The Motley Crew

July 14, 2010

Matthew 16:13-20

Peter's Confession of Christ!

The Questions

Read Matthew 16:13-20

1. Jesus is now in the outlying villages of Caesarea Philippi. (See Mark 8:27) Basically, He is out in the country. Why?

2. Did Jesus not know who people said He was?

3. What do you think of Peter's confession? (verse 16)

4. Did Peter always live up to his confession?

5. Do we?

6. True or False – Deeds and practice usually speak louder and more weighty than words.

7. So is Jesus building His Church on Peter?

8. So how did we get from here to Peter being the first Pope?

9. We call verse 19 the Office of the Keys. See also John 20:22-23. What does this mean?

10. What is a necessary fruit of repentance?

11. Did Jesus give us any steps to Church discipline?

12. What is the purpose of all this binding and loosing?

13. Jesus is still tell them not to tell. Why?

The Motley Crew

July 14, 2010

Matthew 16:13-20

Peter's Confession of Christ!

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

Read Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20 (New International Version). Peter's Confession of Christ

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, [a] the Son of the living God."

17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, [b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [c] will not overcome it. [d] 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be [e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be [f] loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 16:16 Or Messiah; also in verse 20

2. Matthew 16:18 Peter means rock.

3. Matthew 16:18 Or hell

4. Matthew 16:18 Or not prove stronger than it

5. Matthew 16:19 Or have been

6. Matthew 16:19 Or have been

Peter's Confession is also found in Mark 8:27-29 and Luke 9:18-20; and see John 6:66-71 ("We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.")

1. Jesus is now in the outlying villages of Caesarea Philippi. (See Mark 8:27) Basically, He is out in the country. Why?

Mark 8:27 (New International Version). Peter's Confession of Christ
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

This is a pivotal point in Jesus' ministry, as Jesus is preparing His disciples for the fact that He will be crucified, but that He will be resurrected on the third day.

Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God was a key event in Jesus’ ministry. To confess Jesus as Savior and Lord is also essential in every believer’s life. … This passage is the climax of chapters 4-16. Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1618.

Matthew 16:21 (New International Version). Jesus Predicts His Death
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Su ei o Xristov o uiov tou teou tou zwntov). It was a noble confession, but not a new claim by Jesus. Peter had made it before (John 6:69) when the multitude deserted Jesus in Capernaum. Since the early ministry (John 4) Jesus had avoided the word Messiah because of its political meaning to the people. But now Peter plainly calls Jesus the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of the God the living one (note the four Greek articles). This great confession of Peter means that he and the other disciples believe in Jesus as the Messiah and are still true to him in spite of the defection of the Galilean populace (John 6). Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament

It was also noted that it was common for Jesus to retire to less populous areas, especially when He needed prayer time, and that much of His ministry was among the rural peoples in Israel and Judea (with excursions to Phoenicia and the Decapolis). And, as noted, this was not His time.

Jesus had never openly and directly acknowledged himself as the Messiah. The time had not come. It would have led, probably, to an insurrection. His caution on this point is strikingly manifest in John 2:23, 24 [below]. John S. C. Abbott and Jacob Abbott, Illustrated New Testament

John 2:23-24. “Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.”

Finally, some commentators have also observed that Jesus was staying out of the way of Herod and of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. There was much to be done in the next few months, and Jesus did not need the distraction of interference from Jerusalem as He prepared His disciples.

Jesus appears to have sought this quiet and distant retreat with the view of talking over with the Twelve the fruit of His past labors, and breaking to them for the first time the sad intelligence of His approaching death. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Bible Commentary

2. Did Jesus not know who people said He was?

He knew what they were saying, but it seems that He wants to contrast the false ideas that are circulating about Him with the right answer that He hopes is coming.

All the disciples acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God in Matthew 14:33 (when Jesus stilled the stormy Sea of Galilee, “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.' ”). However, not only is Jesus here called “the Son of the living God,” this confession is marked by the critical affirmation that Jesus is the Anointed One foretold in the Old Testament (as, for example, Isaiah 53). As we all know, the Greek for “Anointed One” is “Christ”; the Hebrew for “Anointed One” is transliterated as “Messiah.”

