Jesus's Death and Burial

Continuing a Bible study of the gospels:

(Matthew 27:33) And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

In the last post, Jesus had begun His journey to His crucifixion site, with Simon, a man of Cyrene, carrying His cross.  They came to a place called Golgotha, which literally meant "skull."  It is believed that it was a place of unburied skulls and bones of criminals.  

(34) They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall; and when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

They gave Jesus a sour wine mixed with something bitter, and He tasted it, but then would not drink it.  By tasting it, it seems He would have drunk it if it was good to ease thirst.  The account in Mark said they offered Him wine mingled with myrrh, which would have been bitter, too.  The significance of that is that wine mixed with myrrh was given to prisoners to intoxicate them to make them less sensible to pain.  Jesus apparently refused anything to dull His senses and thus the pain, preferring to drink the "cup" His Father gave Him.

(35) And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, "They parted My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

The Roman soldiers then crucified Christ, meaning they went through the actions of nailing Him to the cross and lifting it up and fixing it into the earth.  They had stripped Him of His garments before nailing Him to the cross, and then cast lots, sort of like throwing dice, to divide His clothing among them.  This fulfilled a prophecy of David in Psalms 22:18, "They part My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing."

(36) And sitting down, they watched Him there.

The soldiers then sat down and watched Jesus on the cross, probably making sure no one attempted to take Him down.

(37) And set over His head His accusation written, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

The soldiers set above His head a sign that labeled His crime, as was customary, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."  Matthew made it known that this was the accusation against Him, not that He was guilty of that crime.

(38) Then there were two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

The Roman soldiers also crucified two thieves, placing one on His right side, and one on His left.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that according to one of their canons, this was not done, "They do not judge two in one day," unless they were partners in the same crime and suffered the same death.  However, this was done to fulfill prophecy in Isaiah 53:12, "...He was numbered with the transgressors..."  This could have been done by Pilate and the soldiers to take the emphasis off Jesus, and the fact Pilate may have condemned an innocent man.  It could have been He was placed between two thieves for appearance's sake, to make Jesus look like a ringleader of malefactors.

(39) And they who passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads.

Those who passed by the cross spoke abusively about Jesus and shook their heads in contempt.

(40) And saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself.  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

The passersby ridiculed Jesus saying that if He could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, then He could certainly save Himself and come down from that cross.  Jesus never actually said that He could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days; He was talking about His body.  Additionally, He was the Son of God and could have saved Himself, but it was not in God's plan to do so.

(41) Likewise also the chief priests, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, (42) "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him."

The chief priests, scribes, and elders, also mocked Jesus, saying He had saved others, but He couldn't even save Himself!  They actually said that if He was truly the King of Israel, then He should come down off that cross, and then they would believe Him!  As if they had not seen miracles enough!  They didn't want to believe Him; He was a threat to them, and they wanted Him gone.  Even if He had, they would have said it was by Satan that He did it, as they had accused before.  Besides, once again, it was not in God's plan for Him to do so.

(43) "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him, for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

They continued mocking, saying if He was truly the Son of God, then let God deliver Him, if He would have Him.  Such utter disdain for the One who was allowing all these things to save the likes of them, if they would have Him!

(44) The thieves also who were crucified with Him reviled Him in the same way.

The thieves on the crosses with Him also reviled Him in the same way, at least in the beginning, they might both have; but the account in Luke states that one of the thieves, probably after witnessing Jesus's patient suffering, reproved the other thief and repented.  It could also be that in Mattew's usual form of brevity, he used what is called a synecdoche, a figure of speech in which a part is used for a whole; at least one of the thieves did revile Him, and Matthew just lumped both thieves together to say they also reviled Him.

(45) Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour.

As the Jews began counting their day at sunrise, the sixth to the ninth hour would have been from noon to 3:00 in the afternoon.  This could not have been a natural eclipse, for it was the time of the full moon, and it continued for three straight hours.  Whether this was a sign of God's abhorrence of the wickedness taking place, or a symbol of the whole darkness of the world descending upon Christ, you would think it would have those who mocked Jesus falling on their faces before Him.  The event was recorded by even Pagan historians.  Phlegon, a Roman astronomer, said, "...the greatest eclipse of the sun that was ever known happened then, for the day was so turned into night that the stars appeared."  Dr. John Gill wrote, "It is asserted by Suidas, that Dionysius the Areopagite, then an Heathen, saw it in Egypt; and said, 'Either the, divine being suffers, or suffers with him that suffers, or the frame of the world is dissolving.'"

(46) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" That is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

About 3:00 in the afternoon, after three hours of darkness, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  We know that God did not completely forsake or abandon Christ, but He did for a time leave the human temple of Jesus who had taken upon Himself the whole sin of the world; He was made a curse (Galatians 3:13); He was made to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21); He was for a time a cursed thing, sin that the holy God could not bear in His presence.  The cry of Jesus was prophesied by David in Psalm 22:1, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?..."

(47) Some of them who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man calls for Elijah!"

It may be that some truly misunderstood Jesus's words, and thought He was calling for Elijah.  The people long expected Elijah to be a forerunner of their anticipated Messiah.  Malachi 4:5 prophesied that, and in Matthew 17:12, Jesus said that Elijah had already come in the form of John the Baptist.  It could also be that some purposely twisted the words of Jesus as a taunt to say that He was calling for Elijah because neither He Himself nor God could help Him.

(48) And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink.

This seems to be the action of someone who was not deriding Jesus, but actually sought to help Him.  This vinegar was a sour wine and the usual drink of the Roman soldiers.  The account in John states that Jesus Himself had said He was thirsty and someone gave Him the wine which He received.

(49) The rest said, "Let Him be; let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him."

It appears the rest of them standing before Christ would deny Him a drink in order to deride Him further, pretending to see if Elijah would indeed come and save Him.

(50) Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit.

Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, demonstrating He was still very much alive.  However, when He was ready, He Himself let His spirit go and He died.  In John 10:18, Jesus said that no man could take His life from Him, but He would lay it down Himself; He had the power to lay it down, and He had the power to take it up again.  Jesus, the Author of life, died by a voluntary act of His own.

(51) And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks split.

Immediately after Jesus died, the veil of the temple, which separated the holy place from the holiest of all, was torn in two from top to bottom.  This must have been an awesome sight!  This was no thin curtain that separated the holiest of all from the people.  It is written that, "the thickness of the vail is an hand's breadth, and it is woven of seventy two threads, and every thread has twenty four threads in it: it is forty cubits long, and twenty broad, and is made of eighty two myriads..."  As terrifying a sight as it may have been, it actually represented something very beautiful.  In Jesus's act of dying for our salvation, the veil between God and common sinful man was torn in two, and man was then allowed to come to God.  As the veil was torn in two, the earth quaked and rocks were split apart.  Apparently, rocks are still seen torn asunder at Mount Calvary today.

(52) And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who slept arose.

That was probably the purpose of the earth shaking and rocks splitting, to open the graves of the saints, holy men who had believed in Christ.

(53) And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared to many.

The tombs and sepulchres were opened when Jesus died, but the saints didn't come out of the graves until after His resurrection, demonstrating that Christ had conquered death and would raise all saints.  Those bodies went into Jerusalem and appeared to many in the city, proving the resurrection of bodies after death.

(54) Now when the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

When the centurion, the commander of the Roman soldiers, and those who were with him watching Jesus, witnessed the earthquake, the splitting apart of the rocks, and the opening of the graves of the saints, not to mention the darkening of the sun that had occurred prior to the earthquake, they feared greatly.  They had reason to be very afraid as they realized they had just crucified the Son of God!

(55) And many women were there looking from afar, who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.

Jesus's very own disciples had scattered, but there were women who had been followers of Jesus and had ministered to Him, who had been at Jesus's crucifixion, watching from a distance.  As a side note, this has been used to prove the truth about Jesus Christ and the Bible.  What men, who were fabricating a story, would admit they were afraid and ran, while the weaker sex stayed and watched what happened to their Lord?

(56) Among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.

Among the women observing from a small distance was Mary Magdalene, who in Luke 8:2 was said to have been delivered by Jesus from seven devils.  There was also Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, who in John 19:25, was said to be the sister of Jesus's mother Mary.  There was also the mother of Jesus's disciples James and John, Zebedee's sons.

(57) When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus's disciple.

