New Testament -- Matthew - John

Matthew

Christ the King.—The Branch of Jeremiah 23:5.—The Face of a Lion—Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4.—Christ as the Trespass Offering.—The Gospel for the Jew—proving that Jesus is Messiah.

1:1-17 The genealogy of the King.
The genealogy of Joseph—giving throne rights to Mary’s Son—See Luke 3.

1:1-5 Note the story of grace told in the names of the women in the genealogy.

1:11 Jechonias—Coniah. A curse rests on Coniah—Christ must come of another line. See Luke 3.

1:18-25 The birth of the King.

1:25 The Virgin Birth—fulfilment of Isa. 7:14.

2 The recognition of the King.

2:2 The first question of the New Testament—See Gen. 3:9.

2:4 The people of the covenant in the right position but the wrong condition.

2:8 Hypocrisy.

2:11 Worship God!—Rev. 22. He is God over all, blessed forever.
Gold—divinity.
Frankincense—perfection of humanity.
Myrrh—death.

3 The consecration and anointing of the King.

3:2 “Kingdom of Heaven” is a dispensational aspect of the Kingdom of God—“the reign of the heavens” upon earth. It is a term used only in Matthew and connects with Daniel 4, “the heavens do rule.”

3:10 Not merely to the “fruit” of the tree.

3:15 Pledging Himself to meet every righteous demand of the throne of God on behalf of sinners.

4:1-11 The testing of the King.

4:3 Appeal to the lust of the flesh.

4:5-6 Appeal to the pride of life.

4:8-9 Appeal to the lust of the eye.

4:12-25 The works of the King. His credentials.

5—7 The laws of the King. The royal proclamation. The principles of the Kingdom.

6:9-13 The disciple’s prayer.

6:14-15 Mark 11:25, 26—Governmental forgiveness.

7:12 The golden rule—given by Confucius negatively.

8—9 Credentials—the works of the King. Ten signs.

8:11 The Kingdom is Heaven’s rule on earth.

8:17 Not vicarious atonement—but sympathy.

8:20 The Son of Man—first instance—used by Jesus of Himself 72 times. For last time see Revelation 14:14.

8:34 Contrast ch. 14:35.

9:37-38 The waiting harvest—Compare John 4:35-38.

10 The heralds of the King.

10:23 An interrupted mission to be resumed after the rapture of the Church.

10:28 The soul lives after the body dies. Both may be lost in Hell. Luke 12:5.

11—12 The rejection of the King.

11:3 The finality of Jesus.

11:22 Differences in judgment according to privileges here.

11:28 I will give you rest—only God can do this. It is the same promise Jehovah gave to Moses in Exodus 33:14.

11:29 My yoke—He was never under a yoke. He never needed to be restrained, but we do.

12 The authority of the King.

13 The new Aspect of the Kingdom. The mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

13:35 Secret things now revealed. Deut. 29:29.

14—15 The authority and resources of the King. Opposition to the Kingdom.

14:2 The reasoning of a troubled conscience.

14:9 More anxious to keep up appearances than to be right with God.

14:35-36 Note their changed attitude since chapter 8:34.

15:22 As a Gentile she had no claim on “the Son of David.”

16 The keys of the Kingdom—the first mention of the Church.
Jesus foretells His death for the first time—v. 21. He foretells His Second Coming for the first time—v. 27.
He tells of His Church for the first time—v. 18.

16:6-12 Leaven—always evil. Leaven of the Pharisees, hypocrisy—self-righteousness.
Leaven of the Sadducees, doctrinal error—materialism—rationalism.

6:18 The Living Stone—1 Pet. 2:4.

17 The glory of the King—a picture of the coming Kingdom.

17:2 The glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus—2 Cor. 4.

18 Instruction as to discipline in the Church.

18:19 agree—symphonize—to be in complete harmony with God and with each other.

18:23-35 Governmental forgiveness which may be revoked if there be inconsistency.

19—20 The last journey of the King—Going up to Jerusalem to die.

19:8 Christ sets His O.K. upon the Genesis account of the beginning of the human race.

19:17 The test: He is God or he is not good!

19:21 A call to recognize the lordship of Christ.

