Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof ( so that you may know ) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man ).


The term Son of Man , which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.


Jesus did not finish his sentence with words but with action, that is, healing the paralytic with an accompanying pronouncement to him directly.


See the note on tax collectors in 5:46 .


See the note on Pharisees in 3:7 .


The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.


Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.


A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7 ).


John refers to John the Baptist.


John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly ( Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32 ; Num 29:7-11 ). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.


The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times ( John 3:29 ; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38 ).


The statement the bridegroom will be taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 16:13 ff.


Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins.


The meaning of the saying new wine into new wineskins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God.


Suffering from a hemorrhage. The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal hemorrhage which would make her ritually unclean.


The edge of his cloak refers to the kraspedon , the blue tassel on the garment that symbolized a Jewish man’s obedience to the law (cf. Num 15:37-41 ). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.


Have mercy on us is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace.


There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).


See the note on synagogues in 4:23 .


The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process.


Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.


The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here, Mark 3:14 , and six more times in Luke ( 6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10 ).


In the various lists of the twelve, Simon (that is, Peter) is always mentioned first (see also Mark 3:16-19 ; Luke 6:13-16 ; Acts 1:13 ) and the first four are always the same, though not in the same order after Peter.


Bartholomew (meaning “son of Tolmai” in Aramaic) could be another name for Nathanael mentioned in John 1:45 .


This is the “doubting Thomas” of John 20:24-29 .


See the note on tax collectors in 5:46 .


There is some debate about what the name Iscariot means. It probably alludes to a region in Judea and thus might make Judas the only non-Galilean in the group. Several explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). For further discussion see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 1:546; also D. A. Carson, John , 304.


Mark 6:8 allows one staff. It might be that Matthew’s summary (cf. Luke 9:3 ) means not taking an extra staff or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.


The response to these messengers determines how God’s blessing is bestowed – if the messengers are not welcomed, their blessing will return to them. Jesus shows just how important their mission is by this remark.


To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11 ; Acts 13:51; 18:6 . It was a sign of rejection.


The allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah , the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29 , shows that to reject the current message is even more serious than the worst sins of the old era and will result in more severe punishment.


This imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism; see Pss. Sol. 8:23, 30.


Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.


These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of courts and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts.


I.e., be revealed by God. The passive voice here and in the next verb see the revelation as coming from God. The text is both a warning about bad things being revealed and an encouragement that good things will be made known.


Judaism had a similar exhortation in 4 Macc 13:14-15.


See the note on the word hell in 5:22 .


The penny refers to an assarion, a small Roman copper coin. One of them was worth one-sixteenth of a denarius or less than a half hour’s average wage. Sparrows were the cheapest items sold in the market. God knows about even the most financially insignificant things; see Isa 49:15 .


Do not be afraid. One should respect and show reverence to God, but need not fear his tender care.


It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross . Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection.


If there is no willingness to suffer the world’s rejection at this point, then one will not respond to Jesus (which is trying to find life) and then will be subject to this judgment (which is losing it).


The one who sent me refers to God.


John refers to John the Baptist.


Aspects of Jesus’ ministry may have led John to question whether Jesus was the promised stronger and greater one who is to come that he had preached about in Matt 3:1-12 .


What you hear and see. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1 . Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.


The reference to fancy clothes makes the point that John was not rich or powerful, in that he did not come from the wealthy classes.


The quotation is primarily from Mal 3:1 with pronouns from Exod 23:20 . Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.


After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it ( the one who is least in the kingdom of God ) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.


‘ We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance… ’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 18-19 ) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.


John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon .


See the note on tax collectors in 5:46 .


Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners . Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.


Chorazin was a town of Galilee that was probably fairly small in contrast to Bethsaida and is otherwise unattested. Bethsaida was declared a polis by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after a.d. 30.


Tyre and Sidon are two other notorious OT cities (; Jer 25:22; 47:4 ). The remark is a severe rebuke, in effect: “Even the sinners of the old era would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike you!” map For location see Map1-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region. map For location see Map1-D2 ; Map2-C3 ; Map3-B2 .


In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol . It is the place where the unrighteous will reside ( Luke 10:15; 16:23 ; Rev 20:13-14 ).


The allusion to Sodom , the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29 , shows that to reject the current message is even more serious, and will result in more severe punishment, than the worst sins of the old era. The phrase region of Sodom is in emphatic position in the Greek text.


The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father , a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6 .


See 1 Cor 1:26-31 .


This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel ( 10:15; 17:2 ). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.


A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on his followers.


See the note on Pharisees in 3:7 .


Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.


See 1 Sam 21:1-6 .


A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 9:13 ).


See the note on synagogues in 4:23 .


Withered means the man’s hand was shrunken and paralyzed.


The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).


The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.


Verses 18-21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1-4 .


Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 25-28 ) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 29 ) about tying up the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation ( 4:1-11 ) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 12:31-32 ).


Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27 / Luke 11:19 ,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.


The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.


The strong man here pictures Satan.


Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10 , although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.


Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.


For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.


The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45 ).


