Verse by Verse

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.

²⁸ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³² So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.

³³ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.

Also found in Matthew 22:34-40.

scribe (v.28) — a professional interpreter of the Law

Which is the first commandment? (v.28) — The word “which is poia, “of what sort.” It is a question, not of an individual commandment, but of characteristic quality. The questioner … probably had in view the distinction between ritual and ethical, or positive and moral. The prevalent tendency was to attach special importance to the positive, and to find the greater matters of the law in circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, the rules respecting phylacteries, etc. The opposite tendency, to emphasize the ethical was not unrepresented, especially in the school of Hillel, which taught that the love of neighbor is the kernel of the law. The questioner leant to this side.  The Lord is not asked to select one commandment out of the Ten, but to specify a class of commandments, or a particular commandment as representative of a class, to which priority belongs. — Wuest, page 237.

__________

The quotation in verses 29 and 30 is from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. It was recited daily by every Jew, and written on the miniature roll which every scribe carried in his phylactery. This was a small case, made of parchment bound to the forehead or arm, in which was placed small pieces of parchment inscribed with scripture portions. … The mention of the heart, soul, mind, and strength speaks of the devotion of the whole being to God. The ancient Hebrews regarded the heart as the organ of the intellect, and the mind, that of the desires and affections. — Wuest, page 238.

love (v.30) — agape

the second commandment (v.31) — from Leviticus 19:18.

well said (v.32) — an exclamation of approval

There is a ring of conviction in the words [of the response of the questioner]. The varied expressions of the law of the love to God also bears witness to sincerity and independent thought. — Wuest, page 239.

__________

What the Lord observed in reference to the man was the intelligence displayed by his answer. it was shown not only in accepting the Lord’s judgment as to the two primary commandments, but in detecting and admitting the principle on which the judgment rested, namely, the superiority of moral over ritual obligation. Under the old theocracy those far off are either exiled Jews (Isaiah 57:19), or Gentiles (Ephesians 2:13); distance from the new Kingdom is measured neither by miles, nor by ceremonial standards, but by spiritual conditions. The man was to some extent intellectually qualified for admission to the Kingdom; certainly he grasped one of its fundamental principles. It would be interesting to work out a comparison between this scribe and the ruler of Mark 10:17. In both cases something was wanting to convert admiration into discipleship. If wealth was the bar in the one case, pride of intellect may have been fatal in the other. — Wuest, page 239.

__________

His enemies had been defeated and put to shame, their murderous hate had been denounced, and the nets of their cunning had been rent like cobwebs; they had seen the heart of one of their own order kindled into open admiration, and they henceforth renounced as hopeless the attempt to conquer Jesus in debate. No man after that durst ask Him any questions. He will now carry the war into their own country. It will be for them to answer Jesus. — Chadwick, page 340.

¹⁸ Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:

¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

²⁰ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.

²¹ And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise.

²² So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.

²³ Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”

²⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

²⁶ But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

²⁷ He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”

Also found in Matthew 22:23-33 and Luke 20:27-40.

This is Mark’s only reference to the Sadducees, whom he introduces with a word of explanation. They were a priestly aristocracy, less numerous than the Pharisees and less popular Religiously they were the rationalists of the day, although conservative in their attitude to the Scriptures in the sense that they denied the validity of the oral tradition which the Pharisees held to be binding. They took their stand particularly upon the authority of the Pentateuch. They were therefore as obnoxious to the Pharisees on religious grounds as were the Herodians on political grounds. But the Pharisees were willing to work with either for the destruction of Jesus. It may be, however, that the Sadducees now hoped to succeed where their adversaries had failed.

Their question was less dangerous than the previous one, being a matter of exegesis and speculation rather than politics, doctrinal rather than ethical. — Guthrie, page 877.

The Sadducees did not believe in angels, spirits, or the resurrection. It wasn’t that they denied any particular resurrection, but that the possibility of any sort of resurrection from the dead did not exist. And even though their approach was more direct and not filled with fake praise, they were testing Jesus. They weren’t seeking knowledge.

Like the rationalist of every age, [the Sadducees] stood coldly aloof from popular movements, and we seldom find them interfering with Christ or His followers until their energies were roused by the preaching of His Resurrection, so directly opposed to their fundamental doctrines.

Their appearance now is extremely natural. The repulse of every other party left them the only champions of orthodoxy against the new movement, with everything to win by success, and little to lose by failure. There is a tone of quiet and confident irony in their interrogation, well befitting an upper-class group, a secluded party of refined critics, rather than practical teachers with a mission to their fellow-men. They break utterly new ground by raising an abstract and subtle question, a purely intellectual problem, but one which reduced the doctrine of a resurrection to an absurdity, if only their premise can be made good. … [The Lord’s answer] lays great and special stress upon the authority of Scripture, in this encounter with the party which least acknowledged it. — Chadwick, page 331.

