From: Busy Person’s Guide to Matthew 15 to 28 Return to Home
By
Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2019
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text in paper, electronic, or computer
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Busy Person’s Guide to the
New Testament:
Quickly Understanding
Matthew
(Volume 2: Chapters 23 to 24)
Chapter Twenty-Three
Condemnation Was Due the Pharisees for Often
Binding Interpretations of Scriptural Obligations Which They Would Not Fulfill
Themselves--Not to Mention Being Full of Arrogance As Well (Matthew 23:1-12): 1 Then Jesus said to the
crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on
Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore pay attention to
what they tell you and do it. But do not
do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy loads,
hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing
even to lift a finger to move them.
5 “They do all their deeds to
be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels
long. 6 They love the place of
honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and elaborate greetings in
the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’
8 ‘But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have
one Teacher and you are all brothers. 9 And call no one your
‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in
heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called
‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you
will be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself
will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” --New English Translation (for comparison)
23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples. The reference to the presence of His disciples tells us not only the fact that they are present but conveys that they too have something important to learn from what is being said. As we read the words that follow, that message is two fold: (1) Don't play the hypocrite; whatever you expect others to do, be ready to do yourself as well; (2) Don't be arrogant and full of yourself--as apostles you have more real spiritual authority than any of these foolish teachers have but that doesn’t justify you falling into the same ego traps either.
23:2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Both the scribes (who copied the Torah and wrote legal documents) and the Pharisees claimed to represent Mosaical tradition in the current age. They sat “in Moses’ seat” of judgment and decision making, so to speak: They read his words; they made clear his message; they explained its contemporary application.
Sidebar: Note the mention of only the Pharisees. For all the religio-political power of the Sadducees, it seems that they had no real interest in teaching the meaning of the Mosaical system. As such they had power over others and had no particular strong interest in scripturally justifying their beliefs.
23:3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. Jesus does not challenge their right to teach Moses. Nor does He challenge that, by and large, they performed the interpretive function reasonably well. Hence the crowd should follow their teachings when they were accurate representations of the Torah rather than give a blanket rejection of it. On the other hand, the scribes and Pharisees did not practice the doctrine they knew so well. Hence their hypocritical behavior must be avoided at all costs.
Although Jesus does not develop the linkage, He had earlier rebuked them for their traditions being used as an excuse to avoid the plain demands of scripture (15:1-9). This ties in well with the current discussion as well: it was through those misguided traditions that they found the excuses to avoid carrying out the teaching of the texts. The cultivation and spread of these traditions had become at least as important as the scriptures they were supposedly based on.
23:4 For
they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s
shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of
their fingers. These people found no
difficulty in discovering “heavy burdens,” severe obligations that would be
difficult to comply with and hard to carry out.
Are these the product of their valid exegesis or of their own evolved
traditions? In a “real world” context,
it didn’t actually matter: Either way,
through the use of their reasoning power they found excuses to avoid doing even
the least of the most strenuous demands that they imposed so freely upon
others. They ignored the fundamental
demand of God for consistency: Never
impose on others what you are unwilling to do yourself. If “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew
23:5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. Their entire attitude toward other people was flawed. Their behavior was characterized not so much by a determination to do what was right but to be observed and respected by others for their supposed piety. Since phylacteries (containers with texts of four key scriptures) were typically worn during prayer, scribes and Pharisees made sure theirs were extra large so they would be even more conspicuous.
The hem on their garment was supposed to be clearly observable so they made those larger too. If they had had printed Bibles back then, you can be certain they would have had the largest and most expensively bound ones that could be purchased.
Sidebar: Although the colored borders on the garments would be worn at all times, the phylacteries were impractical during times of physical labor. These were expected to be worn--beginning at age thirteen--during times of prayer in general and if one did not do that, then at least during morning prayers.
23:6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues. When it came time to eat they expected the most prestigious and comfortable places at the feasts. After all they were the Leaders. When it came time to worship, they wanted the most desired and prestigious seats available there as well. After all, if they didn’t get them others might fall into the trap of thinking they were mere nobodies rather than someone very important. This Must Never Happen! After all, didn’t they “deserve” these honors because of their superb piety and loyalty to God?
Sidebar
on the typical physical structure of first century synagogues--Edersheim in his Life and Times of Jesus provides a
description and it is summarized by the Pulpit Commentary: “It was
built of stone, with an entrance generally on the south, and so arranged that
the worshippers might direct their prayers towards
“ ‘The inside plan is generally that of two double
colonnades, which seem to have formed the body of the synagogue, the aisles
east and west being probably used as passages.
At the south end, facing north, is a movable
ark, containing the sacred rolls of the Law and the prophets. Right before the ark, and facing the people,
are the seats of honor, for the rulers of the synagogue and the honorable’ [=
most prestigious or important, rw].’
“These were the places for which the Pharisees contended, thinking more of gaining these, where they could sit enthroned in the sight of the congregation, than of the Divine worship which nominally they came to offer (compare [the warning in] James 2:2-3 [for Christians not to act in such a manner]).”
