John Gill

And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the…

“And he shall send his angels,.... Not the angels, i.e. ministering spirits, so called, not from their nature, but their office, as being sent forth by God and Christ; but men angels, or messengers, the ministers and preachers of the Gospel, whom Christ would call…”

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

“For as in the days that were before the flood,.... Not all the days before the flood, from the creation of the world; but those immediately preceding it, a century or two before it: they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage: not…”

Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

“Two women shall be grinding at the mill,.... Though the word women is not in the Greek text, yet it is rightly supplied by our translators, as it is in the Persic version; for the word rendered grinding, is in the feminine gender, and was…”

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant,.... The Vulgate Latin adds, "do you think?" and is a question put to the disciples, which they might apply to themselves: in Luk 12:42, it is spoken in answer to a question of Peter's, in relation to…”

Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

“Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh,.... Whether in a way of judgment, as against Jerusalem; or at death, when he comes to remove him out of time, into eternity; or at the day of judgment, when he, the righteous judge, will…”

Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“And shall cut him asunder,.... The Persic version renders it, "he shall separate him from himself": he shall separate soul and body by death; he shall take away all his gifts and talents from him; and remove him from his place and office, and from…”

Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

“And five of them were wise,.... The order of these words is inverted in some versions, as in the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel, which read, "and five of them were foolish, and five of them were wise"; but this…”

The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“And the foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil,.... A graceless person may be able to see the grace of God in others, be convinced of it, and acknowledge it, as these foolish virgins did: they saw that the wise virgins had…”

To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

“And unto one he gave five talents,.... A "talent" with the Jews, if of silver, was, according to Brerewood (w), of the value of 375 l. of our money; according to Bishop Cumberland, 353 l. 11 s.”

Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.

“And likewise he that received two,.... Talents, or a lesser measure of ministerial gifts: he also gained other two; he worked and laboured, and traded, in proportion to the gifts he had received; and his improvements and success, under a divine blessing, were answerable.”

So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

“And I was afraid,.... The Persic version adds, "to negotiate with thy money": he was afraid, lest by trading he should not gain what his Lord expected; and most of all, lest he should lose the talent itself; and dreaded his Lord's austerity, should that…”

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

“And before him shall be gathered all nations..... That is, all that have professed the Christian religion in all the nations of the world, whether Jews or Gentiles, high or low, rich or poor, wise and foolish, such as have had greater or lesser talents…”

When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? For though he bore the sicknesses of his people, yet we never read of his being sick himself, nor was he ever cast into prison; but this has been the case of…”

Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

“Then shall he also say unto them on his left hand,.... The goats, the foolish virgins, and slothful and wicked servants, depart from me: a like expression is used by him to preachers of the word, and professors of religion, that are mere nominal ones.”

“You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

“Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover,.... Which was kept in commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt; and was typical of Christ the passover, who was now to be sacrificed for his people.”

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,

“Now when Jesus was in Bethany,.... Which was about fifteen furlongs from Jerusalem, Joh 11:18, or about two miles from it.”

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste?

“But when his disciples saw it,.... What the woman did, what a costly box of ointment it was, and with what profusion she used it, they had indignation: Mark says, "within themselves", Mar 14:4; either among themselves, or their indignation was secret in their breasts…”

He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near.

“And he said, go into the city to such a man,.... That is, to such a man in the city of Jerusalem, for, as yet, they were in Bethany, or at the Mount of Olives however, without the city; he does not mention the man's…”

And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”

“And as they did eat,.... The passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and bitter herbs: he said it was usual, whilst they were thus engaged, to discourse much about the reason and design of this institution.”

They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”

“And they were exceeding sorrowful,.... Partly that Christ should be betrayed at all, into the hands of his enemies, by whom they knew he would be ill used; and partly, that so vile an action should be done, by one from among themselves; and greatly…”

The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed.

“The son of man goeth,.... Meaning himself, not to the Mount of Olives, or Gethsemane, or the garden, whither he went a little after this, but out of the world, to his Father: the phrase is expressive of his death, as in Jos 23:14, and…”

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.

“And he took the cup and gave thanks,.... For the Jews blessed, or gave thanks for their wine, as well as for their food, and generally did it in this form (w): "Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, the king of the world, who…”

This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

“For this is my blood of the New Testament,.... That is, the red wine in the cup, was an emblem and representation of his precious blood, whereby was exhibited a new dispensation, or administration of the covenant of grace; and by which it was ratified…”

I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

“But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth,.... From whence it seems natural to conclude, that Christ had drank of the cup in the supper, as well as at the passover; and it is reasonable to believe, that he also ate of the…”

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

“And when they had sung an hymn,.... The "Hallell", which the Jews were obliged to sing on the night of the passover; for the passover, they say (l), was טעון הלל, "bound to an hymn".”