The Birth of John the Baptist

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 1:39) And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah.

At the end of the last post, Mary had just been given the message from the Lord that she would conceive and bear the Son of God.  At that time she made an earnest journey into the hill country to a city of Judah.  Early commentators said this was probably Hebron, a city of priests, in the hill country of Judea and belonging to the house of Aaron.  If that is true, it was a hundred mile journey for Mary!  Even though the scripture only mentioned Mary, surely some family member or perhaps Joseph arranged to have Mary join a caravan traveling to Hebron.

(40) And entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.

Mary went to the house of Zacharias and Elizabeth.  It is understandable that she would go to the one person with whom she could freely talk about her pregnancy, as being a pregnant virgin would not have been well accepted in her village, and no one would have believed her story about how it came to be.

(41) And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

This is one of my favorite verses in all the Bible.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's entrance and greeting, the baby in her womb leaped!  The baby, not a fetus, actually reacted to the voice of Mary.  The baby, not Elizabeth's baby and property to do with what she wished.  This was a separate human being inside Elizabeth's womb reacting of his own accord.  Is there any clearer message that the baby growing inside a woman is indeed a life separate from her?  The baby can react and feel pain if he is killed even inside the womb.  There is just no way to dispute the fact that abortion is murder of an innocent child!  When the baby leaped inside of her, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

(42) And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"

Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized what her baby had just recognized and to what he had reacted, and declared in a loud voice that Mary was blessed among women, using the words the angel had spoken to Mary, and that the child within her womb was blessed which, of course, was the reason why Mary was blessed.

(43) "And why this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

Elizabeth continued, citing the Holy Spirit revelation that Mary was the mother of her Lord, and she asked why it was that Mary should come to her, obviously a question in humility that she should be honored with a visit from Mary, and her Lord, especially.

(44) "For lo, as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy."

Elizabeth continued, telling Mary how the baby in her womb leapt for joy when he heard Mary's salutation.

(45) "And blessed is she who believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."

Still obviously speaking the words of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth concluded that Mary was blessed because she had believed the prophecy of the angel, and confirmed that those things that had been told to her by the angel of the Lord would indeed come to pass.

(46) And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,"

Mary began what is called the Magnificat, said to be a hymn of Mary, surely by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  She said her soul magnified the Lord, meaning not that she herself could magnify or make Him greater, but that her soul realized and declared His greatness.

(47) "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."

Mary declared her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior, the Holy Spirit within her declaring that she was saved by God through the redemption that would be in Christ Jesus, the baby in her womb.

(48) "For He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden, for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."

The Lord God had highly favored Mary in her lowly and humble state, meaning there was not any particular excellence in her, except that she was a willing handmaiden of the Lord, but it was from God's excellent love and mercy that she would from then on through all generations be called blessed.

(49) "For He who is mighty has done to me great things, and holy is His name."

Mary declared that the mighty God had done great things for her and specifically to her with regard to her immaculate conception of a child who would become the Savior of the world.  She declared God's name as holy, and indeed this miracle within her was brought about with no impurity and only by the Holy Spirit.

(50) "And His mercy is on them who fear Him from generation to generation."

Mary proclaimed God's mercy was on the people who feared Him, meaning a reverential respect for just who He was, from that generation to the next and to the next forever.

(51) "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts."

God had shown strength with His arm referring to what He had done with His almighty power.  He had dispelled the proud and haughty who were high and mighty in their own imaginations and brought them to nothing.  He made foolish the wisdom of the world:  "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.' Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Corinthians 1:19-20)

(52) "He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree."

Mary declared, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that God had taken down the mighty from their thrones, as when Saul was removed as king to establish David's kingdom.  However, it is also a prophetic statement about Satan being removed from his throne as the prince of the world by Jesus Christ who conquered death and saved His people from Satan.  God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34); He exalts people of low esteem as He exalted the young shepherd boy David and He was exalting Mary in her lowly state (v. 48 above).

(53) "He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."

God has filled the hungry and poor with the good things they need and has blessed them with things greater than the riches of the world.  He has sent the rich away empty, not necessarily a proactive move on God's part but because they don't rely on Him for their needs.  If they prayed at all, their prayers would likely be those to enrich themselves even more and to make them less likely to depend on God.  God might indeed deny or take away riches in order to bring one closer to Him, their only true source of salvation and joy.

(54) "He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy."

God has continued to support Israel, mercifully remembering His covenant with Abraham, "I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3)  The original word translated as "helped" is a very long word meaning so much more than helped.  It means to lay hold of and participate in the support of something, in this case Israel.  God was always an ever-present support for His people, Israel, and in bringing forth Jesus from Mary's womb, all families of the earth would now be blessed.

(55) "As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever."

Mary concluded her hymn by adding that God had spoken to and reminded their fathers from Abraham down through the generations through David to Jesus about His promise.  From Jesus forward in time the covenant would be with His spiritual seed, as of course, Jesus would have no natural descendants.

(56) And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth and Zacharias about three months, which would have been about the time that Elizabeth was to deliver her child, and then she returned to her home.

(57) Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should deliver, and she brought forth a son.

Indeed, it was Elizabeth's time to give birth and she brought forth a son.

(58) And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown great mercy on her and they rejoiced with her.

When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had blessed Elizabeth with a son in her old and barren age, they rejoiced with her.  Indeed, this was a fulfillment of the prophecy the angel had given Zacharias in Luke 1:14, that many would rejoice at his birth.

(59) And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias after the name of his father.

When the baby was eight days old, some of those same neighbors and relatives came to circumcise the baby as was Jewish law.  It was the time at which the baby was normally given his name.  Those who were in attendance for the circumcision called the baby Zacharias after his father.

(60) And his mother answered and said, "No, he shall be called John."

Elizabeth objected and said that her baby's name was to be John as the angel had said it was to be.

(61) And they said to her, "There is none of your kindred who is called by this name."

However, the people answered back that there was no one in her family who was called by John, as it must have been a usual custom to name babies after others in their family.  The name John literally meant "Jehovah is a gracious giver," as He certainly had been in giving Elizabeth this child.  This was especially true when you consider who it was that John was sent to proclaim and prepare the way for; the gracious God gave the world Jesus to save them.

(62) And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

The people used sign language to ask Zacharias what he wanted the baby called.

(63) And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, saying, "His name is John." And they all marveled.

Zacharias motioned for a writing tablet and wrote that the baby's name was to be John.  The people were amazed at this, probably because he didn't want the baby named after him, and because he and Elizabeth were in agreement when he had been deaf and dumb this whole time.

(64) And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosened, and he spoke and praised God.

As soon as Zacharias had named the child John, all things being accomplished that the angel had foretold, all impediments to his speech, and to his hearing if there was any, were removed and He was able to speak and praised God.

(65) And fear came on all who dwelt around them, and all these sayings were talked about abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.

At that, the people marveled even more and were in awe and even fear.  They told about the things that had happened and word spread throughout the hill country of Judea.

(66) And all those who heard laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What manner of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Those who heard about the circumstances surrounding John's birth and naming stored those things in their hearts, wondering what sort of child he would grow to be, as it was obvious to them that the extraordinary circumstances of his birth meant the hand of God was on him.  The King James Version of this verse made the statement declarative and exclamatory, rather than a question:  "What manner of child will this be!"  That suggests the same thing that he must be something special.  Indeed, the hand of the Lord was on John.

(67) And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied, saying, (68) "Blessed the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people."

Zacharias was then filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy, first by praising His Lord God of all Israel who was with them and was redeeming His people.  Zacharias may not have known just how He was doing that, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he spoke it as if it were done.

(69) "And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David."

Obviously still speaking the words of the Holy Spirit, Zacharias went on to say that God had raised up a horn of salvation, the horn signifying strength, glory, and power, for His people from the line of His servant David, who was of course, Jesus Christ.  "The horn of my salvation" was quoted by David in Psalms 18:2.

