1. In the original text this literally reads, ". . . set His face to go to Jerusalem." What is interesting about this is that it is a Hebrew idiom totally foreign to the Greek language. And this is evidence that, at least Luke’s book, is a translation of a Hebrew original. (This idiom can also be found in 2 Kings 12:17, Genesis 31:21, Numbers 24:1, and Daniel 11:17.)
2. The Nestle Alan text does not include the phrase ". . . like Elijah did."
3. This whole thought, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are like. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them." is omitted from the Nestle Aland Greek text. However, it is included in this publication because it is expressed in other places (John 12:47),where it is included in the Nestle Aland Greek text. And it is consistent with what Jesus lived and taught. (The text in this publication is also a paraphrase of the NKJV translation.)
4. In these verses of Luke 9:57-61, the sense of the text has more of the meaning of "traveling on the road" rather than saying, "while going from [somewhere] to [somewhere] such and such happened." And since it is most likely that all three of these men and their interaction with Jesus did not happen as consecutively as it is written; what it appears to be is that Luke was illustrating a point Jesus had made at several times in His journeys. Therefore, the phrase, "Now it had happened at certain times throughout His ministry . . ."is added here.
It seems that Luke had wrote it like this to illustrate a principle that Jesus taught, rather than trying to give an exact narration of the events concerning these particular men. Unlike Matthew who does give a narration surrounding one of these events (8:18-23).
5. Back in the day, Israel believed that the redemptive process was partially achieved by the flesh rotting off of a person’s bones, beginning at the point of death. Believing this to be true, what they would do is place the body in a sarcophagus (a word coming from two Greek words sarx (σὰρξ), meaning "flesh" and phagein (φα γειν), meaning "to eat" – it literally being called a "flesh eating stone.")
And so it was, at the point of burial, the family would go through a time of mourning for one year while the body of the deceased would decompose. Then at the end of that year, to conserve burial space, they would remove the bones from the "flesh eating stone" and would then go and rebury them in a much smaller ceramic or stone box called an "ossuary." It was probably during this mourning process that this man had said to Jesus, "first let me go bury my father." He meant: "let me wait until my year of mourning is over and I can finish the burial process of my father."
6. Matthew, true to his purpose in compiling his gospel he had relocated this from its original narrative context and included it together with a set of Jesus' teachings. Luke, however, had kept it within the context it happened in. Therefore, Luke’s location was used rather than Matthew’s, since the goal of this publication, similar to Luke’s, was to give a chronological account.
7. We know from the context, specifically in Matthew 11:22, that Jesus is talking about the judgment day. (Also see Jude verse six.)
8. For the word that is translated here as "occurred," it is from the Greek word that means "happened," and it could also be understood as ". . . power that had been displayed."
9. The phrase that is translated here as " turn to God away from their sin" is the word for "repent" in the Greek. (For an explanation for how this is a correct interpretation of this word, see endnote 2:2.)
10. The Greek here uses the word-picture "sat in sackcloth and ashes" for the phrase translated in this publication as "mourned over it." It is the reality the phrase "sat in sackcloth and ashes" represents. (That is not meaning to say that they did or did not actually sit in sackcloth and ashes when they mourned.)
12. In God's view some sins are greater than other sins. Willful sin is much worse than sins done in ignorance, according to Luke 12:47-48.
13. This Greek word for "fall (piptow, πίπτω)" is in the aorist, active tense. What makes this interesting is that it means that this is an action that had begun in the past but is still in progress. There was a time when Satan fell from his prominent position in heaven (Ezekiel 28:14-15), but there is also a sense where he still has access to the throne of God (Job 1:6-7), and also a time when he will be completely thrown out of heaven. It is a process that will not be complete until he is finally thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
Therefore, it is possible that what Jesus is saying here is, basically, "yes, I know the demons are subject to you. I was watching as you were casting Satan out of his strongholds."
But we know from Isaiah 14:12 that Satan has "fallen from the sky like lightening," and we also know that Jesus was there to see it (John 8:58). Therefore, this is obviously one of those times Jesus is not "regarding equality with God something to grasp (Philippians 2:6, author's paraphrase)" – He just walked and talked like He is because He is!
