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Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

10 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.”

Rashi

Who was confined for he found him at home.

He said, “Let us meet”—Shemaiah was a false prophet who had received a bribe from Sanballat and his colleagues to frighten Nehemiah in order to stop the work.

For they are coming to kill you—For Sanballat and his colleagues will come to kill you.

And they are coming . . . by night—Therefore, he warned him to enter the temple and to close the doors about himself, because the doors of the gates of the city had not been made, as it says at the beginning of the chapter (verse 1): “Although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates.”

11 But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” NEH 6:10-11

Rashi

Should such a man as I run away—This is a question: Should such a man as I run away to enter the temple?

I will not go in—I will not go in there because of fear of death, and I will not transgress the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be he, that a stranger (a non-priest) may not enter his temple.

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

John Gill

And when he had said this—That is, declared he sent them forth in like manner as his Father sent him:

He breathed on them—In allusion to God’s breathing the breath of life into man, at his creation; or rather, to the Spirit himself, who is the breath of God, and proceeds from him, as from the Father; and who breathes both upon persons in regeneration, and in qualifying for ministerial service, at the instance and influence of Christ: and such an opinion the Jews have of the Spirit of the Messiah, who say that

“the Spirit went from between the wings of the cherubim, ‘and breathed upon him’ by the decree, or order of the word of the Lord.”

And said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”—Meaning not the grace of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, which they had received already; but the gifts of the Spirit, to qualify them for the work he now sent them to do, and which were not now actually bestowed; but this breathing on them, and the words that attended it, were a symbol, pledge, and confirmation, of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost: hence it appears, that it is the Spirit of God, who, by his gifts and grace, makes and qualifies men to be ministers of the gospel; and our Lord by this action, and these words, gives a very considerable proof of his deity.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

John Gill

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin—The person here spoken of, is described by his Hebrew name Thomas, and his Greek one the Twin, which both signify a twin; and perhaps he was one. It was common with the Jews to have two names, a Jewish and a Gentile one; by the one they went in the land of Israel, and by the other when without the land; no, they often went by one name in Judea, and by another in Galilee; where Thomas might go by the name of the Twin with the Greeks, that might live with the Jews in some of those parts: he is also said to be “one of the twelve” apostles, which was their number at first, though Judas now was gone off from them, and therefore are sometimes only called the “eleven”; but this having been their complement, it is still retained; but what is observed of him to his disadvantage and discredit is, that he

Was not with them when Jesus came—Beza’s ancient copy reads, “he was not there with them”; and so read the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions; he either had not returned to the rest after their scattering one from another upon the apprehending of Christ; or did not choose to assemble with the rest, for fear of the Jews; or was taken up with some business and affair of life; however, he was not with the rest of the disciples, when they were assembled together, and Jesus appeared among them: as it is of good consequence to attend the assemblies of Christ’s disciples and followers, so it is of bad consequence to neglect or forsake them: it is frequently to good purpose that persons attend them; here God comes and blesses his people, Jesus grants his presence, the graces of the Spirit are increased, and drawn forth into exercise; souls that have lost sight of Christ find him, disconsolate ones are comforted, weak ones strengthened, and hungry ones fed: on the other hand, not to attend is of bad consequence; neglect of assembling together exposes to many snares and temptations; brings on a spiritual leanness; leads to an indifference and lukewarmness: issues in a low degree of grace, and a non-exercise of it, and in a loss of Christ’s presence.

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

If I summoned him and he answered me,

I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. JOB 9:16

Rashi

I would not believe—I would be unable to believe out of my fear for him, for how do I not see him?

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him,

that he might save us.

This is the Lord; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” ISA 25:9

Rashi

It will be said—(Lit., and he shall say, i.e.,) his people (shall say) on that day, “Behold, etc.”

We have waited for him, that he might save us—We were hoping for him, that he might save us.

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

John Gill

Now Jesus did many other signs—Besides these wonderful appearances to his disciples once and again, when the doors were shut about them: and which signs refer not to what was done before, but after his resurrection; and which he did,

In the presence of the disciples—For he appeared to, and conversed with no other but them after his resurrection:

Which are not written in this book—Of John’s gospel; though they may be elsewhere; such as his appearing to the two disciples going to Emmaus, and to the eleven on a mountain in Galilee, and to five hundred brethren at once, which other inspired writers speak of: and many there are which he did; which are not particularly written in this, nor in any other book; for he was seen of his disciples forty days, and showed himself alive, by many infallible proofs; all of which are not recorded.

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

7 I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

Rashi

I will tell of the decree—Said David, “This is an established decree, and one that I have received to tell this and to make known.”

The Lord said to me through Nathan, Gad, and Samuel.

You are my Son—The head over Israel, who are called “My firstborn son.” And they will endure through you, as is stated concerning Abner (2Sa 3:18): “for the Lord has promised, etc., ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save . . . Israel.’ ” And for their sake, you are before me as a son because they are all dependent upon you.

Today I have for I have enthroned you over them.

Begotten you to be called my son and to be beloved to me as a son for their sake, as it is stated (2Sa 7:14) concerning Solomon: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” We find further concerning David (Psa 89:27) “He shall call me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ ”

Sukkah 52a:6

The Sages taught: To Messiah the son of David, who is destined to be revealed swiftly in our time, the Holy One, blessed be he, says: Ask of me anything and I will give you whatever you wish, as it is stated: “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psa 2:7-8). Once the Messiah the son of David saw Messiah the son of Joseph, who was killed, he says to the Holy One, blessed be he: Master of the universe, I ask of you only life; that I will not suffer the same fate. The Holy One, blessed be he, says to him: Life? Even before you stated this request, your father, David, already prophesied about you with regard to this matter precisely, as it is stated: “He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever” (Psa 21:5).

12 Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. PSA 2:7, 12

Sanhedrin 92a:1

The people [leom] curse him [yikkevuhu], but a blessing is on the head of him who provides” (Pro 11:26). And the term leom is referring to nothing other than fetuses, as it is stated: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one leom shall overcome the other leom” (Gen 25:23). And kabbo is referring to nothing other than curse, as it is stated in the statement of Balaam: “How can I curse one who is not cursed [kabbo] by God?” (Num 23:8). And bar is referring to nothing other than the law, as it is stated: “Pay homage to bar, lest he be angry” (Psa 2:12), i.e., observe the law to avoid God’s wrath.

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.

John Gill

After this—The resurrection of Christ from the dead, his appearance to Mary Magdalene, and twice to his disciples; once when Thomas was absent, and at another time when he was present:

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples—A third time, as in Joh 21:14 though not to them all; seven are only mentioned, as together, when he appeared to them:

By the Sea of Tiberias—The same with the Sea of Galilee; see Joh 6:1 for after the second appearance of Christ to his disciples, they went from Jerusalem to Galilee, by the order of Christ, who appointed to meet them there (Mat 28:10, 16),

And he showed himself in this way—The manner in which he made his appearance, and the persons to whom, are as follow.

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. MAT 26:32

2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.

