Month: March 2021

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. HOS 2:20

Rashi

With the beasts of the field for I will destroy harmful creatures from the world. And so Scripture states (Isa 11:9): “They shall not hurt or destroy etc.”

5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.

6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. LEV 26:5-6

John Gill

I will give peace in the land—Among yourselves, as Aben Ezra; that as safety from enemies is promised before, here it is assured they should be free from insurrections and from riots, broils, contentions, and civil wars among themselves:

And you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid—that is, lie down upon their beds, and sleep quietly and comfortably, and not be in any fear of thieves and robbers breaking in upon them (Psa 3:5; 4:8);

And I will remove harmful beasts from the land—Out of the land of Israel, as the Targum of Jonathan, not out of the world, such as lions, bears, wolves which were sometimes troublesome and mischievous in the land:

And the sword shall not go through your land—Either the sword of the enemy, which if it entered should not be suffered to proceed, much less to pervade the land and destroy the inhabitants of it: so the Targum of Jonathan,

“they that draw the sword shall not pass through your land,”

or the sword of the Lord, that is, the pestilence (1Ch 21:12); as Ainsworth suggests; though the Jews commonly understand it of the sword of peace, as they call it, though that is of one that is not an enemy, but passes through one country to destroy another; which yet is distressing to the country he passes through, as in the case of Pharaoh Neco, whom Josiah went out to meet (2 Ch 35:20); though, by what follows, it seems rather to be the first of these.

Rashi

I will give peace—Perhaps you will say, “Well, there is food and there is drink; but if there is no peace, then all this is nothing!” Scripture therefore states after all these promises “I will give peace in the land.” Hence we may learn that peace counterbalances everything. In a similar sense it states: “Who . . . makes well-being and creates everything” a paraphrase of the verse (Isa 45:7; Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 1 8).

And the sword shall not go through your land—It is unnecessary to say that they shall not enter to wage war, but they shall not enter even to pass through your land from one country to another (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 2 3).

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire. PSA 46:10

John Gill

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth—As at the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace, in the times of Augustus Caesar, when there was a general peace in the world, though it did not last long; and in the times of Constantine, signified by silence in heaven for half an hour (Rev 8:1); when for a while there was a cessation from wars and persecution; and as will be in the latter day, and which is here chiefly designed; when nations shall learn war no more, and Christ’s kingdom will take place; of which and its peace there shall be no end (Psa 72:7; Isa 2:4; 9:6-7), the consideration of which may serve to relieve distressed minds under terrible apprehensions of present troubles and public calamities;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire—That is, “chariots,” or “carts,” or “wagons,” in which, as Aben Ezra observes, arms and provision were carried for the use of soldiers; the Targum renders it “round shields”: and the destroying of all these military weapons and carriages is a token of peace, and of war’s being caused to cease, there being no more use for them; with this compare Eze 39:8-9. It was usual to burn the arms of enemies taken in war.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ROM 14:17

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. MAT 3:2

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, TIT 3:3-5

7 The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

John Gill

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra—Without fear or danger:

And the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den—And suffer no damage: the meaning is explained in the next words, and to be understood of regenerate persons, both of new born babes, or just born, and all such who are weaned from their own righteousness, and live by faith on Christ, who shall not be hurt by the poison of false teachers, nor by the force of violent persecutors, now no more (see Gill on Isa 11:6).

9 They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,

and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. JOB 5:23

John Gill

For you shall be in league with the stones of the field—So as to receive no hurt from them, by walking among them, and even barefoot, which was usual in the eastern countries, see (Psa 91:12); or by their being in the field, so as to hinder the increase of them; but on the contrary, even from such fields as were stony ground, a large crop has been produced, and so rather receive benefit by them, as men do from those with whom they are in league; and may therefore likewise signify, that these stones should be useful in being boundaries or fences about their fields, and landmarks in them, which should not be removed: many interpreters take notice of a sense that Pineda gives of these words, and which Cocceius calls an ingenious one, that it refers to a custom in Arabia, which may be called Scopelism, and was this; a man’s enemies would lay stones in his field, and these signified, that if any attempted to till and manure those grounds where they were laid, some evil would befall him by the means of those persons who laid the stones there; and which stones were thought to be ominous and formidable; something like it is in 2Ki 3:19, 25; and so the sense is, that a good man had nothing to fear from such stones, he being in league with them; and this malicious practice is thought to have had its origin in Arabia Petraea; but the first sense seems best:

And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you—A covenant being made with them, as in Hos 2:20; meaning either literally, the beasts of the field; and these either the same as before, wild beasts, or beasts of prey; or rather, in distinction from them, tame beasts, as cows and horses, which should be so far from doing any harm, as sometimes is done by these tame creatures, that they should be very serviceable in tilling fields and drawing carriages, and the like: or else figuratively, men comparable to such creatures; and so the sense may be, that when a man’s ways please the Lord, and he behaves according to his mind and will, particularly under afflictions, even his enemies are made to be at peace with him (Pro 16:7); the Targum interprets this of the Canaanites, comparable to the beasts of the field.

Rashi

The stones of the field—They are: a type of man.

And the beasts of the field—That is what is known as grouse(?) in Old French, and this is actually a beast of the field. In the language of the Mishnah in Torath Kohanim, they are called “adnei hasadeh.”

Shall be at peace with you—Shall have peace with you.

He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore. ISA 2:4

Shabbat 63a:5

And the Rabbis say: They are nothing other than reprehensible and in the future they will be eliminated, as it is written: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not raise sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore” (Isa 2:4).

Shabbat 63a:9

We learned in the mishna that Rabbi Eliezer says: These weapons are ornaments for him. It was taught in a baraita that elaborates on this subject: The Rabbis said to Rabbi Eliezer: And since, in your opinion, they are ornaments for him, why are they to be eliminated in the Messianic era? He said to them: They will not be needed anymore, as it is stated: “Nation will not raise sword against nation” (Isa 2:4). The Gemara asks: And let the weapons be merely for ornamental purposes, even though they will not be needed for war. Abaye said: It is just as in the case of a candle in the afternoon. Since its light is not needed, it serves no ornamental purpose. Weapons, too; when not needed for war, they serve no ornamental purpose either.

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. MAT 5:44-45

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,

he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; ROM 11:25-26

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. GAL 5:22-24

The picture that Isaiah painted seems like a list of impossibilities. But this is what true reconciliation looks like—the kind that only Jesus can and will bring. Prey and predator, natural enemies living together in harmony for his purpose. Jesus, through his sacrifice on the cross, did not just pave the way for people to be restored to God; He also made possible the restoration of our relationships with other people and with creation. This is something God continues to do for those who put their faith in Christ. How have you experienced the power of Jesus to bring reconciliation and be salt and light to the earth?

One of You Will Betray Me

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” GEN 42:1

John Gill

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt—That is, to be sold there, or otherwise it being there, unless it could be bought, would have been of no avail to foreigners; wherefore the Septuagint version is, that there was a sale there, a sale of grain; the word has the signification of “breaking” in it, because that bread grain is broke in the mill, or is broken from the heap when sold or distributed, or because when eaten it breaks the fast. Now Jacob had either seen persons passing by with grain, of whom he inquired from whence they had it, who replied, from Egypt; or he understood by the report of others that grain was to be bought there; though some of the Jewish writers would have it, as Jarchi observes, that he saw it by the revelation of the Holy Spirit:

He said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”—Like persons in surprise, distress and despair, at their wits’ end, not knowing what to do, what course to take, and which way to turn themselves, and scarce able to speak to one another, and consult with each other what was proper to be done; for it seems not so agreeable that they should be charged as idle persons, careless and unconcerned, indifferent and inactive; but rather, if the other sense is not acceptable, the meaning may be, “why do you look?” here and there, in the land of Canaan, where it is to no purpose to look for grain; look where it is to be had.

23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side,

24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.

John Gill

So Simon Peter motioned to him—Peter perhaps lay at a distance from Christ, or in some such position, that he could not whisper to him himself; and besides, knew that John might use more freedom, as he was admitted to more familiarity with him; and being at some distance also from him, he motioned to him; which was usually done at meals, when they could not, by reason of their posture, discourse together: this being the case, “they made signs,” by nodding to one another; that is, as the gloss explains it, they pointed with their hands and fingers, and by nodding or beckoning; such a method Peter took, signifying his desire,

To ask Jesus of whom he was speaking—Which he did not out of mere curiosity, but from an honest intention and pure zeal, that he, with the rest, might show their abhorrence of such a person, and avoid him; and do all that lay in their power to hinder him from putting his designs into execution, and that the innocent might be free from all suspicion.