(70) "As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been since the world began, (71) That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;"

This horn of salvation in the form of Jesus Christ had been spoken of by prophets of God since the beginning of time, from Genesis to Moses to the prophets.  This salvation would save them from their enemies and all who hated them in that their sins and Satan and his wicked followers could no longer destroy them.  Their mortal earthly bodies might be destroyed, but through the redemption in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, they could live forever with God in heaven.

(72) "To perform the mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, (73) The oath which He swore to our father Abraham."

In saving His people, God was performing the mercy He promised to their patriarchs and remembering His covenant made with Abraham that He would bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and that his descendants would possess the gates of his enemies, as with Solomon and David and other kings, and ultimately with Jesus Christ who triumphed over death itself, and in his descendants all nations of the world would be blessed (Genesis 22:17-18).

(74) "That He would grant to us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, (75) In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life."

That promised merciful salvation that the Lord granted to His people even at the time Zacharias was speaking, since His people were being delivered from the hands of their enemies, should allow them to serve Him without fear in true holiness and righteousness, not in mere outward rituals and legal ceremonies.  Through the redemption that would be in Jesus Christ, His people would be considered holy and righteous before the Lord and could serve Him all the days of their lives.

(76) "And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways."

Zacharias, turning his prophetic speech to his son, said that this child would be called the prophet of the Highest, the Highest obviously being God, but he could also be called the prophet of the highest calling, as he was the one who went before the Lord Jesus to prepare the way for Him.

(77) "To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, (78) Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us, (79) To give light to them who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Zacharias's son John would prophesy and prepare the way of the Lord by giving the knowledge of salvation through the remission of their sins to His people.  That salvation would come to be because of the tender mercy of our Father God from whom that morning Light of the World from on high would come down to earth to give light to His people who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide them into the way of spiritual peace and joy.

(80) And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing to Israel.

Zacharias's prophecy now ended, scripture returned to the child of Zacharias and Elizabeth, John, who would become known as John the Baptist.  He grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts until he entered public ministry.  Either he grew up and then went to the desert region until ready to start his ministry, or perhaps the meaning is that while he grew, he spent his time in the deserts near his home, indicating he did not attend the schools of the Jews or apprentice with rabbis.  In solitude he was taught by God and he became strong in spirit.  He began his ministry at about the age of 30, as Jesus did, as was the law as gleaned from Numbers 4:3. 

The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus Foretold

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 1:1) Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

Luke was a physician and a friend and contemporary of the apostle Paul.  He is said to have written both the books of Luke and Acts.  He was also the only non-Jew to write in the New Testament, at least the only one clearly identifiable as non-Jew.  Luke began his gospel account by acknowledging that many others had undertaken the task of writing about Jesus.

(2) Even as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word; (3) It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus, (4) That you might know the certainty of those things in which you have been instructed.

Luke further acknowledged that those others who had written about Jesus and had handed down their accounts were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.  As Luke had a perfect understanding of all things about Jesus from the very first, surely inspired by the Holy Spirit, he felt he should write his own gospel account in chronological order.  He wrote his account to Theophilus, and also his book of Acts was addressed to him.  The Bible never specifies exactly who Theophilus was, but he apparently was a student of Christianity and Luke wanted him to know the full story of Jesus and the early church to confirm the things he had been taught.

(5) There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the course of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke began his account telling about the priest Zacharias who ministered during the reign of Herod.  When the priests became so numerous they could not all minister at the altar at once, they were divided into 24 courses, each one of which officiated for a week.  Zacharias was of the course of Abijah.  His wife was Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron.

(6) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous people following God's commandments and laws, and were said to be blameless, that is, no visible external fault was found in them.

(7) And they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

Zacharias and Elizabeth had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and at this time they both were well advanced in age.

(8) And it came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, (9) According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

The course of Abijah was the eighth course in order called to perform its priestly duties, and when it came Zacharias's course's turn to minister in the temple, the priests apparently cast or drew lots to determine which priest would do what, and Zacharias's lot was to burn incense.

(10) And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.

A multitude of people had gathered outside the temple at the time of incense to pray.

(11) And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

There appeared to Zacharias an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense in the holy place of the temple.

(12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

No explanation being needed, Zacharias was afraid when he saw the angel.

(13) But the angel said to him, "Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son and you shall call his name John."

The angel told Zacharias not to be afraid, for he was just bringing him a message.  He told Zacharias his prayer had been answered, although it was certainly not a prayer he presently prayed being in advanced age, but it was always an intense desire of Jews to have children so that their name would not die out.  The angel told him his wife Elizabeth would bear a son and he was to call his name John.

(14) "And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth." 

Zacharias and Elizabeth would be joyful at the birth of a son, and many of their friends and relatives would rejoice with them.  However, it likely meant much more than that, that their son would grow to be a joyful honor to his family and many people would rejoice that he had been born as he would surely become a blessing to all mankind.

(15) "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb."

The angel continued to detail how Zacharias's son would be great before the Lord and regarded by God as such.  He would be a man who never drank wine or any strong intoxicating drink but would be "high" on the Holy Ghost only.  The angel said he would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth, but even before while in his mother's womb, as we will later see in scripture.

(16) "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."

The angel told Zacharias that his son John would be the reason many people turned back to their Lord God in repentance.

(17) "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

The angel continued; John would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah.  From the prophecy in Malachi 4:5, the people expected the prophet Elijah to come before the Messiah, and Jesus would later tell His disciples that Elijah had indeed come before Him in the form of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:12-13).  John would come to reconcile those who were in quarrels with and grudges against others close to them, and to turn the hearts of obstinate sinners to the true wisdom of the just who were righteous before the Lord.  He would prepare them the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3).

(18) And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years."

Zacharias asked the angel how he would know what the angel said was true because it did not seem possible since he and his wife were both old in age.

(19) And the angel answering said to him, "I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and is sent to speak to you and to show you these glad tidings."

The angel answered Zacharias and identified himself as the angel Gabriel who was sent to him with a message from God containing glad tidings of which Zacharias should have been joyful and thankful.

(20) "And you will be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed because you did not believe my words which shall be fulfilled in their season."

The angel Gabriel declared that Zacharias would be made "dumb" and unable to speak until what he had foretold would come to pass as he said.  Every other translation of the Bible I read translated dumb as mute but that makes it redundant as mute and unable to speak are the same thing.  It's not as if redundancy is not often the case in the Bible, but I truly believe this is meant to be "deaf" and dumb, unable to speak, as in later scripture Zacharias's friends had to make signs for him so that he would understand (Luke 1:62).

I have often wondered why Zacharias's questioning how he and his wife could have a child at their advanced age was any different than Mary questioning how it could be that she was pregnant when she had not been with a man.  I just decided that God knows the hearts and did not question it, but now seems a good time to examine both occasions.  Mary merely asked how it would be since she was a virgin and the angel told her how and she answered that she was God's handmaiden and would do as the Lord wished.  In Zacharias's case he didn't ask how this could be since he and his wife were both so old to which he might have received an answer that was said at the end of Mary's explanation, "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37).  However, Zacharias asked how he would know that this supposed angel of God was telling him the truth and he indeed received an answer that would serve to prove to him that this was indeed an angel of the Lord bringing him a prophecy.  And again, the Lord does know the heart, and in Mary's case, she was a very willing servant as soon as she understood, but in Zacharias's case, not only was he a priest who should have been more in tune to the Spirit of God, God may have known he would persevere in doubt and express it verbally, so he was struck deaf and dumb and unable to do that.

(21) And the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.

The people who had been praying outside the temple waited for Zacharias and wondered why he had been in the temple for so long.

(22) And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

When Zacharias did exit the temple, he was most likely supposed to deliver a prayer but he was unable to speak.  The people perceived that he had seen a vision for he used sign language to express what had happened.

(23) And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

When Zacharias's course or shift of administering in the temple was complete, he left the temple and went to his house.

(24) And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months, saying, (25) "Thus has the Lord dealt with me to take away my reproach among men."

Elizabeth did indeed conceive as the angel Gabriel had said, and she hid herself for five months.  She delighted in the blessing of the Lord to take away her reproach among men, because barrenness was seen as a reproach among the Jews.  Because she so delighted, I don't believe she was necessarily trying to conceal her pregnancy, but rather was retiring from public to rest and privately enjoy her blessing from the Lord.  Perhaps because it was a marvelous thing to happen to her in her advanced age, she wanted to protect her baby in her womb and just take it easy.

