John Gill

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.

“What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do?.... The Arabic and Ethiopic versions add, to them; that is, to the husbandmen, as is expressed in Mat 21:40; see Gill on Mat 21:40, he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard…”

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

“This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. That is, the exaltation of the Messiah, after he had been so ill treated, and at last put to death by the Jews.”

Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words.

“And they send unto him,.... That is, the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, who had been with Jesus in the temple, and were silenced by his reasonings, and provoked by his parables; and therefore left him, and went together to consult what methods they should…”

But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect.”

“Shall we give, or not give?.... They not only ask whether it was lawful, but whether also it was advisable to do it, that they might not only accuse him of his principles, but charge him with persuading, or dissuading in this case.”

So they brought it, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.

“And they brought it,.... The penny, which was a Roman one, and worth seven pence halfpenny of our money: and he saith unto them, whose is this image, and superscription; for it had the head of an emperor upon it, very likely the image of…”

Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

“And Jesus answering said unto them,.... Very wisely and pertinently, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's: or "to the king, which are the king's", as the Arabic and Ethiopic versions render it: and to God the things that are God's; See Gill on…”

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him:

“Then came unto him the Sadducees,.... The same day, immediately after he had silenced the Pharisees and Herodians: these were a set of men distinct from the former, in some of their sentiments, especially in their religions ones, and particularly in the following: which say…”

“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring…

“Master, Moses wrote unto us,.... Has left in writing for us the following precept to observe; for they acknowledged the writings of Moses, and indeed all the Scriptures of the Old Testament; adhering to the literal sense of them, and rejecting the traditional interpretation of…”

Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children.

“Now there were seven brethren,.... In a certain family, at a certain place; perhaps at Jerusalem, who were brethren by the father's side; for such only were reckoned so, and such only did this law oblige: and the first took a wife, and dying left…”

In this way, none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died.

“And the seventh had her, and left no seed,.... All, the seven brethren married her, one after another, and neither of them had any children by her: and last of all the woman died also; after all the seven brethren, to whom she had been…”

In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”

“In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise,.... This last clause, "when they shall rise", is omitted in two copies of Beza's, and in the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions, because, perhaps, it might be thought superfluous; but this is agreeably to the way…”

Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

“And Jesus answering said unto them,.... Which they thought he was not able to do, but would have been silenced at once by them, as many of their antagonists had been: do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power…”

But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God…

“And as touching the dead, that they rise,.... For the proof of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read in the book of Moses; that is, in the law of Moses; for though it was divided into five parts, it…”

Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

“And one of the Scribes came,.... Matthew calls him a lawyer, Mat 22:35, an interpreter of the law, as a Scribe was: and having heard them reasoning together; being present at the dispute between Christ and the Sadducees, which he diligently attended to: and perceiving…”

Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

“Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is,.... Christ replied at once, without taking any time to consider of it, that the chief and principal of all the commands of the law, and what is of the greatest importance is, hear, O Israel…”

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

“And the second is like,.... "Unto it", as in Mat 22:39 and so it is read here in two ancient copies of Beza's, and in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?

“And Jesus answered and said,.... To the Pharisees that were gathered together about him; See Gill on Mat 22:41.”

and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.

“And the chief seats in the synagogues,.... Where the rulers of the synagogue, and the elders of the people sat; See Gill on Mat 23:6.”

As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury,.... the Arabic version reads, "at the door of the treasury"; the place where the chests stood, into which money was put for various uses: there were thirteen chests in the temple (d); six of them were, לנדבה, for…”

Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.

“For many shall come in my name,.... Taking upon them the name of the Messiah: saying, I am Christ; the word "Christ", is rightly supplied from Mat 24:5; otherwise in the original it is only, "I am"; which the Persic version doubles, reading it, "I…”

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“For nation shall rise against nation,.... The nations of the world one against another, and the Romans against the Jews, and the Jews against them: and kingdom against kingdom; which is a synonymous phrase with the former, and what the Jews call, מלות שונות, "different…”

So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

“But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation,.... The Roman army encompassing Jerusalem, which was an abomination to the Jews, and an "impure sign" of their destruction, as the Syriac and Persic versions render it; and a desolating one to their nation, city, and…”

How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!

“But woe to them that are with child,.... Who because of their burdens, would be very unfit for, and very incapable of fleeing with any haste; and therefore very liable to fall into the hands of the enemy, and become their prey: and to them…”

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree,.... Our Lord was now upon the Mount of Olives, in one part of which fig trees grew in great plenty, and one, or more, might be near, and in view; and it was the time of year…”

Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

“Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass,.... Not the generation of men, in general, or Jews in particular, nor of Christians; but that present generation of men, they should not all go off the stage of life, till all these things…”