What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.


A quotation from Jonah 1:17 .


On the queen of the South see 1 Kgs 10:1-3 and 2 Chr 9:1-12 , as well as Josephus, Ant. 8.6.5-6 (8.165-175). The South most likely refers to modern southwest Arabia, possibly the eastern part of modern Yemen, although there is an ancient tradition reflected in Josephus which identifies this geo-political entity as Ethiopia.


Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.


The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water ( Luke 8:29-31 ; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started ( Isa 13:21; 34:14 ).


The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.


The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3 .


Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter ), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.


A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots ( Isa 55:10-11 ). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.


The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.


Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.


That is, crowded out the good plants.


What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.


A quotation from Isa 6:9-10 . Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.


This beatitude highlights the great honor bestowed on the disciples to share in this salvation.


This is what past prophets and righteous people had wanted very much to see , yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2 .


Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.


The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.


That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.


The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.


This is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically a mustard plant is not a tree . This could refer to one of two types of mustard plant popular in Palestine and would be either ten or twenty-five ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.


The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.


This measure was a saton, the Greek name for the Hebrew term “seah.” Three of these was a very large quantity of flour, since a saton is a little over 16 pounds (7 kg) of dry measure (or 13.13 liters). So this was over 47 lbs (21 kg) of flour total, enough to feed over a hundred people.


A quotation from Ps 78:2 .


A quotation from Dan 3:6 .


An allusion to Dan 12:3 .


An allusion to Dan 3:6 .


Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.


See the note on synagogues in 4:23 . Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.


The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2 ; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29 ).


A tetrarch , a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, is called a king ( Matt 14:9 , Mark 6:14-29 ), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.


This marriage of Herod to his brother Philip’s wife was a violation of OT law ( Lev 18:16; 20:21 ). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.


Gennesaret was a fertile plain south of Capernaum (see also Mark 6:53 ). The Sea of Galilee was also sometimes known as the Sea of Gennesaret ( Luke 5:1 ).


See the note on Pharisees in 3:7 .


A quotation from Exod 20:12 ; Deut 5:16 .


A quotation from Exod 21:17 ; Lev 20:9 .


A quotation from Isa 29:13 .


Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1 ), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.


Magadan was a place along the Sea of Galilee, the exact location of which is uncertain.


See the note on Sadducees in 3:7 .


What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.


The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11 , Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.


The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.


To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14 .


The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.


An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12 ; cf. Prov 24:12 .


Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom : (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21-23 ), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.


In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven ( 1 Cor 15:42-49 ; 2 Cor 5:1-10 ). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in . So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured , and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).


Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office ( Acts 3:18-22 ) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days ( Mal 4:5-6 ), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).


This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.


The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.


The phrase their sons may mean “their citizens,” but the term “sons” has been retained here in order to preserve the implicit comparison between the Father and his Son, Jesus.


See the note on the phrase their sons in the previous verse.


The four drachma coin was a stater ( στατήρ , stathr ), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80).


The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.


In Greek there is a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in English here. The verb translated “causes…to sin” ( σκανδαλίζω , skandalizw ) comes from the same root as the word translated “stumbling blocks” ( σκάνδαλον , skandalon ) in the previous verse.


This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.


Look for the one that went astray . The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18 .


A quotation from Deut 19:15 .


To treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector means not to associate with such a person. See the note on tax collectors in 5:46 .


A talent was a huge sum of money, equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual day’s wage for a worker. L&N 6.82 states, “a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight) with a value which fluctuated, depending upon the particular monetary system which prevailed at a particular period of time (a silver talent was worth approximately six thousand denarii with gold talents worth at least thirty times that much).”


The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him . Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 14:1-12 ). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1 , but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.


A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2 .


A quotation from Gen 2:24 .


includes the word in brackets, indicating reservations regarding its authenticity. A quotation from Deut 24:1 . The Pharisees were all in agreement that the OT permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce his wife (not vice-versa) and that remarriage was therefore sanctioned. But the two rabbinic schools of Shammai and Hillel differed on the grounds for divorce. Shammai was much stricter than Hillel and permitted divorce only in the case of sexual immorality. Hillel permitted divorce for almost any reason (cf. the Mishnah, m. Gittin 9.10).


The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.


A quotation from Exod 20:12-16 ; Deut 5:16-20 .


A quotation from Lev 19:18 .


The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven . Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 .


The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26 ) intervenes.


The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved ?


Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice have been noticed.


The Greek term translated the age when all things are renewed ( παλιγγενεσία , palingenesia ) is understood as a reference to the Messianic age, the time when all things are renewed and restored (cf. Rev 21:5 ).


The statement you…will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment.


Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life ( a hundred times as much ) and (2) eternal life will be given.


The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.


That is, six o’clock in the evening, the hour to pay day laborers. See Lev 19:13 b.


Crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman historian Cicero called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” ( Against Verres 2.5.63-66 §§163-70); Josephus ( J. W. 7.6.4 [7.203]) called it the worst of deaths.


No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “ We are able .” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.