Evening for the Jews was considered to be between 3:00 in the afternoon until 6:00, about sundown.  Sundown began a new day.  Jesus had died about 3:00 in the afternoon, so sometime after that, Joseph of Arimathaea came.  He had been one of Jesus's broader number of disciples.  He was considered a rich man, but he must have been one of the few willing to give all for Jesus, in order to have been a disciple of Jesus, for Jesus had said it was extremely difficult for a rich man to be saved (Matthew 19:24).

(58) He went to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body be delivered to him.

Joseph went to Pontius Pilate, the governor, whose consent was needed in order to take a body down after crucifixion.  He asked for the body of Christ in order to give Him a proper burial and Pilate granted his wish.

(59) And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, (60) And laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock, and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

Joseph took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in clean linen cloth and laid it in his own tomb that he had hewn out of rock for himself.  He then rolled a large heavy stone into the doorway of the tomb, and then left.  As He was in life, so He was in death; Jesus had said He had nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20), and He also had no tomb of His own.  Jesus did not live for Himself, but only for others, and He died for all of us.

(61) And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting opposite the sepulchre.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, were still there, witnessing all that had happened to Jesus's body.

(62) Now the next day which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate, (63) Saying, "We remember that that deceiver said, while He was still alive, 'After three days, I will rise again.'"

The day of preparation was the day before the sabbath when everything was prepared for the sabbath, so that no work had to be done on it.  The day which followed the day of preparation would have been the sabbath day.  The chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate telling him that they remembered that Jesus had said He would rise after three days.

(64) "Command therefore that the sepulchre be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He is risen from the dead.' So the last deception shall be worse than the first."

The chief priests and Pharisees therefore asked Pilate to guard Jesus's tomb.  They speculated that His disciples might come and take His body away, and then falsely claim that He had risen from the dead.  They felt that final deception, as they called it, would be worse than any claimed while He was living.

(65) Pilate said to them, "You have a watch; go your way, make it as secure as you can."

Pilate told them to take one of the groups that guarded the temple to act as watch over the tomb, and told them to go quickly and make it as secure as possible.

(66) So they went and made the sepulchre secure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

The chief priests and Pharisees went to the tomb of Jesus and made it secure.  They sealed the stone that acted as a door, and then set a guard to watch it.  Little did they know they were acting perfectly in God's will.  All those precautions would make the resurrection of Jesus all the more miraculous and beyond reproach.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem and Gives Signs for the End

Continuing a Bible study of the gospels:

(Matthew 24:1) And Jesus went out and departed from the temple; and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple.

At the end of the last chapter and post, Jesus had been lamenting over Jerusalem because He had come to save her, but she had rejected Him, and now she must suffer the consequences.  As He departed from the temple where He had been speaking, His disciples came to show Him all the buildings of the temple, which meant the temple walls themselves and the courts and porches, etc.  The historian Josephus described the walls of the temple and made them sound as if they were quite a site to see.  Some of the stones were 70 feet long and eight feet high!  The enormous stones were said to be white, either of marble, or beautifully painted with variegated colors.

(2) And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Verily, I say to you, there shall not be one stone left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Jesus asked His disciples if they could not consider what was going to happen to the temple.  At the time He spoke these things, no event could seem more improbable than the falling of the temple.  It was vast, rich, splendid, and oh so strong!  However, Jesus told them there was to come a time within their generation, He had said in the last chapter, that their temple would fall and there would not be even one stone left on top of another that had not been thrown down.

(3) As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?"

Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across from the temple where He could sit and have a full view of it.  His disciples came to Him privately, whether that means all the disciples came privately apart from the multitude, or only a few disciples broke away from the other disciples to talk to Him, scripture doesn't really say.  The account in Mark says that there were at least four disciples who came to Him, Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  They seem a bit confused as they asked when the destruction of the temple would be, and what the sign of Jesus's coming and the end of the world would be, as if they would all occur at the same time.

(4) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no man deceives you. (5) For many shall come in My name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many."

Although this has always seemed an end-time prophecy, with the likes of the anti-Christ deceiving many, this is probably an answer relative only to the destruction of Jerusalem.  Jesus warned the disciples not to be deceived, that there would be many who would come claiming to be the Christ.  Indeed, there were historically recorded at least three so-called anti-Christs during the disciples' time.  Josephus wrote that the land was overrun with them, but there are three of whom we can be certain--Dositheus the Samaritan, Simon Magus, and Theudas.

(6) "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."

Once again, this sounds like a sign of the end times of the world, but taken in context of the question put to Him, I believe this regards the destruction and end of Jerusalem.  Also to repeat, the disciples probably did think that the end of Jerusalem was the end of the world and would bring the second coming of Christ.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote about many wars and rumors of war at that time:  "Under Cureanus the Roman governor, a sedition was raised on the day of the passover, in which twenty thousand perished; after that, in another tumult, ten thousand were destroyed by cut-throats: in Ascalon two thousand more, in Ptolemais two thousand, at Alexandria fifty thousand, at Damascus ten thousand, and elsewhere in great numbers. The Jews were also put into great consternation, upon hearing the design of the Roman emperor, to put up his image in their temple."  Jesus told His disciples not to be troubled, so as to leave the land or stop preaching, for all the things Jesus described would have to come to pass, but it would not yet be the end.  Jesus probably meant that the destruction of Jerusalem would not yet be at its end; however, He might have been telling them that the end of the world would not be at that time.

(7) "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places."

Once again, Dr. Gill wrote:  "And so it was, the Jewish nation rose up against others, the Samaritans, Syrians, and Romans: there were great commotions in the Roman empire, between Otho and Vitellius, and Vitellius and Vespasian; and at length the Romans rose up against the Jews, under the latter, and entirely destroyed them."  Regarding famines preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, Albert Barnes wrote in His Notes on the Bible, "There was a famine foretold by Agabus, which is mentioned by Tacitus, Suetonius, and Eusebius, and which was so severe in Jerusalem, Josephus says, that many people perished for want of food. Four times in the reign of Claudius (41-54 a.d.) famine prevailed in Rome, Palestine, and Greece."  The early Bible commentators I study agree there were also pestilences, "Raging epidemic diseases; the plague, sweeping off multitudes of people at once," wrote Barnes.  "It is commonly the attendant of famine, and often produced by it."  A pestilence is recorded as raging in Babylonia, A.D. 40 by the Jewish historian Josephus.  There is also one recorded in Italy, A.D. 66 by the Roman historian Tacitus.  Both of these took place before the destruction of Jerusalem.  Tacitus and others also wrote of earthquakes that took place in various places at that time.

(8) "All these are the beginnings of sorrows."

Jesus told His disciples these things He foretold were only the beginning of sorrows, suggesting far greater calamities were yet to come before the end.

(9) "Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted, and will kill you; and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."

Jesus warned His very own disciples that they would be persecuted and killed, and hated by all nations for His name's sake.  Indeed, the disciples were beaten and imprisoned and even killed.  They would be hated by all nations just because they were followers of Christ!  Jesus had warned them of this back in the tenth chapter of Matthew when He sent them out in their Christian ministry.  However, He had also said in His beatitudes in chapter 5 that they rejoice and be exceedingly glad when they were persecuted for their reward in heaven would be great.

(10) "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."

There would be many people including apostates who would fall away when things got difficult, and they would betray one another to save themselves.  They would hate one another; not that true Christians would hate their brethren, but apostates and those who never came to follow Christianity would hate each other and the true followers of Christ.

(11) "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."

There would be many men pretending to be prophets or foretellers of future events.  The apostle Paul spoke of some of them in his letters, namely Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Timothy 2:17).  Josephus wrote, "The tyrannical zealots who ruled the city suborned 'many false prophets' to declare that aid would be given to the people from heaven. This was done to prevent them from attempting to desert, and to inspire confidence in God."

(12) "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

Because such false teaching and persecuting iniquity would abound, good people, even Christians, would become shy and suspicious of one another, and alienations would be created.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, stated it perfectly, "The devil is the accuser of the brethren, not only to their enemies, which makes persecuting iniquity abound, but one to another, which makes the love of many to wax cold."

(13) "But he who shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved."