25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”

John Gill

So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus—Being on the couch just before Jesus, with his back to him, he bends backwards, and falling on Jesus’ breast, whispers in his ear:

And said to him, “Lord, who is it?”—Using his interest in Christ, and making thus free with him, in compliance with Peter’s request; and was no doubt desirous himself of knowing who the person was.

26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

John Gill

Jesus answered, “It is he”—Jesus replied, by whispering; for had he spoken out, the rest could not have been so ignorant, as they still continued, after the sign was given: Christ, I say, whispered to John, and told him by what sign he might know the person, and that it was he,

To whom—Says he,

I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it—This was not the Passover morsel of bread, which was dipped into a sauce made of various things, called by the Jews; for this was not the “paschal” supper, but a common supper at a private house, two days before the feast of the Passover; but this morsel of bread, or rather crust of bread, which whether dipped into a liquid, or only a piece of dry bread, which Christ dipped his hand into the dish for, and took, as some think, is not very material, was a piece of common bread, which Christ took up, without regard to any custom, or ceremony used at any feasts, and gave it to the betrayer, as a sign by which John might know him:

So when he had dipped the morsel—Either into some sort of broth, or any other liquid, or had dipped his hand into the dish for it:

He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon—So called, to distinguish him from another apostle, whose name was Judas, and was then present.

27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

John Gill

Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him—After he had taken and eaten the morsel, or crust of bread, by which he was pointed out to be the betrayer, “Satan entered into him”; possessed his body, and filled his mind, and stirred him up more eagerly to pursue with rigour his wicked design. The Jews have a saying, that

“no man commits a transgression, until, ‘a spirit of madness enters into him.’ ”

Such an evil spirit entered into Judas, which pushed him on to commit this horrid iniquity:

Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly”—This he said, not as approving his wicked design, and exhorting him to it as a laudable action, but rather as deriding him, having nothing to care about, or fear from him; or as upbraiding him with his perfidy and wickedness, and signifying that he should take no methods to prevent him, though he fully knew what was in his heart to do; and it seems also to express the willingness of Christ, and his eager and hearty desire to suffer and die for his people, in order to obtain salvation for them.

28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.

John Gill

Now no one at the table—Not one of those who lay upon the couches at the table, excepting John, to whom the signal was given:

Knew why he said this to him—And perhaps he might not know the meaning of his last words, that he spoke concerning the act of betraying him; nor did not imagine that the thing was so near and so speedily to be done, as it was.

29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

John Gill

Some thought that—This was the thought of some of the disciples, it may be of all of them but John;

Because Judas had the moneybag—Which was for the common supply of Christ and his disciples, and for the relief of the poor (see Gill on Joh 12:6).

Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast”—The Feast of the Passover, which was to be two days after; and shows, that this was not the Passover which Christ now ate with his disciples:

Or that he should give something to the poor—For whom Christ cared, and had a hearty concern, and for whom Judas had very little, notwithstanding his high pretensions.

30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

John Gill

So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he—As soon as ever he received it, he

Immediately went out—Fearing lest an entire discovery should be made, and he be prevented accomplishing his design; or being more violently stirred up to it by, Satan, who after the morsel of bread entered into him, he directly went from Bethany to Jerusalem, to the chief priests, there, in order to consult and agree upon the delivery of him into their hands:

And it was night—This circumstance is added, to show how eagerly he was bent upon it; that though it was night, it did not hinder or discourage him from setting out on his journey to Jerusalem; and as this was a work of darkness, the night was the fittest time for it, and was a proper emblem of the blackness of the crime he was going to perpetrate.

A New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

John Gill

If God is glorified in him—Seeing this is a certain truth, is indisputably matter of fact, that all the perfections of God are glorified in Christ, by his sufferings and death:

God will also glorify him in himself—Either “with himself”; with his own glory, which was promised to Christ, and which he had before the world was, and for which he prays (Joh 17:5), or by himself: by his own power, in raising him from the dead, setting him at his own right hand, and crowning him with glory and honour:

And glorify him at once—This he will do very quickly, he will not leave him in the grave, nor suffer him to see corruption; he will raise him again the third day, and give him glory.