The Greek word for ransom ( λύτρον , lutron ) is found here and in Mark 10:45 and refers to the payment of a price in order to purchase the freedom of a slave. The idea of Jesus as the “ransom” is that he paid the price with his own life by standing in our place as a substitute, enduring the judgment that we deserved for sin.


Have mercy on us is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace.


There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).


The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.


“Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.


The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.


A quotation from Ps 118:25-26 .


A quotation from Isa 56:7 .


A quotation from Jer 7:11 . The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.


A quotation from Ps 8:2 .


Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“ We do not know ”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.


Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.


See the note on tax collectors in 5:46 .


The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart ). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.


The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT ( Isa 5:1-7 ). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24 .


The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.


The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.


The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.


Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.


A quotation from Ps 118:22-23 .


See the note on Pharisees in 3:7 .


The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt ( 22:16 = Mark 12:13 ) and twice in Mark ( 3:6; 12:13 ; some mss also read “Herodians” instead of “Herod” in Mark 8:15 ). It is generally assumed that as a group the Herodians were Jewish supporters of the Herodian dynasty (or of Herod Antipas in particular). In every instance they are linked with the Pharisees. This probably reflects agreement regarding political objectives (nationalism as opposed to submission to the yoke of Roman oppression) rather than philosophy or religious beliefs.


Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.


Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.


See the note on Sadducees in 3:7 .


This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.


A quotation from Deut 25:5 . This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12 ; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus , Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10 . The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.


700 {sa}); this coupled with strong internal evidence argues for the shorter reading. Angels do not die, nor do they eat according to Jewish tradition ( 1 En. 15:6; 51:4; Wis 5:5; 2 Bar. 51:10; 1QH 3.21-23).


A quotation from Exod 3:6 .


He is not God of the dead but of the living. Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised.


A quotation from Deut 6:5 . The threefold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.


A quotation from Lev 19:18 .


It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be the son of David in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.


The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord ). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.


A quotation from Ps 110:1 .


Phylacteries were small leather cases containing OT scripture verses, worn on the arm and forehead by Jews, especially when praying. The custom was derived from such OT passages as Exod 13:9; 16 ; Deut 6:8; 11:18 .


See the note on synagogues in 4:23 .


There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.


Cumin (alternately spelled cummin ) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.


This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος ). See Deut 28:22 ; Ezek 13:10-16 ; Acts 23:3 .


See the note on crucified in 20:19 .


Spelling of this name ( Βαραχίου , Baraciou ) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).


The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.


A quotation from Ps 118:26 .


The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.


With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.


Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.


See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16 ; Hag 2:6-7 ; Zech 14:4 .


See Matt 5:10-12 ; 1 Cor 1:25-31 .


But the person who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works. He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.


The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27 . Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c. , the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:14, 19, 24 ; Rev 3:10 ).


Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17 ; Judg 6:2 ; Isa 15:5 ; Jer 16:16 ; Zech 14:5 .


On the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.


The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There will be no time to come down from the roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.


Suffering unlike anything that has happened . Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. While the events of a.d. 70 may reflect somewhat the comments Jesus makes here, the reference to the scope and severity of this judgment strongly suggest that much more is in view. Most likely Jesus is referring to the great end-time judgment on Jerusalem in the great tribulation.


The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning . No one will need to point it out.


An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10 . The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.


An allusion to Dan 7:13 . Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.


This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά ( genea ) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 30 ), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.


The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away . They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11 .


Like the days of Noah , the time of the flood in Gen 6:5-8:22 , the judgment will come as a surprise as people live their day to day lives.


Like the flood that came and took them all away , the coming judgment associated with the Son of Man will condemn many.


There is debate among commentators and scholars over the phrase one will be taken and one left about whether one is taken for judgment or for salvation. If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved (as Noah was) andthose left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to theidentification of the two groups. Its primary purposein context is topicture the sudden, surprisingseparation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.


On Jesus pictured as a returning thief , see 1 Thess 5:2, 4 ; 2 Pet 3:10 ; Rev 3:3; 16:15 .


Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it would take some time – so long, in fact, that some will not be looking for him any longer ( at an hour when you do not expect him ).


A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24 .


That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”


The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken from him , ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18 ). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either.


See the note on crucified in 20:19 .


The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him.


A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.


This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see ). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people ( m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 26:20 ). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.


The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me. The point of Jesus’ comment here is not to identify the specific individual per se, but to indicate that it is one who was close to him – somebody whom no one would suspect. His comment serves to heighten the treachery of Judas’ betrayal.


33 pc mae), the likelihood of homoioteleuton becomes rather remote. Jesus’ death established the forgiveness promised in the new covenant of Jer 31:31 . Jesus is reinterpreting the symbolism of the Passover meal, indicating the presence of a new era.


After singing a hymn. The Hallel Psalms ( Pss 113-118 ) were sung during the meal. Psalms 113 and 114 were sung just before the second cup and 115-118 were sung at the end of the meal, after the fourth, or hallel cup.


A quotation from Zech 13:7 .


