drink

Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part Three

by

Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse”

Matthew 24:3-25:46 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 24:3)

Mark 13:3-37 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 13:3)

Luke 21:7-36 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 21:7)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part Two”, click here.

 

Revelation 19:16
And He has a name written on His robe
and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

 

THE SPLICE

 

And 1 He, (Jesus) told them a 2parable, : “Look at the fig tree and all of the trees. Now, learn this parable from the fig tree: When the 3 fig tree’s branch becomes tender and brings forth its leaves, you see for yourselves that 4 summer is near. So when you see 5 all of these things happen, know that He is near and at the door; the 6 kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you that 7 this generation will not have passed away until all of these things have happened. 8 Heaven and earth will pass away , but My words will never pass away. But concerning that day 9 and/or the hour no one knows not even the 10 angels 11 of the heavens/in heaven nor the Son, but the Father only. Just as things were in the 12 days of Noah, so will be the arrival of the Son of Man. Just like they were in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until that day 13Noah entered into the ark. And they didn’t understand until the flood came and took everything away; so it will be also with the arrival of the Son of Man. At that time there will be two in the field: 14one is taken and one is left. Two will be 15grinding at the mill: one is taken and one is left. Therefore look and 16keep watch because you don’t know when the time is; you don’t know on which day your Lord comes.

But understand this: If the master of the house had known at 17what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. Because of this you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect. It is like a man going on a 18journey who left his house, having given to each of his 19slaves authority over each one’s own work, and commanded the 20doorkeeper that he keep watch. Who then is the 21faithful and wise slave whom the master has appointed to be in charge of his household to give the others their food at the proper time? 22blessed is that slave whose master finds him doing so when the master returns. 23truly I tell you, [the master] will put [that faithful slave] in charge of all his possessions. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—24whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. Otherwise, he may arrive suddenly and find you sleeping. If, however, the 25wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master delays [in returning]’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and then to 26eat and drink with drunkards, the 27master of that slave will arrive on a day [the slave] does not expect and at an hour [the slave] does not know of. Then [the master] will 28cut [the slave] to pieces and will place [that slave’s] portion with the 29hypocrites where there will be 30weeping and gnashing of teeth. But 31watch yourselves, or your 32hearts will be 33weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the 34worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a 35snare. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. Now keep watch at all times, 36praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are 37about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man. And what I now say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!

 

 

NOTES

 

1 He: Jesus has just told the disciples about His Parousia at the end of the age and about the mourning experienced by those left upon the earth (the un-redeemed) while they witness His glorious return (also see Revelation 1:7). Jesus has also told the disciples about the joyful gathering that all of God’s redeemed people look forward to at His return. Jesus tells us that this gathering of His people happens at the end of the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27). Many people refer to this gathering of the elect as ‘the rapture’. Jesus and Paul refer to the anticipated event (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52) as ‘gathering‘ or ‘gathering together’ in Matthew 24:31 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Paul uses the term harpazó which means “catch, seize, snatch”. Harpazó brings together the idea that the gathering/rapture is a taking by force that is also abrupt or sudden. Paul also warns that this harpazó will not happen until the Antichrist has had his time (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). The events of the Antichrist’s rule has been prophesied in Daniel 11 and Revelation 13. (BACK)

2 parable: The Greek word used for the English word parable is parabole and it means “a comparison or allegory”. Parables are stories that are meant to teach a lesson about morality or truth. Why did Jesus use them (Matthew 13:10)? Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40 says that Jesus used parables to fulfill the prophesy given in Isaiah 6:9-10. To read some of Jesus’s other parables, see Matthew 18:23-35; 20:1-16;  22:1-14; Mark 4:2-34; 12:1-12; Luke 5:36-39; 10:30-37; 12:16-21; 13:6-9; 15:3–16:31; 18:1-14; 19:11-27. (BACK)

3 fig tree…tender: Fig trees are mentioned a number of times in the Bible. Adam and Eve made some ‘bottoms’ by sewing the leaves of figs together in Genesis 3:7. Each man having his own fig tree (and grapevine) was linked with safety and prosperity in 1 Kings 4:25.  Jesus uses the fig tree to teach a parable in Luke 13:6-9. Fig trees have no leaves in winter and the soft/tender shoots start growing in spring when all the winter rains are finished. Some information on Israeli fig trees can be seen here, here or here. (BACK)

4 summer: We are assured in Psalm 74:17 that God has made both summer and winter. In Genesis 8:22 God promised that as long as the earth remains, summer and winter will always continue (along with planting time, harvest time, heat, cold, day and night). Summer in ancient Israel was the time of harvest and abundance (Proverbs 10:5). And here, while Jesus is using summer as the symbolized season of His Parousia and the hope of His elect, this also means that this symbolized summer is the season of dread for those who do not belong to Christ. Another time summer is thought of with a negative theme is in Psalm 32:4, when sin is compared to draining vitality away as with the heat of summer. (BACK)

5 all of these things: Jesus had just explained “all of these things” that would happen in Matthew 24:5-29; Mark 13:6-25; Luke 21:8-28. A quick rundown: wars, rumors of wars, nations against nations, kingdoms against kingdoms, false Christs and false prophets along with their fake signs and wonders, famines, plagues, earthquakes, terrors and great signs from heaven, a terrible and great tribulation that has never been seen before nor will ever be seen again. For the elect specifically there will be persecution, hate, arrest, prison, delivery to the courts, flogging in synagogues, and murder; people will fall away from the faith, betray each other and hate each other (non-elect who were ‘in the faith’ betraying those whom they congregated with). Family members will betray each other and have each other put to death. Also, we can expect increased lawlessness (God’s laws, specifically), love  growing cold (towards God), the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, armies surrounding Jerusalem, Gentiles trampling Jerusalem underfoot, a great and hurried exodus from Judea, supernatural darkening of the sun and moon, the stars falling from the view of our sky, dismay among the nations, perplexity, men fainting from fear, and the powers of the heavens shaken. (BACK)

6 kingdom of God: What do we know about the kingdom of God? There are several Bible verses that tell us about the kingdom of God, but here are some highlights: it will crush any human kingdoms, even those considered strong (Daniel 2:44); it cannot be destroyed and is designed to last forever (Daniel 7:14) it will be inherited by God’s elect (Daniel 7:18, 27; Matthew 5:10; Hebrews 12:28) and has been prepared for the elect since the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34); it will belong to Jesus (Daniel 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7); it cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28); the elect should be praying for its arrival (Matthew 6:10); it is a place of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Also, there is no way we can possibly understand it or try to imagine it at this time (1 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus uses two tiny parables to tell us about what the kingdom of God is like in Luke 13:18-21. (BACK)

7 this generation will not have passed away: From Matthew 24:34 and Mark 13:30. The Greek word used for the English word generation is genea and it means “generation”. Genea is not just a measure of what year or decade a person was born in. Genea also refers to the background, heritage, race or common link of the people referred to. The Greek word used for pass away is parerchomai and it means “pass away, to pass by, come to an end”. There have been a few interpretations for the meaning of this statement. We know for sure that Jesus does not mean that the people living at the exact same time as His statement was made will live to see the things described in Matthew 24:5-29; Mark 13:6-25; Luke 21:8-28 for Jesus has not come back yet! Therefore, Jesus is not referring to the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D, as many have claimed. Jesus probably means that the Jewish people will not pass out of existence as a race before His return and/or He means that people at that time will be alive during the Great Tribulation and that those alive will not all die off before His return.  Both of these things we know to be true because of the redeemed people of Israel in Revelation 7:1-8 and because there are unredeemed people mourning when they see Christ’s return (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). (BACK)

8 Heaven and earth will pass away: From Matthew 24:35 and Mark 13:31. The Greek word used for the English word heaven is ouranos and it means “heaven, sky” and refers both to the sky we can see and the place where God’s throne is located (Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:34) and where He resides. Peter tells us that the current heaven and earth are being reserved for the day of judgment in 2 Peter 3:7. In 2 Peter 3:10-13, Peter reminds us that while heaven and earth will pass way in, we are waiting for a new heaven and earth. Revelation 21:1–22:5 tells us about the new heaven and earth that will be put in place of what we have now. (BACK)

9 and/or the hour: Matthew 24:36 says “and” (kai); Mark 13:32 says “or” (é). (BACK)