23:7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ When it came to public recognition they expected others to greet them with a respectful double “Rabbi, Rabbi” in recognition of their elite status. It is suspected that this relish for titles only became popular about the time of Jesus’ birth. At least some rabbis recognized the foolishness involved for the Talmud includes the adage, “Love the work but hate the title.” From the broad verbal brush that Jesus uses, this kind of humility must have been uncommon at His time.
23:8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Titles can get in the way of service and the title itself can become an end all and be all. Rather than run that risk--so widely evidenced among the religious leadership of His own time--Jesus rebukes the use of the term Rabbi and wants it to be laid aside. Only one teacher was actually needed and it wasn’t the rabbi, it was He Himself. If such “title mongering” is bad from the individual standpoint, it is also bad from the collective one as well: After all, they were, in a profound sense, all equal: “you are all brethren.”
23:9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Substituting other honorifics to assuage one’s pride wasn’t any more acceptable than using “Rabbi.” Expecting to be called “father” and accepted as the superior of others in a father-son spiritual relationship fitted a certain self-centered mentality extremely well. Jesus rebuked such language and reminded them that the One true spiritual Father--the only one that actually counted--was in heaven.
When one had been spiritually benefited by another the language was quite natural. But when you turn language that is only appropriate between two specific individuals into a mere title for preachers, teachers, scholars, or church office holders in general you have transformed it from an accurate description into an empty epithet. Jesus would have nothing of it.
Sidebar: For the use of “father” as a description of
the relationship to a prophet see 2 Kings
Condemnation Was Due the Pharisees for Their
Religious Pretense that Discouraged Others from Doing Right and Encouraged
Them to Imitate Their Faults (Matthew 23:13-15): 13 “But woe to you, experts
in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites!
You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter
nor permit those trying to enter to go in!
[Although the wording is found in other gospels, it is omitted in
Matthew by ancient
manuscripts usually regarded as accurate:
14 “Woe to you experts in the law, and you Pharisees,
hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses
and for show you pray long prayers!
Therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.”]
15 “Woe to you, experts in
the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert,
and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves! --New English Translation (for comparison)
Yet with
the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus the opportunity to prepare to go in
had come and how had they reacted? They
didn’t like the teaching so they refused to heed it and they did their level
best to discourage and stop others from doing so as well. Why, that heretic Jesus even cast out demons
by the power of the devil (Matthew
This is the first of eight condemnations (“woes”) that the Lord presents. These “woes” surely reflect not only the strongest disapproval but also a profound sorrow that those who so passionately wanted to be religiously right could so mess up their spirituality.
Sidebar: Although
a number of translations include this verse (such as Holman, NASB, and WEB)
others do not (such as GW, NET, and
So they unquestionably were willing to put themselves to a great deal of trouble and effort to enlarge their faction. It was important to them and their lives. Yet having converted the person, they feed him such a line of distorted reasoning that they land up making him “twice” as bad in behavior and attitude as themselves.
Instead of saving him from Hell, they make him even more deserving of it than they were. Perhaps the reasoning is that the second generation of a movement will apply the principles more consistently: if those principles were erroneous to begin with, they will then get even further from the truth. In contrast, those who had converted them had the restraints of upbringing and earlier teaching to at least partially restrain their own excess. The next generation does not.
Condemnation Was Due
the Pharisees for Their False Distinctions that Allowed One to Escape Their
Commitments (Matthew
18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by
the altar is bound by nothing. But if
anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 19 You are blind! For which is greater, the
gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the
altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the
one who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by
heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.” --New English Translation (for comparison)
23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ The reasoning of such people was full of holes. For example take the matter of oaths and swearing. Swearing by the temple only resulted in a non-binding commitment. Swearing by its gold, however, meant that there was no way out of the promise.
The
“gold” could refer to either of three things or all of them combined: “Either the
golden vessels in the temple--the candlestick, etc.; or the gold with which the
doors and other parts of the temple were covered; or the gold in the treasury”
(Barnes Notes). Most seem to opt
for the donations given to or stored in the temple.
There is a horrible arrogance underlying their reasoning. “They esteemed their own gifts more highly than the Divine institution.” (Bengel’s Gnomen)
Condemnation Was Due the Pharisees Because
They Exulted in Obeying the Technicalities of Divine Law While Ignoring or
Minimizing Things That Were Far More Important (Matthew 23:23-28): 23 “Woe to you, experts in
the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites!
You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more
important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without
neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, experts in
the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the
dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that
the outside may become clean too!
27 “Woe to you, experts in
the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look
beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of
everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the
outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and
lawlessness. --New English Translation (for comparison)
In this case the three fundamental demands of “justice and mercy and faith” were relegated to secondary importance. Observing the “technicalities” was praiseworthy, but never at expense of ignoring greater principles. To use a modern analogy, one was icing on the cake and the other was the cake itself. Or to give a more extreme example: It's somewhat like being sure to give every Sunday at church . . . while omitting to be faithful to your spouse on weekdays.
Sidebar: A tithe of everything can easily be
read into Leviticus 27:30--“And all the tithe of
the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the
fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s.
It is holy to the Lord.”
That this does not refer to the seed itself but the product
grown from the seed can
easily be argued on the basis of Deuteronomy 14:23. There the required tithe seems to be related
only to the latter--“And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in
the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and
your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks,
that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.”