Briefly, to give a description of Satan’s current position in life: he was created as a beautiful angelic being (Ezekiel 28:13-15), but then he chose to make an attempt at placing himself above the throne of God (Isaiah 14:12-14). From that point, which was probably at the point he decided to deceive Eve into following him instead of God, Satan lost his prominent position in heaven – he fell from his position of privilege.
Since then, he has been roaming the earth seeking who he can destroy (Job 1:7 and 1 Peter 5:8), but he still has a locus in heaven. If he didn’t, God would probably not have asked him where he had been (as the book of Job informs us) – as if he wasn’t were he usually was or where he is at some times – in heaven. He still has a place in heaven where he can stand in the presence of God and accuse the brethren (Zechariah 3:1 and Revelation 12:10).
Satan has been in this state throughout history. There will be a point, however, when this will end. It is just before the "Great Tribulation (The Great Tribulation being the second half of the 7 years of Jacobs trouble (Daniel 9:27 and Jeremiah 30:7)."
This will happen as follows: Michael the archangel fights with Satan and throws him out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan is angered by this and he begins to pursue Israel, who is given wings to fly to the wilderness to be protected for 3 ½ years (Revelation 12:13). Not being able to get the Jews that will flee to the desert when the man of sin sits in the temple, which is at the mid-point of the 7 years of Jacob’s trouble (Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15 and 29), Satan then goes off to persecute the ekklesia of God (Revelation 24:17).
The way he persecutes Jesus’ ekklesia is by working through the Man of Sin (Revelation 13:2-7) when he begins "the Great Tribulation" that begins in the middle of the seven years of Daniel 9:27. He does this by killing every person who refuses to worship the beast by getting the mark on his forehead or right hand (Revelation 13:17).
At the end of the seven years, Satan is thrown into the bottomless pit to be chained for 1000 years. After the 1000 years (Revelation 20:2), he is released to deceive the nation once more. But he is then soon cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
(Something else that needs to be considered in relation to this is that there are three heavens. The first is where the birds fly, the second is where the sun and the moon reside, and the third is where God exists in all His glory. Therefore, Satan could not have been cast out of the third heaven (where God resides) to then dwell in the 2nd heaven (where the sun and moons resides), as some consider him to be today.)
14. On the surface, when considering the continuity between Matthew and Luke at this point, there seems to be a discrepancy. This seems to be so because Luke puts this right after the event when the seventy disciples Jesus had sent out returned, saying "even the demons are subject to us . . ."and then mentioning how, "at that hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, ‘Father, I thank you . . .’" and so on. Luke uses a very specific term to introduce this prayer of Jesus, saying, "at that exact hour . . ."While Matthew puts it right after the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus asking Him if He was the Messiah or not, Matthew using the less exact phrase "at that time . . ."
Although Luke 10:16-20, which records a somewhat considerable length of time, falls in-between the two verses in Matthew 11:24 and 25, these two gospels do agree in chronology and are arranged accordingly in this publication. Both gospels say that Jesus had said what directly follows the term we are discussing ("at that time") right after He had finished berating Capernaum and Chorazin.
And the reason Matthew uses the more general term ("at that time") was because he did not include the events Luke includes in 10:16-20. Therefore, in Matthew’s account, it was not "at that exact hour (as Luke says)," but it was "around that time (as Matthew does say)." And since Luke does include the actions he describes in verses 16-20 (which fell in between Matthew chapter eleven verses 24 and 25), he uses the more specific term, "at that exact hour."
It is complicated, but what it comes down to is this: Matthew describes the same event Luke does, but he leaves out some points so that he can only focus on certain aspects of the several events that happened at this particular time. Luke uses some of the same events Matthew does, and also leaves some out, as well as including points Matthew leaves out. And that is what creates the slight difference in the phrase we are scrutinizing.
But to really see all this, you need to follow each individual book for yourself and compare the similarities and differences between the two, and how they compare to this book.
15. The expression the man makes here could have been with Leviticus 19:18 in mind, which says, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people [Israel] , but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord (author’s emphasis)."
But even though this man’s view – if that was the reason for the view he had – can be "backed up" with scripture, Luke continues by pointing out that the man did not hold to this viewpoint because it is something these verses in Leviticus teach. He held to the viewpoint he had because what he really wanted to do was "justify himself." (You can still see this same technique used today among professing believers when they use scripture to justify what they want to believe, rather than letting scripture teach them what it means.)
