John Wesley

A dispute also arose among the disciples as to which of them would be considered the greatest.

“There was also a contention among them - It is highly probable, this was the same dispute which is mentioned by St. Matthew and St. Mark: and consequently, though it is related here, it happened some time before.”

And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father has bestowed one on Me,

“And I - Will preserve you in all your temptations, till ye enter into the kingdom of glory: appoint to you - By these very words.”

But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

“It shall not be the time of cock crowing this day - The common time of cock crowing (which is usually about three in the morning) probably did not come till after the cock which Peter heard had crowed twice, if not oftener.”

“Now, however,” He told them, “the one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.

“You will want every thing. He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one - It is plain, this is not to be taken literally. It only means, This will be a time of extreme danger.”

So they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” He answered.

“Here are two swords - Many of Galilee carried them when they travelled, to defend themselves against robbers and assassins, who much infested their roads. But did the apostles need to seek such defense?”

And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

“He prayed more earnestly - Even with stronger cries and tars: and his sweat - As cold as the weather was, was as it were great drops of blood - Which, by the vehement distress of his soul, were forced out of the pores, in…”

A short time later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”

“Another man saw him and said - Observe here, in order to reconcile the four evangelists, that divers persons concurred in charging Peter with belonging to Christ.”

And they said many other blasphemous things against Him.

“And having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face - This is placed by St. Matthew and Mark, after the council's condemning him. Probably he was abused in the same manner, both before and after his condemnation.”

And they said many other blasphemous things against Him.

“Many other things blasphemously spake they against him - The expression is remarkable. They charged him with blasphemy, because he said he was the Son of God: but the evangelist fixes that charge on them, because he really was so.”

At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said,

“They all said, Art thou then the Son of God? - Both these, the Son of God, and the Son of man, were known titles of the Messiah; the one taken from his Divine, and the other from his human nature.”

A third time he said to them, “What evil has this man done? I have found in Him no offense worthy of death.

“He said to them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? - As Peter, a disciple of Christ, dishonoured him by denying him thrice, so Pilate, a heathen, honoured Christ, by thrice owning him to be innocent.”

For if men do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

“If they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? - Our Lord makes use of a proverbial expression, frequent among the Jews, who compare a good man to a green tree, and a bad man to a dead…”

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.

“While they are actually nailing him to the cross, he seems to feel the injury they did to their own souls more than the wounds they gave him; and as it were to forget his own anguish out of a concern for their own salvation.”

The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”

“If thou be the Christ; ver. 37. If thou be the king - The priests deride the name of Messiah: the soldiers the name of king.”

But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment?

“The other rebuked him - What a surprising degree was here of repentance, faith, and other graces! And what abundance of good works, in his public confession of his sin, reproof of his fellow criminal, his honourable testimony to Christ, and profession of faith in…”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

“Remember me when thou comest - From heaven, in thy kingdom - He acknowledges him a king, and such a king, as after he is dead, can profit the dead. The apostles themselves had not then so clear conceptions of the kingdom of Christ.”

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

“In paradise - The place where the souls of the righteous remain from death till the resurrection. As if he had said, I will not only remember thee then, but this very day.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.

“There was darkness over all the earth - The noon-tide darkness, covering the sun, obscured all the upper hemisphere. And the lower was equally darkened, the moon being in opposition to the sun, and so receiving no light from it.”

When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

“Certainly this was a righteous man - Which implies an approbation of all he had done and taught.”

He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:

“Remember how he spake to you, saying, The Son of man must be delivered - This is only a repetition of the words which our Lord had spoken to them before his passion But it is observable, he never styles himself the Son of man…”

and saying, “The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon!”

“The Lord hath appeared to Simon - Before he was seen of the twelve apostles, 1 Cor. xv, 5. He had, in his wonderful condescension and grace, taken an opportunity on the former part of that day (though where, or in what manner, is not…”

While they were describing these events, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

“Jesus stood in the midst of them - It was just as easy to his Divine power to open a door undiscernibly, as it was to come in at a door opened by some other hand.”

Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law…

“And he said - On the day of his ascension. In the law, and the prophets, and the Psalms - The prophecies as well as types, relating to the Messiah, are contained either in the books of Moses (usually called the law) in the Psalms…”

and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

“Beginning at Jerusalem - This was appointed most graciously and wisely: graciously, as it encouraged the, greatest sinners to repent, when they saw that even the murderers of Christ were not excepted from mercy: and wisely, as hereby Christianity was more abundantly attested; the facts…”

While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven.

“And while he was blessing them, he was parted from them - It was much more proper that our Lord should ascend into heaven, than that he should rise from the dead, in the sight of the apostles.”