Furthermore
if our inner nature does not want to be self-controlled and restrained,
how can this avoid seeping out into our visible behavior as well? As the Proverbist (
Condemnation Was Due the Pharisees for They
Cherished the Delusion That They Were Spiritually Superior to Their Ancestors. Yet Those Had Persecuted and Killed the
Prophets of God While They Themselves Would Be Willing to Repeat the Same
Behavior (Matthew 23:29-36): 29 “Woe to you, experts in
the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and
decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had
lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in
shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 By saying this you testify
against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the
prophets. 32 Fill up then the measure
of your ancestors! 33 You snakes, you offspring
of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
34 “For this reason I am
sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will
kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from
town to town, 35 so that on you will come
all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the
blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 I tell you the truth, this
generation will be held responsible for all these things! --New English Translation (for comparison)
Sidebar: Wiser minds among both Jews and Gentiles
recognized that this was not the best way to honor such men--“They might have learnt something from the saying of
a teacher of their own in the Jerusalem Talmud, that ‘there is no need to adorn
the sepulchers of the righteous, for their words are their monuments.’ In somewhat of the same strain wrote the
Roman historian: ‘As the faces of men
are frail and perishable, so are the works of art that represent their faces;
but the form of their character is eternal, and this we can retain in memory,
and set forth to others, not by external matter and skill of art, but by our
own character and acts’ (Tacitus, Agricola, c.
46).” (Ellicott’s Commentary
for English Readers)
“There is a certain limit to iniquity; when this is
reached, punishment falls. The metaphor
is derived from a full cup, which a single drop more will make overflow. This added drop would be the death of Christ
and the persecution of His followers.
Then vengeance must follow (compare Genesis
How many
scribes and Pharisees were like this? We
must remember that Jesus was addressing and describing those in
Because these were characteristics of a significant minority and of those who had been tangling with Him out of dishonorable motives, He was dealing fairly and justly with His foes. On the other hand, we have no reason to believe that He would have dealt in such a blanket manner if the type of Pharisees He was encountering had acted differently. It was their behavior and faults He was concerned with and not that they carried the label of “Pharisee.”
Sidebar: Note the similarity to the condemnation delivered earlier by John the Baptist--“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7).
The earlier reference to the murder of the prophets turns out to be doubly relevant for history would repeat itself: the “prophets, wise men, and scribes” Jesus would send would be physically punished in their synagogues, driven from city to city, and some killed, and others crucified. In other words Jesus Himself will not be the only one railroaded into death by crucifixion or other means.
Jesus Lamented Over the Sufferings Jerusalem
Would Have to Endure Because of the Rejection of Him Encouraged by Their
Religious Leadership (Matthew 23:37-39): 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your
children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would
have none of it! 38 Look, your house is left
to you desolate! 39 For I tell you, you will
not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord!’ ” --New English
Translation (for comparison)
Sidebar: The destruction of the temple carried with it the idea of the rejection of the people who tolerated or actively caused these anti-Christian adversities to occur. This is not the first time that the unfaithful had turned on the faithful: “II have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies. My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest; it cries out against Me; therefore I have hated it. My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; the vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour!” (Jeremiah 12:7-9) As in Jesus’ day the apostasy had been encouraged by the religious and political leaders (verses 10-13).
Alas, but
even then, though the need is recognized, there will be no understanding
that it can only come through the Jesus the power brokers had crucified. And the masses--including countless thousands
from outside
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Tumultuous Times the World and
Christianity Will Endure Before the Jerusalem Temple Is Destroyed (Matthew
24:1-14): 1 Now as Jesus was going out
of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the
temple buildings. 2 And he said to them, “Do
you see all these things? I tell you the
truth, not one stone will be left on another.
All will be torn down!
3 As he was sitting on the
9 “Then they will hand you
over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because
of my name. 10 Then many will be led into
sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets
will appear and deceive many, 12 and because lawlessness
will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.
13 “But the person who
endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the
kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to
all the nations, and then the end will come.”
--New English Translation (for comparison)
24:1 Then Jesus went out and departed from
the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. Jesus had lamented to the crowds the
terrible disaster He saw in the future (Matthew
Whichever
way it was, they pointed out to Him from a distance the various “buildings” in
the
Sidebar
on the magnificence of the
“These, very likely, were the stones the disciples pointed to and admired; and were of a prodigious size, as well as worth. Some of the stones were, as Josephus says, ‘forty-five cubits long, five high, and six broad.’ Others of them, as he elsewhere affirms, ‘were twenty-five cubits long, eight high, and twelve broad.’ And he tells us, in the same place, that there were ‘in the porches, four rows of pillars: the thickness of each pillar was as much as three men, with their arms stretched out, and joined together, could grasp; the length twenty-seven feet, and the number of them an hundred and sixty-two, and beautiful to a miracle.’
“At the size of those stones, and the beauty of the work, it is said Titus was astonished, when he destroyed the temple; at which time his soldiers plundered it, and took away ‘the gifts,’ with which it is also said to be adorned. These were rich and valuable things which were dedicated to it, and either laid up in it, or hung upon the walls and pillars of it, as it was usual in other temples. These may intend [= include] the golden table given by Pompey and the spoils which Herod dedicated; and particularly the golden vine, which was a gift of his; besides multitudes of other valuable things which were greatly enriching and ornamental to it.”
