Matthew 22:36

22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” ¹ 

Matthew 24:42

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ²  your Lord will come.

Matthew 21:27

21:27 So ³  they answered Jesus, ⁴  “We don’t know.” ⁵  Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you ⁶  by what authority ⁷  I am doing these things.

Matthew 21:23-24

The Authority of Jesus

21:23 Now after Jesus ⁸  entered the temple courts, ⁹  the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority ¹⁰  are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 21:24 Jesus ¹¹  answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

Matthew 24:43

24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief ¹²  was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into.

[22:36]  ¹ tn Or possibly “What sort of commandment in the law is great?”

[24:42]  ² tc Most later mss (L 0281 Ï lat) have here ὥρᾳ ({wra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (Jemera, “day”). Although the merits of this reading could be argued either way, in light of the overwhelming and diverse early support for ἡμέρᾳ ({א B C D W Δ Θ Ë¹³ 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers}), the more general term is surely correct.

[21:27]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.

[21:27]  ⁴ tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[21:27]  ⁵ sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

[21:27]  ⁶ sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.

[21:27]  ⁷ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.

[21:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “he.”

[21:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “the temple.”

[21:23]  ⁶ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.1

[21:24]  ⁵ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:43]  ⁶ sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.