The Jewish Annotated New Testament (201 page)

40
:
10.42.

41
:
Eternal fire
, see 7.19n.

46
:
See Dan 12.2; Jn 5.29;
2 Bar
. 51.6.
Righteous
, salvation is based on works of compassion (1.19n.; 3.14n.; 5.6; 6.1; 10.11; 21.32; 22.14; cf. Jn 5.29).

26.1
–28.20: Passion and resurrection.
The name “Passion” for the narrative of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion comes from the Lat “passio,” “suffered.” (Mk 14.1–15.47; Lk 22.1–23.56; Jn 13.1–19.42).

26.1
–2: Fourth Passion prediction
. See 16.21–23; 17.22–23; 20.17–19.

2
:
Passover
, pilgrimage festival celebrating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and bringing tens of thousands of pilgrims to Jerusalem.

26.3
–5: Jewish leaders conspire
(Mk 14.1–2; Lk 22.1–2; Jn 11.47–53).

3
:
High priest
, nominal head of the people absent a king (Josephus,
J.W
. 2.232–44; 6.300–309;
Ant
. 20.199–203).
Caiaphas
, high priest from 18–36 CE (
Ant
. 18.35).

4
:
They conspired
, priests and elders are Jesus’ primary opponents in the Passion narrative.

5
:
Riot
, see 27.24.

26.6
–13: Anointing woman.

6
:
Bethany
, see 21.17n.
Simon
, nothing is known of him beyond this story.

7
:
Poured it on his head
, kings were anointed with oil (e.g., 1 Sam 10.1; 16.13; 2 Kings 9.6).

8
–9:
Money given to the poor
, rabbinic tradition mandates selling luxury items to provide for the poor (
b. Ta’an
. 20b). Passover was a time for giving charity (
m. Pesah
. 9.10; 11.1).

11
:
You always have the poor
, cf. Deut 15.4.

12
:
Prepared me for burial
, in the late Second Temple period, Jews anointed corpses in preparation for burial (Jn 19.39–40;
T. Abr
. 20.11;
Ant
. 17.199;
m. Sanh
. 23.5).

26.14
–16: Judas agrees to betray Jesus
(Mk 14.10–11; Lk 22.3–6).

14
:
Judas Iscariot
, see 10.4n. To this point, Judas has been a faithful disciple.

15
:
What will you give me
, Matthew offers greed as a motive. Lk (22.3–6) and Jn (13.2,27) link Judas to Satan.
Thirty pieces of silver
, Ex 21.32; Zech 11.12–13. The silver coin most likely in circulation at this time that could correspond to a shekel was the Athenian tetradrachm (four drachmas), the rough equivalent of four denarii. A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer, so the fee mentioned here is 120 days’ wages.

26.17
–29: The Last Supper
(Mk 14.12–31; Lk 22.7–34; Jn 13.21–30).

17
:
Unleavened Bread
, Heb “matzah,” see 26.19n.
Eat the Passover
, the ritually sacrificed lamb (Ex 12.3,6;
m. Pesah
. 7.9; 10.3,9;
Ant
. 3.249; CD 11.18–21).

19
:
Passover meal
, Heb “seder,” lit., “order,” where Jews recount the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and, with their families, eat special foods (matzah, paschal lamb, bitter herbs) (Ex 12.18–27; Lev 23.4–8; Num 9.1–14; 28.17; Deut 16.1–8; cf.
m. Pesah
.). The seder ritual as we know it, however, is largely a rabbinic, postbiblical rite.

24
:
Son of Man
, see 8.20n.

25
:
Rabbi
, see 23.7n.