Those who endured in the profession of faith in Christ through the tribulation and violent persecution by wicked men, and followed His pure and incorrupt doctrines to the end, would be saved.  Biblical commentators have differing opinions on what this form of saving would take.  Some have suggested they would be saved from the destruction of Jerusalem, while others say this means they will be ultimately saved in the end with their souls in eternal glory.  I always assumed it meant the latter, as in most all cases when this is written in the Bible.  However, Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote, "It is very remarkable that not a single Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem, though there were many there when Cestius Gallus invested the city; and, had he persevered in the siege, he would soon have rendered himself master of it; but, when he unexpectedly and unaccountably raised the siege, the Christians took that opportunity to escape."  That is a fact I never knew!  It reminds me of the six day war in 1967 when Israel was completely outnumbered and the odds totally against her, but she miraculously prevailed with very little loss as compared to her attackers.  There is no denying that throughout history little Israel has remained God's special people and He continues to protect and fight for her.

(14) "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then the end will come."

It is really remarkable to me that this has always been seen as an end-time prophecy for us living now.  Perhaps it is, as God's word always seems to have multiple meanings; after all, the entire Bible is written for our learning.  I can hear even now Bible commentators declaring that now with the internet the gospel has indeed been preached throughout the world.  However, again taken in context, it appears that Jesus was just talking about the end of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  Indeed, we can see from Paul's writings that the gospel had indeed been preached to all the world as it existed at their time (Romans 1:8, Colossians 1:6, Colossians 1:23).

(15) "When you therefore see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), (16) Then let those who are in Judaea flee to the mountains."

Once again, I am struck by the fact that many have interpreted this abomination of desolation to still be coming, even though there is a parenthetical exhortation to really understand what is written.  The term "abomination of desolation" doesn't refer to just one thing; it means an "abominable desolation" of the holy city.  Jesus referenced Daniel's prophecy mentioned in several Old Testament verses, but perhaps most understandable is Daniel 9:27, "...he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."  Daniel's prophecy appears to be foretelling a desolate temple that no longer serviced the Lord and an overspreading of many abominations that made the holy city desolate.  Jesus tells His disciples that when they see this happening, those who are in Judaea should flee to the mountains.  Indeed, according to what was written by Adam Clarke in his commentary on verse 13 above, the Christians indeed escaped.

(17) "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything from his house; (18) Neither let him who is in the field go back to take his clothes."

Jewish houses had flat roofs that were favorable places for resting.  Jesus warned that not only should the people flee, but they should do it without delay, not taking any time to go back for their things.

(19) "And woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing in those days."

Jesus proclaimed woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers because they would not be able to make their escape as quickly as others.

(20) "But pray that your flight be not in the winter nor on the sabbath day."

The destruction was definitely coming.  Jesus did not urge prayer against that.  But He advised that they pray that their flight from Jerusalem not be in the winter when travel would be more difficult, or on the Sabbath when travel was prohibited and they might be seen by non-Christian Jews who would seek to punish them.

(21) "For then shall be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

Jesus warned that there would be great tribulation the likes of which had never been seen since the beginning of the world.  Imagine, the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah and even more, their terrible bondage in Egypt, nothing compared to what was about to happen.  Jesus said there would never be tribulation as terrible as this again.  That is hard to imagine when one considers the Holocaust during Hitler's reign.  The historian Josephus indeed wrote that never had a city suffered so much during the destruction of Jerusalem.  Jesus had wept over the city knowing what was soon to happen to it.

(22) "And except those days be shortened, there would be no flesh saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."

Jesus said that the days of the end siege would be shortened or else not one man could survive.  For His elect's sake, the Christians, the days would be shortened to leave a remnant, as God always does.  He never allows His people to be completely destroyed.  Josephus wrote that those who perished in the siege numbered 1,100,000, and that did not include those who were slain in other places.

(23) "Then if any man says to you, 'Lo, here is Christ!' or 'There,' do not believe it."

As the Jews expected the Messiah to deliver them from Roman oppression, they would be anxiously looking for Him during these calamities.  Some would proclaim to be Christ and would lure followers, but Jesus said not to believe them. 

(24) "For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders so much so, that if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect."

Jesus said there would indeed arise men claiming to be Christ and false prophets claiming to deliver the people from the Romans.  They would show great signs and wonders that resembled miracles wrought by prophets.  Josephus wrote that they were sorcerers and magicians who led people out into the deserts and promised to work miracles to save them.  The great signs and wonders they would perform would be so great that they might have even deceived the elect, "if it were possible."  That is how wondrous those signs would be, but Christ's elect had seen Him, heard Him, and known Him, and would not be fooled.

(25) "Behold, I have told you before. (26) Therefore if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the desert,' do not go there; 'Behold, He is in the secret chambers,' do not believe it."

Whether Jesus meant that He had warned them before about false Christs, or whether He meant that He was telling them these things before they happened so that they would be aware and on guard, the desired result is the same.  They were not to believe any assertions that Christ was present during the destruction of Jerusalem.

(27) "For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."

To me it seems Jesus was saying that when He comes, just as lightning lights up the whole sky, so will His coming be; there will be no mistaking when He comes.  I think He was saying it so that they not be deceived by any other reports of Him, and also in answer to the second part of their question in verse 3 as to the sign of His coming and of the end of the world.  They thought it would all happen at the same time as the destruction of Jerusalem, but Jesus now answers how His coming would be.  It would not be in the various places people would claim Him to be, but there would be no doubt when He came.  However, many of the Biblical scholars I study suggest that what is meant is that He would be in the act of destroying Jerusalem, as the Roman army came in from the east and swept westward over the city.  I prefer my interpretation, but in whatever is meant, it can be said that Jesus would not be found in the city ready to deliver His people from the destruction; Jerusalem was going to be destroyed.

(28) "For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

I believe Jesus was concluding His declaration that He would not be delivering Jerusalem from her fate.  She was already dead and the Roman eagles were coming for her.  It is written that the Roman armies indeed had eagles on their ensigns.

As this is a long chapter with much commentary, I will stop here in this post, and continue my study of the 24th chapter of Matthew in the next post.  In this first half of the chapter, Jesus has clearly answered the disciples' question about the signs of the coming end of Jerusalem.  

Transfiguration of Christ, Healing the Lunatic His Disciples Could Not Heal

Continuing a Bible study of the gospels:

(Matthew 17:1) And after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain alone.

In the last chapter, Peter had confessed his knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.  Jesus had then told the disciples more about what He was to endure during His time on earth.  He discussed with them His church, His kingdom on earth.  Six days after that, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up into a mountain to be alone.

(2) And was transfigured before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His clothing was white as the light.

Jesus was transformed before Peter, James, and John.  The indwelling Deity of Jesus Christ darted out its rays of light, and His face shone like the sun.  His body so radiated light that His clothing shone a bright white light.  

(3) And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.

Moses and Elijah appeared before the three disciples, talking with Jesus.  Moses had been God's law giver and Elijah one of the chief prophets.  Now they appeared with Jesus, in whom the prophecies and law were fulfilled.  They were having a conversation with Jesus; the account in Luke says they discussed "His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem."  

(4) Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "It is good for us to be here; if You want, let us make here three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Much more can be learned about this incident from reading the same account in the other gospels.  Luke informed us that the disciples had fallen asleep on the mountain and awoke to see this glorious transfiguration of Christ.  It seems they woke up well into the event with Moses and Elijah in conversation with Jesus.  Luke tells us it was as the two men were leaving Jesus, that Peter spoke out.  Mark tells us that Peter didn't know what to say for the disciples were afraid.  But being the impetuous person he was, Peter had to say something!  He said it was good for he and the other disciples to be there.  It's hard to know exactly what he meant, and perhaps even he didn't know exactly, as Mark said he didn't know what to say, and Luke would later report he didn't know what he was saying.  You can be sure he was very excited and in awe of what he was witnessing, and seeing it was about to end, probably wanted to continue it.  His idea, if Christ was willing, was to set up three tabernacles or tents, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  As usual, in his zeal, he was missing the point and purpose of this transfiguration.  It is also interesting to note that he knew who the other two men were, as it's not like they had photographs with which to compare.  Either it was revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, or by deduction from the conversation they were having.  

(5) While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

As Peter was proposing his tent idea, Father God interrupted, His voice coming from a bright cloud that overshadowed the three transfigured men.  Luke's account tells us it was at first over those three, but as the disciples entered under it, they were afraid.  God's voice came out of the cloud and confirmed that Jesus was His beloved Son, not merely a servant as were Moses and Elijah.  He added that He was well pleased in Him, meaning His mission and service there on earth were acceptable and well pleasing to God.  The entirety of the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah, was a precursor to the plan for the ultimate perfect sacrifice and atonement in Jesus Christ.  God commanded that they listen to and really hear His Son.  His teaching was superior to those of Moses and Elijah.  In Him alone was the fulfillment of all that came before; in Him alone was salvation and eternal life.