10 angels: It is important to understand that angels are not equal with God (Revelation 22:8-9). And, although much is made of Michael and Gabriel in contemporary Christianity, Michael is only mentioned by name 5 times in the Bible (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7) and Gabriel is mentioned only in conjunction with the visitation to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20), the visitation to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) and the visions of Daniel (Daniel 8:16-26; 9:21-27). It is important to note that no other angel (except the fallen one called Satan) is mentioned in the Bible by name. What do we know about angels? They are often specified as male and looking human (Daniel 8:15; Mark 16:5 in conjunction with Matthew 28:2-5 and Luke 24:4-5, 23). Sometimes their sex is not really specified, as in Acts 5:19. No matter, for we know that angels are not procreating beings, so their sex doesn’t seem to matter (Matthew 22:30). We know that angels in their angelic form are a little higher than us in our human form, for Jesus was made a “little lower” than the angels when He was born as a fleshly being (Hebrews 2:9). We also know angels are more powerful than humans because of 2 Peter 2:11. Angels ministered to Christ at least twice while He was on earth (Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43). We know that angels are sent by God to watch over those who belong to God (Psalm 91:11), to clarify messages for God’s people (Daniel 9:22; Acts 1:11), to bring messages of import (Luke 1:11-38); to fight against evil (Revelation 12:7-9) and even to strengthen and minister to those belonging to God (Daniel 10:18; Hebrews 1:14). It seems that the elect may ‘have’ angels because of Matthew 18:10 and Acts 12:15. In both of these verses, the word angel (aggelos) has the word autos alongside it, marking some sort of identification with the human self and/or in participation in some capacity. These verses along with Psalm 91:11 is surely where the idea of guardian angels developed from. Matthew 22:30 and Acts 12:15 are probably why it is thought that the elect will have similar attributes as angels in heaven and this is surely the case, although we cannot know exactly what that means. Regardless of what it means, it is more important to understand that God is the font of all revelation, provision, protection, safety and security however He chooses to bestow it (Psalm 23). (BACK)

11 of the heavens/in heaven: Matthew 24:36 says “(of) the heavens” and Mark 13:32 says “in heaven”. (BACK)

12 days of Noah: Only Matthew mentions Jesus’s comparison to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). Noah’s (selected) history is told in Genesis 6-9. (BACK)

13 Noah entered into the ark: Noah and his adventure on the ark is one of the most popular histories recounted from the Old Testament, especially for children. The Bible tells us a few things about God’s ark. The ark was made of gopher wood . Some believe gopher wood is cypress, some believe it to be cedar, but we don’t know for sure. Also, the ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high or approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high (cubit = approx. 18 inches).The ark was also covered inside and out with pitch and it had rooms built into it. There was a singular window approximately 18 inches from the top of the ark. There was a door in the side of the ark and the ark had 3 levels (Genesis 6:14-16). People and animals were vegetarian at this time, so Noah was instructed to bring the foods that were edible for both his family and the animals (Genesis 1:29-30; 6:21). People and possibly animals (the Bible doesn’t specifically say) did not become carnivores until after the flood (Genesis 9:2-4). Everything about this event is miraculous. I love how God closed the door of the ark Himself, demonstrating love and care in securing His people from the floods about to happen (Genesis 7:16).  (BACK)

14 one is taken and one is left: From Matthew 24:40-41. There are some who teach that this particular passage speaks of the gathering of the unbelievers. It is possible, but then the words used don’t make sense. The Greek word used for the English word taken is paralambanó and it means “to take, receive, to take with”. It has an underlining feel of receiving something to oneself or of being alongside someone/joined along with someone. This most certainly cannot apply to the unbelieving person because they have no participation with Christ and nowhere in the Bible does it say Jesus is alongside or joined with unbelievers. The Greek word used for the English word left is aphiémi and it means “leave, send away, abandon”. It also means “forgiven” with the idea of leaving sin behind or abandoning sin. Forgiven people will aphiémi sin by the power of God and God will not aphiémi His forgiven people! It is helpful, though, to read the parables of Jesus explaining the difference between wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43) and His parable regarding the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50). Both of these parables do talk about the angels gathering up the unbelieving to throw them into the furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42, 50) and in Matthew 24:38-39, Jesus is speaking about unbelievers. But because of the words used in Matthew 24:40-41 we can logically assume Jesus is speaking of gathering His people, not the unbelievers. (BACK)

15 grinding at the mill: Until fairly recently, people ground wheat for bread by using millstones. Large mills used a bottom stone and a top millstone, grinding the wheat between the two stones. Animals were used to operate the grinding mechanism. There were also smaller grinding mills which were left to women to operate; it was heavy work and took hours every day. Bread has arguably been the most important food source throughout human history, even being used as currency during certain time periods. Mills were so important that God commanded that no millstone, upper or lower, could be taken as a pledge (Deuteronomy 24:6). For a quick read on Roman mills, click here. Here is how wheat is made into flour today. (BACK)

16 keep watch: The Greek word used for the English phrase keep watch is grégoreó and it means “stay awake, be alert, keep watch”. This is an active-guarding watch not a passive-nonchalant sort of watch. Paul also speaks of alertness in Ephesians 6:18 after providing the full armor of God, which an alert (elect) person should be clothed in: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes that are the preparation of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17). After the elect have put on their armor of God, they should persevere and pray (Ephesians 6:18).  (BACK)

17 what time of the night: In Jesus’s time, people did not have clocks. They told time by the position of the sun or moon and they estimated their time. During the night time guards had watches that were divided up into four time frames:  the first watch (6pm-9pm), the second watch (9pm-12am), the third watch (12am-3am) and the fourth watch (3am -6am). (BACK)

18 journey: Journeys were long, arduous and dangerous back in Jesus’s day. People would be gone for many days, months and even years. If you were very wealthy, you might have a wagon/carriage you could ride in and had more wagons (or servants/slaves) that could carry your provisions. But those who weren’t wealthy had to walk and carry their own provisions. Some of the dangers for travelers included (not in any particular order): robbers, wild animals, bad/extreme weather, bad roads/dangerous footing over precarious pathways, counting on a spring/well for water and finding it had dried up. (BACK)

19 slaves: From Mark 13:34. The Greek word used for the English word slave is doulos and it means “slave, bond-slave”. Many English translations use the word servant in place of slave probably because of the images prompted by the word slave: the horrendous abduction and selling of people especially surrounding the trans-Atlantic slave trade (also see Exodus 21:16). The word servant also presents images: persons who have choices, voices, get paid, can leave if they don’t like the job and they are free to marry, have children, stay single and child-free, etc. This idea of a servant doesn’t fit what the Bible means by doulos . Doulos, whether you translate the word as ‘bond-servant’ or ‘bond-slave”, the word really focuses on the relationship between master and slave. The doulos/slave has no rights, no voice of their own and no will of their own. They are subject to the whims and abuses of a master without recourse or redress. They are dependent on their master for food, clothing, shelter and medical care. In short, the doulos is not a free person. True elect in God are bond-slaves/doúloi of Christ (Luke 1:38; Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 1 Peter 2:16; 2 Peter 1:1), having been purchased/redeemed with His blood at the cross (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 7:22-23; Titus 2:14). Unlike the usual human master, our Master cares deeply for us (Matthew 10:29-30; 1 Peter 5:7), loves us (1 John 4:9-10), will hear our petitions and give us peace (Philippians 4:6-7) and provides all things for us (Matthew 6:30-33). We can trust Him for everything even when we don’t understand the ‘how’ (Proverbs 3:5-6). See Jesus’s own example to us as doulos (Philippians 2:5-8) and His statement on how the greatest will be bond-slaves of all (Mark 9:34-35). To read about God’s allowance of slavery in the Bible, click here. (BACK)

20 doorkeeper: A doorkeeper’s/gatekeeper’s job description was simple: they watched the doors/gates, allowing people in or keeping people out. In the rich man’s house this was the job of a slave and gaining access to the rich man depended very much on the keeper of the door (see Peter’s struggle with a doorkeeper in John 18:16-17). Being the doorkeeper wasn’t a very glamorous job and it had some risks involved: if you denied someone access, there was always the possibility that they would hurt you in order to get in. The Old Testament talks about the doorkeepers to the temple in 1 Chronicles 9:17-27. (BACK)

21 faithful and wise: From Matthew 24:45. The Greek word used for the English word faithful is pistos and it means “faithful, trustworthy”. This is the faith that is gifted to the elect when called by God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith of this kind is not a superficial faith; pistos faith is trust, not just belief. It isn’t enough to just ‘believe’ that God exists (James 2:19). The pistos faith from God enables you to trust Him to save you; you don’t doubt Him or the saving blood of Christ. This faith enables you to embody Proverbs 3:5-6. Do you trust God to do what He says He will do? This kind of faith will lead to obedience to do the work that God has set for you to do (James 2:18, 20-26), even if it means that you die in the process. This kind of faith is saving faith. The Greek word used for the English word wise is phronimos and it means “wise”. Phronimos is the wisdom that acts on its intellect and knowledge. Phronimos is not a passive understanding, it is active in its employment. It is important to understand that wisdom begins by fearing God (Proverbs 9:10). (BACK)

22 blessed:  From Matthew 24:46. The Greek word used for the English word blessed is makarios and it means “blessed, happy”. To be blessed is to be in favor with God and filled with joy because of this favored relationship with God. This blessed joy is not because there are circumstances to be joyful about, but because God graciously has favored and bestowed joy. (BACK)

23 truly: The Greek word used for the English word truly is amén and it means “amen, truly, verily”. Amén is a word used to express undeniable confidence in what is being said. Amén says that there is no doubt, no discrepancy, no reservation in the information provided. Sometimes the Bible records that Jesus said amén twice before making His statement (see John 3:3). Using the word twice is a vehement underscore for Jesus’s words which is interesting because amén is already an emphatic word in itself.  It is best to understand that Jesus’s usage of amén rests in His own authority to declare ‘true and sure’ His statements. Jesus is called ‘The Amen’ in Revelation 3:14 meaning He is the living guarantee of God’s word. (BACK)

