The Ridge Fellowship

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong ethical systems, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various Holy Scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule his church forever.

Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians—Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

Jesus Rises from the Dead / 16:1-8

16:1 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had been at Jesus’ cross and had followed Joseph so that they would know where he had been buried (15:47). Salome had also been at the cross; she was probably the mother of the disciples James and John. The women went home and kept the Sabbath as the law required, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. So they purchased burial spices before returning to the tomb early Sunday morning. Anointing a body was a sign of love, devotion, and respect. Bringing spices to the tomb would be like bringing flowers to a grave today. Since they did not embalm bodies in Israel, they would use perfumes as a normal practice. The women undoubtedly knew that Joseph and Nicodemus had already wrapped the body in linen and spices. They probably were going to do a simple external application of the fragrant spices. Since Jesus’ body was buried so rapidly after he was crucified, they had been unable to perform the anointing before Jesus’ burial.

16:2 Sabbath had ended at sundown on Saturday, so very early on Sunday morning, the women left their homes, arriving at the tomb just at sunrise. They wasted no time. This further illustrates their misunderstanding of Jesus. He had told them that he would rise from the dead, yet they expected nothing.

16:3 Two of these women had seen where the body had been placed and knew that a huge stone had been rolled across the entrance to the tomb (15:46). Apparently, they were unaware that the tomb had been sealed and a guard set outside it (Matthew 27:62-66). So as they approached the tomb, they remembered that the stone would be a problem. They wondered aloud who might be able to roll the stone away so that they could get in.

16:4 The women needn’t have worried about the stone. Jesus had said he would rise again after three days. In the Jewish reckoning of time, a day included any part of a day; so, Friday was the first day, Saturday was the second day, and Sunday was the third day. When the women arrived at daybreak, Jesus had already risen.

When they arrived at the tomb, they saw that the large stone had already been rolled aside. Matthew records that there had been an earthquake and an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven, had rolled back the stone, and had sat on it.

16:5-6 The women entered the tomb. Once inside they were startled to see a young man clothed in a white robe. We learn from Matthew and John that this was an angel. When angels appeared to people, they looked like humans.

The angel spoke reassuringly to the women. They were looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the human being who had been crucified. But Jesus was not there; he had been raised from the dead.

The angel invited the women to look into the inner burial chamber and see where they (Joseph and Nicodemus, 15:46) laid his body. John records that the linen cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body were left as if Jesus had passed right through them. The handkerchief was still rolled up in the shape of a head, and it was at about the right distance from the wrappings that had enveloped Jesus’ body (John 20:6-7).

16:7 The women who had come to anoint a dead body were given another task, that of proclaiming the Resurrection to the frightened disciples. The disciples had deserted Jesus in the hour of trial, but the angel’s words held hope of renewal and forgiveness. The disciples were invited to meet Jesus in Galilee—there was work to do. The angel made special mention of Peter to show that, in spite of Peter’s denials, Jesus had not deserted him.

The angel told the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee just as he told you before he died. This was exactly what Jesus had told them during the Last Supper, that he would go ahead of them into Galilee after his resurrection (14:28). But the disciples, filled with fear, remained behind locked doors in Jerusalem (John 20:19). Jesus met them first in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36) and later in Galilee (John 21).

16:8 The women fled from the tomb, realizing that they had seen the results of an awesome miracle in the empty tomb and had been in the presence of an angel. They either went straight to the disciples with the news, saying nothing to anyone along the way, or for a time they said nothing out of fear, perhaps expecting the response of disbelief that they eventually did receive from the disciples when they told the story (Luke 24:11).

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene / 16:9-11

While the material included in 16:1-8 is universally regarded as being original to Mark’s manuscript, the section of 16:9-20 is not considered to have been original. Most scholars believe that verses 9-20 were added sometime in the second century or later; whoever added these verses borrowed heavily from the resurrection accounts in the other Gospels. There are four other different additions to the ending of Mark as found in a few other ancient manuscripts. But the earliest and best Greek manuscripts do not contain these verses, and testimony of the early church fathers indicates that these verses were not part of the original text of Mark’s Gospel. Most modern translations note that these verses are absent from our earliest manuscripts but include them anyway.

16:9-11 After the women had told the disciples about the Resurrection, and Peter and another disciple (presumably John) had gone to see for themselves (John 20:3-9), Mary Magdalene apparently had returned to the tomb and was weeping (John 20:11).

Although Mary Magdalene has been mentioned earlier in this Gospel as one of the women at the cross and at the tomb (15:40, 47; 16:1), Mark reminded his readers of the reason for her devotion to Jesus: He had cast out seven demons from her (see also Luke 8:2). This devoted woman was the first person who saw the resurrected Christ.

Jesus told Mary to return and tell the disciples. The disciples did not believe the women who came to them; Peter and John saw the empty tomb and still did not understand what had happened. They continued their grieving and weeping. Mary returned to the disciples with the news that she had actually seen and talked to the risen Jesus, but they didn’t believe her.

Jesus Appears to Two Believers Traveling on the Road / 16:12-13

Luke’s description of Jesus’ encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus should be read when studying this brief paragraph—Luke 24:13-35.

16:12-13 At another point, Jesus appeared to two of the disciples who had disbelieved Mary’s report of seeing the resurrected Jesus. They were walking from Jerusalem to the small town of Emmaus (west of Jerusalem). These disciples knew that the tomb was empty but didn’t understand that Jesus had risen. To compound the problem, they were walking in the wrong direction—away from the fellowship of believers in Jerusalem. They didn’t recognize Jesus when he appeared beside them because he had changed his appearance.

After talking with these two disciples along the road and reprimanding them about their lack of knowledge of the Scriptures that described all that happened, Jesus revealed himself and then vanished (Luke 24:31). When they realized who he was, they immediately returned to Jerusalem and reported that they too had seen Jesus. But still, no one believed them.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples / 16:14

The disciples’ reluctance to believe was resolved by Jesus’ appearance to them all at one time. The common theme in Mark’s list of appearances was the disciples’ reluctance to believe.

16:14 Jesus finally appeared to the eleven disciples together (Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, had killed himself). Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief. Jesus had foretold his own resurrection. Every time he had told them he would die, he had also told them that he would rise again. The Old Testament prophesied all that had happened to Jesus and also spoke of his resurrection. The disciples had no excuse for the stubborn refusal to believe.

Jesus Gives the Great Commission / 16:15-18

This paragraph represents a change of scene. This was another post-Resurrection appearance, the last to the remaining eleven disciples and other followers. This paragraph outlines Jesus’ final charge to his followers (see also Matthew 28:16-20). The Gospel of Mark is a record of the gospel (or Good News) from its beginning (1:1). As the book closes, the gospel does not end, but continues in the lives of Jesus’ followers. Jesus’ command is to go everywhere and preach the Good News.

16:15 This is the Great Commission. The disciples had been trained well, and they had seen the risen Lord. God had given Jesus authority over heaven and earth. On the basis of that authority, Jesus told his disciples to make more disciples as they preached, baptized, and taught. With this same authority, Jesus still commands us to tell everyone everywhere the Good News.

16:16 The disciples were commanded to baptize people because baptism unites a believer with Jesus Christ in his or her death to sin and resurrection to new life. It is not the water of baptism that saves, but God’s grace accepted through faith in Christ. Because of Jesus’ response to the criminal on the cross who died with him, we know it is possible to be saved without being baptized (Luke 23:43). Jesus did not say that those who were not baptized would be condemned, but that anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. Baptism symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live God’s way, and identification with God’s covenant people.

16:17-18 As the disciples fulfilled their commission, and indeed as others believed and went on to spread the gospel, miraculous signs would accompany them. As with Jesus’ miracles, these signs would authenticate the source of their power and draw people to belief. At times, God would miraculously intervene on behalf of his followers. While some people have misinterpreted the notion of “picking up snakes” as thinking that one’s faith is demonstrated by handling rattlesnakes, the writer seems to have in mind incidents like the one described in Acts 28:1-6, where Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake without being harmed. The same could happen for someone who accidentally drank deadly poison while on mission for Jesus. This does not mean, however, that we should test God by putting ourselves in dangerous situations.

Jesus Ascends into Heaven / 16:19-20

16:19 These final verses end where the book of Acts begins. Luke wrote in Acts that Jesus appeared to various people over a period of forty days before he ascended (Acts 1:9). As the disciples stood and watched, Jesus was taken up into heaven. Jesus’ physical presence left the disciples, but the Holy Spirit soon came to comfort them and empower them to spread the gospel (Acts 2:1-4). Jesus’ work of salvation was completed, and he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand where he has authority over heaven and earth (see also Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1).

16:20 While Jesus’ work on earth was completed, the disciples’ work was just beginning. This verse compacts the book of Acts. These doubting, stubborn disciples turned into powerful preachers who went everywhere and preached. God worked with them—giving them peace, strength through persecutions, and confirmation of their message with miraculous signs (16:17-18; Hebrews 2:4).

Mark’s Gospel emphasizes Christ’s power, as well as his servanthood. Jesus’ life and teaching turned the world upside down. The world sees power as a way to gain control over others. But Jesus, with all authority and power in heaven and earth, chose to serve others. He held children in his arms, healed the sick, acted patiently with his hardheaded disciples, and died for the sins of the world. Following Jesus means receiving this same power to serve. As believers, we are called to be servants of Christ. As Christ served, so we are to serve.

 Thanks for reading through the gospel of Mark.  I hope you have come to KNOW Christ better during the past 16 days.  To continue to GROW like him:  take time to read from God’s word each day, serve and worship with others, reach out to those who do not know Him and be sure to give him your life and everything in it.

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Life Application Bible Notes

New American Commentary

Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Preaching the Word Commentary

 

 

I never grow tired of reading about how Jesus died in my place.  Even though today is Super Bowl Sunday, the most historic event in all of human history (besides the resurrection) is found in this chapter.  Jesus dying on the cross for all of humanity, now that’s Super!

 The Council of Religious Leaders Condemns Jesus / 15:1

15:1 The entire high council of Jewish leaders had already reached their verdict (14:64), but they had to make the decision at a meeting during the daytime in accordance with their law. Thus very early in the morning, they made it official that Jesus was worthy of death. So Jesus was bound like a common criminal and sent off to Pilate, the Roman governor. The council had to get permission from Pilate in order to carry out the death penalty.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor for the regions of Samaria and Judea from a.d. 26–36. Jerusalem was located in Judea. Pilate’s normal residence was in Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea, but he was in Jerusalem because of the Passover festival. With the large crowds that flocked to the city for that celebration, Pilate and his soldiers came to help keep the peace. He stayed in his headquarters, called the Praetorium. Pilate was a harsh governor who felt nothing but contempt for the Jews; they, in turn, felt the same about him. Pilate was not popular, but the religious leaders had no other way to get rid of Jesus. So they interrupted his breakfast on this early Friday morning, bringing a man whom they accused of treason against Rome! Ironically, when Jesus, a Jew, came before Pilate for trial, Pilate found him innocent.

Jesus Stands Trial before Pilate / 15:2-5

15:2 Pilate asked Jesus directly if he claimed to be King of the Jews. Jesus’ answer was yes, but with a qualification attached (see John 18:36). Jesus did claim to be a king—to remain silent would be denying it (see also 14:62). But he wasn’t claiming kingship in any way that would threaten Pilate, Caesar, or the Empire. Jesus’ kingship was spiritual. Pilate could sense that the council’s case was embarrassingly weak and that the solemn rabbi standing before him was unlikely to lead a revolt against Rome.

15:3-5 Luke records the essence of these charges in Luke 23:1-2. The Jewish leaders had to fabricate new accusations against Jesus, so they accused Jesus of many crimes. These accusations were false, but the religious leaders were determined to have Jesus killed. Pilate knew the charges were preposterous, and he obviously expected Jesus to say something in self-defense against the false charges. But Jesus said nothing. Jesus’ silence had been prophesied in Scripture (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus had no reason to try to prolong the trial or save himself. Nothing would stop Jesus from completing the work he had come to earth to do.

Luke recorded a middle phase in all of this action. When Pilate found that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him off to Herod Antipas, who was also in town for the Passover. But Herod only mocked Jesus and returned him to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12).

Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified / 15:6-15

15:6-7 Each year, during the Jews’ Passover festival, Pilate had made it a custom to release any prisoner they requested. Barabbas had taken part in a murder during an insurrection against the Roman government. Although he was a murderer, he may have been a hero among the Jews. Barabbas had no hope of acquittal, so he must have been surprised when the guards came to get him on that Friday morning.