(6) And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

When the disciples heard the voice of God, they were understandably afraid, and fell on their faces, partly out of reverence for the Lord, but probably more of real fear of the Lord, for no man could see God and live.

(7) And Jesus came and touched them, and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

Jesus came and touched the disciples, reassuring them that they need not be afraid.  That was not the voice of an angry God, but the voice of His Father, their Father God, confirming that Jesus was their much anticipated Messiah, and that they should continue to follow and listen to Him.  God was well pleased with Jesus, and they should be encouraged and confident that they could have full faith and trust in Him as Divine God in human form on earth.

(8) And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

When the disciples raised their faces from the ground after Jesus had come and touched them, they saw no one there except for Jesus only.

(9) And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one, until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."

Jesus and the disciples then went down from the mountain, and Jesus commanded the three not to tell anyone about what they had seen,  That is, not until He had risen from the dead, at which time it would be confirmed and more readily believed and accepted.  The account in Mark says that they did indeed keep it to themselves.  That is, of course, until Christ rose from the dead, and then Peter wrote of it, as well as the gospel authors.

(10) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

Those three disciples were surely satisfied that He was the Messiah, but they had been taught by the scriptures to expect Elijah to come first before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).  They did not recollect that Elijah had come again before that time, so they understandably were confused about their understanding of that prophecy.

(11) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things."

Jesus answered by saying that it was true that Elijah was to come first, and he would restore or complete all things that were prophesied of him.

(12) "But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but have done to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of man shall also suffer by them."

Jesus told them that Elijah had already come, but no one recognized him.  As Jesus had said in Matthew 11:14, Elijah had come in the form of John the Baptist.  It occurs to me that the life of John the Baptist was a sort of parable as Jesus used frequently.  He had said in Matthew 13:11 that that was because it had been given to His disciples to know the mysteries of heaven, but it had not been given to everyone.  The truth was only revealed to those who could accept it and understand it; it seemed to be gibberish to those unwilling to understand.  The fact that John the Baptist was actually the expected Elijah could only be understood by those to whom it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit of God.  Jesus told the disciples that the people did not understand that John the Baptist was the coming of Elijah, and they did not believe what he said about repentance and preparation for the coming Christ, but did to him whatever they wished.  Of course, that wound up being his imprisonment and ultimate beheading.  Jesus said that He Himself would likewise suffer at the hands of such people.

(13) Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

The disciples then understood that Elijah who came before Him was John the Baptist who had indeed suffered at the hands of King Herod and his people.

(14) And when they had come to the multitude, there came to Him a man kneeling down to Him, and saying, (15) "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and severely vexed, for oftentimes he falls into the fire, and often into the water."

Luke tells us this was the next day when they had come down from the mountain and joined the other nine disciples where a multitude of people had congregated.  A man came out of the crowd to Jesus and knelt before Him.  He asked Jesus to have mercy on his son who suffered a form of lunacy.  Actually, the meaning often meant epileptic, and clearly from the man's description of his son's seizures that would send him into a fire or into water, it indeed sounds like the son had epilepsy.  In Biblical times, people did not know about epilepsy, but as "lunatic" referred to insanity that was affected by the phases of the moon, it seemed epileptic seizures were somewhat affected by the moon, as well.

(16) "And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him."

The man went on to tell Jesus that he had brought his son to Jesus's disciples, but they were not able to cure him.

(17) Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to Me."

Jesus then spoke, Mark says answering the man, but it is apparent the message was for all who were there.  He called them a faithless and perverse generation.  However, the "faithless" was the multitude, as Jesus usually referred to His disciples as having little faith, not no faith.  The original word for "perverse" was "diastrepho," and it meant "distorted, misinterpreted" or "turned away, corrupt."  At the very least, the people had a distorted view of the truth, and in many cases, as with the scribes and Pharisees and the like, it was even corrupt and completely averse to the truth.  Jesus lamented about how long it would be before people could see the truth.  It was because of their faithlessness that they could not obtain the blessings from God that they otherwise might have had.  Likewise the disciples had too little faith and a limited view of what God could do.  Jesus then told the man to bring the child to Him.

(18) And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

The description of this event is greatly expanded in the other gospels.  Matthew, being a numbers man as a tax collector, wasn't always very prolific.  We understand from Mark that the disease was demon-caused.  Also a discourse took place between Jesus and the father of the child regarding the father's faith which was the most important aspect of this incident.  Jesus did ultimately rebuke the demon and cast it out, and the child was cured.

(19) Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, apart from the crowd, and asked why it was that they were unable to cast out the demon and heal the child.

(20) And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief, for verily I say to you if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to over there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Jesus replied that it was because of their unbelief.  It wasn't that they had no belief that they could heal by the power of Jesus, but they surely faltered when it became difficult.  Even though Matthew didn't tell us this, we learned from the other gospels that the father's faith, or lack thereof, came into play, also.  The disciples should have had faith enough to know they could heal the boy by the authority of Jesus, and convince the father of his unbelief.  It is because of our unbelief that we bring so little to pass in our churches.  They say that often in more primitive lands when the gospel is brought to the people, that they are able to perform mighty miracles because they believe what they are taught, and put no limits on the word, as so many of us "more civilized" people do.  

Jesus indeed said that if the disciples had faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, they could move mountains!  Nothing would be impossible for them.  Jesus had given His disciples the power to work miracles in His name for confirmation of the gospel they taught.  Jesus gave them the power...period.  They had the power, but they had to have faith in that power.  It is very likely the nine disciples may have had doubts about their power in their Master's absence, especially when a first attempt failed.  Jesus told them it was all because of their lack of faith that they had been unable to heal the boy.  I think it is important to note that the disciples had the power to move mountains because Jesus had given it to them.  I feel like the Word of Faith movement takes this too far, and believes one can do anything if he just believes he can.  The faith is not in one's self to have faith enough; the faith is in God to do what He has purposed or led us to do.  We must be led by the Holy Spirit to move a mountain if God says it must be moved.

I have come to love a certain scripture that has long been difficult for me to completely understand.  Today it all clicked and it is very relevant here.  I have long loved Romans 8:28, but it was the verses before it that were hard to understand.  Romans 8:26-28 follows:

"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

We don't always know the proper way to pray.  We often pray for tangible things, but the Holy Spirit helps us and makes intercession for what is really needed according to the will of God.  We pray to help ourselves or some loved one out of trouble when the Holy Spirit knows that God's will is that person be saved, and He knows what it takes to get him there.  God searches the heart and He knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit is making intercession for us according to God's will.  They are on the same plane, if you will.  And God works all things together for good to those who love God and have the Holy Spirit directing them along the path of His purpose.  God doesn't necessarily work everything out for what we consider to be good at the time, but for the ultimate good according to His always perfect purpose.

(21) "However, this kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting."

It seems Jesus was saying that some demons were harder to cast out than others.  Was it because this one also caused epilepsy, a serious neurological disorder in the brain?  Whatever the case, Jesus said that sometimes it took diligent earnest prayer and fasting to cast out certain demons.  I believe the idea is that we must stay anchored to God for our strength.  While Jesus was on the mountain with the three disciples, He had been in prayer long enough that the three disciples had fallen into deep sleep.  Jesus often took time to be alone and pray and fast for hours.  Being in complete undistracted communion with God gives us strength and the faith to move mountains.  While Jesus and the three were on the mountain, the other nine disciples had perhaps been feasting and indulging themselves with the people, and therefore not with the proper sobriety of mind to perform such an extraordinary miracle.  Although Jesus had given the disciples the power needed to perform miracles, and He has given us the Holy Spirit which gives us power, He shows us our need to stay anchored and in constant communion with God.

(22) And while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, (23) And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again." And they were exceedingly sorry.

While Jesus and the disciples were in Galilee, passing through, according to Mark's account, He once again foretold His death and resurrection.  Luke went into a little more detail quoting Jesus as saying He would be delivered into the hands of sinful men and crucified.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that Jesus was intimating that He would be betrayed by the Jews into the hands of the Gentiles, which to the Jews was the most vile crime, as their law stated:

"It is forbidden to betray an Israelite into the hands of the Gentiles, whether in his body or in his substance; and though he may be a wicked man, and a ringleader in sin, and though he may have oppressed and afflicted him; and everyone that betrays an Israelite into the hands of the Gentiles, whether in his body, or in his substance, has no part in the world to come.''

