The Motley Crew – October 6, 2010

Matthew 20:29-34

The Questions

Read Matthew 20:29-34

1. In verses 29-30 we read: “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside ...” What was the social status of the blind in first century Israel? Why?

2. Also in verse 30 we read: “... and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Is there any significance to the phrase “Son of David”?

3. Again, in verse 30, we read that “they shouted, 'Lord, Son of David,' have mercy on us!” Have we heard the plea “Have mercy on us” before? Where?

4. What is the underlying message from these two men?

5. When was the last time you heard that or something similar?

6. In verse 31 we read “The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, ...” Why?

7. Also in verse 31 “...but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" They are repeating themselves. Is there any significance to this?

8. And when Jesus heard the men, what did He do?

9. Again, verse 32: “Jesus stopped and called them. 'What do you want me to do for you?' He asked.” What is Jesus asking them?

10. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. He's got a mission. Yet, we see Him stopping His journey to take notice of these two men. And when He saw them and heard their prayer, in verse 34, we read “Jesus had compassion on them ...” What implications do you see in this?

11 In Verse 34: “… Immediately they received their sight ...” Is there any significance to the observation that they “immediately” received their sight?

12. At the end of this section, we read “And followed Him...” What's this about?

Next week we will begin our study of Matthew, Chapter 21, which begins with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the last week of His life on earth as a man.

On the web page where the Motley Crew notes are posted, there are a couple of resources that might be helpful as we begin this. I've posted three maps of Jerusalem that note the places that we will be reading about in the next weeks. Also, for Lent last year, I created a parallel account of the Passion. This is the four Gospels, side-by-side. Caution: the Word document is 56 pages long! There are several formats available. This will be my source for the parallel verses that will be included in each week's notes, plus any notes about verses that appear in the other Gospels, but not in Matthew.

All of these files are in the Lenten Devotions section of that web page.

The Motley Crew – October 6, 2010

Matthew 20:29-34

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

Read Matthew 20:29-34. Two Blind Men Receive Sight

 29As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 32Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

 33"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."

 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

The Parallel Accounts in Mark and Luke.

• Mark 10:46-52 – One blind man named Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus)

• Luke 18:35-43 – One blind man, nameless.

Both accounts are reproduced near the bottom of this document.

Side Note: Once before in Matthew's gospel, we see Christ healing two blind men. In Matthew 9:27-30:

Jesus Heals the Blind

 27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

 28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
      "Yes, Lord," they replied.

 29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30and their sight was restored.

Although Matthew doesn't say so in Chapter 20 – as he did in Chapter 9 – both Mark and Luke add to their accounts of today's Gospel lesson “your faith has healed you.”

1. In verses 29-30 we read: “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside ...” What was the social status of the blind in first century Israel? Why?

They were shunned by most of society. Blindness and other illnesses were believed to have been caused by sin. Most were beggars because they could do nothing else. Their situation was hopeless.

We see the connection between sin and illness in the healing of the paralytic in Matthew 9:1-8:

1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"

4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." 7And the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.

To the extent that people such as these are still shunned, Patti reminded us that it would be wise to remember the Epistle of James:

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:1-4

It was pointed out that stopping to help someone along side the road is a dangerous practice, then as now (the man that was rescued by the Good Samaritan was traveling down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked and robbed … the same road that Jesus and his disciples are now traveling). The last time that we discussed this, Pastor Eddie was quick to point out that he never recommends that people traveling alone stop in such situations. In addition, in today's society, there are many church and other social organizations that provide food, clothing, shelter and other assistance to those in need, which was not the case in 1^st century Israel.

Diane mentioned that her daughter put together a number of bags of non-perishable food, and distributes these bags to anyone who she sees at intersections asking for food (and also includes a Bible verse).

In some cases, people who ask for food are actually asking for money (to buy alcohol or drugs), but Charlie related an experience where a man asked him for money for food while they were standing in a small convenience store. Charlie reached in and pulled out some food from a cooler, and gave it to the man, who gratefully accepted it.

Jeanne mentioned that in the neighborhood where she grew up that the hungry would go up and down the alleys looking for food. Her mother always found a way to get some good food into their hands. Not long after, the word got around and she was being visited on a regular basis.

