The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  Jesus Faces Herod

  6When Pilate heard 2of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.

  7And as soon as he knew that He belonged to jHerod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

  8Now when Herod saw Jesus, khe was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because lhe had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.

  9Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him mnothing.

  10And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.

  11nThen Herod, with his 3men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

  12That very day oPilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

  Taking the Place of Barabbas

  (Matt. 27:15–26; Mark 15:6–15; John 18:38—19:16)

  13pThen Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,

  14said to them, q“You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, rhaving examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him;

  15“no, neither did Herod, for 4I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.

  16s“I will therefore chastise Him and release Him”

  17t(for5 it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

  18And uthey all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”—

  19who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

  20Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.

  21But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

  22Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

  23But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men 6and of the chief priests prevailed.

  24So vPilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.

  25wAnd he released 7to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

  The King on a Cross

  (Matt. 27:32–44; Mark 15:21–32; John 19:17–24)

  26xNow as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

  27And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.

  28But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

  29y“For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’

  30“Then they will begin z‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’

  31a“For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

  32bThere were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.

  33And cwhen they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

  348Then Jesus said, “Father, dforgive them, for ethey do not know what they do.” And fthey divided His garments and cast lots.

  35And gthe people stood looking on. But even the hrulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

  36The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him isour wine,

  37and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

  38jAnd an inscription also was 9written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

  39kThen one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, 10“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

  40But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

  41“And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done lnothing wrong.”

  42Then he said 11to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

  43And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in mParadise.”

  Jesus Dies on the Cross

  (Matt. 27:45–56; Mark 15:33–41; John 19:25–30)

  44nNow it 12was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

  45Then the sun was 13darkened, and othe veil of the temple was torn in 14two.

  46And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, p‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” qHaving said this, He breathed His last.

  47rSo when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

  48And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.

  49sBut all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

  Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb

  (Matt. 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; John 19:38–42)

  50tNow behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.

  51He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, uwho15 himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.

  52This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

  53vThen he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.

  54That day was wthe Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.

  55And the women xwho had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and ythey observed the tomb and how His body was laid.

  56Then they returned and zprepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath aaccording to the commandment.

  Luke 24

  He Is Risen

  (Matt. 28:1–10; Mark 16:1–8; John 20:1–10)

  1Now aon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, 1and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bbringing the spices which they had prepared.

  2cBut they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

  3dThen they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

  4And it happened, as they were 2greatly perplexed about this, that ebehold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

  5Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

  6“He is not here, but is risen! fRemember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

  7“saying, ‘The Son of Man must be gdelivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

  8And hthey remembered His words.

  9iThen they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

  10It was Mary Magdalene, jJoanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

  11kAnd their words seemed to them like 3idle tales, and they did not believe them.

  12lBut Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths 4lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

  The Road to Emmaus

  (Mark 16:12, 13)

  13mNow behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was 5seven miles from Jerusa
lem.

  14And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

  15So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that nJesus Himself drew near and went with them.

  16But otheir eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

  17And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you 6walk and are sad?”

  18Then the one pwhose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

  19And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, qwho was a Prophet rmighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

  20s“and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

  21“But we were hoping tthat it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

  22“Yes, and ucertain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

  23“When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

  24“And vcertain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

  25Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

  26w“Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His xglory?”

  27And beginning at yMoses and zall the Prophets, He 7expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

  The Disciples’ Eyes Opened

  28Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and aHe 8indicated that He would have gone farther.

  29But bthey constrained Him, saying, c“Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

  30Now it came to pass, as dHe sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

  31Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

  32And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

  33So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

  34saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and ehas appeared to Simon!”

  35And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was 9known to them in the breaking of bread.

  Jesus Appears to His Disciples

  (John 20:19–23; Acts 1:3–5; 1 Cor. 15:5)

  36fNow as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.”

  37But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen ga spirit.

  38And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

  39“Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. hHandle Me and see, for a ispirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

  4010When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

  41But while they still did not believe jfor joy, and marveled, He said to them, k“Have you any food here?”

  42So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish 11and some honeycomb.

  43lAnd He took it and ate in their presence.

  The Scriptures Opened

  44Then He said to them, m“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

  45And nHe opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

  46Then He said to them, o“Thus it is written, 12and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

  47“and that repentance and premission of sins should be preached in His name qto all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

  48“And ryou are witnesses of these things.

  49s“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city 13of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

  The Ascension

  (Mark 16:19, 20; Acts 1:9)

  50And He led them out tas far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

  51uNow it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

  52vAnd they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

  53and were continually win the temple 14praising and blessing God. 15Amen.

