Verse by Verse

¹² Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”

¹³ And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.

¹⁴ Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’

¹⁵ Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”

¹⁶ So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ In the evening He came with the twelve.

¹⁸ Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”

¹⁹ And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”

²⁰ He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.

²¹ The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

Also found in Matthew 26:17-24 and Luke 22:7-16, 21-22.

These preparations came during the daylight hours on Thursday, the fourteenth of Nisan. Lambs were customarily sacrificed in the afternoon in preparation for the Passover supper, which was eaten in the evening. … The Passover meal … took place on the fifteenth of Nisan, that is, Thursday evening after sundown. — Thomas, pages 206-207.

two of His disciples (v.13) — Peter and John (Luke 22:8).

guest room (v.14) — Jesus had apparently made arrangements with this man beforehand, but he wasn’t well-enough known to Peter and John that they could be sent directly to his house. The room was furnished with the carpets and couches used for meals and had been prepared, which probably included removing of all leaven, in keeping with the Passover.

prepared the Passover (v.16) — Supposing the lamb to have been already slain, and returned to the house, there still remained much to be done; the roasting of the lamb, the provision of the unleavened cakes, the bitter herbs, the four cups of wine, and preparation of the room and the lamps; and in the preparation of the food there were many ritual niceties to be observed. For instance, there was the making of a paste to resemble the mortar which was used in the laying of bricks in Egypt. The present day Jews make this paste by grinding apples, nuts, raisins, and mixing this with wine. — Wuest, page 259.

in the evening (v.17) — Jesus probably took this precaution to avoid being arrested before His time.

one of you (v.18) — Mark and Luke do not name Judas as the betrayer, but Matthew and John (John 13:26).

To the oriental, the fellowship of a meal was specially sacred, and hostile action against one with whom one ate bread was absolutely precluded (cf. Psalm 41:9). In this case Judas not only ate with Jesus; even more intimately, the dipped with Him in the dish. The dish was probably the bowl of sauce into which pieces of unleavened bread were dipped [during the Passover meal]. Verse 21 clearly states both the divine sovereignty and human responsibility, and places the latter squarely on the shoulders of Judas. The divine necessity for [Jesus’ death] was no excuse for the free agent who brought it about. — Guthrie, page 881.

Is it I? (v.19) — In Greek, it’s “It is not I, is it?” expecting a negative answer.

The reference [to dipping in the dish in v.20] is probably to a sauce made of dates, raisins, and vinegar, into which the master of the house dipped pieces of the unleavened cake with bitter herbs between them. These were distributed to the company The sign, indicating who the traitor was, consisted of our Lord’s dipping the unleavened cake into the sauce and handing it to Judas (John 13:26). The “woe” of v.21 is not a vindictive one, or of the nature of a curse, but reveals a misery which Love itself could not prevent. — Wuest, page 260.

³ And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.

⁴ But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted?

⁵ For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.

⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.

⁷ For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.

⁸ She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.

⁹ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

¹¹ And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

Also found in Matthew 26:6-13, 26:14-16, Luke 22:3-6, and John 12:2-8.

From John we learn that this feast was given six days before the Passover. The other accounts postponed the mention of it, plainly because of an incident which occurred then, but is vitally connected with a decision arrived at somewhat later by the priests. Two days before the Passover, the council finally determined that Jesus must be destroyed. They recognised all the dangers of that course. It must be done with subtlety; the people must not be aroused; and therefore they said, not on the feast-day. It is remarkable, however, that at the very time when they so determined, Jesus clearly and calmly made to His disciples exactly the opposite announcement. “After two days the Passover cometh, and the Son of Man is delivered up to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). Thus we find at every turn of the narrative that their plans are over-ruled, and they are unconscious agents of a mysterious design, which their Victim comprehends and accepts. — Chadwick, page 360.

__________

The ointment is described by Mark in three words, nardos referring to a perfume which came from India, well known to the Greeks and Romans, and procured from the hills on the banks of the Ganges River, pistikos, speaking of the fact that it was genuine, not imitation or adulterated, and poluteles, telling us that it was very costly. — Wuest, page 256.

more than three hundred denarii (v.5) — A denarius was a days wage, so the cost of the perfume was  roughly equivalent to a laborer’s wage for the greater part of a year. It apparently was sold in a flask that had to be broken to be opened, so it was intended for a one-time use.

some who were indignant (v. 4) — John reports that Judas raised the objection. Mark says that the other apostles “had indignation among themselves,” exchanging remarks or looks which told of their sympathy with Judas. … They murmured against the woman. The word is embrimaomai “to be very angry, sternly to charge.” The verb in the imperfect tense, as it is here, is used in another connection, of the snorting of horses. — Wuest, page 256.

good (v.6) = goodness seen on the outside as it strikes the eye, a beautiful, pleasing goodness, possessing true moral beauty.

