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Explanation for:
Matthew
20
:
18
Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death.
12
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"He frequently communicated this to His disciples, yet due to the various topics discussed in the meantime, they might have forgotten His words. Consequently, as He approached Jerusalem and was set to guide the apostles along with Him, He sought to ready them for the trials ahead, so they would not falter when faced with the disgraceful suffering and crucifixion that awaited Him."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Desiring to avoid the suffering that lay ahead, it was easy for the disciples to overlook it. Thus, Christ consistently reminded them, intending to train their minds to acknowledge it and to ease their grief. His private discussions with them were purposeful. There was no need to spread the message widely or to discuss it openly among the crowds, as it would only lead to distress. If the disciples reacted with outrage to the notion of His sufferings, the general populace would certainly react with even greater anger. Yet you may ask, was this not shared with the people? While the truth was revealed to them, it was done so in a less explicit manner. He told the crowd, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). He also stated, “This generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39). Additionally, He said, “Yet a little while I am with you, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me” (John 7:33-34). However, His communication with His disciples was more profound; He disclosed these truths, along with others, with greater clarity. You may wonder why the Lord spoke if they did not grasp the significance of His words. It was so they would later understand that Jesus Christ anticipated His suffering and willingly faced it, rather than being unaware or forced against His will. He forewarned His disciples not only for their understanding but also to fortify them through expectation, helping them endure His anguish and preventing their unexpected shock at the ensuing events. Thus, He first informed them of His impending death; as they began to contemplate this and prepare for it, He then shared further details, such as His betrayal by the Gentiles and the ensuing ridicule and beatings, so that witnessing the fulfillment of these sorrowful prophecies would encourage their anticipation of the resurrection. If Christ did not shy away from revealing distressing events that seemed to tarnish His glory, it was reasonable for them to trust His positive proclamations. Consider how thoughtfully He selected the timing of these discussions. He did not first reveal His sufferings to them for fear it would confuse them, nor did He address it at the very moment it occurred, which might have been disorienting for Him. Rather, after they had observed His omnipotence and received His significant promises of eternal life, He often discussed suffering amidst miracles and teachings. One Gospel writer mentions that He referred to the prophets as witnesses, while another notes that the disciples did not comprehend His words: “But this word was hidden from them” (Luke 18:34), and they followed Him in fear. Some may argue that these predictions were ineffective since the disciples did not grasp what was said; without understanding, they could not have been expectant, and thus lacked hope. I will propose an even more intricate question: if they did not comprehend, why then did they grieve? One Gospel also states that they mourned. Hence, if they were bewildered, how could they mourn? As Peter exclaimed, “Far be it from You, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22). How shall we respond to this? Though they lacked a clear understanding of the mystery of the temple's construction and the nature of His resurrection, they did know He was to die, which prompted their mourning. They had witnessed others being resurrected, yet they had never seen anyone resurrect themselves to the point of living eternally, a miracle beyond their comprehension, even though He had spoken of it frequently. They were equally unclear about the nature of death itself—what it entailed and how it would occur—causing them to feel trepidation as they followed Him. Furthermore, it appears the Lord’s own discussions about suffering instilled fear in them. Nevertheless, this knowledge did not embolden them, despite their frequent hearing of His resurrection. In addition to the fear of His death, they were particularly anxious about the prospect of Him being mocked, beaten, and subjected to torment. When considering His miraculous acts, such as healing the possessed and raising the dead, they found it hard to reconcile such predictions with the magnitude of His earlier works. Thus, they experienced confusion and a mixture of belief and disbelief regarding His words, struggling to fully understand them."},{"author-name":"Anonymous Commentary (Opus Imperfectum)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Observe, we are journeying to Jerusalem. This expression underscores the need to keep in one’s heart what is already known in advance as a testimony. It is as though He is declaring, \\"Look, for the third time I reveal to you the mystery of My Suffering.