24 whether in the evening: From Mark 13:35. Here, Jesus names all four watches of the night (see Note 17 regarding the watches of the night). It is important to note that Jesus does not name a daytime watch for His return. One might argue that there are no daytime watches, and therefore Jesus did not use them in His analogy, but this is not true; guards were on duty ‘guarding’ and ‘watching’ during the daytime, too! It is probable that no daytime watches were used in Jesus’s analogies due to the continuous theme in poetic figure throughout Scripture that daytime is the time of joy and spiritual awakening, reconciliation and salvation (see Romans 13:11-12; Revelation 22:5). (BACK)

25 wicked: From Matthew 24:48. The Greek word used for the English word wicked is kakos and it means “evil, wicked, bad”. This would be a morally corrupt, rotten-on-the-inside sort of slave. It is important to understand that wickedness is really a personal affront towards God who is holy and expects holy behavior from His people (1 Peter 1:15-16). (BACK)

26 eat and drink with drunkards: Eating and drinking in itself is not evil. It is the attitude we have when we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31) and who we are keeping company with that matters. The good slave (i.e. the elect and beloved of God) would never seek out anyone immoral for intimate companionship nor would he be drinking to the point of drunkenness. With the beating of his fellow slaves and hanging out with drunks/getting drunk, this wicked slave continues to prove his moral corruption and therefore confirming that he is not the good slave (i.e. the elect and beloved of God). See Jesus’s commentary on how to know who belongs to God in Matthew 7:15-20, which is expanded on in James 2:14-26 . The verses in Matthew 7 are particularly about prophets, but can be applied to anyone claiming to be from God. (BACK)

27 master: The Greek word used for the English word master is kurios meaning “lord, owner, master”. There is no doubt as to what the word  means: the owner of a human being with absolute authority over that person. Jesus is often addressed with this title of kurios (Matthew 8:2; John 20:28, Romans 6:23). The Bible tells us to confess that Jesus is kurios with the promise that if we do (along with believing God raised Him from the dead) that we shall be saved (Romans 10:9). Jesus tells us that not everyone who calls him kurios will enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Why? I think Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7:21 (see John 6:40 alongside Matthew 7:21) explain it perfectly together: a true doulos of Jesus will do what He says, if Jesus is truly Kurios. We also know that every knee will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord, but that does not mean they do so willingly or with that saving faith as described in Note 21. (see Philippians 2:9-11). (BACK)

28 cut [the slave] to pieces: Matthew 24:51. The Greek word used for the English word cut is dichotomeó and it means “to cut into two, divide”. This word also refers to being flogged severely. In today’s world we do not (normally) witness such violent executions such as dichotomeó and therefore in reading about this slave’s punishment today we don’t really have a picture of the violence inflicted upon him embedded in our mental image. However, in Jesus’s day people would have been exposed to executions such as dichotomeó (or stauroó): Jesus’s listeners would have experienced real-life illustrations of this slave’s execution. (BACK)

29 hypocrites: Matthew 24:51. The Greek word used for the English word hypocrite is hupokrités and it means “hypocrite”. This word was originally used to describe a performer or actor who wears a mask. It was then adapted to describe a person who pretends to ‘being good’ or religious conviction. (BACK)

30 weeping and gnashing of teeth: Matthew 24:51. It is important to understand what weeping and gnashing mean. The Greek word used for the English word weeping is klauthmos and means “lamentation”. This kind of weeping stems from grief so deep that it is audibly/visually experienced by those who witness it…and witnesses cannot help but be moved by it. It is not simple crying, it is anguish. Anguish is inconsolable and it is raw. The Greek word used for the English word gnashing is brugmos and it means “gnashing”. Gnashing of teeth in hell is due to rabid rage and mortified misery. This rage in hell is twofold: it is aimed at God for the punishment and at the self who disregarded God in the first place. When Jesus says that those in hell will experience weeping and gnashing of teeth, He describes the inconsolable anguish, rage and misery that those persons experience in the ‘outer darkness’. Hell isn’t meant to be gentle: it is meant to be an eternal torturous punishment of the worst kind; it is the worst nightmare of all nightmares that has not the benefit of waking up to discover it was just a dream. (BACK)

31 watch yourselves: The Greek word used in Luke 21:34 for the English word watch is prosechó and it means to “give heed, pay attention, be cautious”. The word prosechó gives the sense that we should be guarding ourselves with diligent, purposeful and constant caution. (BACK)

32 hearts: From Luke 21:34. The Greek word used for the English word heart is kardia and it means “heart”. In the Bible the usage of the word kardia means the place inside the person: the thoughts, emotions and intellect. This “inside the person” would be in the mind where all decisions, thoughts, emotions and intellect/reasoning stem from. Although we, in the modern day era, seem to separate intellect, reasoning and thoughts from emotions, this is not the case in the Bible. Intellect, reasoning, thought and emotions all originate and take shape in one place: the mind. (BACK)

33 weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness: The Greek word used for the English phrase weighed down is bareó and it means “burden”.  Bareó conveys the sense of being crushed down with a great heaviness, whether literally or figuratively used. The Greek word used for the English word dissipation is kraipalé and it properly means a headache from drunkenness. The word extends to the excessive debauchery that goes along with the drunkenness. The Greek word for the English word drunkenness is methé and it means “intoxication, drunkenness”. It must be understood that drinking wine (or any alcoholic drink) in itself is not a sin (Psalm 104:15; Ecclesiastes 9:7; Isaiah 25:6; 1 Timothy 5:23) but the excess of drunkenness and clouding of the mind with intoxication is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:18). This would extend to any drug usage. If any substance clouds your mind and judgment or renders you intoxicated/out of control, it is a sin. There are many who might say they can use certain drugs and still keep a clear head. As long as one is keeping in mind Romans 13:1-3; 14; 1 Corinthians 8 and 9 and also 1 Peter 2:13-14, that is between them and God. When in doubt, consider 1 Corinthians 10:23 and remember it is never a sin to abstain and to exercise self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23). (BACK)

34 worries of life: From Luke 21:34. Earlier, in Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-31, Jesus had mentioned that worry was not a useful mental exercise. Jesus had also mentioned before that the ‘worries of life’ is one of the things that drags a person from God and His word (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14). Other Bible verses that tell us not to worry: Proverbs 12:25; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7.(BACK)

35 snare: Some English versions of the Bible include the word ‘snare’ in Luke 21:34 and some include the word in Luke 21:35. It is important to remember that the chapters and verse numbers in the Bible were not in the original writings—they were added in much later on. This is also true for any cross-references, maps, notes, background information pages, title pages, prefaces, explanations, concordances, content pages, forewords, copyright information, indices, introductions, histories (those not found in the actual Scriptures), record-keeping pages such as Marriages or Deaths, presentation pages, charts, how-to’s, ‘features’, tabs, essays, theological theses, etc. It is helpful (sometimes) that these things are included, but they are not God’s Word and therefore should not be equated to God’s Word. (BACK)

36 praying: The Greek word used for the English word pray is deomai and it means “to beseech, beg, pray”. This word deomai has weight to it: it is not prayer in general (see proseuchomai and euchomai). Deomai contains urgency or begging in the requests placed before God. In general, prayer is to be conducted continuously with devotion, humility, praise, truth, thanksgiving and trust/faith in God (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 145:2; Mark 11:24; Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). People often wonder why their prayers are not answered. The first thing to understand is that God is not obligated to hear anyone’s prayers or to answer for Himself (see Job 38:1-42:6) . After that, it must be understood that all prayer must be in accordance with God’s will, within the name (character/reputation) of Jesus, while abiding (continuing with, existing in permanent unison) in Jesus and not actively/continuously participating and harboring in sin (John 14:13-15; 15:7; James 4:3; 1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 5:14-15). To read more on prayer see Matthew 6:5-13; Luke 18:1-14; Romans 8:26 in hand with Ephesians 6:18. (BACK)

37 about to happen: What is about to happen is described in Matthew 24:5-26; Mark 13:6-22; Luke 21:8-24; also see Revelation 6 and 13. (BACK)

 

 

English Bible translation used: Berean Standard Bible

 

The Last Supper: Part Two

by

Scripture Used to Create “The Last Supper” Splice Series

Matthew 26:17-36 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:17)

Mark 14:12-32 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:12)

Luke 22:7-40 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:7)

John 13:1-18:1 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 13:1)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Last Supper: Part One”, click here

 

Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

 

THE SPLICE

While they were eating, 1 Jesus took some bread and after a blessing and having given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it and eat; 2 this is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way, after they had eaten, He took the cup, and giving thanks, and He gave it to them saying, while they all drank from it, “Drink from it, all of you; this cup which is poured out for you is the 3 new covenant in My blood; My blood of the covenant, which is poured out 4 for many for forgiveness of sins; 5 do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.” And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. And there arose also 6 a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. Jesus had dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 7 After the morsel, Satan then entered into Judas. Therefore Jesus said to Judas, “What you do, do quickly.” 8 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were supposing, because 9 Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of 10 for the feast” or else, that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel Judas went out immediately; and it was night.