This cup alludes to the wrath of God that Jesus would experience (in the form of suffering and death) for us. See Ps 11:6; 75:8-9 ; Isa 51:17, 19, 22 for this figure.


This remark is parenthetical within the narrative and has thus been placed in parentheses.


Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.


A legion was a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions would be 72,000.


The guards would have been the guards of the chief priests who had accompanied Judas to arrest Jesus.


An allusion to Ps 110:1 . This is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.


The expression the right hand of the Power is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.


An allusion to Dan 7:13 (see also Matt 24:30 ).


When Peter went out and wept bitterly it shows he really did not want to fail here and was deeply grieved that he had.


The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it from being used to execute Roman sympathizers.


The source of this citation is debated (see the tc note on Jeremiah in v. 9 above for a related discussion). The quotation is most closely related to Zech 11:12-13 , but the reference to Jeremiah in v. 9 as the source leads one to look there as well. There is no exact match for this text in Jeremiah, but there are some conceptual parallels: In Jer 18:2-6 the prophet visits a potter, and in Jer 32:6-15 he buys a field. D. A. Carson argues that Jer 19:1-13 is the source of the quotation augmented with various phrases drawn from Zech 11:12-13 (“Matthew,” EBC 8:563). W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison argue that the reference to Jeremiah is not meant to refer to one specific text from that prophet, but instead to signal that his writings as a whole are a source from which the quotation is drawn ( Matthew [ICC], 3:568-69). Although the exact source of the citation is uncertain, it is reasonable to see texts from the books of Jeremiah and Zechariah both coming into play here.


“ Are you the king of the Jews? ” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.


The reply “ You say so ” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 26:64 .


The custom of Pilate to release one prisoner is unknown outside the gospels in Jewish writings, but it was a Roman custom at the time and thus probably used in Palestine as well (cf. Matt 27:15 ; John 18:39 ).


This is a parenthetical note by the author.


You take care of it yourselves! Compare the response of the chief priests and elders to Judas in 27:4 . The expression is identical except that in 27:4 it is singular and here it is plural.


See the note on crucified in 20:19 .


A Roman cohort was a tenth of a legion, about 500-600 soldiers.


The scarlet robe probably refers to a military garment which had the color of royal purple, and thus resembled a king’s robe. The soldiers did this to Jesus as a form of mockery in view of the charges that he was a king.


The crown may have been made from palm spines or some other thorny plant common in Israel. In placing the crown of thorns on his head, the soldiers were unwittingly symbolizing God’s curse on humanity (cf. Gen 3:18 ) being placed on Jesus. Their purpose would have been to mock Jesus’ claim to be a king; the crown of thorns would have represented the “radiant corona” portrayed on the heads of rulers on coins and other artifacts in the 1st century.


Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio , mentioned in Matt 27:26 ; Mark 15:15 ; John 19:1 ), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help (in all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum , since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution). Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon. Mark 15:21 names him as father of two people apparently known to Mark’s audience.


A place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). This location is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for the Greek term κρανίον ( kranion ) is calvaria , from which the English word “Calvary” is derived (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).


It is difficult to say for certain who gave Jesus this drink of wine mixed with gall (e.g., the executioner, or perhaps women from Jerusalem). In any case, whoever gave it to him most likely did so in order to relieve his pain, but Jesus was unwilling to take it.


Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.


There is rich irony in the statements of those who were passing by, “s ave yourself! ” and “ come down from the cross! ” In summary, they wanted Jesus to come down from the cross and save his physical life, but it was indeed his staying on the cross and giving his physical life that led to the fact that they could experience a resurrection from death to life.


An allusion to Ps 22:8 .


Matthew’s wording suggests that both of the criminals spoke abusively to him. If so, one of them quickly changed his attitude toward Jesus (see Luke 23:40-43 ).


This imagery has parallels to the Day of the Lord: Joel 2:10 ; Amos 8:9 ; Zeph 1:15 .


A quotation from Ps 22:1 .


Sour wine refers to cheap wine that was called in Latin posca , a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.


See the note on the word centurion in Matt 8:5 .


Asking for the body of Jesus was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43 , Luke 23:51 ). He did this because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial.


See the note on Pharisees in 3:7 .


See the note on crucified in 20:19 .


I am with you . Matthew’s Gospel begins with the prophecy that the Savior’s name would be “Emmanuel, that is, ‘God with us,’” ( 1:23 , in which the author has linked Isa 7:14 and 8:8, 10 together) and it ends with Jesus’ promise to be with his disciples forever. The Gospel of Matthew thus forms an inclusio about Jesus in his relationship to his people that suggests his deity.


By the time Mark wrote, the word gospel had become a technical term referring to the preaching about Jesus Christ and God’s saving power accomplished through him for all who believe (cf. Rom 1:16 ).


