Verse by Verse

1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,

2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’

5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—

6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

tradition of the elders (v.2) — The Jews of our Lord’s time believed that, in addition to the written law of Moses, there was an oral law given to Moses on Sinai and passed down from him by word of mouth till it reached the Great Synagogue or Council of Elders which succeeded Ezra after the return from the exile. This council lasted until 291 B.C. and seems to have been the source of the many accretions to the law of God which have been found in Judaism. — KJV Commentary, page 1204.

wash (v.2) — They were concerned with the ritual, not with cleanliness.

Mark refers to the traditional custom of the Pharisees, which had become general among the people, not to eat without diligently washing their hands. Indeed these ablutions had grown to be exceedingly numerous and very binding. Before and after every meal and whenever they came from the marketplace or town square, they had to wash or take a bath according to certain ceremonial restrictions. All cups, pots, and brazen vessels as well as tables and perhaps dining couches must be thoroughly cleansed. The Pharisees carried their ablutions to such an extent, as to completely overshadow with their ritual the fundamental moral principles of the Scriptures.

The Pharisees claimed that these oral traditions had been handed down in part from Moses, consisted partly of decisions made by the judges from time to time and partly of explanations and opinions of eminent teachers. The body of these traditions continued to accumulate until after the time of Christ, when they were codified in the Mishna and its commentaries. Traditional rites and restrictions stood higher in the esteem of the Jews than their Scriptures. Where Scripture and tradition seemed opposed, the latter was treated as the higher authority. — Pentecost, page 240

honor (v.4) — provide for

Honor your father and your mother (v.4) — Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

He who curses … (v.4) — Exodus 21:17

Isaiah (v.7) — Isaiah 29:13

Christ replied in Matthew 15:8-9 to the question of the leaders by referring them to the Scriptures. He quoted Isaiah 29:13 where the prophet revealed that God would not accept the worship of the nation because they were concerned with external observations and did not worship Him with the heart …

Christ now proceeded to show how the Pharisees had very cleverly used their traditions to find ways of circumventing the stringent requirements of the law. He quoted the law of Moses, which required a son to support an indigent parent. This put a financial responsibility on the son. The Pharisees by their tradition had found a way to circumvent the law and absolve themselves of this responsibility. They ceremonially dedicated all that they had to God by pronouncing the word Corban over and over (Mark 7:11) …

It must not be thought that the pronunciation of the votive word “Corban,” although meaning “a gift,” or “given to God,” necessarily dedicated a thing to the Temple. The meaning might simply be, and generally was, that it was to be regarded like Corban — that is, in regard to the person or persons named, the thing termed was to be considered as if it were Corban, laid on the altar, and put entirely out of their reach. Pentecost, pages 242-243.

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,

36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

Gennesaret (v.34) — on the plain northwest of the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Tiberias

Christ explained the reason that Peter began to sink. Peter had obeyed the command of Christ. He had begun the walk by faith. But the fact that he began his walk by exercising faith did not mean that he could stop walking by faith. When Peter ceased to walk by faith, even though in the will of God and in the presence of Christ, he began to sink. Christ brought Peter to the boat, and it was then that “the wind died down” (Matthew 14:32). Those in the boat had seen Christ walk on the water. They had seen Peter walk on the water, and they had seen Christ rescue and restore Peter when he failed in his walk by faith. Now their response was to cry out, “Truly you are the Son of God” (v.33). — Pentecost, page 235

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Also found in Mark 6:47-52 and John 6:16-21.

made (v.22) = compelled, by threat, entreaty, force or persuasion

evening (v.23) — probably around 6:00 pm

in the middle (v.24) — The Sea of Galilee is about six miles wide at this point. (It’s eight miles at its widest and 13 miles at its longest.)

fourth watch (v.25) — between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m.

The Sea of Galilee is tucked between hills and is subject to violent storms. Several of the disciples were fishermen who knew boats well. In at least nine hours, they had only managed between three and four miles of rowing. It would have been easier, I imagine, for them to turn the boat around and run before the wind. But their loyalty to Christ, who said to meet Him on the other side, or His compelling them to go — or probably both — kept them rowing.