 

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Last Supper: Part Three” click here

 

 

NOTES

1  Jesus took some bread: Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, and Luke 22:17-20 introduce us to the memorial of Holy Communion. John does not mention it at all. Because of Luke’s account (particularly in verse 21 with the usage of the Greek word meta), we could, with relative confidence, list Judas as “in attendance” for this church-wide ordinance, with the understanding that the Bible does not explicitly give the particulars of his whereabouts during that aspect of the night. (Back)

2 this is My body which is given for you: There are certain Christian sects that insist that this is a literal transformation: that the communion wafer turns into the actual body of Jesus, and the wine turns into the actual blood of Jesus, during Holy Communion. This idea is called transubstantiation. Holy Communion is a symbolic, not a literal, transformation. First of all, cannibalism is spoken of as a judgment from God in the Bible, and therefore by extension, forbidden as a practice for God-fearing people (Jeremiah 19:9; Ezekiel 5:10; Micah 3:3-4) and Jesus would never entertain forbidden practices (John 8:29) or introduce them into the church. Drinking animal blood is forbidden, much less from human beings (Leviticus 17:14). Jesus Himself tells us that the eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood is a metaphoric idea: He has come down from heaven and is the Way to eternal life with God, as explained in John 6:41-65. Plus, you can see it in your hand and taste it in your mouth. It’s unleavened bread in the form of oyster crackers (or whatever your church uses) and grape juice (or wine) in a tiny cup. (Back)

3 new covenant in My blood: There was an original or old covenant with the people of Israel, see Exodus 24, in particular verses 6-8. Hebrews 9 and 10:1-18 give a thorough explanation on the old and new covenants. Jesus’s sacrifice is once and for all (Hebrews 10:10) and there is no need to sacrifice any animals, especially since their blood never took away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Why have the old covenant, with the Law of God and animal sacrifices in the first place? The Law shows us that we are sinners and are under judgment by God (Romans 3:19-20). The animal sacrifices show that only blood will atone for sin (Hebrews 9:22). The old covenant was a preview of the perfect covenant in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:4-10). (Back)

4 for many for forgiveness of sins: This is only applicable to those who will accept the forgiveness, not a blanket statement for everyone in the entire world (Hebrews 10:26-30, 1 John 1:9). Forgiveness is offered to the entire world (John 3:16), and God doesn’t want anyone to perish in hell (1 Timothy 2:4), but many just won’t let go of their own ideals/identities, admit to their sin (1 John 1:8, 10) and repent of their sin (Luke 5:32), and take the only Way to God (Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6). If we confess our sins (this is a part of repentance), acknowledging that God is right and we are wrong, He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9). (Back)

5  do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me: This instruction of Jesus’s is from 1 Corinthians 11:25. None of the gospel writers include this statement in their accounts, but Paul received this information from Jesus Himself. Luke does include Jesus’s words “in remembrance of Me” concerning the bread, but not the wine, in Luke 22:19. See 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 for Paul’s account. (Back)

6  a dispute among them: From Luke 22:24. It is possible that the disciples were debating for someone other than themselves (John arguing Peter’s merits, for example), but human nature says that they were arguing the case for themselves (John for John’s merits, Peter for Peter’s merits). This seems especially probable, as they have had these arguments before (Luke 9:46-48). And then, there was that audacious request from the Zebedee family: that Jesus would seat John and James at Jesus’s right and left hand (Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45) in His kingdom.  The argument of “I am the best” would be what the world calls “tooting your own horn”. In reality, it is a gross and blatant display of pride. Pride is a world view and is not of God (Proverbs 11:2, 25:27; 2 Corinthians 10:18; 1 Peter 5:5.  (Back)

7  After the morsel: This is from John 13:26-27.  It never says if Judas actually eats this bit of food.  (Back)

8  Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him: Did the others not see the morsel passed or hear the conversation? It would seem that the words of Jesus and the action of giving the morsel would be enough to give a hint as to who the culprit is. Perhaps they were purposely blinded from the meaning of the conversation, as a provision from God, so that they would not try to stop Judas. (see Note 29 in The Last Supper: Part One) (Back)

9 Judas had the money box: The money box was full of donations, and the donations we know about are from women (Luke 8:3). Judas’s grip on the money box began long before this night (John 12:4-6). Also see 1 Timothy 6:9-10. (Back)

10 for the feast: Passover is a feast that lasts for seven days. There is the first night of Passover (on the 14th), where the lamb is eaten, along with the bitter herbs. The next day, on the 15th, The Feast of Unleavened Bread is observed. Since the Passover meal has already been consumed, it is possible that the feast meant is for the next day/rest of the days of Passover. See Exodus 12:1-20; Leviticus 23:5-6; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8; Ezekiel 45:21. (Back)

The Last Supper: Part One

by

Scripture Used to Create “The Last Supper” Splice Series

Matthew 26:17-36 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:17)

Mark 14:12-32 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:12)

Luke 22:7-39(Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:7)

John 13:1-18:1 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 13:1)

 

1 Corinthians 5:7
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

 

THE SPLICE

Now before the 1 Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, 2 having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 3 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, Jesus was sending Peter and John out to prepare for the Passover,  and He said to them, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” Peter and John said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”  Jesus said to them, 4 “Go into Jerusalem and when you have entered the city, a certain man will meet you and 5 he will be carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples. Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ And the owner of the house himself will show you a 6 large upper room that is furnished and ready; prepare the Passover for us there.” Peter and John did as Jesus had directed them; they left Jesus and went into the city and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, Jesus went to the upper room with the twelve. When the supper hour had come, 7 He reclined at the table, and with Him, the twelve disciples/the apostles. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I 8 suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it 9 until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes , until the day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” During supper, 10 the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given 11 all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, He got up from supper, and laid aside 12 His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to 13 wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, 14“Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash 15 my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “16 He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “17 Not all of you are clean.” When He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, 18 you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 19 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I do not speak of all of you . I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 20 ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. Truly, truly, I say to you, 21 he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and 22 he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” After Jesus had said this and while they all were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus became troubled in spirit, and testified and said,  “Truly, truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom 23 one of His disciples whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”  He leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” Being 24 deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” And He answered, “It is one of the twelve; 25 he who dipped and dips his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. For the Son of Man is to go 26 just as it is written of Him, as it has been determined; but 27 woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man 28 if he had not been born.” 29 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “ You have said it yourself.”

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Last Supper: Part Two”  click here.

 

“Picked for a Charoset”

 

NOTES

 

1  Feast of the Passover: To read about the history of The Feast of the Passover and about the Passover Lamb, see Exodus 12:1-20, 42-50, 23:15; Leviticus 23:5-7; Numbers 9:1-14, 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8 and Ezekiel 45:21. (Back)

2 having loved His own: From John 13:1. The Greek word used for loved in this verse is agapaó and it means “to love”. Agapé love is unconditional, made by choice and on purpose. God’s love for His elect begins before the person has even been given the gift of faith to believe (see Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19). This love cannot be separated from those whom God has chosen as His own (Romans 8:38-39). Contrary to the teachings of some sects, the Bible says you cannot lose your salvation nor God’s love. Jesus’s sacrifice was sufficient and complete (Hebrews 10:10). (Back)

3 On the first day of Unleavened Bread: The first day of Unleavened Bread is a part of the seven days of Passover. From the 14th of Abib/Nisan (the first day of Passover and when the Passover lambs are sacrificed) until the 21st, no leaven is eaten. On the 15th is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. See Note 1.  (Back)

4  Go into Jerusalem: This event is included to show us the divinity of Christ. It is possible that the water-man or the owner of the house believed that Christ is the Messiah or heard Him teach on an occasion or two, but the Bible does not mention these possibilities, nor does it mention that Jesus, Peter, John, or any of the disciples had physically met these people before. See Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13. (Back)

5 he will be carrying a pitcher of water: People had to fetch their water every day, drawing it from wells or springs, and carrying it home in jars. To read some articles on the water supply of ancient Israel, click here and here. (Back)

6 large upper room: Was this the same upper room that the disciples were meeting in later on in Acts 1:13?  It is very possible; they would have needed a very large room, because by that time there were about 120 people gathering in it (Acts 1:12-15).(Back)

7 He reclined at the table: In ancient Rome and Israel, it was customary for people to lay down while eating. They leaned on their side, with their feet away from the table. To read about this ancient practice, click here. (Back)

8 Suffer:  Crucifixion was the worst way to die in ancient Rome. You can read about Jesus’s crucifixion in Matthew 27:26-56; Mark 15:15-39; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:16-30. To read the Splice on the crucifixion, click here.  (Back)

9 until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God: It is possible that Jesus is referring to the marriage supper of the Lamb (see Revelation 19:9). Since the Bible is not clear on the meaning, this is a guess. (Back)

10 the devil had already put into the heart: The devil can tempt anyone to do anything, but people always have the choice to resist, and to rely on the power of God (James 4:7-8). There are always lots of little steps that lead up to the committing of sin. At any of those steps, we can turn to God and ask for help to endure the temptation, and flee from it. See 1 Corinthians 10:13. (Back)

11 all things into His hands: With the understanding of John 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:27,  Colossians 1:15-20 and Hebrews 1:2-4 see these verses: Matthew 11:27, 28:18; Luke 10:22; John 3:35, 16:15; Ephesians 1:22. We might ask why it is this way. The only answer available to us to consider is that the Father loves the Son (John 3:35) and because of  Revelation 5:9-10. I’m sure the full answer is vast and wide and beyond our comprehension (Isaiah 55:8-9). (Back)