(26) And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

At the time of Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, the same angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth.

(27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

Continuing to describe Gabriel's newest mission, he was sent specifically to a young virgin named Mary who was betrothed to Joseph from the lineage of David.

(28) And the angel came to her and said, "Hail, highly favored, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women."

The angel came to Mary addressing her as highly favored by the Lord and blessed among women.

(29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and deliberated in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.

It seems that fear wasn't Mary's first response but rather she was bewildered and wondered what the angel's greeting to her could mean.

(30) And the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God."

The angel told Mary not to be afraid of his presence and of how he had greeted her, but reassured her that she had found favor with God.

(31) "And behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call His name JESUS."

The angel then gave Mary the prophetic message from the Lord that she would conceive and bear a child, a son, and would call His name Jesus.  This would be fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 which said, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  The name Immanuel literally meant "God is with us."  Jesus would certainly be called that.  The literal meaning of the name Jesus was "Jehovah saved."  Certainly Jesus is Savior.  He is also called Lamb of God and Son of Man.  Another mention of the prophecy of the birth of Jesus by Isaiah is found in Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."  Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be called by many names, so I don't believe he was prophesying Jesus's given name.  The angel Gabriel told Mary she would give her baby the name of Jesus.

(32) "He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David."

The angel went on to tell Mary that her Son would be great and would be called the Son of the Highest, or the Son of the Most High, as God was called, and of the Highest, more than any man or angel could ever be.  God would give her Son the throne of David, called His father because He descended directly from him.  We were told in verse 27 that Joseph descended from David, but Mary did also.  David's throne was in God's kingdom and was a symbolic type of God's spiritual kingdom of which Jesus came to fulfill on earth.

(33) "And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Mary's Son would reign on that throne of David over the house of Jacob, meaning all the descendants of Jacob from all of the twelve tribes, and His kingdom would never end.  He would reign in the hearts of His people until the end of the world and for all eternity in heaven.

(34) Then Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be seeing I know not a man?"

Mary asked the angel how it could possibly be that she would bear a child when she had never intimately been with a man.

(35) And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also that holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of God."

The angel explained to Mary that the Holy Spirit of God would come upon her and make her conceive.  Therefore her Son would also be known as the Son of God.

(36) "And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren."

Elizabeth was from the tribe of Levi and Mary from the tribe of Judah, so they must have been kin through their mothers' sides.  Perhaps as encouragement and also as confirmation that what the angel had said was true, he told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy with her son, even as impossible as that might seem in her old age.

(37) "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

The angel concluded that nothing was impossible with God.  Just as barren Elizabeth could bear a son in her old age, so could the virgin Mary bear a Son, the Son of God.

(38) And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Mary declared herself to be the handmaid of the Lord, completely submissive and obedient to His will as spoken by the angel, and the angel then left her.

This is a very long chapter, so I think this is a good stopping place for now.  The rest of the first chapter of Luke will be studied in the next post.

The Resurrection of Jesus and His Great Commission

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 16:1) And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had died on the cross and Joseph of Arimathea had placed Him in his own sepulchre hewn out of rock and had placed a large stone at the entrance.  That was on the day before the Sabbath.  Now it was after the Sabbath when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, who would seem to be the same Mary and same James mentioned in the last chapter, that is Mary the mother of James the Little, and also Salome came to Jesus's tomb with sweet spices with which to anoint Jesus.  These were the same three women the last chapter had mentioned who followed Jesus and ministered to Him.  Here they were also ministering to Him in death, a very loving gesture indeed.

(2) And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came to the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

The women came very early in the morning at sunrise to the sepulchre where Jesus had been laid.  It was said to be the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath.  Jesus had been buried on the day before the Sabbath.  When counted as authors of the Bible counted, this was the third day, the day before the Sabbath being the first, then the full day of the Sabbath, and now the day after the Sabbath.

(3) And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?"

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had seen Joseph roll the large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and knew they would not be able to move such a large stone themselves, and they asked among themselves who could move it for them.

(4) And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away; it was very large.

However, when the women reached the sepulchre, they saw that the very large stone had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb.

(5) And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side clothed in a long white garment, and they were alarmed.

The women went into the tomb and saw a young man in a long white garment sitting there, and they were greatly alarmed.

(6) And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him."

The young man, obviously an angel, told the women not to be alarmed.  He told them he knew that they were looking to see Jesus, but He was not there; He had risen.  He encouraged them to see the place where Jesus had been laid, but He was not there.

(7) "But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him as He said to you."

The angel told the women to go tell Jesus's disciples that He was going before them into Galilee and that they would see Him there just as He had told them they would.  Note that the angel said "His disciples and Peter."  This was not intended to mean that Peter was no longer a disciple, but to say especially Peter, the same Peter who had denied Jesus three times, to comfort and encourage him.

(8) And they went out quickly and fled from the sepulchre for they trembled and were amazed, neither did they say anything to any man for they were afraid.

They women ran quickly out of the tomb trembling in fear and amazement.  As they ran, they didn't say anything to anyone along the way as they were afraid.

(9) Now when risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom He had cast seven devils.

After He had risen from the dead early the first day of the week, that being the third day of His being in the tomb, He appeared to Mary Magdalene first.  She had been healed by Jesus when He cast seven demons from her.  John tells a much longer and more beautiful story about just how Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.  In short, she had gone back to the tomb and was crying because she supposed someone had taken Jesus's body away.  Jesus appeared when her back was turned and asked why she was crying.  She did not recognize Him at first, supposing He was the gardener, but when He spoke her name, she knew it was Him.

(10) She went and told them who had been with Him as they mourned and wept.

The account in John stated further that Jesus told Mary Magdalene to go to His disciples, those who had been with Him, and that is what she did, finding them weeping in mourning.

(11) And they, when they had heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, did not believe.

However, when Mary Magdalene told His disciples that Jesus was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe her, thinking her words were idle tales (Luke 24:11) of her imagination.

(12) After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

The account in Luke tells us this happened later the same day; Jesus appeared to two disciples as they walked and were going into the country.  Luke also tells us that one of the men was Cleophas (Luke 24:18), so this evidently meant that He appeared to two of His followers, disciples, but not just to His chosen twelve apostles.

(13) And they went and told it to the rest; neither did they believe them.

Those two disciples went to the rest of Jesus's disciples to tell them they had seen Him, but they didn't believe those two, either.

(14) Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at a meal, and upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He was risen.

Jesus's chosen disciples were now called the eleven, rather than the twelve, with Judas Iscariot obviously gone from them then.  His chosen disciples were gathered together where they had been eating when Jesus appeared to them.  He severely rebuked them for not believing the testimonies of those who had seen Him after He had risen.  He called out their hardness of heart, not because they were cold and unfeeling about His torture and death, but because after all He had taught them and told them about meeting them in Galilee after He had risen and even after eye-witness accounts, they still did not consider that He had risen.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that this made a most significant bit of evidence to prove that Jesus's resurrection was true and not a trick of His disciples to fool the people as has been suggested.  His very own chosen disciples had given up all hope after He died and did not expect a resurrection at all.  Even after they were told by witnesses they had seen Jesus, it still never occurred to them to accept the fact He might have risen from the dead.

(15) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Jesus then told His disciples to go forth into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, signifying there were no limitations to whom and where they preached.  They were to go out all over the world and teach the Gentiles of the world.

(16) "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be damned."

Anyone, even a Gentile from the farthest reach of the earth, who believed in the gospel of Jesus and understood and accepted His gift of salvation, and was baptized as a proof of his acceptance, would be saved, but those who refused to believe and accept Jesus's gift of salvation would be condemned.  I don't believe this damning or condemning was a punishment for not believing; it is a result of not believing.  If one doesn't accept salvation, how then can he be saved?