Jesus’ point in pressing this question of His identity is to get the disciples to recognize and acclaim Him as the Messiah. Lutheran Study Bible, Note to Mark 8:29, p. 1673.

3. What do you think of Peter's confession? (verse 16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.")

Short, sweet, and on the money! Jesus' response was to the confession of Peter which was based on his correct understanding of who Jesus was. Jesus' response was His confession of Peter:

"The terms in which Jesus speaks of Peter are characteristic – warm, generous, unstinted. The style is not that of an ecclesiastical editor laying the foundation for church power, and prelatic pretentions, but of a noble-minded Master eulogizing in impassioned terms a loyal disciple" (Bruce). The Father had helped Peter get this spiritual insight into the Master's Person and Work. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament

4. Did Peter always live up to his confession?

Nope.

… Peter was not always the stable fellow his nickname [of petros] implied. He sometimes acts rashly (e.g., Mark 14:29, Mark 14:66-72). After the resurrection, however, Peter became much more of a bulwark. Lutheran Study Bible's note to Mark 3:16.

Matthew 16:22-23 (New International Version)
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

5. Do we?

Ouch. Just like Peter, we don't. As Paul confessed in his letter to the church in Rome, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15)

Thankfully, this does not change who Jesus is, nor will He treat us differently because of our failings. He will still continue to love and trust us to at least try to live as we want to live (not as we often fail to do).

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

6. True or False – Deeds and practice usually speak louder and more weighty than words.

True! “Your actions speak so loudly I can't hear what you are saying.” Dr. Lenski pointed out that while Jesus can see the heart, “Our only aid is the conduct, the acts of the individual, the practice of a congregation or of a church body. This, too, is a confession, and should harmonize fully with the confession of the lips. When it clashes with that, the confession by deeds is the real confession by which we must then judge. Deeds and practice always speak louder and are more weighty than words.” (p. 620).

This is the point of the parable in Matthew 7:15-23, “A Tree and Its Fruit:”

15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [emphasis added] 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Footnote: the Greek word for “thornbushes” is a akanqa (akantha), a compound word meaning “point flower.”

As Christians, we are called to a higher standard of conduct because of Who we represent.

7. So is Jesus building His Church on Peter?

Matthew 16:18: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

In Matthew's Gospel, Our Lord is making a play on the Greek words in this verse. The Greek word for Peter is Pevtro (Petros), which is defined as "a rock or a stone" The Greek word for rock is pevtra (petra), which is a rocky cliff or ledge. It is belief of Lutherans and other Protestants that Jesus is building His church, not on the man, but on the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus makes a remarkable play on Peter's name, a pun in fact, that has caused volumes of controversy and endless theological strife. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament

This foundation upon Jesus' Messiahship is needed because Peter's faith is “subjective” and shifting. By way of comparison, a rock is “objective” and solid. It is on “this [solid] rock” that Jesus is building His church, His ekklesia  Dr. Lenski wrote:

We decline to make “this rock” signify the rock nature of Peter. The church does not rest on a quality found in Peter and in others like him. The foundation of the church is not subjective but objective, namely God's revelation. … By her confession the church shows on what she is built. She rests on the reality which Peter confessed, namely on Jesus, “the Christ, the Son of God the living.” Lenski, p. 626.

John Hus: “Christ is therefore the foundation by whom primarily and in whom primarily the holy catholic church is founded, and faith is the foundation with which it is founded -- that faith which works through love” (The Church, p. 73). The Church is the assembly, or gathering, of all believers. Christ is the builder of the Church, and each individual member is a living stone (1 Peter 2:5). Lutheran Study Bible

In fact, Christ is placing the responsibility for His church on the shoulders of all the apostles, not just Peter, as we see in Ephesians 2:19-20:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

And it is clear that the Apostles themselves did not regard verse 18 as placing Peter at the pinnacle of Jesus' church. In Matthew 18:1-3 and Luke 22:24, the Twelve debate who is the greatest among them. If Jesus had made Peter the greatest among them, this debate would not have taken place.

