doing it. A big part of walking in faith is trusting God. For example, if Jesus Christ told you to go to the Euphrates River and bury a pair of your underwear in the mud (see Jeremiah chapter 13), would you do it because Christ told you to, or would you call a denominational convention to debate and vote on the merits of it?

Everyone who thinks they are wise is a fool. Those who seek a general assembly to vote on the merits of God’s Word are fools and are not operating their lives in faith. Salvation is by faith, yet many people don’t trust God’s Word. They feel the need to gather together men and women who are bound by sin in their flesh in order to vote on whether or not something God said is valid.

We need to look to God’s Word to see how our lives ought to be lived. The Bible has all the answers. All authority over life and death has been given to Jesus. Again, we can debate the interpretation of various passages, but not the authority of God’s Word.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

Commentary

You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)

And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them? (Numbers 14:11)

Salvation is by faith. But what exactly is faith? Sometimes it’s easier to understand what something is not in order to understand what it is. A lack of faith simply means that you are in opposition to Jesus Christ. It means you do not believe Jesus, or you do not trust him, or both.

Remember when Jesus was sleeping in the boat and the disciples came to him and said “Lord, save us! We are perishing”? Jesus had previously made statements to the disciples about himself, that if they had believed him, they would have understood that the Messiah was not destined to die by drowning in the Sea of Galilee.

Thus, from in the boat, he said to his disciples, “You of little faith”. By not believing what Jesus had said earlier, they were in opposition to Jesus. Put another way, by not believing what Jesus had said, they were attempting to work out a plan contrary to His own. Thus, they were in opposition.

Verses 3-5

When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.

“What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.” So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Commentary

Recall that Satan entered Judas. So Judas was demon possessed and acting accordingly. I am guessing also that after Jesus’s arrest, Satan no longer had any use for Judas and so left him. Once gone, Judas, seeing that Jesus was going to be executed because of what he (Judas) had done, realized the gravity of his error prompting him to return the silver.

Does this mean that Judas repented? No. We already know that Jesus declared him condemned.

The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born. (Matthew 26:24)

Instead of repenting, Judas went out and hanged himself. So Judas was already dead and in hell, even before Jesus had been crucified.

Verse 6

The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

Commentary

“since it is blood money” was an admission of guilt on their part. They are the ones who hired Judas and paid him the silver which they are now calling blood money. So amongst themselves they are freely admitting that their plan to kill Jesus was unlawful (i.e. they are fully aware that what they are doing is wrong).

Verses 7-10

After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

“They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.”

Commentary

31.7683° N, 35.2333° E

Verses 11-14

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.

Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?” But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.

Commentary

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

It was God’s will that Jesus should die for the sins of mankind so that salvation could be granted to all those who believe. This then, is neither the time nor the place for Jesus to try to defend himself. Had he done so, he probably would have been released. Instead, he said nothing.

Verses 15-18

Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

Commentary

“For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over”.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, personal introspection and self-analysis is an important skill. Why am I feeling the way that I’m feeling? Why am I behaving the way that I’m behaving? Why do I want to do what I’m about to do? Asking these questions in prayer to God can reveal motives that we might otherwise fail to recognize.

This author can recall two instances in which envy appeared to influence the actions of professing Christians.

The first involved a church that hired an assistant pastor. Over the course of about a year, it became apparent that many in the congregation preferred the assistant pastor’s preaching. He was more engaging, able to explain Scripture more deeply, more animated and could often make the congregation laugh. As his popularity grew, the head pastor became envious of him and fired him.

Several years later, at a different church, a lead pastor announced that the church would be starting home Bible studies for the congregation to attend. He emphasized the importance of studying God’s Word more deeply and having fellowship with other believers. For a few weeks, during his Sunday morning announcements, he asked for volunteers to lead these studies. After recruiting five or six leaders, the home Bible studies began.

Within about seven months, however, one of the Bible studies had grown significantly while attendance at the others steadily declined because people were gravitating to the larger group. The other Bible study leaders became envious, and the resulting division prompted the pastor to disband all of the home Bible studies.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness. (James 3:13-18)

Verses 19

While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”

Commentary

God sometimes speaks to us in our dreams, but we must interpret those dreams according to the Word of God. 90% of the time that you have a strange dream, it’s probably because you watched something strange on television. But if you think the Lord spoke to you in a dream, first pray and ask the Lord what it meant, then seek wise council from someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Verses 20-26

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they replied.

“What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify Him!”

“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”

All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.

Commentary

Pilate washed his hands, meaning the responsibility for Jesus’s execution was put entirely on the Jewish people. Pilate said “You bear the responsibility.” To which they replied “His blood be on us and on our children!”

Can you imagine placing a curse upon your own children? Just 30 years later, one million Jewish people would die and 97,000 put into slavery during the siege of Jerusalem. One can point to this moment when the Jewish people yelled, “His blood be on us and on our children” and wonder if the siege of Jerusalem was an effect of this curse placed upon their own children. This event also led to the Jewish Diaspora, prophesied numerous times in the Old Testament.

Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul. (Deuteronomy 28:63-65)

But the Lord also promised to bring them back again.

I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:14)

Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’ (Ezekiel 11:17)

This, of course, took place on May 14th, 1948. I always find this amazing that events spoken of thousands of years ago, are taking place in our modern times. This author’s father was born in the late 1930’s, which means that in 1948, the Bible was taking place in my own father’s lifetime. And even today in yours and my lifetime, the Bible is still taking place in that tens of thousands of Jewish people immigrate to Israel every year. God is gathering them from all the nations right now as I’m writing this. The Bible is taking place right now!

Don’t view the Bible as an ancient, outdated document, because the Bible is taking place at this very moment.

[While this author sees the gathering of the Jewish people from around the world as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy taking place before our eyes, he rejects the practice of those who seek to force current events into Scripture, as though every news headline were prophesied in the Bible. This author recommends ignoring websites and video channels that focus entirely on “prophecy in the news today”. They often twist scripture and are only serving to distract you from your calling.]

Verse 27

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him.

Commentary

This gathering of the whole company around Jesus represents what will happen in the future when all the nations of the earth will gather around Jerusalem with the intent to destroy it.

On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured. (Zechariah 12:3)

The entire chapter of Zechariah 12 is an end time prophecy about the world seeking to wipe out the Jewish people and how God will save them. If you are at this point in this commentary, I recommend reading now the whole of Zechariah chapter twelve.

Verse 28

They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.

Commentary

They put on Jesus a scarlet robe. This represents Jesus taking all of our sins upon himself.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

Again, our iniquity was laid upon Jesus, and is represented by the scarlet robe being laid upon Him.

Verses 29-31

And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly. After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

Commentary

The crown of thorns represents the curse that was put upon Adam.

And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Thus, Jesus took upon himself mankind’s curse and sin. This is the reason why He is the only path to heaven and salvation, because He is the only one who took this upon himself.

Also, this author has grown Acacia trees, when pricked, their thorns have a tendency to produce a stinging sensation that lasts for nearly an hour.

Verse 32

Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

Commentary

Just like when Mary the sister of Lazarus put expensive perfume on Jesus’s head, preparing him for burial, Jesus said “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (see Matthew 26), this author believes that Simon of Cyrene being specifically mentioned by name in the Bible, is Jesus’s way of saying thank you.

Despite the fact that his actions were involuntary, never the less, after Jesus had been beaten and whipped, this man stepped in and carried for Jesus, the heavy weight of the cross. The same thing said about Mary of Bethany can be said about Simon of Cyrene; wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what he did for Jesus will be remembered. He, Simon, will be remembered forever.

Consider the fact that 200 roman soldiers gathered to watch Jesus be beaten. They, all 200 of them, are totally forgotten. We don’t know their names, where they were from, who they were, what became of them. We know nothing about these individuals. Their identities are essentially erased from history, as is the case with almost all human beings. Three or four generations after a person passes away, most people are totally forgotten to the point that it may as well have been like they never existed. But Simon of Cyrene has been remembered for 2,000 years and will continue to be remembered forever.

Cyrene was a city located in what is today northeastern Libya in North Africa. So we know that Simon was a foreigner.

Verses 33-34

And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

Commentary

They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst (Psalm 69:21).

Matthew is showing readers that the crucifixion was the fulfilling of prophecy. Why is that important? Psalm 69 was written 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Matthew is showing his readers (and us) that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Adding gall to the wine was yet another act of cruelty by the Romans. Those being crucified think they’re being offered something to drink. Something to refresh them. Then they find out it tastes horrible. Gall comes from the gall bladder of an animal. Disgusting.

Verse 35

When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.

Commentary

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. (Psalm 22:18)

Again, Matthew shows his readers that what was spoken of the Messiah long long ago, is now coming to fruition. Prophecy is fulfilled. Jesus is the Messiah. Why does this matter to us today? Jesus being the Jewish Messiah shows us God’s plan of salvation. It is through Christ that we are able to attain eternal life. Not by works, not by merit, not by being a good person. Not by any other religion’s leader. Jesus is the one who paid your price for eternal life.

If your Dad takes you out to dinner and pays for your meal, do you thank your uncle? Do you thank your neighbor? Do you thank the random guy that jogs down your street? No! You thank your Dad for paying for your meal. Likewise, Jesus is the only one who paid for your salvation. He is the one who deserves our thanks and praise.

Verses 36-37

And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. Above His head they posted the written charge against Him:

THIS IS JESUS,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Commentary

The wording of the sign, written by Pilate, continues his insistence that Jesus had done nothing wrong. It doesn’t say “robber,” “thief,” “murderer,” or anything else that would identify Jesus as a criminal. Pilate intentionally worded the sign this way to make clear that Jesus was innocent.

Recall that from the time of the first Passover when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God instructed them to sacrifice a perfect lamb without blemish (See Exodus 12). The unblemished lamb represented Jesus. This is another reason why Jesus is the only path to eternal life. He is the only perfect person who ever lived. He received the death penalty for your sins. There is no crime for which the punishment can exceed the death penalty. Therefore, when Christ died, he paid for all your sins.

Verse 38

Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left.

Commentary

…because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12b)

Notice that Jesus was in the middle. Scripture says; For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5-6a)

So, Jesus was numbered among the transgressors and now stands between the sinners (us) and God.

On a different note, also recall that in Matthew 20, the mother of James and John asked “In Your kingdom, let one of these two sons of mine sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.” If Jesus had granted her request, James and John would have been on these two crosses instead of the robbers. This is why Jesus said to their mother, “You do not know what you are asking,” (Matthew 20:22a)

As stated previously, God had a mission for the disciples and it was to start Christianity. Therefore, God needed to keep the 11 apostles alive until that task was accomplished.

Verse 39a

And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him,

Commentary

Notice that the world hates Jesus. Why? Imagine a scenario in which a firefighter saved a family from a burning home. He saved them from death. Imagine if afterward, that family hated him. The newspapers published condescending information about him. The community reviled him and the fire station fired him. If something like that happened in real life, all of us would be outraged at that community. To the rest of us, it would make no sense. Why do those people hate the man who saved their lives?

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what has happened to Jesus. He went to the cross to save yours and my life’s, and the world heaps abuse on him. The only religion the world mocks is Christianity. And when a Christian gets assassinated live on television, the world celebrates his murder and claims he deserved to die.

Why does the world hate Jesus so much? Jesus said, “the world hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.” (See John 7:7)

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

Humanity is not basically good. Humanity is fundamentally evil. Christ calls us to repent and to turn from our evil ways. But when a person loves their evil ways, they intuitively then hate Jesus.

Verses 39b-44

shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.

Commentary

“Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.” This is a bald-faced lie because in just three days, Roman soldiers will come to these very people and inform them that Angels came down from heaven and rolled the stone away and Jesus walked out of the tomb alive. These chief priests will then pay those soldiers to lie.

The statement “Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him” is being said under the self-confident assumption that such a thing can not happen. It is the same as those who say “Prove to me that there is a God”. They are not requesting verification, rather they are making that demand under the assumption that such proof can not be provided. But if you or I drew from our pocket the proof they so adamantly demand, they would immediately deny the proof’s validity.

This author has witnessed this first hand when an atheist said “There’s no where in the Bible that says……..” and I pulled out my bible and opened to the verse and showed him that the Bible says exactly what he just claimed it did not, and without hesitation he immediately barked “That’s not what that means!”

The world hates Jesus and no amount of evidence is going to change their mind. The only thing that can save them now is Jesus. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)

This is why you should make the habit of praying for the salvation of every person you lay eyes on. God placed you in your community for a reason. When you walk through the grocery store, sit at a red light, fill up at a gas station, or drop your kids off at school, look at the people around you. Take a good look at their faces and pray “Lord, I pray for that person’s salvation”. You might be the only person, ever, in their whole life, who has prayed for them to be saved.

Verses 45-46

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,h lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Commentary

This is not a cry of despair. Jesus is not asking a question. Rather He is quoting scripture. If those around him knew scripture well, they would recognize that he is referring to Psalm 22. Jesus is telling the onlookers that He is fulfilling scripture and that Psalm 22 is taking place before their very eyes. Jesus is telling them that He is the Messiah.

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from saving me,
so far from my words of groaning?

cry out by day, O my God,
but You do not answer,
and by night,
but I have no rest.

Yet You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In You our fathers trusted;
they trusted and You delivered them.
They cried out to You and were set free;
they trusted in You and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
“He trusts in the LORD,
let the LORD deliver him;
let the LORD rescue him,
since He delights in him.” (This is happening at this very moment in Matthew 27 as Jesus is on the cross).

Yet You brought me forth from the womb;
You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast upon You;
from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

Be not far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
They open their jaws against me
like lions that roar and maul.
I am poured out like water, (This is what’s happening at this very moment in Matthew 27.)
and all my bones are disjointed.
My heart is like wax;
it melts away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs surround me;
a band of evil men encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet. (This is what’s happening right now in Matthew 27.)

I can count all my bones;
they stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. (This is what just took place a few moments earlier in Matthew 27.)

But You, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of wild dogs.

Save me from the mouth of the lion;
at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;

I will praise You in the assembly.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All offspring of Israel, revere Him!
For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted.
He has not hidden His face from him,
but has attended to his cry for help.

My praise for You resounds in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before Him.

For dominion belongs to the LORD
and He rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—
even those unable to preserve their lives.

Posterity will serve Him;
they will declare the Lord to a new generation.
They will come and proclaim His righteousness
to a people yet unborn—all that He has done. (Psalm 22:1-31)

Returning now to Matthew 27

Verses 47-50

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.” One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.

But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.” When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.

Commentary

“He yielded up His spirit”, this means that Jesus died. Jesus took death upon himself so that you and I can have eternal life.

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Verse 51

At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

Commentary

This was obviously an act of God. But why tear the curtain in the temple? Because God was no longer going to reside in the temple. In just 53 days the Holy Spirit was going to be given to those who believed. Thus, God no longer had any reason to dwell in the temple, because he now dwells in each of us who believe.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Today when the Jewish people, and visitors to Jerusalem, go to the Western Wall, and there write down a prayer to God on paper and stick the paper into cracks and spaces within the Western Wall, they do so because the Western Wall is the closest place they can physically approach the site of the Holy of Holies, the place where God’s presence dwelt in the Temple. They believe that the sacred location provides a unique avenue of access to God.

But this is an error, because God is no longer in the temple (not to mention that the temple itself is no longer there). If those individuals want their prayer to reach God or to be close to God, all they need to do is put their faith in Christ, ask for the blessed Holy Spirit and then they themselves will become the temple of God in which his spirit dwells. (If you ever visit Jerusalem, feel free to visit the Western Wall, but do not write down your prayer and stick it in the wall. Such an act is a complete contradiction to the entire foundation of the Christian faith. This is why the curtain was torn!)

Verses 52-53

The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.

Commentary

Let’s zoom out a little and examine what’s happening. The veil was torn, rocks were split and dead people came back to life.

Again, the tearing of the veil means God’s spirit will no longer dwell in the temple. Instead, He is going to dwell in us.

The rocks splitting is meant for us to recall what happened with Moses in the desert (see Exodus 17 and Psalm 78). God brought water out of the rock so that the Israelites could live. Later in John Chapter 4, Jesus tells the woman at the well,

Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God [eternal life] and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” [The Holy Spirit].

“Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him [The Holy Spirit] will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:10-14)

So the splitting of rocks is to remind us of Moses bringing forth water from the rock that rescued the Israelites from dying in the desert. This life saving water is then supposed to remind us of the living water, which is the Holy Spirit.

[By the way, the rock that God split when Moses struck it, is located at the following coordinates: 28.726706, 35.236154. The Bible is a historical account of events that actually happened.]

And lastly, the bodies of many saints were raised to life. This of course represents eternal life through Christ.

Thus, when we put our faith in Christ, believing that He died for our sins, God fills us with the Holy Spirit and we are then given eternal life.

Verse 54

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Commentary

This is foreshadowing that salvation will be given to the gentiles.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Verses 55-56

And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Commentary

The verse says many women were there at Jesus’s crucifixion. Women that had followed him all the way from Galilee and had ministered to Jesus. The verse then names Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons and healed her. Mary the mother of James and Joseph as well as the mother of Zebedee’s sons. These two Mary’s are the same ones who will find the tomb empty in 3 days’ time.

Verses 57-61

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Commentary

God is our provider. God has access to every resource that exists on earth. God can steer the hearts of Kings like a river.