John Gill

Simon Peter—Who though he had denied his Lord, dearly loved him, and truly believed in him, kept with the rest of his disciples, and was waiting for another interview with him:

Thomas (called the Twin)—Who, though for a while an unbeliever with respect to the resurrection of Christ, was now fully assured of it, and, for the future, was unwilling to lose any opportunity of meeting with his risen Lord.

Nathanael of Cana in Galilee—An Israelite indeed, in whom there was no deceit. Dr. Lightfoot thinks he is the same with Bartholomew, and so one of the eleven. The Syriac version reads it, “Cotne,” and the Persic, Catneh of Galilee; no doubt the same place is meant, where Jesus turned water into wine, of which Nathanael was an inhabitant:

The sons of Zebedee—Who were James, whom Herod killed with the sword, and John, the writer of this gospel:

And two others of his disciples—Who are thought to be Andrew and Philip; which is very likely, since they were both of Bethsaida (Joh 1:44), a city in Galilee, and not far from the Sea of Tiberias. Andrew is particularly mentioned by Nonnus: so that here were seven of them in all; four of them, according to this account, being wanting; who must be James the less, the brother of our Lord, Judas called Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Matthew the tax collector.

21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. MAT 4:21-22

3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. MAT 4:18-20

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

John Gill

Just as day was breaking—The day began to dawn, and light to appear, very early in the morning; for Christ visits his right early, and is a present help to them in their time of trouble.

Jesus stood on the shore—On firm ground, whilst his disciples were beating about in the waves, and toiling to no purpose. So Christ, risen from the dead, is glorified, is in heaven; but not unmindful of his people amidst all their afflictions in this world:

Yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus—Though he was so near them that they could hear what he said; but it not being broad daylight they could not distinctly discern him, or their eyes might be held that they could not know him. So Christ is sometimes near his people, and they know it not.

After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. MAR 16:12

5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. PSA 37:3

Rashi

Trust in the Lord and do not say, “If I do not rob and steal,” or “If I give charity to a poor man, how will I sustain myself?”

And do good—Then you will dwell in the land for a long time.

And befriend faithfulness—You will eat and be sustained from the reward of your faithfulness, that you believed in the Holy One, blessed be he, to rely on him and do good.

6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. ACT 2:41

7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If a man offered for love

all the wealth of his house,

he would be utterly despised. SON 8:7

Rashi

Many waters—The nations.

Many waters cannot quench love—Since he refers to them with an expression of coals, the term “cannot quench” is appropriate for them.

Neither can . . . drown it—Not through force or terror nor even through enticement and seduction.

Floods—Their princes and their kings.

If a man offered for love all his wealth—In exchange for your love.

He would be utterly despised—On all these the Holy One, blessed be he, and his tribunal testify that to this extent the congregation of Israel clings to her beloved.

8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

John Gill

The other disciples came in the boat—The same that they were fishing in, in which they came to Christ as soon as they could, not choosing to expose themselves, as Peter did; nor was it proper that they should leave the ship, and, as it was, might have hands few enough to bring ship and net, so full of fish, safe to shore; and the rather, they did not think fit to do as he did,

Dragging the net full of fish—Towing the net full of fish all along in the water, till they came to land; an emblem of laborious gospel ministers, who being once embarked in the work of the ministry, continue in it to the end, notwithstanding all toil, labour, and difficulties that attend them; and will at last bring the souls with them they have been made useful to, with great satisfaction and joy, to their dear Lord and master.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.

29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.

30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. LUK 12:29-31

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”

John Gill

Jesus said to them—The disciples:

Bring some of the fish that you have just caught—For they might have caught some before, though so few and small, as scarcely to be reckoned any; nor were they bid to bring all they had taken, only some of them, to add to these Christ had prepared for them on land; they being both indeed of a miraculous production, and the effects of his divine power. Christ’s view in ordering to bring some of them, and put to those that lay upon the coals, was partly that they might have enough to make a meal of for them all; and also, that they might have a more perfect knowledge of the miracle done, by seeing the number and largeness of the fish, and by bringing the net full of them to shore unbroken; and may be an emblem of the bringing of souls to Christ by the ministry of the word, thereby adding to those that are already gathered.

11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.

6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” LUK 5:6-8

12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. MAR 9:32

30 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.

Rashi

Why is it that you ask—We have no fixed name; our names change, all depending upon the service we are commanded to carry out as the errand with which we are charged (Bereishit Rabbah 78:4).

31 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” GEN 32:30-31

13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

John Gill

They gave him a piece of broiled fish—Which was left by them at supper, of which they had been eating; for being fishermen, most of them, this was agreeable food to them.

43 and he took it and ate before them. LUK 24:42-43

14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

John Gill

This was now the third time—Or day of Christ’s appearance to his disciples: he appeared to them first on the same day he rose, and then a second time eight days after, or that day a week later, and now at the Sea of Tiberias; for within this compass of time he had made more appearances than three, though to particular persons, and not to such a number of the disciples as at these three times:

That Jesus showed himself to the disciples after he was raised from the dead—And thus, as by the mouth of two or three witnesses, everything is established; so by these three principal appearances of Christ to his disciples, his resurrection from the dead was confirmed.

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.

13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. MAR 16:12-13

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

John Gill

As they were talking about these things—While the two disciples, that came from Emmaus, were giving the above relation; just as they had finished it, and had scarcely done speaking:

Jesus himself stood among them—The apostles; who were assembled together in a certain house, the doors being shut for fear of the Jews; and it was on the evening of the same day Christ rose from the dead, and late at night see Joh 20:19; nd without hearing the doors opened, or the sound of the feet of Jesus, and without seeing him come in, and approach unto them, he, in a moment, at once, stood in the middle of them, as if he had immediately rose up out of the earth before them; and so the Persic version renders it, “Jesus rose up out the midst of them”: by his power he opened the and secretly let himself in, and shut them again at once; and by the agility of his body moved so swiftly, that he was not discerned until he was among them, where he stood to be seen, and known by them; whereby he made that good in a corporeal sense, which he had promised in a spiritual sense (Mat 18:20), and was an emblem of his presence in his churches, and with his ministers, to the end of the world.

And said to them, “Peace to you!”—Which was an usual form of salutation among the Jews (see Gill on Joh 20:19). The Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions add, “I am he, fear not”; but this clause is not in the Greek copies.

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;

I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, ISA 57:18

Rashi

I have seen his ways when he humbled himself before me, when troubles befell him.

But I will heal him; I will lead him—Heb. וְאַנְחֵהוּ. I will lead him in the way of healing. Alternatively, וְאַנְחֵהוּ is an expression of rest and tranquility.

Him and his mourners—To those who are troubled over him.

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 1SA 28:13

Chagigah 4b:9

The Gemara asks: In the case of Samuel, what is it that he feared? As it is written: “And the woman said to Saul, ‘I see a god coming up [olim] out of the earth’ (1Sa 28:13). “Olim,” in the plural form, indicates that there were two of them. One of them was Samuel, but the other, who was he? The Gemara explains that Samuel went and brought Moses with him. He said to Moses: Perhaps, heaven forbid, I was summoned for judgment by God; stand with me and testify on my behalf that there is nothing that you wrote in the law that I did not fulfill.