19:28 Regeneration—only twice used in the Bible—See Titus 3:5.

20:1-16 Reward is according to opportunities embraced —not merely the amount of work performed.

21 The triumphal entry of the King.

21:22 The prayer of faith.

22—25 The teaching of the King. 2:16 What vile hypocrisy!

24—25 The second Sermon on the Mount. The King’s prophetic discourse.

26 The agony of the King.

26:7-9 The flesh cannot understand heart-appreciation of Jesus.

26:14 The depravity of the flesh seen in Judas.

26:15 thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave or a common ox.

26:35 The confidence of the flesh.

26:51 The forwardness of the flesh.

26:61 Utter perversion of His words.

26:70 The breakdown of the flesh.

27 The crucifixion of the King.

27:3 The remorse of the flesh.

27:9 Zechariah was probably in the roll that began with Jeremiah.

27:24 washed his hands—“Crucified under Pontius Pilate.”

27:50 yielded up the ghost—dismissed His Spirit. “When He willed to die, He died as He willed.” F. E. Marsh.

28 The Resurrection of the King.

28:19 [last part] The Holy Trinity—Isa. 48:16.

28:19-20 Going…
teach—Disciple…
Baptizing…
Teaching…
Disciple is the emphatic word.

Mark

Behold My Servant!
The Branch of Zechariah 3:8.
The Face of an Ox. Ezekiel 1.
Christ as the Sin Offering. Leviticus 5.

1:1-13 The Servant introduced. No geneology.

1:14—3:35 His early ministry.

1:23-26 His power over demons.

1:30-31 His power over disease.
Fever—the power of sin.

1:40-41 Leprosy—the uncleanness of sin.

2:3-12 Palsy—the helplessness of the sinner.

2:22 The new wine of the gospel is not to be put into the old legal forms.

2:28 His authority, though in servant guise.

3:22 Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

3:28-29 Sin against Him as Man pardonable—but to reject Him as God is fatal.

3:31-34 The new relationship.

4—9 Teaching and working.

4:13 This is the foundation parable.

5:4 Society restrains—Jesus liberates.

5 Three pictures:
The man—desperate sinners controlled by furious passions—dominated by satanic power.
The women—timid and anxious souls groping after light and help.
The child—people dead spiritually to be awakened to life by the gospel.

5:24-27 Many who thronged Him; few who touched Him in faith.

6:5 Limited by unbelief.

6:16 The voice of an accusing conscience.

7 A new doctrine of defilement.

7:6-7 Voiding the Word of God by human tradition.

7:21-23 The weeds that grow in the natural heart.

8:15 Matt. 16:6—leaven: symbol of evil.—leaven of the Pharisees —hypocrisy.—leaven of Herod—worldliness. See 1 Cor. 5.

8:35 “God harden me against myself
This coward with pathetic voice;
Who craves for ease, and rest, and joys.” Christina Rosetti.

9 The Kingdom in embryo.

9:15 Was the glory still shining in His face?

10:45 The Servant of God and Man.

11:25 Conditions of answered prayer.

14:4 The flesh cannot appreciate what is done only for love of Jesus.

15:28 “He who knew no sin.”

15:33 “Made sin.”

16 The Servant exalted—His Resurrection.

16:2 The first Lord’s Day.

Luke

Christ as Son of Man.—
The Branch of Zechariah 6:12.—
The Face of a Man, Ezekiel 1.—
Christ as the Peace Offering, Leviticus 3.
Outline:
(1) 1—3—The introduction.
(2) 4—9:50—From the temptation to the Transfiguration.
(3) 9.51—21:38—The last six months of Ministry.
(4) 22—24—Closing scenes and the Resurrection.

1:10 The fellowship of prayer.

1:20-22 Unbelief sealed his lips. See v. 64.
Dumb lips tell of an unbelieving heart. Rom. 10:9, 10.

1:27 A Virgin in polluted Nazareth!

1:35 He who was ever God the Son becomes in grace the Son of God as Man born of a Virgin.

1:64 Faith opened his mouth.

2:24 The offering of the poor.

2:38 [last part] The godly remnant.

2:46 Jesus in the midst—See John 19:18.