The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases. (Proverbs 21:1)

God the Father knew, and it was His will, that Jesus should be poor, owning nothing and having nowhere even to lay his head. But God also knew the Jesus would need a tomb to be laid in after His death, so that all of what we are about to read in the next chapter, could be fulfilled: the stone rolled away, the tomb found empty, etc…

So God, made a man rich, called his heart to become a disciple of Christ, then moved his heart to ask for the body of Jesus and to bury Him in a tomb. All of which fulfilled what was written hundreds of years earlier:

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. (Isaiah 53:9)

Isaiah wrote these words 700 years before these events took place, demonstrating that God had worked out the provisions for Jesus’s burial, hundreds of years before they were needed. And further still, we can conclude that it was God who caused Joseph of Arimathea to become rich for this very purpose. (If you have abundant financial resources, pray to the Lord and ask Him why he gave you that financial abundance and what exactly he wants you to do with it).

“With the wicked” is not referring to Joseph of Arimathea, rather to the way that Jesus was treated as a criminal when he was crucified. “With the rich”, however, is referring to Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb.

Verses 62-65

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”

“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

Commentary

Notice that they called Jesus “that deceiver”. Satan is the great deceiver, (see Revelation 12:9).

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)

Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lie like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come! None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken. Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. (Isaiah 5:24-28)

And thus, the Lord, in 70 AD, used a foreign nation to destroy Jerusalem.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He told His disciples, “You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Commentary

Over a thousand years before Jesus walked the earth, the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt. their physical slavery foreshadowed our spiritual bondage to sin, just as God sending Moses to liberate them points to Jesus who offers freedom from the bondage of sin. During these monumental events, God established the Jewish Passover; which pointed to everything Jesus would do for us.

Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household. (Exodus 12:3)

The lamb represents Jesus, which is why He is called the Lamb of God.

The next day John (the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

In Egypt, the Jewish people received these instructions:

Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. (Exodus 12:5-7)

On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a sign; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)

God passing through the land of Egypt and killing every firstborn male represents God’s Son dying. Death represents the penalty and punishment for sin. The unblemished lamb represents Jesus living a perfect, sinless life. The slaughtering of the lamb represents a substitute sacrifice; a payment for sin. Putting blood on the doorframe, so that God passes over those houses, represents Jesus’s blood saving us from the penalty of sin. Jesus’s blood is the atonement for sin.

Now, returning to Matthew 26, Jesus, the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, is going to be crucified on the Passover, during which His blood will pay for (make atonement for) our sins, thus freeing us from the bondage of sin and death.

Also, notice that Jesus is telling His disciples exactly what will happen two days in the future. In other words, none of this takes Jesus by surprise. He is both fully man and fully God, and He knows exactly what is about to happen.

Verses 3-5

At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Commentary

Just two days earlier, Jesus had exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They boasted that had they lived during the time of their ancestors, they would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets. Yet here they are conspiring to arrest and kill Jesus.

Their plot was the outcome of their unbelief. While Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, unbelief carries profound implications for us today. When someone rejects Jesus Christ as Savior, they reject the very One who bore the death penalty they deserved. Spiritually speaking, they align themselves with those who shouted, “Crucify Him!” (see Matthew 27:22–23). Because our sins put Jesus on the cross, rejecting Christ places a person on the side of those who sought His death rather than with those who receive Him as Savior.

Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins; to reject that sacrifice is, in effect, to put Him on the cross ourselves. Hell is not simply a punishment for being a sinner; heaven is full of people who sinned. Rather, hell is the consequence of rejecting and effectively crucifying God’s Son with the cry, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Verses 6-12

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”

Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me. By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial.

Commentary

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” It seems likely that this indignation originated with Judas Iscariot. This conclusion stems from the fact that just four days earlier, a similar event occurred when Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed Jesus’s feet.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it. (John 12:4-6)

Notice the religious fakery at play: Judas feigned the virtues of generosity and charity merely to embezzle the money. Today, anyone can pretend to be religious for selfish reasons, but those who know the Bible well can discern such pretense by the words that come out of their mouth.

Such individuals are often easy to spot because they do not know the Bible. The artificial exuberance they display for God’s Word is distinguishable from the genuine sincerity of someone filled with the Holy Spirit who has spent quality time studying God’s Word.

By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:16-20)

(For another example of feigned generosity see Acts 5:1-11).

“The poor you will always have with you.” In this statement, Jesus is referencing Deuteronomy chapter 15.

For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

It’s very interesting to note that while God commanded the Israelites to “open wide” their hands to help the poor, Judas Iscariot was seeking to embezzle the very money he claimed should be given to them.

Jesus was cleverly passing judgment on Judas with the statement, “The poor you will always have with you.” If Judas had known the Scriptures well and recalled Deuteronomy 15, he might have realized that Jesus was subtly confronting him: “Instead of stealing our money, why are you not doing what God commanded by opening wide your hand to the poor?”

Verse 13

Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Commentary

This is a very important verse for the faith of all Christians. It serves as evidence that God is ultimately responsible for the content and distribution of the Bible. The Scriptures have been inspired, recorded, preserved, and distributed through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Long before the New Testament was written, and 1,440 years before the invention of the printing press, Jesus declared that this woman’s story would be included in the Bible and shared throughout “the whole world.”

Scoffers and skeptics of Christianity often attempt to cast doubt on the Bible’s validity by claiming its content was arbitrarily selected at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. This, of course, is false; this verse demonstrates that God decided what would be included in His Word and how it would be spread.

And this makes logical sense. The Bible is the only authority upon which all of Christianity is based. While believers are tasked with sharing the gospel, God retains ultimate responsibility for ensuring its preservation and distribution. If He did not, the Bible would likely be extinct today. Consider how few 2,000, 4,000, or 5,000-year-old texts are still published and distributed worldwide today. While ancient works like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and the writings of Aristotle are still in print, none approach the scale of the Bible. Furthermore, the Old Testament would surely have been lost during any of Israel’s many conquests and exiles were it not for God’s providential protection.

Jesus promised that her story would be told throughout the entire world, and it has been.

Verses 14-16

Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver. So from then on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Commentary

I believe these two events were the tipping point for Judas. As the Bible warns, For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Four days earlier, Jesus corrected Judas in front of everyone regarding money when Mary of Bethany anointed His feet with her hair. Now, Jesus publicly corrects him once again when this woman anoints His head. It appears that Judas’s love of money had been publicly admonished one too many times for his liking, leading him to seek a way to cash in on his proximity to Jesus. Asking, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?”, Judas agreed to betray Jesus for the meager sum of thirty pieces of silver; worth about $300 today.

What does it profit a man to gain $300, yet forfeit his soul? (adapted from Mark 8:36)

Verses 17-19

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

Commentary

Mark chapter 14 presents additional details which are important to know:

So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him, and whichever house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” So the disciples left and went into the city, where they found everything as Jesus had described. And they prepared the Passover. (Mark 14:13-16)

Just like in Matthew 21, when Jesus sent His disciples to fetch the donkey, we see once again that He possesses foreknowledge. He knows that when the disciples enter the city, they will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Jesus also knows in advance that this man will lead them to a house with a large, furnished upper room; already prepared to accommodate all thirteen of them for the Passover.

Looking back over fifty years of life, it is easy to recall every good and bad decision. Hindsight offers complete clarity. Yet looking forward, I have no clue what’s going to happen even this afternoon. Beyond a few appointments on a calendar, no one truly knows what today will bring, let alone the years ahead.

Jesus, however, was fully man and fully God. As fully God, He knew everything that was going to happen. When He said, “My time is near,” Jesus knew He was going to the cross to die for the sins of the world.

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a). Jesus paid your death penalty. No matter how bad you have been or how heinous your crimes, Jesus accepted and bore your punishment—”…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Verses 20-25

When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”

They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”

Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”

Commentary

There’s a big difference between head knowledge and the heart. We know that Judas believed in Jesus because he devoted three years of his life to traveling with Him and the other disciples. Yet despite that, Judas’s heart was never truly devoted to Jesus. Judas was already embezzling the disciples’ money. After Jesus publicly corrected him twice for his greed, Judas decided to get the money he wanted by turning Jesus over to the authorities.

Many Christians today possess intellectual knowledge, but lack genuine faith. The moment things become difficult; logic tells them to quit. This is true of almost anything in life: when the difficulty of pursuing something outweighs its perceived value, people walk away. It is a simple concept. Everyone who leaves the faith does so because their belief was only intellectual. Judas is the quintessential example of someone following Christ out of head knowledge rather than faith.

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, (Matthew 24:9-10)

Faith is something far deeper than merely a mental acknowledgment of facts. True faith comes from the heart; it’s a deep love for Christ. When a person genuinely loves Jesus, no hardship in this world is so great as to cause them to stop loving Him.

Verses 26-30

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Commentary

Consider what Jesus meant when He said, “Take and eat, this is My body” and “Drink from it, all of you; this is My blood”. Let’s examine their meanings in light of John 6:26–58.

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”

Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.

Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.

Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6:26-58)

This entire conversation began because the crowd following Jesus, the same people He had miraculously fed with bread and fish, came back looking for more food. They valued Jesus much like people today might value a discount grocery store.

My family was recently invited to a graduation party for a student my wife knew, but whom I barely knew at all. I initially told my wife I would stay home while she went. But when she mentioned there would be free barbecue, I changed my mind and decided to go. This is exactly how the crowds viewed Jesus. They had no interest in following the Son of God, but they were more than willing to follow Him for a free meal.

As Jesus so often did, he spoke to the crowd in a deliberately enigmatic way so that;

‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ (Matthew 13:13b)

The point Jesus makes in John 6, and continues at the Passover table in Matthew 26, is that while God sent manna from heaven in Moses’s day to save the Israelites from physical starvation, Jesus is the true “bread from heaven” who gives eternal life. This language is figurative; Jesus is not calling us to become cannibals. Rather, receiving Jesus as Savior through faith grants eternal life. Just as food saves a starving person from physical death, Jesus saves us from spiritual death.

So we return to the Passover table in Matthew 26, where Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.” The breaking of the bread represents Jesus’s body, broken and willingly given up for the sins of the world.

“Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He poured out His blood to pay the penalty of death for you and me. Again, as it is stated;

For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)

Further still, when we examine verse 28, the New King James version puts it this way;

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28 NKJV)

The New Covenant is faith in Christ. The Old Covenant was the Law. Remember that “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment” (Matthew 9:16a) and “Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins” (Matthew 9:17a)

The new covenant of faith in Christ is the patch of unshrunk cloth, while the old garment represents the Law of Moses. Likewise, the new covenant is the new wine, and the old wineskins represent the Law of Moses. What this means is that faith in Christ is entirely incompatible with salvation by works.

Verse 30 states they sang a hymn before leaving for the Mount of Olives. This was most likely Psalms 113–118, which were traditionally sung during the Passover meal. Although the original melodies for these psalms have been lost to time, several modern Christian worship songs incorporate these verses, allowing us to sing those same praises to God today, [Examples are Rising by Paul Baloche, Forever by Chris Tomlin and Who Is Like the Lord (Psalm 113) by Sovereign Grace Music.]

Verses 31-32

Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Commentary

The scattering of the sheep was necessary. It was God’s will, because if the disciples had rallied around Jesus and fought the armed mob, Christianity would have ended before it began; Jesus and every one of His disciples would have died that night. God scattered the flock to save them so that, in time, they could be gathered back together.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion,
declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered (Zechariah 7:13)

“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

After the disciples were scattered, Jesus, their Shepherd, went ahead of them to gather them back together. In the same way, it is God’s work alone; not our own effort or willpower; that draws us to Christ.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)

Verses 33-35

Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.

Commentary

Why did Peter deny Jesus three times? His failure serves as a clear example of what happens when we try to follow Jesus through our own strength and willpower. In Christian terminology, this is what we call operating in the flesh rather than in the Spirit. Spiritual matters must be handled spiritually. Peter and the other disciples had not yet received the Holy Spirit, so they were operating entirely in the flesh.

Operating in fear, Peter chose self-preservation over his love for Jesus and denied even knowing Him. This is a clear illustration of what happens when people participate in Christian activities without ever truly surrendering their lives to Christ: when hardship comes, they walk away from both the church and from God.

Such individuals were never filled with the Holy Spirit because they never made Christ the King of their lives. These are the people who often say, “I gave faith a try, but it just didn’t work out for me. I tried my best, but it’s not for me.” Well, no kidding! Of course it didn’t work for them. The phrase “I tried my best” indicates that they tried to be the one in control. They attempted to keep themselves on the throne while refusing to yield to Christ. They never died to self. The moment faith became inconvenient, they fell away. You simply cannot come to Christ while walking in the flesh; it is impossible.

Verses 36-38

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Commentary

Too often we treat Christ’s death flippantly. We say ‘Christ died for our sins’ with the same casualness as asking, ‘Honey, have you seen the TV remote?’

But try to imagine yourself in Jesus’s place. If you knew that tomorrow you were going to be tortured, have nails driven through your hands and feet, and endure a slow, agonizing death, with nothing you could do to stop it, how would you feel? Your soul would surely be consumed with sorrow.

We need to appreciate the true gravity of Jesus’s sacrifice. This is vital when taking communion. When we see the wine, we are meant to remember the blood He shed; when we see the bread, we are meant to remember the beating His body endured on our behalf.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:27–29)

Verse 39

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Commentary

Now that we have taken time to imagine ourselves in Jesus’s place, knowing that tomorrow we’re going to be tortured and will die a slow agonizing death, it becomes easy to understand why He asked the Father if there was any way His crucifixion could be avoided. Yet the most critical part of His prayer is when He adds, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (or as the NLT renders it, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine”).

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)

God wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, (see 1 Timothy 2:3–4).

God’s desire is to save you from an eternity of pain and suffering in hell. For human beings, change always comes from a position of discomfort. Therefore, God is willing to allow you to endure temporary hardships if that is what it takes to save your soul. And sometimes “temporary” is 50 or 60 years, because compared to eternity, 60 years is temporary.

This is why the prosperity gospel is false. It teaches that God’s will is for you to enjoy financial success, physical healing, and material abundance in this life, all so you can live in self-indulgent comfort. But consider this: If God was willing to let His Son die for your salvation, isn’t it highly likely that He might also allow discomfort or even disaster into your life if that’s what it takes to bring you to Him?

Is God willing to make a rich man poor if that’s what it takes to save him? Is He willing to take away a person’s health and material possessions if that’s what it takes for them to finally turn to Jesus? The answer to all of these is yes.

Each of us is an individual and God works with us individually. For one person to be saved, perhaps God makes him rich, yet for another person to be saved, God makes him poor. For one person, God heals him, and for another God allows him to become sick.

I knew a man who finally came to Jesus while hanging upside down from his seatbelt, after flipping his car three times on the highway. What will it take for you to finally turn to Jesus? This author’s personal opinion is, ‘why wait and see?’ Turn to Jesus now!

Verses 40-43

Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

Commentary

It’s fascinating that in Matthew chapter 8, the disciples found Jesus sleeping in the boat when they believed they were in great peril. Yet now, when Jesus is the one in genuine peril, He finds the disciples sleeping.

In Matthew chapter 8, there was no real danger because Jesus had already told the disciples He would die in Jerusalem, not drown in the Sea of Galilee. That’s why Jesus called them “you of little faith”, they didn’t believe that what he said about himself was true. Now their roles are reversed, and the disciples still don’t believe what Jesus said about Himself (or they don’t understand it). He told them, “I’m going to be crucified,” and “One of you is going to betray me.” The storm is right on top of them, yet the disciples are sleeping in the proverbial boat.

What does this tell us about faith and the flesh? It shows that when we rely on the flesh, our concerns and priorities get completely turned upside down. The disciples panicked when they should have been calm, and they slept when they should have been deeply concerned. They were completely out of sync with Jesus.

In verse 41 Jesus says “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” summarizes the entirety of what it means to rely upon Jesus. We can not perform spiritual tasks in the flesh. All spiritual tasks require the assistance of the Holy Spirit. We can not understand the Bible without asking the Holy Spirit for help. We can not share the gospel or perform ministry without asking the Holy Spirit for help. We can’t even fully appreciate the Sunday sermon without asking the Holy Spirit for help. We can not raise our children or have a successful marriage without asking for the Holy Spirit’s help.

When we rely on ourselves, we are 100% out of sync with Jesus, panicking when we should be calm, and sleeping when we should be alert. A real danger for Christians comes when they’ve performed a task dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times and slip into relying on their experience (that is, relying on the flesh). A pastor who’s written 100 sermons falls into temptation when, relying on his own writing experience, he sits down to write another sermon without asking the Holy Spirit for help, assuming that because he’s done it 100 times before, he can just sit down and pound out next week’s message. Likewise, the dad of a 7-year-old has been a father for 2,555 days (7 years x 365 days). He may be tempted to rely on his own experience and fail to start the day asking the Holy Spirit for help.

This is also true of the church worship leader. The man or woman who has spent years practicing their instruement, such as guitar or piano will fall into the temptation of relying on their own talent, rather than the Holy Spirit, to lead the congregation to Christ.

“I can not perform spiritual tasks in the flesh.” Write that down and hang it on your wall! Do not rely on yourself, no matter how much experience you have or how many times you’ve done a certain thing before. This morning, before sitting down to write these words, this author asked the Holy Spirit for help. At the start of everything you do, ask the Holy Spirit for help! And at the end of everything you do, give thanks to the Holy Spirit for the help you received.

“Thank you Holy Spirit, for helping me to put these words onto this paper. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Verses 44-47

So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing. Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer is approaching!”

While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Commentary

What is the significance of Jesus praying three times that the cup might pass from Him?

