Simon

Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law and As the Sun Set That Night

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law and As the Sun Set That Night”

Matthew 8:14-17 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 8:14)

Mark 1:29-34 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 1:29)

Luke 4:38-41 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 4:38)

 

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

 

THE SPLICE

Then Jesus got up and 1 left the synagogue. And immediately after 2 they came out of the synagogue, they went into the house of Simon Peter and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick, suffering with a high fever. When Jesus entered into Simon’s home, immediately 3 they spoke to Jesus about her and they asked Him to help her. Jesus saw Simon Peter’s mother-in-law 4 lying sick in bed with the fever. Jesus went to her, and 5 standing over her, He 6 rebuked the fever and taking her by the hand, He raised her up, and the fever left her. And she got up immediately and 7 waited on Jesus and the others. When evening came, while the sun was setting and after the sun had set, the 8 whole city had gathered at the door. All those who had friends or loved ones who were 9 sick with various diseases, brought the sick to Him; they brought to Him all who were ill and many of those who were  10 demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill by laying His hands on each one of them.  Demons were coming out of the possessed people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. And all of this took place to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “11 HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

 

A Flower for My Mom

 

NOTES

1 left the synagogue: Both Mark and Luke tell us that just before this event with Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus and at least Peter, Andrew, James and John had been in the Capernaum synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday), where Jesus amazed the people there with His teaching. There was also a possessed man there in the synagogue, whom Jesus cleansed of the evil spirit. See Mark 1:21-27 and Luke 4:31-37. (Back)

 

2 they: Jesus and the disciples that were with Him. (Back)

 

3 they spoke to Jesus about her: We don’t know who “they” are; the Bible doesn’t specify. We will have to guess. My guess is that it was relatives and possibly servants in the household who had been caring for the lady, while Jesus and the disciples were at the synagogue. (Back)

 

4 lying sick in bed: For the common family, a bed could be anything from just the person’s cloak or possibly a straw mat or a thin mattress stuffed with wool or cotton. These beds were portable and were placed on the floor for sleep at night and rolled away during the day. Privacy in homes back then was non-existent and everyone slept in the same room. I found this page, which gives a nice description about ancient Israeli houses. (Back)

 

5 standing over her: People slept on the floor. See note #4. (Back)

 

6 rebuked the fever: The Greek word used for rebuked in Luke 4:39 is epitimaó and means “rebuke, charge, admonish, censure, to tax upon” and sometimes means “to honor”, but it certainly doesn’t mean “honor” here. (Back)

 

7 waited on Jesus: The Greek word used for waited is diakoneó and means “to minister, to serve”. It is used to describe someone serving others in general, providing for their general needs of life, but was particularly used to describe someone waiting on others at the table. The English word deacon is rooted in this word. To read about the qualifications needed for serving God as a pastor or deacon of a congregation, even in our current age, see 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-3.  (Back)

 

8 whole city: Capernaum. Some have estimated a city population of 1200 or so during Jesus’s time there. There have been some interesting archaeological digs concerning Capernaum. (Back)

 

9 sick with various diseases: The Greek word used for sick is kakós and means “badly” and explains the miserable condition of the person who is experiencing illness. The Greek word used for various is poikilos and means “many colored”, giving us an idea of the diversity of the illnesses. The Greek word used for diseases is nosos and means “disease, sickness”. HELPS Word-studies says that the word nosos refers to (usually) chronic, incurable diseases. Although Jesus did just cure Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever, which was not necessarily life-threatening or life-altering, He was also curing people of illnesses that would not typically “cure” over time by using the sick person’s immune system. (Back)

 

10 demon-possessed: The topic of demon possession is a source of entertainment for some and ridicule for others. We really don’t know that much about it, as the Bible doesn’t give much information on demon-possession’s “how, what, when, where or why”. Too much of what is cited as facts about the subject is legend and lore, brewed by superstition and served with garnish by popular culture. Jesus Himself tells us that to remove a demon, prayer is required as well as faith (faith provided by God, not human-conjured faith), and is done by the Spirit of God, see Matthew 12:28, 17:19-21, and Mark 9:29. For information on the behavior of a demon looking to possess someone, see Matthew 12:43-45. For examples on what demons do to people when they possess them, see Matthew 8:28, Mark 5:2-20, and Acts 19:13-16. (Back)