Jesus went on to tell His disciples that He would be raised again on the third day after His death.  They were exceedingly sorrowful to hear of His coming death. 

(24) And when they had come to Capernaum, those who received tribute money came to Peter and said, "Does your Master not pay tribute?"

When Jesus and His disciples had come to Capernaum, those who collected voluntary tribute money, also called a temple tax because it was collected for the service of the temple, came to Peter and asked if his Master, Jesus, paid tribute money for the temple.

(25) He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus spoke before him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their own children or from strangers?"

Peter answered that Jesus did pay temple tax.  When he went into the house where Jesus already was, Jesus spoke before Peter had the chance to tell Him about the temple tax being collected.  Jesus asked Peter whether he thought the kings of the earth collected taxes or tribute from their own natural children of from strangers, meaning those other than his own immediate family.

(26) Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the children are free."

Peter answered that they would collect from strangers, not those of the kings' own families.  Jesus answered with the natural conclusion that the children would be free.  Of course, the sense of what He was saying was that since He was the Son of God, He should not be asked to pay tribute.

(27) "Nevertheless, lest we should offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the fish that comes up first; and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money. Take that and give to them for Me and you."

Even though Jesus could have maintained His right of exemption from payment, He chose to forego it rather than offend anyone.  I love this law of love demonstrated by Jesus.  Had Jesus been legalistic adhering strictly to law, He could have rightfully denied paying tribute, but rather than offend others, He agreed to pay it.  In 1 Corinthians 8:13, Paul would also say that if eating meat would offend his brother, then he would not do it, even if lawful to do so.  Acting in love is more important than strict adherence to the law.  This is perfectly aligned with Jesus's teaching of the true spirit of the law, rather than man's strict legalistic adherence to laws of man which have no regard for God's law of love for one another.  Jesus instructed Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that came up, and in its mouth he would find money to pay tribute for Jesus and for him, also.  It was a loving courtesy to Peter that Jesus also paid for him.  Jesus was not bound by any obligation to pay tribute for Peter, but once again Jesus teaches us that it is good to be loving and kind when in our power to do so.  What is having all the money in the world really good for other than enabling one to do more good in the world?  Imagine the good that could be done if we all lived by this example?

Jesus's Authority Over Wind and Demons

Continuing a study of the Gospels:

(Matthew 8:18) Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart to the other side.

In the first part of chapter 8, in the last post, Jesus had healed many people; all who came to Him, He healed.  Obviously, His fame had grown so much that He was thronged by crowds of followers and curious people everywhere He went.  Jesus was in Capernaum, a city on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.  He commanded His disciples that they go with Him to the other side of the sea.  Although fully God, He was also fully man, and He was probably wearied and needed rest and time for prayer; but there was also a purpose in that He would have opportunity to teach His disciples something.  Jesus did not seek applause and adoration from the crowds.  His teaching was from the heart and had purpose.

(19) And a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Master, I will follow You wherever You go."

This same account in Luke says that as they went their way to the other side of the sea, a scribe came to Jesus.  This man probably desired to be one of Jesus's disciples and wished to follow Him to the other side.  He told Jesus he would follow Him wherever He went.

(20) And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Jesus here called Himself the Son of Man, a name He often gave Himself.  Jesus was God, yet He had humbled Himself to come in the form of man, and was born of a woman.  He said to this scribe that even the lowly creatures of the earth had homes, but He had nowhere to lay His head.  Imagine that!  The Messiah did not have a home of His own to which He could withdraw.  2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us that He, though He was rich, became poor for our sakes.  Christ humbled Himself and submitted to this lowly state to teach us dependence on God for all our needs, and to show the vanity of worldly wealth.  2 Corinthians 8:9 continues to state that through His poverty, we might become rich.  He taught people what true riches were.  If He had had even a modest house, those poorer than He might not believe that they could achieve the riches about which He taught.  In telling the scribe this, He was testing the man's motives, or perhaps proving them to the scribe himself.  Following Jesus would not be a journey filled with worldly grandeur, but quite the opposite.  If the man had any notions of any temporary advantage, Jesus warned him that would not be the case.  

(21) And another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

At this point in time, Jesus still had many followers, or disciples, not just the twelve.  One of these said he was ready to follow Him, but first wanted to go and bury his father.

(22) But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead."

Jesus told the disciple to follow Him at that time, and leave others to bury their dead.  He called the others "the dead" because they were spiritually dead, having not yet received the gift of life through Christ.  It's not that Jesus had any objection to proper burials of relations, but He was calling this disciple to a much greater purpose than the business of the world.  Besides, it's possible the disciple's father was not dead yet, but possibly at a very old age, and the disciple wished to wait until he buried his father before he followed Jesus.  That would certainly explain why Jesus wouldn't allow him the time to do that if he truly wanted to be a disciple of Jesus.  However, even if the father was dead, he was indeed dead and had no knowledge of whether or not this disciple buried him.  There were others to bury him, and the disciple was called to see that many more people did not spiritually die.

(23) And when He had entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.

This account in Mark states that Jesus and His disciples had sent away the multitudes, and had boarded the ship to separate themselves, and to go to the other side of the sea.  It also says there were with Him other little ships, so these probably had onboard his many disciples following Him.

(24) And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, so that the ship was covered with the waves; but He was asleep.

Again, the account in Mark expounds on this, and explains Jesus was in the back part of the ship asleep, when a great storm arose and whipped the ship with waves causing it to fill with water.

(25) And His disciples came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"

The disciples woke up Jesus crying for Him to save them because they were in danger of drowning.  This demonstrates that His disciples knew where their help would come from.  This is the advantage of trials in that we know our weaknesses and that we rely on God to save us.  

(26) And He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Although the disciples had some faith in Jesus by coming to Him to save them, they still had fear and some measure of disbelief, and that is why Jesus rebuked them.  In the account in Luke, He asked them, "Where is your faith?"  He then arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, calming them.  The account in Mark states he rebuked the winds, and spoke to the sea, "Peace, be still."

(27) But the men marveled, saying, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

Mark and Luke said the men were afraid at this as they wondered what sort of man this could be that the winds and the sea obeyed him.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, pointed out that the original word translated as "what manner of man" was "potapos," and actually did not include the word "man" at all.  It meant simply "what manner of" or "what possible sort," demonstrating that the disciples now realized Jesus was no ordinary man at all.  There was no man ever who could have commanded the winds and the sea and have them obey him; only God could do this, and that had these disciples marveling.

(28) And when He had come to the other side to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

Jesus had gone to the other side of the sea to the country of the Gergesenes or the Gadarenes, as Mark called them in his account.  Gergesa and Gadara were towns near each other; therefore the inhabitants of the country between them were called by either or both names.  There Jesus met two people who were demon possessed.  They came out from among the tombs, in the burying place which would have been a good distance outside the city.  They were exceedingly fierce so that no one could pass by that way safely. 

(29) And behold, they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

Isn't it amazing that the demonic spirits that possessed these two recognized Jesus right away?  Those spirits that were so exceedingly fierce to mere men seemed to be in some fear of Jesus, asking why He should concern Himself with them, and whether He had come to torment them before the time.  I find that fascinating, as well, that the demons seemed to know that there was a time in the future when they would be condemned to everlasting punishment.

(30) And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding.

A good distance from them was a herd of swine, about 2000 of them, the account in Mark states.  It was not lawful for Jews to keep swine as they were unclean animals.

(31) So the devils besought Him, saying, "If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."

The demons pleaded with Jesus, that if He cast them out of these men, to send them into the herd of swine.  Isn't it amazing to consider that the demons realized Jesus's authority over them and had to ask His permission to be sent into lowly swine?  May we realize how little is their power to be dreaded by anyone who has Christ as his protector! 