The preëminence of Peter was personal, not official; and accordingly we find him acting, after the Savior's ascension with boldness, promptness, energy, but without any traces of official authority over the other apostles. John S. C. Abbott and Jacob Abbott, Illustrated New Testament

In Matthew 18:1-3, we see this exchange between the disciples and Jesus:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

If Jesus had meant that Peter was the greatest in Matthew 16:18, this would have been the ideal time for Him to say so.

In Luke 22:24-26, immediately after the Lord's Supper, we see this exchange:

Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.

Likewise, in John 20:21-23, when our Lord appeared to his disciples after the Resurrection, He said:

"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." [emphasis added]

Here, Jesus is addressing “them,” all of the disciples, not just Peter.

Finally, Lenski quotes Luther:

“All Christians are Peters on account of the confession which Peter here makes, which is the rock on which Peter and all Peters are built” – understanding Luther to refer to the truths held and confessed by Peter and these Peters. (p. 626)

8. So how did we get from here to Peter being the first Pope?

This passage has given rise to much controversy and strife. The position of the Roman Catholic Church is that Jesus means the word rock to refer to Peter himself as the head of Jesus' church. For more information on the position of the Catholic Church, see the Catholic Encyclopedia article “St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles.” < http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11744a.htm >

There is, needless to say, a difference of opinion about the interpretation of this verse.

While Peter was an strong leader in the early Church, it is vitally important that we need to keep close to the clear language of the Bible, an objective resource, not upon mere men, a subjective and changing resource. In short, Sola Scriptura ("by scripture alone," the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness.). And, as A.T. Robertson pointed out, “He is simply first among equals, primus inter pares, because on this occasion he was spokesman for the faith of all.” Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament

9. We call verse 19 the Office of the Keys. See also John 20:22-23. What does this mean?

Matthew 16:19. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

John 20:22-23. “And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.' ”

The Office of the Keys is the right given to the Church, through all the disciples, to forgive the sins of those who repent, and to not forgive the sins of unrepentant sinners.

Keys are used to lock and unlock doors. The door of heaven is opened through the forgiveness of sins. Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1616.

And, the Lutheran Study Bible had this note to John 20:23 (p. 1825):

“These words show that the Keys are given to all the apostles alike and that all the apostles are sent forth alike. In addition, it must be recognized that the Keys belong not to the person of one particular man, but to the Church.” (Tr 23-24).

Similarly, in the People's New Testament:

On Pentecost, Peter first opened the doors and declared the conditions of which men could have their sins forgiven, be bound or loosed, and thus enter into the church. [Acts 2:38-42] Seven years later at Caesarea he declared the same conditions to the Gentiles. [Acts 10:34-46] While Peter took the lead, the keys were given to all the apostles, and to no other mortal. See Matt. 18:18, John 20:19-23. All that is here said to Peter is said to all the apostles.

Likewise, in Scofield's Reference Notes:

There was no assumption by Peter of any other authority. Acts 15:7-11. In the council James, not Peter, seems to have presided and made the final decision. Acts 15:1-34, Gal 2:11-15. Peter claimed no more for himself than to be an apostle by gift, 1 Pet 1:1, and an elder by office, 1 Peter 5:1. Also Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.

It was pointed out that each of us individually have the power and authority to forgive any sins that are committed against us. And, when the minister announces absolution during the liturgy, he does so not as an individual, but as a representative of the church announcing God's forgiveness:

“Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service, Setting Three, p.185 (2006), citing John 20.19-23 (see above). [emphasis added]

For many, the announcement of this absolution is a great spiritual comfort.

10. What is a necessary fruit of repentance?

Forgiveness and reconciliation, furthering the good works to the glory of God. We see this important theme of reconciliation earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, when, just after the Beatitudes, Jesus says: “... if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matt. 5:23-24.

11. Did Jesus give us any steps to Church discipline?

Yes. In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus gives us a framework within which to work.

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' [Deut. 19:15] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Deuteronomy 19:15 (New International Version). Witnesses
One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

The note to Matt. 18:18 in the Lutheran Study Bible (p. 1621) says:

The action that the Church took regarding the sinning brother was valid in heaven. “He means sin being forgiven, eternal death taken away, and eternal life bestowed. 'Whatever you bind' does not speak of requiring punishments, but of retaining the sins of those who are not converted” (Ap XIIB 41).