 

11 HE HIMSELF: This quote is from Isaiah 53:4. The English translations of Isaiah 53:4  usually looking something like this: “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried;”. This is correct word usage, but the Hebrew word used for grief in Isaiah 53:4 is choli and means “disease, grief, sickness”. And the Hebrew word used for sorrows is makob and means “pain, grief, sorrow”, and allows usage for mental or physical pain, grief or sorrow. The Hebrew word used for bore is nasa and means to “take away, lift, carry”. (Back)

Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane

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Scripture Used in Creating the Splice “Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane”

Matthew 26:36-46 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:36)

Mark 14:32-42 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:32)

Luke 22:40-46 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:40)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice Series about The Last Supper, beginning with Part One, click here.

 

Psalm 142:1
I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD; I make supplication with my voice to the LORD.

 

THE SPLICE

When He and the disciples arrived at 1 Gethsemane, He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and 2 pray/until I have prayed, and you pray that you may not enter into temptation”.  And taking with Him Peter, James, and John (James and John, the sons of Zebedee), He withdrew to Gethsemane from the rest of His disciples at about 3 a stone’s throw distance. 4 Jesus began to be grieved, very distressed and troubled. He said to Peter, James and John, “My soul is deeply grieved, 5 to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond Peter, James, and John, and 6 knelt down/fell to the ground/fell on His face and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by; He fell on His face and prayed, saying, “Abba! My Father! All things are possible for You; if You are willing, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; remove this cup from Me; yet not 7 what I will/as I will; not My will, but Your will be done.”   When He was finished praying, 8 He approached the disciples and found them sleeping and Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; 9 the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

He went away again a second time and prayed, saying the same words as the first time, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” When He went back, He again found the disciples sleeping; their eyes were very heavy. 10 Jesus must have asked them to account for their behavior, because they did not know what to answer Him. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in 11 agony He was 12 praying very fervently; and 13 His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. When He rose from prayer, He went to the disciples and found them sleeping again, specifically from 14 sorrow and He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And then perceiving (whether by sight or spirit) that the betrayer, Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, and his 15 Sanhedrin-appointed gang 16 were approaching, He then said, “It is enough; Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

 

“Garden in the Morning”

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Betrayal and Illegal Arrest of Jesus”, click here.

 

NOTES

1 Gethsemane: There are still olive trees located in the Garden of Gethsemane. Do an internet search on “how old are the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane” and you’ll get some fun reads on the remaining trees. Sadly, none have survived (it seems) from when Jesus walked the earth.(Back)

 

2 pray/until I have prayed: Matthew 26:36 says “and pray” and Mark 14:32 says “until I have prayed”.(Back)

 

3 a stone’s throw distance: Meaning, a short distance away. Could the other disciples still see Jesus, Peter, John and James? Since the distance was rather abbreviated, I am uncertain as to why Jesus took P, J & J with Him. He even left P, J & J off to a distance from Himself, albeit a small distance. See Matthew 26:36-39, Mark 14:32-35, Luke 22:41. (Back)

 

4 Jesus began to be grieved and very distressed and troubled: It is easy to pass over these words, glassy eyed, while we read them and say, “Yep: grieved, distressed, troubled.” The levels of grief, distress and trouble experienced by Jesus were beyond anything we have suffered in our own lives. It’s a great reminder for us on how much Jesus took upon Himself to save us. (Back)

 

5 to the point of death: It is easy to think of this as hyperbole, because it sounds like the sort of hyperbole we might use today, as in, “I could just die” when of course, we wouldn’t. Jesus is not using hyperbole here. There were times, however, Jesus did use exaggerated comparisons as relatable teaching tools, such as in Matthew 7:3. (Back)

 