Leviticus 19:18 is not teaching that it is only neighbors – as long as they are Jews – that we shall not "take vengeance, nor bear any grudge" against, but that this is something we should not do to any people. It just so happens that they live (as they did at that time) separate from other nations. And that is why it is worded as "love your neighbor."
This brings up a very common – even today – method of interpreting scripture, where a person looks for the "loop-holes" to make the Word say something they do not have to be accountable to, rather than accept what it does say at face value.
For instance, when Scripture says to love your neighbor, don’t go and try to find out what people are not specifically mentioned in the passage – so that one does not have to love them. Love those who interact within your life. Love your neighbor, Jew or Gentile!
16. The Greek has the word denarii, which was a Roman coin equivalent to a day’s wages. It this passage it is 2 denarii and, therefore, two days wages.
17. The Greek says only "He said," rather than "the man said."
18. The words ". . . with the disciples" was added here only because it is most likely that He was teaching others as well, and not only Miriam. Miriam just happens to be the one singled out.
19. Or rather: "And it had happened. . . ."
20. ". . . Your rule become more and more a reality in our lives" is an expanded translation of, ". . . Your kingdom come," as it is read in the Greek. Also, the word "become" is in the aorist, active, imperative tense.
21. The New King James Translation also has the phrase ". . . but deliver us from the evil one."
22. In the original language, it simply says, "Which one of you. . . ."But in English the question seems to be better phrased as "Suppose. . . ."
23. The Greek literally reads, ". . . and the children are in bed with me."
24. In this account, Luke says, ". . . give the Holy Spirit . . ."while Matthew says, ". . . give good to those who ask Him."
25. The Greek word anaginosko (ἀναγινώσκω) translated here as "remember" literally means "to know again." It is commonly translated as "to have read" in most translations.
Now since the Pharisees were traditionally understood to have been required to memorize the Torah as a prerequisite to becoming a Pharisee, it makes more sense that Jesus would have said, in essence, "don’t you remember the passage – which you have no doubt read – that says. . . ."
26. The reason God gave this command through Moses was because the people, because of their hardness of hearts, were going to get divorces anyway. Therefore, God said, in essence, "since you are going to do it anyway, this is how you are to do it." Moses was certainly not commanding the people to get divorced.
27. This Greek word here is usually translated as "commits adultery." At times it is also translated as "in adultery," comes from the Greek root word moixaw (μοιχάω). It is in the present, indicative verb tense form (moixatai, (μοιχᾶᾶαι). This is significant because, being in this verb form, it can also be translated as, "is presently committing adultery." (Also see endnote 3:2.)
30. Also, see Mark 7:4 and endnote 2:54.
31. Notice, Jesus does not say to NOT give tithes. In fact, He says just the opposite – that they should. It appears, then, that He is arguing the same thing the Apostle Paul had later argued, when he explains that it is not obedience to the law that is bad. It is the motives, reasons, pretenses, or condition of the heart of the person who is obeying the law that could be bad. For if a person is obeying the law to obtain and show forth his own supposed righteousness, while still being wicked in his personal life, or within the contemplation’s of his heart – that is bad. Even relying on our own righteousness (if we even really have any) is bad.
With this in mind, consider the following verses:
"Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law (Romans 3:31)."
32. In those days, as we can see from archaeological findings, there was a method of burying people in tombs that were dug down in the ground with a stone slab covering over the hole (see endnote 8:36); after which, and some years later, these tombs would then become unrecognizable and would consequently be walked over.
There is also the possibility that since tombs were also dug out of the side of hills, or were just bodies placed in caves in the side of a hill, a person could walk over these cave without even knowing that it was a tomb.
33. ". . . ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of them they will kill and others they will persecute,’"
This, as far as I have come to know, was not a verse in any of the books in the Law and the Prophets but was, rather, something understood throughout them.
34. This is translated as ". . . against this type of generation" because we know from Acts 21:20 that "tens of thousands" of Jews from that generation had become believers. Along with that, this expression is found in the Torah and the Prophets as a way to identify the people of Israel who were of a wicked sort. It calls them "a generation (Psalms 24:6, 49:19, 112:2)."
35. The following italicized portion ". . . so that they could incriminate Him" is not found in the Nestle Aland Greek text (The Greek text compiled and used by the New International and New American Standard versions of The Gospels and The Epistles). It is in the Textus Receptus Greek text (the Greek text the King James and the New King James versions use.) (This phrase is also a paraphrase of the phrase as it is found in New King James Version of the Bible.)
