Notes On Matthew 21-28
Ch.21
2. As heralds going ahead of a king, these two disciples will obediently do as instructed; Just as John the Baptist - Malachi 3:1, Luke 7:26-27 -
But: see Matthew 24:45-51 (& Matthew 23)
3. The Lord has prepared his heralds (his disciples) - but he has also prepared those who will listen to them...who are prepared and ready for the king. We will never know who owned the donkey and her foal...But we do know that they were waiting and preparing for Malachi 3:1; and in doing so, they have profoundly fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. This person obeyed the heralds - but their own servitude, faith and obedience will go unheralded in this life.
5. Donkeys and mules were traditionally used by kings during periods of peace. Messiah’s first coming was neither on mule or donkey, but on a donkey’s foal...the ultimate expression of humility and meekness...like a lamb to the slaughter...to bring the ultimate expression of peace - not to the earth (Matt10:34-36)... but peace between God and man(Luke2:14)... peace to the soul.
His second coming will NOT be so.
Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. (See Isaiah 63:1-4; John1:1) 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
8-11. This is a pivotal moment; one anticipated by Israel for hundreds of years. Read Psalm 118:25-26
However, if they are looking for and expecting a ruler who will strike down the Romans and overturn the ruling authorities, they are about to be disappointed.
They are likely thinking about Psalm 118:10-13; what they are neglecting is the latter part of vs. 27: Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
This Sacrifice is Jesus!
They have been waiting for Daniel 9:25 - but everyone has missed Daniel 9:26
12-14. Here is the perfect combination of judgement (over the desecration of the Temple) and mercy (for the lame and blind; whose problems, Jesus knows are not fundamentally physical, but spiritual: See John 9:39-41)
Here is the true nature and character of the Lord.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Isaiah 35:5 (here is a foreshadowing of this scripture)
15-16. Psalm 41:1-4
For, the Messiah didn’t come for those who saw themselves as healthy...He came for those who knew they were sick - not just in body, but in soul: Matthew 9:9-13; John 9:34-41
He came for those who knew their need of God...who knew their need of Him! Matthew 5:3-6
See: 1Corinthians 1:20-31 & Matthew 19:13-15
19. Immediately after the incident in the Temple and the complaints of the Jewish leaders, Jesus curses a fig tree.
The symbolism of the fig tree:
Luke 13:1-9
Jeremiah 24:1-10,
Hosea 9:10
The fig tree, representing the nation of Israel, its Temple and its sacrificial system, is failing to produce - not only good fruit - but any fruit at all! Read
Matthew 21:43
Matthew 23
Matthew 24:32-35
Because it is time for the institution of a New Covenant, where a perfect sacrifice will be offered once, for all time, for everyone...and where the Law will be re-written; not in tablets of stone, but in the hearts of people.
Once the New Covenant comes, the Old will become null and void forever. Hebrews 10:1-22
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29). This monumental mountain (the sins of the world) will not only be moved, but utterly cast into the sea, through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus!
What must we do to produce good fruit? What does it look like? Matthew 3:8-10, Luke 3:8-9
21-22. Jesus then goes on to explain to them, that through Him...through faith in his Name (Salvation) and his sacrifice...not only will their prayers be answered, but he will work his good, pleasing and perfect will through them; because his will...his Law...is now written on their hearts.
This is how they will be able to “move mountains” in his Name.
...and how they (and also we) are able to “curse”...to put to death...the dead works of the flesh. Romans 8:13-14
This is the beginning of a New Covenant - open and available to all who believe: Old things are passing away; the new is coming! 2Corinthians 5:15-17
23-32. These chief priests and elders have already made up their minds about Jesus - and Jesus perfectly knows this. He knows the hardness of their hearts and their willful unbelief. This is why he takes this challenge back to the grassroots; not of his ministry - but the one who came before him, to prepare the Way for him: John the Baptist (See Matthew 11:7-15)
John the Baptist came, to prepare the hearts of the people to receive the Lord...the Messiah: But, if they did not recognize or listen to the herald, they will not be able to receive the King!
This is borne out by Jesus’s words to them in vs.31-32 “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into 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 the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him”
This parable, of vs.28-30 is a classic example of what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 15:7-9, 23:3 Just like the second son in this parable, they deal with their father deceitfully: They say what sounds like the right thing - but then turn around and do the opposite!
vs.26 “But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
See Proverbs 9:10, 29:25 - what a tragic state of affairs: These people are the so-called “shepherds” of Israel - and as the shepherds go, so go the sheep - Matthew 15:12-14
But the LORD: the Chief Shepherd, has come for his own, right on time, and at exactly right time! John 10:1-6, 11-18, 24-30 - and Romans 5:6
See also Matthew 10:24-28: Jesus’s assurance: As he, the Shepherd goes, so we (his sheep) will also follow; but His Way, will lead to Life everlasting. Psalm 23, John 14:6
33-44. Isaiah 5:1-7 ESV
Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. ...
Vs. 34-36 - read:
Matthew 23
34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
38 See, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Vs.37-39
Refer back to Matthew 22:42-45
Where Jesus asks a peculiar question:
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
Jesus is using the Scriptures to slowly and deliberately lift the veil:
He is the Stone the builders will reject; He is the Master’s Son - murdered by the tenants...
We know the Jewish leaders are aware of this: In the Gospel of John, these very plans were being put into place before Jesus had even entered into Jerusalem. See John 11:45-53 (John 12:12-15)
Vs.40-41
Refer back to Jesus’s warning through the cursing of the fig tree: Everything - the temple, the altar, the sacrificial system - everything will - like the fig tree without figs - be brought to nothing, in favor of the New and far better Way to Salvation; which Jesus himself will provide through his Sacrifice on the Cross.
And when we study history and the events of AD70, we realize what a truly “miserable death” will be brought to those who will persistently rebel against the Lord , through holding on to the Old System and not receiving One, Perfect, True Sacrifice of the New.
Vs.43
How are these “people who will produce its fruits”?
“in Jerusalem and in all Judea” See Acts 1, Acts 2,
“in Samaria” see Acts 8
“and to the end of the earth.” See Acts 10
Vs.44 (a) “And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces;”...
See Acts 2:37-39
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
vs.44(b) “and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
See Revelation 6:12-17 &!Luke 23:28-31
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
Ch.22
4-6.Continuing the theme recognizing the Messiah:
When we love this world and what it offers, we cannot love or look forward to the next one; when we are lovers of pleasure, we cannot be lovers of God.
These people were not look for a Messiah who didn’t look like them!
...so much so, that they stoned and killed those sent to them by God (the prophets) - and will shortly kill the Messiah Himself.
See Matthew 21:18-19, with note and Mark 11:12-14
8-10. Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple with its system, the invitation to the Kingdom of God, will extend beyond Jerusalem:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
See Acts 8:1-8, 26-40; Acts 10
11-14. Examples
John 13:21-30; Acts 8:9-24; 1John 2:18-19; Matthew 7:13-27
And: Matthew 25:1-13
16. “The compliment, besides being treacherous, was insulting, implying that Jesus was a reckless simpleton who would give Himself away, and a vain man who could be flattered.” (Bruce)
17. This particular tax was the poll tax. “Paying the poll tax was the most obvious sign of submission to Rome… Zealots claimed the poll tax was a God-dishonoring badge of slavery to the pagans.” (Carson)
So however Jesus answers, there would be trouble; with either the Roman authorities or the Jewish Zealot sect.