33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’

John Gill

Little children, yet a little while I am with you—Christ having removed the scandal of his death, by observing, that both he and his Father would be glorified by it, begins more freely to open his mind to his disciples, and acquaint them with it; whom he addresses in the most kind, tender, and affectionate manner, “little children,” expressing the relation which subsisted between them, of which he was not unmindful; his great affection for them, his consideration of their weakness, and sympathy with them on that account; who were very ill able to bear his departure, which he now thought high time to acquaint them with, that it would be very shortly: it was but a little while he was to be with them, a few days more; the time of his departure was at hand, his hour was as it were come, and the last sands were dropping:

You will seek me—As persons in distress, under great concern, not knowing what to do, or where to go:

And just as I said to the Jews—(Joh 7:33-34);

So now I also say to you, “Where I am going you cannot come”—But with this difference, whereas the unbelieving Jews, who died in their sins, could never come where he went, these his disciples, though they could not come now, yet they should hereafter, all of them, as well as Peter (Joh 13:36).

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

John Gill

Peter said to him—Not understanding Christ’s answer, and being dissatisfied with it, inquires:

Lord, why can I not follow you now?—Is the place inaccessible? Are the difficulties in the way to it insuperable? The roughness of the road, or the dangers of it, will not discourage me; I am ready to go through the greatest dangers and difficulties, to follow you: yea,

I will lay down my life for you—Whatever enemies I should meet with in, following you, would not dismay me; I would readily hazard my life, and cheerfully lay it down in defence of you.

38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

Rashi

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord—He shall be filled with the fear of the Lord. ed enos mera il luy in O.F., and he shall be enlivened.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see—For, with the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be he, which is within him, will he know and understand who is innocent and who is guilty.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1SA 16:7

John Gill

But the Lord said to Samuel—By a secret impulse upon his mind, as if he had spoken with an articulate voice to him:

Do not look on his appearance—Which was comely and majestic:

Or on the height of his stature—Which was like that of Saul’s; and because the Lord had chosen him, who was superior to the people in this respect, Samuel thought he meant to have such an one now anointed king:

Because I have rejected him—Or it is not my pleasure that he should be king; though Ben Gersom thinks this refers to Saul, that the Lord had rejected him, though of an high stature, and therefore Samuel should not look out for such a person to be king; and Abarbinel refers it to the height of stature itself, that God had rejected that, and laid it aside as a qualification of a king, or as a rule to judge of a proper person to be a king; but no doubt it respected Eliab:

For the Lord sees not as man sees—Man only sees what is without, but the Lord sees what is within; only the outward visible form of the body is seen by man, but the inward qualifications and endowments of the mind are seen by the Lord:

Man looks on the outward appearance—The comeliness of a man’s person, the majesty of his countenance, the height of his stature, and size of his body, things which recommended men to be kings among the nations of the world (see Gill on 1Sa 9:2), or “to the eyes”; the liveliness, and briskness, and sharpness of them, thereby to judge of the sagacity and penetration of the mind, as physiognomists do; who guess at the disposition of men by them, when they are small or great, watery or dry, of this or the other colour;

But the Lord looks on the heart—And knows what is in that, what wisdom and prudence, justice and integrity, mercy and goodness, and other princely qualifications are in that. The Jewish writers conclude from hence that the heart of Eliab was not right; it may be, full of wrath, pride, envy which disqualified him for government.

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. JOH 7:24

John Gill

Do not judge by appearances—Or through respect of persons, and so as to please men, the scribes and Pharisees; who had condemned the action of Christ, in curing the diseased man on the Sabbath day, and sought to kill him for it:

But judge with right judgment—Give your sense and judgment of things, according to the truth and evidence of them; and do not find fault with that, which you yourselves allow of, and which Moses and his law, and your own practices, justify.

15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

John Gill

You judge according to the flesh—According to their carnal affections and prejudices; taking the Messiah to be a temporal prince, and his kingdom to be of this world, they judged that Jesus could not be he; they looked upon him as a mere man, and seeing him in much outward meanness, in his human nature, they judged of him according to this outward appearance: or “you” that are “according to the flesh judge”; to which sense the Persic version agrees, “for you are carnal”; and so judged as carnal men, who are very improper persons to judge of spiritual things:

I judge no one—In the same way, according to the flesh, or in a carnal manner, nor according to outward appearances, according to the sight of the eyes, or the hearing of the ears: Christ did not take upon him to judge and determine in civil affairs, or in things pertaining to a court of judicature among men; this was not his province; an instance of this there is in the context, in not condemning the woman brought to him; nor did he judge the persons and states of men, or proceed to pass any sentence of condemnation on them; he came not to condemn, but save the world; this was not his business now; otherwise, all judgment is committed to him, and which he will exercise another day.

