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The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Two

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Scripture Used to Create “The Resurrection of Jesus” Splice Series

Matthew 28:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 28:1)

Mark 16:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 16:1)

Luke 24:1-53 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 24:1)

John 20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 20:1)

John 21 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 21:1)

Acts 1:1-14 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Acts 1:1)

 

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

 

1 Peter 1:2o-21
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

 

THE SPLICE

And two of Jesus’s followers, one who was named Cleopas, were walking 1 that very day to a village named Emmaus, in the country, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about 2 all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached in a different form and 3 began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. The one 4 named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had seen a  5 vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with 6 Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther.  But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and 7 returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and  those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to 8 Simon.” They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. But the eleven were doubting and didn’t believe them.

At some point here, Thomas has to leave, because he is not here for Jesus’s first appearance to the disciples. It was evening on that day, the first day of the week, while Cleopas and the other traveler were telling these things. The doors were shut where the disciples were, 9 for fear of the Jews. Jesus Himself stood in their midst, while they were reclining at the table and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing  10 a spirit. And He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, for it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw it was the Lord. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”  They gave Him a piece of broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “11 Receive the Holy Spirit. 12 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” He said to them,  “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them,  “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

But  13 Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, 14 appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written 15 in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

 

 

Want to continue reading? To read “The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Three”, click here.

 

 

NOTES

1 that very day: Sunday, the day of the resurrection.(Back)

2 all these things: The trial, crucifixion, the earthquake and tearing of the temple veil,  the burial, and the reports of the women saying that Jesus was now gone from the tomb: the whole town was buzzing with these phenomenal events because Jesus had been very widely known (see Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:45, Luke 7:17, 21; John 4:39, 45). He had even been welcomed into the city of Jerusalem with fanfare, just a week earlier (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-18). Other than the illegal arrest and trials by the Sanhedrin in the dead of night, the rest of the events of the past several days were quite public (see Matthew 26:47-28:15; Mark 14:43-16:13; Luke 22:47-24:12; John 18:1-20:18.(Back)

3 began traveling with them: Traveling opened you up to dangerous conditions, due to criminals, animals and even the weather.  Walking in groups made it more likely you would make it to your destination. (Back)

4 named Cleopas: The name Cleopas or Kleopas in Greek means “glory, honor”.  We never learn the second traveler’s name.  (Back)

5 vision of angels: The Greek word for vision used in Luke 24:23 is optasia which means “a supernatural visitation or appearance”. It does not mean a dream or hallucination. The Greek word for angel, used throughout the entire New Testament is aggelos which means “angel, messenger”. The word aggelos can be used to mean a human messenger from God, but in Luke 24:23, it is used with the word optasia. These angels are supernatural messengers and not human messengers. (Back)

6 Moses and with all the prophets: See Luke 24:27, 44. Jesus is referring to quite a lengthy list of prophesies. Please see the document Messianic Mentions for the NASB references for Messianic prophesies in the Law/Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. (Back)

7 returned to Jerusalem: It was almost dark or possibly dark by then and Jerusalem was 7 miles away (Luke 24:13)! If it was dangerous to travel during the day, it was even more so in the dark. (Back)

8 Simon: From what Luke writes concerning what Cleopas says to Jesus in Luke 24:21-24, we know that Cleopas and his pal already knew that Jesus was missing from the tomb. By the way the sentences are written in Luke 24:22, and in Luke 24:24,we know that these travelers were there with the disciples when the women returned from the tomb with the report of it being empty. This means that the travelers must have left the group after that event, and also after others had run down to the tomb and then returned. However, they must have left to go to Emmaus before Peter and John returned from the tomb, since it is Peter’s report that they are being given. The Bible doesn’t give us this much information, though, so it is conjecture using logic.  (Back)

9 for fear of the Jews: At first, the Jewish leaders were ex-communicating people (John 9:22) affiliated with Jesus. Ex-communication meant loss business-wise, socially, and religiously. The leaders had turned up the heat with the resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:10). We start reading about people who follow Jesus being arrested and/or murdered in the book of Acts. For examples, see Acts 4:1-3, 5:18, 7:54-60 and 12:1-3.    (Back)

10 a spirit: The Greek word used for spirit in Luke 24:37, 39 is pneuma which means “wind, spirit, breath”. It is actually the same word used for Spirit when referring to the Holy Spirit in the Greek New Testament. There are some English Bible translations that use the word ghost for Luke 24:37, 39 but the original Greek doesn’t say ghost. Compare to Matthew 14:26 where the Greek text uses the word ghost. The Greek word used for ghost is phantasma which means “an apparition, ghost, an appearance of a ghost, or a phantom”. As a side note, the Holy Spirit should never be referred to as a ghost; it borders on blasphemous, when you look at the difference between pneuma and phantasma.    (Back)