18. Trying to fool the Son of God will never end well. And yet, they persist! This shows their lack of knowledge and fear of the Lord. See John 2:23-25
Either they do not recognize him, and are acting in ignorance; or they actually do recognize him, but have no fear or reverence!
“Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?” See Deuteronomy 6:16 (Matthew 4:7)
21-22. See 1Peter 2:17
Because we belong to God and his Kingdom; but while we live in this world, we must do so, righteously.
This is honoring God before men.
The Jews grumbled about the debt of too many taxes: They did not yet realize the enormity of the debt they owed to God; that Jesus was about to pay in full. When we consider this, it makes the debts we pay in this world seem very small and insignificant.
Jesus is showing the Jews that he at present, belongs to two kingdoms (Heaven and Earth) and is able to function freely, effectively - and righteously - in both: They will marvel at him because of this.
Every Christian has a double citizenship. He is a citizen of the country in which he happens to live. To it he owes many things. He owes the safety against lawless men which only a settled government can give; he owes all public services.” (Barclay)
28. From Deuteronomy 25:5-10
This question is hypothetical- and also ridiculous...with a hint of sarcasm towards the Pharisees added to the mix. The belief in a resurrection gel by the Pharisees, was also the general belief among the Jews at that. However, the Sadducees although few in number, but were the wealthy, ruling class.
Are they trying to trap Jesus, or humiliate the Pharisees - or both?
In the next verse, Jesus will clear this up instantly:
“You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures (that clearly point towards a resurrection) nor the power of God.” (Who is able to raise the dead)
30-32. Now Jesus takes things even further - beyond the realm of human thinking - of those who think they are wise.
Because the laws laid down in this life...and the endless debates that accompany them...will be of no consequence in the Kingdom of Heaven. E.g:
There is no marriage - because: Isaiah 54:5; Matthew 25 , Mark 2:18-20; John 3:29; 2Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 19:7-9, 21:2, 9-22:5
Here is one of the profound mysteries of God: The mystery of Messiah and his Church. (Ephesians 5:31-32)
We will never truly understand this mystery in this life with our carnal minds - as the Apostle John later writes:
“what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. See 1John 3:1-2
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” What a sad existence these Sadducees must live. If God is only the God of the dead, then what kind of God is he?...And what hope could we possibly have in believing on him?
As Paul so eloquently writes:
“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Read 1Corinthians 15:12-28
37-40. The original Ten Commandments can virtually be split between these two: Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18; they either fall into one or the other, and whoever is able to keep these two Commandments, has succeeded in keeping all the original Ten.
The problem is, that not one person born of Adam’s sinful line (which basically means the entire human race) is able to fully and completely keep these two Commandments, from the heart - and it is the heart that God looks at. 1Samuel 16:7
- no one, that is, until now: Jesus Christ...the Word of God become flesh (John 1:14), the spotless Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29-34)...the only Begotten Son of the Father (John 3:16-18)...the Son of David, and of God...fully man, yet fully God, will perfectly and completely fulfill the ENTIRE Law - and take the full punishment for our continued breaking of it - for every man - since time began.
Only God could do this...
This title “The Son of David”, comes from the covenant God made with David in 2Samuel 7:12-13
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
But, this “Kingdom” is not of this world - as doubtless, many people were imagining. And this “Son of David” is likewise, not whom people are imagining: He is not of this world.
And this is why the teachers of the Law cannot answer when Jesus asks them the next question:
“How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
And this same question can be put before us: How can a person’s “son” be at the same time, his Lord?
The answer is here, in the writings of the Apostle Paul:
“...concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Romans 1:1-4
And also here:
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. Luke 1:30-35
And here:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3,14
Again, the profound mystery of God - beyond the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and indeed, all of us: Because He is God - and we are not.
46. No one dared to ask him any more, because the coming of the Christ was the foundation of Judaism at that time: Jesus has just blown a great big hole - not in the foundation - but in their interpretation of it.
“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
4. See 1Kings 12:4
This is not the Way to represent the Lord and to lead his people: In contrast, see the words of Jesus, the true shepherd of Israel in Matthew 11:28-30
5-7. See Matthew 6:1-18; Jesus’s long discourse to the Jewish people back on the mountain, is concluded here.
Back I n Matthew 6, Jesus compassionately teaches the Truth of God, to his people, who up until that moment, have been blind beggars led by blind guides (Matthew 15:14), and sheep without a shepherd(Matthew 9:36): Now, Jesus confronts the very ones who are responsible for keeping them in this blindness: These “shepherds of Israel”, responsible for looking out for the sheep, are looking out only for themselves.
Ezekiel 34:1-10
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: 'Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. (See also Psalm 95:7-11& John 10:12-13)
8-10. Here is the Day of reckoning, for Israel’s leaders. See Matthew 21:33-43 (also Matthew 24:45-51)
The “teachers of the Law”...the “shepherds of Israel” are, with great pride and hypocrisy, abusing the authority given them by the Lord, without any fear of Him or regard for His people...so much so, that they are willfully refusing to recognize Him, now he has come! - and will do to him all that has been written (see Matthew 21:38 & Matthew 17:12)
11-12. Continuing in Matthew 21:44
“And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Read Matthew 20:20-28
“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
(This is why the Pharisees gave themselves titles and insisted on special privileges)
26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,
28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Refer back to the parable of before: Matthew 21:38-39 - this is exactly what they will do to Jesus: What they do not realize is that this “Sacrifice” is at the very heart of God’s plan of Salvation.
Matthew 17:10-13; John 10:17-18
13. Why would Jesus say this?
Because the Teachers of the Law are supposed to be teaching the people...leading them into all Truth; But instead they are leading down a pit of lies. Their pride, because of their position, has blinded them to the True Light of Christ, who has come. They don’t want a “carpenter’s son from Nazareth” to rule over them. Their desire is to rule themselves, which makes any “Messiah” who would not honor them and acknowledge their “pious” positions, a threat!
Read Matthew 15:10-14 -
They would rather all of them, fall into a pit, than acknowledge a Messiah who does not acknowledge them! How tragic!
See also, note on John 10:3
15. So all of their works...all of their “traveling” is in vain, if the Gospel they carry to their recipients is the wrong one. Possessing wrong doctrine is bad enough; spreading that wrong doctrine to others, is one hundred times worse! Compare this to Paul’s earnest endeavors to preach the true Gospel: His suffering was not in vain. 2Corinthians 11:21-29
16. Out of obedience to God’s Word they refused to swear by the name of God (as commanded in Exodus 20:7). Yet they constructed an elaborate system of oaths, some of which were binding and some were not. It was a way of making a promise while keeping fingers crossed behind one’s back Enduring Word Commentary
17. See John 2:19-22
We know the Temple in Jerusalem was pointing towards Jesus Christ and his Sacrifice: It was the place where God and His Creation could meet and commune together.
When the lusts of the eyes - gold - holds more value than the Lord...His fellowship...His Sacrifice - this is now exposing a huge, gaping wound within the very heart of God’s people. Jeremiah 30:12
“which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?”
Which “God” are they serving?...Who are they bowing down to and following? I it the Lord God of Heaven - or the god of this world?