The Lord wasn’t contrasting service to Himself with service for the poor. He was only saying that service to the poor could (and should) be done at any time, but service to Him would soon be impossible.

Mary could not comprehend our Lord’s death, but she showed sympathy for Him, a thing which the others did not do. … The fragrant unguents were used for anointing the dead body after it had been washed, but this is to be distinguished from the process of embalming, which consisted of laying myrrh and aloes in the folds of the grave clothes. Mark relates that the women came to anoint the body of Jesus, but the resurrection prevented the fulfillment of their purpose. So the only anointing which the Lord received was the anticipatory one by Mary. — Wuest, page 257.

I get the idea that Jesus was notably down, anticipating His coming ordeal. He had attempted several times to tell the disciples what was about to occur, but they didn’t ( or wouldn’t) understand. In addition, Jesus knew that Judas was about to betray Him. Mary, and only Mary, knew the Lord was sad and did the best she could to comfort Him. Nobody else in the room understood this either, but the Lord knew and honored Mary for it.

This which Mary did shall be told while the world stands, as being among the few human actions which refreshed the lonely One, the purest, the most graceful, and perhaps the last. — Chadwick, page 363.

one of the twelve (v.10) — lit. “the one of the twelve.” The one who betrayed the Lord.

betray (v.10) = to hand over or alongside

glad (v.11) = an audible or visible expression of joy

1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.

² But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

Also found in Matthew 26:1-5 and Luke 22:1-2.

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (v.1) — instituted in Exodus 12:1-20.

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread … was one feast. The word “passover” is the translation of pascha which means “a passing over.” The paschal lamb was the lamb for sacrifice which the Israelites were bidden to kill, the blood of which they were to sprinkle on the door-posts of their dwellings in Egypt so that the destroying-angel might pass over their homes without entering and taking the life of the first-born. The paschal lamb therefore was the slain lamb, the death of which was accepted in lieu of the life of the first-born child. Our Lord is the Paschal Lamb in the sense that His death was accepted by the High Court of Heaven as a payment for our sin. As the symbolic Passover was about to be celebrated in Israel, the actual Passover Lamb was entering Jerusalem to fulfill the type by dying on the Cross.

Representatives of each order of the Sanhedrin were gathered together in council convened, chief priests, scribes, elders, to discuss ways and means of putting Jesus to death. They were assembled in the house of Caiaphas, who had for some time been advocating the policy of sacrificing Jesus to the Roman power (John 11:49). There was no division of opinion now as to principle of as to the means to be employed. The point under consideration was the strategic, opportune, safe time to give Jesus over to the Roman authorities. He was too popular with the people, for the Jewish leaders to hand Him over to Rome on the feast of the Passover, they reasoned. — Wuest, page 255.

²⁸ “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

²⁹ So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors!

³⁰ Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.

³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—

³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.

³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Also found in Matthew 24:32-42 and Luke 21:28-36.

these things (v.29) — The things mentioned earlier in the chapter — persecution (v.9), abomination of desolation (v.14).

generation (v.30) — Some commentaries believe that this word, in this context, refers to the Jewish race. Here is a quote from Gaebelein from my notes in Matthew:

The word gena means not necessarily the same persons living, but it has also the meaning of race. The English word “generation” has this meaning of “family or a race of a certain class of people.” And so has the Greek. It is used in that sense in Luke 16:8. “This generation” is the race sprung from Abraham, God’s chosen earthly people. Well have they been called “the everlasting nation;” better still we could call them “the nation of destiny.” God has kept this race, and is keeping them, for the fulfillment of His own great, revealed purpose. The verse, however, has also the meaning that the people living, when the end of the Jewish age sets in, will behold its termination; it will all be accomplished in a small space of time.

Walvoord also holds the second view — that the Lord was saying that the generation that experiences the Tribulation will also witness the second coming of Christ.

In verse 32, the Lord Jesus, speaking in the capacity of the Son of Man under the self-imposed limitations of the incarnation, says that even He Himself did not at that time know the hour of the second Advent, and of the time of the fulfillment of these other things grouped around that event. Our Lord’s discourse here, looks through the needs of that generation in which He lived, to the future generation in Israel alive when He comes back to set up His kingdom. The words “it is nigh” of verse 29 refer back to the word “summer.” That does not make sense. A wider context refers them back to the word “Son,” which is the true meaning. He is nigh. — Wuest, page 253.