15:8 The proceedings of this hearing by Pilate were held in public, so a crowd was hearing all that transpired, and the crowd probably grew larger as news spread. Perhaps this was all part of the religious leaders’ plan—to incite the crowd to ask that Pilate release a prisoner as usual, but that it be someone other than Jesus.

15:9-10 Pilate asked if the people wanted the King of the Jews released. This is the second time Pilate used that title for Jesus (see 15:2), and he would use it again (see 15:12; see also 15:18 and 15:26), probably in mockery. In any event, Pilate could see that this was a frame-up. Why else would these people, who hated him and the Roman Empire he represented, ask him to convict of treason and give the death penalty to one of their fellow Jews? Pilate understood that the Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.

15:11-12 The power of the religious leaders took precedence with the Jewish crowd who would hardly side with the Roman governor. The leading priests stirred up the mob to demand the release of Barabbas. This left Pilate wondering what to do with Jesus.

15:13 The people made their choice, stated their preference, and confirmed their sin. This is just what the Jewish religious leaders wanted. Only slaves or those who were not Roman citizens could be executed by crucifixion. If Jesus was crucified, he would die the death of a rebel and slave, not of the king he claimed to be. In addition, crucifixion would put the responsibility for killing Jesus on the Romans; thus, the crowds would not blame the religious leaders.

15:14 The region of Judea where Pilate ruled as governor was little more than a hot and dusty outpost of the Roman Empire. Because Judea was so far from Rome, Pilate was given just a small army. The Roman government could not afford to put large numbers of troops in all the regions under their control, so one of Pilate’s main duties was to do whatever was necessary to maintain peace. We know from historical records that Pilate had already been warned about other uprisings in his region. Although he may have seen no guilt in Jesus and no reason to condemn him to death, Pilate wavered when the Jews in the crowd threatened to report him to Caesar (John 19:12). Such a report, accompanied by a riot, could cost him his position and hopes for advancement. Pilate became afraid. His job was in jeopardy. The last thing Pilate needed was a riot in Jerusalem at Passover time, when the city was crowded with Jews from all over the Empire. Pilate asked the people to specify some crime that would make Jesus worthy of death. But the mob kept on shouting more wildly to crucify Jesus.

15:15 Pilate decided to let the crowds crucify Jesus. Although Pilate washed his hands of responsibility (Matthew 27:24), the guilt would remain. Pilate had no good excuse to condemn Jesus, but he was wanted to please the crowd. So he released Barabbas, then flogged Jesus before handing him over to the Roman soldiers to crucify him.

The flogging Jesus received could have killed him. The usual procedure was to bare the upper half of the victim’s body and tie his hands to a pillar before whipping him with a lead-tipped whip. The whip was made of leather thongs that connected pieces of bone and metal like a chain. The continued lashing with these sharp instruments tore at the victim’s skin, even baring the bones. This torture by flogging always would precede execution; thus, Jesus was flogged before he was sent to the cross. The Romans did it to weaken the prisoner so he would die more quickly on the cross.

Roman Soldiers Mock Jesus / 15:16-20

Jesus was placed in the hands of men who probably knew little or nothing about him other than the fact that he had just been condemned to die. In their eyes, Jesus represented the stiff-necked Jews who resented the power of Rome. Jesus had to endure their pent-up hatred. He was taunted, tortured, and killed by brutal and vulgar men who were ignorant of his true identity and mission. This makes it all the more remarkable that one of these soldiers later confessed, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” (15:39).

15:16 The Romans had to execute Jesus, so the soldiers took him from the post where he had been flogged and led him, beaten and bleeding, back inside the Praetorium (Pilate’s headquarters). The entire battalion was called together, probably about two hundred men who had accompanied Pilate from Caesarea.

15:17-19 Someone found a purple robe and threw it around the shoulders of this supposed “king.” Someone else, with a brutal sense of humor, twisted some long, sharp thorns into a crown that was then jammed onto Jesus’ head. Matthew added that they put a stick in his hand, like a king’s scepter (Matthew 27:29). They beat him, striking him on the head. They insulted him by spitting on him and kneeling down in mock worship. Yet even all of this had been prophesied (Isaiah 50:6; 52:14–53:6).

15:20 After having their fun, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put Jesus’ own clothes on him again. Then he was taken out to be crucified. Probably only four soldiers under the command of an officer (15:39) actually went out to the site to perform the execution because John mentions that the soldiers at the cross divided his clothing “among the four of them” (John 19:23).

Jesus Is Led Away to Be Crucified / 15:21-24

15:21 Colonies of Jews existed outside Judea. Simon was from Cyrene, in northern Africa (see Acts 2:10), and was either on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover, or he was originally from Cyrene but resided in Palestine. His two sons, Alexander and Rufus, are mentioned as if Mark’s readers in Rome knew them. Rufus may be the same man mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13. If so, this could mean that Simon became a Christian through this incident. Simon, on his way into the city, was randomly picked out of the crowd and forced to carry Jesus’ cross.

15:22 Some scholars say Golgotha (translated Skull Hill) derived its name from its appearance, a hill with a stony top that might have been shaped like a skull. Golgotha is the Hebrew word for “skull.” The familiar name “Calvary” is derived from the Latin calvaria (also meaning “skull”). Golgotha may have been a regular place of execution in a prominent public place outside the city along a main road. Executions held there served as examples to the people and as a deterrent to criminals.

15:23 Wine drugged with myrrh was offered to Jesus to help reduce his pain. Myrrh is generally understood to be a narcotic that was used to deaden pain. Tradition says women of Jerusalem prepared and offered this drink to condemned men. This also may allude to Psalm 69:21. But Jesus refused to drink it. He chose to suffer fully conscious and with a clear mind.

15:24 Mark’s words are simple and direct: They nailed him to the cross. Indeed, Mark’s Roman readers needed no elaborate description; they knew it all too well. Crucifixion, instituted by the Romans, was a feared and shameful form of execution. Death came by suffocation as the person lost strength and the weight of the body made breathing more and more difficult.

Contrary to the discreet paintings of the Crucifixion, Jesus was crucified naked. Roman soldiers had the right to take for themselves the clothing of those crucified, so they gambled for Jesus’ clothes. This act had also been prophesied (Psalm 22:18).

Jesus Is Placed on the Cross / 15:25-32

15:25-26 Jesus was placed on the cross at nine o’clock in the morning. A signboard stating the charge against him was fastened on his cross as a warning. Because Jesus was never found guilty, the only accusation placed on his sign was the “crime” of calling himself King of the Jews. This sign was meant to be ironic. A king, stripped and executed in public view, had obviously lost his kingdom forever. But Jesus, who turns the world’s wisdom upside down, was just coming into his Kingdom. His death and resurrection would strike the deathblow to Satan’s rule and would establish Christ’s eternal authority over the earth. Few people reading the sign that bleak day understood its real meaning, but the sign was absolutely true. Jesus is king of the Jews—and the Gentiles, and the whole universe.

15:27 When James and John had asked Jesus for the places of honor next to him in his Kingdom, Jesus had told them that they didn’t know what they were asking (10:35-39). Here, as Jesus was preparing to inaugurate his Kingdom through his death, the places on his right and on his left were taken by two criminals.

A person who wants to be close to Jesus must be prepared to suffer and die as he himself was doing. The way to the Kingdom is the way of the cross. If we want the glory of the Kingdom, we must be willing to be united with the crucified Christ.

15:29-30 Insult was literally added to injury when it came to public crucifixion. People passing by shouted abuse at Jesus. They again used the twisted accusation that had been brought against Jesus at the council (14:58), taunting him that if he could boast of building the Temple in three days, surely he had the power to save himself from the fate of the cross. Ironically, Jesus was in the very process of fulfilling his own prophecy. His body was being destroyed, but in three days he would rise again. Because Jesus is the Son of God who always obeys the will of the Father, he did not come down from the cross to save himself. If he had done so, he could not have saved us.

15:31-32 Apparently the religious leaders had followed the executioners out to Golgotha, eager to see their plot finally completed in Jesus’ death. Not content to have brought him to an unjust death, they also mocked him as they talked among themselves. They mockingly dismissed his healings and miracles because even though he saved others, he could not save himself. They taunted him to come down from the cross, and if he did that, they would believe him. They did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, nor the king of Israel, but they taunted him with these names. Obviously Jesus wasn’t the Messiah, they thought, because he was dying just like the cursed robbers. Mark recorded that the two criminals also ridiculed Jesus; but Luke states that later one of these criminals repented (Luke 23:39-43).

Jesus Dies on the Cross / 15:33-41

Mark recorded the final scene of Jesus’ earthly life with graphic imagery. The dark sky was pierced by an anguished cry of abandonment. Those watching were gripped with awe.

15:33 Jesus had been put on the cross at nine o’clock in the morning. Death by crucifixion was slow and excruciating, sometimes taking two or three days. Three hours passed while Jesus put up with abuse from bystanders. Then, at noon, darkness settled over the land for three hours. We do not know how this darkness occurred, but it is clear that God caused it. Nature testified to the gravity of Jesus’ death, while Jesus’ friends and enemies alike fell silent in the encircling gloom. The darkness on that Friday afternoon was both physical and spiritual. All nature seemed to mourn over the tragedy of the death of God’s Son.

15:34 Jesus did not ask this question in surprise or despair. He was quoting the first line of Psalm 22, a prophecy expressing the deep agony of the Messiah’s death for the world’s sin. Jesus knew that he would be temporarily separated from God the moment he took upon himself the sins of the world, because God cannot look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13). This separation was the “cup” Jesus dreaded drinking, as he prayed in Gethsemane (14:36). The physical agony was horrible, but the spiritual alienation from God was the ultimate torture. Jesus suffered this double death so that we would never have to experience eternal separation from God.

15:35 The bystanders misinterpreted Jesus’ words and thought he was calling for Elijah. Because Elijah had ascended into heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:11), there was the popular belief that Elijah would return to rescue those suffering from great trouble.

15:36 John records that Jesus said he was thirsty (John 19:28-29). In response, one man filled a sponge with sour wine (this was not the same as the drugged wine offered to Jesus earlier). He put the sponge on a long stick and held it up so as to reach Jesus’ lips. Thinking Jesus had called for Elijah (15:35), the people watched to see if Elijah would come to rescue Jesus.

15:37 Jesus’ loud cry may have been his last words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Jesus’ loud cry climaxed the horror of this scene and showed his sudden death after over six hours on the cross. Jesus did not die the normal death of a crucified person who would merely breathe his last breath. Usually crucifixion caused a person to lapse into a coma from extreme exhaustion. Jesus, however, was completely conscious to the end. His cry exclaimed his victory.

15:38 This significant event symbolized what Christ’s work on the cross had accomplished. The Temple had three main parts—the courts, the Holy Place (where only the priests could enter), and the Most Holy Place, a place reserved by God for himself. It was in the Most Holy Place that the Ark of the Covenant, and God’s presence with it, rested. The room was entered only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, by the high priest as he made a sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the sins of all the nation (Leviticus 16:1-34). The curtain in the Temple was between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Symbolically, the curtain separated the holy God from sinful people. By tearing the curtain in two, God showed that Christ had opened the way for sinful people to reach the holy God.

15:39 A Roman officer had accompanied the soldiers to the execution site. Undoubtedly, he had done this many times. Yet this crucifixion was completely different—the unexplained darkness, the earthquake, even the executed himself who had uttered words of forgiveness (Luke 23:34). The officer observed Jesus’ alertness throughout the crucifixion and his relatively quick death. This Gentile Roman officer realized something that most of the Jewish nation had missed: “Truly, this was the Son of God!” Whether he understood what he was saying, we cannot know. He may simply have admired Jesus’ courage and inner strength, perhaps thinking that Jesus was divine like one of Rome’s many gods. While the Jewish religious leaders stood around celebrating Jesus’ death, a lone Roman soldier was the first to acclaim Jesus as the Son of God after his death.

15:40-41 There had been many people at the cross who had come only to mock and taunt Jesus or, like the religious leaders, to revel in their apparent victory. But some of Jesus’ faithful followers were at the cross as well. Among the disciples, only John was there, and he recorded in his Gospel in graphic detail the horror he observed. Several women were also there watching from a distance. John wrote that Jesus’ mother, Mary, was present, and that Jesus spoke to John from the cross about taking care of Mary (John 19:25-27).