In Luke chapter 11, after being asked to teach the disciples how to pray, Jesus tells the story of a man going to his friend’s house at midnight to ask for loaves of bread.

the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’

Jesus tells the disciples, “Even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

Here in Matthew 26, we see Jesus praying with persistence. Why is it God’s will that we do this? This author concludes it’s to encourage an ongoing relationship with the Lord. If prayer were always an ask-once-and-instantly-receive process, our self-centered and sinful flesh would seek to turn God into a vending machine. If I were to give my 3-year-old daughter every single thing she asked for, the moment she asked, she would turn into a spoiled brat.

Whatever it is you want from God, ask for it multiple times in prayer over the course of days, weeks, months, or perhaps even years. I further recommend that you keep a prayer journal because it’s very easy to forget that you prayed for something a year or more ago. When it’s finally received you may not even remember that you ever prayed for it at all. It’s a terrible thing to be unaware of the magnificent things God is doing for you, merely because you failed to keep a prayer journal. The man who grumbles, “God never answers my prayers,” is the same man who failed to recognize each time his prayers were in fact answered.

[Returning to Matthew 26:45]

As the crowd approaches, Jesus announces that He is “betrayed into the hands of sinners.” So who is Jesus labeling as sinners? I do not interpret this as necessarily being the crowd, because they are being sent. This crowd wouldn’t be committing the sin of capturing Jesus if they hadn’t been instructed to do so by the chief priests and elders. Thus, “betrayed into the hands of sinners” refers to Judas Iscariot as the betrayer, and the chief priests and elders as the sinners into whose hands Jesus is being delivered.

This is something worth contemplating: the chief priests and elders, the highest-ranking individuals within that religious group, were the sinners who made themselves not only enemies of God, but the Messiah’s murderers. They demonstrated that religious office and outward piety do not reflect a right relationship with God.

So then, what does reflect a right relationship with God? Faith! But what does that mean? It means that you not only believe what is said about Jesus is true (mental acknowledgment), but you also trust that what Jesus said is true. This trust determines your actions. When a father in the swimming pool says to his child on the diving board, “Jump and I’ll catch you,” it is trust that leads the child to action. Faith, therefore, is not merely a mental acknowledgment, which is what Satan and the demons have.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:18-19)

Faith is the belief and trust you have in God, that what He said is true, and that trust leads to action, which is seen in the deeds we perform. Do obedience and good deeds earn our salvation? No, we can not push a rope. Obedience and good deeds are the expression of our faith in God.

Verses 48-50a

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.” Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.”

Commentary

“Greetings, Rabbi!” and Judas kissed Him on the cheek. What a disingenuous, two-faced fraud! But Jesus isn’t falling for it. “Do what you came for,” Jesus says, letting Judas know He’s fully aware of Judas’s betrayal and treachery.

There is no pretense before God. No forgery can evade His detection. You and I can put on a good show for others and perhaps fool many, but God looks at the heart. God knows you before you know yourself. Therefore, it’s perfectly acceptable to present all your sins to the Lord. He will not be surprised. Some people incorrectly assume that because they have sinned, they need to hide from God, no different than what Adam did in the garden. Perhaps they feel they can no longer talk to God until they get their life cleaned up. But such a task can not be performed without God’s help. Sin should not prompt you to try to hide from God; rather, sin should cause you to run to God. It is this author’s opinion that sin can be used as a measuring tool. The reason you backslide into the temptation of old habits you thought long gone is most likely because you’ve drifted away from the Lord. Get up and get back to the Lord!

Verses 50b-56

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him. At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”

At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me. But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.”

Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

Commentary

It is this author’s opinion that in this particular passage, Peter is the quintessential representation of every man. He just told Jesus only a few hours earlier that he was willing to die with Him. Now, men with swords and clubs are forcefully seizing his friend. Every man would leap into the fight to protect his friend. Peter pulls out his sword and starts swinging.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”

What in the world does this mean? It was only a few hours earlier that Jesus told his disciples, “the one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one” (See Luke 22:36).

So what does it mean that all who draw the sword will die by the sword, and those who don’t have a sword should buy one?

Remember that any “perceived contradiction” in the Bible is not the result of a faulty gospel, but the result of our faulty understanding of God’s word.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

God said “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.” (Isaiah 55:9-11)

It’s possible that Jesus may be referencing Genesis in which it says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind” (Genesis 9:6). However, I tend to think the statements are not related. I interpret the present statement as being specific to the disciples rather than a generalized statement about anyone who uses a sword. Within the statement “all who draw the sword,” the word “all” could be referring to the 11 remaining disciples. Jesus could be saying that if the disciples attempt to fight for Him, they’ll all get killed, which would effectively end Christianity before it even starts. The interpretation that Jesus’s comments are limited to this particular event and these particular people is also evidenced by the statement which follows: “Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Therefore, I conclude Jesus’s statements are limited in scope to that of His defense at that moment.

Regarding the twelve legions of angels, recall in 2 Kings chapter 19, that a single angel killed 185,000 men in one night. Imagine then what 12 legions of angels (60,000) could do!

Jesus continues, “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?” This speaks to the humility of Christ. By means of the angels at His disposal, He literally has the most powerful army on earth, and yet He never once uses said army, even when He is being beaten, tortured, and crucified.

And regarding the fulfillment of Scriptures, there is no other book besides the Bible that predicts the future with 100% accuracy. Consider further the fact that while the Bible accurately predicted 2,000 future events that came to pass, it still has several that are yet to be fulfilled. We can view these unfulfilled prophecies through the lens of this 100% track record and know with great confidence that they are going to happen.

“Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.” Again, I interpret this as God making a way for their lives to be saved. If the disciples had remained and fought, they all would have been killed by those carrying clubs and swords. Christianity would have never even had a chance to begin.

Verses 57 – 60a

Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Commentary

It’s astonishing that the chief priests were seeking false testimonies. They were not seeking actual testimonies against Jesus. They weren’t searching for factual evidence. They were specifically seeking false testimonies. Not only so, but their goal in searching for false testimony was to put Jesus to death.

Their search for false testimonies highlights the sinlessness of Christ. Had He actually committed crimes worthy of death, there would have been no need to manufacture evidence.

Skeptics and unbelievers often ask, “How can an all-loving God send people to hell?” The fact that God loves everyone equally is but one-half the equation. We can all recognize that one plus one equals two, but what is the outcome of one plus negative one? The answer is zero. God loves everyone equally. But many people hate God.

But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’ (John 15:25)

Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:20)

But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ (Luke 19:14)

Verses 60b – 61

Finally two came forward and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Commentary

Jesus made those statements immediately after clearing the temple (see John 2:12–25). He saw that His Father’s house had been turned into a marketplace and called it a den of thieves. Jesus made a whip and drove out the vendors, flipping over their tables as He went. When asked by what authority He was doing those things, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” This, of course, was referring to His body. The authority to raise Himself from the dead means that He is God. The two witnesses now making accusations were likely some of the vendors Jesus had angered that day when He flipped their tables.

Verses 62 – 64

So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?” But Jesus remained silent.

Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Commentary

Why did Jesus remain silent? First, He has no reason to defend Himself. He knows the Father’s will is for Him to go to the cross for the forgiveness of sin, so there is no reason to defend Himself against that outcome. Second, we’ve already established that they were seeking false testimony; regardless of what a defendant might say at this point, the outcome of the trial was already decided before it began; that He should be put to death.

Jesus is asked very directly if he is the Messiah, to which he says yes. However, Jesus then says to the high priest, “from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Recall the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (see Luke 16:19–31). In it, the rich man dies and goes to hell. While there in hell, he is able to look up and see Lazarus in heaven. Well, that’s exactly what Jesus describes is going to happen to this high priest. When he goes to hell (which he did), he will forever be able to look up and see the Man he murdered, sitting at the right hand of Power. He will know without a doubt that he himself murdered the Messiah.

Verses 65-67

At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

“He deserves to die,” they answered. Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”

Commentary

They had previously decided they wanted to kill Him; now they only needed an excuse to make it happen. The first time the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus was about a year earlier. In Matthew chapter 12, they were searching for something to accuse Him of when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. By exposing their hypocrisy in public, Jesus made the Pharisees look like fools, and Scripture says “the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.” This all boils down to pride, the ultimate barrier to a relationship with God.

Verses 69-75

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.

But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”

When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!”

After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”

At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Commentary

It was only a few hours earlier that Jesus told Peter, “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41)

Without the infilling and help of the Holy Spirit, it isn’t possible to serve God. Sin is bound in the flesh, if we attempt to serve God by means of our flesh, we will fail.

What is the issue here? Why is denying Christ to save one’s self so bad? George Washington once said “Let us retreat so that we may fight another day”, which itself was the variation of a quote from Oliver Goldsmith who wrote “He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day.” Seems like good advice, right?

But when it comes to denying Jesus for the sake of saving your flesh, the issue is this:
Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:16-21)

The flesh leads to death. Denying Christ in the midst of danger and persecution is an act of clinging to death while rejecting life. Rejecting Christ to spare yourself from trouble is the same as saying, “Jesus is not my Savior; rather, I am my savior.” This is completely backwards.

After the rooster crowed and Peter remembered Jesus’s words, he went outside and wept bitterly. Remember that in hell there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That weeping refers to those who, in hell, suffer such great regret that they bitterly weep for all eternity. Such people are those who, during their lives, participated in Christian activities but never surrendered their lives to Christ. They were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

Fortunately for Peter, there was still time in his life to repent, turn again to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit, which we will see happen in the books of John and Acts, (see John chapter 21 & Acts chapter 2). As long as you are living, you can repent and come to Christ.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-13

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’

But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Commentary

Continuing from Chapter 24, the focus of this parable is on those who are ready for Christ’s return and those who are not. In this parable, the oil represents the Holy Spirit. The ten women represent ten Christians: half of them had the Holy Spirit, and half did not. This means that half had put their faith in Jesus Christ and, in doing so, were filled with the Holy Spirit. The other five had not put their faith in Christ, were not filled with the Holy Spirit, but were merely participating in Christian activities.

When Christ arrives, those without the Holy Spirit suddenly realize they have a problem. Meanwhile, the other five enter with Jesus because they are ready. The doors are shut, and when the others finally arrive, it is too late.

Notice that Jesus says to those who arrived late, “I do not know you.” This is the same thing Jesus said earlier in Matthew 7:

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

The will of the Father is that we walk in faith with Jesus Christ. In doing so, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It is through faith that we have a relationship with Jesus, and thus He knows us.

If you’re not sure whether you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, ask the Lord in prayer, “Jesus, can I please have the Holy Spirit?”

Verses 14-15

For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

Commentary

The man going on a journey represents Christ ascending to heaven after His resurrection. The servants represent Christians. Christ entrusts each of us with work according to our abilities. One person may be called to be a missionary, another a pastor, and yet another may be called to perform simple tasks. Whatever the case, each role is important in the work of spreading the gospel and bringing others to saving faith.

Verses 16-23

The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

Commentary

Of the three servants, two used their master’s money to earn even more. In the spiritual context, these two servants represent Christ-followers. They relied upon the Spirit and went out into the world to bring more people to Christ.

When Christ returned, He said to these two servants, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

This commentary writer believes that “being put in charge of many things” refers to the Millennial Reign (see 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:26–27; Revelation 5:9–10; Revelation 20:4–6).

For a period of 1,000 years, Christ will rule on earth as King. Both mortal people and resurrected believers will enter this Millennial Reign. Mortal people will repopulate the earth and establish communities, towns, and cities. However, if these communities were governed by these mortal people, whose flesh remains subject to sin, they would be vulnerable to corruption, just as we see today.

Therefore, this commentary writer concludes that those who are resurrected and reign with Christ will be appointed by Jesus to authoritative positions over the communities, towns, and cities populated by mortal people.

The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’ (Luke 19:16-19)

The author of this commentary holds the belief that, during the 1,000-year Millennial Reign, every position of authority on earth, whether president of a nation or president of a local school board, will be filled by resurrected Christians appointed to those roles by Jesus.

When Jesus says, “Enter into the joy of your master,” He is referring to eternal life.

Verses 24-30

Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Commentary

The first thing we need to notice is that whenever Jesus mentions outer darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, He is referring to hell. Therefore, we understand from this text that the third servant went to hell.

Knowing that, we can draw out the interpretation. We already know that those who go to hell are the ones who did not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, when we read that this third servant went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money, it represents his rejection of faith and trust in his master.

When explaining to Jesus what he had done, he said, “Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.”

What this shows is that this individual did not know who Jesus actually is. This servant was completely wrong about Jesus’s methods, morals, values and intentions. This represents the person who misjudges the character of Jesus, claiming to understand Him while in reality they have no idea who He is.

Consider statements such as Richard Dawkins saying, “Jesus is a moral monster,” or Sam Harris saying, “Jesus believes in eternal torture, which makes Him morally problematic,” or Christopher Hitchens saying, “If you accept what Jesus said about hell, He was incredibly cruel.” These are individuals who have no true understanding of who Jesus is, yet each esteems himself as wise. To such as these, Jesus replies, “You wicked, lazy servant!”

If this third servant had shown faith in Jesus Christ (remember that a major part of faith is trust), he could have at the very least deposited the money with the bankers, where it would have earned interest.

Not everyone is called to be a missionary traveling to foreign and sometimes dangerous countries to share the gospel. Sometimes the best thing we can do is support those who are called to go. Many missionaries leave the field because they run out of financial support. In this parable, the bankers represent those who are actively advancing the gospel. Jesus is saying that this third servant could have at least supported them in their work, even if he was unwilling to do the work himself.

There are many ways in which a person can support the gospel: tithing to a church, supporting a ministry, giving to missionaries, or offering one’s time to assist those who are spreading the gospel. All of these are legitimate.

Jesus continues His reprimand by saying, “Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Without the Holy Spirit, spiritual tasks are impossible. Those who have no faith do not rely upon the Holy Spirit and therefore cannot succeed in performing spiritual work. Thus, the one who calls himself a Christian and participates in Christian activity, but has no faith, will eventually be removed by God, that is, God takes away what little he had.

We see this often in people who once attended church and fellowshipped with believers, but have since walked away. We see this in the person who claims to have been hurt by a church and now uses that as an excuse to avoid church altogether. We see it in the pastor who led a large congregation but was later fired from his job after an extra-marital affair came to light. God took away what he had. We see it in the musically gifted worship leader who once led others in praise but now performs only secular music and no longer even believes in God. God took away what little he had given them.

Verses 31-33

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Commentary

“He will sit on His glorious throne,” meaning that Jesus Christ is the authority of all authorities. He is the King of kings. Notice also that He is no longer presented as a suffering servant; instead, He is the reigning King who judges the nations.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him.” This shows that no individual or group can avoid or escape His judgment. This is proof that every person will stand before Christ to be judged.

“He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” God has the ability to know what is in our hearts; He knows our inner motivations. A sheep is easily distinguishable from a goat. In the same way, Jesus can easily distinguish between those who walk by faith and those who, on the inside, are devoid of faith and the Holy Spirit.

The act of separation also shows that proximity to the flock is not the same as being part of it. The sheep and goats may have appeared together during life, and at the time you and I may not have been able to tell the difference. Yet at the moment of judgment, Jesus immediately separates them. This shows the danger of merely associating with Christianity without having genuine faith. External participation cannot substitute for an authentic relationship with Christ.

“He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” His right side is the position of favor and blessing, while His left represents disfavor and judgment. This is also why the Bible states that Jesus stands at the right hand of God (see Acts 7:55–56).

Verses 34-40

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

Commentary

“Then the King…” Jesus Christ is King. A question for the reader: Do you allow Jesus to be King of your life?

“Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Thousands of years before you were born, God prepared a kingdom for you to inherit. This means that God desires for you to be saved and to have an eternal relationship with Him.

Then Jesus lists a series of actions taken by those on His right: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the needy, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners. These are examples of a larger principle that Jesus stated earlier: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39b)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

However, I want to remind the reader that we do not earn salvation by doing good works. That is not what these verses are stating. For example, a person does not begin driving on public roads in order to earn a driver’s license. They must first obtain their license, and only afterward are they permitted to drive. In the same way, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to do good works.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” We are all made in the image of God. When a person shows kindness to another, they are showing kindness to the image of God.

Verses 41-46

Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’

And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’

And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Commentary

God made hell for the devil and his demons. As an all-loving God, He sent His own Son to rescue people from the fate of ending up in hell. Unfortunately, most people reject God’s Son and, in doing so, become cursed. The result is a path that leads directly into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” These are the people who neither love their neighbors nor love God.

Again, we are all made in the image of God. When a person shows contempt or disdain toward another, they are showing contempt toward the image of God.

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” When we love God, we learn, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to love others. Thus, our external actions are a reflection of our internal beliefs. It is our love for God, shown through faith, that allows us to inherit eternal life.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings.

“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Commentary

For the remainder of this chapter and throughout the next, Jesus speaks to the disciples about the future, covering events from 70 AD all the way to His second coming more than two thousand years later. He begins with the First Jewish–Roman War, which was only a few decades away. Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. This was God’s judgment against Israel for killing the prophets and for crucifying Jesus (see Matthew 23:29–36).

Verse 3

While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

Commentary

Moments earlier, Jesus told the disciples that not one stone of the temple would remain upon another. It now appears that the disciples assumed such a catastrophic event could only occur at the end of the age.

Jesus does not directly correct their assumption. He doesn’t tell them of the rapidly approaching Jewish–Roman War, which was only a few years away. Instead, He begins to give the disciples, and us as readers of Scripture, instruction and guidance concerning His second coming, which we are still waiting for today.

Verses 4-5

Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Commentary

This verse is self-explanatory. Jesus warns His followers that spiritual deception will be a constant danger. False messiahs and false teachers will arise, claiming spiritual authority in order to mislead people. The responsibility is placed on believers to remain alert and discerning, testing every claim against the truth of Scripture.