(32) And He said to them, "Go." And when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine; and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

With a mere one word, Jesus cast the demons out of the men's bodies and allowed them to go into the herd of swine.  If it seems strange that Jesus would give the demons what they asked, we must consider that it was not lawful for Jews to raise swine anyway, so it would seem just to allow them to be destroyed.  Perhaps a greater purpose was that it was a visual demonstration of the rage and violent destruction these demons would do if allowed to continue their possession of a man.  Why would the demons ask to be sent to the herd of swine knowing they would be destroyed?  Just as they knew of their eventual demise in the end, they knew they would be destroyed, but they desired to destroy as much as they could on their way out.  Even now, Satan and his demons know their end, but they desire to take as many souls as they can with them!  They destroyed someone's herd; I'm sure their hope was that it might in someway set the people against Jesus and diminish His usefulness among them.  Satan's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

(33) And those who kept them fled, and went their way into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

Those who had kept the swine fled into the city and told everything they had witnessed.  They had witnessed the casting out of demons; they had seen them cast into their herd of swine and their huge herd of 2000 destroyed.  I'm sure they told all of this.

(34) And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they besought Him to depart out of their coasts.

The entire city came out to meet Jesus.  One would think the casting out of demons would be of their utmost interest and awe, but it seems they were more disturbed about the loss of property than the salvation of souls.  They asked Him to leave their country.  Therefore, it seems the demons got their desired result in that the people did blame Jesus for the destruction of the herd and asked Him to leave, which would indeed diminish His usefulness among them.  So why did Jesus do this?  I believe Jesus always gives us a choice.  People have to take some responsibility for their souls.  God gave us this free gift of salvation, but we do have to accept it.  It is not forced upon us.  This incident surely demonstrated the hearts of men who would value property more than men's souls.  Unfortunately, it is no uncommon thing for people to love the world and property so much.  Romans 1:25 describes how people love and worship the created things more than the Creator.

In his thoughts on this chapter in his Notes on the Bible, Albert Barnes commented on Jesus's poverty as He told the scribe in verse 20 that He had no place to lay His head, no home.  I think of those, especially in the Word of Faith movement, who would say that to be one of God's children, would have to mean to be blessed by Him, and sadly, to so many, that means blessed by worldly riches.  Mr. Barnes reflected that is was no disgrace to be poor, as the Son of God was poor on this earth.  If our Maker brought us into this world in poverty, or if He allowed worldly possessions to be taken away by sickness or some other means, "let us remember that the Redeemer of mankind trod the same humble path, and that it can be no dishonor to be likened to Him who was the beloved Son of God."  The lesson of the scribe was that we should embrace the gospel without any hope of earthly reward.  The lesson of the man who wanted to bury his father was that we must forsake all for the sake of the gospel.  Our first duty is to God.  

Jesus preserves us in time of danger, as demonstrated in the calming of the storm.  All things that can injure or destroy us are under the authority of Jesus Christ.  Even Satan and his demons are bound and cannot destroy us!  What a comforting thought is that!  However, these are all gifts of Jesus that must be accepted; He would never force us to accept Him against our wills.  If we wish Him to depart from us, as the Gergesenes did, because we value the world and its riches more than we do Him or our own souls, then He will give us over to our worldly pursuits (Romans 1:26, 28).  How awful to hear those words, "Depart from Me, ye cursed..." (Matthew 25:41), because we have said to our Savior, "Depart from us."

Jesus Teaches About Charity and How to Pray

Continuing a study of the four Gospels:

(Matthew 6:1) "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."

Jesus's Sermon on the Mount continued from chapter 5.  In the previous chapter, He had talked much about the heart, that inward holiness of man.  This instruction follows the same theme.  One was not to do his good deeds in public for all to see which reflected a vain and selfish reason for giving, as he would have no reward from God in heaven for such acts.  I don't believe He meant you could never give to someone in front of men; there would be occasions when this could happen.  However, that cannot be the intent of the giving, that others may see and praise the generosity of the giver.

(2) "Therefore when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward."

It is very likely that this was the practice of the Pharisees in Jesus's time, that they would have trumpets sound to alert everyone they were giving alms to the poor.  They did it in public to receive the praise and admiration of men.  Even if this is not to be taken literally with regard to trumpets, Jesus meant not to make a huge public showing of their giving.  Doing it privately would also be merciful to the recipient, so as not to tell the world of their state.  People who give charity for the praise and honor of men have received all the reward they will receive in any temporary applause or praise by men, but their actions are completely dismissed by the Lord with regard to any reward for them.

(3) "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (4) That your charitable deeds may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall Himself reward you openly."

Obviously, it would be impossible to actually do something with one hand that the other hand wouldn't know what it was doing, but the essence is that one should do it in such secrecy that if it were possible, he might not know it himself.  I think of the way I have seen my husband and brother-in-law shake hands with someone with money they leave in the hand of the other when they release the handshake.  One could drop money into the purse of a woman when she wasn't looking, or even mail money anonymously so that the recipient doesn't even know from whence it came.  In this way the charity is done so secretly that only your Father in heaven sees it, He who sees all things done in secret, and He will reward you openly in that great Judgment Day.

(5) "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward."

Likewise, Jesus said that when one prayed, he shouldn't seek out public places to pray in order to be seen by men.  Obviously, there will be times when we are called upon to pray in public, but I can't help but believe those can't be the most honest and heartfelt prayers because we know others are listening.  Once again the point is to not make a show of praying to bring glory to oneself.  It's the heart behind the act that counts.  If one has done it for recognition and praise, then he has had his reward in that.

(6) "But you, when you pray, go into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly."

Jesus said that when one prayed, he should go to a private place, shut off from the public, to pray to the Father alone, in His hearing only.  He sees in secret all the secret desires of the heart that one may not even be able to express in words.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, presented a thought-provoking challenge regarding any public prayer.  He suggested that in those times when we are called to pray in public, we must close the door on the world and all the people around us, and in our hearts retire to solitary communion with God.  I can see that to be worried about what I say in prayer when others are listening is a self-centered way to pray, but Mr. Clarke's suggestion is a hard one for my self-conscious shy self.  However, what is self-consciousness but self-centeredness and self-love, putting my fear of embarrassment over prayer to the Lord?  That is one I need to work on!  Back to Mr. Clarke, he also commented on what a wonderful thing it was that God would even reward prayer itself!  He extolled the goodness of the Lord that He would not only hear and answer prayers, but would reward "their trust and confidence in begging all things of Him!"

(7) "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

Jesus commanded that when the disciples prayed, they were not to use vain repetitions like the heathen did.  The word translated as vain repetition also meant to babble.  The worshipers of Baal would babble from morning till noon with repetitions and many unnecessary idle words, thinking the more they prayed the better they would be heard.  Prayers are to be from the heart.  Forcing long prayers would necessarily create opportunity for much repetition, and could cause fatigue and carelessness and inattention in the worshiper.  I remember a scene in "God's Not Dead;" I can't remember exactly what they were doing or the exact words.  The gist of it was the characters were rushing in their car to some emergency and one suggested to the other that they pray.  The other prayed a very brief to the point prayer.  The other was surprised, that was it?  What more was necessary?  A bunch of vain repetition surely wasn't what was needed.  

I have struggled with my prayer life for this very reason.  I have difficulty coming up with all the words I think I should have, that somehow that short prayer just isn't enough.  I compare my prayers to those long out-pouring "War Room" type prayers, and mine just don't cut it.  Romans 8:26 tells us "for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered."  I can't help but wonder if that scripture is a crutch that allows me not to have to pray as I should.  I also think of 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."  How could we do that 24 hours a day without vain repetition?  The very next verse says, "In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  I believe that is the way I pray; throughout the day, thankful for all the little things, and for the big things I witness or think about during the day.  If I'm alone, I say them out loud; if I'm not, they are in my mind.  Once again, I hope I don't use this as a crutch to avoid taking time for long prayers.  If so, it's my fervent wish and also my confidence that the Holy Spirit will show me.

(8) "Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him."

Jesus appears to say here that words are not necessary, at least not many unnecessary words, because God knows what you need before you even ask Him.

(9) "In this manner therefore pray: Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name."  

Jesus then gave us a model prayer that we call "The Lord's Prayer."  He told His disciples to pray in the manner He was about to give them.  It was not meant to be a prayer to be prayed word for word in vain repetition, but in the concise manner without much speaking and repetition, with few words that got to the point.  Jesus Christ, who best knew what people should pray for and how they should pray, gave the perfect model prayer that expressed their deepest lawful wants and desires, desires within the will of God, so that they not pray amiss, asking for only what gave them pleasure (James 4:3). 