3:1 Note the definiteness of the dates.

3:21 Note the place given to prayer in the life of the Son of Man, as related by Luke. See ch. 5:16.

3:27 Zorobabel—Salathiel—Note that the lines intertwine here.

4:1-13 Moral order of the temptations—”The lust of the flesh” v. 3; “The lust of the eye” v. 5; “The pride of life” v. 9.

4:10-11 Omitting what was vitally important.

4:20 He closed the book,—He puts the entire dispensation of grace into a comma!

5:16 Prayer—See ch. 6:12.

5:21 And here was God in their midst, and they knew Him not!

5:29 “The table talk of the Son of Man.”
The feast in the house of Levi. See Ch. 7:36.

6:1 In Greek—“the second first”—i.e., the second after the feast of firstfruits.

6:11 filled with madness—angered by His grace!

6:12 Prayer. See ch. 9:18.

6:31 The “golden rule.”

6:42 beam—i.e., a large splinter—as in the everyday language of the common people. Confirmed by the papyri.

7:29 God justified as they received His sentence against themselves.

7:36-50 The table talk of the Son of Man in the Pharisee’s house. See ch. 10:38.

8:10 The Kingdom of God is moral. In Matt. 13 it is “the Kingdom of Heaven” which is dispensational—the form the Kingdom takes during a given age.

8:11 [last part] “The devil knows that men will be saved if they believe!” A.H.S.

8:44 The blue border.

9:18 Prayer—See ch. 9:28.

9:28 Prayer—See ch. 11:1.

10:2 The waiting harvest—See John 4:35.

10:38-42 The table talk of the Son of Man—with Mary and Martha. See ch. 11:37.

10:42 [first part] “Of one thing there is need.”

11:1 Prayer—See ch. 22:41.

11:20 Ex. 8:19 The finger of God is the Spirit of God. Matt. 12:28.

11:31-32 Solomon typical of Christ as the wisdom of God, Jonah as the one who went into death and rose again.

11:37-54 The table talk of the Son of Man—in another Pharisee’s house. See ch. 14:1.

11:44 Defiling when men do not realize it. See Num. 19.

12 Prophetic testimony—The Great Preacher, leaven— always symbolic of evil. See 1 Cor. 5.

12:5 Matt. 10:28—The soul immortal.

12:50 The baptism of wrath upon the Cross.

13:6 The fig tree: Israel nationally.

14:1 The table talk of the Son of Man in the house of a chief Pharisee. See ch. 19:5.

14:14 [last phrase] The first Resurrection.

15:4-7 The seeking Saviour—The lost sheep.

15:7 Saints in heaven rejoice when souls are saved!

15:8-10 The Holy Spirit’s work—The lost coin.

15:11-24 The Father’s love—The lost son.

15:25-32 The elder son—“Not lost or not saved.” The self-righteous.

16:7 i.e., He made himself responsible for the difference.

16:23 hell—Hades—the abode of unclothed spirits.

16:27-31 Six brothers: one in hell and five on the way!

17:11-19 The ten lepers—See Lev. 13.

18:9-14 The only two religions.

18:19 He is either God or He is not good.

19:3 [last clause] A man who had “come short.”

19:5 The table talk of the Son of Man in the house of Zacchaeus. Conversation on the way to his home. See ch. 22:13.

20:4 It was at John’s baptism He was anointed as the Prophet, Priest, and King. There the Father’s voice and the descending sign accredited Him.

20:35 The first resurrection.

21:24 [last clause] See Ezek. 30:3—“The time of the heathen.”

21:25 distress of nations, with perplexity—”crowding pressure of nations with no way out.”

21:29 Judah—fig tree. The Gentile nations of the prophetic earth. The Fig Tree: Patriarchs firstripe of the fig tree—Hos. 9:10. See Joel 1:7; Jer. 24:1-10; 29:17; Luke 13:6-9; Matt. 21:18-20; Hos. 14:8; Isa. 27:6; Mic. 4:4; Jno. 1:47-51.

21:35 Them that dwell on the earth—see this class in Revelation.

22:2 Religious bigotry allied with treachery and covet-ousness.