Mark mentions that Mary Magdalene was there. She had been released from demon possession by Jesus (Luke 8:2). Another Mary is distinguished (from Mary Magdalene and Mary Jesus’ mother) by the names of her sons who may have been well known in the early church. Salome was the mother of the disciples James and John and was probably Jesus’ mother’s sister. These women had come from Galilee with Jesus for the Passover. They had come with him to Jerusalem and had witnessed the Crucifixion.

Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb / 15:42-47

Although Mark mentioned only Joseph of Arimathea, John mentioned both Joseph and Nicodemus, two secret disciples of Jesus who took action to ensure his burial (John 19:38-42). Their commitment to Jesus forced them out of hiding. The Gospels carefully note that Jesus was clearly dead. Pilate checked. One soldier made sure (John 19:34). Two men who had followed Jesus from a distance undertook the compassionate task of removing Jesus’ body from the cross and placing it in a tomb, while several women watched.

15:42-43 The Sabbath began at sundown on Friday and ended at sundown on Saturday. Jesus died just a few hours before sundown on Friday. It was against Jewish law to do physical work or to travel on the Sabbath, so the day before was the day of preparation for the Sabbath. It was also against Jewish law to let a dead body remain exposed overnight (Deuteronomy 21:23). As evening and the Sabbath approached, Joseph from Arimathea (a town about twenty miles from Jerusalem) asked for Jesus’ body so he could give it a proper burial. Although an honored member of the high council, Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus (John 19:38). That he was waiting for the Kingdom of God suggests that Joseph was a Pharisee, who hoped for God’s deliverance. Joseph gathered his courage and went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body in order to bury it. He went directly to Pilate who alone could give permission to take down the body. He had to hurry; Sabbath was fast approaching.

15:44-45 Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly, so he asked an official to verify the report. He summoned the officer who had been at the execution site (15:39). Only Mark recorded Pilate’s questioning of the officer, perhaps to show his Roman readers that Jesus’ death had been verified by a Roman military officer. No officer so trained in execution could make such a basic error.

15:46 Joseph bought a linen cloth; Nicodemus brought spices (John 19:39). The body was carefully taken down from the cross, wrapped in layers of cloth with the spices in between, and laid in a tomb. Jesus was given a burial fit for a king.

This tomb was probably a man-made cave carved out of one of the many limestone hills in the area around Jerusalem. It was large enough to walk into (John 20:6). Matthew records that this was Joseph’s own previously unused tomb (Matthew 27:60). Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus’ body, placed it in the tomb, and rolled a stone across the entrance. The religious leaders also watched where Jesus was buried. They stationed guards by the tomb and sealed the stone to make sure that no one would steal Jesus’ body and claim he had risen from the dead (Matthew 27:62-66). All of these actions give us verification that Jesus truly had died.

15:47 Two of the women who had been at the cross (15:40) followed these men as they carried Jesus’ body to the tomb. They wanted to know where Jesus’ body was laid because they planned to return after the Sabbath with their own spices to anoint Jesus’ body (16:1).

 Tomorrow we’ll look at the resurrection, the event of the ages.  I’m praying that in this time of reading and reflection that you will KNOW Christ like never before.

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Life Application Bible Notes

New American Commentary

Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Preaching the Word Commentary

 

 

Plotting, betrayal, arrest, false witnesses and denial:  Hardships open our eyes and enable us to deal with our true character.  When we feel safe in our surroundings or we take life lightly, it is easy to consider ourselves prepared for anything. The disciples trusted in Jesus, but their trust came and went quickly.  As long as the Lord was doing what they wanted, everything was fine. But when external circumstances changed and Jesus was arrested, the weakness of their faith was revealed.

 Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus / 14:1-2

14:1-2 The Passover commemorated the night the Israelites were freed from Egypt (Exodus 12), when God “passed over” homes marked by the blood of a lamb. This was the last great plague on Egypt; in the unmarked homes the firstborn sons died. After this horrible disaster, Pharaoh let the Israelites go.

The day of Passover was followed by the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread. This, too, recalled the Israelites’ quick escape from Egypt when, because they wouldn’t have time to let their bread rise, they baked it without leaven (yeast). All Jewish males over the age of twelve were required to go to Jerusalem for this festival (Deuteronomy 16:5-6). Jews from all over the Roman Empire would converge on Jerusalem, swelling the population from 50,000 to 250,000 people.

The Jewish leaders plotted secretly to kill Jesus. They had already decided that Jesus must die (see John 11:47-53); they just needed the opportunity. They did not want to attempt to arrest Jesus during the Passover because they feared that the crowd would riot on his behalf. They feared that such an uprising might bring the wrath of Rome.

 A Woman Anoints Jesus with Perfume / 14:3-9

14:3 Bethany was located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives (Jerusalem is on the western side). This town was the home of Jesus’ friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (who were also present at this dinner, John 11:2). Jesus had been returning to Bethany from Jerusalem each night during this final week (11:11). This night, Jesus was a guest of Simon. He did not have leprosy at this time, for lepers had to live separately from people because of the extreme contagiousness of the disease. Jesus may have healed Simon.

This woman was probably Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who lived in Bethany (John 12:1-3). She brought a beautiful jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on Jesus’ head. It was a common custom at some Jewish meals for the honored guests to be anointed with oil (see Luke 7:44-46), but it would not be so expensive. Such an anointing, with expensive oil, pictured a royal (messianic) anointing.

14:4-5 Where Mark says some, John specifically mentions Judas (John 12:4-5). This indignation over Mary’s act of worship would not have been based on concern for the poor, but on greed. Because Judas was the treasurer of Jesus’ ministry and had embezzled funds (John 12:6), he no doubt wanted the perfume sold so that the proceeds could be put into his care. This event probably pushed Judas over the edge in his determination to betray Jesus.

14:6-8 Jesus reprimanded the disciples, but comforted Mary. The expensive ointment poured on Jesus had been a good thing to do for him—a beautiful, acceptable, appealing act of love and sacrifice—and Jesus declared it to be so. This was a unique act for a specific occasion—an anointing that anticipated Jesus’ burial and a public declaration of faith in him as Messiah. Jesus was not saying that we should neglect the poor, nor was he justifying indifference to them. (For Jesus’ teaching about the poor, see Matthew 6:2-4; Luke 6:20-21; 14:13, 21; 18:22.) Jesus was affirming Mary’s unselfish act of worship. The essence of worshiping Christ is to regard him with utmost love, respect, and devotion, as well as to be willing to sacrifice to him what is most precious.

Jesus’ purpose in these words was to explain that the opportunity to show him such devotion and to anoint him with oil (in preparation for burial) would soon be past. The phrase, “I will not be here with you much longer,” meant that Jesus would soon be gone from them physically. However, they could and should show kindness to the poor, and opportunities to do so would continue, “You will always have the poor among you.”

Jesus’ words should have taught Judas and the disciples the valuable lesson that devotion to Christ is worth more than money. Unfortunately, Judas did not take heed; soon he would sell his Master’s life for thirty pieces of silver.

14:9 Mary’s unselfish act would be remembered forever. This has come true because we read about it today. While the disciples misunderstood Jesus’ mission and constantly fought about places in the Kingdom and while the religious leaders stubbornly refused to believe in Jesus and plotted his death, this one quiet woman so loved Jesus and was so devoted to him that she considered no sacrifice too great for her beloved Master. She is an example to us all of unselfish devotion to our Savior.

 Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus / 14:10-11

14:10 Why would Judas Iscariot want to betray Jesus? Very likely, Judas expected Jesus to start a political rebellion and overthrow Rome. As treasurer, Judas certainly assumed (as did the other disciples—see 10:35-37) that he would be given an important position in Jesus’ new government. But when Jesus praised Mary for pouring out the expensive perfume, Judas finally began to realize that Jesus’ Kingdom was not physical or political. Judas knew the leading priests had it in for Jesus, and he knew they would have the power to arrest Jesus. So that was where he went. Judas’s greedy desire for money and status could not be fulfilled if he followed Jesus, so he betrayed him in exchange for money and favor from the religious leaders.

14:11 Obviously the leading priests were delighted to have discovered a traitor among Jesus’ followers. They had been having difficulty figuring out how to arrest Jesus (14:1-2); so when an offer of help came from this unexpected corner, they took advantage of it. They promised Judas a reward, and Judas began looking for the right opportunity—when there would be no Passover crowds to prevent Jesus’ capture and no possibility of a riot (14:2).

Disciples Prepare for the Passover / 14:12-16

14:12 The Passover took place on one night and at one meal, but the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was celebrated with it, continued for a week. The first day of the feast was technically the day after Passover, but the two were often equated. So, this was either Wednesday night (the day before Passover) or Thursday of Jesus’ last week (the night of the Passover meal). The highlight of the festival was the Passover meal, a family feast with the main course of lamb. The sacrifice of a lamb and the spilling of its blood commemorated Israel’s escape from Egypt when the blood of a lamb painted on their door frames had saved their firstborn sons from death. This event foreshadowed Jesus’ work on the cross. As the spotless Lamb of God, his blood would be spilled in order to save his people from the penalty of death brought by sin.

Jesus’ disciples assumed that they would eat the Passover meal together with Jesus. However, the meal had to be eaten in Jerusalem, so the disciples asked Jesus where they should go in order to make preparations.

14:13 The two disciples Jesus sent were Peter and John (Luke 22:8). Whether Jesus had supernatural knowledge in this instance or if he had made arrangements in advance is unclear (as in the incident with his Triumphal Entry, see 11:1-6). It seems that in this instance this room had been reserved previously and kept secret—none of the disciples knew where they would eat this meal. Jesus already knew that Judas would be looking for an opportunity to betray him without crowds around, so Jesus may have made these arrangements and kept them secret.

The two disciples were dispatched in the morning from Bethany to Jerusalem to prepare the Passover meal. Jesus told them that as they entered the city, they would meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Ordinarily women, not men, went to the well and brought home the water. So this man would have stood out in the crowd. This may have been a prearranged signal, or Jesus may have supernaturally known that this man (most likely a servant) would be there and would lead them to the right house.

14:14-16 The owner of this home was probably one of Jesus’ followers. He knew exactly who the Teacher was and probably knew the disciples by sight. Tradition says this may have been Mark’s home, so this would have been Mark’s father. Many homes had upstairs rooms large enough to accommodate Jesus and his twelve disciples. As before, when two disciples went to get the donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem (11:1-6), these two disciples found everything just as Jesus had said. The preparations for the Passover would have included setting the table, buying and roasting the Passover lamb, and making the unleavened bread, sauces, and other ceremonial food and drink that were a traditional part of every Passover meal.

Jesus and the Disciples Share the Last Supper / 14:17-26

14:17 On that evening (Wednesday or Thursday), Jesus arrived in Jerusalem with the twelve disciples. The meal was not to be eaten until after sunset and was supposed to be finished by midnight.

14:18-20 As Jesus and the disciples were eating, Jesus spoke the stunning words, “One of you will betray me.” The betrayer was one of his own chosen twelve disciples, one with whom the meal was being shared. Jesus’ words caused quite a stir among the disciples. They had heard Jesus tell them three different times that he would soon die, but that one of them would actually betray Jesus saddened them greatly.

Although the other disciples were confused by Jesus’ words, Judas knew what he meant. Apparently Judas was not the obvious betrayer. After all, he was the one the disciples trusted to keep the money (John 12:4-6). So the disciples asked Jesus who the betrayer was; “I’m not the one, am I?” each one asked in turn. Matthew records that even Judas asked this question (Matthew 26:25).

14:21 Jesus would indeed be betrayed and would indeed die as he had already told his disciples. His death would not occur merely because of the betrayer, for the Son of Man had to die to complete God’s plan and fulfill Scripture (for example, Psalm 41:9-13; Isaiah 53:1-6).

But how terrible it will be for the one who betrayed Jesus. Again Jesus’ words were reminiscent of Psalm 41, this time verses 10-12, where the sufferer was vindicated by God and his enemies punished. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him, and he also knew that Judas would not repent.

Luke wrote that “Satan entered into Judas Iscariot” before he went to the religious leaders (Luke 22:3). However, Satan’s part in the betrayal of Jesus does not remove any of the responsibility from Judas. In God’s sovereign will and according to his timetable, he uses sinful men. But that doesn’t excuse their sin. All people will be held accountable for their choices and actions. Whatever Judas thought, Satan assumed that Jesus’ death would end Jesus’ mission and thwart God’s plan. Like Judas, Satan did not know that Jesus’ death and resurrection were the most important parts of God’s plan all along.

John records that upon this pronouncement, Jesus told Judas to “hurry. Do it now” (John 13:27). Then Judas went out into the night. He was not present for the remaining words Jesus spoke.