(17) "And these signs shall follow those who believe; in My name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, (18) They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Jesus told His disciples that certain miraculous signs would follow those who believed and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.  In His name, meaning by His will and authority, they would be able to cast out devils, speak with different languages previously unknown to them, take up serpents and drink poison with no ill effects, and lay hands on the sick and heal them.  I do believe that the key here is "in My name."  It is only by Jesus's will and authority that they would be able to do these things, and His will at this time was that more people be saved by witnessing those miracles.  Those who might perform risky acts for the sake of their own fame and glory may not be so fortunate as to have them not be hurt.  All those signs and miracles were for a time of building the church, but that is not to say that miracles don't happen today.  They most certainly do!  However, it is only by the will of God that such miracles occur, and we must be in tune to the Holy Spirit to know when it is God's will to perform a miracle.  1 Corinthians 12:11 tells us that the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts, among them being the ability to perform miracles, as He wills.  Christian missionaries often report on extraordinary miracles.  It may be that just as with the early church, miracles are used to bring certain peoples and tribes who had no prior knowledge of Jesus, to salvation in Him.  However, most of us in the world today do not need more miracles to know the truth about Jesus.  As it was said in Luke 16:31 in the parable about the beggar Lazarus and the rich man:  the rich man was tormented in hell and asked that Lazarus from the dead go and warn his family so that they might not go to hell.  Abraham told him that they had Moses and the prophets to tell them, and if they wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets, they wouldn't be persuaded even if one rose from the dead.  And we have so much more!  Jesus did rise from the dead!  We have Jesus and the knowledge of His resurrection and the testimonies of millions of people since then.  We don't need any more miracles.

(19) So then after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

After Jesus had spoken to His disciples and had commissioned them for their great work, He ascended into heaven and sat on the right hand of God.  That last part is not to be taken literally, I don't think.  To be at one's right hand is to be in the place of highest honor.  When Jesus was received up into heaven, He was exalted to the highest honor of the universe.

(20) And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The disciples went forth and preached everywhere as Jesus had commissioned them to do, and He was with them, working with them, by the Spirit of God, and confirming the word of the gospel they preached by signs and miracles.  Amen, meaning firm and trustworthy.

The Crucifixion, Death, and Burial of Jesus

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 15:1) And immediately in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus and carried Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

In the last chapter and post, Jesus had been found guilty of blasphemy in a mock trial filled with false witnesses.  The next morning, after the whole council had discussed the matter among themselves, they bound Jesus and took Him to Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, and the one who had the power to inflict capital punishment.

(2) And Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He, answering, said to him, "You say it."

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus directly if He was the King of the Jews.  Jesus answered something to the effect of "as you say," meaning that He indeed was, although not the earthly temporal king Pilate and the others imagined.

(3) And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.

At that point the chief priests began accusing Jesus of all sorts of things, but He said nothing in response.

(4) And Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? Behold how many things they witness against You."

Pilate then asked Jesus another question, this time about why He answered nothing in response to all the things the chief priests testified against Him.

(5) But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Jesus still did not answer.  Pilate marveled over the fact that Jesus did not try to defend Himself.  Jesus had answered Pilate directly when he had asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews.  However, He would not get into a squabbling war against all the false accusations of the priests, and He knew it would do no good anyway, as their minds were set on putting Him to death.

(6) Now at the feast he released to them one prisoner, whomever they desired.

At the Passover Feast, the governor had a custom of releasing one prisoner, whomever the people wanted to have released.

(7) And there was one named Barabbas bound with them who had made insurrection with him who had committed murder in the insurrection.

There was at that time a prisoner named Barabbas bound with those who had committed insurrection with him, he who had committed murder during the insurrection.  It could be read that the group of insurrectionists had committed murder, not necessarily Barabbas himself, but Peter called Barabbas a murderer later in Acts 3:14.  The account in John said Barabbas was a robber.  Matthew called him notable.  It is evident he was at the very least a notorious criminal and probably a murderer.

(8) And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire him to do as he had always done for them.

A multitude of people had apparently gathered to Pilate and began crying out to him to do as was his custom every year at this time and release a prisoner.

(9) But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" (10) For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him out of envy.

Pilate answered the crowd asking if they would have him release Jesus, the King of the Jews.  Pilate realized that Jesus was innocent and that the chief priests had only brought Him to him out of envy because of His fame among the people.  Their flimsy arguments against Him had no proof, and Pilate was willing to let Jesus go free.

(11) But the chief priests moved the people that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

The chief priests moved among the people soliciting for Barabbas's release, and indeed persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas to be freed.

(12) And Pilate answered and said again to them, "What do you want then that I shall do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

The people having asked that Barabbas be freed, Pilate answered their cries and asked what then they wanted him to do with the one they called King of the Jews.

(13) And they cried out again, "Crucify Him!"

The people cried out in answer to crucify Jesus.  This had to be the rallying cry of the chief priests who incited the people against Jesus for why else would the people who had so recently hailed Him as the Son of David with shouts of "Hosanna!" now want Him crucified?

(14) Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" And they cried out more exceedingly, "Crucify Him!"

Pilate was probably quite baffled as to why the people should want Jesus crucified.  He asked the people why they wanted that, what evil had He done?  However, they just cried out all the more to crucify Jesus.

(15) And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas to them, and delivered Jesus when he had scourged Him to be crucified.

Pontius Pilate was a weak man.  He, as governor, had found no fault in Jesus, but to please the people, released Barabbas to them, then scourged Jesus and delivered Him to be crucified.  Even if it was his own custom that he release the prisoner Barabbas to the people as they requested, did he have to scourge Jesus and send Him to be crucified just because the people demanded it?  He had found no fault in Him; he could have released Barabbas and continue to hold Jesus, but he let the people take his power as governor from him.  Even though we were told in Matthew 27:24 that Pilate washed his hands before the crowd declaring his innocence of the blood of this just person, he was the one who had Jesus scourged and delivered Him to be crucified.  He was guilty of Jesus's death and a very weak man, indeed!

(16) And the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium and they called together the whole band.

The soldiers led Jesus away into the judgment hall called the Praetorium where they called together their entire company of soldiers.

(17) And they clothed Him with purple and platted a crown of thorns and put it on His head. (18) And began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

They clothed Jesus in the royal color of purple and made a crown of thorns and put it on His head.  They mocked Him as a king, but the crown of thorns added some torture as well.

(19) And they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him and bowing their knees, worshiped Him.

They struck Jesus on the head with a reed and spat on Him.  When they bowed their knees to Him, they only pretended worship; theirs was only mockery.

(20) And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him and put His own clothes on Him and led Him out to crucify Him.

After the soldiers had had their fill of fun at mocking Jesus, they took the purple cloth off Him and put His own clothes back on Him.  They then led Him out to be crucified.

(21) And they compelled one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross.

Interestingly, I have always believed and it is indeed taught in the Catholic Church that Jesus fell while carrying His cross, probably very much weakened by His beating and scourging, and that is why Simon was compelled to carry the cross for Him.  However, while studying this verse, I found that nowhere in scripture does it say that Jesus fell.  I didn't even see this when I studied the account in Matthew.  Matthew had stated that it was as they came out, they found Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus's cross.  My commentary at the time was that the account in John stated that Jesus had indeed carried His cross at least a little while before Simon was called.  However, it was not because Jesus had fallen.  Although He may have been wearied and weakened by His beatings, nowhere does scripture suggest that, much to my amazement, as that is what I have always been taught and believed.  The soldiers probably compelled Simon to carry the cross to prolong Jesus's agony on the cross.  They didn't want Him to die too soon and definitely not before He reached the place of His crucifixion, so they found someone and forced him to carry Jesus's cross.

I believe there is some beautiful symbology in Simon of Cyrene bearing Jesus's cross.  Simon was coming out of the country or fields, as opposed to being in the city, and he was just passing by.  He was apparently well known, if for no other reason, than because he was the father of Alexander and Rufus, who were apparently well known enough to be mentioned by name by Mark.  Why mention these names at all?  Perhaps Mark was establishing eyewitness accounts to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Simon was from Cyrene in North Africa, a foreigner.  The account in Luke says that Simon carried the cross after Jesus, behind Him.  That is a beautiful picture of discipleship, taking up the cross and following Jesus (Matthew 16:24).  Not only that, but it was given to foreigners, Gentiles, all people in the world, to have the privilege of carrying the cross and following Jesus.