6 knelt down/fell to the ground/fell on His face: Matthew 26:39 says “fell on His face”, Mark 14:35 says “fell to the ground”, and Luke 22:41 says “knelt down”.(Back)

 

7 what I will/as I will: Mark 14:36 says “what I will” and Matthew 26:39 says “as I will”.(Back)

 

8 He approached the disciples: Luke 22:45 leaves me wondering if all of the disciples had fallen asleep, due to heavy eyes of sorrow? Jesus particularly speaks to Peter during the first discovery of sleep (Matthew 26:40 and Mark 14:37), but isn’t it possible that the other disciples were close enough to P, J & J and Jesus for them to hear Him? The Bible doesn’t specify that only P, J & J are the ones sleeping, although by the way Mark worded 14:32-38, we might assume with confidence that it was P, J & J at the center of the sleeping situation. John does not mention the prayers in the garden at all, Luke does not mention that P, J & J were separated out from the other disciples or that there were 3 prayer-times/3 discoveries of sleep by Jesus. Only Mark and Matthew mention the sleeping disciples and the 3 separate prayer times. See Matthew 26:37-45 and Mark 14:33-41. (Back)

 

9 “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”:  says Jesus, succinctly. Paul expands on this struggle in Romans 7:15-25. (Back)

10 Jesus must have asked them to account for their behavior: See Matthew 26:43-44 and Mark 14:40 for the only mentions concerning the second discovery of sleep. Although Mark 14:40 tells us that the disciples did not know what to answer Him, we don’t know exactly what was asked. (Back)

 

11 agony: The Greek word used for agony in Luke 22:44 is agónia and it means “great fear, terror, agony”. It also means “a contest”, due to the anxiety experienced before competition. (Back)

 

12 praying very fervently: From Luke 22:44. The  Greek word used for fervently is ektenesteron and it means “more intently, more earnestly”. (Back)

 

13 His sweat became like drops of blood: This information comes from Luke 22:44. Sweating blood is a medical condition called hematidrosis. This condition is extremely rare and there are very few actual cases. The Greek word used for like in Luke 22:44 doesn’t mean “one of the same things” such as a Fuji apple and a Granny Smith apple are the same or “like” in that they are both apples. The word used in Luke 22:44 is hósei. This Greek word is more akin to “about” or “as if”, and therefore it is not a comparison of exacts, but more like an estimation. We don’t know if Jesus actually sweated drops of blood, just that His sweat became like drops of blood. The Bible states, that in any case, Jesus was under great distress. (Back)

 

14 sorrow: John 16:6 tells us that Jesus mentions their sorrow. They are filled with sorrow because of the things Jesus was telling them at the Last Supper. To read what Jesus said to them at the Last Supper, see Matthew 26:20-35; Mark 14:17-31; Luke 22:14-38; John 13:2-17:26. John gives us the most information on what Jesus said that night. (Back)

 

15 Sanhedrin-appointed gang: See Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43; Luke 22:52; John 18:3 for the description of this rough crowd comprised of the elders, chief priests, Roman guards, Pharisees, officers of the temple, scribes and Judas, armed with torches, lanterns, clubs and swords for arresting one Man. (Back)

 

16 were approaching: See Matthew 26:45-55, Mark 14:41-46, Luke 22:46-55; John 18:3-12 to read about Jesus’s last few minutes of freedom and the transition to His unjust and illegal arrest in the night, that led to those farcical trials (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:66-71, John 18:12-24) and ultimately, to His wrongful death (Matthew 27:11-54; Mark 15:1-39; Luke 23:1-48; John 18:28-19:30). God uses these flagrant injustices, not only with Jesus, but many of His servants in the Bible, to complete His purposes. The Book of Acts records many details of injustice and wrongful persecution that leads God’s people to the places they need to be or to start events that unfold like dominos. We can even be sure today that injustice is used by God to complete His purpose, as God remains unchanged and the same (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). (Back)

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 Last Supper: Part Three

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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)

 

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

 

1 Corinthians 2:9
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined what God has prepared for those who who love Him.”