19. The altar - the place where the offerings for sin were sacrificed - is pointing towards the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, on the Cross. Everything sacrificed upon that altar, became sacred; Just as when we lay our old lives down on the cross, we too, become sacred and holy, belonging solely unto Him. Romans 12:1; Galatians 2:18-20; Colossians 3:3
20-22. Jesus now warns them: There will no longer be any excuse - no more get-out clauses: The all-seeing, all-hearing, all-knowing God, will take every oath as binding, and will hold ALL to account before Him, who have made them. Whether flippancy, or just plane arrogance, this has become as serious a matter as taking the Name of the Lord in vain.
23-28. The downfall comes when men focus on the size and quality of their offerings; thus forgetting what was the reason for the offering in the first place: the forgiveness of their sin! Thus, instead of receiving forgiveness, they add to their sins, pride and self righteousness; and their offering becomes void.
See note on Leviticus 5:11-13 - The offering of the poorest of the poor:
This was the most holy part of the LORD’S food offerings (Leviticus 2:3); to be eaten by the priests - but is now also being offered as a sin offering, by the very poorest of the poor.
For those who would question this, I believe the Lord would have one answer:
“Do not look at the size or quantity of the offering.
For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1Samuel 16:7 (paraphrased)
See also: Luke 21:1-4
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
23. This is all an outward show of piety for the people, but does NOTHING to help the people - which is at the heart of the Law. These outward displays are easy to put on. What is not so easy are the “weightier matters” which Jesus confronts them with: justice and mercy and faithfulness; requiring compassion, humility and a fear of God that these Pharisees clearly don’t have. See Micah 6:8
24-28. This is a humorous picture which must have raised a laugh, of a man carefully straining his wine through gauze to avoid swallowing a microscopic insect and yet cheerfully swallowing a camel. It is the picture of a man who has completely lost his sense of proportion.” (Barclay)
All their effort and concentration seems to be centered on appearing “holy” in the sight of the people. And in doing this, they are neglecting the far weightier matter of doing what is pleasing to the Lord.
Outward effort and appearances have no effect on what really matters: the human soul. See Matthew 15:1-11 (1Samuel 16:7 )
This will be enforced by what Jesus says to them in the next few verses:
25 “you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
27 “For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.”
The reference to tombs and bones is a serious one: Their outward efforts to appear righteous before the people - without a care as to how they appear before God - will end in Death; Indeed, they are already dead inside (not recognizing the One who brings Life) and they do not realize it.
28 “So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
So, in neglecting these weightier matters of the Law, the hearts of these “teachers of the Law - who claim to follow the Law - are described by Jesus as being “full of lawlessness”.
“11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude 1:11-13
“White washed tombs”: White washing does not remove what is beneath; it merely covers it. White washing a tomb (a place of the dead) is as futile as Adam and Eve sowing fig leaves together, to cover the stain of death that was now upon them.
Only the Lord can remove this stain - from the inside - but, as we shall see in vs.37-39, they are not willing.
Matthew 13:15
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
30. This is almost the equivalent to us saying if we had been one of Jesus’s followers, we would not have abandoned the Lord in his greatest hour of need; or, if we had been a part of that crowd, we would not have stood by and watched them crucify him.
Thinking like this is prideful and presumptive. The Truth is, that Jesus Christ died for ALL of us - because we have ALL sinned - and therefore, we ALL crucified the Lord of glory, and we ALL are in dire need of mercy and forgiveness.
The biggest problem the Pharisees and teachers of the Law are facing here, is that they do not, and will not, recognize that they are sinners...and the descendants of sinners; as capable of murdering the prophets as their ancestors were:
And they will shortly prove this to be true, in the worst way possible. They will murder Jesus the Messiah! Matthew 21:36-40
32. This is one of the most terrible sentences that ever fell from Christ’s lips. It is like his message to Judas, ‘That thou doest, do quickly’…This crowning sin would fill up the measure of their fathers’ guilt and bring down upon them the righteous judgment of God.” (Spurgeon)
Because, there are only two judgments: The judgment Christ has taken for our sins, or the judgment we will take for them;
There are only two deaths (see Revelation 20:4-6);
There are only to ways to go: the Way of Life, through the forgiveness of sins, or the way to Death, through unrepentance. So far, it seems that these Pharisees have chosen the latter. But...see Acts 6:7. Jesus would not have rebuked them so soundly before the people, had there not been hope for them. “how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” He will provide the means of escape - for all who are willing.
Jesus’s public rebuke also serves as a warning to the people: Revelation 18:4-5.
34-36. See Matthew 21:33-36
“And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.” - We should know at this point, how this parable ends - and who it is pointing towards.
Now is the time of reckoning:
“When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Matthew 21:40-41
“so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth,”
Again, the Day of reckoning has now come - and it is deathly serious!
“...from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.”
Abel’s blood: see Genesis 4:10 Zechariah’s blood: see 2 Chronicles 24:22.
36 “Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Again, this will either fall on their heads - or upon Jesus the Messiah, if they repent.
35. There is a problem with the description of Zechariah as the son of Berechiah, because the 2 Chronicles text describes him as the son of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:20). Clarke summarizes the best resolutions to this problem. First, that double names were frequent among the Jews (1 Samuel 9:1 and 1 Chronicles 8:33; Matthew 9:9 and Mark 2:14, and other examples as well). Second, that the names Jehoiada and Berechiah have much the same meaning: the praise or blessing of Jehovah.
From Enduring Word Commentary
37. The image of a hen (Greek is simply ‘bird’) protecting its young is used in the Old Testament for God’s protection of his people (Psalm 17:8; 91:4; Isaiah 31:5; etc.).” (France)
How often has the Lord “visited” his people and appealed to them:
First, through his prophets (Matthew 21:34-36)
And then, in person, through his Son (Matthew 21:37)
See John 1:10-11, 14-18
“We hold tenaciously that salvation is all of grace, but we also believe with equal firmness that the ruin of man is entirely the result of his own sin. It is the will of God that saves; it is the will of man that damns.” (Spurgeon)
38. See Ezekiel 10:18-19
“Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Here is a foreshadowing:
For, after the Sacrifice of Messiah...after His Death and Resurrection, comes the New Covenant in His Blood, where the Spirit of the Lord will come down to dwell...not in temples built by men (Acts 17:24) - but will come to abide...to make his dwelling...in the regenerated soul of every believer!
As for the temple made with human hands: in AD70, following a two year siege, God’s judgment will fall upon it swiftly.
39. Psalm 118
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
{This festal sacrifice is Jesus the Messiah...and this Psalm is describing to us, a time when - after the fullness of the Gentiles have come in (Romans 11:25) the Lord will turn his attention back to his wayward people Israel, delivering them from the clutches of the Anti-Christ, in a spectacular unveiling.}
Read Psalm 118 & note.
“And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
“and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”” Romans 11:26
See also Zechariah 14:4-11 (Revelation 19:11-16; Matthew 24 )
“Till after the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in, when the word of life shall again be sent unto you; then will ye rejoice, and bless, and praise him that cometh in the name of the Lord, with full and final salvation for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Clarke)
Ezekiel 10:18-19
That is, until...”you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23:39
When will this be, and what will it look like?
Revelation 19:11-16
2. Jesus is following on directly from where he left off, in the Temple: “your house is left to you desolate.”
He not only declares desolation on the Temple, but goes on to declare its absolute ruin.