14:22 Jesus and the disciples were eating the bread, and Jesus took the loaf of unleavened bread, asked God’s blessing on it, and broke it. Jesus told the disciples to “Take it, for this is my body.” His words “this is my body” symbolize the spiritual nourishment believers obtain from a personal relationship with the Savior.

Christians differ in their interpretation of the meaning of the commemoration of the Lord’s Supper. There are three main views: (1) The bread and wine actually become Christ’s body and blood; (2) the bread and wine remain unchanged, yet Christ is spiritually present by faith in and through them; and (3) the bread and wine, which remain unchanged, are lasting memorials of Christ’s sacrifice. No matter which view they favor, all Christians agree that the Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and points to the coming of his Kingdom in glory. When we partake of it, we show our deep gratitude for Christ’s work on our behalf, and our faith is strengthened.

Just as the Passover celebrated deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the Lord’s Supper celebrates deliverance from sin by Christ’s death.

14:23-24 The celebrations in the Christian church (Communion, Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper) have first a sharing of bread (including a repetition of Jesus’ words, “This is my body”), and then a sharing of wine (including a repetition of Jesus’ words, “This is my blood, poured out for many”).

As with the bread, Jesus spoke words in figurative language. “This is my blood” means “This wine represents my blood.” Jesus’ blood, poured out on behalf of sinners, sealed the covenant between God and his people. In later manuscripts, the word “new” has been inserted before “covenant.” This insertion is based on Luke 22:20 and 1 Corinthians 11:25, where the word “new” appears in all Greek manuscripts. The word “covenant” refers to an arrangement established by one party that cannot be altered by the other party. In other words, God established the covenant and humans can only accept or reject it; they cannot alter it in any way.

What did Jesus mean by a “new covenant”? In Old Testament times, God had agreed to forgive people’s sins if they would bring animals for the priests to sacrifice. When this sacrificial system was inaugurated, the agreement between God and human beings was sealed with the blood of animals (Exodus 24:8). But animal blood did not in itself remove sin, and animal sacrifices had to be repeated day by day and year after year.

Jesus instituted a “new covenant,” or agreement, between humans and God. This concept is key to all New Testament theology and forms the basis for the name of the New Testament portion of the Bible. Under this new covenant, Jesus would die in the place of sinners. The old covenant was a shadow of the new, pointing forward to the day when Jesus himself would be the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. Rather than an unblemished lamb slain on the altar, the perfect Lamb of God was slain on the cross as a sinless sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven once and for all. Those who accept Christ’s sacrifice and believe in him receive forgiveness. Now all people can come directly to God through faith because Jesus’ death has made us acceptable in God’s eyes (Romans 3:21-24).

14:25 Again Jesus assured his disciples of his victory over his imminent death and of a future in the Kingdom of God. The next few hours would bring apparent defeat, but soon they would experience the power of the Holy Spirit and witness the great spread of the gospel message.

14:26 The hymn they sang was most likely taken from Psalms 116–118, the second part of the Hallel that was traditionally sung after eating the Passover meal. John included a lengthy discourse that Jesus had with his disciples (John 13:31–17:26) before he and the eleven remaining disciples left the upper room and went out to the Mount of Olives, located just to the east of Jerusalem. Leaving the room did not surprise the disciples, for they had not been staying in Jerusalem at night and had left the city every evening to return to Bethany. This time, however, Jesus went only as far as the southwestern slope, to an olive grove called Gethsemane, which means “oil press.”

Jesus Again Predicts Peter’s Denial / 14:27-31

14:27-28 This was the second time in the same evening that Jesus predicted the disciples’ denial and desertion, which probably explains their strong reaction (14:31). (For Jesus’ earlier prediction, see Luke 22:31-34 and John 13:36-38.) That the disciples would desert him means that they would take offense at him and turn away. Fearing what would befall Jesus, they would not want to experience the same treatment. Jesus would go to the cross totally alone. The disciples’ desertion would also occur just as it had been predicted in Scripture, specifically Zechariah 13:7. In Zechariah, God commanded that the Shepherd be struck down. As a result, the sheep will be scattered. Without a shepherd and on their own, the sheep would go through a period of great trial and be refined. The refining process would strengthen them and create a new, faithful people for God. The disciples would be overwhelmed by what would happen to Jesus, but Jesus’ death would ultimately produce their salvation.

After his prediction of their desertion, Jesus then predicted their reunion after he would be raised from the dead. Jesus promised that he would go ahead of them into Galilee and meet them all there.

14:29-30 Peter, always ready to speak up at inopportune moments, declared that his allegiance to Jesus would prove to be much stronger than the others. Jesus explained, however, that instead of being the only loyal disciple, Peter would prove himself the least so. Not only would he desert Jesus, he would also deny him—not once, but three times. And this would happen in the space of the next few hours. Before the night was over, that is before the rooster crowed a second time, Peter would deny the Master to whom he claimed such loyalty. Only Mark recorded a second crowing of the rooster (see also 14:72). If Peter was, in fact, Mark’s source for this Gospel, he certainly remembered this minor detail.

14:31 Peter did not think it possible for him to actually deny any relationship with Jesus. Perhaps he was worried that he was the betrayer Jesus had mentioned during their meal (14:18). Not only Peter, but all the disciples declared that they would never deny Jesus. A few hours later, however, they all scattered.

Jesus Agonizes in the Garden / 14:32-42

14:32 After eating the meal, the disciples left Jerusalem and went out to Gethsemane (see John 18:1-2). The garden was in the Kidron Valley just outside the eastern wall of Jerusalem and just below the Mount of Olives. Jesus told eight of the disciples to sit down while he went farther in to pray.

Plenty of drama surrounds Mark’s terse account. The elders of Jerusalem were plotting to kill Jesus and had already issued a warrant for his arrest. Jesus left Jerusalem under cover of darkness in order to pray. The disciples must also have been physically and emotionally exhausted from trying to comprehend what would transpire. Instead of watching, they gave in to their exhaustion and fell asleep.

14:33-34 Jesus took three disciples, his inner circle, farther into the garden with him. To these closest friends, Jesus revealed his inner turmoil over the event he was about to face. The divine course was set, but Jesus, in his human nature, still struggled (Hebrews 5:7-9). His coming death was no surprise; he knew about it and had even told the disciples about it so they would be prepared. Jesus knew what his death would accomplish. As the time of this event neared, it became even more horrifying. Jesus naturally recoiled from the prospect.

Jesus asked Peter, James, and John (14:33) to stay and watch with him. Jesus knew Judas would soon arrive, and Jesus wanted to devote himself to prayer until that time came.

14:35 Jesus went still farther into the garden to be alone with God. His agony was such that he threw himself on the ground before God in deep spiritual anguish, praying that if possible the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by—that his mission might be accomplished some other way. Hour figuratively refers to the entire event Jesus was facing. The “hour” and the “cup” were used synonymously. Yet Jesus humbly submitted to the Father’s will. Luke tells us that Jesus’ sweat resembled drops of blood. Jesus was in terrible agony, but he did not give up or give in. He went ahead with the mission for which he had come.

14:36 Abba was Aramaic for “father” and implied familiarity and closeness. Only Jesus could have used the word Abba in a prayer to God, because Jesus had a special Father-Son relationship with him. Jesus’ using it showed his surrender to and faith in the Father’s will. Children addressed their fathers as Abba, but the term was far too familiar for adult Jews to use in speaking to God. Paul used the term in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, showing that the early church picked up the term from this prayer of Jesus.

The words, everything is possible for you, indicate God’s omnipotence. He could accomplish anything. Jesus was affirming God’s sovereign control over the coming suffering (see 10:27). With the words, take this cup of suffering away from me, Jesus was referring to the agony, the separation from God, and the death he would have to endure in order to atone for the sins of the world. Jesus, as God’s Son, recoiled from sin, yet part of his task would be to take the sins of the whole world upon himself. This was a cup he truly hated to drink. The physical suffering would be horrible enough, but what God’s Son feared most was the cup of spiritual suffering—taking on sin and being separated from God (Hebrews 5:7-9). Yet Jesus reaffirmed his desire to do what God wanted by saying, “Yet I want your will, not mine.”

God did not take away the “cup,” for to judge the sins of the world was his will. Yet he did take away Jesus’ extreme fear and agitation. Jesus moved serenely through the next several hours, at peace with God, knowing that he was doing God’s will.

14:37-38 Jesus got up from his prayer to return to the three disciples. He had told them to stay and keep watch (14:34), but instead of showing support for Jesus by remaining awake with him and praying themselves for strength in the coming hours, they had fallen asleep. The hour was very late, perhaps after midnight.

Jesus spoke to Peter, calling him Simon, his name before he had met Jesus. Apparently Peter’s recent boasting (14:31), present sleepiness, and coming denial rendered him less than Peter, the “rock” (see John 1:42). Peter had said he would never leave Jesus; yet when Jesus needed prayer and support, Peter had fallen asleep. So, Jesus rebuked him for his failure to keep watch for even one hour. Only Mark mentions the Lord’s words to Peter. Perhaps Peter wanted Mark to tell this part of the story.

Jesus told the disciples that this was the time to keep alert and pray, for soon difficult temptation would come. Jesus wanted them to pray that their faith would not collapse. The word temptation can mean testing or trial. Jesus wanted his disciples to pray for strength to go through the coming ordeal. The disciples were about to see Jesus die. Would they still think he was the Messiah? The disciples’ strongest temptation would undoubtedly be to think they had been deceived. Their spirit might be willing, but their body would be weak. Their inner desires and intentions would be, as they had previously boasted, to never deny Jesus and to die with him. Yet with all their human inadequacies, fears, and failures, the disciples would have difficulty carrying out those good intentions.

14:39-40 Jesus left the three disciples and went back to his previous pleadings with the Father (14:35-36). When he returned to them, they were asleep again. Despite his warning they just couldn’t keep their eyes open. Apparently Jesus again awakened them, and in their embarrassment, they didn’t know what to say.

14:41-42 Jesus went away to pray a third time, only to come back and find the disciples still asleep. The disciples had not taken the opportunity to pray, and there would be no more time to do so—the time had come. So Jesus did not again tell them to pray. Jesus had spent the last few hours dealing with the Father, wrestling with him, and humbly submitting to him. Now he was prepared to face his betrayer and the sinners who were coming to arrest him.

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested / 14:43-52

14:43 Even as Jesus spoke to his disciples to rouse them from their sleep, Judas arrived. The leading priests had issued the warrant for Jesus’ arrest, and Judas was acting as Jesus’ official accuser. The mob, armed with swords and clubs, came in the middle of the night when most of the people were asleep and they could arrest Jesus without commotion. Although there were no crowds to worry about, Jesus was surrounded by eleven loyal followers who the Temple guards feared might put up a fight.

14:44 Judas had told the crowd to arrest the man to whom he would give the kiss of greeting. This was not an arrest by Roman soldiers under Roman law, but an arrest by the religious leaders. Judas pointed Jesus out, not because Jesus was hard to recognize, but because Judas had agreed to be the formal accuser in case a trial was called. A kiss on the cheek or hand was a common form of greeting in the Middle East, so this was not unusual.

14:45 Judas had expected to find Jesus and the disciples in Gethsemane. He entered the garden followed by the armed band and walked up to Jesus. In a friendly gesture of greeting and affection, Judas called Jesus “Teacher” and then gave him a kiss (on the cheek or on the hand), a sign of respect.

14:46 The religious leaders had not arrested Jesus in the Temple for fear of a riot. Instead, they had come secretly at night, under the influence of the prince of darkness, Satan himself. Jesus offered no resistance and was grabbed and arrested. Although it looked as if Satan were getting the upper hand, everything was proceeding according to God’s plan. It was time for Jesus to die.

14:47 According to John 18:10, the person who pulled out a sword was Peter, who cut off the right ear of a servant named Malchus. Peter was trying to prevent what he saw as defeat. He wasn’t going to let this crowd arrest Jesus without putting up a fight. Luke 22:51 records that Jesus immediately healed the man’s ear and prevented any further bloodshed. Jesus then told Peter to put away his sword and allow God’s plan to unfold. Peter didn’t realize that Jesus had to die in order to gain victory. But Jesus demonstrated perfect commitment to his Father’s will. His Kingdom would not be advanced with swords, but with faith and obedience.

