1. The original text plainly says, "them."
2. Golgotha is a transliteration of the Hebrew word gulgoleth (גלגלת) (found in Judges 9:53 and 2 Kings 9:35), rather than a translating it into the meaning of the word, which is "skull," as the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible before Jesus’s day does. In these verses, the Septuagint translates it into the Greek equivalent word kranion (κρανίον) (the word from which we get our word cranium). Luke also uses this Greek word kranion, instead of the word Golgotha that Mark and Matthew use, and continues by telling us that it is a translation of the Hebrew word, meaning "skull."
Calvary, on the other hand, comes from the Latin translation of the Greek New Testament, called the Vulgate (a translation from the late fourth century). Calvary is a Latin word that also means "skull."
3. The fact that Simon’s (the man who carried Jesus’ cross) sons names are known may be an indication that he and his household had been saved as a result of this encounter.
4. Matthew says it was "wine mingled with gall." And gall was a substance made from animal bile and was commonly used as an ingredient in medicine. Therefore, Jesus could have refused this because it was unclean according to the law of God (Leviticus 7:21), or it was, as Mark tells us, that it was wine mixed with myrrh; myrrh being used as a painkiller in those days and to some extent even today. With this, the point interesting to make is that Jesus refused this antiseptic because He was taking the full penalty of what we deserve.
Myrrh also is the word we get the name Smyrna from. And it is interesting that the church in Smyrna was told, in Revelation chapter two, "not to lose heart at the tribulation they were going to experience, but that those who were faithful unto the point of death would be given the crown of life (author’s paraphrase)."
5. The Greek word translated "tasted (geuomai, γεύομαι)" in this text also has the meaning of "to come to know something."
Taking into fact that Jesus supernaturally knew certain things, such as exactly how the disciples would find a man carrying a water jug when they went to find the place they were going to celebrate the Passover (Mark 14:13) does not mean that He knew every exact detail of each circumstance surrounding Him, as He does in His pre-incarnate and post-resurrection state.
As for the man carrying the water jug, it could have been an event that the Father had revealed to His son in a vision prior to it happening.
Another possibility is that Jesus knew what it was, but He was, for our sakes, demonstrating that He would not drink it because it was a form of sedative (See endnote 13:4).
6. The Nestle Alan does not have Mark 15:28, which the NKJV records as "So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'And He was numbered with the transgressors.’" But since this is a verse from Isaiah 53:12 that was fulfilled at this point, it is included in this publication as a paraphrase of the NKJV’s text.
7. The four parts were, the outer garment (called a "cloak"), His main piece of clothing (called a "tunic"), His sandals, and His undergarment or underwear.
8. The Greek says, "cast lots." Casting lots was a form of our flipping a coin or drawing straws. And the Greek word actually incorporates the meaning of several broken pieces of stick.
9. The third hour, according to Jewish time reckoning, back then, was equivalent to nine AM or PM. Also, see endnote 7:91 and 12:32.
10. At this point the women mentioned to be at the foot of the cross are Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the wife of Clopas (John 19:25).
Where it gets interesting is when we compare these details in John’s Gospel with the parallel details in Matthew 27:56, and Mark 15:40. In these latter two Gospels the women standing at the foot of the cross are named as Mary Magdalene, Mary, Jesus’ mother (the mother of Jacob and Joseph, Jesus’ brothers), and Salome, the mother of Jacob and John (the disciples that left their fishing career to follow Jesus.
What makes this interesting is because it is what has drawn some to conclude that Jacob and John’s mother was actually the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother and, therefore, Jacob, John, and Jesus were most likely cousins.
11. During these crucifixion accounts it can be hard to keep sorted all the Mary’s that were involved. But there was 1) Mary, the mother of Jesus and His half brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas (Matthew 13:55). 2) Mary Magdalene. And 3) Mary, the wife of Clopas. (This list does not include Jesus' mother's sister, since she is not a Mary (John 19:25).) (Also see endnote 13:10).