13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”

16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.”

19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

This is the only miracle (except the resurrection) that appears in all four gospels — Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13

heard it (v.13) — John’s death, or that Herod had heard of His ministry (or both)

Herod never saw Jesus until His trial, at which time Jesus refused to speak in his presence.

evening (v.15) — probably around 3:00 p.m. by Jewish reckoning

five loaves and two fish (v.17) — the meal of a boy, discovered by Andrew. The loaves were barley, a poor type of bread. — Psalm 132:15.

baskets (v.20) = small baskets carried on the arm

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus

2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

4 Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.

7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”

9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.

10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.

11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 

12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

This account also appears in Mark 6:14-29 and Luke 9:7-9.

Herod (v.1) — Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee and Peraea — son of Herod the Great

tetrarch (v.1) = ruler of a fourth. Herod the Great’s kingdom had been divided among his sons

prison (v.3) — probably in the castle of Machaerus, on the Dead Sea — John had probably been in prison for about a year.

Herodias (v.3) — daughter of Aristobolus, who was Antipas’ half-brother. She was married to her uncle Philip (with whom she’d had a daughter, Salome). Herodias divorced Philip and married Antipas who was already married to the daughter of Aretus, king of Arabia.

daughter (v.6) — Salome, who was probably around 17 years old.

It was not long [after the events of this chapter] before the wicked ambition of Herodias led Herod to Rome to seek the title of king, given to Agrippa, the brother of Herodias. But in this quest he not only failed to obtain the title he sought but lost his dominions and was banished to Lugdumin in Gaul not far from the Spanish frontier, where he and the wicked Herodias later died in obscurity and dishonor. Salome was married to her uncle Philip, tetrarch of Trachonitis and Batanea, but after a brief time was left a widow and disappears from history. Tradition says that she met with an early and hideous death. — Pentecost, pages 229-230.

54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 

56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”

57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”

58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

His own country (v.54) — Nazareth — This is probably a later visit than the one recorded in Luke 4:16-29 and is His last recorded visit to the town.

brothers (v.55) — half-brothers, sons of Mary and Joseph

James (v.55) — Not the apostle, but a leader in the Acts church and the writer of the New Testament book

Judas (v.55) — the writer of the book of Jude

0ffended (v.57) = lit. “made to stumble”

Rabbinical teaching consisted of the transmission of traditional interpretations, and so the crowd questioned His source of knowledge. They weighed both His words and works. They confessed that such knowledge could not be traced to His father, who would have been expected to teach the law to his son (Deuteronomy 6:7). They would have been aware that none of the others brought up in the same home and under the tutelage of the same father could display such knowledge or do such works. Because Christ had not been taught by an accredited teacher, the crowd discounted His words. In fact, “they took offense at Him” (Mark 6:3). — Pentecost, page 227.

52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.

scribe (v.52) — The scribes originally were chroniclers, and were closely associated with the military movements of the ancient people. But with the advent of Ezra, the scribe filled a new office. He became, as in the case of Ezra himself, a reader and an expounder of the law of God. Ezra is the most conspicuous example of the true scribe, he who stood in the midst of the people and read the words of the law, indicating the meaning of them, not merely by elocutionary perfection, but by comment, annotation, exposition. That was the real office of the scribe. In the days of Jesus they were still the professed exponents of the law; but they then proceeded upon two principle, the first of oral tradition and that secondly of the interpretation of the letter with an almost painful accuracy. These two principles had become the means of obscuring rather than expounding the law.

His disciples were to become in their age the interpreters of the law of God. He said in effect, You are to become the new scribes, the interpreters of the Kingdom, those through whom the age will know the facts concerning the government of the God.— Morgan, pages 176 and 177

__________

householder (v.52) — In the East, the householder was one in absolute authority, a king, a shepherd, a father. And so the figure employed is that of a despot, apart from the undesirable significance of the term. In this word “householder,” then, there is present the thought of loving yet absolute authority. Christ often used the word, and almost invariably concerning Himself. — Morgan, page 177

treasure (v.52) = treasure laid horizontally — laid up, possessed

brings out (v.52) = flings forth, scatters around — with the idea of prodigality, generosity

new and old (v.52) — fresh and ancient — They were to take what He was revealing to them about the Millennial Kingdom and add it to what was revealed about the Kingdom in the Old Testament.