The parable in verses 34-36 is found only in Mark.

man going to a far country (v.34) — In Greek, the tense indicates that the man is already away from home, “a man gone abroad.”

The man abroad is the Son of Man who leaves this earth to go back to the Father, leaving His servants, the douloi (bondslaves), namely, disciples in general, and the porter, the thuroros (the doorkeeper), namely the [apostles] to whom belongs the responsibility of guarding the house and of being ready to open the door to the Master at His return. — Wuest, pages 253-254.

__________

[The servants and doorkeepers] are exhorted to watch. The word here is … a different word from the one translated “watch in verse 33… The former speaks of a sleeping man arousing himself, while the latter merely conveys the idea of wakefulness. The latter adds to the idea of wakefulness, the notion of alertness … The apostles are thus compared with the doorkeepers, verse 34; and the night season is in keeping with the figure. In the temple, during the night, the captain of the temple made his rounds, and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard found asleep on duty was beaten, or his garments set on fire. Compare Revelation 16:15, “Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments.” The preparations for the morning service required all to be early astir. The superintending priest might knock at the door at any moment. The Rabbis use almost the very words in which scripture describes the unexpected coming of the Master. Sometimes he comes a the cockcrowing, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. He came and knocked and they opened to him … The words “when the time is” of verse 33 are defined in their context as the time of the return of the Master, namely, the second Advent of the Messiah to Israel. — Wuest, page 254.

²⁴ “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

²⁵ the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

²⁷ And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Also found in Matthew 24:29-31 and Luke 21:25-27.

The functional disturbances in the sun, moon, and stars occur at the close of the Great Tribulation period, and are literal. These are spoken of in the sixth seal judgment (Revelation 6:12-14). There is no definite article before the word “clouds.” The Son of Man will come in clouds, clouds of glorified saints and angels. The Revelation speaks of this in 19:11-16. The word nephele (clouds) is used of a multitude of individuals in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where the saints will be caught up in clouds (no article) at the Rapture, and in Hebrews 12:1, where the writer visualizes the crowds that pack the Greek stadium. The word was used in classical Greek of an army of soldiers. The second advent of Messiah is spoken of here. He comes at the close of the Great Tribulation to defeat Antichrist and set up the Millennial Kingdom. The gathering of the elect refers here to the regathering of all of Israel at the second advent of Messiah. Israel will be saved in sovereign grace, and restored to fellowship with and service to God for the Millennial Kingdom. — Wuest, pages 251-252.

__________

Throughout the Old Testament this national deliverance [of Israel] is a recurring theme of Jewish eschatological hope (Deuteronomy 30:3-4; Isaiah 11:12; 27:13; 56:8; Jeremiah 23:3; 31:8; Ezekiel 11:17; 20:34, 41; 28:25; 34:13; cf. Romans 11:26) — Thomas, page 200.

¹⁴ “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

¹⁵ Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.

¹⁶ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

¹⁷ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

¹⁸ And pray that your flight may not be in winter.

¹⁹ For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

²⁰ And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

²¹ “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it.

²² For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

²³ But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

Also found in Matthew 24:15-28 and Luke 21:20-24.

Our Lord’s words … reach forward to the Great Tribulation and to Antichrist, the Abomination of Desolation, who will violate the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15 standing in the holy place), also Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). When that occurs, let Israel take that as the signal to flee. Antichrist will make a treaty of friendship and religious toleration with the Jewish nation for a period of seven years (Daniel 9:27, confirm covenant … for one week). After 3½ years, he will violate that covenant by stopping the Temple worship and will enter the Holy of Holies. He will then show himself to be, not the reputed friend and protector of Israel but its bitter enemy. — Wuest, page 249.

woe (v.17) — an interjection of grief

in those days there will be tribulation (v.19) — should read “Those days will be a tribulation.”

These will be tribulation days. The judgments of God which will fall upon unbelieving Israel and the Gentile nations will have no precedent in all past history, and no counterpart in all succeeding history. God, in mercy will shorten the period of the Great Tribulation so that Israel, the nation, might not cease to exist. In Revelation 7:4-8, we have 144,000 of Israel, the preaching remnant in the Great Tribulation period. These announce the coming of the Messiah, and lose their lives during that period by reason of the persecution of Antichrist. In Revelation 14 we see them in the Glory. The period of divine judgment will be shortened in order that the lives of God’s chosen out ones, namely, Israel, might be spared. — Wuest, page 250.