38. Beelzebub was originally the god of Ekron, who was worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16). And it originally might have meant, "lord of the lofty abode." Later, however, to the Jews it began to mean, "lord of the flies." And it became a name to identify Satan. See endnote 4:4.
39. This Greek word used here is "cubit." A cubit is a length of measurement that had been standardized by taking the average length of a person’s forearm.
40. This word that is translated here as "pagans" is literally the word nations. Nations is the actual meaning of the word "gentiles," which was, according to the Jews, synonymous to pagans.
A common belief in those days was that you had to be Jewish to be saved, and that everyone else was considered a pagan. This is the whole issue behind the Judaizers in the book of Acts, when they were saying, "you cannot be saved unless you get circumcised (Acts 15:1)." It is not to say that circumcision is either good or bad. It is just to point out that no one can be saved by this or any other work. You do not have to become a Jew, culturally, to be a genuine believer who has placed his faith in the Jewish Messiah.
41. Matthew 6:25-34 is identical to Luke 12:22-34. And since Luke’s portion fits well in the narrative, and given Matthew's record of so called "mis-chronology (see preface)," Matthew's portion has been relocated to be here with Luke’s. To find where Matthew 6:24 is, you can use the individual Gospel Indexes that are included with this publication or you can follow the superscript in the text just prior to M 6:25-34.
42. Here it seems that what Jesus is basically saying is: "Look, I came to do away with wickedness, and oh how I wish it were already done away with (speaking of the time when He will come and judge the earth in wrath, purifying it from all wickedness). "But," He says, "I must be crucified first. Also, do not think I came to say everything is ok – just keep living life as usual. No, I came to separate sin from people. And if relationships are sacrificed because of this pre-purification from sin, then so be it. The execution of sin is more important than loyalty to any man – be it a friend or even foe."
At the same time, obviously, Jesus does not desire there to be division between anybody, but if it is necessary to be faithful to Him, than that is how it needs to be. But the fault remains on the person who is in-submissive to the things of God and not the one who is striving to be faithful to Him.
44. So far there has never been any extra-biblical writing found that records this event. However, it is very consistent with some of the accounts that are written of the few atrocities Pilate had committed. Just because all the murders he did commit are not all recorded, that does not indicate, by any means, that the one most reliable historical document we do have – the Bible – is not accurate.
46. "Hypocrite" actually means the same as "two-faced."
47. This same parable is also found in Matthew 13:31-33 and Mark 4:30-32, which is in chapter four of this book.
It is more likely that Jesus had said certain things more than once throughout His ministry, especially given the importance of His message, and that it was over a somewhat long period of time (2 or 3 years). And since Mark and Luke were both concerned in giving an accurate chronology of Jesus’ life and ministry, it is placed in both locations that they have placed these things Jesus had said. Matthew’s, however, was relocated. This is discussed more fully in the preface.
49. The Greek word translated "unrighteousness" in this verse can also mean "injustice."
51. Or, "In that hour . . ."as it says it in the Greek.
52. This is an important point to take note of because it gives us a definition of how the people of that culture understood the term "third day." Jesus defines it for us as, ". . . this day, the next and then the third day (this is in reference to whether that culture counted days inclusively or exclusively)."
However, Jesus did also say that He would be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights, giving us an unquestionable duration of time (Deuteronomy 18:20-22) that He was going to be "in the belly of the earth (Matthew 12:40)." The three days and three nights, however, do not fit into the third day as it is defined above, being that the third day would be three days and two nights.
Nevertheless, all this is taken into account in the endnotes for the actual crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, as it is given in a couple endnotes at the end of this book, when we will deal with the crucifixion and resurrection. It all does work out without error. And very beautifully, I might add. The Holy Spirit has given us every detail we need – though not without some mental toil – to accurately understand the events as they had actually happened. (Also see endnote 14:1.)
53. The "house" being referred to here is the "House of the Lord," otherwise known as "the temple." But the Jews did not call it a temple. A temple was where an idol was kept; but the "House of the Lord" is where the God of Glory dwelt to meet with His people – Israel (Ps 116:19, Jeremiah 7:2, 36:6, 8, 10, Ezekiel 8:14, 16 and Zechariah 14:20 to name a few. Also see Exodus 25:8 and 21-22). He had given them this house, but now He says that because they had treated it as a temple, their house was going to be left desolate.