“Titus (it is said) would have preserved the temple, as one of the world’s wonders, from being burnt, but could not; such was the fury of his soldiers, set a-work by God doubtless.” (Trapp)
ii. It is said that at the fall of Jerusalem, the last surviving Jews of the city fled to the temple, because it was the strongest and most secure building in the city. Roman soldiers surrounded it, and one drunken soldier started a fire that soon engulfed the whole building. Ornate gold detail work in the roof melted down in the cracks between the stone walls of the temple, and to retrieve the gold, the Roman commander ordered that the temple be dismantled stone by stone. The destruction was so complete that today they have true difficulty learning exactly where the foundation of the temple was.
Enduring Word Commentary
iii. “Josephus says the stones were white and strong; fifty feet long, twenty-four broad, and sixteen thick. Antiq. b. 15. c. xi.” (Clarke)
5. Sign #1
See that no one leads you astray: This has been taking place since the birth of the Church. The danger of deception is right at the top of Jesus’s list - and with good reason.
6-7. Sign #2
This is happening now. We must be careful to heed Jesus’s words:
1. Not to be alarmed
2. The end is not yet (thus is just the beginning of the end)
We are now seeing this more and more. The earth itself is beginning to groan, because of the iniquity upon it. Romans 8:19-23 - longing for its “sabbath rest”
9. Sign #4
Is this is talking specifically about the Jews - or (more likely) about them - as followers of Jesus; and “those (of us) who will believe through their testimony (John 17:20)
We know that in every nation where the Gospel has been heard, this is now happening. And we are instructed to remain faithful in this time of trial. John 15:20-21, 16:33, Revelation 2:8-11
10. Sign #5
2Timothy 3:1-5, tells us one reason why people fall away - and also 2Timothy 4:10 “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”
We read another example in 1John 2:15-19 of this exact same thing: People who start out with Christ, but are tempted away, because of a love for this world. See Luke 8:4-15. These are not people who never believed. (Luke 8:12) The real tragedy here, is that these people did once believe...and walk with Jesus - but fell away: See Luke 8:13-14.
This will be the ultimate test Matthew 5:10-11
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 6:24
11. Sign #7
2Timothy 4:3-4
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
This: false prophets, apostles and teachers - men and women who convince the masses that they hold they keys to access Heaven...who usurp the throne of Christ Jesus: This - has reached epidemic proportions in the Church!
12-13. Sign #8
This follows on directly from Paul
the Apostle’s words in Romans 5:1-5
“...and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” vs.5
This is where the Way will become very narrow - and we must “Remember therefore from where you (we) have fallen; Revelation 2:1-7
We must NEVER forget the debt the Christ has canceled on our behalf...we must never leave the shadow...the safety...of the Cross.
See Matthew 18:21-35 (Exodus 33:22; Psalm 27:5) The only safe place for us, at this time, will be the place where we were first saved: The Place of the Cross!
Which leads us to vs.13 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Read Revelation 2-3
14. Sign #9
This is yet to be fulfilled - but little by little, through the countless missionaries and mediums like the Whitcliffe Bible Society, it is being accomplished.
What will this look like in the End?
See Revelation 7:1-8 - the Jew
Revelation 7:9-17 - the Gentiles
15. i. In the vocabulary of Judaism of that time, an abominationwas an especially offensive form of idolatry. Jesus described a gross form of idolatry, standing in the holy place, that brings with it great destruction (desolation).
Enduring Word Commentary
ii. “The desolating sacrilege is a literal Greek rendering of the phrase…An ‘abomination’ in Old Testament idiom is an idolatrous affront to the true worship of God.” (France)
(Daniel 11:31). This describes a complete desecration of the temple, prefigured by Antiochus Epiphanes in the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
i. Paul elaborates on the future fulfillment of this in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: That day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
i. For centuries, there was only a small Jewish presence in Judea and Jerusalem. Their presence in the region was definite, and continuous, but small. It was unthinkable that this weak Jewish presence could rebuild a temple. Therefore the fulfillment of this prophecy was highly unlikely until Israel was gathered again as a nation in 1948. The restoration of a nation that the world had not seen for some 2,000 years is a remarkable event in the fulfillment and future fulfillment of prophecy.
ii. Those who believe that the events of Matthew 24 were all or mostly all fulfilled in AD 70 have a difficulty here. There is no good evidence at all that what they believe was the abomination of desolation (the Roman armies or their ensigns) were ever set up as idolatrous images in the holy place of the temple. Instead, the temple was destroyed before the Romans entered.
iii. Therefore, those with this interpretive approach often re-define what the holy place is, as does Bruce: “One naturally thinks of the temple or the holy city and its environs, but a ‘holy place’ in the prophetic style might mean the holy land.”
Enduring Word Commentary
iv. “The normal meaning of hagios topos (‘holy place’) is the temple complex… But by the time the Romans had actually desecrated the temple in A.D. 70 it was too late for anyone in the city to flee.” (Carson)
There is reason to believe that the Jerusalem Church - Christians still living in Jerusalem at that time, did flee the city before this happened - taking this warning of Jesus seriously- believing that these words were about to be fulfilled in their time.
This would be an incredible act of mercy: Even though their timing was wrong, they took Jesus’s words seriously, and because of this, they were saved from this horrific event.
“Sadly, that was not what the Jewish people did. “Jesus’ advice was that when that day came men ought to flee to the mountains. They did not; they crammed themselves into the city and into the walls of Jerusalem from all over the country, and that very folly multiplied the grim horror of the famine of the siege a hundredfold.” (Barclay)
“Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.
He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.”
What is this action?
“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
What does this look like?
Zechariah 14:3-5
Who are these people?
Revelation 7:1-8
17-18. This image brings to mind the Lord’s instructions of Exodus 12:10-11
“And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’S Passover.”
With this same haste Jesus again tells his people to flee...from the encroaching evil and the Lord’s approaching Judgement.
Exodus 12;12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.”
In this same way, the Lord will swiftly bring down his final hand of wrath upon the kingdom of anti-Christ.
See Matthew 24:15-22 & Zechariah 14:4-11
Who are they who will flee?
Who else, but the true nation of Israel:
For, which one calling themselves a true Jew…a true son of Israel, would tolerate the abomination that causes desolation, standing in the Most Holy Place of their beloved Temple? It is these who will flee…it is these (all of Israel) who will be saved.
Romans 2:
28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.
29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
See also:
Exodus 3:6-8
Revelation 19:11-21
Zechariah 12, 14:3-11
20-21. By this we know, that this event is not the one of 70 AD: This event is at the time of the End.
And Jesus’s instructions imply that there is some leeway as to the exact time that this will take place, as he says to the Jews: “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.”
So, these will be PRAYING Jews: the Jews of Daniel 11:32 - who “know their God shall stand firm and take action”. The Jews of Zechariah 12 and Revelation 7:1-8
…a praying remnant, who have been scattered, sifted and refined by the Lord; whom God has deliberately blinded (Romans 11:25-27)
but that does not mean he is blind to them and he does not hear their prayers. Quite the opposite: I believe these are the true Jewish People, who would find the Lord because they were praying…because they were seeking after him with all their hearts…(Jeremiah 29:11-14a)
…Yes the Lord hears them; and in due time…in a time of great trouble (of which we are right now seeing birth pangs) he will remove the veil - and all who are truly seeking Him WILL BE FOUND BY HIM.
22. The word “elect” could possibly be talking specifically about the elect of Israel - who will flee the abomination of desolation. There are many different views on whether the Church has been raptured by this point, or not.
