Matthew 3:6

3:6 and he was baptizing them ¹  in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Matthew 5:3

5:3 “Blessed ²  are the poor in spirit, ³  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ⁴  to them.

Matthew 6:6

6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, ⁵  close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. ⁶ 

Matthew 9:34

9:34 But the Pharisees ⁷  said, “By the ruler ⁸  of demons he casts out demons.” ⁹ 

Matthew 14:1

The Death of John the Baptist

14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch ¹⁰  heard reports about Jesus,

Matthew 14:33

14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 15:1

Breaking Human Traditions

15:1 Then Pharisees ¹¹  and experts in the law ¹²  came from Jerusalem ¹³  to Jesus and said, ¹⁴ 

Matthew 21:14

21:14 The blind and lame came to him in the temple courts, and he healed them.

Matthew 24:18

24:18 and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

Matthew 24:40-41

24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. ¹⁵  24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; ¹⁶  one will be taken and one left.

Matthew 26:5

26:5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.” ¹⁷ 

Matthew 26:49

26:49 Immediately ¹⁸  he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi,” and kissed him. ¹⁹ 

Matthew 27:2

27:2 They ²⁰  tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate ²¹  the governor. ²² 

Matthew 27:12

27:12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he did not respond.

[3:6]  ¹ tn Grk “they were being baptized by him.” The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.

[5:3]  ² sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[5:3]  ³ sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[5:3]  ⁴ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.

[6:6]  ³ sn The term translated room refers to the inner room of a house, normally without any windows opening outside, the most private location possible (BDAG 988 s.v. ταμεῖον 2).

[6:6]  ⁴ tc See the tc note on “will reward you” in 6:4: The problem is the same and the ms support differs only slightly.

[9:34]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:34]  ⁵ tn Or “prince.”

[9:34]  ⁶ tc Although codex Cantabrigiensis (D), along with a few other Western versional and patristic witnesses, lacks this verse, virtually all other witnesses have it. The Western text’s reputation for free alterations as well as the heightened climax if v. 33 concludes this pericope explains why these witnesses omitted the verse.

[14:1]  ⁵ sn A tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.

[15:1]  ⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[15:1]  ⁷ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[15:1]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:1]  ⁹ tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb so that its telic (i.e., final or conclusive) force can be more easily detected: The Pharisees and legal experts came to Jesus in order to speak with him.

[24:40]  ⁷ sn There is debate among commentators and scholars over the phrase one will be taken and one left about whether one is taken for judgment or for salvation. If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved (as Noah was) andthose left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to theidentification of the two groups. Its primary purposein context is topicture the sudden, surprisingseparation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.

[24:41]  ⁸ tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.

[26:5]  ⁹ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him.

[26:49]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:49]  ¹¹ sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.

[27:2]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:2]  ¹² tc Most mss (A C W Θ 0250 Ë^1,13 Ï latt) have Ποντίῳ (Pontiw, “Pontius”) before Πιλάτῳ (Pilatw, “Pilate”), but there seems to be no reason for omitting the tribal name, either intentionally or unintentionally. Adding “Pontius,” however, is a natural expansion on the text, and is in keeping with several other NT and patristic references to the Roman governor (cf. Luke 3:1; Acts 4:27; 1 Tim 6:13; Ign. Magn. 11.1; Ign. Trall. 9.1; Ign. Smyrn. 1.2; Justin Martyr, passim). The shorter reading, supported by א B L 0281 33 pc co, is thus strongly preferred.

[27:2]  ¹³ sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it from being used to execute Roman sympathizers.