Popularity, charisma, or a large number of subscribers, is not proof that a person speaks the truth of God’s Word. Because many will be deceived, the only safeguard is a growing knowledge of Christ and a commitment to His Word so that we are not led astray.

[And by the way, the best method for growing in your knowledge of Christ is to regularly associate with Christians who are more knowledgeable than yourself.]

Verses 6-7

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Commentary

Jesus is subtly telling the disciples that it’s going to be a long time from then, but they didn’t understand. How many wars have there been since Jesus walked the earth? The number is probably in the tens of thousands. In my lifetime alone, the United States has been involved in more than 14 military conflicts that most Americans would describe as “wars.” Notice, however, that Jesus says, “but the end is still to come.” Again, He is hinting that it may be a very long time.

“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” I remember when I was in elementary school, there was a severe famine in Ethiopia. Television broadcasts showed children so emaciated they appeared almost like skin and bones. In the United States, parents would tell picky children to eat their dinner because there were “starving kids in Africa.” The phrase was meant to help children appreciate the food they had, since elsewhere in the world, many children had none at all.

In 1984, about 50 of the world’s most famous rock and pop stars came together to record a song about the Ethiopian famine. The song was titled ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and still to this day it’s played on the radio every Christmas season.

As for earthquakes, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, approximately 55 occur every day around the world.

Verse 8

All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Commentary

“The beginning of birth pains” is an indication that the tribulation will be worse than all the wars, famines, and earthquakes that have ever taken place. Jesus is saying that all the wars and famines throughout history were only the beginning of birth pains.

In the Bible, creation is often portrayed as a living, sentient entity capable of responding to God’s purpose. For example, Paul writes:

The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time. (Romans 8:19-22)

In speaking of creation, Paul is referring to all the animals, insects, birds, and fish, which are subjected to futility in that they kill and are killed by one another. I interpret creation’s bondage to decay as a reference to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that everything moves from order to disorder; everything deteriorates.

When Jesus speaks of wars, earthquakes, and famines as the beginning of birth pains, the birth he is referring to is his second coming and his 1,000-year Millennial Reign, during which time:

The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor will they train anymore for war. And each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. (Micah 4:2b-4)

No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses for others to inhabit, nor plant for others to eat. For as is the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain or bear children doomed to disaster; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD—they and their descendants with them. Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear. (Isaiah 65:20-24)

The 1,000-year Millennial Reign is a sabbath rest for the earth and creation.

Verse 9

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Commentary

Don’t be confused. We just read several verses about the Millennial reign of Christ, but now we return to Jesus’s description of what will happen before that. He is speaking of Christians being persecuted and killed, and of all nations hating Christians because of Him.

One thing that has always puzzled me is why people hate Jesus. From the time I was seven years old, I have always seen Him as the one seeking to save me; the one who is rescuing me from death.

In works of fiction and in cinema, when someone comes to the rescue of others, that person is portrayed as the hero. Yet when Jesus gave his own life to save everyone from death, most of the world rejects him. Why? It makes no sense.

Imagine if a firefighter saved a family from a burning house, but afterward the news portrayed him as a terrible person. Or if a lifeguard rescued a man from drowning, only to be fired from his job.

That is exactly what the world has done to Jesus. He didn’t rescue hundreds or thousands; Jesus made a way for billions of people, throughout all of history, to be saved from death. Yet the world hates him.

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

Verse 10

At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

Commentary

“Many will fall away.” A question often asked after reading this verse is, “Does this mean a person can lose their salvation?”

Let’s review the Parable of the Sower.

And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. (Matthew 13:3-8)

Later in that same chapter, Jesus explains its meaning:

Consider, then, the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

Does the phrase, “many will fall away,” mean that we can lose our salvation? No. Instead, take notice of what is being discussed in Matthew 24; “Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”

Those who fall away are the seed sown on rocky ground. They have no root, which means they were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

I firmly believe that within Christianity, some are filled with the Holy Spirit, while others have yet to be filled. Some people participate in Christianity for years before truly being saved through faith.

God has a person’s entire lifetime to work out their salvation, and for some, it takes that long to reach the point of putting their faith in Christ.

But there are still others who put on a good show, making everyone think they’re a devoted Christian, while in reality, they never actually place their faith in Jesus. These, I believe, are the ones we see fall away. They have no root.

A core component of faith is trust. Those who place their trust in Jesus Christ and in God’s Word will not be shaken when hardship comes or when tragedy strikes. But those who have never truly trusted Christ have no foundation to stand on. When persecution comes, because they don’t have faith (they don’t truly value Christ), they see no reason to stay, so they fall away.

You and I might do the same with lesser things we aren’t fully committed to. When I was trying to learn how to surf, I made the mistake of buying too short a board. I struggled and struggled to stand. Every time I fell, I got pounded by the waves. Salt water would fill my sinuses, and it quickly became something that wasn’t fun. Rather than persevering through the hardship and spending hundreds of dollars on a longer board, I chose to quit.

For Christians who are not filled with the Holy Spirit, the choice to quit during persecution becomes a simple issue of comfort. They never truly trusted Christ enough to endure suffering for Him. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the strength to endure. But without the Holy Spirit, persecution causes them to decide it isn’t worth it, and so they fall away.

Verse 11

and many false prophets will arise and deceive many.

Practical Application: Recognizing False Teachers Today in the Internet Age

Because of the internet, it’s very easy today to peek inside other churches. Before the internet, a person might have had no clue what went on in any church besides their own congregation. Today, however, nearly every church live streams its services. Recently, while planning a weekend trip to another city, I searched online for a church to attend on Sunday, the last day of our trip. After identifying a few possible options, the first thing I did was watch videos of their recent sermons. The first one I clicked on, however, turned out to be a pastor twisting Scripture to make it not about following Christ but about following him as the pastor. He reinterpreted Scripture in a way that made it sound as though the church needed to be faithful to him personally, and that his congregation should never question him because he, quote-unquote, “spoke for God”.

We don’t worship, idolize, or exalt our pastors. This was someone who had pushed Jesus aside and placed himself on the throne; a false teacher deceiving those still in his congregation.

Many false teachers have arisen today, and because of the internet, they have a much greater reach and influence than they did in the past. Some even use religion in combination with their online platforms as a path to stardom. The more clicks and subscribers they gain, the more money they make and the more famous they become.

This is why I often say that you should be ever seeing and ever perceiving (i.e. be on your guard against false teachers). Read your Bible. Know it well. When you hear false doctrine, be able to say to yourself, “Wait a minute; that’s not what the Bible says.”

The Danger of Swinging Too Far

Nearly everything in life can be illustrated with a bell curve. A bell curve shows the majority in the middle, with opposite extremes at each end.

If we created a bell curve to represent our ability to identify false teachers, one end would include those who believe every preacher, priest, and Bible teacher is sent from God above; and how dare anyone question what they’re preaching. These are the people who walk into a church with rose-colored glasses. A few friendly greetings from church members are all it takes to convince them it’s a great place to worship. Such individuals are easily led astray because they don’t know what’s in the Bible. They’ve never read it and certainly do not study it. They have no way of recognizing when they’re being spiritually lied to.

At the other extreme of our bell curve are those who accuse nearly every pastor of being a false teacher. These individuals point to almost anyone who interprets a passage differently than they do and declares them to be destined for hell. Pastors who have been faithfully preaching and teaching the Bible for 50 years may be resoundingly condemned by someone who hasn’t even been a Christian for 5 years. Such people have spent very little time studying the Word of God.

Some people, out of pride, enjoy trying to show others how smart they are. One simple way to exalt themselves is by putting other people down. By declaring everyone else a false teacher, they subtly position themselves as wiser than all those they condemn.

Also, keep in mind that on internet platforms such as YouTube, the driving force of content creation is often that of making money. One of the ways to attract large audiences is to be scandalous, shocking, and controversial. So whenever you see one Christian online pointing out the wrongdoing of another Christian, it is often the content creator’s intention to provoke outrage in order to gain more views and generate income. Of course, this is not always the case. Sometimes legitimate Christ-following teachers will point out those who are genuinely false teachers. But be wary of click-bait titles and images designed to look scandalous; they are meant to get you to click so the creator can make more money.

In the middle of the bell curve are those who do not major in the minors. These are believers who focus on the essentials of the faith rather than getting caught up in trivial or secondary matters. They understand that not every difference in practice or interpretation is a threat to their walk with Christ. For example, an individual who regularly attends a traditional evangelical Christian church may have a friend who is a Messianic Jew. He can join his friend on a Friday evening to celebrate Shabbat even though he doesn’t believe Saturday is inherently a sacred day. He participates in the fellowship and respects his friend’s traditions, while remaining firm in his own understanding of Scripture. This approach reflects spiritual maturity: it shows discernment without harsh judgment, flexibility without compromise, and the ability to maintain unity and love among believers who may have different practices but share the same faith in Christ.

Verse 12

Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

Commentary

In Matthew chapter twenty-two, Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37:40)

Because sin has multiplied in the world, people increasingly hate God and hate one another. We can already see this beginning to unfold today. A man was shot and killed simply for expressing his views about Jesus, and many people publicly celebrated his death. Another man, the CEO of an insurance company, was murdered in broad daylight, and afterwards thousands of people publicly elevated the murderer to hero status.

As believers, we have to be careful that our love does not also grow cold. It can be easy for us to feel bitterness and contempt toward those who commit such evil acts. But remember that Jesus loved those who killed Him, showing us the standard we are called to follow, even toward those who hate us.

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34a)

Verse 13

But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Commentary

In verse ten, I concluded that those who fall away are those who had yet to place their faith in Christ (they are not filled with the Holy Spirit). When trials and tribulations come, they fall away. In verse thirteen, Jesus says that those who persevere to the end will be saved. I take this to mean that those who do place their faith in Christ will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be able to persevere; not by their own strength, but by Christ’s. By fully trusting in him, we learn to rely on him rather than on ourselves.

Verse 14

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Commentary

This is already happening. I cannot think of a single country on the map in which the gospel has not already reached and been preached. However, there are many people groups within the geographic borders of various countries who have yet to hear the gospel. A people group is a distinct culture, language, or ethnic group. Most of these unreached people groups are in North Africa, the middle east, and Asia. Today, however, if you walk into nearly any church in America and look at the missionaries they support, you will very likely find that some of them are serving in these parts of the world.

What does this tell us about how soon the end will come? A little later in this passage, Jesus says that He is right at the door. In my mind, I picture Him as already having His hand on this metaphorical doorknob and just beginning to turn it.

Verse 15

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

Commentary

In order to understand this verse, Jesus is directing us to the book of Daniel. So let’s go there and see what Jesus is referring to.

Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.

Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.” (Daniel 9:24-27)

Daniel 9:24 Commentary

When the angel Gabriel says to Daniel, “Seventy weeks,” he is using a “week” to represent a period of seven years. Seventy weeks, then, is (7 X 70 years) = 490 years.

Daniel 9:25 Commentary

Here Gabriel tells Daniel when the Messiah will come; centuries before Jesus walked the earth. Sixty-nine “weeks” (7 + 62), or sixty-nine sets of seven years, would pass. Exactly as Gabriel foretold, Jesus the Messiah arrived and fulfilled every prophecy concerning Himself.

But the prophecy speaks of seventy weeks. What about the seventieth? Most pastors, theologians, and scholars, as well as this commentary author, conclude that the prophetic clock was paused after the sixty-ninth week to allow the gospel to go to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). This interval is commonly called the Church Age.

Within the context of what we are reading here in Matthew 24, Jesus just said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”. (Matthew 24:14)

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25)

Daniel 9:26-27 Commentary

When the pause for the Gentiles ends, the final seven-year “week” described by the angel Gabriel will occur. This period is known as the Tribulation. During these seven years, the Jewish people will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. However, bringing them to that point will require an unprecedented period of suffering and upheaval. The Antichrist will show up, and at first the Jewish people will believe he is the Messiah. Then he will commit an act in the temple (the holy place) so offensive (the abomination), that it will expose him as a fraud. Realizing he is not the Messiah, the Jewish people will flee (the desolation).

To read about these end times prophecies in greater detail, I encourage you to read, with prayer, the entire book of Daniel. [link Daniel chapter one]

(now let’s return to Matthew chapter 24)

Verses 16-21

then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house. And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath. For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.

Commentary

Remember that Jesus is speaking to the disciples about events that, from their point in history, haven’t happened yet. Therefore, some of what Jesus describes refers to 70 AD, while other parts refer to His second coming. Some of His descriptions have a dual application. This passage is an example of that. Jesus is warning both those who would experience the war in 70 AD and those who will experience the tribulation that the events will be so severe that people should flee Judea immediately, without even going back for their personal possessions. This point of dual application to different periods of time will become clearer when we read the parallel accounts of this discourse in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.

During the Tribulation, conditions will become so bad so quickly that Jesus warns people not to even go back inside their homes to retrieve anything. Just run.

Imagine a pregnant woman trying to flee for her life. Picture a mother carrying a newborn baby, struggling to escape. Jesus adds that it will be even more brutal if this happens in winter when it’s cold outside. The urgency will be so extreme that no one should stop to grab a coat. Imagine people fleeing into winter weather without a coat!

Jesus concludes by saying that the Tribulation will be a time of distress and suffering unlike anything that has ever happened before or will ever happen again.

Verse 22

If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

Commentary

The NLT says it this way: In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. (Matthew 24:22 NLT)

And the NIV puts it this way: “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22 NIV)

To emphasize just how bad the tribulation will be, if God doesn’t cut it short, the entire human race would go extinct.

Verses 23-25

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.

Commentary

This verse has the same meaning as verse 11.

and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. (Matthew 24:11)

This is a warning not to believe anyone who claims to be the 2nd coming of the Messiah. They will even perform “great signs and wonders”. Notice, however, that Jesus didn’t say they will perform miracles. We don’t put our faith and hope into sleight of hand, political backroom deals, or agenda-driven journalism. Don’t be deceived by such things. Instead, we place our faith, hope, and trust in Jesus alone.

The real 2nd coming of Christ will be unmistakable, (as we will read about in the next verses).

Are we meant to know and understand future Prophecies?

I have met people who believe it’s not for us to understand end-times prophecies. For example, some people claim “We are not meant to understand the book of Revelation”. To this I strongly disagree. Jesus says right here in this verse, “See, I have told you in advance.” In other words, one purpose of prophecy is that we can know beforehand what is going to happen.

Having said that, however, the farther back in history we look, the less people of those eras could have understood certain future prophecies. For example, before the invention of global communications, television, smartphones, and video, no one could have imagined how all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations could see two dead bodies lying in Jerusalem (Revelation 11). In 1800’s America, it took months for a simple letter to travel from California to New York. People back then could not have conceived how anyone in North America, South America, or any other part of the world could instantly see what was happening in Jerusalem. Today, however, we can watch news events live, even when they are occurring on the other side of the world.

The closer we get to Jesus’s return, the easier it becomes to understand end-times prophecy. This is true not only because of our technological understanding of how such events are possible, but also because, as time passes, more and more prophesy becomes fulfilled. Hindsight makes fulfilled prophecy much easier to understand, and the number of remaining, unfulfilled prophecies are fewer in number. A jigsaw puzzle becomes progressively easier as the number of pieces left to find decreases.

Verses 26-28

So if they tell you, ‘There He is, in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Here He is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Commentary

These verses are crucial. If Jesus hadn’t said this, anyone could claim to be His second coming, and we would all be left shrugging our shoulders and asking one another whether it were true.

But Jesus is telling us here that there’s no way anyone will mistake His second coming. It will be such a massive event that everyone on earth will know, without a doubt, that it’s happening.

“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

I enjoy watching lightning. Some people are scared of it, but whenever I see a storm approaching, I like to sit on the patio and watch the incredible display. A bolt of lightning, even miles away, can, for an instant, turn night into day. There’s no way anyone in my neighborhood wouldn’t know the storm is approaching. The same is true for Jesus’s second coming; everyone will know it’s happening. So don’t be deceived by anyone who claims to be Christ.

“Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Here’s a similar example: whenever we look into the sky and see a dozen vultures circling, we know there’s a carcass directly beneath them. When people look up and see Jesus coming on the clouds, they’ll know it’s the 2nd coming.

Verse 29a

Immediately after the tribulation of those days:

Commentary

Jesus says, “Immediately after the tribulation.” This tells us that His second coming follows directly after the end of the tribulation. However, in just a few verses, Jesus is going to tell his disciples that no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven. What, then, should we conclude? (Remember, there are no contradictions in the Bible. When something appears to be a contradiction, the problem lies in our own lack of understanding).

If the tribulation lasts seven years, and Jesus’s second coming occurs immediately after it, how can it also be true that no one knows the day or the hour? In that case, anyone could simply reason, “The tribulation began on this date, so Jesus’s second coming will occur seven years later on that date.” The angels especially could determine this easily, since they are the ones responsible for announcing the beginning of the tribulation.

One possibility is that the event of which no one knows the day or the hour is not Jesus descending on the clouds. Rather, it could refer to something else that occurs prior to the tribulation.

Let’s keep going and see what that event might be.

Verse 29b

‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Commentary

Could the sun being darkened and the moon not giving light be something as simple as dark clouds? Could it be an eclipse? Or is this something more miraculous? I tend to dismiss the idea of dark clouds because everyone sees storm clouds on a nearly regular basis. No one would give this even a second thought. Eclipses, though very dramatic, are also something modern-day people would not consider inexplicable.

Therefore, I tend to interpret this verse as describing the actual sun growing dim, or something greater than the moon blocking the sun’s light. This would also cause the moon to grow dark, because moonlight is merely reflected sunlight. This would obviously be something that’s never happened before and would instantly get the entire world’s attention (Remember, Jesus said there’s no reason to believe anyone who claims to be the second coming Messiah, because His actual second coming will be unmistakable).

