Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

Jesus foretels his death, and

Α. Μ. 4037.
A. D. 33.

[blocks in formation]

17 And Jesus, going up to Jeru- || ping him, and desiring a certain A. Μ. 4037. salem, took the twelve disciples apart thing of him.

A. D. 33.

in the way, and said unto them, 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? 18 f Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the || She saith unto him, Grant that these my two Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

[blocks in formation]

Gentiles, that were called long after others, and even late in life, yet being more zealous and diligent in || the use of means, and in the exercise of every grace and virtue, and the employment of every talent intrusted with them, shall, in every branch of godliness and righteousness, far excel others who set out in the ways of God long before them. See note on chap. xix. 30. For many be called-Even all who hear the gospel, whether Jews or Gentiles; but few chosen-Only those who obey it; and even many who do for a time obey it, and that in reality, and are therefore, ὁι κλητοι, the called of Jesus Christ, Rom. i. 6; yet not persevering to give diligence to make their calling and election sure, by adding to their faith every grace, as directed by St. Peter, 2d Epist. i. 5-10, are not finally chosen to everlasting life, but excluded the marriage-feast for want of a wedding-garment: for without holiness no man shall see the Lord, and only he that is faithful unto death shall receive the crown of life. It seems necessary, before we dismiss this parable, to caution the reader against concluding, from any part of its contents, that the rewards to be conferred after death, or at the day of judgment, will be equal in all that receive them. For this would be to make the parable contradict a vast variety of the plainest passages of the New Testament, which assure us, in the most posi

sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of 1 the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with them baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23 And he saith unto them, " Ye shall drink

h Mark x. 35. Chap. iv. 21. Chap. xix. 28.1 Chap. xxvi. 39, 42; Mark xiv. 36; Luke xxii. 42; John xviii. 11. mLuke xii. 50. n Acts xii. 2; Rom. viii. 17; 2 Cor. i. 7; Rev. i. 9.

foretold his resurrection. And the particular manner in which he signifies how he should suffer; that the Jews should mock him, as if he were a fool; scourge him, as if he were a knave; spit upon him, (Mark x. 34,) to express their abhorrence of him as a blasphemer; and crucify him as a criminal slave, is a "remarkable proof of the extraordinary measure of the prophetic spirit which dwelt in him. For, humanly speaking, it was much more probable that he should have been privately assassinated, or stoned, as was before attempted, by some zealous transport of popular fury, than that he should have been thus solemnly condemned, and delivered up to crucifixion; a Roman punishment, with which we do not find that he had ever been threatened. Indeed, when the Jews condemned him for blasphemy, for which the punishment appointed in the law was stoning; and Pilate, at last, gave them a general permission to take him, and judge him according to their own law, (John xviii. 31; and xix. 7,) it is wonderful they did not choose to stone him; but all this was done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."Doddridge.

Verses 20-23. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children-Instigated, it seems, by them. See Mark x. 35. With her sons-James and John; worshipping him-That is, falling down before him;

tive manner, that when our Lord cometh, his reward || and desiring a certain thing of him, &c.-Con

is with him, to give unto every man according as his work shall be, that is, in proportion to the degree of the inward and outward holiness which he had attained in the days of his flesh, and according to the efforts he had made and the diligence he had used to glorify God, and serve his generation in obedience

sidering what he had just been speaking, was ever any thing more unseasonable? See also chap. xviii. 1; Mark ix. 34; where a similar spirit of ambition manifested itself among the disciples on a similar occasion, Christ having then also just foretold his sufferings. Grant that these my two sons

to the divine will: and according to the sufferings || may sit, &c., in thy kingdom-Still they expected which he had patiently endured. For, as one stara temporal kingdom. Jesus answered, Ye know not

differeth from another star in glory, so shall it be with the saints at the resurrection of the dead.

Verses 17-19. Jesus took the twelve disciples apart in the way-See note on Mark x. 32-34. And said, The Son of man shall be betrayed, &c. -This is the sixth time that Jesus foretold his own sufferings; see John ii. 19, 21; Matt. xvi. 21; xvii.

what ye ask-Ye are not aware what is implied in being advanced in my kingdom, and what is necessarily prerequired in order thereto. All who share in my kingdom must first share in my sufferings. Are you able and willing to do this? Both the expressions here used, the cup and the baptism, are to be understood of his sufferings and death. The

12, 22, 23; Luke xvii. 25; and the fifth time that he || like expressions were common among the Jews.