16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. JOH 8:15-16

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Rashi

With equity—This is an expression of mildness and tenderness.

And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth—As the Targum states: And he shall strike the sinful of the earth.

And with the breath of his lips—Jonathan renders: And with the speech of his lips.

So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 2SA 8:15

John Gill

So David reigned over all Israel—Not only over Judah, but over all the tribes of Israel, and over the whole land of Canaan, as promised to Abraham (Gen 15:18); reaching to the river Euphrates, as Syria did, now conquered by David:

And David administered justice and equity to all his people—When he returned from his wars, he heard and tried all causes impartially, brought before him, and gave sentence according to the law of God, and administered righteous justice without any respect to persons; all had justice done them that applied unto him, whether high or low, rich or poor; and indeed during his wars he was not negligent of the civil government of his subjects, and the distribution of justice to them by proper officers, in which he was a type of Christ; see Isa 11:5; Jer 23:5-6.

Rashi

And David administered justice and . . . Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army—David caused Joab to be successful over the over the army because he rendered justice and equity and Joab caused David to render justice and equity because he would judge and Joab would enforce and chastise for him. Another reason is that because Joab busied himself with the battles David was not preoccupied by them and his heart was able to be open to judge righteously.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. MAT 5:5

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins. ISA 11:3-5

Rashi

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist—Jonathan renders: And the righteous shall surround him; i.e., they will cleave to him like a belt.

He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. ISA 59:17

John Gill

He put on righteousness as a breastplate—Here the Lord is represented as a warrior clothed with armour, and as Christ is, and as he will appear in the latter day on the behalf of his people, and against their enemies, who is called faithful and true, and in righteousness will make war (Rev 19:11-13), he will proceed according to justice and equity in righting the wrongs and avenging the injuries of his people; and both in saving them, and destroying their enemies, he will secure the honour of his faithfulness and justice, and the credit of his name and character; which will be preserved by his conduct, as the breast and inward parts are by the breastplate:

And a helmet of salvation on his head—The salvation he will work out for his people will be very conspicuous; it will be seen by all, as the helmet on the head; and he will have the glory of it, on whose head are many crowns (Rev 19:12). The apostle has borrowed these phrases from hence, and applied them to the Christian armour (Eph 6:14, 17; 1Ti 5:8):

He put on garments of vengeance for clothing—Or, “he clothed himself with vengeance as a garment”; he wrapped himself in it, and resolved to execute it on his and his people’s enemies; the time being come to avenge the blood of his servants, by shedding the blood of their adversaries, with which his garments will be stained; and therefore is represented as having on a vesture dipped in blood (Rev 19:13):

And wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak—With zeal for his own glory, and the interest of his people, and against antichrist, and all antichristian worship and doctrine; and therefore his eyes are said to be as a flame of fire (Rev 19:12).

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, EPH 6:14

John Gill

Stand therefore—Keep your ground, do not desert the army, the church of Christ, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard.

Having fastened on the belt of truth—By which is meant the gospel, and the several doctrines of it; see (Eph 1:13; 4:15); and to have the loins girt with it, shows, that it should be near and close to the saints, and never departed from; and that it is a means of keeping them close to God and Christ, and of strengthening them against the assaults and attacks of Satan; and is of great use in the Christians’ spiritual conflict with their enemies; the girdle is a part of armour, and so considerable as sometimes to be put for the whole (Isa 5:27); and here it is mentioned in the first place.

And having put on the breastplate of righteousness—In allusion to (Isa 59:17), meaning not works of righteousness done by men, though these are a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel (1Sa 12:3), but rather the graces of faith and love (1Th 5:8), though faith has another place in the Christian armour, afterwards mentioned; wherefore it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed by God, and received by faith, is a guard against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is a security from all wrath and condemnation.

Because Jesus’ wisdom is far greater than any human’s, the way he enacts justice is also different. He is all-knowing and, therefore, knows all thoughts, motives, and desires of his creation. He also knows the situation of the poor, needy, and oppressed. The passage we read showed us the kind of justice Jesus would bring. This is not superficial or based on outward appearances. Based on true knowledge and wisdom, the justice Jesus will bring includes deliverance for the oppressed, punishment for the wicked, and restoration—righting what is wrong and restoring what is lost. Whether in our lifetime or not, God’s justice will prevail. How does this truth change the way you understand justice?