  Luke Commentaries

  Luke 1

  1:1–4 These 4 verses make a single sentence, written in the polished style of a Gr. literary classic. It was common for Gr. historical works to begin with such a prologue. After this formal prologue, however, Luke shifted into a simpler style of narrative, probably patterned after the familiar style of the LXX.

  1:1 many. Although Luke wrote direct divine revelation inspired by the Holy Spirit, he acknowledged the works of others (see note on v. 2) who had set down in writing events from Christ’s life. All those sources have been long lost, except for the inspired gospels. Since Matthew and Mark were most likely written before Luke, it has been suggested that either one or both of those may have been among Luke’s sources when he did his research. It is also known that he was personally acquainted with many firsthand witnesses to the events of Christ’s life. And it is possible that some of his sources were word-of-mouth reports. About 60 percent of the material in Mark is repeated in Luke, and Luke seems to follow Mark’s order of events closely (see Introduction to Mark: Interpretive Challenges, the Synoptic Problem). to set in order. Luke proposed to narrate the ministry of Christ in an authoritative, logical, and factual order (though not always strictly chronological—v. 3). those things which have been fulfilled. I.e., the OT messianic promises fulfilled in Christ. among us. I.e., in our generation. This phrase does not mean Luke was personally an eyewitness to the life of Christ (see note on v. 2).

  1:2 eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. Luke’s primary sources were the apostles themselves, who delivered facts about Jesus’ life and teaching—both orally and by means of recorded memoirs in written documents made available to Luke. In any case, Luke made no pretense of being an eyewitness himself, but explained that these were facts supported by careful research (see note on v. 3).

  1:3 having had perfect understanding. Lit. “having traced out carefully.” Luke’s gospel was the result of painstaking investigation. Luke, more than anyone else in the early church, had the abilities and the opportunity to consult with eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry and consolidate their accounts. He spent more than two years during Paul’s imprisonment at Caesarea (Acts 24:26, 27), during which time he would have been able to meet and interview many of the apostles and other eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry. We know, for example, that he met Philip (Acts 21:8), who was undoubtedly one of Luke’s sources. In his travels, he may also have encountered the Apostle John. Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward, is mentioned only in Luke’s gospel (see note on 8:3; cf. 24:10), so she must have been a personal acquaintance of his. Luke also related details about Herod’s dealings with Christ not found in the other gospels (13:31–33; 23:7–12). No doubt it was from Joanna (or someone in a similar position) that Luke learned those facts. However, his understanding was perfect because of the divine revelation he received from the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 2 Pet. 1:19–21). from the very first. This could mean from the beginning of Christ’s earthly life. However, the word can mean “from above” (John 3:31; 19:11; James 3:15). “From the beginning” in v. 2 uses a different Gr. word, arche¯—so it is best to understand that Luke was saying he used earthly sources for his mater
ial, but was given heavenly guidance as he did his research and writing. It is clear that he regarded his account as authoritative (see note on v. 4). an orderly account. Luke’s account is predominantly ordered chronologically, but he does not follow such an arrangement slavishly. most excellent. This was a title used to address governors (Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25). This sort of language was reserved for the highest dignitaries, suggesting that “Theophilus” was a such a person.

  1:4 certainty. Note the implicit claim of authority. Though Luke drew from other sources (v. 3), he regarded the reliability and authority of his gospel as superior to uninspired sources. instructed. Theophilus had been schooled in the apostolic tradition, possibly even by the Apostle Paul himself. Yet the written Scripture by means of this gospel sealed the certainty of what he had heard.

  1:5 Herod. Herod the Great. See note on Matt. 2:1. Zacharias. Lit. “Jehovah has remembered.” the division of Abijah. The temple priesthood was organized into 24 divisions, with each division serving twice a year for one week (1 Chr. 24:4–19); Abijah’s was the 8th division (1 Chr. 24:10). daughters of Aaron. I.e., both husband and wife were from the priestly tribe.

  1:6 both righteous before God. I.e., they were believers, justified in God’s sight. There is a clear echo of Pauline theology in this expression. See Introduction: Interpretive Challenges.

  1:7 barren…well advanced in years. This was seen by many as a sign of divine disfavor. See note on v. 25.

  1:8 in the order of his division. I.e., his division was on duty for one of their two annual stints (see note on v. 5).

  1:9 his lot fell to burn incense. A high honor (Ex. 30:7, 8; 2 Chr. 29:11). Because of the large number of priests, most would never be chosen for such a duty, and no one was permitted to serve in this capacity twice. Zacharias no doubt regarded this as the supreme moment in a lifetime of priestly service. The incense was kept burning perpetually, just in front of the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place. The lone priest would offer the incense every morning and every evening, while the rest of the priests and worshipers stood outside the holy place in prayer (v. 10).