33 Ï also have τοῦ [ tou ] before θεοῦ ), so the evidence seems to argue for the authenticity of the words. Most likely, the words were omitted by accident in some witnesses, since the last four words of v. 1 , in uncial script, would have looked like this: iu_c_r_u_u_u_q_u_ . With all the successive upsilons an accidental deletion is likely. Further, the inclusion of υἱοῦ θεοῦ here finds its complement in 15:39 , where the centurion claims that Jesus was υἱὸς θεοῦ ( Juios qeou , “son of God”). Even though א is in general one of the best NT mss , its testimony is not quite as preeminent in this situation. There are several other instances in which it breaks up chains of genitives ending in ου (cf., e.g., Acts 28:31 ; Col 2:2 ; Heb 12:2 ; Rev 12:14; 15:7; 22:1 ), showing that there is a significantly higher possibility of accidental scribal omission in a case like this. This christological inclusio parallels both Matthew (“Immanuel…God with us” in 1:23 /“I am with you” in 28:20) and John (“the Word was God” in 1:1 /“My Lord and my God” in 20:28), probably reflecting nascent christological development and articulation. The first verse of Mark’s Gospel appears to function as a title: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God . It is not certain, however, whether Mark intended it to refer to the entire Gospel, to the ministry of John the Baptist, or through the use of the term beginning ( ἀρχή , arch ) to allude to Genesis 1:1 (in the Greek Bible, LXX). The most likely option is that the statement as a whole is an allusion to Genesis 1:1 and that Mark is saying that with the “good news” of the coming of Christ, God is commencing a “new beginning.”


The opening lines of the quotation are from Exod 23:20 ; Mal 3:1 . Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.


This call to “make his paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.


A quotation from Isa 40:3 .


A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it.


John’s lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God’s prophet (cf. Zech 13:4 ); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah ( 2 Kgs 1:8 ). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the “clean” foods.


The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.


The forty days may allude to the experience of Moses ( Exod 34:28 ), Elijah ( 1 Kgs 19:8, 15 ), or David and Goliath ( 1 Sam 17:16 ).


The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.


This is a parenthetical comment by the author.


The expression followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.


Capernaum was a town located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry. map For location see Map1-D2 ; Map2-C3 ; Map3-B2 .


The synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41 ). Though its origin is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. (See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2.) First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and its relationship to Old Testament fulfillment.


Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim; he taught with authority . A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.


Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.


The confession of Jesus as the Holy One here is significant, coming from an unclean spirit. Jesus, as the Holy One of God, who bears God’s Spirit and is the expression of holiness, comes to deal with uncleanness and unholiness.


The command Come out of him! is an example of Jesus’ authority (see v. 32 ). Unlike other exorcists, Jesus did not use magical incantations nor did he invoke anyone else’s name.


See the note on synagogue in 1:21 .


Note how the author distinguishes healing from exorcism here, implying that the two are not identical.


Why Jesus would not permit the demons to speak is much discussed. Two possibilities are (1) the mere source of the testimony (demonic) and (2) that the title, with its political implications, may have had elements that Jesus wished to avoid until the full nature of his mission was clarified.


The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what we call leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured ( Lev 13:45-46 ).


Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean ( Lev 14:46 ; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).


The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 1:34; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, 30; and 9:9 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence concerning him and his ministry.


On the phrase bring the offering that Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32 .


Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region. map For location see Map1-D2 ; Map2-C3 ; Map3-B2 .


A house in 1st century Palestine would have had a flat roof with stairs or a ladder going up. This access was often from the outside of the house.


The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.


The passive voice here is a divine passive ( ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.


Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.


Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.


Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof ( so that you may know ) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man ).


The term Son of Man , which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.


Jesus did not finish his sentence with words but with action, that is, healing the paralytic with an accompanying pronouncement to him directly.


The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked.


Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.


The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.


Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.


John refers to John the Baptist.


See the note on Pharisees in 2:16 .


John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly ( Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32 ; Num 29:7-11 ). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.


The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times ( John 3:29 ; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38 ).


The statement the bridegroom will be taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 8:27 ff. (cf. 8:31; 9:31; 10:33 ).


Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins.


The meaning of the saying new wine is poured into new skins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God.


Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.


See 1 Sam 21:1-6 .


See the note on synagogue in 1:21 .


Withered means the man’s hand was shrunken and paralyzed.


The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.


The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).


The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.


These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon , represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions. map For location see Map1-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.


Jesus did not permit the demons to make him known because the time for such disclosure was not yet at hand, and such a revelation would have certainly been misunderstood by the people. In all likelihood, if the people had understood him early on to be the Son of God, or Messiah, they would have reduced his mission to one of political deliverance from Roman oppression (cf. John 6:15 ). Jesus wanted to avoid, as much as possible, any premature misunderstanding about who he was and what he was doing. However, at the end of his ministry, he did not deny such a title when the high priest asked him ( 14:61-62 ).


The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here and Mark 6:30 , Matt 10:2 , and six more times in Luke ( 6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10 ).


In the various lists of the twelve, Simon (that is, Peter) is always mentioned first (see also Matt 10:1-4 ; Luke 6:13-16 ; Acts 1:13 ) and the first four are always the same, though not in the same order after Peter.