14:48-49 Jesus protested, not his arrest, but the way he was arrested. They did not need to come against him with weapons, for he was voluntarily surrendering himself. Jesus was not a dangerous criminal leading a rebellion; he was a religious teacher who had been teaching in the Temple daily during the past week. Jesus also mocked their show of worldly power. He who could summon angels was not afraid of swords. Did the guards imagine that swords would intimidate Jesus? They didn’t understand who he was. Jesus knew why the events were unfolding as they were—to fulfill what the Scriptures say. Judas’s treachery, the coming mockery of a trial against Jesus, and its ultimate outcome had all been prophesied (see, for example, Psalms 22:7-8, 14, 16-17; 41:9; Isaiah 50:6; 53:7-8).

14:50 Just hours earlier, these disciples had vowed never to desert Jesus (14:31). Judas’s kiss marked a turning point for the disciples and Jesus’ loyal disciples deserted him and ran away. The teacher who had held forth in the Temple was now under arrest. The treasurer had become a traitor. The garden sanctuary that had always been “safe” was turned into the place of confrontation. What confusion! The disciples’ primary loyalty to Jesus should have kept them from running. But fear took its toll.

14:51-52 Only Mark records the incident of this young man who also fled the scene. Tradition says that this young man may have been John Mark, the writer of this Gospel, in whose home the Last Supper may have taken place. If that is true, at some point Mark had awakened from sleep (he had probably been sleeping in a linen nightshirt or had a sheet wrapped around him) and had followed the disciples to the garden. Perhaps soldiers had come to the house looking for Jesus and this young man had attempted to warn Jesus before the soldiers reached him. But in Gethsemane, the crowd had already arrested Jesus and the disciples had fled. Someone grabbed this young man, perhaps hoping to use him as a witness. At that, the young man escaped and ran away naked.

Caiaphas Questions Jesus / 14:53-65

14:53 By now it was very early Friday morning, before daybreak. Jesus was taken under guard from the garden back into Jerusalem. First he was questioned by Annas, the former high priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas. Annas had been Israel’s high priest from a.d. 6 to 15, when he had been deposed by Roman rulers. Then Caiaphas had been appointed high priest. He held that position from a.d. 18 to 36 / 37. According to Jewish law, the office of high priest was held for life, but the Roman government had taken over the process of appointing all political and religious leaders. Caiaphas served for eighteen years, longer than most high priests, suggesting that he was gifted at cooperating with the Romans. Caiaphas was the first to recommend Jesus’ death in order to “save” the nation (John 11:49-50). However, many Jews still considered Annas to be the high priest. Annas may have asked to question Jesus after his arrest and was given first rights to do so. This hearing is described in John 18:12-24.

After that preliminary hearing, Jesus was taken to the high priest’s home. That all the religious leaders had been speedily assembled shows that this was a trial by the Jewish council of religious leaders consisting of seventy members plus the high priest. Because of their haste to complete the trial and see Jesus die before the Sabbath, less than twenty-four hours later, the religious leaders first met in Caiaphas’s home at night to accomplish the preliminaries before their more formal meeting in the Temple at daylight. They finally had Jesus where they wanted him, and they were determined to accomplish their plans as quickly as possible.

The trial by the Jewish leaders had two phases. This first phase occurred during the night (recorded here in 14:53-65); then another meeting was held “very early in the morning” (15:1) to satisfy a law that allowed trials only during the daytime. That meeting was a mere formality held at daybreak, during which the verdict was given and Jesus was led off to the Roman procurator for sentencing. The Jewish council was the most powerful religious and political body of the Jewish people. Although the Romans controlled Israel’s government, they gave the people power to handle religious disputes and some civil disputes; so the council made many of the local decisions affecting daily life. But a death sentence had to be authorized by the Romans (John 18:31).

14:54 Although all the disciples had fled when the soldiers arrested Jesus, two of them, Peter and another disciple (perhaps John), returned to where Jesus was taken (John 18:15). The high priest’s residence was a palace with gates and outer walls enclosing a courtyard. Here a charcoal fire was burning, around which the servants and guards were warming themselves against the early morning chill. Peter’s story continues at 14:66.

14:55-56 Upstairs in the high priest’s palace, the leading priests and the entire high council (meaning the group of seventy-one leaders of the Jews—priests and respected men) assembled in the middle of the night to get this trial under way, but they had a dilemma on their hands. They were trying to find witnesses who would testify against Jesus, so they could put him to death, but they couldn’t find any—only false witnesses who contradicted each other. The obvious conclusion should have been that Jesus was innocent of any crime. But this was not a trial for justice; it was a trial to accomplish an evil purpose. These leaders held a trial, in keeping with all the trappings of their law, while their whole purpose was to kill Jesus. Ironically, these religious guardians of the law were breaking one of the Ten Commandments, “Do not testify falsely” (Exodus 20:16).

14:57-59 Finally they found some men who would testify against him with a lie regarding Jesus’ words about the Temple. These men twisted Jesus’ words because their testimony, even on this same point, did not agree.

The witnesses claimed that Jesus had said he could destroy the Temple in Jerusalem—a blasphemous boast. Such a claim would bring wrath from even the Romans because destroying temples was considered a capital offense throughout the Roman Empire. However, Jesus had not spoken in the first person (“I will destroy”); nor had he said anything linking his words with the Temple building. Instead, Jesus had spoken in the second person plural, issuing a command, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Jesus, of course, was talking about his body, not the building. Ironically, the religious leaders were about to destroy Jesus’ body just as he had said, and three days later he would rise from the dead.

14:60 Caiaphas, the high priest, was getting frustrated. Now his only hope was to get Jesus to say something that would give them evidence to convict him. The religious leaders had tried and failed on prior occasions to trap Jesus with trick questions (12:13-34); Caiaphas tried to make up in intimidation what was lacking in evidence. He asked Jesus to answer his accusers and then to explain the accusations against him.

14:61 Jesus refused to say anything. He had nothing to say to the group of liars who had spoken against him, and he had no reason to explain a bunch of false accusations. So he made no reply. This had been prophesied in Scripture (Isaiah 53:7). With Jesus’ silence, the court proceedings ground to a halt. But Caiaphas had another tactic up the sleeve of his priestly robe. He decided to ask Jesus point blank, “Are you the Messiah?” The council must have held its collective breath in anticipation. Here was the question that could make or break the entire plot. Would Jesus outright claim to be the Messiah, the Son of the blessed God? We may wonder why Jesus refused to answer the first question and then chose to answer this one. Matthew’s account points out that Caiaphas put Jesus under oath (Matthew 26:63) so that Jesus would be forced to answer by law (Leviticus 5:1); so he would be forced to incriminate himself. Caiaphas’s action was unlawful in trial proceedings, but no one voiced that fact to him. As mentioned above, this trial had nothing to do with justice; it was merely a ploy to get rid of Jesus.

14:62 To the first questions (14:60), Jesus made no reply because the questions were based on confusing and erroneous evidence. Not answering was wiser than trying to clarify the fabricated accusations. But if Jesus had refused to answer the second question (14:61), it would have been tantamount to denying his deity and his mission. So Jesus answered without hesitation, “I am.” The two words, “I am,” both answered the high priest’s question and alluded to Jesus divinity (“I am” being God’s self-designation, see Exodus 3:14).

Then Jesus spoke startling words: the Son of Man, sitting at God’s right hand, refers to Psalm 110:1, and coming back on the clouds of heaven recalls Daniel 7:13-14. The clouds represented the power and glory of God. Both verses were considered to be prophecies of the coming Messiah, and Jesus applied them to himself.

14:63-64 Tearing one’s clothing was an ancient expression of deep sorrow (see Genesis 44:13). The law forbade a priest from tearing his garments over personal grief (Leviticus 10:6; 21:10), but it was appropriate in an instance when blasphemy had been spoken in his presence. Blasphemy was the sin of claiming to be God or of attacking God’s authority and majesty in any way. Caiaphas tore his clothing to signify his horror at the audacity of the claims of this mere teacher from Nazareth. These religious leaders thought that Jesus was leading the people astray and bringing dishonor to God’s holy name. For any other human being, this claim would have been blasphemy; in this case, the claim was true.

Blasphemy was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:15-16). “Why do we need other witnesses?” asked Caiaphas without expecting any answer. Jesus had incriminated himself. Caiaphas asked for their verdict. The Jewish leaders had the evidence they wanted, so they all condemned him to death.

14:65 Next some of the members of the council acted in a most brutish way. Jesus was blindfolded, and they took turns hitting him and then asking him to tell who it was that hit him. When they finished with Jesus, the guards came and also beat Jesus. Yet even this had been prophesied in Scripture (Isaiah 52:14). Jesus suffered great pain, humiliation, and brutality to take away our sin.

Peter Denies Knowing Jesus / 14:66-72

14:66-68 This servant girl was actually guarding the gate to the inner courtyard (John 18:16). She had seen Peter enter. Jesus’ trial had been held in an upper story of the high priest’s palace; so, Peter was below in the courtyard. When the girl saw Peter’s face more clearly in the light of the fire, she looked at him closely and recognized him as one who had been with Jesus (that is, one of Jesus’ disciples). This put Peter in a difficult position. Standing among the soldiers and servants right there in enemy territory, Peter did not necessarily want to be identified with the man in an upstairs room on trial for his life. So Peter made a natural and impulsive response—he lied. He simply got out of this sticky situation by saying he didn’t understand what the girl was talking about; then he scooted out into the entryway, away from the fire. Temptation came when Peter least expected it, and this warns us to be prepared. Peter had been ready to fight with a sword but not to face the accusations of a servant.

14:69-71 Once again Peter was put to the test. Another servant girl (Matthew 26:71) saw him. She didn’t question him; she began telling the others around that Peter was indeed one of them, meaning one of Jesus’ disciples. But he denied it again. This was Peter’s second denial.

About an hour passed (Luke 22:59) and some other bystanders also recognized Peter by his Galilean accent (Matthew 26:73). Peter’s dialect was closer to Syrian speech than to that of the Judean servants in that Jerusalem courtyard. While Peter may have hoped to seem a natural part of the group by joining in the conversation, instead he revealed, by his speech, that he did not belong there. Once again Peter lied, this time more vehemently. So Peter decided to make the strongest denial he could think of by denying with an oath, “I swear by God, I don’t know this man.” This was the third denial (14:30).

14:72 Immediately upon Peter’s final words, the rooster crowed the second time. When Peter heard the rooster crowing and then saw Jesus look down at him from the upper story where the trial was being held (Luke 22:61), Jesus’ previous words flashed through his mind. Peter had indeed denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.

Peter broke down and cried, not only because he realized that he had denied his Lord, the Messiah, but also because he had turned away from a very dear friend. Unable to stand up for his Lord for even twelve hours, he had failed as a disciple and as a friend.

Fortunately, the story does not end there. Peter’s tears were of true sorrow and repentance. Peter reaffirmed his love for Jesus, and Jesus forgave him (see 16:7; John 21:15-19). From this humiliating experience, Peter learned much that would help him later when he became leader of the young church.

 Tomorrow is the crucifixion in chapter 15.  Praying that you will continue to GROW in Christ,

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Life Application Bible Notes

New American Commentary

Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Preaching the Word Commentary

 

The end of the world and the second coming; this entire chapter tells us how to live while we wait for Christ’s return: 1. We are not to be misled by confusing claims or speculative interpretations of what will happen (Mark 13:5,6). 2. We should not be afraid to tell people about Christ, despite what they might say or do to us (Mark 13:9-11). 3. We must stand firm by faith and not be surprised by persecutions (Mark 13:13). 4. We must be morally alert, obedient to the commands for living found in God’s Word. This chapter was not given to promote discussions on prophetic timetables, but to stimulate right living for God in a world where he is largely ignored.

 Jesus Tells about the Future / 13:1-23

13:1 Jesus and the disciples were leaving the Temple (this may have been either Tuesday or Wednesday evening of the week before the Crucifixion). This was Jesus’ last visit to the Temple area. He would do no more preaching or public teaching. One of the disciples remarked on the incredible beauty of the Temple. Although no one knows exactly what this Temple looked like, it must have been magnificent, for in its time it was considered one of the architectural wonders of the world. This was not Solomon’s Temple—it had been destroyed by the Babylonians in the seventh century b.c. (2 Kings 25:8-10). This Temple had been built by Ezra after the return from exile in the sixth century b.c. (Ezra 6:14-15), desecrated by the Seleucids in the second century b.c., reconsecrated by the Maccabees soon afterward, and enormously expanded by Herod the Great.