23-25. The Greek word translated “elect” is eklektós, which means “chosen ones.” It’s a term used a number of times in the New Testament to refer to true believers in Jesus (e.g., Luke 18:7; Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12)
nearly all Bible commentators agree that the grammatical construction of the verse and its parenthetical statement “if possible” strongly point to such a thing being out of the question. The deception will be strong, the miracles will seem real, and the intent will be to mislead everyone, including the elect. But God’s grace will prevail. His chosen ones will not be drawn away into deception.
Second, the Bible firmly speaks to the fact that the elect are protected by God from deceptions that would result in eternal separation from Christ. Paul tells us that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:4); Peter says that the chosen “are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5); and Jude says that the chosen are “beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:1). The elect will persevere in God’s strength.
With respect to following false Christs, Jesus says, “He who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:2–5). The sheep know their Shepherd.
Being deceived is a mark of the unregenerate: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3). After salvation, we may stray from the truth at times, but the Bible makes it clear that the elect of God cannot be deceived to the extent of being finally lost. If God’s chosen ones could be deceived in such a way, God’s choice of them would be defeated, and that is not possible. All who are in Christ have been predestined, called, justified, and will eventually be glorified (Romans 8:30). They have been given to Christ; and of all those who have been given to Him, He will lose none (John 10:28).
From Got Questions Commentary
The Lord will use this level of pressure and squeezing to separate his true sheep from the goats. Even under extreme pressure, sheep will still respond to the voice of the shepherd and cleave to him; goats will not - seeking always to do things their own way.
“See, I have told you beforehand.” vs.25...John 10:3-5
27.As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man: “Christ’s coming will be sudden, startling, universally visible, and terrifying to the ungodly.” (Spurgeon)
ii. The coming of the Son of Man: “Parousia (‘coming’) is used only in this chapter in the Gospels (vv. 3, 27, 37, 39), though in the Epistles it is used several times of Jesus’ return in glory. Its literal meaning is ‘presence’ (as in 2 Corinthians 10:10), but it was used for official visits by high-ranking persons, state visits, and also for divine visitations, hence its technical use for Jesus’ ultimate ‘visitation’.” (France)
It seems that, even right at the end, wolves in sheep’s clothing are still trying to infiltrate the sheep pen and usurp the role of the shepherd:
“I’ve seen him...over there...follow ME...”
This is why the coming of the Lord will not be some localized event, for only certain people and certain places: The coming of the Lord will be swift like lightning - beyond and above the interference of any human being; and it will be universal - to every corner of the world: We began our walk with Christ as equals, each of us entering in through the same Way; we will finish it as equals - each of us leaving at the same time, through the same way. John 10:7-10 , John 14:6
28. See Revelation 18
A final warning to remove ourselves from the false, apostate church, before the hour of her judgement.
“Come out of her my people”, possibly referring to the great catching away. (1Thessalonians 4:14-18)
The apostate church and the rapture:
“Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” Read Matthew 13:24-30
So there is reason to believe that will have to endure the great Tribulation at least for a time.
29-30.See Revelation 6:12-17
So, from verse 4-28, the first 5 seals have already been broken.
Also, Isaiah 34
30-31. Revelation 1:7
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”
See Zechariah 12:10-13:1 - when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25, Revelation 7:9-17), the Lord will turn his attention back towards natural Israel (Romans 11:26-27, Revelation 7:1-8).
This verse (24) tells us however, that it will not only be the tribes of Israel who will weep; it will be all the tribes of the Earth; because only now do they finally see...when it is too late to turn.
vs31 “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 heaven to the other.” - see 1Thessalonians 4:15-18 {Matthew 13:24-30 - “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”}
The Coming of the Son of Man
Even some of those who believe that most of the events of Matthew 24 were fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem understand that this is a stretch too far. “From the foregoing exposition it appears that the coming of the Son of Man is not to be identified with the judgment of Jerusalem.” (Bruce)
32-35. Compare this to Matthew 21:18-19
& see accompanying note...
The symbolism of the fig tree:
Luke 13:1-9
Jeremiah 24:1-10,
Hosea 9:10
The fig tree, representing the nation of Israel, its Temple and its sacrificial system, is failing to produce - not only good fruit - but any fruit at all! (See Note on Matthew 21:18)
So, from Jesus’s words here, we can assuredly know that these events will not happen in the time of the disciples, and will not happen for some time. “Learn this lesson from the fig tree”...Which fig tree? How long does it take for a fig tree to fully grow?
He has just cursed and withered the existing fig tree - the unregenerate nation of Israel under the Old Covenant (Matthew 3:8-10); therefore, a fresh New Covenant (involving both Jew and Gentile)...a fresh new “fig tree”...must be birthed. What - or Who is this?
Read Isaiah 11:1-5 ...
And Revelation 5
“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5
After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son...the root...of David, this new shoot from Jesse’s stump, will begin to grow.
Are we, 2000 years later, now looking at a fully grown fig tree, that is just about to blossom? Judging by the signs Jesus has just spoken about, it looks like we are! And, if this is the case - then WE are that generation...who “will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Vs.34)
WE are those of Revelation 7:9-17
And we MUST hold fast to our Lord and His Word...because:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”(vs.35) John 1:1-2,14-18
{“Daniel set the day of Jesus’ return as being exactly 1,290 days after the abomination of desolation (Daniel 12:11).
i. In this, there is a dilemma. How can the day of Jesus’ coming be both completely unknown, and at the same time be known to the day according to Daniel 12:11?}
Unless, there are actually two comings:
1. 1Thessalonians 4:15-17 (unknown)
2. Revelation 19:11-21 (fully known - by everyone: Daniel 12:11)
36-37. This shows an interesting dynamic within the three-fold God-head: That there are things only known by the Father (not the Son, nor the Spirit). I had at first, considered the possibility that Jesus is speaking here, as fully man; and, once in his resurrected state, he would once again, know everything! But this cannot be the case, because, according to the words of Jesus, even the Holy Spirit has no knowledge of this: Only the Father.
This shows us the perfect harmony, unity, humility and Love that exists within and around the LORD God, who is Love.
This is just another facet of the mystery that is the Trinity.
37-39. Concerning the days of Noah: There is a great amount of talk and speculation surrounding this scripture, with many supporting the popular theory that the Nephalim - the giants existing in Noah’s time - would return.
But this is not what Jesus is saying: He simply says that people will be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” - in other words: carrying on their daily affairs...living life for today...eating, drinking and “being merry” (Luke 12:18-21) - without a thought of the Lord of Heaven, who is about to return.
Revelation 13:16-17 tells us that
“it (the False Prophet) causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
It seems reasonable to surmise that these are the people living in the “days of Noah”.
Furthermore, we could bring this back to Matthew 24:19:-
People are eating, drinking - and marrying;
but Jesus gives this warning: “And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!”
This is not to say, don’t marry and start a family, for each person must seek the Lord for themselves: Each of us must KNOW Him to follow Him...
But also consider Paul’s words in 1Corinthians 7 - and that, Paul believed he was living in the time of the end and the return of Jesus was imminent!
How much closer are we now..?
So, however we choose to live...whether we choose to have a family or not...let us never forget that we are sojourners here in this world; and He will soon come and take us home.
39-41. Who is taken and who is left? Some have suggested, because of Jesus’s reference to the flood sweeping the people away, that it is the unregenerate who are taken; this theory is backed up in Matthew 13:30 “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
But on the other hand, both of these are allegorical - and we are not necessarily obliged to take word for word, that this is exactly how these events will occur.
And also, from what we have just read, there is evidence to suggest that there will be two separate “comings” - close together, but separate: Which means that the redeemed would be taken first.