\\" This reiteration has taken root more profoundly within their hearts.\\n\\nThe entirety of God’s glory and the redemption of humanity hinge upon the death of Christ. There is no other act so integral to the salvation of people as the death of Christ; and there is nothing for which we should offer greater thanks to God than for the death of Christ."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Why is this not clearly stated to many? It is mentioned, yet not in an unmistakable manner: He asserts that the Son of Man will be in the depths of the earth for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40), and in various other instances, He refers to it in a more cryptic way, as we will explore later. If they failed to comprehend, what was the purpose of speaking to them at all? So that they would understand that He was aware from the beginning of His impending suffering, and that He willingly embraced the path of passion. Initially, He did not disclose this clearly to His disciples; it was initially concealed, and then it gradually became evident."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The sons of Zebedee believed that if the Lord journeyed to Jerusalem, He would ascend to reign as king upon the earth. They had frequently heard Him declare, \\"Let us go up to Jerusalem.\\" Consequently, they entertained human reasoning and sent their mother to Him, hesitant to approach Him themselves due to their shame. However, as noted in the Gospel of Mark, they did approach Him discreetly, with James and John coming forth in a quiet manner."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The duration of Jesus' unintentional stay in Ephraim remains uncertain (John 11:54), yet the Passover celebration was nearing—a time designated for the sacrifice of the Lamb who removes the sins of humanity alongside the ordained lambs. Many devotees journeyed to Jerusalem, and Jesus, accompanied by His disciples, joined them. He was deeply contemplative about the monumental trial that lay ahead, and His disciples, following behind, refrained from disrupting His thoughts. Eventually, He halted, summoned them, and for the third time, He revealed to them with greater clarity, emphasis, and troubling details than ever before that He would be betrayed to the chief priests and religious scholars, sentenced to death, and handed over to the Gentiles. He conveyed for the first time the most harrowing truth: He would be sacrificed, but on the third day, He would rise. However, the disciples were still consumed by their earthly expectations of the Messiah, so focused on the anticipated arrival of God's kingdom in its full glory that they failed to grasp His message. They neither understood nor wanted to comprehend His prophecy, as was evidenced by their reaction to the sorrowful event that distressed Christ."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The chief priests and scribes, along with the elders, formed the Sanhedrin, which served as the highest Jewish court for addressing significant matters related to religious and civil governance. They would condemn Him to death; while the Jews lacked the authority to execute anyone, that power was held solely by the Romans. Nevertheless, they could declare a death sentence and request its implementation from the Roman governor, as occurred in the case of Jesus Christ."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Jewish culture and its governing authorities possessed a profound commitment to truth and justice. The evolution of this commitment throughout Jewish history is encapsulated in the fundamental principle: \\"Thou shalt not do wrong in judgement.\\" An older segment of the \\"fathers' traditions\\" declares, \\"If a judge delivers a verdict contrary to the truth, he diminishes God's glory in Israel. However, if he judges in accordance with the truth, even for just one hour, it is as if he uplifts the entire world, for God's presence among Israel is manifested in justice.\\" The extensive Jewish literature known as the Talmud functions as a comprehensive legal repository, comparable to various legal codes, notably the Roman legal system and its commentaries. While the Talmud covers a multitude of topics, its foundational aspect is legal in nature. Significantly for our understanding, this legal framework constitutes the earliest layer of the Talmud's structure.\\n\\nThe Talmud consists of forty volumes in folio form—a vast compendium of reasoning, examples, and commentaries. The central section, contained within twelve volumes, is referred to as the Mishnah, the content of which is predominantly legal. The Mishnah represents a body of knowledge passed down from earlier generations as a secondary or oral tradition—a detailed, tradition-based commentary on the Mosaic law. While it claims total subordination to the written law, it has effectively taken precedence as a legal code. Despite other components of the Talmud emerging a century after the advent of Christianity, the Mishnah, or its core, is generally believed to have been compiled by Rabbi Judah around 200 A.D. This oral law's relevance and authority began to gain prominence following the return from Babylon, serving as a concise summary of legislative activity that spanned approximately eight centuries.