2. Also in verse 30 we read: “... and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Is there any significance to the phrase “Son of David”?

One of several titles given to the Messiah.

Son of David - That is, "Messiah," or "Christ." This was the name by which the Messiah was commonly known. He was the illustrious descendant of David in whom the promises especially centered, Psalm 132:11-12; Psalm 89:3-4. It was the universal opinion of the Jews that the Messiah was to be the descendant of David. See Matthew 22:42. Barnes' Notes on the Bible.

Jeanne pointed out that these men shouted out their pleas to Jesus. Because of the crowd, and because they were seated on the ground, they would need to do so in order to get Jesus' attention. We should take a lesson from these men, shouting out our need for Christ, and also shouting out our faith in Christ.

A couple of commentators state that the source for this title comes from 2 Samuel 7:13-14. The scene: the prophet Nathan is speaking to David.

12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son.

This entire chapter is a great read. Notice David's prayer to God at the end of the Chapter, which includes this passage:

27 "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. 28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

Beth mentioned that there are two additional Old Testament verses that point to Jesus as the “Son of David:” Isaiah 9:6-7 (“He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,”) and Jeremiah 23:5-6 (“The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,”).

How interesting it is that two blind men here, and the Canaanite Woman in Matthew 15, can clearly see that Jesus is the Messiah, while the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 15 are spiritually blind.

3. Again, in verse 30, we read that “they shouted ... have mercy on us!” Have we heard the plea “Have mercy on us” before in the Bible? Where?

At least twice in Matthew's gospel, Matt. 15:21-28, The Canaanite Woman (“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”), and Matt. 17:14-20, The Boy with Demon.

The Greek word that is translated as “mercy” (Strong's 1653.) occurs 30 times in the King James Version. In 27 occurrences, the word is “mercy,” but in two instances, the word is translated as “compassion,” and in one instance the word is translated as “pity.”

Have mercy on us - Hearing that Jesus passed by, and not knowing whether they should ever again have so good an opportunity of addressing him, they are determined to call, and call earnestly. They ask for mercy, conscious that they deserve nothing, and they ask with faith - Son of David, acknowledging him as the promised Messiah. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.

4. What is the underlying message from these two men?

They are desperate, and as Dr. Lenski observed, this is the typical cry of desperation as we saw in Matthew 15 and Matthew 17 (above). For these men, there is no other hope. Unless Christ has mercy on them, unless He acts to heal them, they are lost. Christ has no obligation to do so, of course. These two men have done nothing to deserve to be healed. It is only because Jesus has compassion on them, that He mercifully heals them. Which, of course, is the same position that we find ourselves in.

5. When was the last time you heard that or something similar?

Last Sunday in the Prayer of the Congregation. “Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayers.”

Also, there is the traditional exchange in the Liturgy: “Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy” (the Kyrie). This cry for salvation has been in the Christian liturgy for over 16 centuries, dating back to at least the middle of the 4^th century, including both the Liturgy of St. James and the Liturgy of St. Mark.

6. In verse 31 we read “The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, ...” Why?

In truth, we don't know why, and it probably doesn't matter, since if it had mattered, Matthew, Mark or Luke would have told us why.

The Greek word here is epetimhsen (Strong's #2008). It is translated as “rebuke” 24 times in the New Testament, six times in Matthew. This is similar to when the disciples rebuked others who attempted to get access to Jesus in Matthew 19:13, The Little Children and Jesus:

13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

In that instance, the thought is that the disciples were attempting to protect Jesus from the press of the crowds. But here, something else seems to be happening.

The multitude rebuked them - Whenever a soul begins to cry after Jesus for light and salvation, the world and the devil join together to drown its cries, or force it to be silent. But let all such remember, Jesus is now passing by; that their souls must perish everlastingly, if not saved by him, and they may never have so good an opportunity again. While there is a broken and a contrite heart, let it sigh its complaints to God, till He hear and answer. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.

7. Also in verse 31 “...but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" They are repeating themselves. Is there any significance to this?