That does not make the Gentiles any better. Jews and Gentiles are all under the same curse (Romans 3:9) until they are delivered through the blood of the sacrificed Lamb of God – the Jewish Messiah, Jesus.
54. Dropsy really means to be full of water. But in actuality, dropsy is only a symptom of a disease coming from one of the following organs: the heart, liver, or kidneys.
55. Some translations say, ". . . Pharisees and Lawyers." However, a lawyer in those days and in that culture was someone trained in the laws of Yahweh. They were not a lawyer as we would think of them today – a lawyer of the laws of the state.
56. The Greek only says him and not "the man."
57. Notice how He only rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees. He does not even waste His time with the liberal Scripture-mocking Sadducees (See Matthew 22:23 and following, along with Hebrews 12:6).
58. The Greek for what is translated in this publication as, "If that happensnbsp;. . ." is actually only the word "Thennbsp;. . ."
59. The Greek says "them" and not ". . . the people there."
60. This is a parallel saying of Jesus that is also found in Matthew 5:13 (3:91 in this publication). However, there are some distinct differences that demand its placement in both locations. The most obvious difference is in what Jesus finishes the statement off with. In Matthew 5:13 Jesus says it is no good except to be thrown out onto the street to be trampled by men, while Luke 14:35 ends it by saying, essentially, that it is not even good enough to be used for either soil or the manure pile. (Also see endnote 3:45.)
61. Even today eating is the most intimate social setting shared among people. It is something we only do with people we accept as friends.
62. The single word translated here as "had been on his way to being destroyed" is the word apololos (ἀπολωλός). It literally translates into the words, "to destroy." In this case, it is in the perfect, active tense, making it more a picture of action rather than a static state of having already happened. (This word is also commonly translated as "lost.")
In Genesis, we can read how Adam was told that when he did eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – that "he would surly die." Well, in the Hebrew, it actually reads, "dying you shall die." What this does is it gives us a picture of how our bodies, since the day we are born, only have a limited potential of life (in Adam’s case it started once he fell) until finally, after some years, we will be completely dead physically. (They say that if a person never develops a disease such as cancer or heart disease, he can only live up to so many times of our cells dividing (which would be approximately 120 years at this point in history, considering that people used to live longer in much earlier history).) The Second Law of Thermodynamics was still a physical part of creation, but Adam had the tree of life to eat from – God’s provision of sustaining continuous physical life (Genesis 3:22).
Well, spiritually, it is the same way. As we sin, we are dying bit by bit, being destroyed by the sin we live out, until, eventually, if we do not repent and believe in Jesus’ forgiveness through His death, burial, and resurrection, we will end up in total destruction – in hell for eternity – where our spirit never stops existing.
(The Second Law of Thermodynamics states, basically, that everything, given to chance, goes from a higher form to a lesser form of energy. Only by intelligent intervention can anything go from a lesser form to a more complex form of matter. And the tree of life, being created by an intelligent being, would constitute "intelligent intervention.")
63. For the phrase translated here as, "turn from their sin" see endnote 2:2.
65. The Greek simply says, ". . . and there he wasted his property dissolutely."
66. This measurement, in the Greek, is the word batous (βάτους) and it is equivalent to about 8 or 9 gallons, which would be about 4.5 pecks.
67. This measurement, in the Greek, is the word kopous (κκρους) and it is equivalent to about 15 bushels.
68. What this means is, instead of focusing on your money for serving yourself and obtaining your own pleasure, use the things God had blessed you with for advancing the Kingdom of Heaven.
If that is what you do, than those who are influenced by your use of your riches, "they will receive you into an everlasting home." (The "they" probably referring to all those who are in the Kingdom of Heaven as a result of your kindness.)
70. The Greek word kepaian (κεραίαα), used here for the words "least stroke of a pen," is literally translated as "a little horn." It refers to the little decorative pen stokes that are added to the serif-style letters, such as you see in the popular Times New Roman fonts. They are the little lines added at the top and bottom of the letter l for example.