24:2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” The apostles were thinking in terms of its magnificent appearance. Jesus looks at all the grandeur and is sadden by how the dedicated and hard labor of four decades will all go to waste . . . for all of this splendor would be totally destroyed. They saw current glory; He saw future destruction and disaster.
Sidebar: What is left of that
24:3 Now as
He sat on the
Such would mark “the end of the age” (= era, dispensation of time) that had previously existed; a new era would be unleashed upon the earth. Not necessarily when it chronologically occurred, but at least that point when it would become obvious that Judaism was no longer a competitor to the religion of Jesus’ followers. Where the failure of one and the triumph of the other would be inescapable for honest eyes to ignore.
They may conceive of this as two questions: (1) the destruction of the temple and the end of the current age; (2) the beginning of the kingdom age and Christ’s victory. Alternatively, it may all be one question in their minds: They may consider the destruction of the temple as so age-ending that it and the coming triumph of Christ’s kingdom must be either synonymous chronologically or at least closely linked in time of occurrence. The end result is essentially the same in either case.
24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. These events are of such a nature that the modern fishermen’s expression “can of worms” would aptly apply: It opens the door to all types of conjecture and theory and much of it can be totally misleading. Hence Jesus warns them against the danger of deception in their looking for the fulfillment of His words. Since His “coming” and the destruction are linked (rightly) in their minds, He selects an obvious aspect to emphasize. . . .
24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. The warning implies that Jesus will no longer be present--alluding to the fact that He would have been executed and would not be physically present. Unwilling to accept this they could have thought that the words meant that due to opposition, He would “disappear” to unknown places for a period before returning. Whatever their assumption, the fact was that in the future “many” would claim to be Christ and they would successfully deceive large numbers.
“I am the Christ” is most easily read as a literal reference to Jesus personally. Less likely, this can be modified by “come in My name” to indicate that they would be coming teaching in His name (i.e., by His authority). Those, in every age, have been far more numerous than those with the brazenness to claim to actually be Jesus.
It was not until the Second Jewish Revolt (A.D. 120) that we have any surviving historical references to such, but that may only speak to our lack of adequate historical documentation for the period. However some have take 1 John 2:18 as a reference to such delusionary folk: “even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”
24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. It would be a time of tumult; the world would be ready to explode. “Wars and rumors of wars” would reach their ears: These would not be ones directly affecting them, but repeated reports coming from a distance. Even so this would naturally be alarming--virtually any war can mushroom and spread in unexpected directions. Such events “destabilized” society, introducing severe uncertainty and fear about the future.
The end
of the “world” as we use it of the climatic ending of all earth time is not
under discussion. Jesus has made clear
He is talking about the “end” of the
24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. In other words, repeated wars would occur. There would even be famines and some ancient texts add “pestilences”--a not uncommon outgrowth of famines that have weakened the population. These can be companions of warfare or occur independently.
There would be “earthquakes” in scattered places as well. It would seem as if nature herself had also declared war upon the human race. Even those not directly involved will be emotionally affected by the worry produced by repeated news of one terrible problem after another. How else could it be?
Sidebar: Although one could go into great detail on
where and when such phenomena occurred, the quickest relatively brief summary
would be the words of Tacitus’ Histories in
which he especially stresses the period beginning in the 40s of the first
century: “I
enter upon a work fertile in vicissitudes, stained with the blood of battles,
embroiled with dissensions, horrible even in the intervals of peace. Four princes slain by the sword; three civil
wars, more with foreign enemies, and sometimes both at once; prosperity in the
East, disasters in the West; Illyricum disturbed; the
Gauls ready to revolt; Britain conquered, and again
lost; Sarmatians and Suevians
conspiring against us; the Dacians renowned for
defeats given and sustained; the Parthians almost
aroused to arms by a counterfeit Nero. Italy
afflicted with calamities unheard of, or recurring only after a long interval;
cities overwhelmed or swallowed up in the fertile region of Campania;
Rome itself laid waste by fire, the most ancient temples destroyed, the very
capitol burned by its own citizens.”
(Quoted by Pulpit Commentary)
When interpreting both this chapter and the book of Revelation it is both useful and desirable to keep in mind that the decades after Christ’s death and, especially as we get into the 60s, were tumultuous not just in the narrower area of geographic Palestine but in many other places in the Roman empire as well.
24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. It is unquestionably terrible for those directly affected but the economic and emotional concerns will build as one tragedy is added to another. It is no longer a time of stability but one of repeated “sorrow”--anguish and pain, both physical and emotional. Yet even when it has multiplied itself time and time again the horrible thing is that the worst is yet to occur. Today we might say, “You haven’t seen anything yet!”
Sidebar: The word “sorrows” literally is the one for those pains associated with giving birth. A new spiritual and temporal world is being born.
24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. So far the phenomena are ones that would affect all in the society or, at least, be the concern of all in a given region. But events would also affect disciples even more intimately than merely being part of that broader grouping. In addition to the underlying societal instability, they would be targeted for punishment and even death because of their faith.