Rashi

I see a god coming up out of the earth—Two angels, Moses and Samuel, for Samuel feared, “Perhaps I am being summoned for judgement,” and he therefore brought Moses up with him, as it is stated in Chagigah and Taanit.

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

John Gill

And he said to them, “Why are you troubled”—Who had more reason to rejoice, and be glad, as they were when they knew that it was Jesus:

And why do doubts arise in your hearts?—Whether what they saw was Jesus, or an apparition, which gave them a great deal of trouble and uneasiness, and filled them with fright and terror; as it was, and is usual with persons when they fancy they see a spirit, or an apparition; see Mat 14:26.

39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

John Gill

See my hands and my feet—The Evangelist John adds, “and side”; that is, the prints of the nails and spear, in his hands, and feet, and side; and the wounds they made there, and the scars they left behind; by which they might be convinced he was not a spirit, and be assured of the truth of his resurrection, and that in the same numerical body in which he suffered; as well as that it might be observed by them how great was his love to them, to endure what he did for them.

Touch me, and see—Or know by feeling, as well as by sight; so that if the one was not sufficient, the other might confirm; sight might be deceived, but feeling could not: Apollonius Tyaneus, to them that did not know whether he was alive or dead, and who took him for a spirit, proposed himself to be touched, and handled, that they might be convinced:

For a spirit does not have flesh and bones—Nothing but appearance, or air at most; no solid substance to be felt and handled:

As you see that I have—Or may perceive, both by sight and feeling.

40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them.

Avot D’Rabbi Natan 30:4

Rabbi Shimon would say: Such is the punishment for a liar, that even when he speaks the truth, no one listens to him. So we find with the children of Jacob, who deceived their father. In the beginning he believed them, as it says (Gen 37:31), “They took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat,” and then it says (Gen 37:33), “He identified it and said, ‘This is my son’s robe.’ ” But afterward, even when they spoke the truth to him, he did not believe them, as it says (Gen 45:26), (“His heart became numb, for he did not believe them.”) “They told him, and said: Joseph is still alive . . . but he did not believe them.”

Some say that the Holy Spirit that had departed from Jacob now returned to him, as it says (Gen 45:27), “The spirit of their father Jacob was revived.”

Rashi

And they told him, “He is ruler”—And he rules.

And his heart became numb—His heart passed away and went away from believing—his heart did not turn to believe these words. The word וַיָפָג has the same meaning as (Beitzah 14a) “all spices let their taste pass away” in the language of the Mishnah. Similar is (Lam 3:49) “without respite (הֲפֻגוֹת).”

27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

Rashi

All the words of Joseph—As evidence that it was Joseph who was sending this message he had informed them of the religious subject he had been studying with his father at the time when he left him, viz., the section of the heifer that had its neck broken (Deu 21). It is to this that Scripture refers in the words “and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent”—and it does not state “that Pharaoh had sent” (Bereishit Rabbah 94:3).

The spirit of . . . Jacob revived—The glory that had departed from him, rested again upon him (cf. Onkelos).

28 And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” GEN 45:26-28

Rashi

Enough; Joseph my son is still alive—Much joy and pleasure is still in store for me, since Joseph my son is still alive.

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

John Gill

They gave him a piece of broiled fish—Which was left by them at supper, of which they had been eating; for being fishermen, most of them, this was agreeable food to them.

43 and he took it and ate before them.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel. GEN 3:15

Rashi

I will put enmity—Your sole intention was that Adam should die by eating it first and that you should then take Eve for yourself (Bereishit Rabbah 20:5), and you came to speak to Eve first only because women are easily influenced and know how to influence their husbands; therefore “I will put enmity.”

He shall bruise your head—Like (Deu 9:21), “And crushed it” which is translated by Onkelos as “I pounded it.”

And you shall bruise his heel—You shall have no height and you shall bruise him on the heel, and even from there you shall kill him. The word תְּשׁוּפֶנוּ is like (Isa 40:24): “He blows (נָשַׁף) on them.” When a serpent comes to bite, it blows with a kind of hissing sound, and since the two words coincide i.e., they sound alike, they are both used here.

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” EXO 4:11

Rashi

Who has made man’s mouth—Who taught you to speak when you were arraigned in judgment before Pharaoh on account of the Egyptian whom you slew?

Who makes him mute—Who made Pharaoh mute so that he could not insist upon the carrying out of his command to kill you? Who made his ministers deaf so that they could not hear when he gave orders concerning you? And who made the executioners blind so that they could not see when you fled from the platform and escaped? (Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot 10)

Is it not I whose name is the Lord do all this?

46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

I gave my back to those who strike,

and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;

I hid not my face

from disgrace and spitting. ISA 50:6

Rashi

I gave my back to those who strike—He said to me, Isaiah, my children are obstinate; my children are bothersome. You may go on the condition that you do not become angry with them. I said to him, On that condition.

47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. GEN 12:3

Rashi

In you . . . shall be blessed—There are many aggadoth, but this is its plain sense: A man says to his son, “May you be like Abraham.” This, too, is the meaning wherever the phrase “shall be blessed with you” occurs in Scripture, and the following example proves this (Gen 48:20): “By you Israel shall pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ”

48 You are witnesses of these things.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Rashi

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief—Yet it was the will of the Holy One, blessed be he, to crush him and to cause him to repent; therefore, he has put him to grief.

When his soul makes an offering for guilt, etc.—Said the Holy One, blessed be he, “I will see, if his soul will be given and delivered with my holiness to return it to me as an offering for guilt for all that he betrayed me, I will pay him his recompense, and he will see his offspring, etc.” This word אָשָׁם is an expression of ransom that one gives to the one against when he sinned, amende in O.F., to free from faults, similar to the matter mentioned in the episode of the Philistines (1Sa 6:3), “Do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering (אָשָׁם).”

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” MAT 3:17

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Rashi

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall eat and be satisfied, and he would not rob and plunder.

By his knowledge shall the righteous one . . . be accounted righteous—My servant shall judge justly all those who came to litigate before him.

And he shall bear their iniquities—He shall bear, in the manner of all the righteous, as it is said (Num 18:1): “You and your sons shall bear iniquity of the sanctuary.”

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors. ISA 53:10-12

Rashi

Therefore—Because he did this, I will divide him an inheritance and a lot in public with the patriarchs.

He poured out his soul to death—Heb. הֶעֱרָה. An expression like (Gen 24:20), “So she . . . emptied (וַתְּעַר) her jar.”

And was numbered with the transgressors—He suffered torments as if he had sinned and transgressed, and this is because of others; he bore the sin of many.

And makes intercession for the transgressors through his sufferings, for good came to the world through him.

Even though Jesus suffered greatly, the good news is he is victorious and his suffering has a purpose. Isaiah declared that the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Through Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice, the will of the Lord came to pass. Those who put their faith in Jesus have been given his righteousness. Jesus is not a mere victim, but a victor! He triumphed over sin and death so that we could live the way God designed us to—in harmonious relationship with him and his creation. Jesus called us the salt and light of the earth (Mat 5:13-14), and his people can make a difference on earth in the way they live. How does knowing that Jesus is victorious give you hope and help you share this hope with others?