There are other places in the Bible where this description of the sun going dark, the moon not giving light, and the stars falling is used. However, I believe those instances are foreshadowing this end-times event now being discussed (see Isaiah 13 and Ezekiel 32).

“Stars falling from the sky” could be a substantial meteor shower or miraculous forces pulling all man-made satellites out of their orbits, which from the ground would appear like shooting stars as they burn up in the atmosphere.

“Powers of the heavens will be shaken.” In the Bible, the word “heavens” has been used to describe the sky (where the clouds are), outer space (where the stars are), and also heaven itself (where the angels are). Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12, describes himself as having been taken up to the third heaven, meaning not the atmosphere or outer space, but the place where God abides. The heavens being shaken could refer to any of these three, or perhaps even all of them. This could refer to something such as massive lightning storms all over the planet, or some sort of interruption to our lunar tidal cycle, causing massively high and low tides, or it could be that heaven itself is somehow shaken.

Verse 30

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Commentary

In Acts chapter one we read the following:

After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

“He will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” The sign of the Son of Man appearing in the heavens will be Jesus coming on the clouds. He will descend with the clouds and land on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, exactly as He departed.

“and all the tribes on earth will mourn”

There is an often-quoted phrase used by atheists that goes something like, “I’ll believe it when I see it. If God would just rip open the heavens and step down from the sky, I would immediately believe.” However, this verse proves the opposite. God will literally flash from the heavens like lightning, visible as far as the east is from the west. Then He will descend from the sky, standing atop the clouds; and what does it say? All the tribes of the earth will mourn! The atheists, upon seeing Jesus descending, won’t suddenly believe and be baptized. No! They will mourn. The very sight of Jesus’s return will be so dreadful to them that it will provoke grief, not faith.

Always remember: we do not worship God by proof; we worship Him by faith. Jesus is patient and gracious. Doubting Thomas asked for proof, and as far as I know, he is the only person in history who was accommodated when he said he would not believe until it was shown to him. For the rest of us today, asking for proof before believing is completely contrary to faith.

Seeking proof before belief essentially makes a person God’s judge. They want to examine the evidence and decide whether it is valid. they want to judge God. Faith, on the other hand, centers on the heart. A person who truly wants to believe will do so, even without proof.

I would rather associate with people who genuinely want to be my friend than with those who feel obligated to act like my friend. Jesus feels the same way. He is looking for people whose hearts genuinely love Him, not those who are compelled by proof to acknowledge Him.

Verse 31

And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Commentary

When Christ returns, the human race will enter what is called the Millennial Reign of Christ. It is a period of 1,000 years during which Jesus will rule over all the governments of the world. He will be King. During that time there will be peace on earth, diseases will be cured, and people will live much longer than they do today.

However, only believers will be allowed to enter this Millennial Reign. Unbelievers will not be permitted to enter. This is another reason why Jesus, only moments earlier, mentioned that wherever the vultures gather, there is a carcass.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.

And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Revelation 19:17-21)

This is also why Jesus said, ‘If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.’

During the persecution carried out by the Antichrist, nearly all believers will be killed. Then, when He returns, Christ will kill all the unbelievers.

“I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.” (Isaiah 13:12)

When the Millennial Reign begins, there will be very few people left on the earth. To illustrate, imagine a scenario in which only five people remain alive in the entire state of Texas. Texas is 268,000 square miles in size. A person who survives the tribulation and enters the Millennial Reign might find that they are the only person alive in an entire city. Places filled with skyscrapers will be like ghost towns.

Jesus will send out His angels to gather the elect from the most distant places on earth and will probably bring them to Jerusalem.

Furthermore, the verse says that the elect will not only be gathered from every part of the earth, but also from one end of the heavens to the other.

In the gospel of Mark it’s recorded this way: And He will send out the angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. (Mark 13:27)

The angels will also gather the elect from heaven. Every believer from all of history who went to heaven will be given a resurrected body and brought back to earth for this thousand-year reign. So start making your plans, because whatever you didn’t get to see or do in this life, you will have 1,000 more years to see it and do it. In this life, did you not get to visit the Grand Canyon, see the pyramids in Egypt, or the giant redwood trees in California, or walk along the great wall of China? During the Millennial Reign of Christ, you’ll have 1,000 years to visit those places and everywhere else on earth. Since there will be peace on earth and goodwill toward all people, there will be nowhere you could visit that would pose any danger. You could spend 1,000 years visiting every continent, country, city, state, town, and village on earth, and you will be warmly welcomed everywhere you go.

Verses 32-33

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.

Commentary

Jesus is instructing us on how to recognize when He is about to return. He begins by saying, ‘Learn this lesson…’ In other words, He wants us to understand the signs of His imminent return.

All deciduous trees, including fig trees, lose their leaves in the fall and grow new leaves in the spring. I have two pear trees in my yard, and every spring I start watching their buds. When the buds turn from brown to green and begin to swell, I know summer is near. Within a week or two, the buds will open, the trees will put out new leaves, and then the flowers will appear, eventually producing delicious pears.

Jesus is saying that when you see all the events He has just described happening, you will know that His return is near.

Verse 34

Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

Commentary

The word “this” in verse 34 has been hotly debated for a very long time. Shouldn’t it read “that generation”? If Jesus were referring to end-times prophecy; to events that were two thousand years in the future, wouldn’t He have said “that generation” instead? Why did He say “this generation,” which sounds as though He was referring to the people living in His own time?

This is often the passage that Preterists point to when claiming that Jesus has already returned. But I find that position ridiculous, because the conditions described after Jesus’s second coming are nothing like anything the earth has ever experienced. Furthermore, when we read 2 Thessalonians, it says:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)

So then, what is Jesus referring to when He says that this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened?

One possibility is that Jesus’s use of the phrase “these things” may refer back to the disciples’ original question in verse 3, when they asked about the destruction of the temple and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen?” If so, Jesus may be narrowing the scope of His discourse and bringing it back to their original question about the temple’s destruction. In that case, the generation living at the time of Jesus would indeed be the ones who would see the destruction of the temple.

For much of my Christian walk, I leaned toward interpreting this verse as referring to the generation alive at the time of the tribulation. But again, why didn’t He say ‘that generation’? The word ‘this’ normally refers to something nearby. Furthermore, Jesus used the phrase ‘this generation’ elsewhere to refer specifically to the people who were alive at that time, (see Matthew 11:16–17 and Matthew 23:36).

Today, my inclination is to interpret this verse as Jesus referring to the Jewish people as a whole. The Amalekites, Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Moabites, and Edomites no longer exist. It is truly miraculous that the Jewish people have survived to this day. So it may be that when Jesus says ‘this generation,’ He is referring to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Jewish people will never be wiped out; they will never pass away.

Verse 35

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

Commentary

Jesus is telling the disciples that everything He has just described is absolutely going to happen. It is more likely that heaven and earth will cease to exist than for these end-times prophecies not to happen.

Verse 36-41

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Commentary

Now hold on just a minute! Only a moment ago, Jesus was telling us to learn a lesson from the fig tree. He said that when we see all these things happening, we will know that His second coming is near. Now He’s telling us that no one knows when it will take place. What’s going on here?

There are two ways to view this verse. The first is to take it at literal face value and conclude that He is saying no one knows the exact day and hour of His second coming; as in a precise moment, such as a hypothetical ‘Tuesday at 11:36 a.m. Eastern Time.’

Some people might conclude that since He had just told us to know summer is near when the fig tree’s buds begin to open, perhaps we can know the season of Christ’s return, but not the exact day or hour.

However, I don’t tend to hold this view because the next verses describe how, just like before the flood, people will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. In other words, people will be completely oblivious to what is about to happen to them. If, like the example of the fig tree, everyone could look around and say to themselves, ‘Well, we can’t say for sure the exact day or hour, but it’s obvious that Jesus will return within the next three months,’ they would not be planning weddings.

Furthermore, consider what will be taking place in the world: wars, famines, earthquakes, nation rising against nation, Christians being killed around the world, the multiplication of wickedness, the abomination of desolation, the sun darkened, the moon failing, and the stars falling. Does that sound like a time when someone would be planning a wedding? No! They would say “You know, honey, there’s a lot going on right now. Maybe we should postpone the wedding.”

Here’s what I’ve concluded. The day and hour that no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father, is the pre-tribulation rapture. Just as in the days of Noah, life will be proceeding as normal for everyone on earth. People will be eating and drinking. They will wake up in the morning and have breakfast before heading off to work. They’ll put on their best clothes and go to a wedding. They will be working in the fields or laboring at the mill. They will be completely oblivious to what is about to happen that very day.

The church (i.e. Christ followers) will be removed. This is the rapture. Then God’s wrath will be poured out upon the earth (the tribulation), and after the tribulation Jesus will return to be King in Jerusalem (the Second Coming and Millennial Reign). At that time, Christ followers will be given glorified bodies and will return to the earth to live here for another 1,000 years. After this, the earth will be destroyed by fire, and God will create a new earth like the Garden of Eden, where we will live for eternity.

And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5a)

Verses 42-44

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Commentary

Jesus is again stating that the rapture will occur on a day no one expects. Then He gives the example of a house being robbed. If you knew at what time of the night the thief was coming, you would have been ready. Jesus is telling us to be ready for the rapture. Although we don’t know the day He is coming, we do know that it will happen, so we should be ready.

I’ve heard pastors offer interpretations of this verse suggesting that Christians might not be ready or are failing to keep watch. For example, one pastor interpreted the verse to mean that Christians might be going about their daily activities while losing focus on spiritual priorities. While that may be good advice, I disagree that the interpretation applies to this verse, because the remainder of this chapter, and the entire next chapter, focuses on what becomes of those who do not keep watch and are not ready; and it is not Spirit-filled believers that Jesus is referring to. So, let’s dig in.

Verses 45-47

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Commentary

The faithful and wise servants whom Jesus has put in charge are His followers (i.e. Christians). “To give the others their food at the proper time” refers to sharing the gospel.

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4b)

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18b-20a)

Blessed is the servant whom Jesus finds doing His will when He returns. In the Millennial Reign, that person will be put in charge of many things.

Verses 48-51

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Commentary

Okay, here is our first glimpse into the identity of those who are not keeping watch and are not ready when Jesus returns. Jesus says, “suppose that servant is wicked.” No Holy Spirit-filled believer who puts their faith in Jesus Christ is ever labeled as “wicked.”

For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. (Ephesians 1:4a)

In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a Christian who assumes the Messiah isn’t coming back anytime soon and begins to mistreat his fellow Christians. This is someone who isn’t really interested in the will of God, but instead is interested in his own selfish gain. This could be the pastor who’s on a power trip (think of Tony Alamo, Jim Jones, and David Koresh).

Jesus continues by saying that the servant who isn’t ready may be eating, drinking, and getting drunk. In other words, he’s pursuing worldly pleasures.

One evening a man sat down on his couch and turned on his television to watch the local news. But what he saw immediately shocked him. The news story being broadcast showed a mug shot of the man he knew as the assistant pastor at his church. The news report said, “Local pastor arrested for drunk driving.”

A young woman searching for Christian fellowship with people her age decided to attend a church’s young-adult barbecue social event. Upon arriving, however, she noticed that the young-adult-ministry pastor was openly drinking a beer in front of all the late teens and early twenties Christians from the ministry he was leading. She left and never went back to that church again.

“The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.”

It’s true that the Christian church has been waiting two thousand years for Christ to return. In that time, perhaps 100 generations have come and gone without seeing the Lord return. However, whether a person witnesses the return of Christ or dies and then stands before Him to be judged, the outcome is the same.

Those who do not put their faith in Jesus Christ, even though they call themselves Christians, will be assigned a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Any time we see the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” it is referring to hell. Therefore, throughout Matthew 24 and 25, we can conclude that when Jesus is talking about those who are not ready and not keeping watch, He is referring to Christians who are not saved. He is speaking of those who call themselves Christians but have not been filled with the Holy Spirit, because they have not put their faith in Him.

These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men. (Matthew 15:8-9)

One of the objections often put forth by non-believers is that Christians are hypocrites. While this is often used merely as an excuse to reject Christ, what they are actually noticing are the very people Jesus describes here: “But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, “My master will be away a long time.”

In other words, the hypocrisy that unbelievers point to is evidence that Jesus’s warning is true. Among those who call themselves His servants are some who are not truly His. These are the ones who neither keep watch nor are they ready.

Again, I want to point to a song written by Curtis Mayfield titled “People Get Ready”. In it he sings,

“People Get Ready
There’s A Train A Comin’
You Don’t Need No Baggage
You Just Get On Board
All you need is faith
To Hear The Diesels Hummin’
You Don’t Need No Ticket
You Just Thank The lord”

Notice that he sings “People get ready”…..“all you need is faith”. The people who are ready are those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so yourself, ask the Lord in prayer to help you to have faith in Him.

“I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24b)

Photo credit: flickr Creative Commons, Vultures by Mike Prince

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-3

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Commentary

Why? Why should they practice and observe everything the scribes and Pharisees tell them if the scribes and Pharisees are hypocrites? Jesus has just finished thoroughly rebuking them throughout the last half of the previous chapter. It would seem more logical for Him to now instruct the crowds not to follow them. After reading chapter 22, we might expect Matthew 23:1 to say, “Ignore the Scribes and Pharisees.” Why then does Jesus tell the crowd to do everything they say?

The Israelites depend upon the scribes and Pharisees to tell them what the law of Moses says. Therefore, any Israelite who wants to pursue God has little choice but to receive instruction from them. This is why they sit in Moses’s seat. God spoke to Moses, and Moses instructed the Israelites. The scribes and Pharisees study the scriptures and tell Israel what they say. Anyone who wanted to follow God and obey the scriptures had to rely upon the scribes and Pharisees to instruct them.

But Jesus warns the people: “Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” He then goes on to explain exactly what he means. Let’s look at the next few verses.

Verses 4-7

They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues, the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

Commentary

Everything Jesus describes about the Pharisees ultimately comes down to their pride. Pride says, “I’m important.” “I deserve recognition.” “Look at what I’ve accomplished.” “I don’t need God.” “My will be done.”

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6b).

Pride Is Not Just a Pharisee Problem

We tend to view the Pharisees as the villains of the New Testament, and understandably so given how Jesus addresses them. But people today do the exact same things they did.

Consider this hypothetical: a police officer pulls over a car for speeding, and behind the wheel is a city council member. The first thing out of the man’s mouth is, “Do you know who I am?” That’s pride. Being a member of the city council does not give him permission to speed. He believes his elevated position in the community makes him better than everyone else.

Humility, on the other hand, is very often an intentional choice; one that sometimes requires planning ahead. When someone knows they are about to be promoted, they might say to themselves, “I’m not going to let this go to my head.” Pride, on the other hand, can be the natural default. It requires no effort at all.

When you are promoted, I encourage you to rely daily on Jesus Christ rather than on yourself. Even if you’ve been doing something for years and have become an expert in your field, continue to ask Jesus Christ to help you. The goal is humbleness.

Verse 8

But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

Commentary

In the previous verses Jesus said that the Pharisees love the places of honor, the greetings, and the titles. Jesus continues, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’…” Jesus is not saying that the word Rabbi is somehow bad. Rather, he is making a comparison to the attitudes and behaviors of the Pharisees.

To obey this teaching, we don’t shed titles. If no one had a title, how would we know who’s responsible for what? Instead, Jesus is saying that the Pharisees loved to be called Rabbi. They craved honor and special places to sit at banquets. You and I, on the other hand, are not to let our titles inflate our egos. Don’t allow yourself to crave attention and glory.

Don’t get to the point where, after being pulled over for speeding, you say to the officer, “Don’t you know who I am?” The officer doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. Your job is not to be self-important. Your job is to treat others as more important than yourself.

in humility consider others more important than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3b)

Verses 9-10

And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.

Commentary

Jesus had just told his followers not to become prideful when given positions of authority and honor. Now He tells them not to elevate others because of their elevated positions. We are not to revere or idolize people. Instead, we are to revere God.

Consider this: if, in your mind’s eye, you view a person in authority as infallible, you’ll be inclined to accept everything they say without question. This is how people end up being led astray by false teachers. They assume he is right and never take the time to examine what he is actually saying.

Don’t put people on pedestals.

Verse ten has the same message: do not exalt yourself because of your title. I once disagreed with someone over how a certain Bible verse was being interpreted. When I expressed my disagreement, he immediately informed me that he had been teaching a weekly Bible study for ten years. He didn’t want to discuss the merits of my disagreement. Instead, he wanted to shut me down by exalting himself and his credentials as a Bible instructor. That’s pride.

If he interprets a Bible passage incorrectly, and no one ever points out his error, he will likely continue to interpret it that way indefinitely. It doesn’t matter that he’s been teaching Bible studies for ten years. He may have been teaching them wrong for ten years.

Don’t think of yourself as a know-it-all just because you’re the one teaching the Bible study, and don’t get offended when someone wants to disagree with your interpretation. Be humble and carefully consider what they say.

When leading a Bible study, always seek God’s help, even if you’ve been doing it for ten years.

Verse 11

The greatest among you shall be your servant.

Commentary

This is the application of Jesus’s teaching. In every position you hold, and in every responsibility you’re given, think about who you are serving.

If you own a business, your job is to serve your customers. You also serve your employees in the sense that it’s your responsibility to teach them how to serve your customers. If you’re placed in charge of anything at church, your job is to serve the congregation in those roles and tasks. If you’re elected to an office of government, your job is to serve your constituents. If you are writing a New Testament Bible commentary, your job is to serve those who will read it.