(22) And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, the place of a skull.

The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, which literally meant "place of a skull."  It was a gruesome place known for its executions there and the skulls of men lay scattered about.

(23) And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, but He did not take it.

The soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but He refused it.  Matthew, in his account, called it vinegar mixed with gall, and said that Jesus tasted it and then refused to drink it.  Vinegar was a light wine that had become acidic, and gall was a word used to denote anything exceedingly bitter, and myrrh was indeed a bitter substance.  There was a custom to give this strong drink to dying criminals to make them less sensible to their sufferings.  However, Jesus refused to drink it as He was unwilling to blunt the pain of what He must do and rather chose the cup His Father had given Him to drink.

(24) And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots on them to see what every man should take.

Mark's meaning of "crucified" seems to be that they had fastened Jesus to the cross and raised it up, not that He had yet died on the cross.  The soldiers parted His garments between them, casting lots to determine who should take what.  This fulfilled a prophecy in Psalms 22:18, "They part My garments among them and cast lots on My vesture."

(25) And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

I don't believe that Mark meant Jesus was crucified at specifically the third hour of the day, 9:00 a.m., but that it was during the third hour and the entire three-hour period of the day, meaning the time between 9:00 and 12:00 noon.  The Jews divided their days into four three-hour periods, and also their nights into four three-hour periods, each beginning at 6:00.  Matthew and Luke stated it was in the sixth hour, which could have meant exactly the sixth hour, 12:00 noon, or the time between noon and 3:00 in the afternoon.  It is reasonable to suppose that Jesus was raised up on the cross about noon, perhaps a few minutes before, so as to make it in the third hour period as Mark stated, but close enough to noon that Matthew and Luke called it the sixth hour.

(26) And the inscription of His accusation was written above, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Pilate had made a sign to be placed above Jesus on the cross that read THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Pilate had found no fault in Jesus, so His only "crime" was being King of the Jews.  Perhaps it was written with a hint of mockery, as certainly many of the people who read it would take it.  Perhaps Pilate didn't even know the reason he wrote it, but God intended it as truth of the sovereign King.  Behold what the people were doing to their King who conquered death! 

(27) And with Him they crucified two thieves, one on His right hand and the other on His left.

Two thieves were also being crucified at the same time as Jesus.  They were on either side of Him with Jesus Himself in the middle.

(28) And the scripture was fulfilled which said, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."

Prophecy from Isaiah 53:12 was fulfilled which said that Jesus was numbered with the transgressors.  He was certainly no transgressor of the law, but He was counted as one and hung with thieves.

(29) And those who passed by railed against Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Ah, You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, (30) Save Yourself and come down from the cross!"

People who passed by Jesus on the cross jeered and mocked Him, shaking their heads and saying that He who could destroy the temple and build it up again in three days should save Himself and come down from the cross.  Of course, that is not exactly what Jesus had said, and little did they know He was doing just that in allowing the temple of His body to be destroyed and He would be raised again three days afterward.  Also unbeknownst to them was the fact that if He had indeed come down from that cross as He surely could have if He wanted to, His temple would not have been destroyed and wouldn't have raised again in three days, and there would be no salvation for the world He came to save, including some of their wretched souls.  Jesus died for all, but not all would accept His gift of salvation.

(31) Likewise, also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. (32) Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross that we may see and believe." And they who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

Even the chief priests and the scribes mocked Jesus, and chimed in that He saved others, but He couldn't save Himself, and if He was truly Christ the King, then He should come down from the cross and then they would believe Him.  Once again, if He had done that, then their foolish souls could never be given the opportunity to be saved.  They had seen and heard more than enough to prove Jesus was who He said He was, but they didn't want to believe.  Mark stated that the thieves crucified with Him also reviled Him.  Matthew stated as much in his account.  However, the account in Luke stated that just one of the thieves chimed in at this point saying if He was the Christ, He should save Himself and them, too.  Maybe the other had at first mocked Jesus, but more likely it was probably that the mocking one was loud and noticeable among all the ones who mocked Jesus at that particular time that it was seen as the thieves (plural) mocking, too.  Additionally, the conversation between Jesus and the one thief who did not mock Him was private and not shouted among all the other cries of "Save Yourself!"  It may not have been witnessed and known by the other Gospel authors, but it was given to Luke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to know what transpired that we might all know that we can be saved no matter what we have done and no matter what the late hour.  That one thief rebuked the other, and calling Him Lord, asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom, and Jesus told him he would indeed be with Him in paradise that very day.

(33) And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

In this case, since both ends of the time period are mentioned, I believe it is meant to be taken literally that there was darkness over the whole land from noon until 3:00 in the afternoon.  This fulfilled prophecy; Amos 8:9 said, "'And it shall come to pass in that day,' says the Lord God, 'that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day.'"  Indeed, it was a very dark time for the Jewish nation.  It might also be seen as the people extinguishing the Light and Sun of righteousness, though they never actually could.  It was that sign they were always demanding of Christ.

(34) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which being interpreted, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

The darkness that was over Christ during that time could also be seen as symbolic of the darkness of the sin of the world that was upon Him as He was offering Himself in atonement for the sin of the world.  At the end of that time period, at about 3:00 in the afternoon, Jesus cried out to God, asking why He had forsaken Him.  The light of God had been withdrawn from Jesus as He took on all the filthy sin of the world.  This was the one thing that Christ found almost impossible to bear, as He had said in His prayers in the garden at Gethsemane, being separated from God the Father.  Jesus Christ was God on earth in human form, but at this moment he was only man, separated from His Godness, so to speak, and that was a most terrible thing.  Jesus could tolerate His disciples forsaking Him, but God Himself forsaking Him was a terrible thing to bear.

(35) And some of them who stood by, when they heard it, said, "Behold, He calls Elijah!"

Whether they truly misunderstood Jesus, or used it as another taunt, some when they heard Him cry "Eloi" said He was calling Elijah.  It looked to them as if God had apparently abandoned Him, so now He cried for a saint to help Him.  Whether or not they truly believed that, I'm sure they believed it would make Him more odious to the people to suggest that.

(36) And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."

The account in John says that Jesus had actually said at that time that He was thirsty, so in response, someone lifted up on a reed a sponge full of vinegar or sour wine for Him to drink.  That actually fulfilled another prophecy in Psalms 69:21, "...in My thirst, they gave Me vinegar to drink."  The account in Matthew said that it was actually others telling the man who offered Jesus the drink to leave Him alone and they would see if Elijah would come to help Him.

(37) And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost.

Jesus then cried out loudly and gave up the ghost, His Spirit, which of course, meant He died.

(38) And the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

The temple veil separated the most holy place from the holy place and was said to be where God's presence rested.  The tearing of the veil in two might be seen as a symbol of God's leaving the building as what could be seen as prophecy in Hosea 5:14, "...I will tear and go away..."  However, as God was indeed leaving the nation of Israel at this point, the tearing of the veil in two represented to the world that because of that sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the veil separating God from the people was torn in two, and anyone was able to approach God who was covered by the blood of Jesus's sacrifice by accepting Him as Lord of his life.

(39) And when the centurion who stood opposite Him saw that He cried out and gave up the ghost, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

According to this account in Mark, it seems as if only from watching Jesus cry out loudly and then immediately die, that he was able to state emphatically that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.  Perhaps, because he had witnessed many die on the cross being crucified that he knew no one could have the energy and breath to cry out in such a loud voice immediately before they died.  Perhaps he could see it just as it was, that Jesus Himself gave up His Spirit and died, as it did not seem to be plausible to him that Jesus died naturally at that moment.  However, the account in Matthew said that it was after the centurion had witnessed Jesus at that moment and also the earthquake and other things that were done at the time like the tearing of the veil, and also other things not mentioned by Mark like the aforementioned earthquake, and rocks being broken apart and graves opened, that the centurion remarked that Jesus was truly the Son of God.  The account in Matthew also stated that other soldiers with the centurion also saw all the signs and feared and stated that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

(40) There were also women looking on from afar, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Little and of Joses, and Salome, (41) (Who also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him and ministered to Him), and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

There were many women watching Jesus on the cross from afar.  They included Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Little, so called because he might have been little in stature or because he was young, to differentiate him from other Jameses; his mother was also the mother of Joses.  Also among the women was Salome, who was most likely the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John, if the assumption that Matthew named the same three women is true:  "Among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children" (Matthew 27:56).  The three women specifically named had been followers of Jesus and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee.