Widespread
hatred of their discipleship would be common no matter which of the “nations”
that made up the
24:10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. The general disruption in society and the attack on the church would have a corrosive effect on group morale within the believing community. Many would be so upset at things that they would be “offended” (“fall away” or the equivalent in most translations). This would not only harm themselves, of course, but some would be so stripped of faith and confidence that they would even betray Christians who remained loyal to the cause. Others might not go that far but still fall into hatred of their former coreligionists as if they somehow bore responsibility for the disruptions that were affecting everyone.
Sidebar: Some would do this out of personal disillusionment with faith. Others would do so out of pressure. Hence of the Great Fire of 64 A.D. Tacitus writes, “First those who were seized who confessed that they were Christians; and then on their information a vast multitude was convicted.”
24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. In this time of internal church disarray and external confusion, false prophets would have their field day. Instability; uncertainty; economic and social worries. An ideal time for such bent souls to prosper. They would arise and “deceive many:” church members? Unbelievers? Probably both are in mind. Gullibility knows no lines of faith, gender, or ethnicity. Their target--traditional Jews or Christians would vary--but their spiritual delusions and false claims would find a ready market.
24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Because of this widespread contempt for law--in the ethical sense both of violating law and ignoring it) the love of many for God and Jesus would not only diminish but actually “grow cold.” It would no longer represent an important factor in their nature or interests. The underlying image is that of a fire which once burnt hot and warm but which now has been reduced even beyond the token warmth of the cooling ashes.
Sidebar: A good number of translations take “many” not just as a numerical reference but as a euphemism for “most” believers falling into this trap (GW, NASB, NIV for example).
24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be
saved. Failure was not inevitable
even in this time of despair. Those who
refused to give in to hopelessness--those who refused to allow external
pressures and examples to weaken their faith but persisted in loyally
enduring--these would ultimately be saved.
This was true both temporally (because they would flee the endangered
24:14 And
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to
all the nations, and then the end will come.
Even in this time of chaos and many becoming weak and falling away,
the gospel cause would still not be silenced or destroyed. That “gospel of the kingdom” would be
successfully preached throughout the entire known world. That message would be a “witness” to the
world both of its sin and of the future.
Only after this widespread preaching was accomplished, would “the end”
under discussion by Jesus (the fall of
The
apostles were given a world wide preaching charge by the Lord (Matthew
28:18-20), which they proceeded to fulfill:
“the hope of the gospel which you heard,
which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a
minister” (Colossians
When It Is Time to Flee
19 “Woe to those who are
pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may
not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be
great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the
world until now, or ever will happen. 22 And if those days had not
been cut short, no one would be saved.
But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” --New English Translation (for comparison)
24:15 “Therefore when you see the
‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in
the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand). This “holy place” could be
The
Daniel text in mind is found in
Sidebar: A good section of contemporary opinion was
fully aware of how the Zealot seizing of the
24:16 “then let those who are in
The
mountains would have caves to dwell in and small out of the way communities as
well. Distance from
24:17 Let him
who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. It would be a time for city dwellers not
to hesitate. Any community that stood in
the Roman way was going to be quickly conquered if it resisted or subjected to
a siege that it was inevitably going to lose.
As soon as word came of the Romans being near it was time to use the
outer stairs of the house, get down to the street from the level roof top, and
leave the town far behind. Don’t even
take time to grab any cherished possessions.
The risk of delay is too great.
(Although Jesus is speaking of the
24:18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. Not everyone would be working in the city when the Romans drew near. If one was working in the field, one left the outer garment aside in a convenient location--or at home--while one went out and did the work. As soon as one heard the approach of the Romans it would be too risky to even return to grab the clothes. Worry about picking up additional attire later. For the moment, the priority was to save one’s life. This implies a situation so dire that the alternatives are basically “run--or die. Your choice.”
24:19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! It would be a miserable time for the pregnant and those with nursing children. The former’s pregnancy would slow down the flight to a crawl. Imagine the difficulty of fleeing from imminent danger if you are six months pregnant!
Furthermore if one is nursing, the startled cry of the baby could alert the Romans to your presence. For that matter anxiety could easily reduce the milk flow to little or nothing, imperiling the child's life.
“Woe” was upon those who were in either condition: They had done no wrong themselves, but they stood in danger of perishing because of wrong done to and by others. It would be a time of no mercy even for those who might otherwise be exempted from enemy wrath.
Sidebar: Deuteronomy 28:52-58 pictures in vivid language the slow death and destruction that could occur in families left in a city during a siege. Flight at least gave you some chance of surviving, however slim.
24:20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. Winter would provide lousy conditions during which to flee. The rivers would be swollen and the roads muddy. The weather would be unruly. The nights would be long and chilly.
Flight on the Sabbath day had its human complications as well: city gates would be closed. The more orthodox might even interfere and hinder your leaving the city in the name of the day’s “sanctity”--your own efforts to save your and your family’s life being compromised if they do.
And then there were the severe distance limits imposed by the “Sabbath day journey” concept--that short distance would still leave you in the path of the invader. You might well violate it, but if you took your religious practice seriously, you would still be haunted by a certain guilt no matter how essential it was. Hence both weather and the holy Sabbath itself represented potentially great additional hindrances to survival.
24:21 For then there will be great tribulation,
such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor
ever shall be. The tribulation they
would go through would be unprecedented since creation itself and would never
again be repeated. The reference could
be subjective in nature: it would be perceived
as such and as impossible to repeat.