22:10-11 The ministry of the Word—the water of life— leads to the place of communion.

22:13 The table talk of the Son of Man. The last Passover and the Lord’s Supper.

22:24 At such a time!

22:31 In Satan’s sieve. See Amos 9:9.

22:32 Advocacy even before the open failure.

22:33 The confidence of the flesh.

22:45 Peter was sleeping when he should have been praying. The slothfulness of the flesh.

22:50 Peter acts in the energy of the flesh.

22:54 The backwardness of the flesh.

22:55 Seeking comfort among the enemies of Christ.

22:57-60 The denial.

22:61 The beginning of Peter’s restoration was that look of love.

23:8 It was not because he desired to know Christ as Saviour—but to satisfy the craving for wonders.

23:25 The end of man’s free will.

24:19-21 They believed in and loved Him still but hope had fled.

24:25-36 Three lines of ministry: by the way—in the home—in the upper room.

24:25 Note the rebuke for not believing all that the prophets had spoken.

24:30 He became the Host!

24:31 Their eyes opened. See v. 32.

24:32 Opened the Scriptures. See v. 45.

24:45 Ps. 119:73—Opened their understanding.

24:51 See Acts 1—“He was taken up.”

John

Christ as the Eternal Son—
The Branch of Isaiah 4:2-5.—
The Face of an Eagle, Ezek. 1.

1:1 [first part] When everything that had beginning began, the Word was.
In the beginning was the Word—eternity of being.
the Word was with God—distinct personality.
the Word was God—full deity.

1:2 Eternal Son.

1:3 Creator.

1:4 [first part] Source of life.
[last part] Source of light.

1:12 sons—children, born ones.

1:30 before—Christ’s preexistence before John the Baptist. See ch. 8:58.

2:6-10 Empty Jewish ceremonies filled with the water of the Word produce rich wine of truth.

3:16 For God so loved the world—the lake. that He gave His only begotten Son—the river. that whosoever believeth in Him—the pitcher. should not perish but have everlasting life—the draught.

4:7 Note His method of approach to a sinner’s heart.

4:10 living water—The gospel message in the power of the Holy Spirit—See ch. 3:5.

4:14 “Whatever water means here it must mean the same in John 3.”

4:16 Grappling with conscience. 4:34 Oh, to be more like Him!

4:35 The waiting harvest. Compare Matt. 9:37, 38; Luke 10:2.

5:1-9 In John, the feasts are “of the Jews” not “of Jehovah” for the Christ of God who is the antitype of all is seen as rejected from the very start. At Bethesda there was help for the strongest and best. In the gospel there is salvation for the weakest and the worst.

5:17 Jesus asserts His perfect equality with the Father.

5:19 So intimate are the relations of the Persons in the Godhead that neither can do anything without the other.

5:32-39 Fourfold witness:
v. 33—John—See ch. 10:3.
v. 36—The works He did—See ch. 10:25.
v. 37—The Father—See ch. 8:13-18.
v. 39—The Scriptures—See v. 46.

5:43 Antichrist—the wilful king of Daniel 11.
The man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2.

5:47 The Lord authenticates the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.

6:3 A scene of communion. We do not read that a word was said. It was hallowed fellowship. He loves thus to “sit” with His own.

6:27 The “sealed” Bread of God for hungry men!

6:40 God the Father’s will and the believer’s salvation bound up together.

7:23 Referring to the man healed at Bethesda, on His previous visit—ch. 5.

7:52 Overlooking Nahum and Jonah.

8:9 The Light of the world—exposing the hypocrisy of the accusers of the woman.

8:16 Who but God the Son could rightfully say, “I and the Father.”

8:41 A slur at the Virgin birth. 8:44 Slanders God to man and man to God.
Satan—adversary.
Devil—diabolous—slanderer.
An apostate—“Abode not in the truth.”
Lucifer’s fall—Isa. 14:12; Ezek. 28:11.
His activity—Gen. 3 to Rev. 20.
His doom—Rev. 20.
A deceiver—liar—no truth in him.
A manslayer—ruining men to spite God.

8:59 The stones that were for the adultress before, now are for Him!