Bartholomew (meaning “son of Tolmai” in Aramaic) could be another name for Nathanael mentioned in John 1:45 .


This is the “doubting Thomas” of John 20:24-29 .


There is some debate about what the name Iscariot means. It probably alludes to a region in Judea and thus might make Judas the only non-Galilean in the group. Several explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). For further discussion see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 1:546; also D. A. Carson, John , 304.


Jesus spoke two parables to demonstrate the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. The first parable (vv. 23-26 ) teaches that if Jesus cast out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. The second parable (v. 28 ) about tying up a strong man proves that Jesus does not need to align himself with the devil because Jesus is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation ( 1:12-13 ) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 3:29-30 ). For an explanation of what a parable is, see the note on parables in 4:2 .


The three conditional statements in vv. 24-26 express the logical result of the assumption that Jesus heals by Satan’s power, expressed by the religious leaders. The point is clear: If the leaders are correct, then Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.


The strong man here pictures Satan.


Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10 , although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.


Is guilty of an eternal sin. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this eternal sin . Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning. On this last point see W. W. Wessel, “Mark,” EBC 8:645-46.


Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.


The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3 .


Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. 2:19-22; 3:23-25; 4:3-9, 26-32; 7:15-17; 13:28 ), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.


A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots ( Isa 55:10-11 ). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God (cf. 4:11 ).


The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.


Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.


That is, crowded out the good plants.


A quotation from Isa 6:9-10 . Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.


Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.


The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.


That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.


The lamp is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry.


What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.


Because the harvest has come. This parable is found only in Mark (cf. Matt 13:24-30 ) and presents a complete picture of the coming of God’s kingdom: (1) sowing; (2) growth; (3) harvest. Some understand the parable as a reference to evangelism. While this is certainly involved, it does not seem to be the central idea. In contrast to the parable of the sower which emphasizes the quality of the different soils, this parable emphasizes the power of the seed to cause growth (with the clear implication that the mysterious growth of the kingdom is accomplished by God), apart from human understanding and observation.


Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.


The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.


Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30 . When Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.


Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly ( Who then is this? ). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.


This section in Mark ( 4:35-5:43 ) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.


bo) have “Gergesenes.” Others ( א * B D latt sa) have “Gerasenes,” which is the reading followed in the translation here and in Luke 8:26 . The difference between Matthew and Mark (which is parallel to Luke) may well have to do with uses of variant regional terms. The region of the Gerasenes would be in Gentile territory on the (south)eastern side of the Sea of Galilee across from Galilee. Matthew 8:28 records this miracle as occurring “in the region of the Gadarenes.” “Irrespective of how one settles this issue, for the [second and] Third Evangelist the chief concern is that Jesus has crossed over into Gentile territory, ‘opposite Galilee’” (J. B. Green, Luke [NICNT], 337). The region of Gadara extended to the Sea of Galilee and included the town of Sennabris on the southern shore – the town that the herdsmen most likely entered after the drowning of the pigs.


Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.


Though it seems unusual for a demon to invoke God’s name ( “I implore you by God” ) in his demands of Jesus, the parallel in Matt 8:29 suggests the reason: “Why have you come to torment us before the time?” There was an appointed time in which demons would face their judgment, and they seem to have viewed Jesus’ arrival on the scene as an illegitimate change in God’s plan regarding the time when their sentence would be executed.


This is a parenthetical explanation by the author.


The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.


Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission , since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.


Jesus instructs the man to declare what the Lord has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 1:44; 5:43 ) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock ( Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.


The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.


Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it ( what Jesus had done for him ). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.


This story of the woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years is recounted in the middle of the story about Jairus’ daughter. Mark’s account (as is often the case) is longer and more detailed than the parallel accounts in Matt 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56 . Mark’s fuller account may be intended to show that the healing of the woman was an anticipation of the healing of the little girl.


See the note on synagogue rulers in 5:22 .


This group probably includes outside or even professional mourners, not just family, because a large group seems to be present.


That no one should know about this. See the note on the phrase who he was in 3:12 .


Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.


See the note on synagogue in 1:21 . Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.


The reference to Jesus as the carpenter is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to him as the son of Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2 ; John 6:42; 8:41; 9:29 ).


The phrase unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.


Neither Matt 10:9-10 nor Luke 9:3 allow for a staff. It might be that Matthew and Luke mean not taking an extra staff, or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light,” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.


Jesus telling his disciples to stay there in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.


To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11 ; Acts 13:51; 18:6 . It was a sign of rejection.


Herod was technically not a king , but a tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king. A tetrarch ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. In the NT, Herod, who ruled over Galilee, is called a king ( Matt 14:9 , Mark 6:14-29 ), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.


It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. This was a violation of OT law ( Lev 18:16; 20:21 ). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.


The expression up to half my kingdom is a proverbial comment meaning “great wealth.”


The silver coin referred to here is the denarius. A denarius, inscribed with a picture of Tiberius Caesar, was worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer. Two hundred denarii was thus approximately equal to eight months’ wages. The disciples did not have the resources in their possession to feed the large crowd, so Jesus’ request is his way of causing them to trust him as part of their growth in discipleship.