\\n\\nConsequently, later Jewish authors referred to it as a code embodying penal laws that were likely in effect during the high priests Annas and Caiaphas's tenure. Although proof cannot be definitively established for all sections recorded over two centuries, there is evidence that the Mishnah developed swiftly in this private context. Its initial stage coincides with the era of the \\"men of the great synagogue,\\" which lasted from the return from exile until around 220 B.C. Their contributions are encapsulated in the guiding maxim: \\"Exercise care and reflect patiently in judgement, prepare as many disciples as you can, and create a protective barrier around the law.\\" Following this era, the \\"age of the Sanhedrin\\" spanned the next four hundred years, during which the principle of caution in judicial matters was refined to great detail.\\n\\nThe Mishnah distinctly illustrates the ancient recognition of the dichotomy between civil and criminal proceedings—between the court of property and the court of life. In fact, even regarding civil matters, the regulations exhibit a modern legal sensibility characterized by pedantic caution. Concerning criminal offenses, especially those warranting capital punishment, it was evident long before the time of Jesus that Jewish law placed immense value on the sanctity of life, resulting in heightened protective measures. The foundational principles of Jewish criminal law—accuracy in accusations, transparency in trials, absolute freedom for the accused, and safeguards against witness errors—are articulated in the Mishnah as detailed and specific rules. These rules almost uniformly favored the accused, possessing considerable authority in cases carrying a death sentence. Such precautions were so pronounced that contemporary Jews often find the death penalty discordant with the essence of Jewish legal tradition. The \\"Oral Law\\" records the saying of Eleazar, son of Azariah, stating, \\"The Sanhedrin that sentences a man to death once every seven years is a slaughterhouse.\\"\\n\\nEven more striking, when reflecting on the Jewish apprehension toward divine accountability, is Rabbi Meir's shocking statement: \\"What does God think (if one can speak of God in human terms) when an evildoer endures the suffering he deserves? He laments, 'My head and my members suffer.' If He feels this way about the guilty, how must He respond when the innocent are judged?\\" Therefore, to safeguard innocent lives and uphold the sacred right to life, Jewish law was suffused with preventive provisions that acted like strongholds around the accused, making false accusations exceedingly unlikely.\\n\\nThe question of whether the Jewish legal proceedings against Jesus Christ adhered to proper Jewish legal standards remains a topic of exploration, touched upon by numerous scholars. One notable analysis belongs to Salvador, a Spanish Jewish historian, who, in his renowned work, \\"The History of the Institutions of Moses,\\" dedicated two illuminating chapters to the penal laws of later Judaism and their judicial practices. He contended, drawing upon the Gospels and the Mishnah, that despite the unhappy verdict, should Jesus indeed be the Messiah, the trial's process and outcome were ultimately unavoidable, given that the tribunal adhered to its own legal framework. Salvador's conclusions were met with a robust response from the prominent French lawyer Dupin Senior and the American scholar Greenleaf, both of whom argued that the injustice of Jesus's trial resided not only in its procedural aspects but significantly in its substance. We will revisit this matter by examining the original sources."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"WE WILL THEN ARRIVE IN JERUSALEM, where all that has been foretold by the prophets regarding me will come to pass. THE SON OF MAN WILL BE DELIVERED TO HIS PERSECUTORS AND TO THE SCRIBES, who, along with the Jewish elders, will sentence him to death. However, because they lack the authority to carry out that sentence, they will seek its execution from the Roman governor."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The exact duration of Jesus' time in the wilderness is unclear; however, as the Passover festival drew near, He recognized the need to leave His solitude and journey to Jerusalem. Accompanied by His disciples, those with Him perceived that He was heading towards certain death, which filled them with trepidation, causing them to walk ahead of Him this time. During this pilgrimage, while sorrowful silence enveloped the grieving crowd, Jesus summoned the twelve apostles and spoke to them: “Your foreknowledge does not deceive you; yes, we are going to Jerusalem, and there all that the prophets have foretold concerning the Son of Man will be fulfilled: they will deliver Him up to the Gentiles, and they will mock Him, and insult Him, and spit on Him, and scourge Him, and beat Him, and kill Him: and the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:32-33). Although this was not the first instance of Jesus sharing such revelations, the apostles struggled to grasp His message then, as they did now. They had recognized through Peter that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God; however, the notion of the Messiah suffering death was unfathomable to them. If He could die, then how could He be resurrected? The questions—Who is He if He is killed? - lingered unanswered in their hearts, as these truths remained concealed from them, and they could not comprehend what had been spoken (Luke 18:34)."