The whole picture is one of an eastern householder, the master of a house, an authoritative ruler, lavishly scattering out of his wealth the things which are necessary for the supply and government of his household. Those who are gifted with imagination see the picture. It is full of color. No neutral tints are in it. The eastern house-master, house-despot, out of his treasure scattering upon his people, upon the children of his family, the sheep of his flock, the subjects of his kingdom, all that they need. It is the attitude of the real kingship, and real fatherhood, and real shepherdhood. — Morgan, page 178.

It was the message of the Millennial Kingdom that the disciples were to share with Israel. This is the message that they were told to share in Acts 1:8 when the Lord said: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

This is the message that Peter did in fact share at Pentecost in Acts 2:16 when he began his message with: But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel …

This is the message the twelve were still to preach after the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 about which we read: When James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me [Paul], they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Galatians 2:9).

The twelve were not preaching about the body of Christ, the church. That message was given to Paul. In the church, there was no circumcision or uncircumcision, no Jew or Gentile. But the 12 apostles were to go only to the circumcised, the Jews, with the message of the Kingdom.

This separation lasted until Acts 28:25-28 when the Jewish leaders in Rome rejected the risen Christ. After that, only the gospel to the uncircumcised was preached.

When they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”’ “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” 

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,

48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.

49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,

50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

dragnet (v.47) — the largest kind of net, weighed below with corks on top, sweeping perhaps a half mile of water. Because of its large character, the net collects a multitude of different kinds of fish, described in the text as “every kind.” Nets of this size were too large to empty into a boat and had to be drawn to shore. Here the fish were sorted. Those that were bad, or for any reason unusable, were cast back into the sea. — Walvoord, page 106

Although the commentaries state that these events will take place when the Lord returns at the beginning of the Millennium, I think they are a perfect description of what happens at the end of the Millennium as described in Revelation 20:12-15. (I’ll give a few earlier verses as context.)

7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,

46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

In the parable of the merchant looking for fine pearls, Christ revealed that God will get a treasure not only from the nation Israel but from the Gentiles as well. This is inferred from the fact that a pearl comes out of the sea. Frequently in Scripture the sea represents Gentile nations. Once again we see that a treasure from among the Gentiles becomes God’s by purchase. — Pentecost, page 218

If this take is correct, and I think it is, the pearl refers to the Gentile nations that will be blessed through Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. It does not refer to the church because 1) the Church wasn’t revealed until the revelation was given to Paul, and 2) the Church won’t be in the kingdom.

“And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength), indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Isaiah 49:5-6).

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

field — In the previous parables, the field is the world

man — In the previous parables, the man is the Son of Man, Jesus Christ

According to Exodus 19:5, God declared to Israel, “If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.” According to Psalm 135:4, “The Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure.”

… As we trace the gospel narratives, it is clear that Jesus came with a special purpose of redeeming Israel, although at the same time He reconciled the world unto Himself. It was Jesus, therefore, who sold all that He had in order to buy the treasure, Israel, and to purchase it with His own blood (Philippians 2:7-8; 1 Peter 1:18-19). During the present age, Israel is a hidden entity in the world, only to emerge at the end of the age as a major factor in the prophetic fulfillment leading up to the second coming of Christ. — Walvoord, page 105.

I would agree with Walvoord except with his reference to the present age. This age was hidden when Christ was speaking, so He couldn’t have been referring to it. He could, however, have been speaking of the period on the prophetic timeline between when He spoke and His second coming. For the rest of the time before His death, for the period between Pentecost and Acts 28, and for the still future Tribulation, Israel will be hidden. The parable only goes this far. It doesn’t refer to the time when the treasure will be dug up.