13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

John Gill

You are the salt of the earth—This is to be understood of the disciples and apostles of Christ; who might be compared to “salt,” because of the savoury doctrines they preached; as all such are, which are agreeable to the Scriptures, and are of the evangelic kind, which are full of Christ, serve to exalt him, and to magnify the grace of God; and are suitable to the experiences of the saints, and are according to godliness, and tend to promote it: also because of their savoury lives and conversations; whereby they recommended, and gave sanction to the doctrines they preached, were examples to the saints, and checks upon wicked men. These were the salt “of the earth”; that is, of the inhabitants of the earth, not of the land of Judea only, where they first lived and preached, but of the whole world, into which they were afterwards sent to preach the gospel.

But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?—The “taste” here supposed that it may be lost, cannot mean the taste of grace, or true grace itself, which cannot be lost, being an incorruptible seed; but either gifts qualifying men for the ministry, which may cease; or the savoury doctrines of the gospel, which may be departed from; or a seeming savoury conversation, which may be neglected; or that seeming taste, zeal, and affection, with which the gospel is preached, which may be dropped: and particular respect seems to be had to Judas, whom Christ had chosen to the apostleship, and was a devil; and who he knew would lose his usefulness and place, and become an unprofitable wretch, and at last be rejected of God and men; and this case is proposed to them all, in order to engage them to take heed to themselves, their doctrine and ministry. Moreover, this is but a supposition;

If salt—And proves no matter of fact; and the Jews have a saying, that all that season lose their taste, “but salt does not lose its taste.” Should it do so,

It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet—Salt is no longer good for anything except to make things savoury, and preserve from putrefacation; and when it has lost its taste, it is of no use, neither to men nor beasts, as some things are when corrupted; nor is it of any use to the land, or dunghill, for it makes barren, and not fruitful: so ministers of the word, when they have dropped the savoury doctrines of the gospel, or have quitted their former seeming savoury and exemplary conversations; as their usefulness is gone, so, generally speaking, it is never retrieved; they are cast out of the churches of Christ, and are treated with contempt by everyone.

You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. LEV 2:13

Berakhot 5a:19

And that is the statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, as Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The word covenant is used with regard to salt, and the word covenant is used with regard to afflictions. The word covenant is used with regard to salt, as it is written: “The salt of the covenant with your God should not be excluded from your grain offering; with all your sacrifices you shall offer salt” (Lev 2:13). And the word covenant is used with regard to afflictions, as it is written: “These are the words of the covenant” (Deu 28:69). Just as, in the covenant mentioned with regard to salt, the salt sweetens the taste of the meat and renders it edible, so too in the covenant mentioned with regard to suffering, the suffering cleanses a person’s transgressions, purifying him for a more sublime existence.

John Gill

You shall season all your grain offerings with salt—Which makes food savoury, and preserves from putrefaction; denoting the savouriness and acceptableness of Christ as a grain offering to his people, he being savoury food, such as their souls love, as well as to God the Father, who is well pleased with his sacrifice; and also the perpetuity of his sacrifice, which always has the same virtue in it, and of him as a grain offering, who is that grain which endures to everlasting life (Joh 6:27) and also the grave and gracious conversation of those that by faith feed upon him (Mar 9:50; Col 4:6),

You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering—This seems to suggest the reason why salt was used in grain offerings, and in all others, because it was a symbol of the perpetuity of the covenant, which from thence is called a covenant of salt (Num 18:19), namely, the covenant of the priesthood, to which these sacrifices belonged (Num 25:13) hence the Targum of Jonathan,

“because the twenty four gifts of the priests are decreed by the covenant of salt, therefore upon all your offerings you shall offer salt.”

With all your offerings you shall offer salt—Even those that were not to be eaten, as well as those that were; as the burnt offering of the herd, of the flock, and of fowls, and their several parts; all were obliged to be salted that were offered, excepting wine, blood, wood, and incense; hence there was a room in the temple where salt was laid up for this purpose, called “the salt room”; and which was provided by the congregation, and not by a private person; our Lord has reference to this law in Mar 9:49 the Gentiles always made use of salt in their sacrifices.

14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. MAT 5:13-14

John Gill

You are the light of the world—What the luminaries, the sun and moon, are in the heavens, with respect to corporal light, that the apostles were in the world with regard to spiritual light; carrying and spreading the light of the gospel not only in Judea, but all over the world, which was in great darkness of ignorance and error; and through a divine blessing attending their ministry, many were turned from the darkness of Judaism and Gentilism, of sin and infidelity, to the marvellous light of divine grace. The Jews were wont to say, that of the Israelites in general, and particularly of their council, and of their learned doctors, what Christ more truly applies here to his apostles; they observe, that

“on the fourth day it was said, ‘let there be light’: which was done with respect to the Israelites, because they are they, ‘which give light to the world,’ as it is written (Dan 12:3),”

And in another place, say they,

“how beautiful are the great ones of the congregation, and the wise men, who sit in the council! For they are they, ‘that enlighten the world,’ the people of the house of Israel.”

So. R. Meir, R. Akiba his disciple, and R. Judah the prince, are each of them called “the light of the world”; as R. Jochanan ben Zaccai is by his disciples, “the lamp of the world”: and it was usual for the head of a school, or of an university to be styled, “the light of the world”; but this title much better agrees and suits with the persons Christ gives it to, who, no question, had a view to those exalted characters the Jews gave to their celebrated Rabbins.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden—Alluding either to Nazareth, where he was educated, and had lately preached, which was built on an hill, from the brow of which the inhabitants sought to have cast him headlong (Luk 4:29), or to Capernaum, which, on account of its height, is said to be

Exalted to heaven—(Mat 11:23) or to the city of Jerusalem, which was situated on a very considerable eminence. The land of Israel, the Jews say, was higher than all other lands; and the temple at Jerusalem was higher than any other part of the land of Israel. And as a city cannot be hidden which is built on a high place, so neither could, nor ought the doctrines which the apostles were commissioned to preach, be hidden, or concealed from men: they were not to shun to declare the whole counsel of God, nor study to avoid the reproaches and persecutions of men; for they were to be “made a spectacle”; to be set as in a public theatre, to be seen by “the world, angels, and men.”

6 he says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Rashi

He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be, etc.”—In my eyes, it is too small a gift that you should have this alone, that you be my servant to raise up Jacob and to bring back to me the preserved of Israel, and behold I add more to you, “And I will make you as a light for the nations,” to prophesy concerning the downfall of Babylon, which will be a joy for the whole world.

And the preserved of Israel—Heb. וּנְצוּרֵי. Comp. (Pro 7:10) “With a heart surrounded by evil thoughts (וּנְצֻרַת),” that their heart is surrounded by the inclination of sinful thoughts, like a city besieged by a bulwark of those who besiege it.

9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”

to those who are in darkness, “Appear.”

They shall feed along the ways;

on all bare heights shall be their pasture;

10 they shall not hunger or thirst,

neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,

for he who has pity on them will lead them,

and by springs of water will guide them. ISA 49:6, 9-10

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

Rashi

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted—Behold he was oppressed by taskmasters and people who exert pressure.