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Rashi

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse—And if you say, “Here are consolations for Hezekiah and his people, that they shall not fall into his hands. Now what will be with the exile that was exiled to Halah and Habor, is their hope lost?’ It is not lost! Eventually, the King Messiah shall come and redeem them.

A shoot—This is symbolic of the royal scepter.

And a branch—An expression of a sapling.

And a branch from its roots shall bear fruit and the entire section, and at the end (v. 11), “In that day the Lord will extend his hand again . . . from Assyria . . . Hence, it is obvious that this prophecy was said to console those exiled to Assyria.

Sanhedrin 43a:24

Then they brought Netzer in to stand trial. He said to the judges: Shall Netzer be executed? But isn’t it written: “And a branch [netzer] from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa 11:1)? They said to him: Yes, Netzer shall be executed, as it is written: “But you are cast out of your grave, like a loathed branch [netzer]” (Isa 14:19).

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.”

23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ACT 13:22-23

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ISA 11:1-2

John Gill

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him—The rod and branch, the King Messiah, so qualifying him for his office, and the discharge of it. This shows that Christ’s kingdom is of a spiritual nature, and administered in a spiritual manner, for which he was abundantly furnished by the “Spirit of the Lord” resting on him; by whom is meant the third person in the Trinity, so called, not because created by him, for not any created spirit is meant, but because he proceeded from him; he is the one Jehovah with him, a divine person, truly God, yet distinct both from the Father and the Son; so that here is a clear proof of the trinity of persons. Christ was filled with the Spirit from the womb, and he descended and rested upon him at his baptism; he was anointed with him to be prophet, priest, and king, and received his gifts and graces from him without measure, which abide with him, and are designed in the following words:

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding—Which appeared in his disputation with the doctors; in his answers to the ensnaring questions of the scribes and Pharisees; in the whole of his ministry; and in his conduct at his apprehension, trial, condemnation, and death; as also in the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding he imparted to his disciples, and does more or less to all his people:

The Spirit of counsel and might—Of “counsel,” which fitted him to be the wonderful Counselor, and qualified him to give suitable and proper advice to the sons of men; and of “might” or “power,” to preach the gospel with authority; do miracles in the confirmation of it; bear the sins of his people, and the punishment due to them; obtain eternal redemption for them; and engage with all their enemies and conquer them:

The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord—And so as man had the “knowledge” of God the Father; of his mind and will; of the Scriptures, and things contained therein; of the law and gospel; all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were hid in him, which he communicates to his saints; and “the fear of the Lord,” and so had a reverence of him, a strict regard to his will, and always did the things which pleased him; see Heb 5:7 this verse is also applied to the Messiah, both by ancient and modern Jews.

Sanhedrin 93b:6

The Messiah was blessed with six virtues, as it is written: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isa 11:2); and it is written: “And his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. He shall neither judge by what his eyes see, nor decide disputes by what his ears hear” (Isa 11:3).

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; MAT 3:16

Jesus, our King, does not operate on human wisdom, which is limited. Like God the Father, he is all-knowing and his thoughts are higher than ours. His thoughts and ways are beyond us. Because of this, we can trust his plans, words, and promises. What does Isa 55:9-11 say about God and his word?

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

John Gill

For as the heavens are higher than the earth—Than which there cannot be conceived a greater distance:

So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts—Which may denote the heavenliness of the ways and thoughts of God, the eternity and unsearchableness of them, and their excellency and preciousness; as well as the very great distance between his ways and thoughts and men’s which this is designed to illustrate.

Rashi

As the heavens are higher, etc.—That is to say that there is a distinction and a difference, advantages and superiority in my ways more than your ways and in my thoughts more than your thoughts, as the heavens are higher than the earth; you are intent upon rebelling against me, whereas I am intent upon bringing you back.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds. PSA 36:6

Rashi

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens—Because of these wicked men, you remove your steadfast love from the earth creatures and raise up your faithfulness to the clouds to remove it from the sons of men.

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;” MAT 11:25

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

Rashi

For as the rain and the snow come down and do not return empty, but do good for you.