The statement he wanted to pass by them is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22 ). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.


Gennesaret was a fertile plain south of Capernaum (see also Matt 14:34 ). This name was also sometimes used for the Sea of Galilee ( Luke 5:1 ).


See the note on Pharisees in 2:16 .


Verses 3-4 represent parenthetical remarks by the author, giving background information.


A quotation from Isa 29:13 .


A quotation from Exod 20:12 ; Deut 5:16 .


A quotation from Exod 21:17 ; Lev 20:9 .


Corban is a Hebrew loanword (transliterated in the Greek text and in most modern English translations) referring to something that has been set aside as a gift to be given to God at some later date, but which is still in the possession of the owner (L&N 53.22). According to contemporary Jewish tradition the person who made this claim was absolved from responsibility to support or assist his parents, a clear violation of the Mosaic law to honor one’s parents (v. 10 ).


This is a parenthetical note by the author.


Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.


The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.


After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT) , 267 n. 78.


The author’s parenthetical note gives the meaning of the Aramaic word Ephphatha .


The parallel in Matt 15:32-39 notes that the four thousand were only men, a point not made explicit in Mark.


Mark 8:1-10 . Many commentators, on the basis of similarities between this account of the feeding of the multitude ( 8:1-10 ) and that in 6:30-44 , have argued that there is only one event referred to in both passages. While there are similarities in language and in the response of the disciples, there are also noticeable differences, including the different number present on each occasion (i.e., 5,000 in chap. 6 and 4,000 here). In the final analysis, the fact that Jesus refers to two distinct feedings in 8:18-20 settles the issue; this passage represents another very similar incident to that recorded in 6:30-44 .


The exact location of Dalmanutha is uncertain, but it is somewhere close to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.


What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.


Do you still not understand? The disciples in Mark’s Gospel often misunderstood the miracles of Jesus as well as his teaching. Between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Mark paints the most revealing portrait of the shortcomings of the Twelve (cf. 6:51-52; 7:17-19; 8:1-10, 14-21, 27-30, 33; 9:5, 10, 33; 10:28, 35-45; 14:19, 29-31, 32-37, 50, 66-72 ).


The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11 , Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.


Mark 8:27-10:52 . The entire section 8:27-10:52 is built around three passion predictions of Jesus ( 8:31; 9:31; 10:33 ). These predictions form the structure of the section, the content for the section (Jesus’ suffering, death, and the meaning of genuine discipleship) and the mood of the section (i.e., a somber mood). What is interesting is that after each passion prediction, Mark records both the misunderstanding of the disciples and then Jesus’ teaching on the nature of his death and what genuine discipleship is all about: (1) denying oneself ( 8:34-38 ); (2) humility and serving ( 9:33-37 ); (3) suffering, humble service, and not lording it over people ( 10:35-45 ). For further discussion of the structure of the passage, see W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT) , 292-94.


The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis, since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.


To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14 .


The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.


How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.


Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the kingdom of God come with power : (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to after six days in 9:2 seems to indicate that Mark had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration was a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death ( 8:31; 9:31; 10:33 ), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.


In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven ( 1 Cor 15:42-49 ; 2 Cor 5:1-10 ). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in . So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured , and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).


Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office ( Acts 3:18-22 ) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days ( Mal 4:5-6 ), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).


This is a parenthetical note by the author.


This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.


The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.


The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.


Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.


They will kill him and after three days he will rise. See the note at the end of Mark 8:30 regarding the passion predictions.


Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.


The word translated hell is “Gehenna” ( γέεννα , geenna ), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35 ), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36). This Greek term also occurs in vv. 45, 47 .


) have both readings, “Everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” An early scribe may have written the LXX text of Lev 2:13 (“Every sacrifice offering of yours shall be salted with salt”) in the margin of his ms. At a later stage, copyists would either replace the text with this marginal note or add the note to the text. The longer reading thus seems to be the result of the conflation of the Alexandrian reading “salted with fire” and the Western reading “salted with salt.” The reading adopted by the text enjoys the best support and explains the other readings in the ms tradition. The statement everyone will be salted with fire is difficult to interpret. It may be a reference to (1) unbelievers who enter hell as punishment for rejection of Jesus, indicating that just as salt preserves so they will be preserved in their punishment in hell forever; (2) Christians who experience suffering in this world because of their attachment to Christ; (3) any person who experiences suffering in a way appropriate to their relationship to Jesus. For believers this means the suffering of purification, and for unbelievers it means hell, i.e., eternal torment.


Salt was used as seasoning or fertilizer (BDAG 41 s.v. ἅλας a), or as a preservative. If salt ceased to be useful, it was thrown away. With this illustration Jesus warned about a disciple who ceased to follow him.