__________

Christ (v.21) — The Messiah, the promised and coming King of Israel who comes in the dynasty of David to rule over Israel in the Messianic Kingdom. Thus, our Lord was speaking of false Messiahs. This false Christ does not deny the being of a Christ. He builds on the world’s expectation of such a person. He appropriates to himself the title and identity, and affirms that he is the foretold one. These false Messiahs and prophets will show signs and wonders in an attempt to prove their claims to be true. … Our Lord warns Israel against accepting the claims of one who performs miracles solely upon the basis of the fact that he performs miracles. The character of the person and his message must also be taken into consideration. — Wuest, pages 250-251

if possible (v.22) — Whether it is possible or not isn’t determined here.

⁹ “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

¹⁰ And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

¹¹ But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

¹² Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

¹³ And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Also found in Matthew 24:9-10 and Luke 21:12-19.

But watch out for yourselves (v.9) — The pronoun is added here for emphasis. It is, “But, as for you, do not think only of what is coming.” The word “councils” is … “sitting together.” — Wuest, page 247.

__________

Treachery from friends and relatives [will be fulfilled] in the Great Tribulation period when the Church will be in Glory and the Jews will be forced to choose between the coming Jesus Christ and the then present Antichrist. The words “ye shall be hated of all men” are distinctly Jewish. Only the Jewish nation ever has been or ever will be the global object of hatred. … That which is to be endured are the sufferings of the Tribulation period. The end refers to the close of that period. Salvation here is not spiritual, for no one is ever saved by enduring anything, but is physical, physical protection and well-being for those who have endured the sufferings of that terrible period, these are saved to enter the Millennium. — Wuest, pages 248-149.

Wuest correctly related this passage to the Tribulation period about half the time. He kept switching back and forth between that interpretation and one that saw fulfillment of these prophecies in the Acts period and in the Age of Grace. All my other commentaries attempted, incorrectly, to apply all these things to today.

See Pentecost’s interpretation of Christ’s words in my post for Matthew 24:9-14.

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,

⁴ “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

⁵ And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you.

⁶ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.

⁷ But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.

Also found in Matthew 24:3-7 and Luke 21:5-11.

See my notes on Matthew 24:3-8. The period Jesus described in these verses was the beginning of the Tribulation, after the Rapture. He wasn’t referring to anything that has occurred, or will occur, during the Age of Grace — apart from the fact that political and physical upheavals are always a thing. The Rapture and the Body of Christ wouldn’t be revealed until God called Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles.

Peter and Andrew were brothers, as were James and John.

sign (v.4) = mark, token, that by which a person or thing is distinguished from others and known

deceives (v.5) = leads astray. The Lord warned them not to be fooled and especially not to follow after the one who tries to fool them and lead them astray

in My name (v.6) = lit. “upon the basis of My name” — basing their claims on the use of His name — calling themselves the Messiah (Christ), or claiming powers which only belong to the Messiah

I am He (v.6) — the “I” means “I, in contradistinction to all others.” I, and only I …

The word “troubled” [means] “to be disturbed, disquieted, terrified.” The present imperative in a prohibition is used here, forbidding the continuance of an action already going on. The disciples were already troubled about the political unrest in Palestine. Our Lord says, “Stop being troubled.” He says: “It is necessary in the nature of the case for such things to be.” — Wuest, page 246.

sorrows (v.8) = pains of childbirth, intolerable anguish

There have always been political and physical upheavals and dangers. The apostles weren’t to be concerned when they heard about them. The end wasn’t yet. When the wars and earthquakes and so forth occur in the Tribulation, they will be much more severe.

1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

² And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Also found in Matthew 24:1-2 and Luke 21:5-7.

Matthew’s account of the afternoon’s events includes a significant statement just prior to their exit from the Temple: “Behold your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:38 as quoted from Jeremiah 12:7). Thus [the disciples] probably wondered why such beautiful buildings would be abandoned. — KJBC, page 1255.

__________

The word “buildings” refers to the mass of separate edifices, enclosures, colonnades, halls, sanctuaries, composing the Temple enclosure. Some of the stones were massive, weighing over one hundred tons. — Wuest, page 244.