12  His garments:  The Greek word used for garments in John 13:4 is himation which is an outer cloak or robe; the word is in the plural for this verse, so probably both a cloak and a robe. These are probably the outer clothes that the guards will divide up between the four of them (John 19:23) approximately 12-15 hours later. People did not own multiple cloaks or robes back then unless they were wealthy. See Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34 and John 19:23-24 for the account of the guards dividing up Jesus’s outer clothes and casting lots for Jesus’s tunic. (Back)

13 wash the disciples’ feet: Washing feet was a servant’s job, if you had one. To read about this custom in ancient Israel, click here and here. (Back)

14  Never shall You wash my feet!: Some believe this statement of Peter’s was an example of Peter’s pride. I don’t believe this to be true, because then Peter wouldn’t have been so quick to say, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head” in John 13:9. I believe the reason why Peter says “Never shall You wash my feet!” is because he was shocked at Jesus’s positioning as a lowly slave, washing feet. Knowing that Jesus was the Messiah, (see Matthew 16:16 and Mark 8:29), Peter was finding feet-washing an unfathomable position for Jesus and he didn’t understand yet that it was an object lesson. Jesus explains to him that he will understand it eventually. See John 13:4-10. (Back)

15 not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. In my opinion, Peter says Feet, Hands and Head because: Feet carry us to where we go (whether walking towards good or towards bad, metaphorically or physically), Hands are the tools we use to do work (whether good or bad, whether metaphorically or physically), and in the Head is where we first decide whether or not to sin, whether to do the Lord’s work or our own. (Back)

16 He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean:  Here, Jesus is saying that once you are saved (clean) you don’t need to be saved again. Allegorically, He is saying that this washing of the feet is the continued work that He performs in our lives, and the intercession that He makes on our behalf (Romans 8:30, 33, 34; Hebrews 7:25). (Back)

17 Not all of you are clean: Lookin’ at you, Judas Iscariot! Matthew 10:4, Luke 6:16; John 6:64, 70-71; Acts 1:16-17. (Back)

18 you also ought to wash one another’s feet: The idea of being a servant or a slave in God’s kingdom is an honored and elevated position, quite contrary to our nature as human beings and how the world views (and uses) slavery and servitude. See Matthew 20:20-28; 23:11. (Back)

19 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master: The Greek word used for truly is amén and it means “verily, truly”. It is used to emphatically mark the sentence as truth. It is used twice in a row in John 13:16. (Back)

20  HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME: Jesus is quoting from Psalm 41:9. (Back)

21 he who receives whomever I send receives Me: Jesus teaches this lesson vividly in Matthew 25:31-46. (Back)

22 he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me: See John 1:1, 14:6-11. (Back)

23 one of His disciples: John, writer of the gospel of John, 1st, 2nd and 3rd epistles of John and Revelation. John recalls this as a memory in John 21:20. (Back)

24  deeply grieved: The Greek text says “grieved exceedingly”. The Greek word used for grieved in Matthew 26:22 is lupeó and this kind of grief means “to experience an intense, deep grief, or an overwhelming sorrow”. Jesus was called “a man of sorrows” in Isaiah 53:3. See Isaiah 53 for an almost poetical description on the sufferings and sorrows of the Messiah.  (Back)

25 he who dipped and dips: It is important to understand that at the Passover meal, Jesus would be residing over it and would have given pieces of food to everyone there and everyone would have been dipping in the bowl with Him. (Back)

26 just as it is written of Him: See Isaiah 53. (Back)

27 woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: This would be Judas Iscariot. At least one of Judas’s duties was steward of the coffers (John 12:6, 13:29) for Jesus’s ministry. He, like so many others when given the opportunity, was stealing from the funds (John 12:4-6). Some of that money was from private donations from women (Luke 8:3), a group of people that were disregarded and marginalized by society, so it makes the crime even more distasteful, if that’s possible. He arranged with some of the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus, for a price of 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:1-6). When he realized his sin, he went out and tried to give the money back to the priests. Then he hanged himself and in the process, his body fell headlong and burst open on the ground (Matthew 27:3-10; Acts 1:16-20) . The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:9-10). (Back)

28 if he had not been born.: There are worse things than not being born. Being born and then dying into eternal damnation is far worse than not being born at all. Hell is eternal separation from God, eternal pain and suffering, eternal shame and darkness. See Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 12:2; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Jude 1:13; Revelation 14:11, 20:10-15. (Back)

29 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “ You have said it yourself.”:  John 13:21-30 says that Jesus explains who the betrayer will be, and it also explains that no one recognizes that the betrayer is Judas. They don’t even recognize it when in Matthew 26:25, Jesus outright and out loud says, Yes, it’s you, Judas (I’m paraphrasing here). Why? There were several times where the Bible records that the disciples were kept from recognizing truth for God’s purposes. For an example, see John 20:9. It is possible that the other 11 disciples were too wrapped up in their own grief in hearing that one of them was to betray Jesus to pay any attention to what Jesus was saying to Judas, or it was kept from their sight because they might have tried to stop Judas. Peter was fairly quick with that sword in John 18:10, after all. It was for God’s purpose that Judas be the betrayer and actually go through with betraying Jesus. (Back)

The Crucifixion: Part Two

by

Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Crucifixion”

Matthew 27:31-56 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:31)

Mark 15:20-41 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 15:20)

Luke 23:25-49 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 23:25)

John 19:16-30(Greek Text Analysis starting with John 19:16)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Crucifixion: Part One”, click here.

 

Isaiah 53:6
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

 

THE SPLICE

And 1 the people stood by looking on. Standing by the cross of Jesus were 2 His mother Mary, and His mother’s sister Mary the wife of Clopas, John the disciple, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother, and 3 John, the disciple whom He loved, standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to John, “Behold, your mother!” From  that hour John took Mary into his own household.

And those passing by were hurling abuse at Jesus, wagging and shaking their heads, mocking Him, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to 4 destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! 5 If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the 6 Jewish rulers, the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and 5 we will believe in Him. 7 HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, 5 so that we may see and believe!” They also said,  “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 8 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. But at some point, 9 one of the robbers had a change of heart because when the other robber was hurling abuse at Jesus, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”. The other robber answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

It was now about the 10 sixth hour, and 11 darkness fell over the whole land until the 12 ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, 13 “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, 14 “I am thirsty.” And the rest of the onlookers said, “Let us see whether 15 Elijah will come to save Him.” Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, 16 he filled it with sour wine from a jar of sour wine that was standing there. They put the sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of 17 hyssop/reed and brought it up to His mouth and gave Him a drink, and said “Let us see whether 15 will come to take Him down.” After this when Jesus had received the sour wine, Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, uttered a loud cry and He said, 18 “FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT. 19 It is finished!” And He bowed His head and 20 gave up/yielded His spirit; 21 He breathed His last.

And behold, the 22 veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 23 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, who was standing right in front of Jesus, 24 saw the way He breathed His last, saw what had happened with the earthquake and the other things that were happening, began praising God, as well as becoming frightened, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent. Truly this man was the Son of God.”  And those who were keeping guard with the centurion also became frightened and 25 also said that Jesus was the Son of God.  And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, 26 began to return, beating their breasts. All of His acquaintances and many women who came up with Him to Jerusalem were there looking on from a distance, seeing these things. Also among them was Mary Magdalene (who had been at the foot of the cross earlier), Mary the mother of James the Less and 27 Joseph/Joses, the mother of the 28 sons of Zebedee, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him.

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Burial of Jesus”, click here.

 

Notes

1 the people stood by looking on: The people standing around were the chief priests, the scribes, the elders/rulers, and possibly some general rubberneckers who enjoyed a gruesome scene. (Back)

2  His mother: What must have been going through Mary’s mind this entire time, while her Son was being crucified? When Jesus was a baby, Simeon told Mary that “a sword will pierce even your own soul…” and these words must have come to her mind watching Jesus suffer. See Luke 2:25-35 to learn about Simeon and his message to Mary. (Back)

3 John, the disciple whom He loved: This is John, the writer of the gospel of John, as well as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters of John and the book of Revelation. After all the disciples scattered to their homes, John must have come back. Some think that he came back with Peter (John 18:15-16). But the truth is we don’t know which disciple came back with Peter; we don’t even know if it was one of the remaining 10 out of the 12 disciples (minus Peter and Judas), as anyone who was learning from Him and following Him could be a disciple. We know that the “disciple that Jesus loved” is John because of John 21:20-24, and this connects it with any other verse that states “disciple that Jesus loved”. But John 18:15-16 does not use that phrasing. It is possible it was John; it is possible it was another disciple. And, although John is mentioned at the cross (did he walk beside Jesus to Golgotha?), we do not know if he was the only disciple there. (Back)

4 destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days: This is a twisting of Jesus’s words. See John 2:18-22. Jesus said He would “raise up” the temple in three days. He uses the word egeiró to mean “raise up, arouse, to waken”. The Jews are saying rebuild in Matthew 27:40, using the Greek word oikodomeó, which means “to build, to build a house”. The difference between the two words is important. (Back)