The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its saltiness since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens: Under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud ( b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca. a.d. 90), when asked the question “When salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?” is said to have replied, “By salting it with the afterbirth of a mule.” He was then asked, “Then does the mule (being sterile) bear young?” to which he replied: “Can salt lose its flavor?” The point appears to be both are impossible. The saying, while admittedly late, suggests that culturally the loss of flavor by salt was regarded as an impossibility. Genuine salt can never lose its flavor. In this case the saying by Jesus here may be similar to Matt 19:24 , where it is likewise impossible for the camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle.


700 892). Another consideration is the possibility that very early in the transmissional history, scribes naturally inserted the most obvious subject (the Pharisees would be the obvious candidates as the ones to test Jesus). This may account for the reading with δέ , since Mark nowhere else uses this conjunction to introduce the Pharisees into the narrative. As solid as the internal arguments against the longer reading seem to be, the greatest weakness is the witnesses that support it. The Western mss are prone to alter the text by adding, deleting, substituting, or rearranging large amounts of material. There are times when the rationale for this seems inexplicable. In light of the much stronger evidence for “the Pharisees came,” even though it occurs in various permutations, it is probably wisest to retain the words. This judgment, however, is hardly certain. See the note on Pharisees in 2:16 .


A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2 .


A quotation from Gen 2:24 . The “two” refers to husband and wife, not father and mother mentioned in the previous verse. See the tc note on “mother” in v. 7 for discussion.


It was not uncommon in Jesus’ day for a Jewish man to divorce his wife, but it was extremely rare for a wife to initiate such an action against her husband, since among many things it would have probably left her destitute and without financial support. Mark’s inclusion of the statement And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery (v. 12 ) reflects more the problem of the predominantly Gentile church in Rome to which he was writing. As such it may be an interpretive and parenthetical comment by the author rather than part of the saying by Jesus, which would stop at the end of v. 11 . As such it should then be placed in parentheses. Further NT passages that deal with the issue of divorce and remarriage are Matt 5:31-32; 19:1-12 ; Luke 16:18 ; .


The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.


On receive see John 1:12 .


The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.


The rich man wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life , but Jesus had just finished teaching that eternal life was not earned but simply received ( 10:15 ).


Jesus’ response, Why do you call me good? , was designed to cause the young man to stop and think for a moment about who Jesus really was. The following statement No one is good except God alone seems to point the man in the direction of Jesus’ essential nature and the demands which logically follow on the man for having said it.


A quotation from Exod 20:12-16 ; Deut 5:16-20 , except for do not defraud , which is an allusion to Deut 24:14 .


Since my youth. Judaism regarded the age of thirteen as the age when a man would have become responsible to live by God’s commands.


The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven . Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 .


The referent of the eye of a needle is a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was speaking rhetorically to point out that apart from God’s intervention, salvation is impossible (v. 27 ).


The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved ?


Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice has been noticed.


Note that Mark (see also Matt 19:29 ; Luke 10:25, 18:30 ) portrays eternal life as something one receives in the age to come , unlike John, who emphasizes the possibility of receiving eternal life in the present ( John 5:24 ).


No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “ We are able .” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.


After the first passion prediction in 8:31 Jesus rebuked Peter as having been used by Satan. After the second passion prediction in 9:31 the disciples were concerned about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. After the third passion prediction in 10:33 James and John asked for positions of honor and rulership in the kingdom, revealing their complete misunderstanding of the nature of the kingdom and exposing their inadequacy as true disciples of Jesus. Jesus replied that such positions were for those for whom it has been prepared .


The Greek word for ransom ( λύτρον , lutron ) is found here and in Matt 20:28 and refers to the payment of a price in order to purchase the freedom of a slave. The idea of Jesus as the “ransom” is that he paid the price with his own life by standing in humanity’s place as a substitute, enduring the judgment that was deserved for sin.


Jesus was more than a Nazarene to this blind person, who saw quite well that Jesus was Son of David . There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).


Have mercy on me is a request for healing. It is not owed the man. He simply asks for God’s kind grace.


The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.


“Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.


The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.


See Zech 9:9 , a prophecy fulfilled here (cf. Matt 21:5 ; John 12:15 .


A quotation from Ps 118:25-26 .


Mark 11:12 - 14. The incident of the cursing of the fig tree occurs before he enters the temple for a third time ( 11:27 ff) and is questioned at length by the religious leaders ( 11:27-12:40 ). It appears that Mark records the incident as a portent of what is going to happen to the leadership in Jerusalem who were supposed to have borne spiritual fruit but have been found by Messiah at his coming to be barren. The fact that the nation as a whole is indicted is made explicit in chapter 13:1-37 where Jesus speaks of Jerusalem’s destruction and his second coming.


A quotation from Isa 56:7 .


A quotation from Jer 7:11 . The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.


Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“ We do not know ”). The point of Mark 11:27-33 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.


Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.


The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT ( Isa 5:1-7 ). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24 .


The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.


The image of the tenants beating up the owner’s slave pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.


The slaves being sent empty-handed suggests that the vineyard was not producing any fruit – and thus neither was the nation of Israel.


Throwing the heir’s body out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.


The statement that the owner will come and destroy those tenants is a promise of judgment; see Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44 .