 

THE SPLICE

After Judas had left to go betray Him, Jesus said, 1 “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you 2 must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? 3 But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have 4 stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has 5 granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at 6 My table in My kingdom, and 7 you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Simon, Simon, behold, 8 Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, 9 strengthen your brothers.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; 10 but you will follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You. Lord, with You 11 I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And Jesus said, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you deny Me three times, until you denied three times that you know Me.” Jesus continued and said to them, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” 12 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 13 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the 14 works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 15 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 16 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because 17 He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but 18 you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, 19 he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 20 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 21 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. 22 Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, 23 you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. 24 Get up, let us go from here.” When Jesus had spoken these words and after 25 singing a hymn, He went out and proceeded as was 26 His custom to the Mount of Olives. And His disciples went with Him.

 

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

NOTES

 

1  “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them: Jesus said this while the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest in the group (Luke 22:24-25). This is similar to something Jesus said to the disciples after John’s and James’s mother asked Jesus for preferment for her two sons. See Matthew 20:20-28. (Back)

2 must become like the youngest: The youngest person in a family did all the jobs no one else wanted to do. Their position was in the “least” category. For example, see 1 Samuel 16:10-13, where David didn’t even count enough to show to Samuel. But God often uses/reveals Himself to those who aren’t as wise or as important to the rest of the world (Matthew 11:25-26). He used lowly fishermen (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:2-12) and even a hated tax collector (Matthew 9:9-11; Mark 2:14-16; Luke 5:27-30), to spread His Gospel. The beginnings of Jesus’s life here on earth were quite lowly and humble: He was born to a not-so-elegant mother and adoptive father, who were from not-so-posh Nazareth (John 1:46), with a food trough for animals as His first bed (Luke 2:7). The fantastic and glorious announcement of Jesus’s birth was heralded by God’s angels (Luke 2:8-20), not to the wealthy Pharisees or some king, but to simple shepherds. (Back)

3 But I am among you as the one who serves: Jesus had just given them the example of serving in one of the lowliest of positions when He washed their feet. Even today, we can imagine how humble a person must be to wash people’s feet voluntarily, expecting nothing in return. But ask yourself this (as I ask myself): can you wash a person’s feet who is receiving money to betray you so that you will be murdered in the most horrendous way?  See John 13:3-18 for the foot-washing event. (Back)

4 stood by Me in My trials: See John 6:66-69, alongside Matthew 12:48-50 for the relationship structure. The disciples had certainly seen much over the years in Jesus’s ministry, especially with all of the human suffering they witnessed (Matthew 4:23-25), including Jesus’s (Isaiah 53:3; John 11:35). But more than that, the risk they took in following Jesus was immense. Being a disciple of Jesus was not particularly exalted (John 9:27-28) and the Pharisees put people out of the synagogue for believing Him (John 9:22, 12:42), making those people whom they removed absolute pariahs. The chief priests of the Jews even wanted to kill people who had experienced blessing from Him (John 12:9-11).  The disciples, as declared by Thomas, had pretty much resigned themselves to dying along side Jesus (John 11:16). And although most of the information that we have on the death of the disciples is traditional and not Biblical, we know that at least two of the disciples were martyred (John 21:17-19; Acts 12:2). (Back)

5 granted Me a kingdom: The kingdom that Jesus is referring to is described in Revelation 21:1-22:6. Also see Revelation 11:15-19. But this is not the first time we hear about the kingdom. Daniel makes  mention about it in Daniel 2:44, 7:18, 27. When you read Jesus’s instructions on how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4), there is the verse “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2).  This is referring to the kingdom as described in Revelation.  As a side note, these verses on prayer are commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father”, in some denominations. (Back)

6 My table in My kingdom: This is probably a reference to what is known as the marriage supper of the Lamb. See Revelation 19:9. (Back)