5 If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross: Jesus performed many miracles and showed many signs that the Jews, scribes and Pharisees were witness to. They wouldn’t have believed Him to be the Messiah, even if He chose to disobey God and come down off the cross. It’s the same way with people today. We are all given enough in our lives in order to believe Him (Romans 1:18-20).  No miracle or even a visitation from the dead will change any person’s mind (see Luke 16:30-31) . I think that a person who doesn’t want to believe God would attribute such a miracle of visitation from the dead to mental hallucinations, the bad sushi they ate last night, anything but a miracle from God. For a sampling of miracles witnessed by the Jews and religious elders, see Matthew 8:1-3; 9:2-8; 12:10-15; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 6:1-14; John 9:1-34, 11:1-46. (Back)

6 Jewish rulers: These people had been up late into the night and up in the early morning (it is possible they were up all night), arresting Jesus, trying to catch Him in some sort of blasphemy, consulting with each other, obtaining false testimonies (Matthew 26:47-68; Mark 14:43-65; Luke 22:54-71; John 18:2-13, 19-24 ) and then convincing Pilate to crucify Him (Matthew 27:1-2, 11-26; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-5, 13-24; John 18:28-40, 19:4-16). Their hate for and jealousy of Jesus never runs its course. It is still fueling them, through that day, to ridicule and mock Him. (Back)

7 HE TRUSTS IN GOD: This is in reference to Psalm 22:8. (Back)

8 The robbers who had been crucified: These robbers walked with Jesus, presumably carrying their cross beams/walking in front of a conscripted beam-bearer (Luke 23:32-33). Were they in cahoots with Barabbas, who was also a robber (but also a murderer and insurrectionist, see Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19, 25; John 18:40)? Was Barabbas supposed to be crucified with these two that very day? Very possible, but the Bible doesn’t specify. (Back)

9 one of the robbers had a change of heart: Matthew 27:44 says that both robbers were insulting Jesus, but Luke clarifies that at least one of the robbers changed his mind about Jesus after some time on the cross (Luke 23:39-43). Horrible experiences can do two things, spiritually speaking: they can drive you to Jesus or drive you away from Him. (Back)

10 sixth hour: or, 12pm. (Back)

11 darkness fell over the whole land: We can consider this darkness as a supernatural event, not a natural event such as an eclipse. It brings to mind what the Egyptians experienced as the last plague before God struck down the first born of every household. See Exodus 10:21-23. (Back)

12 ninth hour: or, 3pm. (Back)

13 MY GOD, MY GOD: Jesus is repeating Psalm 22:1. (Back)

14 “I am thirsty.”: The Scripture that was fulfilled was Psalm 69:21. (Back)

15 Elijah: Elijah was a prophet, who had a chariot of fire take him to heaven in 2 Kings 2:11. Perhaps these people think that Elijah will come back down in the chariot to take Jesus to heaven. You can read about Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings 1:1-2:11. (Back)

16 he filled it with sour wine: This was a cheap wine kept for the soldiers to drink. They didn’t care if Jesus was actually thirsty; this was just a way to extend the life of the sufferer. For anyone who would take part in hammering people to crosses, it was probably amusing to them, as well. You could say that they didn’t have a choice (everyone has a choice), as they were lowly soldiers with a centurion over them (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47) but they seem to be gleeful as they mocked Jesus and beat on Him (Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:36) and nonchalant as they gambled for Jesus’s clothing (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34; John 19:23-25). And the soldier who pierced Jesus’s side didn’t have to stab Him—they could see He was already dead (John 19:33-34). (Back)

17 hyssop/reed: Matthew 27:48 and Mark 15:36 say reed, using the Greek word kalamos which means “a reed, reed staff, measuring rod, a reed pen”. John 19:29 says hyssop, using the Greek word hussópos which means “hyssop, a stalk of hyssop”. Reed is a general term and hyssop is specific. It’s a stalk/reed of hyssop. (Back)

18 FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS: Jesus references Psalm 31:5 (Back)

19 It is finished: John 19:30. The Greek word used for finished is tetelestai and it means “to bring to an end, complete, fulfill, I pay, to discharge a debt”. (Back)

20 gave up/yielded His spirit: Matthew 27:50 uses the Greek word aphiémi for the word yielded or gave up. Luke 23:46, and John 19:30 use the same word for yielded. The Greek word they use is paratithémi and it means “to hand over, pledge, deliver, commit”. It’s important to understand that Jesus gave His life—it wasn’t taken from Him. This was all part of the work that He was born into the world to fulfill. See John 10:18; 18:37. (Back)

21 He breathed His last: He breathed His last with quite a bit of strength left, as He was using a loud voice (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:46). After a scourging that left His entire back flesh-less, the loss of blood, carrying a cross beam weighing around 100lbs for about 1/2 a mile, being nailed to the cross and hanging for 6 hours in an awkward position, pushing Himself up for each breath, Jesus still had the strength for a loud voice. Most victims of crucifixion would have no strength to talk at the end of all of this trauma. Jesus could talk and could do so loudly.(Back)

22 veil of the temple was torn in two: The importance of this imagery cannot be stressed enough. The veil was the partition between the Holy Place and Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33). The Holy of Holies was where God was present, above the mercy seat which was on the top of the Ark of the Covenant. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-34). The veil was torn from top to bottom, as God (top) is granting freedom to people (bottom) to come into His presence through Christ. To read about the veil and mercy seat, see Exodus 26:31-34. To read about the purposes and ceremony of atonement, see Leviticus 16. The ceremony itself was quite intricate. (Back)

23 The tombs were opened: Only Matthew tells us this detail. He says that the bodies of the saints were raised, but they only came out of the tombs after Jesus’s resurrection, appearing to many in Jerusalem. See Matthew 27:52-53. (Back)

24 saw the way He breathed His last: With strength. In the modern era, we cannot appreciate what a crucifixion or flogging entailed . See Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:46. (Back)

25 also said that Jesus was the Son of God: This is only the beginning of walking towards a God-gifted faith in Christ. Even the demons recognize God as God (James 2:19) and knew Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 8:29). It’s not enough to just “know” this. God’s faith that He gives as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) is different than human-conjured faith. This article has a nice layout of the evidence of salvation and as does this piece. (Back)

26 began to return, beating their breasts: This is a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. (Back)

27 Joseph/Joses: Matthew 27:56 says Joseph, Mark 15:47 says Joses. Both names are similar, although not exactly the same. It is possible that Joseph went by the nickname Joses. It’s also possible that they are two different people. (Back)

28 sons of Zebedee, and Salome: Because we are not told specifically that Salome is the mother of James and John or the wife of Zebedee, I treat her as a separate person. Many writers and pastors insist that Salome was the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee and therefore, she was the wife of Zebedee. It’s possible, but there isn’t a shred of proof for that, in the English or the Greek. Places where James and John are mentioned as the sons of Zebedee: Matthew 4:21; 10:2; Mark 1:19; 10:35; Luke 5:10; John 21:2. Mentions of their mother: Matthew 20:20-23; Matthew 27:56. Mentions of Zebedee himself: Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:20. (Back)

The Crucifixion: Part One

by

Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Crucifixion”

Matthew 27:31-56 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:31)

Mark 15:20-41 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 15:20)

Luke 23:25-49 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 23:25)

John 19:16-30(Greek Text Analysis starting with John 19:16)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the Second Time” click here

 

Psalm 22:14
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

 

THE SPLICE

And Pilate released 1 Barabbas who had been thrown into 2 prison for 3 insurrection and murder, but Pilate delivered Jesus to the Jews’ will, that is, to have Him 4crucified. Pilate gave Jesus to the soldiers and 5 after they had mocked Him, they took the 6 scarlet/purple robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. Sometime during the start of the walk to the site of the crucifixion, the soldiers seized and pressed into service, a passer-by coming into Jerusalem from the country, 7 Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), 8 to bear His cross. The soldiers put the cross on Simon so he could carry it behind Jesus.

And following Jesus was a large crowd of the people, and 9 women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus, turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 10 ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin 11 TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, also, who were 12 criminals/robbers, were being led away to be put to death with Him.  And Jesus went out, 8 bearing His own cross, and when they came to a place called 13 Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, the soldiers tried to give Him wine to drink mixed with 14 gall/myrrh; and after tasting it 15 He was unwilling to drink; He would not take it. And there 16 they crucified Him and the criminals/robbers, one robber on the right side of Jesus and the other robber on His left side. And by being crucified with the robbers, the Scripture was fulfilled which says,17 “And He was numbered with transgressors.”. But during this time, Jesus was saying a prayer, concerning the  soldiers carrying out this duty of crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross, above His head. Pilate’s inscription was the charge against Him and it said:

“THIS IS JESUS THE NAZARENE THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said , ‘I am King of the Jews.’ “ Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

It was the 18 third hour when they crucified Him. After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, then put Pilate’s inscription above Jesus’s head, and lifted the cross up off the ground in order to stand it upright, the soldiers took Jesus’s outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: 19 “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

After dividing up Jesus’s clothes, they sat down, and they began to keep watch and guard over Him there.

