The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  17“Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold nor the temple that 9sanctifies the gold?

  18“And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’

  19“Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift oor the altar that sanctifies the gift?

  20“Therefore he who 10swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

  21“He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by pHim who 11dwells in it.

  22“And he who swears by heaven, swears by qthe throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

  23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! rFor you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and shave neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

  24“Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

  25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! tFor you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and 12self-indulgence.

  26“Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

  27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! uFor you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

  28“Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

  29v“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and 13adorn the monuments of the righteous,

  30“and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

  31“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that wyou are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

  32x“Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.

  33“Serpents, ybrood14 of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

  34z“Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: asome of them you will kill and crucify, and bsome of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

  35c“that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, dfrom the blood of righteous Abel to ethe blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

  36“Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

  Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

  (Luke 13:34, 35)

  37f“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets gand stones those who are sent to her! How often hI wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks iunder her wings, but you were not willing!

  38“See! Your house is left to you desolate;

  39“for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, j‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”

  Matthew 24

  Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

  (Mark 13:1, 2; Luke 21:5, 6)

  1Then aJesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

  2And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, bnot one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

  The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

  (Mark 13:3–13; Luke 21:7–19)

  3Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, cthe disciples came to Him privately, saying, d“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

  4And Jesus answered and said to them: e“Take heed that no one deceives you.

  5“For fmany will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ gand will deceive many.

  6“And you will hear of hwars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for 1all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

  7“For ination will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be jfamines, 2pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

  8“All these are the beginning of sorrows.

  9k“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

  10“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

  11“Then lmany false prophets will rise up and mdeceive many.

  12“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow ncold.

  13o“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

  14“And this pgospel of the kingdom qwill be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

  The Great Tribulation

  (Mark 13:14–23; Luke 17:23, 24, 37; 21:20–24)

  15r“Therefore when you see the s‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” t(whoever reads, let him understand),

  16“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

  17“Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

  18“And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

  19“But uwoe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

  20“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

  21“For vthen there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

  22“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; wbut for the 3elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

  23x“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

  24“For yfalse christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, zif possible, even the elect.

  25“See, I have told you beforehand.

  26“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

  27a“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

  28b“For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

  The Coming of the Son of Man

  (Mark 13:24–27; Luke 21:25–28)

  29c“Immediately after the tribulation of those days dthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

  30e“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, fand then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

  31g“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His 4elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

  The Parable of the Fig Tree

  (Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33)

  32“Now learn hthis parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

  33“So you also, when you see all these things, know ithat 5it is near—at the doors!

  34“Assuredly, I say to you, jthis generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

  35k“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

  No One Knows the Day or Hour

  (Mark 13:32–37; Luke 17:26, 27, 34, 35; 21:34–36)

  36l“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of 6heaven, mbut My Father only.

  37“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

  38n“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

  39“and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

  40o“Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

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

  42p“Watch therefore, for you do not know what 7hour your Lord is coming.

  43q“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what 8hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

  44r“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

  The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant

  (Luke 12:41–48)

  45s“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food 9in due season?

  46t“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

  47“Assuredly, I say to you that uhe will make him ruler over all his goods.

  48“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master vis delaying 10his coming,’

  49“and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

  50“the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is wnot aware of,

  51“and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. xThere shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  Matthew 25

  The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

  1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet athe bridegroom.

  2b“Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

  3“Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

  4“but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

  5“But while the bridegroom was delayed, cthey all slumbered and slept.

  6“And at midnight da cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom 1is coming; go out to meet him!’

  7“Then all those virgins arose and etrimmed their lamps.

  8“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

  9“But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

  10“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and fthe door was shut.

  11“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, g‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

  12“But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, hI do not know you.’

  13i“Watch therefore, for you jknow neither the day nor the hour 2in which the Son of Man is coming.

  The Parable of the Talents

  (Luke 19:11–27)

  14k“For the kingdom of heaven is llike a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

  15“And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, mto each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

  16“Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

  17“And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.

  18“But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.

  19“After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

  20“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

  21“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were nfaithful over a few things, oI will make you ruler over many things. Enter into pthe joy of your lord.’

  22“He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’

  23“His lord said to him, q‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into rthe joy of your lord.’

  24“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

  25‘And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

  26“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You swicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

  27‘So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

  28‘Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

  29t‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

  30‘And cast the unprofitable servant uinto the outer darkness. vThere will be weeping and wgnashing of teeth.’

  The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

  31x“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the 3holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

  32y“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and zHe will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

  33“And He will set the asheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

  34“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, binherit the kingdom cprepared for you from the foundation of the world:

  35d‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; eI was a stranger and you took Me in;

  36‘I was fnaked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; gI was in prison and you came to Me.’

  37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

  38‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

  39‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

  40“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, hinasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

  41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, i‘Depart from Me, you cursed, jinto the everlasting fire prepared for kthe devil and his angels:

  42‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;

  43‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

  44“Then they also will answer 4Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

  45“Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, linasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

  46“And mthese will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

  Matthew 26

  The Plot to Kill Jesus

  (Mark 14:1, 2; Luke 22:1, 2; John 11:45–53)

  1Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,

  2a“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

  3bThen the chief priests, 1the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

  4and cplotted to take Jesus by 2trickery and kill Him.

  5But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the dpeople.”

  Th
e Anointing at Bethany

  (Mark 14:3–9; John 12:1–8)

  6And when Jesus was in eBethany at the house of Simon the leper,

  7a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.

  8fBut when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

  9“For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

  10But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.

  11g“For you have the poor with you always, but hMe you do not have always.

  12“For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My iburial.

  13“Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

  Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

  (Mark 14:10, 11; Luke 22:3–6)

  14jThen one of the twelve, called kJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

  15and said, l“What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.

  16So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

  Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples

  (Mark 14:12–21; Luke 22:7–13)

  17mNow on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

  18And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, n“My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”

  19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

  20oWhen evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

  21Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will pbetray Me.”

  22And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

  23He answered and said, q“He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.

  24“The Son of Man indeed goes just ras it is written of Him, but swoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! tIt would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”