Alternatively, it would quite literally be unprecedented: After all, Herod's
The Cambridge
Bible For Schools and Colleges provides this
concise summary of the scale of the horror in its remarks on this verse: “No words
can describe the unequalled horrors of this siege. It was the Passover season, and Jews from all
parts were crowded within the walls.
Three factions, at desperate feud with each other, were posted on the
heights of Sion and on the
“The Temple-courts swam with the blood of civil discord,
which was literally mingled with the blood of the sacrifices. Jewish prisoners were crucified by hundreds
in view of their friends, while within the city the wretched inhabitants were
reduced by famine to the most loathsome of food and to deeds of unspeakable
cruelty.
“
24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Unless the length of the war were reduced, the survival of anyone in the area of conflict was endangered. But at least this would be one catastrophe that would be escaped: for the sake of God’s people (= “elect’s sake”) the length of the war would be shortened.
The
specification that this would occur “for the elect’s sake” could mean that it
occurred in response to the prayers of Christians. Think the principle of James 5:16b (“the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much”) magnified by the thousands of Christians praying for it. Also the reference could mean it was for
their benefit: they themselves might
inadvertently stumble into the line of fire and even if they didn’t their
non-believing kinsmen who were in the besieged area would be in ongoing
constant danger so long as the war lasted.
Sidebar on the human element in the shortening
through decisions made by both the Romans and the rebels holding Jerusalem--The
Benson Commentary concisely sums up briefly several key ones: “Titus
himself was desirous of putting a speedy end to the siege, having Rome, and the
riches and pleasures there, before his eyes.
Some of his officers proposed to him to turn the siege into a blockade,
and since they could not take the city by storm, to starve it into a surrender;
but he thought it not becoming to sit still with so great an army; he feared
lest the length of the time should diminish the glory of his success. The besieged, too, helped to shorten the
days, by their divisions and mutual slaughters; by burning their provisions,
which would have sufficed for many years, and fatally deserting their strongest
holds, where they could never have been taken by force, but by famine
alone.
“Indeed,
Although Fake Messiahs Will Arise Before the
Destruction of the Temple, Nothing Will Stop the “Son of Man” from Coming in
Judgment on the City (Matthew 24:23-31):
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the
Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 Remember, I have told you
ahead of time. 26 So then, if someone says
to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the
inner rooms,’ do not believe him. 27 For just like the
lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son
of Man will be. 28 Wherever the corpse is,
there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the
suffering of those days, the sun will
be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from
heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son
of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory. 31 And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
--New English Translation (for comparison)
24:23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. War creates the desperate search for instant solutions . . . for redeemers . . . for a way out. But it would not be the time for the reappearance of the Christ of Nazareth. Nor for their delusional military Christ/Redeemer either. So if they heard reports that Christ was present in either sense, they were to reject them.
24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Miracles can be faked. Even if the purported Christs and purported prophets would claim the power to work impressive “signs and wonders” they should not heed their message. True, their message would be alluring: even God’s people (= “the elect”) could be tempted by it. In today's age of the internet, the capacity of outlandish delusions to gain widespread traction should surprise no one; the ancient world wasn’t without delusion mongers either.
The New Testament alludes to various wonder workers in the book of Acts: There was Simon of Samaria who “astonished the people . . . [with] his sorceries for a long time” until his conversion (Acts 8:9-13). Then there was Elymas of Cyprus who was “a sorcerer, a false prophet” and opposed the teaching of the gospel by Paul (Acts 13:6-12). Even within the Christian community there were those who would arise with “power, signs, and lying wonders” to try to mislead them (2 Thessalonians 2:9; context: verses 5-12).
24:25 See, I have told you beforehand. Jesus was warning them of these things so that they would know in advance the nature of the danger they faced; He has no intention of hiding the coming grimness from them. By being forewarned they were mentally forearmed and, at least theoretically, better prepared to resist. Why does it always seem so hard to do so in actual practice?
24:26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. Trouble rousing fake messiahs often appeared in the “desert” where the population could go and organize a military force more or less out of sight of the authorities. Or, a more peaceful interpretation: A pious ascetic has arisen in the desert and those impressed by him spread the rumor that “the Messiah has come!” All the rumors to the contrary, they would not find the true Christ there.
Plotters secretly building up support often hid themselves “in the inner rooms” of homes in towns so they could escape detection as well. (Today we would say, “they plot behind closed doors.”) Again, a more peaceful interpretation: the rumor has arisen that somewhere in the city the Messiah is living and preparing. But they wouldn’t find the true Christ hiding away in such a place either.
24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. The fact was that when the real Messiah was carrying out His earthly judgments, they would be able to tell from one horizon to the other. It would be obvious and clear. Everywhere. They would not have to search Him out. His presence and actions would be evident to anyone with eyes to see.
Sidebar: Perhaps relevant to the language found here
(or not): The Roman armies enter
24:28 For
wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. This coming of Christ would be like the
coming of vultures over a dead animal--or human. All would know it had happened. To the triumphant Romans in A.D. 70,
24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of
those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. The trauma and horror (“tribulation”) of
the period would be so dramatic that it would be like the sun itself losing its
light. And if that weren’t bad enough,
as if the moon also no longer reflected any light . . . as if he stars had
vanished from heaven. Standard
apocalyptic rhetoric from the Old Testament to describe the climatic fall of
cities and empires. Such as
For precedent,
consider such passages as Isaiah 13:9-10:
“Behold, the day
of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay
the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will
not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon
will not cause its light to shine.”