(42) And now when the evening was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, (43) Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

Evening had come and it was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath, and no bodies could be left hanging on the Sabbath.  Therefore, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, likely meaning of the council of the Sanhedrin, a righteous man who looked forward to the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

(44) And Pilate marveled that He was already dead, and calling the centurion, asked him whether He had been already dead.

Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead as it is said that often those being crucified lasted days on the cross.  The fact that He died so soon and suddenly was one of the reasons the centurion in verse 39 stated emphatically that Jesus was the Son of God, as He had given up His life Himself.  Pilate called the centurion to confirm that Jesus was truly dead before he would consent to Joseph taking His body.

(45) And when he knew from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

When the centurion had confirmed that Jesus was indeed dead, he allowed Joseph to take His body.

(46) And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which had been hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre.

Joseph bought fine linen and then took Jesus's body down from the cross and wrapped Him in the linen.  He laid Him in a sepulchre that had been hewn out of a rock, his own sepulchre as the account in Matthew told us, and he then rolled a stone in front of the entrance.

(47) And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses apparently had seen Joseph take Jesus's body and followed him to the tomb, so they saw where Jesus was buried.

Jesus is Taken, and Peter Denies Him Three Times

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 14:32) And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

In the last post, Jesus and His disciples had just finished their Passover meal which was thenceforth to be done in remembrance of Jesus Christ, His body and His blood.  They had gone to the Mount of Olives and now came to a place called Gethsemane, the name literally meaning "oil press."  It was a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  Jesus asked His disciples to sit while He went to pray.

(33) And He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and He began to be greatly distressed and very heavily troubled.

As He went away to pray, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him.  He began to be greatly distressed and troubled.  The word that was translated as "distressed" in most all versions of the Bible actually means something much stronger.  It denotes shock and terror.  Jesus was struck with sudden terror at the thought of what was about to happen to Him, not His crucifixion and death, but His separation from God as He took on every filthy sin of the world, a black storm of wickedness and ugliness descending on the perfect sinless Jesus.  God, who could not be in the presence of sin, took on the body of a human so that He could, but that did not mean that the soul of Jesus did so without great terror and anguish.

(34) And said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful to death; wait here and watch."

Jesus told the three disciples that He had brought with Him that His soul was so exceedingly sorrowful, pressing in on Him so hard that He might die from it.  He asked those disciples to wait there with Him and watch.  Were they to watch for the enemy that Jesus knew was coming, or was it more likely to watch Him, to be privy to and to understand the terror that Jesus was feeling because of the enormous weight of sin and death that was descending upon Him.  Imagine the sorrow He must have felt for all the lost lives whose sins were pressing in on Him, how sorrowful He would be that those sins were directed at the perfect God, a God so loving He would take all that shame and horror upon Himself to save us!  Why couldn't God just poof!  "Away with your sins!"?  It was important for us to see just what filthy wickedness and death sin really was, to see how much it itself anguished the perfect Jesus to the point of death.  And God always gives us a choice.  He doesn't force salvation on us.  He wants communion with His children who choose to be with Him, but He also wanted us to see just what our sins do to Him and to ourselves, and to understand just how great the loving sacrifice that He did to save us from ourselves.

(35) And He went forward a little and fell on the ground and prayed, that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

Jesus then went a little bit away from His three disciples and fell on the ground in prayer.  He prayed that if it were possible, that what was to come pass away from Him.  This was Jesus the man feeling such anguish that He thought He might not be able to bear it, asking if salvation could be made by some other means.

(36) And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to You; take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."

Jesus prayed to God the Father addressing Him as Abba, meaning Father.  He acknowledged that all things were possible to God, that God could find another way and take that cup away from Him.  He knew that He could, but it was not in His will to do so.  I already discussed some of the reason why He wouldn't want to do it any other way.  God is always about salvation and life.  Many more souls would be genuinely saved by knowing the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus than would if God merely poofed away all sins.  Jesus the man acknowledged that it was not His will, but Father God's perfect will that must be done, and that was surely a lesson the disciples supposedly watching and us reading this prayer of Jesus needed to learn.

(37) And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?"

Jesus went back to His three disciples and found them all sleeping.  He spoke to Peter and asked if he was sleeping and if he could not watch with His Lord for just one hour.  He called Peter, Simon, his original name before Jesus gave Him the name of Peter, the rock.  This was probably to bring to Peter's attention that he was not the rock he had so confidently and vehemently suggested he was just a short time before.

(38) "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak."

Jesus told Peter again to watch adding that he should pray to avoid temptation.  He acknowledged that his spirit was ready and willing, but his flesh was weak.  That is why Jesus told him to pray, and demonstrates to all of us how we need to be in constant communion with God through prayer to give us the strength to overcome the wiles of Satan.

(39) And again He went away and prayed and spoke the same words.

Once again, Jesus went a little way away from Peter and the other two disciples.  Again He prayed the same prayer as before, asking as all things were possible to His Father God, if He could let His current plan pass, and find another way.  However, He prayed that God's will be done, not His own currently fleshy will.

(40) And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy, neither did they know what to answer Him.

When Jesus came back to the three disciples, He found them sleeping again.  Their eyes were so heavy, they could not keep them open, and they just didn't know how to respond to Jesus who had said His soul was sorrowful to death.  I'm sure they were extremely sorry for what their Lord was going through, but also emotionally exhausted and sleepy.

(41) And He came the third time and said to them, "You sleep on now and take rest. It is enough, the hour has come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

Jesus came back to His disciples after praying a third time and again found them sleeping.  He spoke to them, and I think His point was that they could sleep on and rest while they could, but now it was enough.  The time for His betrayal had come.

(42) "Rise up, let us go; lo, he who betrays Me is at hand."

Jesus told His disciples to rise up for His betrayer was at hand.

(43) And immediately, while He yet spoke, came Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

While Jesus was yet speaking those words, indeed Judas came with a multitude of people from the chief priests and scribes and elders, all carrying swords and clubs.

(44) And he who betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; take Him and lead Him away safely."

Judas had previously discussed a signal with Jesus's captors, that whomever He kissed was the man they wanted.  He asked that they take Him away safely, that is carefully, that He not escape from them.

(45) And as soon as He had come, he went straight away to Him, and said, "Master, Master!" and kissed Him.

As soon as Judas reached Jesus, he went straight to Him and greeted Him with "Master, Master," and kissed Him.

(46) And they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

Having seen their signal, the multitude grabbed Jesus and took Him.

(47) And one of those who stood by drew a sword and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

The account in John said that it was Peter who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant.  Additionally, the account in Luke said that Jesus healed the man's ear, and back to the account in Matthew, Jesus told Peter that they who took the sword would die by the sword, perhaps meaning he would have started an all-out war between the two sides, and that certainly wasn't God's plan.  It took all four Gospels to get a complete picture on the one incident in verse 47; that is why I love a chronological Bible study where I get the complete picture of each event in the order that it happened.  However, I was challenged to read only what Jesus said in the four gospel accounts to see if it changed my perspective on current trends in our culture.  So far, it hasn't, of course, but I have learned a lot, so I don't regret this interlude at all.

(48) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out as against a thief with swords and clubs to take Me? (49) I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not take Me; but the scriptures must be fulfilled."

Jesus spoke to His captors, asking why they found the need to come after Him with swords and clubs when He had always been easily accessible to them while He was daily teaching in the temple, and they hadn't taken Him.  However, Jesus acknowledged that the scriptures must be fulfilled; He submitted to what had been prophesied in scripture about Him.

(50) And they all forsook Him and fled.