But if in any pursuit, the work you’re doing serves only to exalt yourself, elevate yourself above others, show off, feed your pride, or enrich yourself; you’re doing it wrong!

Verse 12

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Commentary

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. (1 Peter 5:5b-6)

Verse 13

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

Commentary

The Scribes and Pharisees were supposed to serve the people of Israel and lead them into the knowledge and understanding of God. They should have been feeding the hungry, caring for widows and orphans, and tending to the needs of the people. Instead, they became prideful in their important roles; even to the point of shutting the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. The pursuit of God became their exclusive club, and they didn’t want the “riff raff” to join them.

Jesus is telling them that they themselves will not enter the kingdom of heaven, and they attempt to block others from entering as well.

Verse 14

The oldest manuscripts do not contain verse 14, so I am not including it here. However, it is included in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, and I will comment on it in those sections.

Verse 15

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Commentary

On the occasions when the Pharisees did attempt to convert someone, what they brought that person into was a religion of dead works, pride, and self-righteousness; which did not lead to salvation.

Verse 16-33

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

Commentary

“Woe to you, blind guides!” We are in the midst of Jesus listing seven woes against the Pharisees.

1. You will not let in those who are seeking the kingdom of heaven.
2. Your converts become sons of hell.
3. You’re blind and can’t see the errors of your own ways.
4. You disregard the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
5. Your righteousness is only for show; you don’t bother to cleanse your heart.
6. You are whitewashed tombs.
7. You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

This is quite a list of accusations. It’s no wonder they didn’t like Jesus. Yet all of these charges were true. Remember, these were the religious leaders of His time. The same danger can exist today. Watch out. Be ever seeing and ever perceiving.

By saying, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers,” the Pharisees were admitting that they were the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Jesus said, “Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.” The Pharisees were about to crucify the Messiah. Of all the prophets who were ever killed, these Pharisees speaking to Jesus were about to do worse than all of their ancestors combined. This is truly the highest example of dead religion.

All religions that are devoid of the Holy Spirit make decisions and perform actions based entirely on a heart that is absent of God. This can happen within the Christian religion as well; There are some Christian denominations, churches, pastors, elders, and laypeople who do not have the Holy Spirit.

For example, when a pastor retires and the board of elders is tasked with hiring a new pastor, if those elders do not have the Holy Spirit, by what standard will they make their selection? They will choose their next pastor based on the standard of their own sinful hearts.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man…(Matthew 15:19-20a)

Be ever seeing and ever perceiving. Don’t just trust people blindly.

Verse 34

Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.

Commentary

Throughout the ages, God sent prophets and wise men, but like the Bible study teacher I mentioned earlier, pride blinded the religious leaders of Israel. The scribes and Pharisees were unwilling to be corrected.

Verse 35-36

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Commentary

It’s interesting to note the last words of Zechariah as he was being murdered.

Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest (Berechiah was likely his grandfather or great-grandfather), who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’”

But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD. Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.” (2 Chronicles 24:20–22)

Some translations say ‘May the Lord see and avenge.’ That is exactly what is about to happen. Jesus said, ‘All these things will come upon this generation’; and just 33 years after this moment, the first Jewish-Roman War would begin.”

Israel had been ruled by Rome in a way that allowed it to retain much of its independence and way of life. However, within a few years of Jesus’s crucifixion, and the events of the book of Acts and the letters of Paul, Israel came under the direct rule of Rome, and was severely oppressed, its religious freedoms were taken away.

But I want to consider another possible way of viewing these two verses. Jesus says, “Upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth.” What makes a person righteous in God’s eyes? It is the blood of Jesus Christ. That blood would soon be shed, and it would be these very religious leaders who would be responsible for handing Him over to be crucified.

On the cross, Jesus took all our sins upon Himself. His blood paid for our sins. In that sense, the statement is true: “upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth.” Jesus bore our sins, yet these Pharisees were the very ones who would be held responsible for delivering the Son of God to death.

Verses 37-39

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Commentary

Jesus says “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”. Jesus is God; and long before he was born through Mary into the physical world, he had, from heaven, longed to gather Israel’s children together.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13)

Jesus is God.

He continues, “but you were unwilling.” Salvation is not forced upon anyone. The very fact that salvation is by faith means that a person must be willing to be saved. Antagonists often ask, “How can an all-loving God send anyone to hell?” The answer, of course, is that God doesn’t send people to hell; rather, it is these people who are unwilling to go to heaven. In reality, their arguments are rarely presented so simplistically, yet at the core, it always comes down to this: whether or not a person is willing to love God and place their faith in Him. If they are not, they are choosing to forfeit salvation.

Jesus concludes His statement by saying, “For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” This is a prophecy concerning the end times. The next time Jesus sets foot in Jerusalem will be at His second coming. The battle of Armageddon will look as though it will bring an end to the Jewish people. At that time, Jesus will come to their rescue, and they will shout, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (See Revelation 1:7 and Revelation 19:11-16 and Revelation 20)

Commentary Matthew 22

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-7

Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

Commentary

The king represents God, and the wedding banquet is between Jesus and the church. The servants are the prophets, and those who were invited but refused to come represent Israel; particularly Israel’s religious leaders

Verse 7 was, at the time, a future prophecy referring to the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. When it says the king sent his troops, understand that God has the ability to direct any military force on earth and use it to accomplish His purpose.

And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets. (2 Kings 24:2)

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation. (Jeremiah 25:8-9)

Verses 8-10

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Commentary

Make note of the fact that God instructed them to invite as many as they could find. The servants then gathered everyone they could find. The phrases “as many as you can find” and “gathered everyone they could find” shows us that God is calling everyone. God is telling his servants to invite everyone. Anyone they find, they should invite. Every human being today is invited to the wedding banquet of Jesus and the Church (i.e. everyone is invited to be saved).

But why does verse 10 say both evil and good? We are going to see in these next verses that there are some Christians who come to the banquet, but end up getting thrown out….Let’s take a look now.

Verses 11-12

But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.

Commentary

Salvation is by faith. Those who put their faith in Jesus are filled with the Holy Spirit (i.e. they are dressed in wedding clothes).

A person can know about Jesus and yet make the mistake of trusting in themselves, incorrectly believing they’ll earn their salvation through good works and moral living. It’s entirely possible for a layperson, a church member, a deacon, an elder, and even a pastor or priest to be deeply involved in church activities, ministries, helping the poor, feeding the hungry, and so on, yet not have put their faith in Jesus Christ. This is the individual who shows up to the wedding banquet without wedding clothes (i.e. the Holy Spirit). They are the person who claimed to be a Christian, yet never put their faith in Christ.

Being Involved and Active While Missing the Opportunity Entirely: A Personal Anecdote

My first job was mowing grass at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. The employee handbook stated that employees could have one free round of golf per day. Every day I got up at 5:00am. By 6:00am, I was on the mower, going from one green to another. When I finished mowing all the greens, I had to go back and move the holes on each green. I also maintained the mowers and worked on the sprinklers. Our job was to keep the entire golf course running. At the end of the day, I was tired and wanted only to go home and sit down. As a result, I never once took advantage of the daily free round of golf.

Later, when I was about 40 years old and reflecting on my life, it occurred to me just how big of an opportunity I had missed. The golf course had a pro shop, and in the pro shop was a full-time professional golf instructor. That golf instructor was my coworker. He and I were both employees of the golf course. It never once occurred to me while working there, that I could have befriended him and asked him to go golfing with me each day, and during that time I could have gleaned valuable advice about my swing and technique.

Now consider this: a young man, just 18 years old, playing a full round of golf every day in the company of a professional golf instructor. Who knows? Perhaps I could have become a professional golfer myself. Perhaps I could have one day joined the PGA Tour. When I look back on my life in hindsight, I consider this to be a big opportunity missed. I worked at the golf course and took part in every activity required to keep the golf course running, yet I never played golf.

Likewise, there are many Christians who attend church, volunteer at church, or are even employed by a church. They perform activities to keep the church running, yet have not put their faith in Christ.

It doesn’t matter the denomination; every church in America has someone in the congregation or parish who has not yet placed their faith in Christ, even though they outwardly appear to be devout.

God judges the heart. We, however, cannot see into people’s hearts. All we can do is observe their actions and speech. On the day of judgment, each of us may be surprised to see who ends up being kicked out of the wedding banquet.

How can you know if you are such a person? Ask Jesus! One of the most essential aspects of putting our faith in Christ is relying on Him rather than on ourselves. Right now: ask Jesus Christ to help you put your faith in Him and to fill you with the Holy Spirit.

Here is a simple prayer you can pray: “Lord Jesus, help me to put my faith in You. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit.”

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Verse 13

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Commentary

This, of course, refers to hell. Anyone who has not been filled with the Holy Spirit at the time of their earthly death will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Verse 14

For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Commentary

God sent His servants to invite everyone they could find. “Many are called.” This is the Great Commission. God wants every Christian to go into the world and share the gospel (to invite everyone) so that every person on earth has the opportunity to hear what Jesus has done for them. All are invited; everyone.

“Few are chosen.” Those who are chosen are the ones who put their faith in Christ. “to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12b)

Verses 15-16

Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words. They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

Commentary

Ah ha! So they admit that Jesus is honest and teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth! By making this statement while actively conspiring to trap Jesus in His words, they are confessing that they are guilty of conspiring against God! Woe to them on the day of judgment!

Verses 17-18

So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?

Commentary

Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah (Deuteronomy 6:16)

He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7)

What a coincidence; here are the spiritual leaders of Israel, asking the very same question again: “Is the Lord among us or not?” Their Messiah is standing right in front of them, yet all they want is to argue with Him.

Verses 19-22

Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. “Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they answered.

So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

Commentary

This passage shows Jesus’s unmatched wisdom. The Pharisees tried to corner Him: if He said pay the tax, He’d anger the people; if He said don’t pay the tax, He’d anger Rome. But Jesus completely sidesteps the trap, leaving them speechless and amazed.

Verses 23-29

That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh. And last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”

Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

The World Tolerates Religion but Rejects Jesus

“The Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection…” It’s interesting that the Pharisees and Sadducees appear to have been colleagues, perhaps even friends, even though they held vastly different spiritual beliefs. Meanwhile, Jesus arrives with teachings that are clearly different from both of them, and yet the Pharisees and the Sadducees hate Him, even to the point of wanting to kill Him. Why were the Pharisees and Sadducees able to tolerate one another’s differing beliefs, yet neither could tolerate Jesus?

Today in America, corporations, universities, and organizations often strive for diversity, equity, inclusion and tolerance for all religions except Christianity. At times, Christians are treated with disdain and intolerance. This phenomenon serves to illustrate that, among all world religions, Christianity stands apart. This author views this as evidence to the truth of God’s Word. The world hates Jesus; and this is expressed as a hatred of Christians.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. (John 15:18)

How Knowing Scripture Protects You from being Spiritually Deceived

The Sadducees come to Jesus with a hypothetical scenario in order to question Him about the resurrection, which they don’t even believe in. Their question involves seven brothers and one wife, and it culminates with them asking whose wife will she be in the resurrection. But here is what I want you, the reader, to focus on: Jesus responds, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”

Every error that you and I might have in our understanding of who God is can be traced back to our not knowing the Scriptures. Remember when Jesus was in the desert being tempted by Satan (Matthew chapter 4)? Every rebuttal that Jesus gave to Satan began with, “It is written.” The way we avoid deception and false doctrine is by knowing the Scriptures well. The only way we can accomplish that is by faithfully and consistently reading the Bible.

[If you have never read the Bible before, I encourage you to start with the New Testament, because it contains all the core principles of the Christian faith. Most people who attempt, for the first time, to read the entire Bible, begin with the Old Testament and quit somewhere in or around the Book of Numbers, which is largely made up of census data and architectural measurements.]

It has become apparent in recent years that many Christians, perhaps most, do not read the Bible. Instead, they form their beliefs based on what others have told them, or through a self-invented spirituality shaped by personal experience, inner feelings, and preferences.

I have encountered Christians, both in person and online, whose stated beliefs are so far removed from Biblical truth that I am left genuinely bewildered at how anyone claiming to be a Christian could have arrived at such conclusions.

27% of Americans do not read books at all, and another 20% read only reluctantly. Given that the Bible has over 1,000 pages, it represents a serious undertaking, particularly for those unaccustomed to reading books. We can all agree that reading the entire Bible is a significant commitment; not to mention studying it in depth and reading it multiple times over the course of a lifetime.

For comparison, here are a few famous novels that each contain over 1,000 pages:

• Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (~1,400 pages)
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (~1,200 pages)
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (~1,200 pages)
• The Lord of the Rings (as a single volume) by J.R.R. Tolkien (~1,100 pages)
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (~1,000 pages)

So how do you read a 1,000 pages when you’d rather do almost anything else? Start by asking Jesus to give you a love for his Word. Then begin with the New Testament. That is where the bulk of Christian theology is concentrated, and reading it first gives you the hindsight needed to better understand the Old Testament when you get there.

Second, begin by reading for just five minutes a day. Five minutes is a good place to start building your reading endurance. If you love the Lord, you will make the time.

I also encourage you to listen to the Bible; not as an alternative to reading, but in addition to it. By listening to a recording of someone else reading the Scriptures, you can go through large portions of the Bible in a relatively short period of time.

Verses 30-33

In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

Commentary

Even though our bodies stop functioning and are laid in the grave, those who are saved are not dead. Eternal life means being alive forever.

Verses 34-40

And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Commentary

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself”, this summarizes the entire law. Take careful notice that we are to love God with ALL our heart, soul and mind. But what exactly does that mean?

HEART – I would define this as being the same kind of love which we experience for our spouse, and/or our children. It is an affection. A longing desire to spend time with God.

SOUL – I interpret this as finding your identity in Christ. It means that your self-worth, the sense of who you are and your purpose are found in Christ. This is as opposed to those who find their self-worth in their own achievements, carrier advancements, material possessions, fame, or the recognition of other people.

MIND – I interpret this as your desire to study and learn about God’s and His will for your life. When Jesus says “all your mind”, he is referring to someone who desires to actively pursue God through study and the gaining of knowledge and wisdom.

Verses 41-46

While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?”

“David’s,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’

So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”

No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.

Commentary

“What do you think about the Christ?” Remember that “Christ” is not Jesus’s last name; rather, it is a title meaning “Messiah.”

“Whose son is He?” And they answered correctly: “David’s”. Jesus is a descendant of King David.

Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’?”

Jesus then quotes the Psalms:

The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (Psalm 110:1)

The identity of Christ is an extremely important question. “His worshipers must worship Him in truth” (John 4:24, paraphrased). Who exactly is Jesus?

The Pharisees answered correctly when they said that the Christ is descended from David. Thus, the Messiah (Jesus) is fully man. He is made of flesh and bone. He has a beating heart. He breathes air in and out of his lungs, no different than you and I.

A person would not normally call a son “Lord.” And yet David does call the Christ Lord. What this reveals is that Jesus is both fully man (a descendant of David) and fully divine. Jesus Christ is God.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.”

Commentary

The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recorded in Zechariah 9:9–13, Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44 and John 12:12–19.

Once again, Jesus demonstrates His omniscience. Clearly, He is not an ordinary man. He predicts future events with 100% accuracy.

Is this theft? Is Jesus telling the disciples to steal the donkey? No. He is borrowing it. Mark chapter 11 states that the animal’s owner was told his donkey would be returned to him shortly.

Verse 3

“If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

Commentary

This can be viewed in a couple of different ways. The first is that Jesus is calling Himself Lord (i.e. Jesus is God). The second possible interpretation is that the Romans, as rulers over Israel, claimed the right to commandeer private property as needed for carrying out their duties. When the disciples said, “The Lord needs them,” the owner may have assumed the disciples had been sent by a Roman official. Whichever interpretation you lean toward, one thing is clear: Jesus knew ahead of time that the owner would agree to the borrowing of the animals.

Verses 4-5

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Commentary

Five hundred years earlier, God spoke through the prophet Zechariah, saying, “Your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey …”

But did you know that this same prophecy given by Zechariah also includes references to Jesus’s second coming?

“Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10b)

This is speaking of Jesus’s millennial reign after the tribulation. This prediction is 100% accurate. It is going to happen. Faith is believing that what God has said is true.

Jesus’s first coming was marked by humility and servanthood. It’s why He was born in a manger and why He rode on a donkey. However, His second coming will be all about His authority as the King of kings, and He will be riding on a white horse.

Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God. (Revelation 19:11-13)

Today, in political and cultural discussions, Jesus is often presented as a figure who would align Himself with certain modern groups or causes assumed to represent compassion, justice, or love. The problem is that this version of Jesus is shaped entirely by His humble and lowly character as revealed in His first coming 2,000 years ago. At His second coming, however, Jesus will not be acting as a suffering servant but as a conquering King. Scripture teaches that He will judge and destroy all who oppose Him and will call the birds to come and eat their corpses, (See Revelation 19:17-18)

Verses 6-11

So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Commentary

The word Hosanna is a type of plea for salvation. When the people cried, “Hosanna in the highest,” they were essentially acknowledging Jesus as the Savior. Some may have realized that what they were witnessing fulfilled prophecy. Filled with excitement, they shouted Hosanna and praised Jesus.

Verses 12-13

Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Commentary

When I read these two verses, the one thing that stands out to me the most is the phrase “den of robbers.” When the objective was to maximize profit rather than to perform a service for those coming to worship at the temple, the sellers and vendors made themselves robbers.

