¹ sn Nazareth was a very small village in the region of Galilee (Galilee lay north of Samaria and Judea). The town was located about 15 mi (25 km) west of the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee. According to Luke 1:26, Mary was living in Nazareth when the birth of Jesus was announced to her.

map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

² tn There is no expressed subject of the third person singular verb here; the pronoun “he” is implied. Instead of this pronoun the referent “Jesus” has been supplied in the text to clarify to whom this statement refers.

³ tn The Greek could be indirect discourse (as in the text), or direct discourse (“he will be called a Nazarene”). Judging by the difficulty of finding OT quotations (as implied in the plural “prophets”) to match the wording here, it appears that the author was using a current expression of scorn that conceptually (but not verbally) found its roots in the OT.

⁴ tn Grk “Then Jerusalem.”

map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁵ tn Grk “but Jesus, answering, said.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “replied to him.”

⁶ tn Grk “Permit now.”

⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Or “permitted him.”

⁹ tc The majority of later witnesses (C² D L Z 33 Ï) have “behind me” (ὀπίσω μου; opisw mou) after “Go away.” But since this is the wording in Matt 16:23, where the text is certain, scribes most likely added the words here to conform to the later passage. Further, the shorter reading has superior support (א B C*^vid K P W Δ 0233 Ë^1,13 565 579* 700 al). Thus, both externally and internally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

¹⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.

¹¹ tn Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107). partly due to the immediate context concerning money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).

¹² tn Or “if your eye is sick” (L&N 23.149).

sn There may be a slight wordplay here, as this term can also mean “evil,” so the figure uses a term that points to the real meaning of being careful as to what one pays attention to or looks at.

¹³ tc ‡ Most mss read αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after “servant.” It is unlikely that the pronoun was accidentally overlooked by such diverse witnesses as א B 0250 0281 ˹ 33 latt. More likely is the probability that Western, Byzantine, and some other scribes added the word for clarification (so C L W Θ 0233 ˹³ Ï sy sa). NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

¹⁵ tn Or “city.”

¹⁶ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

¹⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

¹⁹ sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

²⁰ tn Or “cities.”

²¹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

²² tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

²³ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis) which can be translated “city” or “town.” “Cities” was chosen here to emphasize the size of the places Jesus’ mentions in the following verses.

²⁴ sn The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.

²⁵ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁶ tn Grk “demoniac, and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.”

²⁷ tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

²⁸ tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.

sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

²⁹ tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.

³⁰ sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.

³¹ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

³² tn Grk “comes.”

³³ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

³⁴ sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.

³⁵ sn An allusion to Dan 12:3.

³⁶ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

³⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

³⁸ tn Or “into the latrine.”

³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

⁴⁰ tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁴¹ tn Grk “Then answering, Jesus said to her.” This expression has been simplified in the translation.

⁴² sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.

⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁴⁵ tn Grk “to come after me.”

⁴⁶ tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.

⁴⁷ sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.

⁴⁸ tn Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a), whether male or female. Concerning the familial connotations, see also the note on the first occurrence of this term in v. 15.

⁴⁹ tn Grk “falling therefore the slave bowed down to the ground.” The redundancy of this expression signals the desperation of the slave in begging for mercy.

⁵⁰ tc The majority of mss (א L W 058 0281 Ë^1,13 33 Ï it sy^p,h co) begin the slave’s plea with “Lord” (κύριε, kurie), though a few important witnesses lack this vocative (B D Θ 700 pc lat sy^s,c Or Chr). Understanding the parable to refer to the Lord, scribes would be naturally prone to add the vocative here, especially as the slave’s plea is a plea for mercy. Thus, the shorter reading is more likely to be authentic.

⁵¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the first slave mentioned in v. 24) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵² tn Grk “And Pharisees.”

sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

⁵³ tc ‡ Most mss have either ἀνθρώπῳ (anqrwpw, “for a man” [so א² C D W Θ 087 Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt]) or ἀνδρί (andri, “for a husband” [1424^c pc]) before the infinitive ἀπολῦσαι (apolusai, “to divorce”). The latter reading is an assimilation to the parallel in Mark; the former reading may have been motivated by the clarification needed (especially to give the following αὐτοῦ [autou, “his”] an antecedent). But a few significant mss (א* B L Γ 579 [700] 1424* pc) have neither noun. As the harder reading, it seems to best explain the rise of the others. NA²⁷, however, reads ἀνθρώπῳ here.

⁵⁴ sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 14:1-12). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.

⁵⁵ tn Grk “so that he would lay his hands on them and pray.”

⁵⁶ tn Grk “the disciples scolded them.” In the translation the referent has been specified as “those who brought them,” since otherwise the statement could be understood to mean that the disciples scolded the children rather than their parents who brought them.

⁵⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

⁵⁸ tn Grk “asked something from him.”

⁵⁹ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.

⁶¹ tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.

⁶² sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

⁶³ sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.

⁶⁴ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.

⁶⁵ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

⁶⁶ sn See Matt 5:10-12; 1 Cor 1:25-31.

⁶⁷ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

⁶⁸ tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”

⁶⁹ sn Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. While the events of a.d. 70 may reflect somewhat the comments Jesus makes here, the reference to the scope and severity of this judgment strongly suggest that much more is in view. Most likely Jesus is referring to the great end-time judgment on Jerusalem in the great tribulation.

⁷⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁷¹ sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.

⁷² tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.

⁷³ sn That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”

⁷⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁷⁵ tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁷⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁷⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁷⁹ tn Grk “and put their hands on Jesus.”

⁸⁰ tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.

⁸¹ tn Grk “But so that”; the verb “has happened” is implied.

⁸² tn Grk “the high priest tore his clothes, saying.”

⁸³ tn Grk “Behold now.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

⁸⁴ sn When Peter went out and wept bitterly it shows he really did not want to fail here and was deeply grieved that he had.

⁸⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁸⁶ tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁸⁷ sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.

⁸⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁸⁹ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 26:64.

⁹⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

⁹¹ tn Grk “Him – be crucified!” The third person imperative is difficult to translate because English has no corresponding third person form for the imperative. The traditional translation “Let him be crucified” sounds as if the crowd is giving consent or permission. “He must be crucified” is closer, but it is more natural in English to convert the passive to active and simply say “Crucify him.”

sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

⁹² tn Or “into their headquarters”; Grk “into the praetorium.”

sn The governor’s residence (Grk “praetorium”) was the Roman governor’s official residence. The one in Jerusalem may have been Herod’s palace in the western part of the city, or the fortress Antonia northwest of the temple area.

⁹³ sn A Roman cohort was a tenth of a legion, about 500-600 soldiers.

⁹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁹⁶ tn Grk “And behold.”

⁹⁷ tn The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.

⁹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.