Taanit 8b:2

Likewise, an expression of giving birth is stated with regard to a woman, and an expression of giving birth is also stated with regard to rain. Specifically, giving birth is stated with regard to a woman, as it is written in the case of Rachel, when God had mercy on her: “She conceived and gave birth to a son” (Gen 30:23). And giving birth is stated with regard to rain, as it is written: “For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and does not return there but waters the earth, and causes it to give birth and sprout” (Isa 55:10).

9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

John Gill

As it is written—In Psa 112:9 where it is said of the good and righteous man,

He has distributed freely—His riches, his substance, as the Chaldee paraphrase adds by way of explanation; not in a profuse extravagant manner, but with wisdom and prudence, and yet largely and liberally, according to his ability. Just as the sower scatters his seed here, and there, and in every place, with an open and wide hand, to the good man distributes to all in necessity, and makes them all partakers of his bounty; he gives not only to one, but to many, and not to all without distinction he meets with, whether necessitous or not:

He has given to the poor—This explains the former phrase, and points out the persons, the objects of the good man’s bounty and compassion:

His righteousness endures forever—This is not to be understood of his justifying righteousness, as if that consisted of, and was established upon his works of bounty and charity to the poor; nor of his fame among men on account of his liberality; nor of any reward in another world; but of his beneficence itself, it being common with the Jews to call alms, “righteousness” (see Gill on Mat 6:1) and the sense is, that what such a man bestows in charity on the poor shall not be lost, but shall be like the seed cast into the earth, shall spring up again, and bring forth fruit with increase, according to what follows.

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2CO 9:9-11

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ISA 55:9-11

Rashi

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth to inform you through the prophets, will not return empty, but will do good to you if you heed them.

26 who confirms the word of his servant

and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, “She shall be inhabited,”

and of the cities of Judah, “They shall be built,

and I will raise up their ruins”;

27 who says to the deep, “Be dry;

I will dry up your rivers”;

28 who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,

and he shall fulfill all my purpose”;

saying of Jerusalem, “She shall be built,”

and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ISA 44:26-28

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. MAT 24:35

John Gill

Heaven and earth will pass away—This is either an assertion, which will be true at the end of time; not as to the substance of the heavens and earth, which will always remain, but as to the qualities of them, which will be altered: they will be renewed and refined, but not destroyed; the bad qualities, or evil circumstances, which attend them through the sin of man, will be removed and pass away, but they themselves will continue in being: or is a comparative expression, and the sense is, that the heavens and the earth, and the ordinances thereof, than which nothing can be more firm and strong, being fixed and supported by God himself, shall sooner pass away, than anything asserted and predicted by Christ shall:

But my words will not pass away—Be vain and empty, and unaccomplished; which is true of anything, and everything spoken by Christ; and especially here regards all that he had said concerning the calamities that should befall the Jews, before, at, or upon the destruction of their nation, city, and temple; and the design of the expression, is to show the certainty, unalterableness, and sure accomplishment of these things; see Jer 31:36.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, PSA 2:2

Rashi

Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel, etc.—Heb. רוזנים, senors (seigneurs) in Old French, lords.

Take counsel—Heb. נוסדו, an expression of counsel (סוד), furt konsilez in Old French (furent conseilles), they hold counsel (see below 55:15). And what is the counsel? . . .

2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things.

4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”

John Gill

And Pilate again asked him—In the presence of the chief priests, who laid so many things to his charge; for the former question was put, when Jesus and he were alone in the judgment hall, whither the Jews would not enter for fear of being defiled; see Joh 18:28, 33;

Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you—The charges were many, and very heinous, and which Pilate thought called for self-defence (see Gill on Mat 27:13).

5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.

John Gill

Now at the feast—The Feast of the Passover, which was at that instant; see Joh 18:39. The Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, “at every feast”; as if the following custom was used at every feast in the year, at the day of Pentecost and the Feast of Booths, as well as at the Passover; whereas it was only at the latter:

He used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked—Of this custom (see Gill on Mat 27:15).

7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.

8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.

John Gill

And the crowd came up—The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read, and when the “crowd,” or “people went up,” to the place called the pavement, where the judgment seat was; and so it is read in Beza’s most ancient copy; but the former reading is to be preferred:

Began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did to them—That is, release a prisoner to them, as he had done at every Passover, since he had been a governor over them.

9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”

10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.