12. Or could also be translated as, "blasphemed Him." Also see endnote 4:5, 6:23 and 7:99.
13. This is interesting because it says that:
"In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, and saying ". . . He trusts in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He takes pleasure in Him . . . (Matthew 27:41-44, author’s emphasis)."
This is amazing because these people mocking Him, the chief priest, scribes and elders, were saying words almost identical to what is written in Psalms 22:8 – the very people who were trying to discredit Him as being the Messiah that the Law and the Prophets had prophesied about, fulfilling a prophecy that declared Him to be the Messiah. Talk about irony!
14. He never said, "I am the Son of God." He did, however, say that God was His father (John 5:18), "making equality with God not something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6)."
15. I have heard the resolution to this apparent contradiction to be that both the criminals on the cross were cursing Him at one point and then eventually one repented. However, that simply does not square with reality – it has no sense of truth to me.
I believe the resolution is found in the nature of people giving testimonies. Because in the giving of different testimonies people have different points to emphasize, though all points are true. In this case, Matthew’s point was that even the criminals, those hanging with Him on crosses, were cursing Him. Matthew not even trying to give the exact details involved in this event, but was generalizing, by saying, in effect: ". . . those passing by were cursing Him, the Pharisees and scribes cursing Him, and even the criminals who were with Him were cursing Him."
The eye-witness in reality could have only seen the one cursing Jesus and simply said, "the criminals were cursing Him," not intending to give a specific detail with regards to what which one of them was doing the cursing.
Who knows, maybe this witness wasn’t even there for the rest of this event? Maybe the one criminal may have kept silent, while the first one cursed him; and then this witness left, not knowing what had happened later, when the second criminal rebuked the first. Usually, a person, even though he may have strongly disagreed with the one saying something, if they keep silent, it makes it appear as though they agree with the person talking.
16. Or could also say, "seeing that you are under the same judgment."
17. Some people like to say that Jesus was saying, "Today I assure you, you will be with Me in paradise (meaning that it was that day that He was assuring him, rather than it was that day that he would be in paradise)." This being said by people who teach that you need to be saved by works of the flesh (Galatians 2:16) to get around the fact that this man was saved without being baptized.
However, there are at least two problems with interpreting Jesus' comment in this way to support salvation impossible to obtain without being baptized: One, there is no need for Jesus to tell the man that He was telling him something on that day. For instance, it would be ridiculous for Jesus to inform the man, "Today I am telling you that you will be in paradise." And, two, that does not change the fact that the man died on the cross before he was baptized.
Therefore, it must be that Jesus was informing the man that he would be in paradise on that day with Jesus.
18. The Greek says that it was the sixth hour, which would make it sometime between the fifth and sixth hour – or what is eleven to twelve noon our time. For further explanation on the reckoning of time, see endnote number 7:91.
19. This is an amazing statement because even with a total eclipse of the sun, it is still only a local attraction. But it could be translated as it becoming dark all over the whole "land," meaning the whole land of the area of Israel.
20. With this, the original text says that it was at the ninth hour. Also see endnote 7:91.
21. Here Matthew says Jesus said "Eli, Eli," the Hebrew transliteration of Psalms 22:1, while Mark uses the Aramaic translation "Eloi, Eloi."
Now, obviously, Jesus did not say it both ways. And believe it or not, there is a clue in this area that points to which way Jesus really did say it, because in the Hebrew, Eli literally means "my God," while Elijah (אליהו, pronounced ee li yahoo), means my God, Yahweh (or Jehovah). In other words, to say Eli would be the same as saying Mike rather than Michael.
With this in mind, then, since the soldiers thought Jesus was calling for Elijah, it would only make sense that He had said "Eli" (pronounced eh-lee) rather than the Aramaic "Eloi (pronounced eh-loy)." And this would then be evidence that Matthew is tranliterating, while Mark was translating.
Put another way, all this is probable evidence that Jesus spoke Hebrew.