Moses wrote (v.19) — Deuteronomy 25:5

The literal Greek [of v.24] is, “Because of this do you not err, not knowing the scriptures an the power of God?” The Greek negative ou when used with a question, expects an affirmative answer. This form of question is stronger than a formal direct statement would be. The words “because of this” point ahead to the cause of their ignorance which was two-fold, both inexcusable in members of the priesthood, which most of these men probably were, ignorance of the Old Testament and ignorance of the power of God. The Sadducees (and the Pharisees also, so far as they connected marriage and the propagation of the race with the future life). showed themselves incapable of conceiving a power which could produce an entirely different order from any within their experience. They assumed either that God could not raise the dead, or that He could raise them only to a life which would be a counterpart of the present, or even more replete with material pleasure. — Wuest, pages 235-236.

__________

like angels (v.25) — Angels were originally created. There are the same number of angels in existence today as when they were created. They do not propagate their kind. Human beings in the next life will not be angels, but human beings. They will be like angels in this respect, that they will not propagate their kind. Thus the hypothetical case of the Sadducees has no relation to the future life. — Wuest, page 236.

The quote in v.26 is from Exodus 3:6.

[Jesus’] argument … is based upon the immutability of God, and, therefore, the imperishability of all that ever entered into vital and real relationship with Him. To cancel such a relationship would introduce a change into the Eternal. And Moses, to whom they appealed, had heard God expressly proclaim Himself the God of those who had long since passed out of time. It was, therefore, clear that His relationship with them lived on, and this guaranteed that no portion, even the humblest, of their true personality should perish. Now the body is as real a part of humanity, as the soul and spirit are, although a much lowlier part. And, therefor, it must not really die. — Chadwick, pages 335-336.

¹³ Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.

¹⁴ When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not

¹⁵ Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.”

¹⁶ So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

Also found in Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:20-26.

For the Pharisees and Herodians to unite in a common cause was quite unusual. The Pharisees were strongly resentful of the Roman occupation of Palestine—particularly of Judea where the poll-tax was required (Matthew 22:17; Mark 12:14). In contrast, the Herodians strongly supported the Roman presence in the land, because this was the source of power by which the Herod family ruled. In whatever way Jesus answered their question, they assumed He must violate the tenets of one of the two groups. He would be proven guilty in the eyes of either the people (Luke 20:26) if He disagreed with the Pharisees, or the governor (Luke 20:20) if He disagreed with the Herodians. — Thomas, page 187.

catch (v.13) = to hunt and catch like a wild animal. Matthew used the word for “entangle”— “to snare or trap” birds.

The preamble is skillfully arranged with the view of disarming suspicion, and at the same time preventing escape. So independent and fearless a teacher of truth could not from fear of consequences either refuse an answer to honest and perplexed inquiries, or conceal His real opinion. — Wuest, page 231.

know (v.14) = positive knowledge, absolutely conviction

true (v.14) — true in the sense that He could  not lie

lawful (v.14) — permissible, allowed, permitted (not really a question regarding civil or criminal law)

The Jews were not discussing the legality of paying poll tax to Caesar, but whether a Jew should do so in view of his theocratic relationship to God. They pressed for an answer, yes or no, as if there were no other possible answer. They hoped, in view of His Jewish background and teaching, that He would say no. That would involve Him at once with the Roman authorities. Such a reply, considering the present mood of the crowd, might put Him at the head of a rebellion (Acts 5:37) or at least would have made Him liable to a charge of treason (Luke 23:2). Had He given an affirmative answer, He would have incurred the displeasure of the Jewish crowds. — Wuest, page 232.

__________

taxes to Caesar (v.14) — the poll tax which the Jews paid to the Emperor. This payment was objectionable to them for two reasons, first, because it was a sign of subjection to foreign power, and second, because the coin with which it was to be paid, the denarius, bore the Emperor’s effigy stamped upon it. And this Emperor, it was Roman law to worship as a god. — Wuest, page 232.

knowing their hypocrisy (v.15) — Matthew 22:18 has “perceived their wickedness.” Luke 20;23 has “perceived their craftiness.”

Malice lay at the root of their conduct, unscrupulous cunning supplied them with means of seeking their end, whilst they sought to screen themselves under the pretense of a desire and admiration of fearless truthfulness. The Lord detected their true character intuitively. he knew it by experience, and He perceived it by tokens which did not escape His observation. — Wuest, page 233.

inscription (v.16) — the writing on the coin

The whole principle laid down turns on the change of working from pay (v.15) to render (v.17). For it was not a question of giving what might lawfully be refused but of paying what was lawfully claimed. The tribute was not a gift but a debt. Caesar gave them the inestimable benefit of stable government; were they to take it and decline to pay anything towards its maintenance? Duty to God and duty to the state are not incompatible; we owe a debt to both. The Pharisees admitted their debt to Caesar by using his coinage; this was why Jesus asked for the coin. If they could produce it, they had the answer to their own question. This answer … acquits [Christians] from the charge of disloyalty to the state. [See also Romans 13:1-7.] — Guthrie, pages 876-877.

The Jewish leaders had used the word for “to give.” The Lord replied with the word for paying a debt. There is no conflict between duties to God and duties to the state.

marveled (v.17) — tense indicates continuous action. His reply gave them no further room to maneuver.