71. The word used here for "commits adultery" is in the present, active tense. See Mark 6:17-18 also where it describes how John the Baptist had rebuked king Herod for him "marrying his brother Philip’s wife."
72. The Greek word alla (ἀλλὰ) being used here – which is translated in this publication as "If that wasn’t enough" – also means "besides that." However, context always defines and refines the meaning of a particular word, but only as long as it is in keeping with its root-word sense of definition.
73. The Greek word translated here as, "Abraham’s chest" is actually the word commonly translated as "bosom." It was a colloquialism, in that day, for the favored spot at the table – the spot right in front of the host.
To illustrate, in those days when they would recline at the table to eat, they would literally lean back onto one elbow with their feet behind them. And if they were all leaning on their left elbows, their right hand free to eat with, the prominent place would be the one who would be reclining in front of the host – in other words, in the area of his chest or bosom.
74. This Greek word that is translated as "in the underworld" is actually from the Hebrew word Hades, which literally means "the underworld." This is an understanding that had come about because when people die they had to go somewhere. Consequently, it appears that the survivors had come up with this term, the underworld, as their best description for where a person goes when he does die. See endnote 5:50.
77. It is commonly proclaimed that this parable may actually not be a parable at all but a true description of an actual event. This is said because this is the only parable where Jesus actually gives a person’s name – Lazarus. But just because He uses a specific name, that does not guarantee that an actual event was His motive for using that name.
To know whether it is a real event or a parable, there are three things we need to consider. One: the content of the passage in discussion. Two: the immediate context surrounding the passage. And three: the particular people involved in the narration surrounding the telling of the parable.
First, let’s look at some of the content in this passage. First, it says that Lazarus was leaning in Abraham’s bosom. In other words, he was reclining in the prominent place at a dinner table with Abraham – reclining in the place that is in the area of Abraham’s bosom (See endnote 7:73).
This, however, brings up several problems. The first problem is, is Lazarus reclining in Abraham’s bosom for all eternity? That does not seem likely! Or, why was Lazarus in that position, but not anyone else? Do we all take turns? Or is it that, when each person dies, we will all first go to sit with Abraham for a short while and then later go somewhere else? Well, obviously, each one of us do not all sit in Abraham's bosom for all eternity!
Therefore, with this ridiculous scenario, once the thought if followed through, it seems that this story is not factual at all, but a picture, or a parable. But if this truly is the case, why would Jesus use a specific name? And there is an answer.
We will answer that question, but first let’s look at the surrounding context. In the book of Luke, where this passage is found, if we go to the events just prior to Jesus giving this parable, we see that He had "determined to head for the cross (Luke 9:51, author’s paraphrase)" and then immediately begins to prophesy privately to His disciples about how He was going to be crucified and raised from the dead three days later. Something the disciples could not comprehend at the time (Luke 9:44-45 and Mark 9:31-32).
Around this same time, the Pharisees were really beginning to heat up, and so they started trying to find fault with Jesus. They said, "just show us a sign from heaven, and then we will believe you (Matthew 12:38-39)."
Next, we see that Jesus is invited to a Pharisee's house to eat, where the guests were taking the best seats. In response to this, Jesus begins to tell them a hand-full of parables, describing the Pharisees and how they are not – if they continue as they were – going to get into heaven (Luke 14:7-24). All these parable ending with the parable we are now talking about in this endnote.
This parable was very incriminating to the religious leaders. For, in a lot of ways, the Pharisees were rich, having a lot of money, position, power, and prestige – just like the rich man in the parable.
Where things really begin to come together is when, while this parable is still burning in the hearts of the religious leaders, Jesus goes to Bethany and raises Lazarus from the dead. This is interesting because this is the name He uses in the parable. He even says, just after that, when the unnamed rich man asked for Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, to send someone to warn his brothers, to keep them from going to hell, Jesus replied, "they have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them. For if they do not believe them, they will not believe even if someone were to rise from the dead."
Therefore, from all this, it seems that what Jesus was doing was prophesying that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead to give the Pharisees a loud-and-clear reminder of the hardness of their own hearts – the Pharisees who had treated the "non-clergy" with contempt, just like the rich man did to Lazarus. And you know they had to have remembered this parable when they were "trying to kill Lazarus (John 12:10)." Therefore, Lazarus is Lazarus and the rich man and his brothers are the Pharisees who would not believe, even if they were to see someone raised from the dead – Lazarus.