And he was afflicted with verbal taunts, sorparlec in O.F.

Yet he opened not his mouth—He would suffer and remain silent like the lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and like the sheep that before its shearers is silent.

So he opened not his mouth—This refers to the lamb brought to the slaughter.

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” MAT 26:63

John Gill

But Jesus remained silent—Knowing it would signify nothing, whatever he should say, they being set upon his death, the time of which was now come; and therefore he quietly submits, and says nothing in his own defence to prevent it. To be silent in a court of judicature, Apollonius Tyanaeus says, is the fourth virtue; this Christ had, and all others.

And the high priest said to him—Though Christ had said nothing, a way of speaking very frequent among the Jews, and in the sacred writings.

I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God—The Christ; the anointed, that David speaks of in Psa 2, and who is there said to be the Son of God (Psa 2:2, 7), to which the high priest seems to have respect; since there is no other passage, in which both these characters meet; and which was understood by the ancient Jews of the Messiah, as is owned by modern ones. Jesus was given out to be the Messiah, and his disciples believed him to be the Son of God, and he had affirmed himself to be so; wherefore the high priest, exerting his priestly power and authority, puts him upon his oath; or at least with an oath made by the living God, charges him to tell the truth, and which when ever any heard the voice of swearing, he was obliged to do (Lev 5:1).

12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.

13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”

14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. MAT 27:12-14

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Rashi

And they made his grave with the wicked—He subjected himself to be buried according to anything the wicked of the heathens (nations mss., K’li Paz) would decree upon him, for they would penalize him in death and the burial of donkeys in the intestines of the dogs.

With the wicked—According to the will of the wicked, he was willing to be buried, and he would not deny the living God.

And with a rich man in his death and to the will of the ruler he subjected himself to all kinds of death that he decreed upon him, because he did not wish to agree to (denial) of the law to commit evil and to rob like all the heathens (nations mss., K’li Paz) among whom he lived.

And there was no deceit in his mouth to accept idolatry (to accept a pagan deity as God Parshandatha).

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1CO 15:4

John Gill

That he was buried—That is, according to the Scriptures; for as he died and was raised according to the Scriptures, he was buried according to them; which speak of his being in hell, in “Sheol,” in the grave, and of his making his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death (Psa 16:10; Isa 53:9), and which had their accomplishment through Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, who begged the body of Jesus, wrapped in linen, and laid it in his own new tomb. And besides these Scripture prophecies of his burial, Jonah’s being three days and three nights in the whale’s belly was a type of it, and according to which our Lord himself foretold it (Mat 12:40). Now since this was prophesied of, and typified, and had its actual accomplishment, it was very proper for the apostle to take notice of it, both to confirm the certainty of Christ’s death, and the truth of his resurrection, which his death and burial are mentioned, in order to lead on to, and next follows:

That he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures—That he should rise again from the dead was very plainly hinted or expressed in several prophecies which speak of the rising of his dead body, of its not being left in the grave so long as to see corruption; and which therefore could not be in it more than three days; and of his lifting up his head after he had drank of the brook by the way; of his ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God, which suppose his resurrection (Psa 16:10; 68:18; 110:1, 7; Isa 26:19). And that he should rise again the third day, is not only suggested in Hos 6:2 but was prefigured by the deliverance of Isaac on the third day after Abraham had given him up for dead, from whence he received him, in a figure of Christ’s resurrection; and by Jonah’s deliverance out of the whale’s belly, after he had been in it three days. The Jews take a particular notice of the third day as remarkable for many things they observe, as

“of the third day Abraham lift up his eyes (Gen 22:4), of the third day of the tribes (Gen 42:18), of the third day of the spies (Jos 2:16), of the third day of the giving of the law (Exo 19:16), of the third day of Jonah (Jon 1:17), of the third day of them that came out of the captivity (Ezr 8:15), of the third day of the resurrection of the dead, as it is written (Hos 6:2) ‘after two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.’ ”

From which passage, it is clear, that they under stood the prophecy in Hosea of the resurrection of the dead; and it is observable, that among the remarkable third days they take notice of, are the two instances of Isaac’s and Jonah’s deliverances, which were Scripture types of Christ’s resurrection. From which observations they establish this as a maxim, that

“God does not leave the righteous in distress more than three days.”

That Christ did rise again from the dead, in pursuance of those prophecies and types, the apostle afterwards proves by an induction of particular instances of persons who were eyewitnesses of it.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. ISA 53:7, 9-10

Rashi

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief—Yet it was the will of the Holy One, blessed be he, to crush him and to cause him to repent; therefore, he has put him to grief.

When his soul makes an offering for guilt, etc.—Said the Holy One, blessed be he, “I will see, if his soul will be given and delivered with my holiness to return it to me as an offering for guilt for all that he betrayed me, I will pay him his recompense, and he will see his offspring, etc.” This word אָשָׁם is an expression of ransom that one gives to the one against when he sinned, amende in O.F., to free from faults, similar to the matter mentioned in the episode of the Philistines (1Sa 6:3), “Do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering (אָשָׁם).”

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” MAT 3:17

The suffering servant described by Isaiah was pitiful. He was made to endure rejection, affliction, and persecution, even though he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth (Isa 53:9). Jesus endured all this because it was the will of the LORD for him to serve and save humanity. There is no one who has suffered like Jesus, yet his compassion and grace are still available for us. What does Heb 4:15 say about how Jesus, the suffering servant, related to us as human beings?

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. HEB 4:15

John Gill

For we do not have a high priest—That is cruel and unmerciful; the saints have a high priest, but not such an one:

Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses—Such as bodily diseases and wants, persecutions from men, and the temptations of Satan; under all which Christ sympathizes with his people; and which sympathy of his arises from his knowledge and experience of these things, and the share he has had of them, and from that union there is between him and his people: and it is not a bare sympathy, but is attended with his assistance, support, and deliverance; and the consideration of it is of great comfort to the saints:

But one who in every respect has been tempted as we are—Of the temptations of Christ, and of the saints (see Gill on Heb 2:18)

Yet without sin—There was no sin in his nature; though he was encompassed about with infirmities, yet not with sinful infirmities, only sinless ones; nor was there any sin in his temptations; though he was solicited to sin by Satan, yet he could find none in him to work upon; nor could he draw him into the commission of any sin.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

Rashi

Surely he has borne our griefs—Heb. אָכֵן, an expression of “but” in all places. But now we see that this came to him not because of his low state, but that he was chastised with sorrows so that all the nations be atoned for with Israel’s suffering. The griefs that should rightfully have come upon us, he has borne.

Yet we esteemed him—We thought that he was hated by the Omnipresent, but he was not so, but he was pierced for our transgressions and he was crushed for our iniquities.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed. ISA 53:4-5

Rashi

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace—The chastisement due to the peace that we enjoyed, came upon him, for he was chastised so that there be peace for the entire world.

for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. LUK 4:2

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. MAR 6:3

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ISA 53:2-3

13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.