All of Jesus's disciples then fled from the scene, forsaking Him, as He had said they would in verse 27.

(51) And there followed Him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body, and the young men laid hold of him, (52) And he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

However, one young man followed Jesus.  He had only a linen cloth wrapped around his body as if he had been awakened in his sleep by what was occurring and just threw the cloth around him, or perhaps that is what he slept in.  Whatever the case, he was not fully clothed.  The young men among the captors seized him as they undoubtedly thought he was one of Jesus's disciples and followers.  However, he slipped out of the linen wrap and ran away naked.  This is an interesting detail not told by any of the other Gospel authors.  While it is quite reasonable to deduce that this was a caretaker of the garden or some such near neighbor who was awakened by the noise, it has caused some commentators to suggest this young man might be Mark himself, the author of this retelling of this event.  Mark, as Peter's scribe, did not identify the one who cut off the ear of the servant as Peter himself, but took the time to write about the young man who followed after Jesus after all His disciples had fled.  That does make it plausible to assume it might be Mark, but of course, we can't know for certain.  It might just have been recorded to show a bit of contrast to all the disciples who fled, by this one young man who stayed and followed Jesus until he was seized.

(53) And they led Jesus away to the high priest, and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

Jesus's captors led Him away to the high priest, Caiaphas, as we were told in the account in Matthew.  All the chief priests and elders and scribes were assembled together with Caiaphas.  That would seem to be the whole Sanhedrin, the supreme council over the Jews.

(54) And Peter followed Him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest; and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

Having at first fled (v. 50), Peter then followed Jesus from afar, following Him and His captors into the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest.  There he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.  The account in John said that another disciple had followed Jesus, as well, and that it was actually that disciple who had gone into the palace, and then spoke to the maidservant at the door and let Peter in.  I suppose it was at that point that Peter went in to sit with the servants and warm himself by their fire.

(55) And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put Him to death and found none. (56) For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.

The chief priest and all the members of the council looked for testimony against Jesus that was worthy of death and could not find any.  Jesus was so perfect and innocent that even false witnesses could not come together with a crime that at least two of them agreed upon (which was necessary to convict) and was worthy of death.

(57) And certain men arose and bore false witness against Him, saying, (58) "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"

In the account in Matthew, we were told that there were two false witnesses who arose to testify against Jesus saying they heard Him say that He would destroy the temple that had been made with hands and would rebuild another temple with no hands.  Of course, that is not exactly what Jesus had said, and it certainly was not what He meant.  He had never said that He would destroy the temple, and He never spoke of how the temple had been made, with or without hands, because He had been speaking about His own body as the temple they would destroy and that He would rise up again in three days.

(59) But neither did their testimony agree together.

Even the testimonies of these two false witnesses did not agree entirely with each other, and certainly with nothing severe enough with which to accuse Jesus of a crime worthy of death.

(60) And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing? What is it these witness against You?"

At that point, the high priest stood in the midst of the council and asked why Jesus did not answer the charges against Him.  He demanded Jesus explain what it was that the two witnesses had accused Him of doing.

(61) But He held His peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him and said to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

Jesus did not answer the high priest, so he again asked Him more specifically if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, which was one of the names for God that the Jews often used.

(62) And Jesus said, "I am, and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven."

This time Jesus did answer, and He answered that yes, He indeed was the Christ, the Son of God.  He added that they would one day see Him sitting at the right hand of God and coming in the clouds of heaven to judge the world.

(63) Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What need do we have for any further witnesses? (64) You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death.

The high priest then accused Jesus of blasphemy and tore his clothes in outrage.  He asked the others why they needed to trouble themselves with any further witnesses as they had just heard the supposed blasphemy with their own ears.  The whole council condemned Him to be guilty worthy of death.

(65) Then some began to spit on Him, and to cover His face and then to buffet Him and say to Him, "Prophesy!" And the servants struck Him with the palms of their hands.

Then some of the men began to spit on Jesus which was prophesied in Isaiah 50:6b, "I did not hide My face from shame and spitting."  Some of the men also covered His face as for a blindfold and began to strike Him and ask Him to prophesy which one of them had struck Him, as it stated further in the account in Matthew.  Even the servants slapped Jesus.

(66) And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maids of the high priest.

Peter had been warming himself by the fire in the servants' quarters beneath the upper room where Jesus had had His mock trial.  One of the maids of the high priest came to the place where Peter was.

(67) And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "And you also were with Jesus of Nazareth."

When the maid spotted Peter, she told him she recognized him as one who had been with Jesus.

(68) But he denied it, saying, "I do not know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out to the porch, and the cock crowed.

Peter denied what the maid had said saying that he didn't know or even understand what she was talking about.  He then went out onto a porch where the sound of a rooster crowing was heard, but Peter apparently didn't take notice of it.

(69) And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them who stood by, "This is one of them."

It seems another maid saw Peter out on the porch, or perhaps what is meant is that the same maid saw him there, and this time spoke to those who stood by that he was one of those who were with Jesus.

(70) And he denied it again. And after a little, those who stood by said again to Peter, "Surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean and your speech shows it."

Peter denied being with Jesus a second time.  Then after a little while, those who had been standing by and heard what the maid had said, apparently had been mulling it over, and spoke to Peter again saying that it surely must be true that he was one of Jesus's group of followers because his speech gave him away as a Galilean as they supposed Jesus to be.

(71) But he began to curse and to swear, saying, "I do not know this man of whom you speak!"

This time Peter even began to curse, swearing that he did not know the man, Jesus, about whom they spoke.

(72) And the second time the rooster crowed. And Peter called to mind the word Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought on it, he wept.

The rooster then crowed a second time and Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him about him denying Him three times before the rooster crowed twice.  When he realized that Jesus had been right and that he had indeed denied Him three times, something he never thought he would do, he cried.  Peter's sin was indeed very great.  He had denied Jesus Christ before men.  Furthermore, it was at a time he should have confessed and owned up to Him and should have been a witness for Him.  Jesus had told His disciples many times that they must suffer for following Him, but at the first real sign of suffering, Peter lied and cursed and swore He did not know Jesus.  We must not think ourselves so high and mighty to believe we would never do the same.  Mere human man's instinct is to save himself, but it can't be done by our own selves.  Jesus said whoever tried to save his life would lose it, and whoever lost his life for Jesus's sake would find life (Matthew 16:25).  We must reject our sinful deadly wills and realize our need for Jesus to save us and wholeheartedly accept and proclaim Him, and then and only then, will we be truly saved and have eternal life.

The Lord's Last Supper

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Mark 14:1) After two days was the Passover and of unleavened bread; and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft and put Him to death.

Jesus had been on the Mount of Olives prophesying to four of His disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and especially the temple.  Meanwhile, it was two days until the Feast of the Passover which was, of course, the commemoration of the time in Egypt when God passed over His people to destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians.  They ate unleavened bread in memory of their quick departure from Egypt when in their haste, they had no time to leaven their bread.  It was at this time that the chief priests and scribes were discussing how they might trick Jesus and be able to put Him to death.

(2) But they said, "Not on the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

Although they were eager to get their job done, they feared doing it on the Passover because they were afraid of an uprising of the people.

(3) And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the meal, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she broke the box and poured it on His head.

Jesus had retired to Bethany, a place about two miles from Jerusalem, where He usually spent His nights when He was in Jerusalem during the day.  He was at a meal at the house of Simon the leper, so called because He had once been a leper, but had been healed by Jesus, to distinguish him from the other Simons.  A woman came to Him while He was sitting at the table.  She had an alabaster box with a very precious and costly oil, of spikenard.  The first syllable, "spike," meant "pure," so this was genuine pure unmixed nard or spikenard and very fragrant and precious.  She broke the alabaster box, which may have meant merely breaking the seal and opening it and poured the oil on Jesus's head, as if anointing Him as was the custom to anoint the high priests in the Old Testament.

(4) And there were some who had indignation within themselves, and said, "Why was this waste of the ointment made? (5) For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence and given to the poor." And they murmured against her.