78. The original text is properly translated as "the kingdom of God is in you." But that can be a little misleading. For we know that it cannot be talking about being "born again." This is known by the fact that most of the people He was talking to were definitely not people of faith.
There are, however, two other possibilities. Either He is talking about Himself being among them, since He is the King of the Kingdom, or it is with how the Jews were expecting the Messiah to come and conquer the Romans and establish the Kingdom of Israel in a worldly, political way.
However, what is being communicated here is: Jesus is telling them, in other words, "look, you are misunderstanding the whole thing. I am not coming to necessarily set up a worldly kingdom. The kingdom I desire is a righteous kingdom, a kingdom starting from the inside out. If you have your hearts circumcised (Deuteronomy 10:16, 10:36, and Jeremiah 4:4), and righteousness is established from within you – no longer as white washed tombs (Matthew 23:27) – then the kingdom of God has come." The kingdom of God is obedience to the King and His will for our lives. This is what was among them and is among us.
79. The ". . . day of the Son of Man" is "the Day of the Lord." See endnote 10:21.
81. In the days of that culture, a porch was on the top of most houses and they had a stairway either going down into the house from the outside, inside or both.
82. When the immediate context is taken into account we see that Jesus is comparing what He wants to tell them with Noah and his family and how, as soon as they had stepped into the ark and the door was shut, God’s wrath began to pour down onto the earth (Luke 17:26-30, author’s paraphrase and emphasis). "In the same way," Jesus says, "in the last days, one will be received to be with the Son of Man – step into the safety of the ark – and the other one left to suffer His wrath (author’s paraphrase and emphasis)."
84. The NKJV includes Luke 17:36, which reads, "Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." But the Nestle Alan Greek text does not include this verse. It is, however, in Matthew 24:40.
85. The phrase, "All this, just like it was in the days of Noah" is added here to draw our attention back to what Jesus had just said to introduce what he had finished describing here (that "it will be just like the day of Noah, where they were marrying and being given in marriage) – that once the door to the ark was shut, God’s wrath began (Genesis 7:13-17). This is done to keep our minds focused on the context so that we can understand, without any unnecessary hindrance, what is being taught.
86. This is a word picture Jesus used to illustrate what He wanted them to understand, by using something they were all familiar with. And that is this: When they saw a large group of vultures or eagles (scavenger birds), they could be sure that they were gathered around a dead body.
In other words, He says, "when you see all these things I have just finished describing to you – that is where it is." Or, as it can also be stated, "you do not need to be told where it is because when it comes, it will be just like the lightning that is seen in the sky. Every eye will see it (Matthew 24:27 and Revelation 1:7)!
87. The Greek says, ". . . in that city."
88. The Greek literally reads, "strike under the eye."
89. This is a rhetorical question, such as asking, "Are you going to do it?" It is a type of encouragement.
90. Here, Matthew says, "kingdom of heaven," while Mark and Luke say, "kingdom of God." In combining all three of them, it is stated as, "God’s kingdom of heaven." (Also see endnote 3:9.)
91. This is interesting. The text says that once the man said that he had obeyed all these commandment since childhood, Jesus looked at him and loved him. This I believe is because Jesus loves us obeying His commandments (Matthew 28:20, John 14:20). For doesn’t it say that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15)?
92. The "Ten Commandments" in summary are (1) Have no other gods. (2) Make no carved images to bow down to. (3) Do not use Yahweh’s name in vain. (4) Keep the Sabbath. (5) Honor your parents. (6) Do not murder. (7) Do not commit adultery. (8) Do not steal. (9) Do not pass on false testimony. And (10) Do not covet the things of your neighbors. The first four telling us how we are to conduct ourselves towards God, and the last six on how we are to conduct ourselves towards one another.
Jesus only directly mentions the last six concerning how we are to be towards each other, possibly paraphrasing the "Do not covet" one, with the words "Love your neighbor as yourself."
That certainly, however, does not mean that we are NOT to do the first four. In fact those are the foundation and the most important. And the fact is, Jesus is paraphrasing the first four of the Ten Commandments when He told this man to "give all your stuff away and follow Me (author’s paraphrase)."