 

 

Sketch of a branch

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Crucifixion: Part Two” click here

 

COMMENTS

 

1 Barabbas: This is what we know about Barabbas: He was a notorious prisoner (Matthew 27:16) and he was a robber (John 18:40). Some English translations say that Barabbas was an insurrectionist in John 18:40, but the Greek word used is léstés and it means “robber, thief”. But he did also take place in an insurrection as we learn in (Luke 23:19), as well as commit at least one murder. Barabbas was in prison at this time, being jailed with other insurrectionists who had also committed murder (numbers unknown) during this uprising (Mark 15:7). Acts 3:14 confirms (through Peter’s narration) that Barabbas was a murderer. (Back)

2 prison: Prison was synonymous with misery. To read a quick run-down on prison life in ancient Rome, click here. (Back)

3 insurrection and murder: It is important to understand that during Jesus’s time, the Romans ruled quite a bit the world, including Israel. Many Jewish people were resentful over this invasion of Roman power and the polytheism they brought with them. Therefore, there were many insurrections and consequently, murders, committed by the Jewish people during this time. All this unrest eventually led up to the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus never became involved with these acts of violence and never sanctioned them. The Bible pointedly tells us to pay our taxes, pray for our government officials, obey the laws of the land (as long as they don’t conflict with God’s laws) and that any authority or ruler on earth was put into power by God. See Matthew 17:24-27, Mark 12:13-17, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-3, Titus 3:1-2, 1 Peter 2:13-15. (Back)

4  crucified: Why did God allow Jesus to be crucified? Jesus was ultimately crucified because God the Father deemed it right as the substitute payment for the sins of the elect He calls to be His own (see Galatians 4:4-5). But what about the human justification for Jesus’s crucifixion? The human reason and human method of death was political. The chief priests told Pilate that Jesus called Himself a King and Rome didn’t like self-styled kings (especially with faithful followers) or anyone else who made a move towards overthrowing the government. Therefore, even though Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent of the insurrection charges, Jesus was “officially” murdered for insurrection/conspiring to get others to take part in an insurrection. Insurrectionists/enemies of the state were crucified. (Back)

5 after they had mocked Him: See Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19, and John 19:1-3. He had also been mocked by Herod and his soldiers when Pilate had sent Him over there (Luke 23:11). (Back)

6 scarlet/purple robe: Strong’s concordance tells us that Matthew 27:28 uses the Greek word kokkinos which means “crimson or scarlet”. Mark 15:20 uses the word porphýra which means “a purple garment”. Helps Word-studies© explains a little more in depth. There were basically three shades of purple used for this idea in the ancient world: deep violet, deep scarlet (or crimson), and deep blue. John 19:5 uses the Greek word porphyroús which means a purple (reddish-purple) cloth or dye. All three of these together tells us that the robe was a purple-scarlet color, maybe akin to red-violet or violet-red from a crayons box. We can only speculate on the exact shade of purple. (Back)

HELPS Word-studies taken from The Discovery Bible, available at discoverybible.com, copyright © 2021, HELPS Ministries Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

7 Simon of Cyrene: It is unknown if Simon was a true disciple of Jesus. Simon is mentioned in Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26. Mark tells us that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander. It is possible that the Rufus mentioned in Romans 16:13 is the same person as Simon’s son, but we can’t know for sure. There are mentions of Alexander, as well, in Acts 4:6, Acts 19:33, 1 Timothy 1:20, 2 Timothy 4:14. It is unknown if any of the Alexanders mentioned in these verses are Simon’s son. (Back)

8 to bear His cross: John 19:17 says that Jesus went out bearing His own cross to Golgotha. Luke 23:26 says that when the soldiers led Him away, they conscripted Simon and Matthew 27:32 says “as they were coming out” they took hold of Simon to bear the cross for Jesus.  Mark doesn’t really clear up when Jesus carried His cross or when Simon does in Mark 15:20-21. The simplest answer is that when the soldiers were leading Jesus out, seeing Simon, they forced him to take up the cross at first, thinking Jesus would be too weak to carry it on His own. Perhaps it was just something they customarily and automatically did because victims of flogging were too weak to carry the heavy beams themselves. But Jesus was not weak; He cried out in a loud voice even at the very end of this flagrant injustice (Luke 23:46). How He took the cross back is up for grabs, (maybe He told the guards He could carry it Himself), but He definitely carried His own cross, by Himself, all the way to Golgotha, as John pointedly says. Why bring Simon into the story at all, then? I think Mark 15:21 clears that up: Simon’s sons were prominent members of the early Christian church, and people could identify with this information. It is unknown if Simon was involved with the Christian church at all.  (Back)

9 women who were mourning: We don’t know who the women are. We can guess that they were Jesus’s female followers, perhaps even His mother included, but it is only speculation. We only know from Luke 23:28-31 that Jesus spoke to them directly, with a warning. (Back)

10  Blessed are the barren: Jesus is referring to the tribulation at the very end of the current era, where He says that the blessed women would be the ones not nursing or pregnant. This is quite a change from the common view of the day that shame accompanied women who had no children (Luke 1:25). To see Jesus’s warnings concerning the end times, see Matthew 24:3-51, Mark 13:3-37, Luke 17:20-37, 21:7-36. (Back)

11  TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS: Jesus is quoting from Hosea 10:8. (Back)

12 Criminals/robbers: Matthew 27:38 and Mark 15:27 say “robbers” and Luke 23:32-33 says “criminals“. John 19:18 says “two others”. (Back)

13 Golgotha: There is no current-day Golgotha. It’s ancient whereabouts is speculated upon, but we don’t know exactly where it stood. (Back)

14 gall/myrrh: Matthew 27:34 says “gall” and uses the Greek word cholé which means “gall, bitter herbs”. Mark 15:23 says “myrrh” and  uses the Greek word smurnizó which means “mixed with myrrh” or “to be like myrrh” “to embitter (as a narcotic)”. This concoction of myrrh/gall was given to help deaden pain. It was made of wine (unknown what kind of wine) and then the painkiller. No drink or drug available back then (or now) would deaden that kind of pain— enduring a flogging and a crucifixion. This concoction was probably all that could be done for a crucifixion victim, other than not using such a cruel form of capital punishment. Also, since it couldn’t make much difference in the torture being inflicted, it may have been given in mockery, for the amusement of the soldiers, to see a desperate soul drinking it in hope. (Back)

15  He was unwilling to drink: Jesus refused the help of this laced wine, because drunkenness/being out of one’s senses (such as with narcotics or alcohol) is not Godly, but sound mind and soberness of mind is (see Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 4:7). Jesus was strong, even up to the very end (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37, 39;Luke 23:46), and He still had work to do on the cross, such as giving His mother over to John (John 19:26-27) and speaking to the repentant criminal (Luke 23:39-43). It would only be fitting that Jesus would face His death in all consciousness and sagacity. (Back)

16  they crucified Him: Crucifixion was the worst way to die in Roman times, and a most disgraceful curse to the Jews (see Deuteronomy 21:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:23). What is important to know is that Jesus became the disgraceful curse in our place, by His death on the cross, in order to reconcile us with God (Galatians 3:13). To read about the horrors of crucifixion, click here. (Back)

17  And He was numbered with transgressors:  This is a reference to Isaiah 53:12. Isaiah 53 contains a lot of information about the Messiah. (Back)

18  third hour: Mark 15:25 tells us that Jesus was crucified at the third hour (9am). Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44 says that from 12pm to 3pm there was darkness over the land and Luke 23:45 says it was because the sun was obscured. Jesus died around 3pm (Matthew 27:46-50, Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46). Darkness is symbolic of judgment from God. For a sampling of this symbolism see Isaiah 5:30; Job 5:14; Nahum 1:8; Matthew 22:13; 2 Peter 2:17 and Revelation 16:10. Also, there seems to be a discrepancy in the time keeping, as John 19:14 says it was the sixth hour while Jesus was still with Pilate. John is possibly using Roman time-keeping or keeping track of how many hours passed by since Jesus’s arrest. Matthew, Mark and Luke are using Jewish time-keeping. See this article for a great explanation. (Back)

19  “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS: This is from Psalm 22:18. (Back)

 

The Betrayal and Illegal Arrest of Jesus

by

Scripture Used to Create the Splice “The Betrayal and Illegal Arrest of Jesus”

Matthew 26:47-56 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:47)

Mark 14:43-52 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:43)

Luke 22:47-53 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:47)

John 18:2-11 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 18:2)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane”, click here

 

Zechariah 11:13
Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

 

THE SPLICE

Now 1 Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, who was betraying Jesus, knew the place of Gethsemane, for 2 Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Immediately while Jesus was still 3 speaking to the disciples, 4 behold, Judas, who was one of the twelve, came up. Judas was leading the way, followed by a large crowd which was comprised of a Roman 5 cohort (he had received them from the chief priests, scribes, elders of the people and the Pharisees), some chief priests, elders, and officers. This large crowd was carrying weapons, specifically 6 swords and clubs. They also had torches and lanterns. Judas approached Jesus to 7 kiss Him. Now Judas, who was betraying Jesus, had at an unspecified time previous, gave the crowd 8 a sign, a signal saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away under guard.” 9 Immediately Judas went up to Jesus saying, “Hail, 10 Rabbi!”. At the same time Judas was approaching Him, Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to Judas, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? 11 Friend, do what you have come for.” 12 And Judas kissed Him. Jesus turned His attention back to the crowd and said to the crowd, 13 “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas was now standing with the crowd. So when He said to them, “I am He,” 14 they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And 15 they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” When the disciples who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the 16 sword?” Then the crowd came forward and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. 17 And Simon Peter, having a sword, reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and 18 cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was 19 Malchus. Then Jesus answered, and said to Peter, “Stop! No more of this. Put your sword back into its place, into the sheath; 20 for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? The cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” 21 And He touched Malchus’s ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, to this crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I was with you; and while I was with you daily in the temple, I used to sit in the temple teaching, and you did not lay hands on Me and seize Me. But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets. This hour and the power of darkness are yours.” So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, 22 arrested Jesus and bound Him. 23 Then all the disciples left Him and fled. 24 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him, too. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