14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ACT 3:13-15

John Gill

And you killed the Author of life—Author of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; who not only is the living God, and has life in himself; and as man, had such a power over his own life, as no man ever had; but he is the author of a spiritual resurrection from the death of sin, to a life of grace, and has procured eternal life for his people, and gives it to them. Now this Lord of life and glory they crucified. His death is laid to them because it was at their request, and through their instigation, and at their earnest solicitations, that Pilate condemned him, and delivered, him to his soldiers to crucify him.

Whom God raised from the dead—Notwithstanding all their spite and malice; so that they had not their whole will, and all their end, not being able to retain him under the power of death, and under the shame and reproach of the cross; and this the apostle the rather mentions, as being the reason why such gifts, and such power were bestowed on them to do the miracles they did.

To this we are witnesses—Either of Christ, for it may be rendered, “whose witnesses we are”; they testifying of his person, office, grace, and righteousness; or of the resurrection of Christ, of which they were eyewitnesses; and of which they had the fullest proof, and were capable of bearing a sufficient testimony, and for which they were chosen and appointed.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth and was described as lowly, despised, without beauty, and rejected. Taking on human form was already difficult and a far cry from being a deity. But to become acquainted with grief and identify with the lowest of the low speaks of the great compassion and love that Christ had for us, that he would go so low to save us from our sins and heal us. What does Php 2:3-8 say about how Christ’s demonstration and example of humility affect our view and treatment of others?

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom. PRO 13:10

Rashi

By insolence comes nothing but strife—Heb. מצה, controversy.

But with those who take advice is wisdom—But wisdom lies with those who behave with advice.

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

John Gill

This is not the wisdom that comes down from above—If it must be called wisdom, as it ought not; an envious, quarrelsome, and contentious spirit, does not deserve such a name; yet if any will call it so, or can think that a man of such a disposition is a man possessed of wisdom; it is such wisdom as does not come from above, from heaven, from the Father of lights, from Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and from the spirit of wisdom and revelation: what the Jews say of the wisdom of Egypt, may be said of this, that it is “wisdom from below,” or inferior wisdom, as it follows:

But is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic—It is “earthly,” or of the earth, and springs from thence; and it is only conversant about earthly things, and is only suitable to earthly minds: it is sensual, or natural; what a natural man, one destitute of the Spirit of God, and without the knowledge of the things of the Spirit, may have; it is what is acquired by the mere strength of nature, and only relates to natural things; and is only agreeable to corrupt nature, or to a natural and unregenerate man: yea, it is demonic, or such as the devil himself has; and which comes from him, and being used, serves only his kingdom and interest.

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. JAS 3:14-16

John Gill

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist—Where these are cherished in the heart, and especially where they break out into action, in families, neighbourhoods, states, or churches:

There will be disorder and every vile practice—These occasion disturbances, raise uneasiness, make disquietude, and cause tumults whenever they appear; and put persons upon doing everything that is wicked, to gratify such insatiable lusts.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

John Gill

Let no one seek his own—His carnal pleasure and private advantage in eating things sacrificed to “idols,” to the hurt and disadvantage of his brethren; otherwise it is lawful for a man to seek his own good, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, to seek for the necessaries of life, his spiritual peace and comfort, and his everlasting welfare and happiness; but then he should not only seek his own,

But the good of his neighbor—The apostle’s meaning is, that a man, in the use of things indifferent, should not seek the gratifying of his sensual appetite or other passions, what may be pleasing or profitable to himself; but should consult the profit and edification of others.

32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,

John Gill

Give no offense—Avoid everything that may be the occasion of offense, of the stumbling and falling of others; whether things indifferent, when they are offensive to weak minds, and grieve, and wound, and stumble them; especially things sinful, which as they offend God, and are therefore called “offences,” so they are offensive to the churches of Christ, and are cognizable by them; they are staggering and stumbling to weak believers, when committed by professors of religion; are the means of inducing others to sin, and of hardening profane sinners in their iniquities, and give occasion to the enemy to blaspheme: but things that are good, and are made our incumbent duty, are not to be avoided, though persons may be offended; such as the pure preaching of the gospel, the profession of it, and submission to the ordinances thereof; for an offense is either taken or given; to give offense is one thing, which we should carefully avoid; and to take it, when there is no just reason for it, is another, and not to be regarded:

To Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God—Which may be considered as having a peculiar respect to the people of God: the two first of these, namely, Jews and Greeks, being what constituted the first churches, and this at Corinth, so that they may be thought to be the parts, and the church the whole; and the apostle first mentions the one, and then the other, signifying, that they were not to give offense neither to single persons, nor to the whole church; and particularly in the case of eating things offered to idols, care was to be taken that neither Jews nor Greeks were offended, being both members of the church. Or these may be considered as including all sorts of persons; for Jews and Greeks include the whole world, and may here mean all that are without, that have no true faith in Christ, nor any spiritual knowledge of him; and “the church,” all such as know him, believe in him, and profess his name: so that the apostle’s sense is, that care should be taken that no offence be given to any sort of men, neither to the men of the world, of whatever character, nor to professors of religion, and more especially the latter; since offending one of the least of them that believe in Christ, is displeasing to him; and since he was so careful to guard against the offense of them, and will, by his angels, at the last day, gather out of his kingdom all such as offend; and has ordered his churches to mark them which cause offences and divisions; and since it is so hard a thing to reconcile an offended brother, who is harder to be won than a strong castle; though that is not his excellency, yet as it makes the case so difficult, it should be guarded against.

33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1CO 10:24, 32-33

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ISA 7:14

Rashi

The Lord himself will give you a sign—He will give you a sign by himself, against your will.

A virgin—My wife will conceive this year. This was the fourth year of Ahaz.

Shall conceive—This is actually the future, as we find concerning Manoah’s wife, that the angel said to her (Jdg 13:3): “But you shall conceive and bear a son,” and it is written, “Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.”

And shall call his name—Divine inspiration will rest upon her.

Immanuel—Lit. God is with us. That is to say that our rock shall be with us, and this is the sign, for she is a young girl, and she never prophesied, yet in this instance, divine inspiration shall rest upon her. This is what is stated below (8:3): “And I went to the prophetess, etc.,” and we do not find a prophet’s wife called a prophetess unless she prophesied. Some interpret this as being said about Hezekiah, but it is impossible, because, when you count his years, you find that Hezekiah was born nine years before his father’s reign. And some interpret that this is the sign, that she was a young girl and incapable of giving birth.

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people. PSA 22:7

Chullin 89a:6

I granted greatness to Abraham, yet he said before me: “And I am but dust and ashes” (Gen 18:27). I granted greatness to Moses and Aaron, yet Moses said of the two of them: “For what are we” (Exo 16:7). I granted greatness to David, yet he said: “But I am a worm and not a man” (Psa 22:7).

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. PHP 2:3-8

his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. DEU 21:23

Rashi

For a hanged man is cursed by God—This is a degradation of the divine King, for man is made in his image and the Israelites are his children. It may be compared to the case of two twin brothers who very closely resembled each other: one became king and the other was arrested for robbery and was hanged. Whoever saw him on the gallows thought that the king was hanged (Sanhedrin 46b).