11 Receive the Holy Spirit: This gift was fully manifested during Pentecost. To read about Jesus’s promise concerning the Holy Spirit, see John 14:16-18, 16:5-15, 20:22. See Acts 2:1-13 to read about the day of Pentecost. (Back)

 12 If you forgive: Not one human being has the ability to actually forgive sins on God’s behalf. Only Jesus can do that (there are many verses state this truth, but for a sample see Matthew 9:1-6). This statement from John 20:23 is to be viewed in accompaniment with Matthew 18 and specifically verse 18. Read all of Matthew 18, taking out any non-canonical writing and additions (all those headings, references, notes, verse numbers, etc. which were added much later in our Bibles by non-canonical writers). This way, you can see how the writing of Matthew flows with this subject. (Back)

13 Thomas: “Didymus” and “Thomas” both mean “twin”. It is very possible that Thomas did have a twin, but we can’t be sure. Names were very important in ancient Israel, though. Names were considered inseparable from the person’s character, and therefore names were chosen very carefully. It is most certain Thomas said many things over his years with Jesus, but he is most remembered for being a doubter (John 20:24-29). Legend says that Thomas’s ministry (after Jesus ascended into Heaven) took him to China and India to preach the Gospel and that he died by spear in India. Of course, the Bible says none of this, and the proof for these legends is mostly hearsay. Still, even in current times, many Catholic Indians consider Thomas to be the “patron saint” of India. The place where he was said to have been martyred is a hill area called Parangimalai, in Chennai, and there is a shrine dedicated to him there. Thomas has only two other speaking parts in the Bible: John 11:16, and John 14:5. (Back)

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14 appearing to them: Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6, that after appearing to Peter, Jesus appeared to more than 500 other believers at one time. To see Paul’s list on who saw Jesus after His resurrection, see 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. (Back)

 

15 in this book: The book of John. See John 20:30. (Back)

 

The Resurrection of Jesus: Part One

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Scripture Used to Create “The Resurrection of Jesus” Splice Series

 

Matthew 28:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 28:1)

Mark 16:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 16:1)

Luke 24:1-53 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 24:1)

John 20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 20:1)

John 21 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 21:1)

Acts 1:1-14 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Acts 1:1)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Burial of Jesus”, click here.

 

Acts 17:31
“…because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

 

THE SPLICE

 

Now on the 1 first day of the week, when the Sabbath was over, while it was still 2 dark, as it began to dawn before sunrise, Mary Magdalene and 3 Mary the mother of James, and 4 Salome5 bought spices, and brought the spices that 6 they had prepared to the tomb, so that they might come and anoint Jesus and they also wanted to look at the grave. Before the women arrived at the tomb, 7 a severe earthquake had occurred, because an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled away the stone. He then sat down upon the stone. And8 this angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as pure snow. 9 The guards were so afraid of the angel, that they were shaking and then they became like they were dead men.

As the women were walking to the tomb, 10 they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” When they got there, they were looking up towards it, and they saw that the stone had already been rolled away and taken away from the tomb, although the stone was extremely large. Entering the tomb, the women did not find the body of the Lord Jesus and were perplexed about this. Two men suddenly stood near them, with one wearing a white robe, and both in 11 dazzling clothing; one of them, a  12 young man wearing the white robe, then was sitting at the right. The women were amazed; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how 13 He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” And the women remembered Jesus’s words. The specific words of the angel sitting to the right in the white robe were, “Do not be amazed; Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go quickly, tell His disciples and Peter that He has risen from the dead and behold, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee; there you will see Him, 14 just as He told you. Behold, I have told you.”’ Then, Mary Magdalene, with the other women, ran and returned from the tomb to the place where the disciples were gathered and came to Simon Peter and to the 15 other disciple whom Jesus loved, and reported all these things to the 16 eleven and to all the rest. And Mary Magdalene said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” The women told everyone in attendance that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Now the women were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also 17 the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to the disciples and others as nonsense, and they would not believe the women. But Peter got up and with 18 the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand 19 the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their 20 own homes, Peter marveling at what had happened. It was after this that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene (she was the first one He appeared to), from whom He had cast out seven demons. Here’s how His appearance to Mary happened: After Peter and John had left, Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping (we do not know where the other women were at the time); and as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”  When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and 21 I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” At some point after this, the other women joined Mary, and together, they left the tomb quickly, trembling and fleeing in fear, astonishment and great joy and 22 they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid to tell anyone. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Mary Magdalene went and reported this message. She announced to the disciples, the people who had been with Jesus during His ministry, while they were all mourning and weeping, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

Now while the women had run to tell everyone that Jesus was risen and seen by them, some of the guard that had been at the tomb came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “you are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ And if this should come to the governor’s ears, 23 we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” And the guards took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews for at least 50 years (and even today, 2000 years later, it is still spread around as a “theory” by those who claim that the Gospel is false or that God does not exist).