7 you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel: They will also receive the honor of having their names inscribed on the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem, see Revelation 21:14. It is interesting to note that it will be the names of the 12 apostles, not the 12 disciples that will be inscribed on these stones. The difference is that an apostle is a sent messenger of God; a disciple is a student. There were 13 particular apostles of Jesus, after His resurrection, that catapulted the church era: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Matthias (who took Judas the traitor’s place), and Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. See Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-18; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:16-26; Acts 9:1-19 for the conversion of Paul and Acts 9:15 in particular where Jesus calls him “chosen”. See Romans 11:13, Galatians 2:7-10; 1 Timothy 2:7. (Back)

8 Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat: It is important to understand that Satan only has the power that God allows for him to have and can only wreak havoc in human lives when God allows for him to do so (see the example in Job 1:6-2:7). Peter will have this sifting after his three denials of Christ. To read the Scripture concerning Peter’s denials, see Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-27. To read the Splice containing Peter’s denials, click here. (Back)

9 strengthen your brothers: Peter really starts to take a leadership position among the disciples-turned-apostles in Acts 1:15. Peter, originally name Simon by his parents, is an interesting character study. Jesus called him Peter/Cephas right away upon Peter’s introduction to Him (John 1:42). Explaining why Simon is now called Peter, he is given the ministry of church-building in Matthew 16:18.  It is obvious that Peter is being prepared for his difficult road to build the church, as well as given the preview as to how he will die, in John 21:15-19.  Peter is also the guy who gets a frightening rebuke from Jesus (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33). Peter also shows a bit of bending to peer pressure, receiving a prompt response from Paul (see Galatians 2:11-21). Peter, the apostle to the Jews (Galatians 2:7-8), wrote two epistolary books that are included in the New Testament, 1 Peter and 2 Peter. (Back)

10 but you will follow later: We know that Peter is martyred due to John 21:18-19, but the exact style of execution is unknown, as it is not stated in the Bible. The tradition that most Christians subscribe to is that Peter was crucified upside down. The only apostle’s martyrdom that is recorded in the Bible is James’s, which was by the sword (probably meaning beheading) as ordered by Herod, see Acts 12:2. (Back)

11 I am ready to go both to prison and to death: See note 10 regarding Peter’s death. You can read about some of Peter’s prison time in Acts 12:3-11.(Back)

12 Thomas said: The name Thomas means “twin”. It is very possible that Thomas did have a twin, but we can’t be sure. However, names were considered inseparable from a person’s character, and therefore names were chosen very carefully. It is most certain that Thomas said many things over his three years with Jesus, but he is most remembered for being a doubter (John 20:24-29). Thomas has only two other recorded speaking parts in the Bible: John 11:16, and John 20:25. (Back)

13 If you had known Me: Because Jesus has always been with God the Father, and has always been, Himself, God. See John 1:1-2; John 8:56-59 along side Exodus 3:14; and see Luke 10:18 along with Revelation 12:7-9. (Back)

14 works themselves: The miracles of Jesus were so vast, deep, wide and tall that the apostle John didn’t think that the world could hold all of the detailed recordings of them (John 21:25). For reference, here are a few examples of Jesus’s miracles: Matthew 8:1-17; 24-27; 28-34; 9:2-8; 14:13-33; Mark 8:1-9; 9:1-8; 10:46-52; Luke 13:10-13; 14:1-4; 17:11-19; John 2:1-11; 5:1-9; 9:1-7; 11:1-44. The disciples will see a more glorious work in His own resurrection three days later, as well as His bodily ascension into heaven (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21). (Back)

15  Whatever you ask in My name: (see John 16:23; 1 John 5:14) There seems to be confusion on how asking for things in Jesus’s name works. First, it is important to understand that a person’s name (in ancient Israel and Biblically) is unseparated from their character, their reputation, what they stand for, or what they are. Therefore, going to the Father with Jesus’s name means with Jesus’s character, authority and will. Praying for selfish gain is not in accordance with Jesus’s character or will. “In Jesus’s name we pray” is not the preclude to “Amen”, a word which now seems to be used as a signal for finishing a prayer. The Greek word Amen means “truly, verily, so let it be”. If you say “Amen”, you are signifying your agreement that what has just been said is the truth.   (Back)