9 From blindness and beggary to worship. 9:2 The Pharisees taught that a man could sin in the womb, basing it on the words, “He took his brother by the heel in the womb.”

9:34 Men are born in sin—not in sins.

10:1-3 Judaism was the sheepfold, Christ the Good Shepherd entered in by the door. John the Baptist, the porter.

10:11 Why Christ died. The Person who laid down His life. What He was gave the value to what He did.

10:15-18 Five P’s:
Person who died—v. 15.
Persons for whom He died—v. 15.
Price He paid—v. 17.
Principle on which He acted—v. 18a.
Power behind the action—v. 18b.

10:27 Marks of the sheep of Christ:
1—hear His voice.
2—follow Him.

11—12 The witness of the Father to Jesus.

11:25-26 i.e., In the hour when He is to be so manifested!

11:44 Life but not liberty.

12:1 New life.

12:2 Service, communion.

12:3 Worship.

12:28 i.e., glorified in the resurrection of Lazarus. He would glorify it in Christ’s resurrection also.

13:23, 25 leaning and lying—Note the two different words.
lying—“falling back on.”

3:36 The proper beginning of chapter 14.

whither goest thou?—The answer is found in chapter 14:2.

4:2 mansions—abiding places. “If it were not so would I have told you I go to prepare a place for you?”

4:16 I will pray the Father—to ask as a demand, in one’s own right.

4:16, 26 Comforter—“He dwelleth with you.” The Holy Spirit before Pentecost. Striving with the Antediluvians: Gen. 6:3; 1 Pet. 3:18-20. Angelic ministry prominent in patriarchal days—Gen. 10—50. The Holy Spirit the author of the Scriptures—1 Pet. 1:11; 2 Pet. 1:20; 2 Sam. 23:2; Neh. 9:30. In the wilderness—Neh. 9:20. Men empowered for testimony and service—Bezaleel and Aholiab—Ex. 31:3; 35:30-35. Balaam—Samson— Gideon—Saul—David—etc., etc.—John the Baptist. The promise to give to those who ask— Luke 11:13.

14:27 Peace I leave—Peace with God. He left this when He died. He gives peace—as the living One.

14:31 The burnt offering.

15:1 The true Vine—in contrast to Israel, the empty vine—Hos. 10:1; Isa. 5, etc.; Ps. 80:8; Rev. 14:17.

15:3 Cleansing by the Word. See ch. 13.

15:4-7 “Abiding in Christ and abounding for Christ.” The soul’s need:
Pure air—prayer.
Good food—the Word of God.
Constant exercise—obedience to God.
Connect John 15:4; 15:10; Col. 4:2; 1 Cor. 15:58; Ps. 84:7.

15:7 The secret of prevailing prayer.

16:1-16 The personality of the Holy Spirit.
One with the Father and the Son: the Holy Trinity. Matt. 28:19; Gen. 1:1; Isa. 48:16; Luke 3:22; 2 Cor. 13:1.
Personality attributed to Him. He may be grieved— Eph. 4:30; insulted—Heb. 10:29; He guides, speaks, convinces (see vv. 8-13); knows—1 Cor. 2:11; searches out and reveals—v. 10; teaches—v. 12; controls and distributes the gifts—1 Cor. 12. 16:23 His name on a check is good for any amount.

To the Bank of Heaven

Pay to whosoever abides in Me whatsoever he shall ask. —Jesus Christ

17 The High Priest in intercession.

18:4 The Eternal Son!

18:8 The gospel illustrated.

18:10 The energy of the flesh.

18:18 Warming himself at the world’s fire.

18:28 So careful of the ritual, so careless of the life of the Saviour!

18:36 His Kingdom heavenly in origin—but eventually to be set up on earth.

19:2 thorns—the fruit of the curse. See Gen. 3:18.

19:18 Luke 2:46. Jesus in the midst. See Matt. 18:20.

19:20 Hebrew, Greek, Latin—law, culture, and religion.

19:34, 35 Witnesses of the death: the finished work of Christ. See 1 John 1:6, etc.

19:39 The burial of a King. They laid Him on a bed of spices.

20:17 My brethren: new creation relationship—the fruit of His death.

20:22 The last Adam: a quickening Spirit.