24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory. The “sign” (= evidence) of
the presence of the “Son of Man” would be visible for all to see and it would
involve His coming “with power and glory” in judgment upon a rebellious people
and religious leadership. Jesus’ enemies
had thought they had triumphed over Him.
They continued to perpetuate their supremacy in
24:31 And He will send His angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Earlier we read of how people were to flee to escape the catastrophe
(verses 17-18). Now Jesus’ people are
called back from their places of refuge.
Many are likely to have survived in small communities that were widely
scattered--not to mention far larger numbers in Pella in Perea
some 17 miles south of the sea of Galilee:
The bulk of Jerusalem Christians are said by Eusebius to have fled there
(by Divine revelation) before the war had broken out. After the war was over, a normal collective
religious (and secular) life would again be possible back in
It is, if you will, not a trumpet sound of warning that is now heard but of rejoicing for the brazen danger has passed. The sound is telling them it is now safe to return homeward.
Although “This Generation” Will Not Perish
Before the Destruction of Jerusalem Is Fulfilled, Only the Heavenly Father
Knows the Exact Timing of When All of “Heaven and Earth” Will Be Removed and
Replaced (Matthew 24:32-44): 32 “Learn this parable from
the fig tree: Whenever its branch
becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also you, when you see
all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these
things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will never pass away.
36 “But as for that day and
hour no one knows it—not even the angels in heaven—except the Father
alone.
37 “For just like the days of
Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before
the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day Noah entered the ark. 39 And they knew nothing
until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming
of the Son of Man. 40 Then there will be two men
in the field; one will be taken and one left.
41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill;
one will be taken and one left.
42 “Therefore stay alert,
because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what
time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have
let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be
ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” --New English Translation (for comparison)
24:32 “Now learn this parable from the fig
tree: When its branch has already become
tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. The fig tree contains a parable in its
growth: at a certain time of year, by
the very looking at it, you can tell that summer is approaching. Jesus had earlier encountered a fig tree that
gave the appearance of flowering but was not (Matthew
24:33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! In a similar manner to observable nature, when one can observe all the earthly phenomena He had warned of, then one could be assured that the answer to their questions (verse 3) was imminent--that the end of the temple and of that age was about to occur. The fulfillment was, so to speak, standing at the very door ready to enter in.
24:34 Assuredly, I say to you, this
generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Many theories have been propounded
concerning this chapter, but in my judgment this and the next two verses
contain the best framework to explain what was intended by the Lord. “This generation” would see the
fulfillment of “all” that Jesus had described up to now. That fits in well with our argument that the
fall of
24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. One could take the “heaven and earth
passing away” as equivalent to the existing social and religious order that
would cease with the destruction of
The
context prohibits this interpretation however.
The point is that even after the cosmos that we see around us has
served out its allotted historical span and is removed, Jesus’ words will still
survive as an eternal reminder of what He had gone through and said. Just as is also true of the words God
delivered in the Old Testament: “The
grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever”
(Isaiah 40:8).
24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. This is a piece of information the Father
has denied to all others, not even sharing it with His only Son. But He has already shared with Him in
great detail information about the destruction of
However
this kind of reference makes perfect sense if the physical world were to last
millenniums rather than years--far beyond the temporal fate of the city of
24:37 But as
the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of
Man be. The days of Noah’s finishing
of the ark will have a significant parallel to the time of Jesus’ Final
Coming. Although we commonly call this
Jesus’ “Second Coming,” “Final Coming” is probably the better description: Surely He will have come in temporal judgment
on civilization many times by then since it is hardly probable that He will permit
brazen evil to prosper but so long before coming down hard upon its
excesses. Furthermore this coming
is one depicted as coming without the threatening signs of war that we
found in regard to the fall of
One might
try to salvage the “
On the other hand the warning to the apostles to be alert and faithful (verses 42, 44) could reasonably be introduced in defense of a 70 A.D. date for would a date later than that be of much relevance to a discussion of their personal faithfulness--unless, of course, a goodly number would not die until after that event.
The
“other side of the coin”--making the warning germane to a further distant
event--is that they needed to stay faithful because no one had any idea when
this coming would occur and therefore the warning was relevant to them and
other first century Christians as well both before and after. We know it did not come during their
lifetimes; they did not know whether it would and since Jesus did not
either, how else was the Lord to word the caution? The most they could deduce from what is said
in this section is that the event would come in a period of relative or general
peace and that does not fit the years immediately preceding the
destruction of
24:38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark. Although it was obvious that Noah was building an ark, no one was moved by that implicit warning of Divine justice--nor by any teaching/preaching he surely did in response to questions about it: Note his description as “a preacher of righteousness” in 2 Peter 2:5. So ancient history will be repeating itself as people go about their normal business of “eating and drinking” and getting married. This seems a world apart from the pre-70 atmosphere of tumult and war.