Sanhedrin 46a:14

The dead man hangs there for only a very short time, and then they immediately untie him. And if he was left hanging overnight, a prohibition is transgressed, as it is stated: “His body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for he that is hung is a curse by God” (Deu 21:23). That is to say: Were the body left hanging all night on the tree, people would ask: For what reason was this one hung after he was put to death? They would be answered: Because he blessed God, a euphemism for blasphemy. And therefore the name of heaven would be desecrated were the dead man’s body to remain hanging, reminding everybody of his transgression.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Rashi

After these things—Some of our Rabbis say (Sanhedrin 89b) that it means after the words of Satan who denounced Abraham saying, “Of all the banquets which Abraham prepared not a single bullock nor a single ram did he bring as a sacrifice to you.” God replied to him, “Does he do anything at all except for his son’s sake? Yet if I were to bid him, ‘Sacrifice him to me,’ he would not refuse.” Others say that it means “after the words of Ishmael” who boasted to Isaac that he had been circumcised when he was thirteen years old without resisting. Isaac replied to him, “You think to intimidate me by mentioning the loss of one part of the body! If the Holy One, blessed be he, were to tell me, ‘Sacrifice yourself to me’ I would not refuse” (Sanhedrin 89b).

Here I am—Such is the answer of the pious: it is an expression of meekness and readiness (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 22).

Sanhedrin 89b:8

Apropos the binding of Isaac, the Gemara elaborates: It is written: “After these matters God tried Abraham” (Gen 22:1). The Gemara asks: After what matters? How does the binding of Isaac relate to the preceding events?

Sanhedrin 89b:14

The Gemara cites an alternative explanation of the verse: “After these matters God tried Abraham” (Gen 22:1). Rabbi Levi says: This means after the statement of Ishmael to Isaac, during an exchange between them described in the verse: “But Sarah saw the son of Hagar . . . mocking” (Gen 21:9). Ishmael said to Isaac: I am greater than you in the fulfillment of commandments, as you were circumcised at the age of eight days, without your knowledge and without your consent, and I was circumcised at the age of thirteen years, with both my knowledge and my consent. Isaac said to Ishmael: And do you provoke me with one organ? If the Holy One, blessed be he, were to say to me: Sacrifice yourself before me, I would sacrifice myself. Immediately, God tried Abraham, to confirm that Isaac was sincere in his offer to give his life.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1CO 10:13

2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Rashi

So . . . rose early—He was alert to fulfil the command (Pesachim 4a).

Saddled—He himself: he did not order one of his servants to do so, for love disregards the rule imposed on one by his exalted position in life (Bereishit Rabbah 55:8).

Two of his young men—Ishmael and Eliezer. For a man of high standing should not travel without two men as attendants (Vayikra Rabbah 26:7) so that if one needs to ease himself and goes aside for this purpose the other will still remain with him (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 8).

And he cut—Its rendering in the Targum וְצַלַח has the same meaning as the verb in (2Sa 19:18) “rushed down to the Jordan,” which signifies cleaving the waters; Old French fendre.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. LUK 14:26

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

Rashi

And bound his hands and feet behind him. Hands and feet tied together is what is meant by עִקֵידָה. It is associated in meaning with עִקֻדִים in (Gen 30:35) “female goats that were streaked”—whose ankles were streaked white so that the place where they are bound could be plainly seen.

And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. MAT 27:2

10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son,

18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. HEB 11:17-19

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Rashi

Abraham, Abraham!—The repetition of his name is an expression of affection (Bereishit Rabbah 56:7).

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ACT 9:4

12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Rashi

Do not lay to slaughter him. Then he (Abraham) said to God, “If this be so, I have come here for nothing; let me at least inflict a wound on him and draw some blood from him.” God replied, “Do not do the slightest thing (מְאוּמָה) to him”—inflict no blemish (מוּם) on him (Bereishit Rabbah 56:7).

For now I know—From now I have a reply to give to Satan and to the nations who wonder at the love I bear you: Now I have a reason (lit. an opening of the mouth), for they see “that you fear God.” (Bereishit Rabbah 56:7).

For now I know—R. Aba said: Abraham said to God, “I will lay my complaint before you. Yesterday you told me (Gen 21:12), ‘for through Isaac shall your offspring be named,’ and then again you said (Gen 21:2), ‘Take now your son.’ Now you tell me, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy.” The Holy One, blessed be he, said to him (Psa 89:35): “ ‘I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.’ When I told you, ‘Take,’ I was not altering that which went out from my lips. I did not tell you ‘Slaughter him,’ but ‘Offer him.’ You have brought him—now take him down” (Bereishit Rabbah 56:8).

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. MAT 10:37-38

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Menachot 82b:13

Rather, the term utensil must be referring to a knife, as the slaughter may be performed only with a knife and not with a sharp stone or reed. The Gemara asks: And with regard to a burnt offering itself, from where do we derive that it must be slaughtered with a knife? This is learned from that which is written: “Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son” (Gen 22:10); and there, Abraham was sacrificing a burnt offering, as it is written: “and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Gen 22:13).

Rashi

After the angel had said to him, “Do not lay your hand,” he saw it as it the ram was caught. And that is what we mean when we translate it in the Targum by “And Abraham lifted his eyes after these words, i.e., after the angel said, ‘Do not lay your hand.’ ” Other versions of Rashi have: according to the Aggadah, “after all the words of the angel and the glory and after the arguments of Abraham.”

And behold, behind him was a ram—It was predestined for that purpose from the six days of creation (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 23; Pirkei Avot 5:5).

In a thicket—A tree.

By his horns—Because it was running towards Abraham, but Satan caused it to be caught and entangled among the trees (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 31).

Instead of his son—Since it is written, “and offered it up for a burnt offering,” nothing is missing in the text; what then is the force of “instead of his son”? At every sacrificial act he performed on it he prayed saying, “May it be your will that this may be regarded as if it were being done to my son—as if my son were slaughtered, as if his blood were sprinkled, as if his skin were flayed, as if he were burnt and reduced to ashes” (Bereishit Rabbah 56:9).

9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 2CO 1:9-10

14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Pesachim 88a:4

Rather, the verse specifically mentions Jacob to allude to the fact that the temple will ultimately be described in the same way that Jacob referred to it. It will not be referred to as it was referred to by Abraham. It is written of him that when he prayed at the location of the temple mountain, he called it mount, as it is stated: “As it is said on this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided” (Gen 22:14). And it will not be referred to as it was referred to by Isaac. It is written of him that he called the location of the temple field when he prayed there, as it is stated: “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field” (Gen 24:63). Rather, it will be described as it was referred to by Jacob, who called it house, as it is stated: “He called the name of that place Bethel” (Gen 28:19), which means house of God.

Rashi

The Lord will provide—Its real meaning is as the Targum renders it: The Lord will choose and select for Himself this place to make his divine presence reside in it and for sacrifices to be offered there.

As it is said to this day—In the generations to come people will say of it, “On this mount the Holy One, blessed be he, shows himself to his people.”