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples made their way toward Jerusalem, a journey for the Saviour that led to the cross and the redemptive sacrifice on Golgotha. The God-Man was fully aware of the trials that awaited Him in Jerusalem, including all the grim details of His coming suffering. Anticipating these events, He chose to proceed alone, illustrating, as Blessed Theophylact interpreted, that He rushed toward His afflictions and not away from death for the sake of our salvation. His disciples trailed behind, hesitant to disturb His solitary reflections. Their hearts were filled with an array of conflicting emotions: while some, captivated by the popular vision of an earthly kingdom ruled by the Messiah, envisioned a triumphant inauguration as promised by Christ (Matt. 19:27-30), others, the majority, were filled with dread. They were acutely aware that the malevolent Pharisees had sought to harm their Master on multiple occasions (John 5:16, 18; 10:31, 39). Recently, the Apostle Thomas perceived their journey to Judea as a path leading to inevitable death (11:16). Faced with threats from both their enemies and their own vulnerable state, they anxiously contemplated the peril that loomed not just for the Divine Teacher but for themselves as well. The two prior proclamations from the Saviour regarding His impending sufferings, death, and resurrection (Matt. 16:21; 17:22, 23) could have offered comfort, affirming God's unwavering purpose, yet these words were either disregarded or misunderstood. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom and understanding of their internal struggles, called the twelve apostles to Him once more and for the third time conveyed the forthcoming events with clarity. As Blessed Theophylact explained, this was meant to fortify their spirits, enabling them to endure with courage when they came to pass and not to be overwhelmed by their suddenness, while simultaneously acknowledging that He would suffer according to His divine purpose. According to St. Matthew’s account, a new detail was revealed in this announcement that had not been included in previous prophecies: death by crucifixion. \\"Behold,\\" the Lord declared, \\"we are going to Jerusalem, and all that has been written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled: He will be betrayed by the highest priests and scribes, condemned to death, mocked, beaten, spat upon, and ultimately crucified; yet on the third day, He will rise again.\\" However, despite having heard these words before, the disciples still found them incomprehensible, as noted by the holy Evangelist Luke: \\"These understood nothing of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend those who spoke.\\" This lack of understanding among the Lord's closest followers can be attributed to the fact that only after the Holy Spirit descended upon them did they attain complete spiritual clarity. Before this divine enlightenment, as St. John Chrysostom remarked, they oscillated between belief and disbelief regarding His teachings, failing to grasp their full meaning. Limited by their earthly concerns, they often allowed secular notions to cloud their understanding of divine matters (Matthew 16:23). Eventually, witnessing the precise fulfillment of the Saviour's prophecy concerning His suffering and death would reinforce their faith in His glorious resurrection, which emerged as undeniable evidence of His divinity (1 Cor. 15:14)."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Evangelists initiate their account with the phrases, \\"and going up to Jerusalem\\" (Matthew) and \\"when they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem\\" (Mark). Such descriptions suggest that Jesus Christ, along with His disciples, had crossed the Jordan River and was making His way to Jerusalem, traveling through Jericho. As it became evident to the Lord's disciples that their Master planned to attend the Passover festival in Jerusalem, they were filled with dread and apprehension. Mark recounts, \\"Jesus went on ahead of them, and they were terrified, and as they followed Him they were afraid.\\" They experienced similar trepidation when Jesus called them to Judea for the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:7-8, 16). However, unlike that previous occasion, the Lord did not offer them reassurance this time (John 11:9-10). Instead, He drew the twelve disciples aside and provided them with a vivid and unmistakable prophecy regarding what awaited Him in Jerusalem. This stark announcement of the suffering and death that lay ahead deepened their understanding of His mission. By moving ahead of them with such foreknowledge, Jesus inspired courage in His followers, demonstrating that when His time came, He would willingly face death.\\n\\nIt is noted that the disciples \\"understood nothing\\" concerning the Lord's predictions of His suffering and resurrection, as \\"these words were hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what was said.\\""}]}
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