When Jesus had died on the cross, the earth had shook and the rocks were split, as well as some tombs were opened. And many of His saints that had died had been buried in these opened tombs. Now that Jesus had been resurrected, those saints who had fallen asleep were also raised and were coming of out the tombs after His resurrection. 24 These raised saints went into Jerusalem, the holy city, and appeared to many.

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Two”, click here.

 

NOTES

 

1 first day of the week: The first day of the week is Sunday.  This particular Sunday would be Nissan/Abib 16. Both Nissan (Nisan) and Abib are correct names for the first month of the year. (Back)

2 dark, as it began to dawn before sunrise: Dawn and sunrise are not the same things. Sunrises happen at an exact moment, such as 5:42am. Dawn happens before sunrise and is a gradual event, taking around 15-20 minutes, ending at the moment of sunrise. April sunrises in Jerusalem, Israel occur at approximately 6:30am, give or take a few minutes. Since it is still dark and at early dawn when the women go to the tomb, it is fair to think that the ladies were setting out at around 6am, but we cannot know that for certain. These surmises on the timing assume that April sunrises were exactly the same 2,000 years ago as they are today. (Back)

3 Mary the mother of James: From Mark 16:1. She is possibly the same Mary who was the mother of both James the Less and Joseph/Joses (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40), but the Bible doesn’t say that. (Back)

4 Salome: Some Bible scholars insist that Salome is Zebedee’s wife (Zebedee is the father of James and John, the apostles, see Matthew 4:21; Mark 10:35). The Bible never mentions any children/husband for Salome. Salome is only mentioned twice in the Bible, both times in Mark (see Mark 15:40 and 16:1). Zebedee’s wife’s name is never mentioned, nor is John and James the disciples’ mother’s name given to us. The mother of John and James is also only mentioned twice in the Bible, both times in Matthew (see Matthew 2o:20-21 and 27:56). Salome could very well be Zebedee’s wife.  It’s also possible that Salome is not Zebedee’s wife. We have no idea who Zebedee’s wife is and to insist that Salome is Zebedee’s wife is making the Bible say something that it doesn’t say. It is incredibly important that we do not “help” God by filling in what we consider to be blank spaces or to take a “logical jump” in the Bible and state it as truth. It’s ok to add our logical jumps for pondering’s sake, as long as we are clear that we are giving our own opinion and not stating something found in the Bible. Besides, our logical jumps are no match for God (Isaiah 55:8-9). (Back)

5 bought spices, and brought the spices: Mark 16:1 tells us that Mary Mags, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices after the Sabbath. Luke 23:55-56 tells us that the women who had come with Jesus out of Galilee returned (presumably to where they were staying for the Passover week) and prepared spices and perfumes and on the Sabbath they rested. The simplest explanation is that the women had prepared some spices on Friday, and then for reasons unstated, bought some spices after the Sabbath ended. (Back)

6 they: The women already mentioned, plus Joanna and some other unnamed women, because of Luke 24:10.  (Back)

7 severe earthquake had occurred:  The earthquake happened before the ladies got to the tomb because of Luke 24:2.  It’s possible that the angel removed the stone in accordance with the earthquake (Matthew 28:2) as soon as Jesus was resurrected, but the Bible does not mention this as a truth. I believe the removal of the stone was not done to let Jesus out of the tomb because I believe that Jesus was instantly resurrected and vanished from the tomb, like He vanished from sight in Luke 24:31 or how He instantly appeared as in John 20:19, 26 or as John says, “revealed” Himself (Greek word phaneroó) in 21:1, 14. I think that the reason that the tomb stone was removed from the entrance of the tomb was to show that Jesus was no longer there in the tomb; to let people come in and see that He was risen. No Roman seal or Roman guards’ lies would put a stop to that (Matthew 27:62-66, 28:11-15). (Back)

8 his appearance: From Matthew 28:3. The Greek word used for appearance is idea meaning “form, countenance, appearance”. It is from the Greek word eido meaning “to perceive”. The Greek word used for lightning is astrapé and means “a flash of lightning, brightness, luster”. The Greek word for white is leukos and means “white, bright, brilliant”. I believe that the brightness and lightning, and the brilliant white are supernatural-looking, like Jesus’s appearance as described in Revelation 1:14-15. The writers of the books of the Bible only have human languages to describe things, but I believe these supernatural sights are supernatural indeed, and do not consist of “normal” lightning or “normal” whiteness, because of Mark 9:3. (Back)