Gouging People for Profit & The Selling of Items at Church:

During World War II, German Luger pistols were highly sought after by U.S. soldiers. They were considered the pinnacle of war prizes. My father had two of them, and each was in near mint condition. He had gone to great effort over several decades to keep them in immaculate condition. After my father passed away, I inherited these two historical pieces. However, I did not have the same affinity for them that my father had, nor was it my intention to spend so much time caring for them, so I decided to sell them.

I took them to a public show where historical items are bought and sold. I visited one vendor who had many similar pieces on display. He examined the two pistols carefully and then offered me $250 for each. I had a strong feeling this man was trying to rob me. I declined his offer and walked away. A short while later, I found another vendor who had several historical German World War II relics similar to the ones I wanted to part with. I showed this second vendor what I had, and after examining them closely, he offered me $1,000 for each.

When people in Jesus’s time traveled to Jerusalem, they didn’t bring their temple sacrifice with them. They needed to purchase it upon arrival. The vendors who sold these sacrifices were gouging people, trying to make excessive profits rather than providing a service at a reasonable price to allow people to worship. These vendors were robbing people who simply wanted to worship God.

Today, if a church holds a Saturday morning flea market, there will often be someone who accuses them of wrongdoing, claiming that Jesus would flip over their tables. The issue in these verses, however, is not merely that money was being exchanged or that a service was being provided. It’s that the vendors were trying to rip people off. A church that holds a Saturday morning flea market may be attempting to raise money for a missionary, or perhaps they are raising funds to pay for a needed repair on the church building.

If, however, a church charged $10 for parking on Sunday mornings the same way a theme park or a professional sports stadium does, it would suggest that their desire for profit had begun overshadowing their invitation to worship.

Jesus was driving out of the temple those who were prioritizing profit at the expense of people being able to worship.

Verses 14-15

The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Commentary

The priests and scribes in these verses hold the opinion that Jesus is not the Messiah. No matter what He does, they remain indignant toward Him. Even when He tells them plainly that He is the Messiah, they will declare it blasphemy (See Matthew 26:63–65).

This same pattern can be seen today. Some people begin with a fixed belief and then work backward into the Scriptures, twisting the Word of God to make it conform to their opinion. The proper approach, however, is the opposite. We must come to the Bible with humility, allowing it to shape and correct our beliefs rather than forcing it to support a pre-existing conclusion.

Verse 16

“Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”

Commentary

It was only two chapters ago that Jesus said we all need to be like children (Matthew 19:13-15). Now, the children are praising Him and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” while the scribes and Pharisees are grumbling and complaining.

Furthermore, Jesus is quoting Psalm 8, which clearly speaks about God:

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger. When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?

You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet: all sheep and oxen, and even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9)

By accepting the children’s praises and responding, “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”, Jesus is identifying Himself as the subject of Psalm 8; the one crowned with glory and honor. In doing so, He is implicitly claiming to be God, the one worthy of praise from all creation.

Verse 17

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.

Commentary

This verse is largely self-explanatory, recording Jesus’s return to Bethany for the night after His actions in the temple. It marks the conclusion of His day teaching, healing, cleansing, and confrontation with the religious leaders.

Verses 18-19

In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

Commentary

This event is also recorded in Mark chapter 11, where it is described as occurring the following day, when the disciples see the fig tree withered. This, however, is not a contradiction, because a tree that withers completely overnight can still be described as having withered “immediately.” For example, when a pine tree is struck by lightning, it is typically killed instantly by electrocution, but it may take one to two weeks for its needles to dry and turn brown. Similarly, a tree that withers overnight can reasonably be described as having withered immediately.

But why did Jesus curse the tree?

Recall the parable of the sower, when Jesus describes the seed sown among thorns as unfruitful because “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word.” Then He explains that the seed sown on good soil represents those who hear the word and understand it. They bear fruit and produce a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold (Matthew 13:22–23).

Recall also when Jesus compared false teachers to bad trees bearing bad fruit (Matthew 7:15–20).

And when John the Baptist warned the Pharisees:

“You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:7-10)

In Luke 13 we find the parable of the barren fig tree:

Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9)

Jesus is providing the disciples, and us, as Bible readers, a real-world example of what God’s judgment looks like. Those who bear no fruit (i.e. the fruit of faith) will be “withered”, cut down, and thrown into the fire.

Salvation is by faith. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. This, in turn, begins to transform our lives so that slowly, over time, we become more like Christ. Our desires turn away from worldliness and toward God’s will for our present path and future. All of this can be compared to bearing fruit.

The person who “claims” the name of Christ yet has only green leaves and no fruit is someone who is merely playing Christianity but has not put their faith in Christ. There is no fooling God. As easily as you and I could walk up to a fig tree and see that it has no figs, God can just as easily look into our hearts and see whether or not we have faith.

These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

What Jesus is showing us in the example of the withered fig tree is that without the fruit of faith, you have no value to God. The fact that He planted you is evidence that He loves you, and the fact that you’re still alive is evidence that you remain under His grace and mercy. But if you don’t bear any fruit (i.e. if you have no faith), the love He has for you will not prevent Him from digging you up and throwing you away. He may love you, but do you love Him?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

What is the will of the Father in heaven? That we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Why does Jesus say He never knew them? Because they never put their faith in Him. The fact that they say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” shows that they believed they could earn salvation through good works.

…without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6a)

Verses 20-22

When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Commentary

Does this mean we can all pray for a million dollars and expect to win the lottery next week? No. Absolutely not. Notice that Jesus said, “If you have faith.” Faith is believing that God exists, that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead, and that what we read in the Word of God is true and trustworthy. Always remember: the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

If we have faith, we don’t pray to win the lottery because, by the Word of God, we understand that such a request would be contrary to God’s will. We don’t put our hope in money; we put our hope in Jesus.

To receive whatever you ask for in prayer, you must believe that the Word of God (the Bible) is true. Thus, the prayers you offer will begin to align with God’s will. We don’t ask for a million dollars, nor do we ask for the vain things of this world. Lust, fame, fortune, pride, and other worldly desires are all outside of God’s will. If we truly have faith, if we fully trust the Lord, we will not pray for such things.

Here’s an alternative: Pray for the salvation of every person you meet. Pray for every missionary you encounter, asking God to provide for them as they share the gospel around the world. Pray for the widows you meet, asking God to meet their needs, and that God might use you to provide those needs. Pray for Godly wisdom. Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray for deeper understanding of God’s Word. Pray that you can raise your children to know and trust Jesus.

A Testimony of Doing What was Done to the Fig Tree

In Florida, there is an invasive species of tree called the Brazilian pepper. It’s native to Brazil. The rapid, widespread growth of its dense canopy threatens native Florida plant and animal species.

When my wife and I bought our first home, there was a Brazilian pepper tree in the backyard. We had only been in the house a couple of days when I stood at the back window, looking out at the tree. My wife commented that she disliked Brazilian pepper trees because of the way they make life more difficult for Florida’s endangered species.

Still looking out the window at the tree, I raised my hand, pointed at it, and said, “I curse that tree in the name of Jesus.” The comment was mean to get a laugh out of my wife. Afterward, I thought no more of it.

However, the next afternoon, when we returned home, I looked out the back window and, to my shock, the tree was gone. Someone had cut it down and completely removed it. Apparently, my neighbor had taken it upon himself to put a chainsaw to it and remove it. We had never spoken to our neighbor about the tree; he simply decided on his own to come over and cut it down.

I had spoken a curse on that tree in the name of Jesus, and the very next day, the tree was gone. It never ceases to amaze me how Jesus works and the ways He makes Himself known through the ordinary activities of our lives.

Does this mean I believe we can go around cursing every tree we don’t like? No. I don’t think what happened was about the tree; and it certainly wasn’t about me. I believe it was about Jesus making Himself known and receiving praise and glory.

Verse 23

When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”

Commentary

“These things” likely refers to the previous day’s Triumphal Entry and the overturning of the tables, as well as His return to the temple that day to teach.

Let’s be honest, this is one occasion where we can sympathize with the chief priests and elders. Imagine you’re a pastor, and one Sunday morning a random person, who isn’t a member of your congregation, walks up to the pulpit, takes the microphone, and begins preaching to your congregation, and you don’t even know who the person is. You would likely be waving to the sound booth, signaling them to cut off his microphone. You would probably then call security to have the man escorted off the property.

But Jesus knows He has the authority to walk into the temple courts uninvited and begin teaching those who are there. What gives Him this authority?

So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’ (1 Kings 5:5)

Solomon built the temple to be God’s dwelling place; Herod made it even grander. When Jesus enters the temple courts to teach, He is walking into the house that was built for Him. It is His house.

Furthermore, Jesus is the King of Kings. Does a King have authority? Absolutely.

Do you allow Jesus to have authority over your life? If not, why not?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Verses 24-27

“I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?”

They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered, “We do not know.”

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Commentary

It’s interesting to note that Jesus gives an implicit answer. He doesn’t state it outright, but the answer to their question is fully contained in the question He asks.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” (Matthew 3:16-17)

Thus, by referring to John’s baptism, Jesus is telling the chief priests that His authority comes from God. However, Jesus knows that whatever answer He gives to their questions, they’re not going to accept it. So rather than answering them directly, He responds with a question of His own that exposes their hypocrisy and silences them.

Verses 28-32

But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing.

‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Commentary

Jesus then tells a story with the intent of illustrating his point about the disbelief of the scribes and Pharisees.

The first son who refused to work in the vineyard but later changed his mind represents every sinner who, at first, lived in rebellion against God but later came to faith and repentance. Meanwhile the other son represents the pharisees and Sadducees and to a greater extent Israel as a whole. For they said after leaving Egypt that they would follow God, but then they didn’t.

Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” (Exodus 19:7-8)

But they never did.

Verses 33-41

Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”

“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”

Commentary

In this parable, the landowner is God, the vineyard is the people of Israel (and, to a larger extent, the people of the world), the tenants are the Pharisees and Sadducees (or more broadly, the religious leaders of Israel), the servants are the Old Testament prophets, the son is Jesus Christ, and the other tenants are the Gentiles.

The landowner (God) has a vineyard (the people of Israel, and ultimately the people of the whole world). God desires that all people be saved.

This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3)

So He set apart a particular group of people to represent Him and to present His will to the nations.

Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine. And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:5-6)

God sent prophet after prophet, yet they were rejected and killed. Finally, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ; and as we are about to see in the final chapters of Matthew, they will kill Him as well.

This is reminiscent of the time when the prophet Nathan told King David a story about a rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb. Nathan described how the rich man, instead of taking from his own flock, took and slaughtered the beloved lamb of a poor man to feed a traveler. David became outraged at the injustice of the story, until Nathan revealed that the narrative was about David himself. “You are the man!” Nathan declared. (See 2 Samuel 12:1-7).

Jesus is telling this parable of the vineyard to the chief priests and elders of the people. They are the villains of the story. When asked what the owner of the vineyard should do, they declare that those wretches should be brought to a wretched end.

Verse 42

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Commentary

Jesus is quoting Psalm 118:22–23. The stone is Jesus, and the builders are the chief priests. Jesus Christ has become the cornerstone of our salvation.

Jesus said, “Have you never read in the Scriptures?” Reading from your Bible on a daily basis should be the most important thing you do each day. Familiarity with the Word of God is the strategy by which you can avoid sin and its terrible consequences.

Imagine this scenario: you are drafted into a war. At some point, you must cross a minefield. You’re getting ready to take your first steps into the minefield when suddenly, someone discovers a map showing the exact location of every mine. They hand the map to you. What would you do? You would study that map very carefully.

This is precisely the situation you face with your Bible study. Satan is seeking to kill you, and the Bible tells you exactly how to avoid his schemes. If you are not reading it daily, that is a sign you have not yet grasped the seriousness of the situation.

Clarification: The Bible is not a self-help book for successful living, nor was it written primarily as a manual for how to avoid sin. Rather, it is a book about Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the one who makes right living possible. We don’t read the Bible daily to seek out health, wealth and success. We read it to know and have a relationship with the God we love.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Verses 43-46

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them. Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

Commentary

Jesus is telling the chief priests and elders that the Kingdom of God will be taken from them and given to the Gentiles and they will produce its fruit.

“He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed” means that those who reject and oppose Jesus bring destruction upon themselves. Without repentance, their fate is hell.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

Commentary

The first word, “For,” denotes that this is a continuation of the narrative from the end of chapter 19, during which the disciples asked Jesus who can be saved and what there would be for them in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this parable, the landowner represents God, the day represents a lifetime, and the workers he found early in the morning represent Christian who came to faith early in life. The work being done in the vineyard represents the Great Commission; the sharing of the gospel and inviting others to come to faith. These workers agreed to what they would receive from the landowner, and they went to work.

Verses 3-5a

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

Commentary

The third hour represents the Lord bringing to faith individuals who are a bit older. Since the third hour is still early in the day, these workers represent Christians who may have come to faith in their mid to late twenties or early thirties. Like the first workers, they agreed to what they would receive from God and went to work.

Verse 5b

He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.

Commentary

By the ninth hour, the day is getting late. These workers might represent people coming to faith in their 50’s or 60’s, likely gray-haired individuals, perhaps even grandparents.

Verses 6-7

About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.

‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’

Commentary

It’s the eleventh hour and the day is essentially over. These workers represent people who come to faith in their 70’s, 80’s, perhaps even in their 90’s. The eleventh hour represents the waning years of someone’s life. Like the others, these people also go to the vineyard.

Verse 8-16

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’

The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.

On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’

But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Commentary

The day is over, representing the natural end of these Christians’ lives. They have all died. God then says to His angels, “Call the workers.”

The key to these verses is that the landowner instructed his foreman to line them up with those hired last at the front of the line and those hired first at the back. Had this not been done; if those hired first had received their pay and left; they would never have seen that those hired after them received the same as they did. In other words, they would have assumed they had earned what they were given and that those behind them earned less.

Instead, the landowner deliberately arranged the situation so that those hired first would see that those hired last received exactly the same reward. In doing so, he forced their awareness of the fact that what they were receiving was the result of his generosity, not something they had earned through hard work. God’s rewards are based on His grace, not human effort.

Verses 17-19

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.”

Commentary

Let’s look at what Jesus accurately predicted: 1) He would be delivered to the chief priests, 2) they would condemn Him to death, 3) they would deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and 4) on the third day, He would be raised to life. That was four events in Jesus’s future that He predicted with 100% accuracy.

There are many people today who think Jesus was just an ordinary man. But the reality is that Jesus is obviously not an average person. We’ve seen Him heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead. We’ve seen Him transfigured on a mountain, and now we see that Jesus is omniscient, (a quality belonging to God).

Verses 20-28

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.

“What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.”

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” the brothers answered.

“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Commentary

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. Given the timing, it is reasonable to think that the mother of James and John assumes Jesus is going there to establish His reign as King of Israel. On that assumption, she asks for her sons to be placed in positions of honor and authority in His kingdom. What she is actually doing, however, is causing division among the disciples.

Jesus responds, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” He is referring to the flogging, beating, and crucifixion He is about to endure. Still not understanding, James and John answer, “Yes.”

Then Jesus says something ominous; something that goes over their heads, just as everything else has so far. He says, “You will indeed drink My cup.” By this, Jesus is telling James and John that if they follow Him, they too will one day be beaten, tortured, and killed.

If their mother had understood what Jesus was saying, she likely would have told her sons to leave Jesus at once and come home immediately.

Recall that earlier Jesus accurately predicted His own death. Now, He is accurately predicting the deaths of these two men. Once again, this demonstrates that Jesus is no ordinary man; He is omniscient.

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ (Isaiah 46:9b-10)

When the other ten disciples heard about this mother’s request, they were indignant with the two brothers. In this instance, James and John’s mother caused division within the church. I’ve heard many stories of people who, like her, attempt to make requests or demands of their pastor and elders in order to advance themselves. Some treat their church membership like a perks program at a hotel, treating their tithes as payment for services rendered. They believe that generous giving entitles them to authority in the church.

Here’s a word of advice: God values humility and hates pride. When you find a good church with leaders who are filled with the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to go in with a humble heart; ready to sit, listen, and learn.

Jesus called the disciples aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

There it is, ladies and gentlemen: You must serve others. If you’ve been a Christian for many years, you may find that Sunday sermons sometimes offer you little, especially when the pastor teaches on the fundamentals of Christianity, such as repentance from dead works, faith in God, baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Your time in church may not always be for your benefit; often it is meant to serve those who are hearing these truths for the first time.

There are dozens of tasks that make a church service possible, and the pastor cannot do them all himself. From shoveling snow at the entrance to changing microphone batteries or pouring coffee for guests, every job is important. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and we are called to do the same.

Verses 29-34

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd admonished them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him.

Commentary

This event is recorded in Matthew 20, as well as in Mark 10 and Luke 18. Mark and Luke mention only one blind man, while Matthew mentions two. This, however, is not a contradiction, because one is a subset of two. For example, imagine I walk out of a store and see a quarter and a penny on the ground. I pick them both up and put them in my pocket. Then I turn to my wife and say, “I just found a quarter.” Is my statement true? Yes, I did find a quarter. I also found a penny, but I didn’t feel it was worth mentioning. This is exactly what is happening here. Mark even gives us the name of one of the blind men: Bartimaeus. This suggests that Bartimaeus was someone worth noting; perhaps a well-known person in the community, or perhaps he later became close friends with the disciples, and his friendship merited the mention of his name.

Matthew Chapter 19

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

Commentary

“When Jesus had finished saying these things” refers to the end of the previous chapter. He then left Galilee and went to Judea; this is self-explanatory. However, it’s a long distance. Jesus’s only modes of travel were on foot, by boat, or on one occasion, by donkey. Walking from Galilee to Judea likely took from sunrise to sunset.