__________

thrown down (v.2) — literally, “to loose down.” It speaks of a gradual demolition of the Temple, such as took place when the Romans captured Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and destroyed the Temple. Our Lord’s prediction was fulfilled in exact detail. Only the foundation stones remain of all that magnificence. A double negative appears twice in our Lord’s answer, making an emphatic negation. — Wuest, page 244.

See my post on this occasion from Matthew 24:1-2. It points to a still-future fulfillment and not the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.

³⁵ Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?

³⁶ For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

³⁷ Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

³⁸ Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,

³⁹ the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,

⁴⁰ who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

⁴¹ Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

⁴² Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.

⁴³ So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;

⁴⁴ for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Also found in Matthew 22:41–23:14 and Luke 20:41-47.

The word “Christ” is the transliteration of the Greek word christos, which means “the Anointed One,” and this Greek word is the translation of the Hebrew word transliterated into English in the word “messiah.” The latter word has a definite connotation, namely, the future King of Israel who will some day reign on the throne of David. The word “son” as used here is a Hebraism speaking of a descendant. The word “Lord” is the translation of the Greek word kurios, which in itself means “master, one who has power over another, and the in the translation in the LXX of the august title of God in the Hebrew Old Testament, Jehovah. It has implication so deity. Both the scribes and the people believed that the Jewish Messiah would come from the royal line of David. David was human, so would the Messiah be human. Thus, He would be David’s son. Our Lord reminds His hearers that David calls the Messiah his Lord (Psalm 110:1). That is, he recognizes Him as Deity, the Jehovah of the Old Testament. The difficulty our Lord puts before His listeners and at the same time tosses into the lap of the Pharisees, is as to how, since Messiah is Jehovah, deity, He can also be human. At once the incarnation is brought before them. One of the charges brought against the Lord Jesus was that He called God His (His private, unique) Father, making Himself equal with God, thus deity (John 5:18). Thus, the Jewish leaders rejected the teaching of the incarnation, and Jesus’ claim to deity. It is well to notice our Lord’s testimony to the divine inspiration of David, also the recognition by David of the two other Persons of the Trinity, the Father saying to the Son, “Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Thus, we have the Trinity mentioned in an Old Testament setting in verse 36. [The Holy Spirit is included based on the fact of inspiration.] — Wuest, page 240.

__________

long robes (v.38) — The word is stole, and is used in the Old Testament of priestly or royal robes, and in the New Testament, of dress worn on festive or solemn occasions. Our Lord does not condemn the use of a dignified costume, but the use of it for the sake of ostentation display. — Wuest, page 241.

love (v.38) = phileo, fond of, like — They were fond of wearing impressive clothes and being recognized in the marketplace and greeted as rabbis.

best seats (v.39) — benches in the front reserved for officials and VIPs. They faced the congregation.

best places at feasts (v.39) = “first reclining place,” the place for the most-honored guest. The Jews didn’t use tables, but reclined on couches at meals.

These scribes devour widow’s houses (v.40). People often left their whole fortunes to the Temple, and a good part of the money went finally to the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were employed to make out wills and conveyances of property. They inveigled widows to give their homes to the Temple, and then took the proceeds of the sale for themselves. In order to do this, they offered long prayers in the homes of these widows and for them. Thus, they bent the widows to their will. Our Lord calls these prayers a pretense. They could not be true prayers when offered with such an ulterior purpose. … Men who rob widows, and use prayer as a means of securing opportunities for committing a crime, shall receive a sentence in excess of that which falls to the lot of the dishonest man who makes no pretense to piety; to the sentence of the robber will be added in their case the sentence on the hypocrite. — Wuest, pages 241-242.

__________

Our Lord’s teaching in the Court of the Gentiles had ceased, and He had passed within the low marble wall which fenced off the inner precinct of the Temple from the Gentiles. He was now in the Court of the Women. Here were thirteen chests placed at intervals around the walls, each marked with the purpose to which the offerings were to be devoted. This colonnade under which these chests were placed, was called The Treasury. — Wuest, page 242.

poor (v.42) — not just poor, but a pauper, poverty-stricken. She had nothing.

mite (v.42) — the smallest coin in circulation, an eighth of a denarius. Two mites would be worth a fourth of a cent.

The widow’s offering was much greater than that of the rich on a percentage basis. She gave 100% of what she had.

The widow cast in more than all the wealthy in the sense that relatively to their respective means, her gift was incomparably the greater. All of which means that it is not how much we give to God, but how much we withhold for ourselves that He is concerned about. The lesson is also brought home to our hearts that in the last analysis, God wants, not what we have, but us, our hearts. — Wuest, page 243.