9 The guards: The guards that were present at the tomb on Sunday are only mentioned in Matthew 28:4 and in Matthew 28:11-15. They could be a completely different set of guards from the ones mentioned in Matthew 27:65-66, but we don’t know. We don’t know when the guards stopped being like “dead men”. We know that they went into the city of Jerusalem to report to the chief priests while the women were on their way back to the disciples (Matthew 28:11). We don’t know if the women had any interactions with the guards. We do know that the women were not at the tomb when the angel rolled away the stone in front of the guards because of Mark 16:4. (Back)

10 They were saying to one another: I believe they held this conversation during the walk to the tomb somewhere along the line because of Mark 16:4. (Back)

11 dazzling clothing: Luke uses this descriptor in Luke 24:4. It is the same Greek word that Matthew uses in Matthew 28:3, astraptó, and means “to lighten, to flash, I flash (with lightning, like lightning), am lustrous”. (Back)

12 young man wearing the white robe: This is probably the same angel that removed the stone from the tomb, as Matthew 28:2-7 tells it. Matthew 28:2-7, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-7, and John 20:12-13 tell us about the angels and their conversations with the women. The Greek word used here for robe is stolé and the word is used to describe a long, flowing robe that was used for the wealthy/elite classes. The angels were dressed rather nicely.  (Back)

13 He spoke to you: Jesus told His disciples many times that He was to be crucified, see Matthew 10:38, 16:21; 20:17-19, 26:1-2, 12 and Mark 10:32-34. (Back)

14 just as He told you: Jesus tells the disciples that He will go ahead of them to Galilee when He has been resurrected in Matthew 26:32. (Back)

15 other disciple whom Jesus loved: This would be John, the Gospel writer, as well as the writer of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation. We know that the “disciple whom Jesus loved” is John because he is introduced as this disciple in John 21:24 after the conversation and then rumor of John 21:20-23. (Back)

16 eleven and to all the rest: From Luke 24:9. It is not clear whom “all the rest” is. We know that the eleven had other people with them because of Luke 24:33, however the wording is different for the two verses. Luke 24:9 says “…to all the rest” in the Greek, and Luke 24:33 says “…those with them”. There is a difference and it does matter. “All the rest” could mean that the women not only told the disciples at the place where they were staying, but that they also went to other believers’ homes/saw them on the street and told them the news. It isn’t even clear that the eleven were all staying in the same place. It seems they were gathering together some of the time at the very least, because of Mark 16:10 and Luke 24:33.
In John 20:10, the transliteral Greek says this: “Went away therefore again to their the disciples.” The Greek word for their is hautou and means “her own, his own, their own, themselves, they”. It could mean that the disciples all returned back to the place where they were all staying together, or it could mean that they returned to different places to stay. (Back)

17 the other women: Luke 24:10 says that there were “other women” there with Mary Mags: Mary the mother of James, and Joanna. Joanna (if this is the same person; it seems very likely) is mentioned in Luke 8:3 as being the wife of Herod’s steward. One of the other women that could have gone with to tell the disciples could be Salome, who was there at the start of the trip to the tomb (Mark 16:1). It could also be “the other Mary” (we don’t know which “Mary” Matthew is referring to in Matthew 28:1).  In short, we don’t really know how many women ran back to tell the group about Jesus’s “missing” body. (Back)

18 the other disciple: John is the other disciple, because of John 20:2. It is mentioned in John 20:3 that Peter is running with “the other disciple”. (Back)

19 the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead: Jesus told the disciples many times that He would be killed and then raised on the third day, see Note 13. The Old Testament Scripture reference that describes that Jesus would have to die could have been from Isaiah 53. (Back)

20 own homes: Not back to Galilee, but to where the disciples were staying for the Sabbath/Passover. Because of Luke 24:33, and John 20:19, they were meeting together for at least part of the time, possibly in the Jerusalem upper room from Thursday (see Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:13-16,Luke 22:7-13) because it was large and would hold many people (Mark 14:15).  Where they were actually staying and sleeping is debatable. (Back)

21 I will take Him away: I’m not sure how strong women were back in those days, but how does Mary plan to drag/carry a body of literal dead weight back to a tomb? In her grief, she doesn’t seem to care about that. The good news (for us all) is she wouldn’t have to figure it out. (Back)

22 they said nothing to anyone: From Mark 16:8. This phrasing is a little ambiguous. It could mean that they had planned on not saying anything to anyone, including the disciples, and then changed their minds when they met Jesus on the road or it could mean that they told no one that they saw on the road on their way back to the disciples. We do know that the women did tell the disciples, because Mark says so himself in Mark 16:10. (Back)

23 we will win him over and keep you out of trouble: These chief priests had already proven that they could get Pontius Pilate to do whatever they wanted, with enough pressure (see Matthew 27:20-24), but still, the guards are taking a large risk in spreading around a report that they fell asleep on the job. (Back)

24 These raised saints: This part of the account of events surrounding Jesus’s resurrection was told in Matthew 27:51-53. (Back)

 

The Last Supper: Part One

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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)