The Temple was impressive, covering about one-sixth of the land area of the ancient city of Jerusalem. It was not one building, but a majestic mixture of porches, colonnades, separate small edifices, and courts surrounding the Temple proper—hence the comment about the tremendous buildings. Outside these courts were long porches. Solomon’s porch was 1,562 feet long; the royal porch was decorated with 160 columns stretching along its 921-foot length. The Temple’s foundation was so solid that it is believed that some of the original footings remain to this day. The Jews were convinced of the permanence of this magnificent structure, not only because of the stability of construction, but also because it represented God’s presence among them. The massive stones the disciple mentioned were huge white stones, some of them measuring twenty-five by eight by twelve feet and weighing more than one hundred tons.

13:2 Jesus made a startling statement: These magnificent buildings would be completely demolished. The destruction of the Jews’ beloved Temple would be God’s judgment against them for turning away from him. This happened only a few decades later when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in a.d. 70. Gazing at the massive stones, the disciples surely found it difficult to believe that not one of the stones would be left on top of another. Because the Temple symbolized God’s presence among them, the Jews would be horrified to see it destroyed.

13:3-4 The Mount of Olives rises above Jerusalem to the east. As Jesus left the city to return to Bethany for the night, he would have crossed the Kidron Valley and then headed up the slopes of the Mount of Olives. From this slope, he and the disciples could look down into the city and see the Temple, with the sun setting behind it to the west. Four disciples came to Jesus privately because they wanted to understand what Jesus meant and when this terrible destruction would happen. Their question had two parts: (1) They wanted to know when this would happen (especially the destruction of the Temple), and (2) what sign would show that Jesus’ words will be fulfilled. The second part of their question referred to the end of the age. In the disciples’ minds, one event would occur immediately after the other. They expected the Messiah to inaugurate his Kingdom soon, and they wanted to know the sign that it was about to arrive.

Jesus gave them a prophetic picture of that time, including events leading up to it. He also talked about far future events connected with the last days and his Second Coming, when he would return to earth to judge all people. Like much of Old Testament prophecy, Jesus predicted both near and distant events without putting them in chronological order. The coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple only foreshadowed a future destruction that would ultimately usher in God’s Kingdom. Jesus was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times.

13:5-6 Jesus first answered the disciples’ second question about the end of the age and the coming Kingdom. The disciples wondered what sign would reveal these things, but Jesus warned them against seeking signs, “Don’t let anyone mislead you.” Jesus knew that if the disciples looked for signs, they would be susceptible to being deceived. There would be many who would come claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus predicted that before his return, many believers would be led astray by false teachers claiming to be Christ.

In every generation since Christ’s resurrection, certain individuals have claimed to be the Christ or to know exactly when Jesus would return. Obviously, no one else has been Christ, and no one has been right about the timing of the Second Coming. According to Scripture, the one clear sign of Christ’s return will be his unmistakable appearance in the clouds, which will be seen by all people (13:26; Revelation 1:7). In other words, believers never have to wonder whether a certain person is the Messiah.

13:7-8 The key phrase in this verse comforts all believers, “Don’t panic.” As political situations worsen, as wars and rumors of wars ravage the world, Jesus instructed his disciples and all his followers not to be afraid that somehow God had lost control of his creation or that his promises would not come true. Just as false messiahs and religious frauds come and go, so do worldly crises. Even when the world’s situation gets worse, God is in control. These things must come as part of God’s divine plan. However, the wars and rumors of wars do not signal the end of the world. The disciples probably assumed that the Temple would only be destroyed at the end of the world as part of God establishing his new Kingdom. Jesus taught that horrible events would happen, but the end won’t follow immediately. Instead, this is only the beginning of the horrors to come; in other words, these would be preliminary sufferings. Jesus’ words subtly explained to the eager disciples that there would be a span of time before the end of the age and the coming Kingdom—it would not happen this week, or immediately upon Jesus’ resurrection, or even right after the destruction of Jerusalem. Instead, much suffering would occur as a part of life on earth, while history is moving toward a single, final, God-planned goal—the creation of a new earth and a new Kingdom (Revelation 21:1-3).

13:9 Jesus personalized his prophecy by explaining that the disciples themselves would face severe persecution; So, they must be on their guard in order to stay true to the faith. Being handed over to the courts referred to the local Jewish courts held in the synagogues. They would also find themselves standing trial before Gentile governors and kings. But such trials would have a purpose—the disciples were to tell them about Jesus.

13:10 Jesus said that before his return, the Good News of the Kingdom (the message of salvation) would be preached to every nation. This was the disciples’ mission—and it is ours. Jesus talked about the end times and final judgment to emphasize to his followers the urgency of spreading the gospel. By the time Mark’s readers would hear these words, Jesus’ prediction had already begun to happen. It occurred at Pentecost (Acts 2:5-11) and was spreading to all the world.

13:11 Not if the disciples would go on trial, but when they are arrested and stand trial, they were not to worry about defending themselves, but instead they were to concentrate on proclaiming the gospel. The Holy Spirit would give them God’s peace and the words to say. These words would help the disciples be bold witnesses as they made their defense before the rulers (13:9). Notice that Jesus did not guarantee acquittal. James, one of the disciples here listening to Jesus, would be killed because of his faith (Acts 12:1-2).

13:12 Jesus warned that in the coming persecutions his followers would be betrayed by their family members and friends, as well as by religious and civil authorities. Certainly this was a reality for the Roman believers to whom Mark was writing. The fear of being killed for one’s Christian faith would pit family members against one another.

13:13 Jesus’ followers will face the reality that everyone will hate them because of their allegiance to Christ. For a Jew to convert to Christianity would soon become very dangerous because it would lead to hatred and ostracism. And Jesus’ words looked forward to the time of the end when hatred of Christians would again occur. To believe in Jesus and endure to the end will take perseverance because our faith will be challenged and opposed. Severe trials will sift true Christians from fair-weather believers. Enduring to the end does not earn salvation for us; it marks us as already saved. The assurance of our salvation will keep us going through the times of persecution. While some will suffer and some will die, none of Jesus’ followers will suffer spiritual or eternal loss.

13:14-18 Jesus warned against seeking signs, but as a final part of his answer to the disciples’ second question (13:4), he gave them the ultimate event that would signal coming destruction. The sacrilegious object that causes desecration refers to the desecration of the Temple by God’s enemies. Mark’s phrase, reader, pay attention, may have been a sort of code for his Roman readers. A more precise explanation might have been dangerous for them if the Gospel fell into the wrong hands, so Mark urged them to understand Jesus’ words in light of the prophecy from the Old Testament prophet Daniel (see Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). The sacrilegious object refers to pagan idolatry and sacrifice (see Deuteronomy 29:16-18; 2 Kings 16:3-4; 23:12-14). The sacrilege would occur in the Temple itself (standing where it should not be) and cause it to be abandoned.

The first fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy occurred in 168 b.c. by Antiochus Epiphanes. He sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the sacred Temple altar. This act incited the Maccabean wars. The second fulfillment occurred in a.d. 70 when the Roman army would destroy Jerusalem and desecrate the Temple. Some scholars say that the third fulfillment is yet to come. Jesus’ words may also look far forward to the end times when the Antichrist will commit the ultimate sacrilege by setting up an image of himself in the Temple and ordering everyone to worship it (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14-15).

Many of Jesus’ followers (including Mark’s readers) would live during the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in a.d. 70. Jesus warned his followers to get out of Jerusalem and Judea and flee to the hills across the Jordan River when they saw the Temple being profaned. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that from a.d. 66, Jewish Zealots clashed with the Romans. Many people realized that rebellion would bring the wrath of the Empire, so they fled to Pella, a town located in the mountains across the Jordan River. As Jesus had said, this proved to be their protection, for when the Roman army swept in, the nation and its capital city were destroyed.

The people were to leave immediately, without trying to pack bags or even to return from the field to the city to get a coat (a most basic necessity). They should leave everything behind as they fled from the coming crisis. Jesus expressed sympathy for those who will have difficulty fleeing because they are pregnant or have small children. Jesus told the disciples to pray that the crisis would not break in winter. Swollen rivers would make passage difficult across the usually small streams, as well as across the Jordan River.

13:19 Jesus gave this warning to get out quickly for these will be days of greater horror than at any time since God created the world. This language, while sounding like an exaggeration, is not unusual in Scripture when describing an impending disaster. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and devastated Judea, one hundred thousand Jews were taken prisoner and another 1.1 million died by slaughter and starvation. So many Jews were crucified that the hills were emptied of trees in order to build enough crosses.

While Jesus’ words could be taken as referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in a.d. 70, they are so emphatic and clear that they must point ultimately to the final period of tribulation at the end of the age, because, as he stated, it will never happen again.

13:20 Many interpreters conclude that Jesus, talking about the end times, was telescoping near future and far future events, as the Old Testament prophets had done. Many of these persecutions have already occurred; more are yet to come. While a certain amount of persecution happened in the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus may also have envisioned the persecution of believers throughout history. The persecution will be so severe that unless the Lord shortens that time, that is, if it had not had a specific ending time, no one would survive. This refers to physical survival (as opposed to 13:13, which speaks of spiritual survival). The time would be cut short for the sake of his chosen, the believers. The shortening of the time will limit their duration so that the destruction will not wipe out God’s people or their mission. God is ultimately in charge of history and will not allow evil to exceed the bounds he has set.

When the time of suffering comes, the important point for the disciples and all believers to remember is that God is in control. Persecution will occur, but God knows about it and controls how long it will take place. He will not forget his people.

13:21-23 The Old Testament frequently mentions false prophets (see 2 Kings 3:13; Isaiah 44:25; Jeremiah 23:16; Ezekiel 13:2-3; Micah 3:5; Zechariah 13:2) who claimed to receive messages from God, but they preached what the people wanted to hear, even when the nation was not following God as it should. There were false prophets in Jesus’ day, and we have them today. They are the popular leaders who tell people what they want to hear—such as “God wants you to be rich,” “Do whatever your desires tell you,” or “There is no such thing as sin or hell.” Jesus also said that false messiahs would come, and he warned his disciples, as he warns us, not to be deceived by whatever signs and wonders they might produce. They will be able to perform miracles designed to convince people that their claims are true. But their “power” will be by trickery or from Satan, not from God. Both false and true prophets can work miracles (see Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 John 4:1-3; Revelation 13:11-18).

Yet will they be so convincing that they might even lead God’s chosen ones astray? Is it possible for Christians to be deceived? Yes, and Jesus pointed out the danger (see also Galatians 3:1). The arguments and proofs from deceivers in the end times will be so convincing that it will be difficult to be faithful. If we are prepared, Jesus says, we can remain faithful. With the Holy Spirit’s help, believers will not give in and will be able to discern what the deceivers say as false.

Spiritual vigilance is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching here. Spiritual alertness and moral preparation are taught by Jesus and portrayed by Mark throughout chapters 13 and 14: Beware that no one misleads you (13:5); watch out (13:9, 23, 33); keep a sharp lookout (13:35); do not be found asleep (13:36); keep watch (14:34); keep alert and pray (14:38).

Jesus Tells about His Return / 13:24-31

In the previous paragraphs, Jesus painted a picture of hardship, confusion, and waiting. But when it seems as though things can’t possibly get any worse, they will. Heaven and earth will be irreversibly changed. There will be a sunset, but no sunrise. That completely dark stage will make the arrival of the Son of Man visible to all.

13:24-26 The phrase, at that time, signaled that Jesus was talking specifically about the end times. After the time of tribulation, nature itself would experience change. As taught in Romans 8 and 2 Peter 3, the entire universe became involved in humanity’s sin predicament; so, the entire universe will be changed when humanity is changed. The changes in the heavens will be an intended contrast to the pseudo “signs and omens” (13:22) of the false messiahs. These words also recall the words of the prophets (Isaiah 13:10; Joel 2:10-11) and what John saw in his vision (Revelation 6:12-14).

After these cosmic events, all the people on earth will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds. Jesus’ return will be unmistakable; no one will wonder about his identity. Jesus’ Second Coming will not be as a humble, human carpenter, but as God’s Son with great power and glory.

13:27 Upon his return to earth, Jesus will send out his angels to gather together his chosen ones from all over the world. The angels’ gathering of the elect signifies the triumphant enthronement of the Son of Man, who will be revealed in all his power and glory. When he comes, the whole world will know that Jesus is Lord, and Christians’ hope and faith will be vindicated.

13:28-29 In the form of a parable, Jesus answered the disciples’ question regarding when the events he spoke about would happen (13:4). So far in this lengthy discourse, Jesus has traced two key themes: (1) the disciples’ suffering and (2) their need to be watchful.