24:39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Just like those in Noah’s day did not recognize that there was danger until the flood began--oh, they may have heard Noah’s words of warning but it was all folly to them--those living at the time of Jesus’ final coming will also not recognize that it is about to occur until it actually does so. There are no warning signs given while the presence of an abundant number had been a characteristic preparing the people for the earlier A.D. 70 catastrophe.
24:40 Then
two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other
left. At this time the redeemed may
be anywhere. The first category given
are those in the field doing their harvesting or planting. The redeemed will be taken from there. In the resurrection day the physically dead
will be “taken” from the ground and all faithful believers will be taken
up to heaven: “For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ
will rise first. Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we
shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4).
And we might also remember the words
of Jesus in John 14:3: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you [or: take you,
ESV, NIV] to Myself; that where I
am, there you may be also.”
Hence everyone else can rightly be pictured as being “left.”
If these verses are interpreted as referring to the
Jewish Revolt and the destruction of
24:41 Two women
will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Even in an agricultural society, there is
much more to do than is done just in the fields themselves. Some of them are gender related, as in the
women grinding the grain for meals to eat.
The term “mill” refers to “the ordinary
hand-mill with a handle fixed near the edge of the upper stone, which is turned
by two women.” (Vincent’s Word
Studies)
24:42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. For this coming they were to “watch” for they would have no idea when it would come upon them--a theme repeated in verse 44. Again a vivid contrast to the catastrophe of 70 A.D., the preceding warning “signs” of which had been narrated at great length and in great detail.
24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. If a person is expecting danger, one makes sure to be prepared. The home owner was going to be alert and armed if he knew the exact time when a thief was going to break in. Those awaiting the Lord need to be similarly alert on an ongoing basis against spiritual and moral danger as they await His coming. Unlike the homeowner, they don’t know the timing of the event. Therefore they have to always be prepared.
24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Dramatic and traumatic events will not be unfolding to provide a warning. It will come without such distressing foreshocks. The world would look calm and tranquil and be viewed as peaceful and non-threatening.
A Truth They Need to Remember: Only the Faithful Servant Who Lives As One
Should Will Be Rewarded (Matthew 24:45-51):
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the
master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food
at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom
the master finds at work when he comes. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his
possessions.
48 “But if that evil slave
should say to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his
fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 50 then the master of that
slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not
foresee, 51 and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with
the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. --New English
Translation (for comparison)
24:45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Continuing the theme of the Final Coming of the “Son of Man,” the remainder of the chapter is devoted to wise leadership in God’s “household” and the coming punishment if one abuses one’s position. Leadership in that household is given to those who give the appearance of being “faithful and wise” and the judgment described is to see how their behavior either confirmed or repudiated that evaluation and bestowal of trust.
Responsibility
is a widely sought honor; answerability is a far different matter. Being a church leader involves having both.
24:46 Blessed is that
servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. If that servant/leader lives up to the
Master’s anticipations, he will be “blessed” when the time of judgment and
evaluation finally occurs. As Paul wrote
the Corinthians about how they should “consider us as servants of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be
found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
This is true of apostles, elders, and anyone else who exercises any form
of religious authority over others.
24:47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will
make him ruler over all his goods. The
servant will, in human terms, be given a “promotion.” Instead of being over only the “household”
(verse 45), authority is now given over “all” of the
master’s various “goods” and possessions.
The application to our future role in heaven would seem to be that even
there “work” (of some constructive kind) will continue and that we will
have open to us even greater responsibilities than we had “earthside.”
24:48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming.’ “Promotion” is the favorable scenario of what will happen, but there is nothing requiring that things turn out in such a positive manner. What if the leading servant decides that it doesn’t matter what kind of behavior is exhibited? After all, the Master is far away and much time has passed. There is every reason to believe that he “is delaying his coming.” The modern adage describing such attitudes (since about 1600!) is, “When the cat is away the mice will play.”
24:49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards. Out of that mind frame of unanswerability grows abuse. In terms of a household of antiquity it meant that the leading servant could physically neglect, exploit, and ill-treat the other servants. It meant that he would spend time getting drunk with other over-indulgers instead of carrying out the necessary household duties that were his responsibility. The owner will return “one day . . . some day--maybe” is the mind frame. Answerability and potential “punishability” is pushed out of his (or her!) brain.
24:50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of. A leading servant who acts that way is still going to get his comeuppance. The Master will come and without any of the forewarning necessary to set things in order. Although the reality of the unexpected arrival of a superior is common enough in our own age, remember that in the first century rapid communication was a matter of weeks rather than minutes. The next person walking into town might well be some important individual who has been out of town for months or years. There was no way to know. But . . . if enough time goes by, often this kind of common prudence gets forgotten.
24:51 and will cut him in two and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In a temporal kingdom this betrayal of
responsibility could easily result in exactly this kind of retribution--he
would be killed and his body cast into the burial ground of the despised. In its spiritual equivalent, literal death
does not occur, as we can see from the description given next: though the pain and punishment of being cut
“in two” is presented as his due, we also read that he survives what
that represents since there is then personal “weeping and gnashing of
teeth.” Sorrow and
frustration at pain? Sorrow and
frustration at missed opportunities?
Either way (or both) the result is despair over things that can never be
righted. The time for that is
long gone!