If we knew the day and the hour, there is every chance that we would lose our zeal and fall into compromise - thinking “he’s not coming yet...it won’t matter...I can let this one slide - and make it right with God, just before he comes.” Such is the fallen nature of humanity. We are not given the day of the hour; all we know is that it is night - implying a time of great spiritual darkness (possibly spoken of in vs.21).
However, from what we are about to read in Matthew 25.1-13 we see that not knowing, even at what part of the night he is coming, also has its pitfalls and dangerous temptations.
45. The wise servant lives their life in the holy fear of the Lord: Proverbs 9:10
The Faithful:
This does not include only Pastors and Elders. Everyone is responsible for someone - we all, who are disciples of Christ, have a ministry to the lives of others. We must be faithful where he has placed us; whether this is to a lot or a little. Jesus will go into this further, in Matthew 25:14-30
46-51. See Matthew 21:28-31 The Parable of the Two Sons
Matthew 23:1-36
Matthew 25
Revelation 2-3
Vs.48-51 see Matthew 18:21-35, 21:33-44
See also Ephesians 5:1-21,6:5-8
Ch.25
1. Virgins: Those who have not defiled themselves with this world:- set apart as holy.
See Revelation 18:1-3
“For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
Whatever “Mystery Babylon” is - an unholy matrimony of political and religious power) we are warned here, to come away from this: Revelation 18:4-5
“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.”
This could be the significance of these “Virgins”.
3-4. Think about Daniel 1:8-21 who, with his three friends would not compromise with the simple issue of food and because of this, they were able to face the fiery furnace, with no compromise for the glory of God: - they had extra oil!
So now is the time to prepare ourselves: As wholly committed to the Lord.
We read in Proverbs 9:10 that
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
So, who are these wise virgins? What did they do that was different?
Psalm 33:18
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,”
The wise virgins were the ones who waited...who hoped in his steadfast love.
Look back again at Matthew 24:42-51
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
And 2Peter 3:2-6
“...knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
And
Matthew 24:10-12
“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
And finally:
Revelation 2:4-5
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
What is the oil for the lamps? It is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
What are the lamps? They are the Love of God within the Saints. (2Corinthians 13:14)
The five wise virgins were ready, waiting and expectant for his return: ~They had faith (that he would keep his word and return)
~They had hope (because they believed in his word, and did not listen to the scoffers referred to in 2Peter 3)
~They had Love (as a result...the fruit...of their Faith and Hope)
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
See 1Corinthians 13
5.So, why would the coming of night - if dark and evil times (see note on Ch.24:42) cause the people of God to want to “sleep”?
Like all parables, there is an element of allegory here:
See again Matthew 24:12-13
“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
So, sleeping may not have been the issue for these virgins: the issue was the condition they were in when they awoke: Did they have Love (extra oil)? Or, had they let their oil run out and the lamps...their Love...grow cold?
Remember Jesus’s rebuke to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7
They were doing so many things correctly; but because, through their diligent confrontation of evil, the had literally forsaken their first Love (from repentance and salvation) the Lord threatened to “remove (their) lamp-stand from its place.” (Vs.5)
The oil in our lamps...that brings forth the Light...is the Love of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:3-5
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Read Romans 5:1-11
If we remember THIS - and how far we have fallen (Revelation 2:5) and the pit the Lord has pulled us from...our love will not grow cold.
We must REMEMBER!
See also Ephesians 5:7-21
9. “Buy for yourselves”
See Revelation 3:15-22
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”
The extra oil will cost us our lives in this world: Matthew 16:24-26
The five wise virgins understood this: They had already forsaken everything in this world, and were ready to receive their reward in the next.
10-13. See Matthew 24:13-14
Matthew 4:17 - how much nearer our we now, than before?
10. See Genesis 7:11-16
“And the LORD shut him in.” (Vs.16)
Once the Lord shuts the door, it cannot be reopened. The Bible is clear, there will come a time when the Time of his mercy runs out, and the Time for judgment begins. This is why, in Revelation 3:20, the Lord gives this one solemn entreaty:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
If we do not heed his voice and “open the door” to him now - while it is day, the hour will come when he will “close the door” on us. See also Psalm 95:7-11
12-13. To be known by him - this means ALL of us - every part.
See Matthew 7:21-23:
Again we realize: He is talking about people who called themselves “believers”.
15. “The talent which each man has suits his own state best; and it is only pride and insanitywhich lead him to desire and envy the graces and talents of another. Five talents would be too much for some men: onetalent would be too little.” (Clarke)
16-17. Went and traded implies direct action. “The point is that the good servants felt the responsibility of their assignment and went to work without delay.” (Carson)
We can say many good things about the work of the first two servants:
· They did their work promptly.
· They did their work with perseverance.
· They did their work with success.
· They were ready to give an account to their master.
Enduring Word Commentary
19-23. Again, just as with the parable of the ten virgins, we see a long delay: What will the servants do with their “extra time”?
“Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ (Vs.20)
We must use whatever gifts we have been given by the Lord, for the purposes they were given: To increase his Kingdom. As we do this - As we expend ourselves and our “talents” for the Gospel, more will be given us. The more we live for Christ and his Kingdom, the more of Christ and his kingdom we will receive. The more we lose our lives for him, the more of HIS LIFE we will gain. (Luke 6:38)
If we do not expend our gifts...our talents...our lives for God’s Kingdom, or if we expend them only upon ourselves and what we want, we are like the wicked servant who buried his talent in the ground because he did not want to lose it.
20-23. “And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.”
See Matthew 21:18-19
But, the tree that bears fruit, is the one who expends themselves for the Gospel and the Kingdom...the one who is about their father’s business: They will always be equipped for every good work the Lord has called them to, because (unlike the wicked servant) they are willing workers.
21. Even the servant with the five talents was entrusted with only “a little”.
Which brings to mind the scripture of
Zechariah 4:10
How faithful can we be when what we have seems small and insignificant?
How faithful can we remain, when all we have is mana in the desert - and nothing seems to change? It seems to me that this was the real test: The master was away for a long time, and his servants were left with a very little, in terms of resources.
Two of the servants did not complain or grumble amongst themselves, that their master was being unfair; they simply took what they were given, and used it.
This says a lot about their characters - especially the second servant, who was not at all put out, that he had received considerably less, even than the first servant.
This is a lesson for us: We must be faithful where he has placed us (see 1Corinthians 7:16-24), not comparing ourselves to others, but simply minding our own walk with Jesus and doing whatever he tells us. (Philippians 2:3-11)
Why would he set us over little? See Luke 12:48 (note on this chapter)
22-23. The fact that, for both these servants, their talents had doubled, implies that they had exhausted them entirely. When the Lord refills, he does so with good measure...pressed down...shaken together and running over:- Such is the servant who does not squander - but gives their all, entirely for his Kingdom.
23. To be faithful over little is a test of fruit and character (patience, faith, faithfulness, humility, etc) : Only having passed this test, will we be entrusted either more.
But, there is a far more serious implication here:
“Enter into the joy of your master.’”
John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So, our faithfulness and obedience here - basically, whether or not we are living for Christ, will be the decider on whether or not we enter in to Salvation. This has suddenly become serious.
Again we are reminded of Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
So, it is our faithfulness and obedience that the Father is looking for; This is what will save us in the end.
“How can two walk together unless they agree?” Amos 3:3
How can we walk with Jesus - and be KNOWN by Him, if we are walking in disobedience and sin?