16  If you love Me, you will keep My commandments: What are Jesus’s commandments? They are the same as His word, see John 14:15, 21-25. Jesus is telling His disciples to obey Him; that goes for all of us who call ourselves followers of Christ. What are we supposed to be obeying Him in? Primarily, He wants us to love God/Himself with everything that we are, then to love each other just like we love ourselves, because all of God’s laws are stemming from these two commandments (see Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-33). All of our obedience (or disobedience) to the moral laws of God begin in our mind (see Matthew 5:28, Romans 8:5-7, and James 1:14-15 to expand on this concept). See Matthew 23:25-28 on the hypocrisy of looking right on the outside but filled with wrong on the inside. (Back)

17 He abides with you: See John 14:16-17. The Holy Spirit is the seal of guarantee that the inheritance (salvation and all that this entails) we are promised in Christ will come to pass (Ephesians 1:13-14). A good indicator of the Holy Spirit working within you would be the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in your mind and therefore behavior, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23. This will work in tandem with Romans 8:11-16.  (Back)

18 you will see Me: The disciples will be with Jesus after His resurrection over a time slice of 40 days (Acts 1:3) but not necessarily the entire 40 days in a 24/7 sense. (Back)

19 he will keep My word: See note 16. (Back)

20 He who does not love Me does not keep My words: No person living in habitual sin is an inheritor of the kingdom of God because no person who is an actual follower of Jesus would do such things (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:16-24; 1 John 3:4-10). There are many people who consider themselves Christians who aren’t actually followers of Christ at all, and therefore, aren’t known by Him or justified by Him (see Matthew 7:21-23). How do we know if we are one of those people?  See Note 16 and Note 17. (Back)

21 Peace I leave with you: The peace that comes from Jesus is peace with God (Philippians 4:7, Romans 5:1, and Galatians 5:22), not necessarily peace in our daily lives. Our lives may be perfectly chaotic and restless and filled with grieving and misery, but our peace (and joy) rests in our trust in Him, our dependence on and faithfulness to the will of God, because He is faithful and trustworthy (2 Timothy 2:13) and He is with us (Psalm 91). He loves us and cares about us (Romans 8:38-39; 1 Peter 5:7). Because of this, we do not need to be fearful of any circumstance that comes our way. (Back)

22 Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful: John 14:27, also see John 14:1. There is absolutely nothing for the believer in Christ to fear. No matter what happens to you or around you, God has allowed it to happen for your good (Isaiah 45:7, Romans 8:28). There is only God to fear, as He holds all the power, even over life and death (Matthew 10:28). For a few verses on fear, see Psalm 112:7, 118:6; Isaiah 35:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:6. (Back)

23 you would have rejoiced: This should actually be our reaction for any person belonging to Christ. To leave the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-8). (Back)

24 Get up, let us go from here: This statement is from John 14:31. This means that the words of Jesus located in John 15:1-17:26 (and by extension Matthew 26:31-35 and Mark 14:27-31) are said either while preparing to leave the upper room or during the walk to the Garden of Gethsemane, or a combo of both. It is not clear what the situation is because the wording of John 18:1 in the Greek is a little ambiguous. (Back)

25 singing a hymn: We do not know which hymn was sung, but it was possibly The Hallel, which is Psalms 113-118.  (Back)

26 His custom to the Mount of Olives: During the day, Jesus taught in the temple in Jerusalem and during the night He stayed on the Mount of Olives, with at least some of the disciples, for at least some of the time (Luke 21:37-38, 22:39; Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3). It is not known if this was His custom every time He was in Jerusalem or if it was just this last week before the crucifixion. Just a few days before this, Jesus had arrived in Bethany (Bethany was very close to Jerusalem) and raised Lazarus from the dead (see John 11 to read about Lazarus’s amazing experience with Jesus). To read about what Jesus talked about with His disciples when they were alone on the Mount at night, see Matthew 24:3-25:46; Mark 13; Luke 21:7-36.  (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)

The Crucifixion: Part Two

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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

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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

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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)