Some of the people present, likely even some of the disciples, considered what the woman had done as a waste.  They reasoned that the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor.  They murmured these things against the woman.

(6) And Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me."

Jesus, knowing what they were murmuring among themselves, told them to leave the woman alone.  She had done nothing that they should trouble her about.  In fact, He said she had done a good thing to Him.

(7) "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good; but Me, you do not have always."

Jesus told them there would always be the poor for them to help, but He would not be with them always.  In anointing Jesus's head with oil, the woman was worshiping her Lord in the highest way she could with what she had while He was present among them.  I believe there is a lesson in this for us.  The honor of our Lord is more important than the act we might say we do for Him.  We do good works because of our love for Him and we should want God glorified in our works.  He comes first and foremost and there will always be good works to be done.

(8) "She has done what she could; she has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial."

More than just an act of worship, Jesus proclaimed that the woman, doing all that was in her power to do for Him, was actually anointing His body for burial.

(9) "Verily, I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, also what she has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."

Moreover, Jesus said that this incident, and what this woman had done for Him, would be part of His gospel preached throughout the world.  She would always be remembered for this loving act.  The Gospels had not been written when Jesus declared this, but sure enough, at least two gospel authors wrote about the woman with the alabaster box, possibly four, but those details were a bit different so they may have been separate incidents.

(10) And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

Judas was likely the chief disciple who was indignant at the woman's "waste."  The account in John states that it was Mary, sister to Martha and Lazarus, who anointed Jesus with oil, but His feet, not His head.  This may have been a different incident, but we do get a clue to the type of person Judas was.  In the account in John, he was indignant about the waste, but scripture further stated it was not because he cared about the poor, "but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bore what was in it."  Judas was the treasurer of the group and held their money bag and would have liked to have had the money for the expensive box and oil in it, as it seems he stole from it.  Having been reproved by Jesus and angry because he did not get the money, it seems he immediately went to the chief priests to betray Jesus.

(11) And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

The chief priests were very glad as Judas had just made things easier for them.  They promised to give him money for his help in capturing Jesus.  Judas pondered how he might conveniently do it.

(12) And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples said to Him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover?"

It was the first day of the Passover, the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover lamb.  The disciples asked Jesus where He would like for them to go and prepare the lamb for eating at the Passover feast.

(13) And He sent forth two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and there a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him."

Jesus sent two of His disciples, telling them to go into the city of Jerusalem where they would meet a man carrying a pitcher of water.  They were to follow him.  Once again, as in Mark 11:2-3, Jesus would show His knowledge for all things and His spiritual influence over the minds of others:

(14) "And wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Master says, "Where is the guest room where I might eat the Passover with My disciples?"'"

Jesus further instructed the two disciples to follow the man into the house to which he was going, and to speak to the master of the house, asking him where his guest room was where Jesus might eat the Passover with His disciples.  There may have been significance in the way Jesus told them to speak to the master of the house.  They were to repeat the words of "The Master," perhaps to someone who already knew Jesus and was a follower, "our Master and yours," so to speak.  However, it is just as likely that a stranger under the influence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit would have cooperated.

(15) "And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."

Jesus went on to tell them that the master of the house would then show them a room furnished and prepared for guests to have a meal.  There the disciples were to prepare for their Passover meal.

(16) And His disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found all just as He had said to them, and they made ready the Passover.

The two disciples went into the city as Jesus had instructed and found everything just as He had said they would, and they prepared for the Passover.

(17) And in the evening, He came with the twelve.

Later that evening Jesus came to that upper room in that house with all His disciples.

(18) And as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Verily I say to you, one of you who eats with Me shall betray Me."

As Jesus and the disciples were eating their Passover meal, Jesus made a sudden prophetic statement that one of those eating with Him at that time, which of course, meant one of His own disciples, would betray Him.

(19) And they began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?" And another said, "Is it I?"

The disciples were very sorrowful at the idea that one of them would betray their Lord.  Since it was a prophetic statement, each personally couldn't be sure it wasn't about him, and they began to ask Him one by one if it was him.

(20) And He answered and said to them, "One of the twelve who dips with Me in the dish."

Normally people did not dip from the same dish unless they were very close.  This statement made it sound generally that it was one of His close disciples who regularly ate with Him.  However, the account in John made it more specific and said it was the one He was dipping with at that very moment, and in fact, Jesus gave Judas the bite He was holding when He spoke.  Either Jesus spoke softly at this point and the other disciples did not hear Him, or they still thought He spoke in general about any one of them.

(21) "The Son of man indeed goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would be good for that man if he had never been born."

Jesus admitted that He was going to be betrayed and go to His death regardless, but He pitied the man who betrayed Him and sent Him to His death.  He said it would have been better for him if he had never been born.  I don't believe for a moment that Judas was pre-destined to betray Jesus and there was nothing he could do about it.  He was giving Judas an out if he would take it.  He was saying that it wouldn't change what would have to happen to Him, but He was warning Judas not to be the one who betrayed Him.  However, God knew beforehand who it was with the heart so hardened against Jesus that he would go through with his wicked plan regardless of any warning.  How can we know this for certain?  Because God is all good and just and righteous, and couldn't do evil such as it would be to use a person who might otherwise be saved from eternal damnation.  God is also all-knowing and He knew nothing would change Judas's mind about what he planned, and therefore used him to fulfill His plan.

(22) And as they ate, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave to them, and said, "Take, eat, this is My body."

As Jesus and His disciples were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it as He always did.  He broke the bread and gave each of His disciples some, telling them to eat it as it represented His body.  

(23) And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave to them, and they all drank of it.

Jesus then took the cup of wine, gave a blessing of thanksgiving, and gave a drink to all His disciples.

(24) And He said to them, "This is the blood of the New Testament which is shed for many."

Jesus told His disciples that the wine represented His blood, a blood of a New Testament, a new memorial, blood that would be shed for many people.  Jesus was instituting a new memorial supper.  Whereas they had come together to celebrate and remember the Passover when God had passed over all the Jews who had put blood on their door frames and He therefore did not kill their firstborn, Jesus now instituted a new covenant and memorial, of which the blood on the door frames had only been a symbol of this time to come.  

(25) "Verily, I say to you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until the day I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Jesus told His disciples that that would be the last time He drank wine, meaning there on earth, until the day He drank of a heavenly wine in the kingdom of God.

(26) And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.

Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn at the end of their memorial supper and then went to the Mount of Olives.

(27) And Jesus said to them, "All of you shall be offended because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.'"

Jesus told His disciples that they would be offended because of Him that very night.  The word that was translated as "offended" is that word "skandalizo" again.  It literally meant "trip up" or "cause to stumble," which was exactly what was meant in the prophecy Jesus quoted from Zechariah 13:7.  Jesus, the shepherd, would be struck down and all His sheep, His followers, would stumble and be scattered because of it.

(28) "But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee."

However, Jesus assured His disciples that after He had risen, He would be back to go before them into Galilee.  Not only was it assurance, but I see a very loving gesture.  He had been telling His disciples what was to happen for quite awhile, and they were convinced that He was the Son of God, but when those things He foretold began to happen, His closest followers fell away.  However, God the Father in heaven, in the form of Jesus on earth, came back to encourage and inspire His disciples again.

(29) But Peter said to Him, "Although all shall be offended, yet not I."

Peter told Jesus that although all others might be offended, he would not, and I'm certain he truly believed that he could never fall away from His Lord.

(30) And Jesus said to him, "Verily I say to you that this day, in this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."

Jesus told Peter that truly he would deny Him that night.  Before the rooster crowed twice in the morning, Peter will have denied Christ three times.

(31) But he spoke more vehemently, "If I should die with You, I will not deny You in any way!" Likewise, they all said also.

Peter should have known better than to contradict Jesus, as He was always correct, but he just couldn't believe it of himself.  It is interesting to note that before when Jesus had said at their supper that one would betray Him, Peter was probably one of those who asked if it was him who betrayed Him.  But now, he very confidently and forcefully said to Jesus, even if he had to die with Him, he would never deny Him.  All the other disciples said the same thing.

As this is an especially long chapter, I will end this post here.