26
–28:
This is my body … this is my blood
, the origin of the Christian Eucharist, “communion,” or “Lord’s Supper,” a reenactment or remembrance of the Last Supper (see also Ex 24.6–8; Isa 53.11–12; 1 Cor 11.23–25; Heb 9.20).
My blood of the covenant
, taken by some Christians to refer to Jesus’ “new” covenant (Jer 31.31; cf. Ex 24.8; Zech 9.11; see translators’ note
a
).
For the forgiveness of sins
, Jesus’ blood, like that of sin offerings, has the power to forgive sins (12.6; see also 1.21; 9.2,3,8n.; 12.6; 20.28; 21.12–13).

26.30
–35: Predicting Peter’s denial.

30
:
Sung the hymn
, see 21.9n.
Mount of Olives
, see 21.1n.; 24.3n.

31
:
Zech 13.7; Jn 16.32.
Become deserters
, Gk “skandalisthēsesthe,” lit., “be made to stumble” (from “skandalon,” stumbling-block; see 18.6n.).

32
:
Galilee
, 4.12n.; 21.11; 28.7,10; Luke and John set resurrection appearances in Judea.

26.36
–56: Gethsemane
(Mk 14.32–52; Lk 22.39–54; Jn 18.1–12).

36
:
Gethsemane
, Heb “oil press” (“gat shemen”), near the Mount of Olives.

37
:
Sons of Zebedee
, see 20.20n.

38
:
Deeply grieved
, an inner struggle, similar to those found in the Psalms (cf. Ps 31; 42.5–6).
Stay awake
, 24.42.

39
:
Let this cup pass
, see 20.22n.; 26.27–28; cf. Ezek 23.31–34.

41
:
Time of trial
, see 6.13n. Cf. Rom 6.19.

42
:
My Father … your will be done,
see 6.9–13.

48
:
Kiss
, greeting used by Jesus’ followers (Rom 16.16; 1 Cor 16.20; 2 Cor 13.12; 1 Thess 5.26; 1 Pet 5.14), but also a sign of betrayal (2 Sam 20.9).

49
:
Rabbi
, 23.7n.; 26.5.

50
:
Friend
, see 20.13n.

52
:
Perish by the sword
, see Gen 9.6; Jer 15.2; Rev 13.10.

53
:
Legions
, Roman military cohorts.

54
:
Scriptures
, Matthew cites none; no pre-Christian sources predict the arrest, suffering, and crucifixion of the messiah.

55
:
Jn 18.19–21.

56
:
Scriptures of the prophets
, see 26.54n.

26.57
–68: Sanhedrin trial (
Mk 14.53–72; Lk 22.54–71; Jn 18.13–14).

57
:
Caiaphas
, see 26.3n. The historicity of this Sanhedrin trial, which is not attested in John’s Gospel, is highly questionable. It would have been illegal since hearings were forbidden on festivals (
m. Sanh
. 4.1;
t. Yom Tov
4.4).

59
:
Whole council
, the Sanhedrin (unlikely to be convened the first night of Passover).

60
:
False witnesses
, at least two witnesses were needed to pronounce a death sentence (18.16n.; cf. Deut 17.6–7; 19.15;
t. Sanh
. 8.3; Rev 11).

61
:
24.2; 27.40; Jn 2.19;
Gos. Thom
. 71.

63
:
Silent
, perhaps alluding to Isa 53.7.
Son of God
, see 14.33n.

64
:
You have said so
, Matthew demurs from Mark’s “I am” (Mk 14.62).
Son of Man … heaven,
Dan 7.13–14.

65
:
Tore his clothes
, indicating mourning.
He has blasphemed
, technically, Jesus does not blaspheme.
M. Sanh
. 7.4–5 defines blasphemy as uttering the divine name (see also Lev 24.10–16). The verdict, as presented here, is as trumped up as the trial (see 9.3n.; 11.31).

66
:
He deserves death
, Jewish leaders may not have had the authority of capital punishment (Jn 18.31; Josephus,
J.W
. 6.126;
y. Sanh
. 18a, 24b).

26.69
–74: Peter’s denial.
He swore an oath
, Peter violates Jesus’ teachings (5.33–37).

27.1
–10: Judas’s suicide.