So, we must live our lives by scriptures such as 1John 1:5-9, and Matthew 16:24-26 ... “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
This, is what we see happening in this parable.
“...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
What was the joy? It was the faithfulness and obedience of the Redeemed.
Isaiah 53:11
“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;”
24-25. His first folly is to claim that he “knows” the master - and as someone who is hard and unfair. Nothing can be farther from the truth, in our Lord Jesus Christ. On the contrary, what we did to him was unfair! But he went to the cross for us anyway; it was his will from the very beginning. (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10, John 10:18
He knew of him - but he did not know him.
His second folly is fear: Of expending himself and what he has been given - lest he doesn’t receive anything back. He doesn’t trust his master’s promise, nor believes in his goodness.
How often do we hold on and hold back for the same reason?
See also, note on Exodus 35:22
26-27. Because we are looking at the End Times here, we must also assume that we are looking at the End Times harvest of Revelation 7:9-17, and the climax of Matthew 24:14 - where God’s people will go where the Gospel has never been preached before, or where it has, but no fruit has come forth. This is the time of John 4:36-38
“Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
To “Go” and to “Sow” and to “Reap” is what the Final Days are all about. That we would not hold on to our lives, but lose them for Christ’s sake. This is why the servant’s words are so egregious.
John 12:25-26
Vs.27 “Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.”
If he was not willing to work out in the fields, then he at least should have been willing to invest his talents back at the base (ie serving within the Church community).
Luke 18:8 also tells us that Jesus is looking for those who have faith...who faithfully wait for his coming, and work with all vigilance accordingly.
29. This is like someone giving you a gift, you saying “thank you” to the giver, unwrapping the gift and then immediately using it, according to its instructions.
The unfaithful servant didn’t use the gift, likely wasn’t thankful for the gift - and didn’t even unwrap it!
Vs.30
This will be the difference at the End, whether we are caught up together to be with the Lord (1Thessalonians 4:13-17) or left to face the Judgment.
31-32. So Jesus continues right from where he left off in vs.30.
Now the Lord has returned and the great Day of reckoning has come.
Matthew 16:16-27
Immediately we are able to recognize: The Sheep: Those who were faithful to the calling and work of the Lord: The five wise virgins and the two faithful servants;
The Goats: Those who were not: the five foolish virgins and the unfaithful servant.
Again, the Lord uses the illustration of the shepherd when referring to Himself: See John 10
(Also Matthew 22:12)
How would a shepherd separate sheep from goats in his flock?
John 10:26-28
“...but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
His sheep will recognize his voice and come to him when he calls. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Goats will not.
See also note on John 10
34. Jesus’s words here and comparable to the words of the master in vs.21&23
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
It is describing the same event, only this time, Jesus does not use parables; now he speaks plainly.
35-40. This sheds light on the parable of before, and on how the servants were supposed to be using up their talents.
To go out into the highways, byways, hedgerows, and preach the Gospel to every creature under Heaven, to the four corners of the world: Being OBEDIENT to the Holy Spirit, to go wherever and to WHOEVER He would send them.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Read Romans 8:13-17
According to Jesus’s words in vs.35, this involves:
*satisfying their hunger (physically and also with the Bread of Heaven - the Word of God)
* Quenching their thirst (physically and also through the living waters of the Holy Spirit)
*Welcoming them in (as no longer strangers, but brothers and sisters in Christ - regardless of creed, color, language, tribe or nationality)
*Clothing them (physically and also spiritually - covering the nakedness of their shame and guilt, through the forgiveness of the Gospel and the Blood of Jesus)
*Healing their sickness (Physical possibly, but more importantly, visiting them with the Gospel, in their sick beds of unforgiven sin an iniquity. That they might hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ - and be healed.)
*Coming to the prisoners (Physical - and even more importantly, spiritual prisons:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” Romans 6:16-18
Here are our instructions for preparing for the return of Jesus Christ...Here is where and how he wants to find us - about our Father’s business.
What will the end result of this look like?
See Revelation 7:8-17
40. “my brothers,”
This is not talking about the nation of Israel, (as is being taught by certain prominent Christian figures) nor is it referring to the unbelieving Jew - but rather - read Matthew 12:48-50
“And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.””
41. Jesus’s words here, are comparable to the words of the master to his unfaithful servant: see vs.26-28
42. Here, is where we see the actual fait of the five foolish virgins and the unfaithful servant...of who they represent: Those who claim to know the Lord Jesus, but they do not do his will . See Matthew 7:21-23, 21:28-32, 23:3-12,
45. Here, is the mystery of Election: The Lord knows who are his sheep - and according to the Scripture - he always has. So he knows the souls of the great harvest - every one (Revelation 7:9-17, for which he sends out his Church to reap. The number of this harvest (also mentioned by Paul in Romans 11:25) is a mystery beyond our understanding - John describing it as such in Revelation 7:9.
Consider again, the five foolish virgins, the unfaithful servant - and also the Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). They, each of them, chose this world over God, through fear, greed, laziness, lust for worldly pleasure, etc.
The consequences of this decision are fatal. To fail to participate in this harvest, through a love of this world, is to forfeit one’s place in it.
Ch.26
2. In a startling and abrupt move, Jesus brings the conversation back to the present time. The disciples do not at present understand, but before all these things happen, he must offer himself up as sacrifice of atonement: Before judgment can occur, a Way of mercy will be opened...a Way that looks like a cross!
4-5. See Psalm 31:13
“Stealth” is used when people do not want a head to head confrontation - because, at least some of them know that Jesus is exactly who he claims to be...and they are terrified!
Why? -
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
Read John 3:16-21
6-13. Here, is the final of three separate “anointings” that Jesus receives on three separate occasions: See Luke 7:36-50 & John 12:1-8
“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:2
Again, in recognizing who he is, this woman - like Mary four days earlier - will expend her all...lavishly...not in Jesus’s feet - but this time, on his head.
It was common practice to anoint people upon entering a house, on the feet or head; but there is possibly a more significant meaning to this: Oil symbolises the Holy Spirit and was used to consecrate the priests who served in the Temple: -
See Hebrews 9:-“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.(vs.11-13)
See also Psalm 133:1-2
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!”
This was the whole heart of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest; and in his final prayer to his Father, in John 17, he makes this abundantly clear: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (vs.20-23)
6. Simon the leper is otherwise unknown to us. He was presumably a well-known local figure, perhaps one whom Jesus had cured (as one who was still a leper could not entertain guests to dinner) but whose nickname remained as a reminder of his former disease.” (France)
7. Morris on the alabaster flask: “It had no handles and was furnished with a long neck which was broken off when the contents were needed…We may fairly deduce that this perfume was costly. Jewish ladies commonly wore a perfume flask suspended from a cord round the neck, and it was so much a part of them that they were allowed to wear it on the sabbath.”
8-13. Once again, the reaction is the same; only this time it is not only Judas who is reacting.
To the disciples, such an act as this would seem wasteful - they have yet to understand (as with Mary) the heart behind the action: From the abundance of her heart, her actions speak beautifully:- This woman is no “whitewashed tomb”! (Matthew 23:27-28) Her actions here, make this abundantly clear; and Jesus’s words in response, make this even clearer: “... she has done a beautiful thing to me... In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.”
Such a statement as this tells us one thing: Her action was a prophetic one; she was being obedient to the Lord.
9-13. There is an undertone of disapproval here - not only at her wasting the flask around her neck - but at her having it in the first place...