"Our Father!"  Let that sink in for a minute.  Because Jesus purifies us in the eyes of God the Father, we are able to speak directly to Him, the God of the entire universe who holds our very lives in His hands!  How awesome is that?!  Ours, not just mine, again God of all the universe, is God in heaven, God of all angels, of everything and everyone that was and will be.  Holy and sacred is His very name!  Actually, "Your name" was a Hebrew expression for God Himself, and His very nature.  We acknowledge that He is who He is, perfect, holy, supreme, true, all good, worthy of universal praise, exaltation, and glory!  May we always remember just Who it is we are talking to, and when we don't with all the reverence and respect He deserves, we are ever so thankful we have an Intercessor in Jesus Christ, and also in the Holy Spirit.

(10) "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

"Your kingdom come" was the desire for the reign of God everywhere upon the earth.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that this was a form of the expression used by the Jews before the coming of Christ, "the kingdom of the Messiah come."  Christ altered the expression to let the disciples know the Messiah was come, and "that it was the kingdom of the Father, in the power of His grace, upon the souls of men they must pray for and expect."  They were to pray that God's will be done on earth, as it surely was in heaven.  The will of God is perfect, always good and just, so it should always be the deepest desire of man to walk in the will of God, and to pray that all men have that desire so that God's perfect will be done on earth, that all should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).  

(11) "Give us this day our daily bread."

The word translated as "daily" is only found twice in the Bible, here and in Luke, both found in the Lord's prayer.  Scholars are mixed on what it exactly means.  The original word was "epiousios" and some have assumed it is the same as "epiousa" which does seem to be a feminine form of the same word.  That word was used only five times in the Bible and was translated as "next" or "following".  Was Jesus suggesting that we ask today for tomorrow's bread?  It doesn't seem likely, since He would later in this chapter say to take no thought of what might happen tomorrow (v. 34).  Strong's more completely defines "epiousa" as a form of the root word "epi" meaning "superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.) as a relation of distribution."  When defining "epiousa" Strong's gave the meaning "supervening" with words for "day" and "night" implied.  So it would seem the word "epiousios" might mean to distribute to us what we need over the course of the day.  Indeed a study of the word "ousia" which could very well be the suffix added to "epi", shows that "ousia" means "substance."  It would seem very logical to assume that Jesus was saying to ask for what was needed over the course of the day.  I believe the point was to only ask for what was needed that day; give no thought to tomorrow's need.  Asking for the day's bread would suggest food and nourishment, but there is also spiritual bread necessary for that day, that "bread of life" in Christ Jesus (John 6:35).  God cares and knows we have need of both.

(12) "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Jesus said to ask for forgiveness for one's debts.  In this sense, it refers to sins against God, for those are debts, offenses against God demanding reparation.  However, it cannot be taken completely literally, because man has nothing he can pay.  Forgiveness comes from the free mercy of God through Jesus Christ.  Note that we must be forgiving of those who have offended us, as we ask for that forgiveness from God.  Adam Clarke had an interesting take on this in his Commentary on the Bible:

"Man has nothing to pay: if his debts are not forgiven, they must stand charged against him for ever, as he is absolutely insolvent. Forgiveness, therefore, must come from the free mercy of God in Christ: and how strange is it we cannot have the old debt canceled, without (by that very means) contracting a new one, as great as the old! but the credit is transferred from Justice to Mercy. While sinners we are in debt to infinite Justice; when pardoned, in debt to endless Mercy: and as a continuance in a state of grace necessarily implies a continual communication of mercy, so the debt goes on increasing ad infinitum. Strange economy in the Divine procedure, which by rendering a man an infinite debtor, keeps him eternally dependent on his Creator! How good is God! And what does this state of dependence imply? A union with, and participation of, the fountain of eternal goodness and felicity!"

(13) "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen."

God doesn't lead one into temptation; that is done by our own self-will or by Satan.  The more proper translation of this is to "not let us be led into temptation."  Commentators wrote that the original word translated as "evil" actually had the article attached, and should be translated as "the evil", which suggested "the evil one," that is, Satan.  Therefore, the plea is to not let us be led into temptation by Satan, but deliver us from him, that is, to carry us through his evil scheme or rescue us from it.  We can ask these things because all is under God's sovereign dominion and He has the power over all things.  All honor and praise goes to God alone who does these things for us.  He has the reign, the power, and the glory forever.  

"Amen" has come to mean the end of a prayer, but it means so much more.  "Amen" means "firm, trustworthy" and "so be it."  It was probably more widely used as an affirmation or agreement to a prayer, as one might say "amen" after hearing the prayer of another.  It wouldn't seem necessary in this prayer, but Adam Clarke wrote that some supposed the word was formed from the phrase "adoni melech neetnan," meaning "my Lord, the faithful king."  It implied a confident resting of the soul in God, that all was in His hands, and assurance that these petitions would be fulfilled to those who prayed in this manner, and according to the will of God.  

(14) "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Here is a beautiful promise, that if one forgives others their transgressions against him, his Father in heaven will also forgive him.  Jesus here strengthened the passage from the prayer that one asked for forgiveness as he also forgave others.  Those who desire mercy from God must show mercy to others.  The Father's forgiveness in this case cannot mean that that is all that is needed for salvation.  However, when you think about it, when you can truly forgive others all they have done to you, it is from love for your brethren, and your love and desire to do what Christ has asked of you.  It doesn't seem possible that a person could completely forgive another just to selfishly get forgiveness, and not repent and accept Jesus as his savior.  As Jesus has shown in the law, it's all about the heart.  A heart that would forgive for only selfish reasons is not really forgiving at all.  Forgiveness is an act of mercy that the recipient may not deserve in the strictest sense.  When one can love and treat another as he would wish to be treated, he will have God's love and mercy.  Love itself is of God; everyone who loves is of God (1 John 4:7).  Anyone who acts selfishly and for his own interests, does not really love; that is what might be called conditional love, and is not truly love.  God's love is unconditional, and one who loves unconditionally, is of God.

(15) "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

The opposite is also true; if one cannot forgive another, neither will God forgive him.  If one cannot forgive another for his transgressions against him, it means he has no love for his brother.  If he does not love, he does not know God (1 John 4:8).

In summary, the outward appearance of righteousness and vain repetitious prayers are worthless.  Jesus gave us an example of a simple prayer, but it was not to be a mantra to recite.  It was to be a prayer from the heart, in alignment with God's will, knowing that we are approaching our Creator who knows us by name and knows of our needs, the God of all the universe, the only one with the power to give us what we humbly ask.  May it draw us closer to Him and to His will for our lives.  May we have confidence in our prayer for we know that He works all things for good to those who love Him and are called by Him according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

The rest of Matthew 6 will be studied in the next post.

Laws of Humanity and Purity

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 22:1) “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide yourself from them; you shall in any case bring them back to your brother."

Moses continued reviewing laws with the people of Israel, as he had been doing for most of the book of Deuteronomy.  Here he discussed humanity toward their brethren.  If one saw that his brother's ox or sheep had gone or been driven astray, he was not to pretend he did not notice and continue on his way, but he was to bring it back to his brother.

(2) “And if your brother is not near to you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall remain with you until your brother seeks after it, and you shall restore it to him again."

In the case of strays belonging to someone far away, or if the owner was not known, they were to be brought to the finder's own house and cared for, until the owner sought after them.  The one who found the strays was to then give them back to their owner. 

(3) "In like manner shall you do with his ass, and so shall you do with his clothing; and with any lost thing of your brother's, which he has lost and you have found, you shall do likewise; you may not hide yourself."

The same applied to his donkey, his clothing, or any lost thing of his brother.  He was not to pretend he didn't see the lost thing, but was to return it to his brother or protect it until his brother came looking for it.

(4) “You shall not see your brother’s ass or his ox fall down along the way and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again."

Additionally, if one was to see his brother's donkey or ox fall down, he must not act as if he didn't see it and continue on his way; he was to help his brother lift the animal up again.  Basically, all these acts are summed up by the golden rule, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  We must act in love and help our brother in distress as we will surely need help one day and would hope someone was there to help us.

(5) "The woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all that do so are abomination to the LORD your God."