It's important to note that while an unrepentant sinner can be expelled from the church (“treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector”), the door is always open to the repentant sinner. This was the policy of the early church and is the current policy, but this has not always been so; at some points in the history of Christendom, unrepentant sinners were burned at the stake … slamming shut the door to forgiveness, and therefore, to heaven.

It is incumbent upon us to try to bring everyone back to the body of Christ. We must remember that Jesus used to hang out with sinners and tax collectors, and continues to hang out with sinners (like me). Importantly, this is a discernment issue, not a judgment issue (which is reserved by God to Jesus in the end times). All we have strayed, but we are sorry, we are repentant, a totally different state before God than the position of the unrepentant sinner.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

However, the exclusion of an unrepentant sinner from the church is necessary, unfortunately, since such a person could act like leaven within the body of Christ, slowly and almost imperceptibly undermining the moral code by which we govern our lives. This is the most frequent use of the word “leaven” in the Bible (as in Matthew 16:5-6, 12 and 1 Corinthians 5:7; compare Matthew 13:33).

12. What is the purpose of all this binding and loosing?

The salvation of souls!

In the language of “bind-loose,” we see the power to forgive or to refuse to forgive sins. “Our people are taught that they should highly prize the Absolution as being God’s voice and pronounced by God’s command” (AC XXV 3). “The Keys are an office and power given by Christ to the Church for binding and loosing sin” (SA IUII VII 1). “These words show that the keys are given to all apostles alike and that all the apostles are sent forth alike” (Tr 23). Bede: “Without the slightest doubt it is given to the other Apostles also. Christ Himself bears witness to this, for after the triumph of His Passion and Resurrection He appeared to them, and breathing on them said 'Receive the Holy Ghost [John 20:22]’ ” Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1616.

13. Jesus is still tell them not to tell. Why?

As we've seen before, 1^st century Jews were expecting a political/military Messiah to lead them to freedom from the Romans who were occupying Israel. Jesus was not that Messiah.

Because so many people thought that the Messiah would be a political leader to free them from Roman domination, Jesus likely wanted His disciples to refrain from proclaiming Him as the Christ until after His death and resurrection (Luke 24:46-48). Lutheran Study Bible.

He was the Messiah (o Xristov), but the people would inevitably take it in a political sense. Jesus was plainly profoundly moved by Peter's great confession on behalf of the disciples. He was grateful and confident of the final outcome. But he foresaw peril to all. ... for the present they must be silent. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament

Dr. Lenski gives us this excellent explanation:

The great reason why Jesus throughout His ministry did not proclaim Himself as “the Christ” or Messiah was that the Jews connected the most extravagant political ideas with this title. That explains why they could not see “the Christ” in Jesus. … The course Jesus followed was simply to be “the Christ,” to do the work of the Messiah, and to let this produce the conviction, as it did in His disciples, that he, indeed, was “the Christ,” not the political and secular figure which filled the Jewish imagination but the Christ of God, promised in the Scriptures, the very Son of the living God, sent to redeem and save the souls of men. After His work had been completed on earth, the world was to ring with the confession that this Jesus was “the Christ,” Acts 3:13-26; Acts 4:10-12; Acts 5:30-32; etc. Lenski, p. 633.

In the same way that Jesus wanted to be the Messiah, so must we be the church, especially on those Sundays when we have the privilege of receiving Holy Communion, receiving the true body and blood of Christ.

We closed with prayer.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

Parallel Passages

For Additional Study

Online Resources

Book of Concord in PDF Format , The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod <http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/TrigBOC.pdf> (2MB file)

These texts are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed freely. The source of these translations is Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).

A number of important Lutheran texts can be found in the Belief and Practice section of the website of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=112

John S. C. Abbott and Jacob Abbott, Illustrated New Testament
http://www.studylight.org/com/ain/

Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament
http://www.studylight.org/com/bnn/

Harold F. Buls
http://www.pericope.org/buls-notes/index.html and
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-bul.html
Adapted from Exegetical Notes, Series A, Festival Season Sundays, Gospel Texts, by Harold H. Buls, Concordia Theological Seminary Press: Ft Wayne IN, 1980

The Adam Clarke Commentary
http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/

Burton Coffman, Commentary on the Whole Bible
http://www.studylight.org/com/bcc/

John Darby, Synopsis of the Bible
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/darby/matthew1.htm

The Greek Interlinear Bible,
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm
Based on NA26/27. A word-by-word translation of the Greek New Testament.