The disciples, like anyone living in Palestine, knew how to interpret the coming of summer from the buds and leaves of the fig trees. In the same way, when the disciples see the events (described in 13:5-23), they would know that his return is very near. The fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy would assure the disciples that the other prophecies he had given regarding the end times would also come true.

13:30-31 There are three views of the meaning of this verse: (1) It refers only to those alive at this time who would be alive also at the destruction of Jerusalem; (2) it refers to the end times only; (3) it refers both to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times.

Jesus singled out this generation, using the Greek word genea, which can refer both to those living at a given time as well as to race or lineage (therefore, he was speaking of the Jewish race). That makes the third view above most likely. Jesus used “generation” here to mean that the events of 13:5-23 would occur initially within the lifetime of Jesus’ contemporaries. Jesus explained that many of those alive at that time would witness the destruction of Jerusalem. In addition, the Jewish nation would be preserved and remain on earth, so Jews also would witness the end-time events.

There could be no doubt in these disciples’ minds about the certainty of these prophecies. While heaven and earth as we know them would eventually disappear, Jesus’ words (including all his teachings during his time on earth) will remain forever.

Jesus Tells about Remaining Watchful / 13:32-37

Regarding the “when,” of his Second Coming, Jesus’ answer was blunt. He then pointed out that the mark of a disciple was not having inside information, but serving Christ faithfully. Spiritual vigilance becomes the essential theme of the entire chapter. *Jesus’ servants must be so busy that they have no time to speculate about his schedule.

13:32-33 While Jesus had given general “signs” to observe regarding the coming of the end, he clearly explained to the disciples that the exact day or hour was not known by the angels or the Son (Jesus himself). When Jesus said that even he did not know the time of the end, he was affirming his humanity (see Philippians 2:5-8). Of course, God the Father knows the time, and Jesus and the Father are one. But when Jesus became a man, he voluntarily gave up the unlimited use of his divine attributes. On earth, Jesus laid aside his divine prerogatives and submitted to the Father’s will. So, only the Father knows the exact time of Jesus’ return. The emphasis of this verse is not on Jesus’ lack of knowledge, but rather on the fact that no one knows. It is God the Father’s secret to be revealed when he wills. No one can predict by Scripture or science the exact day of Jesus’ return. Jesus was teaching that preparation, not calculation, was needed.

Because no one except the Father knows when Christ will return, Jesus explained that believers must stay alert and keep watch, ready for his return to happen at any moment. Christ’s Second Coming will be swift and sudden. There will be no opportunity for last-minute repentance or bargaining. The choice that people have already made will determine their eternal destiny.

13:34-36 In this parable of watchfulness, Jesus described himself as a man who left home to go on a trip (Jesus would be returning to heaven). The disciples are the employees left behind to carry on their work. The gatekeeper is commanded to keep watch for the master’s return. The employees understand that they are in charge of themselves, had their own work to do, and would not want the homeowner to return suddenly and find them being lazy. Because they do not know when the homeowner will return, these employees must keep a sharp lookout so as not to be found sleeping.

Jesus’ followers would want to be found spiritually lax, but instead conscientiously going about the work given by God for them to do. Each of us has enough assigned work to do that we shouldn’t be neutralized or paralyzed by fear or doubt. We do not need to worry about how other employees compare to us; instead, we should devote ourselves to doing what God has given us to do.

13:37 Jesus had spoken this discourse to only four of his disciples (13:3). Here he instructed them to carry these words to the rest of the disciples, for their truth was of vital importance. By extension, the words were meant for all believers. Even today, we do well to watch for his return—watching out for false teaching and watching expectantly for Christ’s return as we do his work in the world.

Only 3 days left.  Tomorrow, we’ll look at chapter 14.  Praying that you will GROW more like Christ,

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Life Application Bible Notes

New American Commentary

Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Preaching the Word Commentary

 

Is it right to pay taxes?  Is heaven an extension of our earthly life? How can the entire bible be summarized in two sentences?  What caused Jesus to give an important lesson on giving?  Find out in today’s reading.

Jesus Tells the Parable of the Evil Farmers / 12:1-12

12:1 Jesus’ stories, also called parables, always used something familiar to help people understand something new. This method of teaching compels listeners to discover truth for themselves. The moment Jesus spoke of a vineyard, the well-versed religious leaders surely recognized the correlation with Isaiah 5:1-7, where Isaiah described Israel as a vineyard. Isaiah’s parable described judgment on Israel; Jesus’ parable described judgment too. The situation pictured in this parable was by no means unusual. Galilee had many such estates with absentee owners who had hired tenant farmers to care for the fields and crops. The tenant farmers paid their “rent” by giving a portion of the crop to the landowner, who would send servants at harvesttime to collect it.

The main elements in this parable are (1) the man who planted the vineyard—God, (2) the vineyard—Israel, (3) the tenant farmers—the Jewish religious leaders, (4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets and priests who remained faithful to God and preached to Israel, (5) the son—Jesus, and (6) the others to whom the vineyard was given—the Gentiles.

Israel, pictured as a vineyard, was the nation that God had cultivated to bring salvation to the world. The religious leaders not only frustrated their nation’s purpose; they also killed those who were trying to fulfill it. They were so jealous and possessive that they ignored the welfare of the very people they were supposed to be bringing to God. By telling this story, Jesus exposed the religious leaders’ plot to kill him, and he warned them that their sins would be punished.

12:2-5 When the grape harvest came, the absentee landowner sent servants to collect the rent—generally this amounted to a quarter to a half of the crop. All of these servants were either beaten up or killed. In Jesus’ parable, the servants that were sent to the tenants refer to the prophets and priests whom God had sent over the years to the nation of Israel. Instead of listening to the prophets, the religious leadership had mistreated them and had stubbornly refused to listen.

12:6 With all the servants having been mistreated or killed, the landowner had only one messenger left—his beloved son. This son was sent to collect the fruit in hopes that the farmers would respect the son. This son refers to Jesus. This is the same description God used at Jesus’ baptism (1:11) and at the Transfiguration (9:7). The son was sent to the stubborn and rebellious nation of Israel to win them back to God.

12:7-8 The tenants probably thought that the arrival of the son meant that his father (the landowner) had died. In Palestine at that time, “ownerless” or unclaimed land could be owned by whoever claimed it first. So they reasoned that if they murdered the son, they could get the estate for themselves.

12:9 What would the landowner do in this case? All agreed that the landowner would come, kill the tenants, and lease the vineyard to others who would care for it.

Over hundreds of years, Israel’s kings and religious leaders had rejected God’s prophets—beating, humiliating, and killing them. Most recently, John the Baptist had been rejected as a prophet by Israel’s leaders (11:30-33). Next Jesus, the beloved Son of God, already rejected by the religious leaders, would be killed. Jesus explained that the Jewish leaders would be accountable for his death because in rejecting the messengers and the Son, they had rejected God himself.

God’s judgment would be spiritual death and the transfer of the privileges of ownership to others, namely, the Gentiles (see Romans 11:25-32). In this parable Jesus spoke of the beginning of the Christian church among the Gentiles. God would not totally reject Israel; in ancient times he always preserved a remnant of faithful people.

12:10-11 Jesus quoted from Psalm 118:22-23. Like the son who was rejected and murdered by the tenant farmers, Jesus referred to himself as the stone rejected by the builders. The cornerstone is the most important stone in a building, used as the standard to make sure the other stones of the building are straight and level. Israel’s leadership, like the builders looking for an appropriate cornerstone, would toss Jesus aside because he didn’t seem to have the right qualifications. They wanted a political king, not a spiritual one. Yet God’s plans will not be thwarted. One day that rejected stone will indeed become a “cornerstone,” for Jesus will come as a king to inaugurate an unending Kingdom. And he had already begun a spiritual Kingdom as the cornerstone of a brand-new “building,” the Christian church (Acts 4:11-12; 1 Peter 2:7). Jesus’ life and teaching would be the church’s foundation.

12:12 When the Jewish leaders realized that they were the wicked farmers in Jesus’ parable, they wanted to arrest him. But the presence of all those people, hanging on Jesus’ every word, caused these religious leaders to fear a riot if they were to forcibly take Jesus away. There was nothing to do but go away somewhere to gather new ideas and think of new questions to try to trap Jesus.

Religious Leaders Question Jesus about Paying Taxes / 12:13-17

12:13 The Jewish leaders would not be put off because they were so intent on killing Jesus. The Pharisees were a religious group opposed to the Roman occupation of Palestine. The supporters of Herod were a political party that supported the Herods and the policies instituted by Rome. These groups with diametrically opposed beliefs usually had nothing to do with each other. But these two groups found a common enemy in Jesus. Despite Jesus’ solemn warning to the Jewish leaders in his previous parable, they didn’t let up. More delegates arrived whose intent was to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested.

12:14 The men in this delegation, pretending to be honest men, flattered Jesus before asking him their trick question, hoping to catch him off guard. They asked, “Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?” Judea had been a Roman province since 63 b.c., but the Jews had fairly recently been forced to pay taxes or tribute to Caesar. This was a hot topic in Palestine. The Pharisees were against these taxes on religious grounds; the Herodians supported taxation on political grounds. The Jewish people hated to pay taxes to Rome because the money supported their oppressors and symbolized their subjection. This was a valid (and loaded) question, and the crowd around Jesus certainly waited expectantly for his answer. For Jesus, either a yes or a no could lead to trouble. If Jesus agreed that it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would say he was opposed to God and the people would turn against him. If Jesus said the taxes should not be paid, the Herodians could hand him over to Herod on the charge of rebellion.

12:15-16 Jesus knew this was a trap. These leaders didn’t care about Jesus’ opinion; this was merely a trick question. But Jesus would answer. He asked someone to give him a Roman coin, probably a denarius, the usual day’s wage for a laborer. It was a silver coin with Caesar’s picture and title on it. The tax paid to Rome was paid in these coins.

12:17 Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to him”—that is, the coin bearing the emperor’s image should be given to the emperor. In their question, the religious leaders used the word didomi, meaning “to give.” Jesus responded with the word apodidomi, meaning “to pay a debt.” In other words, having a coin meant being part of that country, so citizens should acknowledge the authority of Caesar and pay for the benefits accorded to them by his empire. The Jews may not have been happy about the situation, but God had placed Caesar on the throne and Judea under his rule. The Pharisees and Herodians tried to make it appear that it was incompatible to be a Jew and pay taxes to a pagan emperor who claimed to be divine. But Jesus explained that no such incompatibility existed because God was ultimately in control. They would lose much and gain little if they refused to pay Caesar’s taxes (see Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 1 Peter 2:13-17).

However, paying the taxes did not have to mean submission to the divinity claimed by the emperor. The words on the coins were incorrect. Caesar had the right to claim their tax money, but he had no claim on their souls. The Jews had a responsibility to remember that everything that belongs to God must be given to God. While they lived in the Roman world, the Jews had to face the dual reality of subjection to Rome and responsibility to God. Jesus explained that they could do both if they kept their priorities straight. The tax would be paid as long as Rome held sway over Judea, but God has rights on people’s souls. To Jesus, this was the crucial issue. Were they giving to God their lives? Were they loving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (12:30)? These Jews (and especially the self-righteous Pharisees) claimed to be God’s chosen people. But were they even “rendering” to God what truly belonged to him—themselves?

Religious Leaders Question Jesus about the Resurrection / 12:18-27

No sooner had one delegation withdrawn from Jesus (in amazement) than another appeared to take up the cause. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They thought they had a thorny problem from God’s word that would make the very idea of life beyond death ludicrous. This was probably a standard challenge posed by the Sadducees to those who believed in the resurrection, such as the Pharisees.

12:18 The Sadducees were at odds theologically with the Pharisees (the other major group of Jewish leaders) because they honored only the Pentateuch—Genesis through Deuteronomy—as Scripture, and because they rejected most of the Pharisees’ traditions, rules, and regulations. The Sadducees said there is no resurrection after death because they could find no mention of it in the Pentateuch. Apparently, the Pharisees had never been able to come up with a convincing argument from the Pentateuch for the resurrection, and the Sadducees thought they had trapped Jesus for sure. But Jesus was about to show them otherwise.

12:19 Obviously, since the Sadducees recognized only the books attributed to Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), their question came from Moses’ writings. In the law, Moses had written that when a man died without a son, his unmarried brother (or nearest male relative) should marry the widow and produce children. The first son of this marriage was considered the heir of the dead man (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). The main purpose of the instruction was to produce an heir and guarantee that the family would not lose their land. The book of Ruth gives us an example of this law in operation (Ruth 3:1–4:12; see also Genesis 38:1-26). This law, called levirate marriage, protected the widow (in that culture widows usually had no means to support themselves) and allowed the family line to continue.