24. The original language, interesting enough, does not use the two words ego (ἐγώ) and aimi (εἰμι) together, meaning "I AM" but, rather, the one word ego, meaning only "I" or "me." (The word from which we get our English word ego.)
This is interesting because, at times, Jesus did use these two Greek words in combination, and it could be an indication that He was referring to Himself as the "I AM" as in Yahweh. One particular instance is at His arrest when He told the people "I Am" and they fell back (John 18:6).
25. Sour wine, basically, is vinegar. As well, notice that the first time Jesus was offered "wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23)" He refused it (see endnote number 13:20). While this second time, Jesus, when He said He was thirsty, was given sour wine, and He drank it, saying, "it is finished." (Also see Psalms 69:21.)
26. The Nestle Aland 26th edition Greek New Testament does not include the phrase, "Leave Him alone."
27. Remember He did not drink the wine the first time it was offered to Him because it was mixed with Myrrh, a type of sedative. And He hung on the cross from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, and did not drink the "sour wine (vinegar)" until He had said, "it is finished" at three o’clock – because He was paying for our sins.
28. This curtain, aside from being very thick, needed a very extraordinary event to rip it from "top to bottom" – especially since the top was well above ground and at about, at the least, a couple stories.
29. There is a statement in the Bible that "Jesus is the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15). But what does that mean? Well, if you go down a little further, in verse 18, it explains that it means that He is the "firstborn from the dead." In light of this, Colossians 1:15 does NOT say that He was the 1st person created and then He created everything else, as the Kingdom Hall people (erroneously called Jehovah Witnesses) falsely teach.
And notice, these people were not raised until after Jesus’ resurrection, and their resurrection was as a result of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, unlike the prophetic raising of Lazarus, for instance.
30. If you read this verse without the phrase, ". . . He did give up His Spirit," you can see that it changes and/or adds nothing. It is put it into the text here only to make things flow more clearly. And we know it is what did happen, though it is not mentioned in the original text at exactly this place.
31. This is probably referring to the sky becoming dark all over and also Jesus interaction with life while hanging on the cross.
32. This is Mary, the mother of Jesus (see Matthew 13:55). As well, the Greek name translated here as Joseph is, at this spot, Jose, which is a shortened Hebrew form of the Hebrew name Joseph. Jesus also had a brother name Jude (See Jude 1:1).
33. Salome was Zebedee’s wife and therefore the mother of Jesus' disciples John and Jacob. This is known because Matthew 27:55 names the three women who had supported Jesus during His ministry in Galilee as "Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons (not mentioning her name)." While Mark 15:40 (the parallel passage to Matthew 27:55) names these three women as "Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less and Joses, and Salome (not mentioning that she is Zebedee’s wife)." Therefore, when these two verses are spliced together, there is no doubt to the fact that Salome, and the wife of Zebedee, are one and the same person.
34. This phrase, "it being a high Sabbath" is in reference to it being a special Sabbath – the Sabbath of the Passover feast and not the regular weekly Sabbath. Also see endnote 11:4.
35. Why were they going to break Jesus’ legs last? I am not sure, but one possibility is because they, in contempt, wanted to prolong His agony. This is possible because, since Jesus was in the middle (Matthew 27:38), He should have been the second person to have had his legs broken. Another possibility is that one soldier on the left broke that criminals legs and another solder on the right broke the legs of the soldier there, and then one of them went to Jesus last.
36. For fluency, the word "dead" is replaced with the words "this way."
37. John says, ". . . just as it is in the Jewish custom for burial preparation," using the present tense verb "is." This is because this account was written contemporary with these things that had happened. If it had been written at any other time after those days, it would have said, "just like it was in the Jewish custom for burial preparation".
38. The Greek simply says "he." But we know both from the context and also from how difficult it would be to roll a stone of that size by oneself, Nicodemus was with Joseph.
39. This is Jesus’ mother (see Matthew 13:55). Joses is a shortened form of Joseph. In Jewish communities, even today, they shorten Joseph to Jose, or rather Yoseph to Yose (pronounce YO-se).