On the face of it, they are ignoring the rebuke of the crowds and pressing their request for mercy to our Lord. Because of the amount of noise that might be generated by a crowd, it was necessary for them to “shout all the louder” in order to be heard by Jesus and his disciples.

In addition, this is an example of people approaching Jesus and repeating their pleas for his mercy and healing.

It also demonstrates their strong faith that Jesus can and will heal them, as He has healed countless others before (including the two blind men in Matthew 9).

Finally, it is important to note that these two men are persistent in their prayer to Jesus. We have seen this before in the Parable of the Persistent Widow, Luke 18:1-8, and in the story about The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman, Mark 7:24-30 (In Matthew, it is a Canaanite Woman, Matthew 15:21-28). These men would not be denied.

In Luke's account of the Persistent Widow, the first verse says: “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

In that account, the Judge had refused to hear her plea for some time. In verses 4-5 we read:

But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

Likewise in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 12:1-10), he recounts that after he got a thorn in his side, that he prayed three times. We know that God always answers our prayers, but not always in the way we expect. Paul's got what he needed, not what he thought he wanted.

Persevering faith and prayer are next to omnipotent. No person can thus pray and believe, without receiving all his soul requires. This is one of the finest lessons in the book of God for a penitent, or for a discouraged believer. Look to Jesus! As sure as God is in heaven, so surely will he hear and answer thee to the eternal salvation of thy soul! Be not discouraged at a little delay: when thou art properly prepared to receive the blessing, then thou shalt have it. Look up; thy salvation is at hand. Jesus admires this faith, to the end that we may admire and imitate it, and may reap the same fruits and advantages from it. The Adam Clarke Commentary

It might be important to be persistent in our prayers for other reasons. First, this gives us the opportunity to examine whether this is what we need, or merely what we want. Also, we can think about whether or not what we are praying for is within the will of God. Finally, when we persistently pray to God, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to listen to God's answer by the Holy Spirit.

8. And when Jesus heard the men, what did He do?

Verse 32: “Jesus stopped and called them. 'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked.”

“Jesus stopped.” Jesus is on a mission here. It is important that He get to Jerusalem. He will be fulfilling several Old Testament prophecies in the next week. He must not be delayed. So why would He stop? Because He loves us, and when we ask for His help, we know that He will always stop and help.

Jesus stopped,.... Made a full stop, when he was near, or right against where these blind men sat; which shows the strength of faith, the force of prayer, and the great regard Christ has to both. Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

9. Again looking at verse 32: “Jesus ... called them. 'What do you want me to do for you?' He asked.” What is Jesus asking them?

Be specific in your prayer requests. And in verse 33, they answered Him: "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." It is all well and good to pray “Let there be peace on earth,” but it is better to pray “Let there be peace in Afghanistan.”

There are a number of passages that counsel that we should ask for what we want:

• 1 Kings 17:17-22. Elijah was very specific in his prayer to God: bring the son of the widow back to life.

• John 15:7, Jesus said “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

• Matthew 7:7-12. Ask, and it will be given to you. And if your son asks you for bread, you will not give him a stone. Neither will God.

• In Mark 11:24, Jesus says: “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Likewise, in James 1:2-8. James admonishes us that we must persevere, and that when we ask, we must not doubt that God will give.

• Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” In the King James Version, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

• James 4:2-3. “You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

what will ye that I shall do unto you? is it alms you want? or would you have your sight restored? This question he put, not as being ignorant of their desires, but to show both his power and willingness to do anything for them they should ask; and that their faith in him might be made manifest, and the people have their expectations raised, and they prepared to attend the miracle now to be wrought. Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

It was also pointed out that while we are listening for God's answer to our prayer, that God's time is different than our time. Patience is the key virtue in this.

10. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. He's got a mission. There are several Old Testament prophecies that He will be fulfilling in the next week, and He cannot be delayed. Yet, we see Him stopping His journey to take notice of these two men. And when He saw them and heard their prayer, in verse 34, we read “Jesus had compassion on them ...” What implications do you see in this?

A couple of things.