John Gill

For he perceived that . . . the chief priests—The Persic version reads in the singular, “the chief of the priests,” or the high priest, Caiaphas,

It was out of envy that . . . had delivered him up—At his popularity through his doctrine and miracles, and not from any principle of equity and justice, or from any regard to Caesar (see Gill on Mat 27:18).

11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.

12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”

13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”

John Gill

And they cried out again, “Crucify him”—For they had cried so once before, though Matthew and Mark relate it not, yet Luke does (Luk 23:21).

14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”

15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.

John Gill

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace—From the place called the pavement, where was the judge’s bench, from which he passed sentence on Christ, to a large room,

That is, the governor’s headquarters—Or judgment hall; being the hall, or room, where the Roman magistrate, kept his court of judicature; and is the same place the Jews would not go into, lest they should be defiled, and become unmeet to eat the Chagigah that day; and into which Pilate had Jesus more than once alone (Joh 18:28, 33; 19:9), but now he had a large company with him:

And they called together the whole battalion—Very likely the soldiers, into whose custody Jesus was put, and who led him away, were the four soldiers that attended his crucifixion, and parted his garments; but for greater diversion they got together the whole band to which they belonged (see Gill on Mat 27:27).

17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

John Gill

And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”—In a mock way, wishing him long life and prosperity, as if he was a king just come to his throne, and this was his coronation day.

19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.

20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

John Gill

And they compelled . . . Simon of Cyrene—(See Gill on Mat 27:32);

A passerby—As they were leading Jesus to be crucified:

Coming in from the country—From some country village hard by, according to the Syriac, and Vulgate Latin versions; or in from the field, as the Persic and Ethiopic: he might have been in the field, about some rural business; or, as Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, to fetch wood from thence, which was lawful to be done on a feast day, with some provisos, according to the Jewish canon, which runs thus;

“they may bring wood in from the field, (i.e. on a feast day, as this was,) of that which is gathered together, and out of a place that is fenced about, and even of that which is scattered abroad: What is a fenced place? Whatever is near to a city, the words of R. Judah. R. Jose says, whatever they go into by a door, and even within the border of the Sabbath.”

And according to the commentators, it must be wood that is gathered together, and that lies not in an open field, but in a fenced place, and this near the city; at least with in two thousand cubits, a Sabbath day’s journey.

The father of Alexander and Rufus—Who were men well known when Mark wrote his gospel, and very likely men of eminence among Christians: mention is made of Alexander in Act 19:33 and of Rufus, in Rom 16:13, which some have thought the same as here; but whether they are or not, is not certain: however, they obliged “Simon”

To carry his cross—The cross of Christ, after him (see Gill on Mat 27:32).

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).

23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

John Gill

And they crucified him—Had fastened him to the cross, and reared it up, and he was hanging upon it:

And divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take—This last clause, “what each should take,” is left out in the Arabic version. His garments they divided into four parts; and each soldier, as there were four of them, took a part; and upon his vesture, or seamless coat, because they would not rend it, they cast lots who should have it, and so fulfilled a prophecy in Psa 22:18 (see Gill on Mat 27:35).

25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.

26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”

27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.

John Gill

And with him they crucified two robbers—For his greater reproach;

One on his right and one on his left—As if he had been one of them, and a principal among them (see Gill on Mat 27:38).

29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

John Gill

Save yourself, and come down from the cross—Suggesting that if he was what he had pretended to be, and could do what he gave out he could, he might easily free himself from the cross, and make his escape (see Gill on Mat 27:39-40).

31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.

32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

The Death of Jesus

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

John Gill

And when the sixth hour had come—Or twelve o’clock at noon, having hung upon the cross from about the third hour, or nine in the morning:

There was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour—Or three o’clock in the afternoon. The Ethiopic version renders the whole thus, “and when it was noon, the sun was darkened, and the whole world was darkened until the ninth hour”; (see Gill on Mat 27:45).

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”

John Gill

And some of them that stood by—The cross:

Hearing it—The loud voice of Jesus, and the words he uttered:

Said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah”—Whom they ignorantly, or wilfully took for Eloi (see Gill on Mat 27:47).

36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

John Gill

And when the centurion, who stood facing him—To watch him, that nobody released him, and that he did not come down from the cross himself;

Saw that in this way he breathed his last—That he cried with so loud and strong a voice, and the next moment expired:

He said, “Truly this man was the Son of God”—And so said the rest of the soldiers that were with them, as appears from Mat 27:54 (see Gill on Mat 27:54).