Jesus is obviously "not regarding equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6)"
Aside from this, there is a teaching that says every one of the Ten Commandments – except keeping the Sabbath – is still effective in the "New Testament" and, therefore, we do not need to keep the Sabbath anymore. They say that through Jesus’ demonstration, the Sabbath has been done away with. However, "do not use Yahweh’s name in vain" is not stated in the "New Testament" either. But we are certainly not going to start doing that, are we?
If we were to draw a parallel between Jesus’ attitude towards the Sabbath, we can see that He had stated how He was the Lord of the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was not lord over Him (Mark 2:28). Well, similarly, Jesus can equate Himself with God without blaspheming, as we see when the Pharisees took up stones to stone Him for what they thought was blasphemy (John 10:30-33). But that does not make it ok for us to begin to blaspheme the Lord or use His name in vain.
Therefore, you judge. Should we break the Sabbath?
93. "Who is it then that can be saved?" By saying this, they are demonstrating that they still think that people are suppose to – through their own efforts – save themselves. And that is why Jesus, right after that, says, "with man this is impossible! But not with God. With God all things are possible."
94. In the Hebrew culture back then, they counted the hours of the day into two twelve-hour segments. The first segment is from six AM to six PM, and the second is from six PM to six AM. In other words, to them, six AM was the first hour, seven was the second, and so on. And when they say – as it is in this text – the third hour, it is referring to nine o’clock. The context will have to indicate which nine o’clock it is, whether it is nine AM or PM.
95. The Greek says, "I will pay you what is right." And what is right would seem to have been governed according to the standard set at the time, which would be the going wage. That is why our colloquialism "the going wage" is used here.
96. A "denarius" back then was the going wage for a day. It was equivalent to one day’s wage.
98. There is no English colloquialism I know of that says it better than: "is your eye evil." But you can probably kind of compare it to saying, "are you seeing red (as in anger)."
99. The phrases, "In this same way," and "Jesus said . . ."are added because it is implied in the text.
100. Around 500 BC, as it is recorded in the apocryphal books of first and second Maccabees, the Jews revolted against the oppression of the pagan government that had control of Jerusalem at the time. And as tradition tells us, during this siege, to aid the Jews in winning this war, God miraculously had the oil for their lamps burn eight days longer than they had supply for. (They really only had enough for about one day.) And it was because of this miracle (this miracle, however, not being recorded in the books of Maccabees) that we are told that Jerusalem came back into Jewish control.
Though it is not Biblically ordained, the Jews have made a holiday of this event – an event that enabled them to rededicate the Temple after years of Gentile abuse. And they call this holiday "the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22)."
Now, with the Hebrew word for "dedication" being "Chanukah," the Hebrew word is used, rather than the English, to translate this Greek word. This is done to bring out that is was in fact Chanukah that was being celebrated so that it could be explained (thus this endnote) how interesting it is that though it was not a biblically assigned holiday, Jesus still went up to Jerusalem to celebrate it.
101. From the writings of Josephus (a Jewish historian around the time of Jesus) we are given the description of Solomon’s porch as a roof with forty rows of supporting columns. This is even somewhat seen in the archaeological excavations being done today at the Temple mount in Jerusalem.
102. Here, Jesus out and outright claims equality with the Almighty God. And that is why, just after this, "the Jews took up stones to stone him. This was the law for blasphemy. Or what they considered to be blasphemy. For it is not blasphemy for Jesus to accept equality with God. He is equal to the Father and so, therefore, it is not blasphemy for Him to say that He is (John 14:11).
To prove Jesus was accepting equality with God (Yahweh) at this point, look at Isaiah 54:10, where it – Yhvh speaking – says, "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken."
For if you think about it, this is exactly what Jesus said, when He said, "heaven and earth may pass away, but My words (this includes the Torah and the Prophets) will never pass away."
If you have any doubts that Jesus is God, consider this verse: "For your husband [Israel being called, by God, His wife] whose name is the LORD [Yhvh] of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth (author’s emphasis)." Israel’s Redeemer is Jesus the Messiah.
103. The Greek word translated as "slander" is the word "blasphemy." The word "blasphemy," however, is only the English transliteration of the Greek word blasphemeo (βλασφημεω). However, in all actuality it means and is translated into English as "slander." However, when we compare this Greek word to the Hebrew word that is sometimes translated as blasphemy (הצאן, Strong’s number 5007), we see that this word also has the meaning of "contempt" and "provocation."