 

Want to keep reading? To read the Splice “Jesus Before the High Priest and Peter’s Denial” click here

 

NOTES

 

1  Judas Iscariot: It must be remembered that lots of people were named Judas, not just this infamous one, including a second disciple and Jesus’s half-brother. Judas in the Hebrew is “Yehudah” from a root word meaning “praised”. (Back)

2  Jesus had often met there with His disciples: See Luke 21:37 and 22:39. (Back)

3  speaking to the disciples: In the garden (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). To see the Splice about the garden of Gethsemane, click here. (Back)

4  behold: The Greek word used in Matthew 26:47 for behold is horaó and means “to see, perceive, attend to, discern”. This word can be used to mean metaphorically “look” or physically “look”. (Back)

5  cohort: John 18:3 uses the word cohort. The Greek word for cohort is speira and means anything wound up or coiled, or a body of soldiers. It also means “a tenth part of a legion”. A legion is 6,000 men. A tenth of 6,000 is 600. The Bible does not specify the exact number of people that were there in the mob. (Back)

6  swords and clubs: The Greek word for sword used in Matthew 26:47 is machaira which is a short sword or dagger. The Greek word for club used in Matthew 26:47 is xulon meaning “wood”. The word xulon can be applied to anything made of wood or a piece of wood, such as a club, staff, the trunk of a tree, or even the wood used to support the crossbar of a cross in crucifixion. (Back)

7  kiss Him: Matthew 26:49 and Mark 14:45 use the Greek word kataphileó and it means “to kiss affectionately”. Luke 22:47 uses the Greek word phileó and it means “to love”. Kisses were used as signs of respect back in the ancient world. But this kiss was also done with (false) affection and friendship. (Back)

8  a sign, a signal: The signal was worked out presumably when Judas and his thugs were still with the chief priests at their unspecified location, since Mark 14:43 says that Judas immediately went to Jesus as they walked up. The sign was established either when Judas worked out the price of the betrayal with the chief priests (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6) or that night when he left the disciples and Jesus to go get his mob (John 13:30). Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t mention when Judas leaves supper to betray Jesus. John says that Judas left after receiving the morsel (see John 13:26-30). (Back)

9  text in italics: For the entire section in italics: this section of the event may have happened all at the same time, or in quick succession or in a different order. We can’t be sure because the Bible isn’t clear on the order or timing. (Back)

10  Rabbi: Matthew 26:49 and Mark 14:45 tell us that Judas used the word rabbi. The Greek word for rabbi is rhabbi and means “my master” or “my teacher”. (Back)

11  Friend, do what you have come for: From Matthew 26:50. The Greek word used here for friend is hetairos which means “a companion”. This can also mean “comrade”. (Back)

12  And Judas kissed Him: See Note 7. By using the Greek word kataphileó (meaning “to kiss fervently”), this allows for the possibility of Judas kissing Him repeatedly. (Back)

13  “Whom do you seek?”: Only John 18:4-8 tells us about this exchange. No one dragged Jesus off, Jesus didn’t try to hide, He didn’t even try to defend Himself; He simply stepped forward. He could have walked away, had He wanted to (Matthew 26:53). (Back)

14  they drew back and fell to the ground: People who don’t want to believe God will not believe no matter how much proof you give them, even with falls to the ground (John 18:6) and the healing of cut off ears (Luke 22:50-51). People who hate God and don’t want God in their lives would attribute these things to hallucinations or to a dream—anything but Jesus Himself. It’s good to remember that salvation and faith are gifts from God and we cannot conjure up such faith on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). (Back)

15  they said, “Jesus the Nazarene”: I think a spokesman from the crowd said this (perhaps a Roman guard or someone with the authority to perform the arrest) or perhaps several people answered at once, some saying “Jesus” some saying “Jesus the Nazarene”, some saying something else, maybe even “The Rabbi”. People didn’t say the exact same thing in unison back then, just like they don’t today. Whenever the writers in the Bible say “they said,” I always assume a spokesperson said what everyone else was in agreement with, or else several people were talking over each other or at each other, speaking about the same idea while using their own words, all meaning the same thing and the writer picked the phrase that best described the idea at hand. (Back)

16  sword: It is nonsense to say that Jesus had the disciples carrying the swords to defend themselves against humans or even animals. Jesus had no use for any weapon and didn’t need one, Matthew 26:53. People carried these short swords (Greek: machaira, see John 18:10, Luke 22:49, Mark 14:47, Matthew 26:51) for usage other than as a weapon, like someone might carry a pocket knife today. The disciples had two of these short swords/daggers (see Luke 22:38) available to them. (Back)

17  And Simon Peter, having a sword, reached and drew out his sword: Matthew 26:51, Mark 14:47, Luke 22:49-50, John:18:10. It doesn’t seem that Peter waited for an answer from Jesus to the question “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” The question and the action could have been taking place at the same time. Also, it says in Luke that Jesus answers (Greek word: apokrinomai meaning “to answer or take up the conversation”) after the use of the sword (Luke 22:49-51). Only Luke mentions that the disciples asked Jesus if they should strike with the sword and it doesn’t say which disciples spoke out loud. They all could have been saying something out loud and meaning the same thing, speaking over each other in the panic of seeing a weaponized crowd grabbing at Jesus.  (Back)

18  cut off his right ear: There are some that say Peter was aiming for Malchus’s head or neck in order to decapitate him, but missed and caught his ear. This could be entirely true, but the Bible doesn’t say that. We do not know if Peter was an experienced swordsman or just a “slash and hack” kind of a guy. We do not know if there were enough lanterns/torches present in Peter’s vicinity to make the area bright enough to see someone’s ear or neck. We don’t even know if Peter was aiming for Malchus and we don’t know how close Peter was to Malchus. In any case, the point is that Peter took a sword and maimed Malchus by cutting off and completely removing his ear, and Jesus either put the ear back or regenerated a new ear or a little of both and healed it.  (Back)

19  Malchus: Later on that night one of Malchus’s relatives will see Peter at Jesus’s trial before the priests and give Peter a little trouble (see John 18:26). (Back)

20  for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword: See Genesis 9:6 and Revelation 13:10 for more on this idea. There is nothing in the Bible justifying any sort of lethal defense, even to save the life of Jesus, much less ourselves. (Back)

21  And He touched Malchus’s ear and healed him: How does this crowd see this action, (as well as being knocked to the ground when Jesus speaks to them) and still go ahead with the arrest? And why wasn’t Peter arrested for cutting someone? Was this not an arrestable offense? Was the fact that the ear was healed a mitigating factor? Or were they all just so caught up in arresting Jesus that an assault didn’t matter enough to report it to the owner of Malchus (who was Caiaphas the high priest: see Luke 22:50 and Matthew 26:57 naming Caiaphas as the high priest)? Peter was the one who committed a crime that night and he went without an arrest—Jesus saved him from jail. I also wonder if Malchus turned to Christ after this happened or sometime later, when he perhaps thought about what happened that night. Most people didn’t seem to give Jesus a second thought after they got what they wanted from Him, but that wasn’t always the case (see Luke 17:17-18). (Back)

22  arrested Jesus and bound Him: This arrest was illegal, as well as the trial by the high priest and the conviction. Not one charge was brought up nor one point proved to make this disaster a legal and proper proceeding. Also, it was conducted in the middle of the night and not during the day when legal proceedings took place. (Back)

23  Then all the disciples left Him and fled: This was prophesied by Jesus in John 16:32. See John 18:10-12, to note that this fact of fleeing is missing. Matthew, the other gospel-writing eyewitness to the arrest (along with the possibility of Mark being an eyewitness, but we can’t be sure) however, does mention it in Matthew 26:56. (Back)

24  A young man: This information is from Mark 14:51-52. Many people think this was Mark himself. We can’t be sure.  If it was Mark, why didn’t he just write that he himself was there as an eyewitness to the travesty of this arrest? If it isn’t Mark, why would he include the information at all? It can be certain that the information wasn’t included for comedy relief, but it was included to show the franticness and seriousness of the situation. One point to remember: it was cold out. It’s April, and there is mention of the cold in Mark 14:54, 67, Luke 22:55, John 18:18, 25. This young man was in such a hurry that he threw a linen sheet around himself (instead of getting fully dressed when it is cold out) to see what this crowd was up to, perhaps as they were marching themselves out of Jerusalem. At the mountain, the situation turned serious, and it was enough to run away from this crowd, abandoning the previously mentioned sheet. I heard a pastor say the young man was already on the mountain, sleeping, when this crowd came along to arrest Jesus but that doesn’t make sense. He wouldn’t have been “naked” with just a sheet on himself out on a cold mountain. He would have been fully dressed, using his cloak as a blanket. (Back)