12:20-23 The Sadducees took their hypothetical situation to a rather ridiculous length as they tried to show the absurdity of believing in the resurrection. The book of Tobit (an apocryphal book not accepted by Protestants as part of the Old Testament canon but highly regarded by Jewish scholars at that time) includes the story of a woman who was married to seven men successively without ever having children. In Tobit the men are not brothers.

The woman in the situation they described had been married seven times to seven different men, all according to the law. The Sadducees reasoned that since this was in the law, there could not be a resurrection. When all eight of them were resurrected (the seven brothers and the woman), “Whose wife will she be?” The Sadducees erroneously assumed that if people were resurrected, it would be back to a continuation of life on earth—and that would be too confusing to be possible. They were incapable of understanding that God could both raise the dead and make new lives for his people, lives that would be different than what they had known on earth. The Sadducees had brought God down to their level. Because they could not conceive of a resurrection life, they decided that God couldn’t raise the dead. And Moses hadn’t written about it, so they considered the “case closed.”

12:24 Jesus wasted no time trying to deal with their hypothetical situation, but went directly to their underlying assumption that resurrection of the dead was impossible. Jesus clearly stated that they were wrong about the resurrection for two reasons: (1) They didn’t know the Scriptures (if they did, they would believe in the resurrection because it is taught in Scripture), and (2) they didn’t know the power of God (if they did, they would believe in the resurrection because God’s power makes it possible, even necessary). Ignorance on these two counts was inexcusable for these religious leaders.

12:25 Furthermore, Jesus said, when the dead rise (not “if” but when), they will not rise to an extension of their earthly lives. Instead, life in heaven will be different. Believers will be like the angels in heaven regarding marriage. Believers do not become angels, for angels were created by God for a special purpose. Angels do not marry or propagate; neither will glorified human beings. On earth where death reigns, marriage and childbearing are important, but bearing children will not be necessary in the resurrection life because people will be raised up to glorify God forever—there will be no more death. Those in heaven will no longer be governed by physical laws but will be “like the angels”; that is, believers will share the immortal nature of angels.

Jesus’ statement did not mean that people will not recognize their partners in heaven. Jesus was not dissolving the eternal aspect of marriage, doing away with sexual differences, or teaching that we will be asexual beings after death. We cannot tell very much about sex and marriage in heaven from this one statement by Jesus. He simply meant that we must not think of heaven as an extension of life as we now know it. Our relationships in this life are limited by time, death, and sin. We don’t know everything about our resurrection life, but Jesus affirmed that relationships will be different from what we are used to here and now. The same physical and natural rules won’t apply.

12:26-27 Because the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch as God’s divine word, Jesus answered them from the book of Exodus (3:6). God would not have said, “I am the God of your ancestors” if he thought of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as dead (he would have said, “I was their God”). So, from God’s perspective, they are alive. This evidence would have been acceptable in any rabbinic debate because it applied a grammatical argument: God’s use of the present tense in speaking of his relationship to the great patriarchs who had been long dead by the time God spoke these words to Moses. God had a continuing relationship with these men because of the truth of the resurrection. Therefore, the Sadducees had made a serious error in their assumption about the resurrection.

Religious Leaders Question Jesus about the Greatest Commandment / 12:28-34

Several defined groups had taken their best shot at Jesus. As each antagonist engaged him in debate, the others apparently looked on with mixed emotions. On one hand, they had a common purpose in destroying Jesus. On the other, each group wanted to claim supremacy by being the one who eliminated the troublemaker.

Matthew hints at the background tension (Matthew 22:34). He provides a brief account of this exchange between Jesus and the teacher. He reported only the original question and Jesus’ response. Mark’s version fills in the picture and adds a positive note to the conflict. Jesus’ responses did not always antagonize his opponents. Often they expressed amazement (12:17) and even agreement (12:32). Jesus was looking for greater commitment from people, not that they merely knew the right answers. Jesus told this teacher that he had the truth but had not yet expressed his trust. Knowing God’s requirement of wholehearted faith and surrendering ourselves to him are separate steps of entering into the Kingdom.

12:28 This discussion continued within the Temple courts. Jesus and the disciples were surrounded by a crowd of people, while various groups of religious leaders came and went with their questions. This time, however, a teacher (a Pharisee, Matthew 22:34-35) brought a sincere question: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

The reference to “the commandments” focused on a popular debate about the “more important” and “less important” of the hundreds of laws the Jews had accumulated. The Pharisees had classified over six hundred laws and spent much time discussing which laws were weightier than others. As a Pharisee himself, the man had in mind the debates over the relative importance of ritual, ethical, moral, and ceremonial laws, as well as the positive versus negative laws. Jesus’ definitive answer about the resurrection caused this man to hope he might also have the final answer about all these laws. He wouldn’t be disappointed.

12:29-30 Among all the Gospel writers, only Mark recorded Jesus’ quote from Deuteronomy 6:4, which is the first part of what the Jews know as the Shema (referring to the opening word of the sentence in Hebrew). The Shema is made up from Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41 and is the major creed of Judaism that was recited twice daily (morning and evening) by devout Jews. The teachers of the law could debate all they wanted, but Jesus brought them back to the basics by giving new life to the oft-repeated words, The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. What mattered were not laws and their relative importance; what mattered was a relationship with the one true God.

Jesus then answered the man’s question by explaining what those words should mean in the daily lives of the Jews. Because they believed that there was one God (as opposed to other religions, such as the Romans with their pantheon of gods), they ought to love the one true God with every part of their being: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (see also Deuteronomy 6:5). A person’s total being must be involved in loving God. To love God in this way is to fulfill completely all the commandments regarding one’s “vertical” relationship.

12:31 In addition to the law quoted in 12:30, there is a second and equally important law. This law focuses on “horizontal” relationships—our dealings with fellow human beings. A person cannot maintain a good vertical relationship with God (loving God) without also caring for his or her neighbor. For this second law, Jesus quoted Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The word “neighbor” refers to fellow human beings in general. The love a person has for himself or herself (in the sense of looking out for oneself, caring about best interests, etc.) should be continued, but it should also be directed toward others.

The Ten Commandments and all the other Old Testament laws are summarized in these two laws. By fulfilling these two commands to love God totally and love others as oneself, a person will keep all the other commands.

12:32-33 The man commended Jesus for his true and insightful answer. The man realized that after all the Pharisees’ wrangling about the laws, the answer had been amazingly simple. The man reaffirmed the Shema (12:29) quoted from Deuteronomy, saying, “There is only one God.” He then added, “and no other,” echoing Deuteronomy 4:35 (see also Exodus 8:10; Isaiah 45:21). This man understood that the laws of love for God and love for neighbor were more important than all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law. In other words, love was more important than all the ritual and ceremonial laws. This man, one of the few among the Pharisees, was able to see that loving God with all one’s heart, understanding (substituted for “mind”), and strength, and to love one’s neighbors revealed a level of love and obedience that went far beyond the offering of sacrifices.

12:34 Jesus was pleased by the man’s response and told him that he was not far from the Kingdom of God. This man had caught the intent of God’s law as it is so often stressed in the Old Testament—that true obedience comes from the heart. Because the Old Testament commands lead to Christ, the man’s next step toward obtaining God’s Kingdom was faith in Jesus himself. This, however, was the most difficult step to take.

The questions ended, for no one dared to ask any more. But this did not end the opposition. The leaders continued in their plot to kill Jesus.

Religious Leaders Cannot Answer Jesus’ Question / 12:35-37

Jesus did not settle for a silent, seething truce with the religious leaders. He continued to teach. He demonstrated that God’s word had not been fully examined regarding the identity of the Messiah. His provocative questions brought delight to the crowds, thoughtfulness to the attentive, and continued anger to his enemies.

12:35 This was still Tuesday of Jesus’ final week, and he was teaching in the Temple. The Pharisees expected a Messiah (the Christ, the Anointed One), but they erroneously thought he would be only a human ruler who would reign on King David’s throne, deliver them from Gentile domination by establishing God’s rule on earth, and restore Israel’s greatness as in the days of David and Solomon. They knew that the Messiah would be a son (descendant) of David, but they did not understand that he would be more than a human descendant—he would be God in the flesh.

12:36 The Jews and early Christians knew the Old Testament was inspired by God, bearing his authority in its teachings. Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 to show that David, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, understood the Messiah to be his Lord (that is, one who had authority over him), not just his descendant. The Messiah would be a human descendant of David, but he would also be God’s divine Son. That he sits at God’s right hand means the Messiah will sit in the place of highest honor and authority in God’s coming Kingdom. In ancient royal courts, the right side of the king’s throne was reserved for the person who could act in the king’s place. The picture of enemies humbled beneath his feet describes the final conquering of sin and evil.

12:37 If the great King David himself called the coming Messiah his Lord in Psalm 110:1, then how could he be merely David’s son (meaning “descendant”) at the same time? David himself didn’t think the Messiah would be just a descendant; instead, David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, realized that the Messiah would be God in human form and would deserve due respect and honor.

Jesus Warns against the Religious Leaders / 12:38-40

12:38-39 This denunciation of the religious leaders (specifically the teachers of religious law) probably occurred right in the Temple and was spoken to the surrounding crowd that had been “listening to him with great interest” (12:37). Matthew has an entire chapter of such denunciations—seven “woes” to the teachers of religious law and Pharisees whom Jesus unhesitatingly called “hypocrites” (Matthew 23). Mark recorded a shortened version, signaling Jesus’ final break with the religious leaders.

Having silenced the questioning of the religious leaders, Jesus turned to the crowd and told them to beware of these men. While they had education and authority, Jesus denounced their conduct. Their actions revealed their desire for attention and honor. They had lost sight of their priority as teachers of religious law and were enjoying their position merely because of the “perks” it offered. Jesus condemned this attitude.

12:40 Not only did the teachers walk around expecting perks and honor, they also actively abused their position. Because they received no pay, they depended on the hospitality of devout Jews. It was considered an act of piety for people to help these teachers. That they cheat widows out of their property was a vivid picture of these religious men using their position to defraud the gullible. Some people would even go so far as to place all their finances in the teacher’s control (especially widows who trusted them). As the nation’s lawyers, these men were often employed in handling the money a widow received from her father’s dowry. Some abused their trusted positions by unethically obtaining the dowry for the Temple and then keeping it themselves. They were in a position to exploit people, cheating the poor out of everything they had and taking advantage of the rich. How could they deserve anything but punishment!

A Poor Widow Gives All She Has / 12:41-44

Almost unheard in the clash of ideas and the noisy crowd, the ring of the widow’s small coins became an eloquent example of truth. Her act sharply contrasted with the much more obvious giving of others and with the teachers who cheated widows such as she (12:40). But it also represented an alternative to business-as-usual in the Temple. All around her were large examples of meaningless worship, shallow honor given to God, frivolous giving, and downright evil. But this woman’s act of sacrifice spoke volumes about herself and her faith.

12:41 Jesus completed his teaching and sat in the area of the Temple called the Court of Women. The treasury was located there or in an adjoining walkway. In this area were seven collection boxes in which worshipers could deposit their Temple tax and six boxes for freewill offerings. From his vantage point, Jesus watched as the crowds dropped in their money. A lot of money came into the Temple treasury during Passover; the increased crowds meant increased money amounts in the coffers. Surely the large amounts from the rich people clattered loudly into the boxes.

12:42 In contrast, a poor widow came with a freewill offering (that is, she was not paying a required tax, but rather giving a gift). As a widow, she had few resources for making money. If a widow in New Testament times had no sons, no protector, and remained unmarried, she was often destitute. Since there was no social security or public aid for widows, a widow would often be without financial support. This widow’s offering totaled only two pennies. Her small gift was a sacrifice, but she gave it willingly.

12:43-44 Jesus seized the opportunity to teach his disciples an important lesson in giving. In Jesus’ eyes, the poor widow had given more than all the others—even the rich people who had contributed large amounts to the treasury. Though her gift was by far the smallest in monetary value, it was the greatest in sacrifice. The value of a gift is not determined by its amount, but by the spirit in which it is given. The rich had given a tiny part of their surplus, but she had given everything, trusting God to care for her. Jesus wanted the disciples to see this lesson in total surrender of self, commitment to God, and willingness to trust in his provision.

 Chapter 13 is tomorrow.   That you will GROW to be like Jesus, is my prayer for you,  

 Darrell

For more about The Ridge Fellowship go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

Life Application Bible Notes

New American Commentary

Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary

Preaching the Word Commentary