David Guzik, Commentaries on the Bible
http://www.studylight.org/com/guz/

The Geneva Study Bible
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/geneva/matthew1.htm

John Gill, Exposition of the Bible
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/gill/matthew1.htm

Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete)
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/mh/matthew1.htm

Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/mhc/matthew1.htm

Jamieson, Faussett and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/jfb/matthew1.htm

B.W. Johnson, People's New Testament
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/johnson/matthew1.htm

John Lightfoot, Bible Commentary
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/light/matthew1.htm

Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians
http://www.studylight.org/com/mlg/

J. W. McGarvey, Original Commentary on Acts
http://www.studylight.org/com/oca/

J. W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton, The Fourfold Gospel (also known as "Harmony Of the Four Gospels")
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/four/matthew1.htm

Alexander Maclaren's commentaries on the books of the Bible (various titles)
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/m#a2330

The NET Bible. <http://bible.org/netbible/> A completely new translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators’ notes. It was completed by more than 25 scholars – experts in the original biblical languages – who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Excellent notes, citing both the Greek and Hebrew, as needed. Greek and Hebrew fonts available without cost.

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures of the New Testament
http://www.studylight.org/com/rwp/

C. I. Scofield, The Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)
http://www.studylight.org/com/srn/

Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
http://www.studylight.org/com/tod/

R.A. Torrey, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
http://www.studylight.org/com/tsk/

W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
http://www.antioch.com.sg/bible/vines/

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/wesley/matthew1.htm

Other Additional Resources:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/SPLC/Motley%20Crew%20Research%20Resources.html

Other Resources

Barker, Kenneth L., ed., TNIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006)

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Readers Edition. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006)

Davies, Benjamin, ed., Baker's Pocket Harmony of the Gospels (Baker Book House, 1975). Formerly printed as Harmony of the Four Gospels.

Goodrick, Edward W. and John R. Kohlenberger III, eds., The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999). This is the second edition, originally published as the Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance. It was originally published as The NIV Exhaustive Concordance. It should be distinguished from The NIV Complete Concordance by the same authors.

Green, Jay P., ed., The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Vol. IV. Second Edition. (Hendrickson Publishers, 1985)

Halley, Henry H., Halley's Bible Handbook. New Revised Edition (24^th Edition). (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965)

Hickie, W.J., Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977). This is a reprint of an older edition, originally published by Macmillan, August. 1893. A contemporary review described this as "A handy little volume, compiled on sound principles from trustworthy authorities." The 1911 edition is available online and for download at http://openlibrary.org/b/OL17866849M/Greek-English_lexicon_to_the_New_Testament

Hoerber, Robert G., ed., Concordia Self-Study Bible. NIV (Great Rapids, Zondervan: 1973, 1984).

Lenski, R.C.H., The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943, reprinted 1964)

The Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006). The most recent service book and hymnal of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009).

Nave, Orville J., ed., Nave's Topical Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1979)

New Bible Dictionary. Second Edition. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1962)

Nicoll, W. Robertson, The Greek Expositor's Testament. Vol. 1. Five Volumes. (New York: George H. Doran Co., ca. 1910). Excellent notes on the Greek text and summaries of commentators. Available at Google Books ( www.books.google.com ) and the Internet Archive ( www.archive.org - easier to find here than at Google Books).

NIV Archeological Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005)

Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (Text from Project Gutenberg)

Robertson, A.T., Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2000). This “Concise Edition” is derived from the six-volume work by Robertson published in 1933. Robertson was also the author of 45 books, including numerous commentaries, a Harmony of the Gospels, etc. Also available online at http://www.studylight.org/com/rwp/

Rogers, Cleon L. Jr., and Cleon L. Rogers III, eds., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998). This is the second edition of the excellent work by Fritz Rienecker, A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, translated and edited by Cleon L. Rogers, Jr.

Strong, James, ed., The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)

Vine, W.E., Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Original Greek Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, no date). Originally published circa 1940.