She has just spent...utterly broken...something, not only costly, but worn so close to her heart - yet the disciples seem unconcerned for her loss - only it seems, that she shouldn’t have been wearing it in the first place: it should have been “sold and given to the poor!”
Jesus (undoubtedly knowing the misguided notions) will rebuke them sharply for this:
“For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.” (vs.11) The disciples are concerned with feeding the poor (but a poor person can be fed and sheltered - and still lose their soul in Hell.) - just as Martha concerned herself only with outward works - of no real value in terms of Salvation. This woman however, is concerned only for Jesus - and in this one final anointing before the Cross, she shows this. Just like Mary, she has “chosen the good portion and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:42)
...So beautiful is this sacrificial act, that Jesus declares: “wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”(vs.13)
This woman’s heart was on open display, when she gave that which was closest to her heart - not for anointing a king, or a priest - of which Jesus was both. No, she anointed her Lord for his burial:
Again, she is no whitewashed tomb - but rather, it seems to be the disciples, by their reactions here, who are behaving more like the whitewashed tombs!
14-16. Judas, ch.12 of John’s Gospel tells us, was a thief and used to often help himself to the money bag. It could be that the extravagant “waste” of the woman before, has touched a raw nerve - as did Mary, four days earlier. Whatever the reason or provocation, it is Judas’s greed that is now leading him to betray the One who was once his Master: The Son of the Living God. (Psalm 41:9, 55:12-14)
So many parts of this “Body” - many of whom are unknown, unheard, unseen - are being worked together into the perfect plan of God. Romans 12:4-8
19. Although this instruction seemed somewhat peculiar (what, who, how) the disciples - like Moses in Exodus 40, will carry out Jesus’s instructions to the letter: They have seen over the last 3 years, what happens when someone obeys him - no matter how strange his actions and instructions may be: Eg: Luke 5:4-11, Matthew 14:16, John 9:6-7, 11:6-8, 39,
20-21. By all accounts, Jesus celebrates the Passover 24 hours early (Jewish days start and end at sunset, and they are celebrating the evening at the beginning, rather than the end). Because he is the Passover Lamb, and must be offered up, at that exact moment, as the temple lambs are being sacrificed. (This is likely why there is no mention of them eating lamb - He is the Lamb!)
Vs.20-21 - see Psalm 41:9
24. See Matthew 11:21-24
Likewise Judas Iscariot - who knew the Son of God...who walked with him...talked with him...ate with him...saw his signs and miracles...heard Peter’s confession...witnessed Jesus raise three people from the dead;
And yet, after all that, he will still betray Jesus to death! Such is the nature of men - and Christ will die because of - and for - the very worst.
25. Sometimes Jesus allows people to speak for themselves, and allows men to make up their own minds, and follow their own course. Jesus does not directly answer Judas’s question; because Judas already KNOWS the answer. Jesus will put no words in Judas’s mouth; because the intention is already in his heart. (See John 13:27)
26. What is the Lord’s Supper?
“Take, eat; this is my body.” - see Exodus 12:15-16 & note.
“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly.”
This unleavened bread; bread without any trace or tarnish of the leaven symbolic of sin, is Jesus Christ.
Here, on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus invites his disciples to eat symbolically - of him: - see John 6:32-35, 48-58
“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father 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.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Which leads us to vs.27:
27-28. “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
John 6:53-55
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
This shocking statement by Jesus is nothing compared to the shocking state the of hearts and minds of those he is speaking to.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins - and for every transgression, the Lord will require the life of the transgressor.
Jesus Christ will stand in for us; dying in our place and shedding his own blood for the forgiveness of our sins.
Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God, seems at first like a shocking metaphor to use; what does he mean?
That without food and drink (water) our bodies will, absolutely and without question, die;
and without the sacrifice of Jesus: His body for our sin; his blood for our forgiveness - our souls (who we are) will absolutely and without question, perish forever in Hell (Genesis 2:17). Our souls need Christ as surely as our bodies need food and water.
“In him was Life, and that Life the was the light of men.” John 1:4
28. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
In shedding his own perfect blood for our sins, Jesus is fulfilling the Covenant God made with himself , concerning Abraham and his Seed (Genesis 22:18); and at the same time, fulfilling the righteous requirements of the Law, that stood like a barrier against us, because we could not keep it. (Matthew 27:41-53) The Son of God, becoming the Son of Man, kept it for us - to PERFECTION- offering himself as our substitute - in our stead; paying the wages of sin (which is Death) on our behalf (Romans 6:23)...
And then rising back from Death; because he had no sin - and therefore, its wages had no legal hold over him. (Acts 2:24)
29. After this final, solemn disclosure, Jesus (knowing perfectly that he will overcome this sting of Death, to stand in victory on the other side) turns his attention to what is on that other side - the resurrection side - of the Cross: Revelation 21:1-4
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.””(vs.3)
30. This hymn would most likely have been Psalm 118 - the last of a group of Psalms (113-118) known as the Hallel, traditionally sung at Passover. Ironically this particular Psalm focuses notably on Salvation.
31. See Zechariah 13:7
As sheep are literally lost without their shepherd, it is inevitable that the disciples too, will be utterly lost at the arrest of their Shepherd. But although they will scatter and hide in fear...and say things they do not mean, the Lord will not abandon them - ever!
See John 17:6-19
“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me,” (vs.11)
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” (vs.15)
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16-18
31. See Zechariah 13:7
As sheep are literally lost without their shepherd, it is inevitable that the disciples too, will be utterly lost at the arrest of their Shepherd. But although they will scatter and hide in fear...and say things they do not mean, the Lord will not abandon them - ever!
See John 17:6-19
“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me,” (vs.11)
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” (vs.15)
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16-18
32. Jesus again, immediately follows the reminding of his crucifixion, with that of his resurrection: “I will be arrested...you will all abandon me...I will be sentenced to death - but I will rise again.”
And, to further encourage his disciples, he adds a further detail: “I will go before you to Galilee.”
He will go before them, as a Shepherd leads his sheep: Numbers 27:17, John 10:4: because this Shepherd - although struck down - will rise again!
33-35. All of these rash statements by Peter, tell us that he hasn’t yet grasped how horrific Jesus’s trial and death will be - and who would?
Peter, as one of Jesus’s closest followers, is adamant that he will not fail Jesus - and, the other disciples imply the same.
But what is about to occur, will go beyond the capabilities of anyone; no one will be able to stand with Jesus; and this is exactly the way God knew it would be - and intended it to be. We cannot atone for our own sin: We are fallen and helpless - and the actions of all the disciples - especially Peter (as we will shortly find out in vs.34) will prove this entirely.
What happens from here onwards, will for these disciples, drive one truth home forever: They are great sinners...but Jesus is a much greater Savior!
35. “Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” See John 13:36
Peter is not yet ready...but much, much later...having been forgiven of his great failure...having been born again and baptized in the Spirit...having followed in the footsteps of Jesus, through the preaching of the Gospel, to Jew and then to Gentile...having witnessed the most astounding of miracles and endured the most brutal of suffering - Peter will finally follow Jesus to his literal death. On a cross, with his head pointed downward (upside down), Peter will finally understand, and grasp with his whole life, that greater love of God. John 15:12-14
In 2Corinthians 10:12 Paul also says: “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”
Peter speaks without understanding here - but the Lord understands!
And this is why - as much as he loved his disciples...see John 2:24-25
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