Women were not to wear men's clothing and men weren't to wear women's clothing as confusing the sexes that way was an abomination to the Lord.  This should not be understood as simply putting on the other sex's clothing for one occasion, as the warrior Deborah might have worn men's garments into battle.  Perhaps a man might dress as a woman to escape capture.  Those cases wouldn't be abomination to the Lord.  The sense is that one should not seek to alter what has been naturally and divinely established; altering the order of nature would demonstrate contempt for God's creation.  A man wearing the under clothes of a woman because it brings him sensual pleasure is a means for self-gratification rather than a deep, intimate human connection, which has been God's plan from the beginning.  In Moses's time it is likely this confusing of garments had been used to gain opportunity of committing sexual impurity, as with the case of Clodius who dressed himself like a woman that he might mingle with the Roman ladies in a feast reserved solely for women, purportedly with the intention of seducing Caesar's wife.  A woman might dress like a man to gain the attention of a woman because of homosexual desires.  These are the reasons that cross dressing would be an abomination to the Lord.  As with all God's laws, it's the heart behind the act that matters.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28, "You have heard that it was said by them of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

(6) “If a bird’s nest happens to be before you in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; (7) You shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days."

This is said to be the least of all the commandments of the law of Moses.  Yet, as Matthew Henry pointed out in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "the same promise is here made to the observance of it that is made to the keeping of the fifth commandment, which is one of the greatest, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days; for as disobedience in a small matter shows a very great contempt of the law, so obedience in a small matter shows a very great regard to it."  If a bird's nest was in the way and it had to be disturbed, one was permitted to take the eggs or the young birds, but not the mother bird; she was to be allowed to fly away.  In a very practical sense, it makes good common sense, that to destroy both young and old, would make the breed soon become extinct, and destroying animal species in the land would necessarily shorten men's lives in the land that depended on animals.  From the beginning in Genesis, God gave man dominion over the animals, and after the flood, God said specifically that all animals could be used for food.  However, there are numerous scriptures against cruelty to animals.  This particular passage shows an especial tenderness by the Lord for a mother and her young as has been seen in other scriptures, such as not killing a mother and her young both in one day (Leviticus 22:28) and not boiling a kid in its mother's milk (Exodus 23:19).  Laws like these taught humanity and compassion, but I can't help but take note of what regard the Lord seems to have in these type of laws for the mother and child bond.

(8) “When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your house if any man falls from it."

When the people built houses, they were to make them safe.  The roofs were generally flat in those times and were often walked upon, so there were occasions when one might fall off the roof if there wasn't a parapet or some such wall to protect against falling.  The law was said to protect against guilt of bloodshed implying that one who didn't make a parapet for his roof would indeed be guilty of a man's death who might fall off his roof and die.  The same such common sense measures are applied now, for example, covering a well or fencing around a swimming pool, so that fatal accidents be avoided. 

(9) “You shall not sow your vineyard with diverse seeds, lest the fruit of your seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled."

This and the next two laws don't appear to be morally evil in themselves, but as God's people were to be pure and were not to intermarry with the heathens, so should their vineyards remain pure and not mixed.  As Matthew Henry wrote, "They must not gratify their own vanity and curiosity by putting those things together which the Creator in infinite wisdom had made asunder..."

(10) “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together."

The people were not to plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.  They could use each separately, but were not to use them together.  This seems to be a very good illustration of not being unequally yoked with unbelievers, or of mingling with the unclean, as an ox with a donkey. 

(11) “You shall not wear a garment of diverse sorts, as of woolen and linen together."

Once again here is a law that seems to have no moral or ethical foundation, but would serve to teach the people to be pure and not to experiment with the mixing of fabrics.  For one thing, it's a wise and practical law because mixing fabrics that do not wash and wear in the same ways would make for ill-fitting and motley-looking garments.  Additionally, as I quoted from Matthew Henry above, it might be seen as a vain and prideful thing to mix and match colors and fabrics.

(12) “You shall make fringes upon the four quarters of your vesture, with which you cover yourself."

The Israelites were to put fringes on the four corners of their cover garments.  In Numbers 15:38-39, they were told to do this so that they might look upon the fringes as reminders of God's commandments.  Additionally, it could be for a public profession of their nation and religion, and as God's special people, they might be distinguished from other peoples.  They were called to be pure and set apart, and the previous few laws were illustrative of this.

(13) “If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and hates her, (14) And gives occasions of speech against her, and brings up an evil name upon her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maiden,' (15) Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the evidence of the damsel's virginity to the elders of the city in the gate."

This law covers the case of a man who took a wife and was intimate with her, but then decided he didn't like her.  He then talked badly about her and accused her of not being a virgin when he married her.  It was up to the parents of the woman to bring forth the evidence of their daughter's virginity to the elders of their city.  What evidence that was is not explained here, but no doubt the people of the time understood what evidence was required to prove a daughter's virginity.

(16) "And the damsel's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he hates her; (17) And, lo, he has given occasions of speech against her, saying, "I found your daughter not a maiden," and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city."

The father of the maiden who had been slandered would present her case to the elders and provide the evidence of her virginity.  Again, what exactly this could be is unknown, but it appears there was physical evidence that would be shown to the elders.

(18) "And the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him; (19) And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the damsel, because he has brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel, and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days."

The man who lied about his wife's virginity was to be punished and fined 100 shekels of silver to be given to her father, as his lie had been injurious to the reputation of the woman's family.  The man would not be allowed to ever divorce his wife.  Dr. John Gill pointed out in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, that it was permitted within the law to divorce a wife, but the man would have to give his wife a dowry.  It appears in this case, the man sought to save himself the dowry and chose to lie and ruin her reputation.  For this evil act, the fine he paid was double what the dowry would have been, according to Dr. Gill, which seems a reasonable punishment. 

(20) “But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the damsel; (21) Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she has wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house; so shall you put evil away from among you."

However, if it was found that the husband was telling the truth and there was found no evidence to prove his wife's virginity before their marriage, then the woman was to be brought to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city were to stone her to death.  The reason given was that she had wrought folly or foolishness in Israel.  Actually, the archaic meaning of the word folly was wickedness or wantonness, and that is more likely what is meant here.  Because she had played the whore in her father's house which is where she had been before her marriage, she was brought back to his door.  With this punishment, the children of Israel put away such evil from among them.  They literally put away the evil one in this case, and by that example, deterred other young women from such action.

(22) “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away evil from Israel."

If any man, married or unmarried, lay with a married woman, then both of them were to be put to death for the crime of adultery.  Again this was said to put away evil from Israel.

(23) “If a damsel who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, (24) Then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she did not cry out, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor's wife; so you shall put away evil from among you."

If a young virgin who was betrothed to a husband, but not yet married and the marriage not yet consummated, was found in the city and a man lay with her, and she did not cry out, indicating her consent, both the man and the woman were to be brought to the gate of that city and stoned to death.  This was seen as adultery even though the woman was not yet married.  She was promised to her husband and the man who lay with her had taken what should have been her husband's alone.  Note this was just indicated for the woman in a city.  The young woman probably shouldn't have been wandering the city alone, exposing herself to temptation.  If she was completely innocent, she would have cried out against the man trying to take advantage of her.  

(25) "But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die."

However, if a man found a young betrothed woman in the field and he forced himself on her to lie with her, then the man only was to be put to death.  The young woman alone in a field would not be seen as curiously tempting fate, and the fact that she was alone in a field meant that there would be no one to help her if she cried out.

(26) "But to the damsel you shall do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death; as when a man rises against his neighbor and slays him, even so is this matter. (27) For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her."

Only the man who forced himself on the young woman was to be put to death.  It was to be assumed that the young woman cried out, and there was no one to save her.  Just as when a man rose up against another and killed him, only the murderer was guilty of sin, and this matter of rape was to be judged the same way. 

(28) “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, (29) Then the man who lay with her shall give to the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he has humbled her, he may not put her away all his days."

If a man found a young woman who was a virgin but was not betrothed to another, and he lay with her, and they were found out, then the man was to marry the woman and give her father a dowry of fifty shekels of silver.  In this particular case, the man was not allowed to ever divorce the woman.  Although divorce was permissible in some cases, because this man had defiled the young virgin, no matter how unpleasing she might afterward be to him, his "punishment" was that he could never divorce her.  This was to deter young men from acting rashly and taking advantage of young virgins.

(30) "A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt."

In conclusion of this chapter, a man was forbidden to marry his father's wife, or to lie with her whom his father had thrown his skirt over.  This is understood to be the young man's stepmother, his father's second wife.  Otherwise, it would have read that he not take his mother.  Even if his father had married a much younger woman and then he died, his son was not to marry his widow, as it would be to uncover what was only to have been revealed to his father, his father's "nakedness" as it has been referred to in previous passages (Leviticus 18:8).