The verses state that crowds followed Him. We can assume Jesus probably healed people along the way, but if some individuals followed Him all the way from Galilee to Judea, it shows their desperation and determination to get close to Him. We can spiritualize this by asking ourselves: how determined are we to draw near to Jesus? These people walked from morning ’til evening, yet we may be hesitant to drive fifteen minutes to church on a rainy Sunday.

Verse 3

Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

Commentary

The Pharisees continue to search for any opportunity to accuse Jesus. They search relentlessly, as if their greatest desire is to justify their rejection of the one person who is most clearly the Messiah.

Today is no different. There are individuals who search the Bible to find something (anything) with which they can accuse God, Jesus, or Christians of wrongdoing. When you approach the Bible, it should always be from a position of humility, prayer, and a desire to know God better. That is when God gives you understanding of the Scriptures. Otherwise, God can keep the Bible’s truths hidden from you, even if you read every word.

So the Pharisees ask, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” Again, they are not asking because they want to know the answer; they are looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. This is why the verse says they came to test Him.

Verse 4

Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

Commentary

Jesus answered, “Have you not read…?” Recall that when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4), on every occasion He responded with the Word of God to rebuttal and rebuke Satan. He is doing the same here with the Pharisees. “Have you not read” is Jesus’s reprimand for their failure to know the Scriptures. The Pharisees are supposed to be experts in the Law, yet they come to Jesus asking questions they should already know the answers to.

We too should know the Word of God well enough to rebuttal and rebuke any false doctrine, deceit or demonic influence. Furthermore, knowing the Word of God well is invaluable, because it contains most of the answers people are searching for.

It is worth noting that when you ask God a question in prayer and hear only silence (that is, when you ask God something and He doesn’t answer), many times it may be because the answer is already in the Bible.

The verse continues, “from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’” Jesus’s point here is that human beings were designed from the beginning to be couples, however, there are some exceptions which Jesus will speak about in this chapter).

Verses 5-6

and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Commentary

“For this reason” refers back to them being male and female; having been made to be couples. A man will leave his father and mother, in other words, he’s going to start his own family in the same way that his parents started theirs. He’s going to be united to his wife. So far; very simple concepts.

The two will become one flesh. The question mark at the end of this verse is the conclusion of Jesus asking “Have you not read?”. But what does “the two become one flesh” mean? Some have interpreted this to mean that a married couple is united in purpose, goals and partnership. To this I totally disagree because anyone can be united in purpose and goals. For example, your business partner, your bowling league, your fishing buddy, all can be united in purpose, goals and partnership. Therefore, becoming one flesh must mean something far greater.

Eve was created from Adam’s rib, so she was literally made from Adams own body part.
And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24)

Paul later writes;

The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:13b-17)

Marriage between a man and a woman represents the marriage between Christ and the church. See the following verses: Ephesians 5:25–27; Revelation 19:7–9; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Matthew 9:15; Matthew 22:1–14; Matthew 25:1–13; Hosea 2:19–20; Isaiah 62:5.

Therefore, anyone who divorces their spouse represents the church divorcing Christ. Likewise, anyone who cheats on their spouse represents the church cheating on Jesus; and that’s not a good look, to say the least.

This comparison of being united in marriage as being like our union with Christ is continued by Paul in the book of Ephesians. Paul writes:

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. For we are members of His body.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:15-33)

In these verses we see that the church submits to Jesus Christ and that Christ loves the church. He loved the church so much that He was willing to die in our place. By dying on the cross, Jesus sanctified the church so that we, the church, might be presented to Him without blemish.

All of this is represented in marriage. From the very first human beings, God intended marriage to represent what He would one day do for the church, for those who put their faith in Him. But verses 31 and 32 contain the essence of what we are looking for at this moment.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32)

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to abide within us. Thus, we, the church, are one with Christ, in that the Holy Spirit lives within us. Marriage represents this relationship between Christ and the church. In this way, the two becoming one flesh represents the marriage between Christ and the church: the two becoming one, Christ dying for us to make us pure, and we being filled with the Holy Spirit to become one with Him.

Therefore, any deviation from what God intended marriage to be, represents a departure from (a rejection of), what Christ has done for the church. Thus, sex before marriage, cohabitation without marriage, casual hookups, wedding ceremonies that exclude God, viewing marriage as merely a legal contract, prenuptial agreements, adultery, pornography, open marriages, gay marriage, gender fluidity and non-binary concepts of marriage, divorce, and no-fault divorce laws all represent departures from what God intended marriage to signify. As such, they reflect a rejection of what Christ did to redeem us.

This is why marriage should be taken very seriously, beginning with who you choose to marry. As Jesus stated, “What God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Verses 7-9

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart. But it was not this way from the beginning. Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Commentary

Moses allowed divorce because of the Israelites’ hard hearts. Today, anyone who initiates a divorce, does so either because of their own hard heart or their spouse’s infidelity.

If your spouse cheats on you, you may divorce. Otherwise, it is better to work out your problems.

There are some people who incorrectly believe that if their spouse divorces them, they must spend the rest of their life alone and lonely. But let’s look at what it says in 1st Corinthians,

if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. (1 Corinthians 7:15)

Verses 10-11

His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.” “Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given.

Commentary

Notice that Jesus is agreeing with them. Yes, it is better for a person not to marry; however, Jesus says that this applies only to those to whom it has been given not to marry. If you have any desire at all to be in a romantic relationship, to date, fall in love and someday marry, you are not among those to whom lifelong singleness has been given.

But why did Jesus say this? Why is it better not to marry?

The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord. But the married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife, and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband. (1 Corinthians 7:32b-34)

Verse 12

For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

Commentary

Jesus is describing those to whom it has been given to remain single. The one who is able to accept singleness should accept it. But again, if you have any desire at all not to be single, you are not among those to whom singleness has been given.

Verses 13-15

Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.

Commentary

The disciples viewed their activities with Jesus as “adult” matters and wanted to send the children away. This, despite Jesus having said to them earlier, “Whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me” (Matthew 18:5). Jesus then takes this opportunity to tell those around Him that “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Verses 16-22

Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”

“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

Commentary

A man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” The question itself reveals a faulty assumption: that entrance into heaven can be earned through good deeds. This is an error.

Two thousand years later, not much has changed. Most people, when asked how a person gets into heaven, will respond, “By being a good person.”

Jesus is setting up this conversation to reveal the rich young man’s shortcoming and to give him the true answer regarding the path to eternal life.

“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good…”

Jesus is giving a big hint. By saying, “There is only One who is good,” He’s revealing that this rich young man is not that one. Jesus is showing him that he doesn’t have within himself what it takes to obtain eternal life; because he’s not a good person. None of us are.

Jesus says, “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” Jesus knows this is an incomplete answer, but He’s steering the conversation.

“Which ones?” the man asked. He’s still thinking he can become righteous enough to walk himself into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus proceeds to list a few of the Ten Commandments. “All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”

(Set-up complete. Now for the slam dunk.)

Jesus then says to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Now let’s examine carefully what Jesus just said. “If you want to be perfect”; in other words, Jesus is stating that to get into heaven one must be perfect. That’s a very high bar, which no one can reach on their own. What makes us perfect in God’s eyes? Jesus!

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Remember the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13? This young man’s seed fell among the thorns, and the deceitfulness of wealth choked the word, making it unfruitful. Jesus wants this rich young man to shake off the thing that hinders him: his wealth. When we put our trust in money rather than Jesus, we have been deceived.

Notice that giving to the poor doesn’t earn this man his salvation; it only gives him treasures in heaven. (Again, treasures in heaven are the eternal friendships we will have with those we helped lead to Christ. A person can use their worldly wealth to acquire material possessions that are ultimately auctioned off to others when he dies, or he can use his wealth to fund and spread the gospel so that many people come to know Jesus as their Savior and are saved. Once in heaven, those same people will have eternal relationships (eternal friendships) with the one who helped lead them to Christ. Friendships are a valuable treasure.

Jesus then concludes his statement: “Then come, follow Me.” Following Jesus is the key to our entrance into heaven.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

Jesus recognizes that this rich young man places his trust in his money rather than in God. That’s why Jesus challenges him to sell everything and give it to the poor.

In the United States, most people rely on their money rather than on Jesus. Here’s an example: You have $1,000 in your checking account. You’re driving in your car and find yourself getting hungry. You know that at the next intersection is your favorite takeout restaurant. What do you do? Perhaps without giving it any thought, you pull into the restaurant, walk in, place an order for carry-out, receive your food, get back in the car and continue on your journey home; never once pausing to give thanks, or acknowledgement to how God provides for you. That is an example of relying on your money rather than on God. Simply paying for the things you need without giving it any thought demonstrates your reliance on your money instead of recognizing God’s provision.

Oh, and by the way, if you live and work in the United States, I can almost guarantee that you have more wealth than the rich young ruler had in these Bible verses we’re examining.

Is it necessary that each of us sell all our possessions? Again, salvation is not earned. We don’t get into heaven by having possessions, nor do we get into heaven by selling them. While I would encourage you to have a minimalist attitude toward material possessions, the point is not that you have no possessions. Rather, the point is your attitude toward your money and possessions. Do not be deceived by wealth. Do not put your trust and reliance in your bank accounts and investments. Get rid of the things in your life that prevent you from following Jesus. Get rid of the things in your life that distract you from Him.

I once met a rich man who said Christianity was a crutch. He believed that his wealth negated his need for Jesus. But that attitude will only get him about 80 years down the road, at which point he will discover that the bridge is out and his money cannot build it back.

When the young man heard Jesus’s instruction to sell his possessions and follow Him, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

Every sermon I’ve ever heard about this rich young man assumed that when he went away sorrowful, he was rejecting Jesus’s instruction. I completely disagree. Each time a pastor concludes that he chose his wealth over Jesus, I have to shake my head. Here’s why:

All throughout the Bible, there are individuals who received instructions from God that they didn’t like and didn’t want to do.

Moses didn’t want the job of freeing the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and begged God to send someone else.

Jonah flat out refused God’s instruction to go to Nineveh.

Jeremiah didn’t want the calling God gave him.

Ananias didn’t want to go visit Paul as God had instructed.

Peter; when he said “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” was objecting to God’s instructions.

And Jesus Himself, asked that the cup might pass from him.

Notice that the rich young ruler didn’t go away indignant. He didn’t go away in protest. He didn’t go away angry. He went away in sorrow. What made him sorrowful? He was picturing in his mind how uncomfortable and difficult it would be to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. He was fully aware that what he was being asked to do would require a very great sacrifice.

This is the case with us today as well. Not everything Jesus tells us to do will be convenient and comfortable. Not everything He asks of us will be received with joy. Sometimes we find ourselves saying, “Wait a minute Lord,… You want me to do what!?”

God’s will for our lives is not always going to be joyous and easy. Many times He will ask us to do things that require us to trust Him with our very lives. Sometimes the things Jesus asks us to do will make us feel apprehensive, discouraged, and at times, even afraid.

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

There will be times in your Christian walk when following Jesus is uncomfortable, painful, and, in some cases, even dangerous. But even in our sadness, discouragement, or fear, we are called to walk in faith and obey regardless. This, I believe, is what the rich young ruler did. The fact that he was sorrowful about giving up his possessions shows that he understood the magnitude of the sacrifice required to follow Jesus. I believe he went away and did exactly what Jesus commanded.

Verses 23-24

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Commentary

At first glance, this appears to be a contradiction. Jesus says it’s hard for a rich man to enter heaven, then immediately says it’s impossible. “Hard” means difficult, whereas “impossible” means it can’t be done; a camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle.

[Side note: This author holds that there is no historical or archaeological evidence for a small gate in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus Christ called “the eye of the needle.”]

However, I don’t think Jesus is making a contradiction with these two statements. Rather, I think he’s escalating the emphasis. When he says “again I tell you,” he is repeating himself for emphasis. Jesus is saying that it’s easier for a camel to pass through a sewing needle than for a rich man to enter heaven; that it’s totally impossible for a rich man to enter heaven on his own.

But what does this impossibility mean? It’s not suggesting that your bank balance determines your eternal destiny, as though $1,000 will condemn you but $999 is acceptable. What Jesus is saying is that it is impossible for a rich person’s money to purchase entrance into heaven. There is no ticket to buy. As Curtis Mayfield sang in 1965, “You don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord.”

A person is only saved through faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot put your reliance, trust, or faith in your money; something wealthy people are prone to do.

And let me also say: if you make $38,000 a year or more, you are one of the richest people in the world. Most Americans define wealth as being in the millions or billions of dollars. But the type of “rich” that Jesus is talking about requires us Americans to compare ourselves to the other 8 billion people in the world. 50% of the human population earns less than $10,000 per year.

When you and I have plenty of money in our bank accounts, it’s very easy to spend less time thinking about God because we rely on our money rather than on Him. Make a habit of giving thanks for everything you purchase and/or sell.

In a previous commentary, I told the story of nearly running out of gas on a 14-mile stretch of highway. When I realized the gas gauge was below “E,” I prayed the whole way that God would prevent me from running out of gas. But on all other occasions when I’ve driven the same stretch of road with plenty of gas in the tank, I didn’t give a single thought to God’s provision. This is an example of relying upon money.

Make the habit of relying solely upon Jesus and not upon your money. When you have financial abundance and all your bills are paid, give thanks to God.

Verses 25-26

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Commentary

This verse is pivotal to the entirety of Christianity. For man (i.e. for people), it is absolutely impossible for you to save yourself. There is no amount of good deeds that can bring about your salvation. I want to emphasize that again in all capital letters: IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way to enter the kingdom of heaven merely by being a good person. Salvation is not earned through good deeds or right living.

There are many Christians who think that attending church every Sunday or participating in a Bible study makes God like them more than those who don’t do these activities. Others assume that by volunteering, helping the needy, feeding the poor, or caring for the elderly, they are earning God’s favor. That is a false doctrine, because God’s favor cannot be earned. Jesus tells us plainly, it is impossible.

How, then, do you enter the kingdom of heaven? Only with God is it possible. God alone opens the pathway into heaven, and that pathway is His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the remission of your sins. He is the One in whom you must place your faith.

Everything else we do as Christians flows out of our love for Jesus Christ and our desire for others to follow Him as well. Growing closer to God is not the same as earning more of God’s love. Rather, after putting our faith in Christ, we go to church, read the Bible, pray, attend Bible studies, and fellowship with other believers because we desire a deeper understanding of God’s will for our lives. From there, we love and serve our neighbors so that they, too, may come to know Christ.

Verses 27-29

“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Commentary

This is an end-times prophecy. At that time, the disciples; Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; will sit as judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.

Everyone who has made sacrifices in order to follow Jesus will receive back a hundredfold what they gave up, as well as eternal life.

Verse 30

But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Commentary

Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30 all mention the last being first and the first being last.

The sentence here in verse 30 is only 14 words. It’s something that is easy to breeze by with hardly a notice, yet it’s one of the most troubling verses in the entire Bible.

You and I have only our physical senses by which we draw conclusions about the people around us. We can hear what they say and see what they do, but that is more or less the extent of our ability to discern a person’s sincerity. God, on the other hand, can see into the human heart. When Jesus says, “many who are first will be last,” He is referring to the reversal of expectations we will experience.

When our lives have ended and we stand before God, we are going to be shocked to see who is being turned away from entering heaven. There will be many pastors, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, mentors, missionaries, disciplers, counselors, worship leaders, church planters, church administrators, and those who faithfully tithed who are turned away from heaven and sent to hell. In this world, they appeared as though they would be the first to enter heaven, but Jesus is saying they’re the last. On the outside, they appeared to be “super-duper” Christians, but they never actually put their faith in Jesus Christ.

That is by no means a condemnation of all church leaders everywhere. Jesus specifically used the word “many,” not the word “all.”

Jesus then says, “and the last will be first.” At the same time that we are seeing those we expected to be first being turned away from heaven, we will also see people who were repeat DUI offenders, people who were strung out on fentanyl or meth, prostitutes, men who were hooked on pornography, people who were deep in gambling debt, fraudsters who ran phone and internet scams, identity thieves, shoplifters, cartel members, people with violent records, domestic abusers, deadbeat dads, those who had rage issues, internet trolls, corrupt politicians, and those who scammed the elderly out of their retirement money strolling into heaven and into the presence of Jesus Christ to receive eternal life.

“What??? Why??? That doesn’t make any sense!!!”

The Bible says:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

But that same verse continues: And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

The point Jesus is making here in Matthew 19:30 is that salvation is not by works. Good works don’t get us into heaven, and bad works don’t keep us out of heaven. It is by faith through grace that we can enter into eternal life.

But let me clarify to the reader that one cannot claim to have faith while living a life of violent crime, drug use, and gambling. One cannot claim to be a follower of Christ while walking in sin (those are the first who will be last). Rather, it is to say that the drug cartel member who is shot in Juárez, Mexico, while trying to steal drug money from a rival cartel, lying in the street and dying, looks up to the sky and, with a sincere heart, says, “Jesus, save me.” That person will be ushered into the kingdom of heaven.

Meanwhile, there is a grandma who bakes apple pies for her grandchildren. She takes them to church every Sunday, and she herself hasn’t missed a Sunday service in over twenty years. When she passes away at age 90, she arrives at the gates of heaven and is told to stand aside while the drug cartel gang member is ushered into eternal life. She, on the other hand, is told, “I never knew you; depart from me,” and is sent into hell.

All this happens because one had sincere faith (even if it wasn’t until he lay dying from a gunshot wound). The other, though she appeared righteous on the outside, always considered herself a good person and thought that her own good deeds and good living would be enough to earn her place in heaven. She was wrong. She never put her faith in Jesus. Instead, she put her faith in herself.

Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.