To this day—The future days, with the same meaning as “until this day” wherever it occurs in the entire Scriptures: that all future generations who read this passage will refer the phrase “until this day” to the day in which they live. The Midrash Aggadah explains: The Lord will see this binding every year to forgive Israel and to save them from punishment, so that it may be said “in this day”—in all future generations—“On the mount of the Lord the ashes of Isaac heaped up as it were and serving as a means of atonement” (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 23).

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

the Lord appeared to him from far away.

I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. JER 31:2

Berakhot 11b:9

That was also taught in a baraita: One does not recite: An everlasting love; rather, one recites: An abounding love. And the Rabbis say that one recites: An everlasting love, and so it says: “And an everlasting love I have loved you, therefore I have drawn you with kindness” (Jer 31:2).

Rashi

Appeared to him—I, the prophet, and told me to say to the congregation of Israel, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

From far away—In the merit of the patriarchs.

2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, GEN 18:4

Rashi

Let . . . be brought—By a messenger: therefore did the Holy One, blessed be he, recompense his (Abraham’s) children by a messenger, as it is said (Num 20:11), “And Moses lifted up his hand, and he struck the rock” (Bava Metzia 86b).

And wash your feet—He thought they were Arabians who worship the dust of their feet, and he was particular not to have the object of idolatrous worship brought into his house (Bava Metzia 86b). Lot, however, who was not particular about this, mentioned lodging before washing, as it is said (Gen 19:2) “and lodge and bathe your feet.”

Under the tree—Heb. עֵץ can mean either “tree” or detached “wood”; the Targum clarifies this ambiguity by translating as Aram. אִילָן, meaning specifically “tree.”—from Targumim

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

24 Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it.

Rashi

What you spoke—Evil upon it has come to pass (lit., has been and has come).

25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.

Rashi

Though the city is given—Of what avail is the field to me?

43 Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, “It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” JER 32:24-25, 43

8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. ISA 4:4

Rashi

When the Lord shall have washed away—Heb. אִם usually “if.” When the Lord shall have washed away. There are instances of אִם being used in this manner in the usage of כִּי; and so (Job 8:18): “But when (אִם) men destroy him from his place.”

Filth—Defilement, as its Aramaic translation; i.e. to say, when he will remove their iniquity through chastening and purging from the world.

Cleansed—Heb. יָדִיחַ, an expression of “washing” in the language of the Mishnah, and in Scripture (Eze 40:38): “There they will rinse (יָדִיחוּ) the burnt offering.”

By a spirit of judgment through chastening. “Spirit” is equivalent to talant in O.F. When he so desires to judge them.

And by a spirit of burning to purge them from the world, בָּעֵר is like לְבָעֵר, to purge, descombrement in O.F., an expression of doing, going.

Sotah 12b:2

The verse states: “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river” (Exo 2:5). Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: This teaches that she came down to the river to cleanse herself from the impurity of her father’s idols, as she was immersing herself as part of the conversion process. And similarly it states: “When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning” (Isa 4:4). This washing clearly refers to the purging of spiritual sins, rather than bathing for the sake of cleanliness.

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

John Gill

Simon Peter said to him—Being convinced of his mistake in not submitting to Christ, fearing he should he deprived of communion with him, than which nothing was more desirable to him, or more highly esteemed of by him, says,

Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head—Which shows the sense he had of the general pollution of his nature, and the need he stood in particularly of having his feet, hands, and head washed both as a minister, and a believer. By his “feet” may be meant, either the grace of faith, which is the foot of the soul, by which it goes to Christ, and walks on in him, and was not without its imperfections; or the affections of the mind, which are that to the soul, as feet are to the body; and when they move right, move heavenward, Godward, and Christward; but sometimes they are inordinate, and cleave to the things of this world: or the outward life and conversation is meant, which is attended with daily infirmities; and each of these need washing in the blood of Christ. His “hands” may design all his actions, works, services, duties, and performances, the hand being the instrument of action; and not only the hands of wicked men, but even of saints, need washing, their best righteousnesses being as filthy rags. By his “head” may be meant doctrines and principles imbibed in the mind, and expressed by the lips, which were not free from mistake and pollution, and needed purging and cleansing; for the disciples were not as yet clear from the prejudices of the Jewish nation, especially relating to the nature of the Messiah’s kingdom.

10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. ECC 7:20

Sanhedrin 46b:17

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear a proof from the fact that the righteous patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were all buried. And if you say that burial is required on account of atonement, do the righteous need atonement? The Gemara rejects this proof: Yes, even the righteous are in need of atonement, as it is written: “Surely there is no righteous person on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecc 7:20), and so even the righteous need atonement for the few sins that they committed over the course of their lifetimes.

Sanhedrin 101a:12

Rabbi Akiva said to them: It is for that reason that I am laughing. As long as I would see for my teacher that neither does his wine ferment and spoil, nor is his flax stricken, nor does his oil spoil, nor does his honey turn rancid, I would say to myself: Perhaps, heaven forfend, my teacher has already received his world in reward for the commandments that he fulfilled, and will not receive a reward in the world to come. But now that I see my teacher overcome with suffering, I am happy. He is receiving punishment in this world for the few transgressions that he might have committed, ensuring that he will receive a complete reward in the world to come. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Akiva, have I failed to fulfill any portion of the entire law? Rabbi Akiva said to him, you taught us, our teacher: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecc 7:20).

11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?

19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?”

Rashi

What these things mean for us—What are these signs to us?

24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God. EZE 24:19, 24

Rashi

When this comes—When this evil comes.

13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

John Gill

For I have given you an example—Christ is an example to his people, in many things; not in his miraculous performances and mediatorial work, but in the exercise of grace, of meekness, humility, love, patience, and the like; and in the discharge of duty, in submission to ordinances, and in attending on them; and in the several duties, both to them that are without, and to them that are within; and also in his sufferings and death; not that he died merely as an example, but likewise in the room and stead of his people; but here he is spoken of, as an example, in a particular instance:

That you also should do just as I have done to you—Wash one another’s feet, as he had washed theirs; which is not to be understood literally and singly of this action, as though this was an ordinance binding upon all persons, in all places, and to be attended to at certain stated times, as has been the practice of some: it was so understood by the church at Milain, and there practised; and this custom was continued and defended by St. Ambrose, even though not received by the church of Rome; in some places the bishop used to wash the feet of those that were baptized, which in process of time being thought sufficient, instead of baptism, was forbidden by the council at Eliberis. In imitation of this, the pope every year, on Thursday in the passion week, washes the feet of twelve men; and it is an anniversary ceremony performed by the kings of England and France, to wash the feet of twelve poor people, in commemoration of this action of Christ’s: but our Lord is not to be understood literally, nor of anything that was to be done once a year, but of what was daily and constantly to be practised; and which was to be done not by one only, to all the rest, but what they were mutually to do; what they were to do to one another; for the thing signified, reaches to, and is obligatory upon all Christians. Our Lord’s meaning is, that as he had, by this action, given them an example of humility, condescension, and love; so they should exercise these graces, and perform such kind offices to one another, and to all their fellow Christians.

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.