1. As we noticed above, He stopped. He always had time for people in trouble, no matter what He was doing or where He was going. This is the action part of what Jesus just told His disciples in verse 28: “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

2. His compassion for those He sees, for those who appeal to Him for help. Like us.

The Greek word is splagxniðzomai. It occurs 12 times in the New Testament, five times in Matthew's gospel, directly or by inference.

In Thompson's Chain-Reference Bible, this is topic #3518. Some other passages where we see Jesus' compassion in action includes:

• For the Multitudes, Matt. 9:35-38, Matt. 14:13-21, Matt. 15:29-39.

• The Other Two Blind Men, Matthew 9:27-30

• The Canaanite Woman, Matt. 15:21-28

• The Boy with Demon, Matt. 17:14-20,

• For the Unfortunate, Matt. 20:29-34

• For Jerusalem, Matt. 23:37

• For the Leper, Mark 1:43-45

• For the Bereaved, Luke 7:11-17 and John 11:1-44.

11 In Verse 34: “… Immediately they received their sight ...” Is there any significance to the observation that they “immediately” received their sight?

Yes, and we have seen this before, for example in the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15). In the case of the mother-in-law, recovery from a fever was thought to take a couple of days. Yet, when Jesus healed her, she was immediately healed and then got out of bed to serve the Lord. The immediacy of healing is further evidence of His miraculous nature.

In the same manner, these two men were immediately healed, not that the healing process began and took some period of time.

When Jesus heals, He heals immediately. No one has to wait for His healing, whether physical or spiritual.

And touched their eyes - Mark and Luke say he added, "Thy faith hath saved thee." Thy "confidence, or belief" that I could cure, has been the means of obtaining this blessing. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Side Note: Christ often touches when he heals, for example:

• Matthew 8:1-4, The Leper

• Mathew 8:14-15, Peter's Mother-in-Law

• Matthew 9:18-26, A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

• Matthew 9:27-31, The Blind Man

• Matthew 19:13-15, The Little Children and Jesus

• Matthew 20:29-34, Two Blind Men

The Lutheran Study Bible observed that “Jesus' touch showed His compassion and willingness to cross boundaries for the good of others” (Note to Mark 3:10, p. 1660). Some of those who were ill were also ritually unclean; Jesus was taking quite a risk in touching them.

12. At the end of this section, we read “and followed Him...” What's this about?

Discipleship, at least in the largest sense of the word. Greek word is hkolouqhsan (ekolouthesan).The definition is:

1. to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him

2. to join one as a disciple, to become or be his disciple

(Strong's #190). This word occurs 92 times in the New Testament, most frequently in Matthew where it occurs 24 times. The same Greek word is used in verse 29:

“As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.”

This language of “following” was seen from the very beginning of Matthew's Gospel, as in the calling of the first disciples in Matthew 4:18-22:

18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.

21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

There is mercy enough in Christ for all that ask. They were earnest in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest. Cold desires beg denials. They were humble in prayer, casting themselves upon, and referring themselves cheerfully to, the Mediator's mercy. They showed faith in prayer, by the title they gave to Christ. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that they called Jesus, Lord. They persevered in prayer. When they were in pursuit of such mercy, it was no time for timidity or hesitation: they cried earnestly. Christ encouraged them. The wants and burdens of the body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate. Oh that we did as feelingly complain of our spiritual maladies, especially our spiritual blindness! Many are spiritually blind, yet say they see. Jesus cured these blind men; and when they had received sight, they followed him. None follow Christ blindly. He first by his grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts after him. These miracles are our call to Jesus; may we hear it, and make it our daily prayer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This was the last miracle that Jesus performed before the beginning of Holy Week.

Next week: Matthew 21, beginning with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the last week of His life on earth as a man.

On the web page where the Motley Crew notes are posted, there are a couple of resources that might be helpful as we begin this. I've posted three maps of Jerusalem that note the places that we will be reading about in the next weeks. Also, for Lent last year, I created a parallel account of the Passion. This is the four Gospels, side-by-side. Caution: the Word document is 56 pages long! There are several formats available. This will be my source for the parallel verses that will be included in each week's notes, plus any notes about verses that appear in the other Gospels, but not in Matthew.

All of these files are in the Lenten Devotions section of the page.

We closed with prayer.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Parallel Verses

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 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

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.