Jesus teaches true greatness.

A. D. 33.

[blocks in formation]

A. D. 33.

A. M. 4037. indeed of my cup, and be baptized || 29 And as they departed from A. M. 4037. with the baptism that I am baptized Jericho, a great multitude followed with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my || him. left, is not mine to give; but it shall be given | 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24 P And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

They say unto him, We are able-Not knowing, it appears, what they said. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my сир-" Accordingly it is observable, that this James was the first of all the aposties who suffered martyrdom for Christ, Acts xii. 2; and John was scourged by the Jews, Acts | v. 40; and afterward banished by Domitian into the isle of Patmos, where he speaks of himself as a companion in Christ's tribulation: (Rev. i. 9:) not to mention Tertullian's tradition, that at Rome he was plunged into boiling oil; by which, it is said, instead of being destroyed, he was sensibly refreshed; nor what the pretended Prochorus says of the attempts made by some heretics to poison him, which || is generally referred to in the pictures of this apostle, where the venom is ridiculously represented as coming out of the cup, in the form of a serpent, to signify, that the poison did not take effect."-Doddridge. To sit on my right hand, &c., is not mine || to give; but it shall be given, &c. -These words, but it shall be given, are not in the original, but are

the way-side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I should do unto you?

33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

y Isa. liii. 10, 11; Dan. ix. 24, 26; John xi. 51, 52; 1 Tim. ii. 6; Tit. ii. 14; 1 Pet. i. 19. Chap. xxvi. 28; Rom. v. 15, 19; Heb. ix. 28. a Mark x. 46; Luke xviii. 35.b Ch. ix. 27.

those for whom they are originally prepared, namely, these glories, to those who endure to the end in the faith that worketh by love, and the chief places to them who are most eminent for their graces, according to the unalterable laws of the divine administration.

Verses 24-28. And when the ten heard it-It is likely they overheard the conversation; they were moved with indignation-Being not only equally desirous, but in their opinion equally deserving of the principal posts, they took it exceedingly amiss that Zebedee's sons should have been so arrogant, and, it seems, expressed their resentment in words. But Jesus called them unto him, &c. --Jesus, being solicitous to cure that pride which made some of them ambitious and others jealous, called them unto him, and told them that his kingdom was not, as they imagined, of the same nature with the kingdoms of this world; and that the greatness of his disciples was not like the greatness of secular princes, which consists in reigning over others with abso

supplied, and that unnecessarily, by our translators. || lute and despotic sway; but that the greatness of The original words, εκ εςιν έμον δεναι, αλλ' οις ητοι- || his disciples would consist in doing men all the good

they possibly could by a continued course of humble laborious services, in imitation of their Master, whose greatness consisted, not in being ministered to by men, but in ministering to them as a servant, by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, instructing the ignorant, and laying down his life a ransom for the sins of many. This being the highest dignity in Christ's kingdom, he might well tell the two brothers that they did not know what they were asking, when they begged the honour of filling the highest station in it. See Macknight.

μαςαι, should be rendered, It is not mine to give, unless to them for whom it is prepared of my Father; αλλα being here put for ει μη, as it is also Mark ix. 8. That is, I can give the chief places in my kingdom to none but to those who, according to the immutable laws of my Father, are capable of occupying them. He applies to the glories of heaven what his disciples were so stupid as to understand of the glories of earth: but he does not deny that these are his to give. They are his to give in the strictest propriety, both as God, and as the Son of man. See John x. 28; Luke xxii. 29. He only asserts, that he gives them to none but || As he went out of Jericho with his disciples, (Mark,)

Verse 29. And as they departed from Jericho

[blocks in formation]

This chapter brings us to the last week of Christ's life. (1,) He enters Jerusalem in triumph, amid the loud acclamations of the people, 1-11. (2,) As the head of the church, he again expels the buyers and sellers from the temple, 12-16. (3,) In causing the barren fig-tree to wither by his word, he showed what would quickly happen to the Jewish Church and nation, 17-22. (4,) He justifies his own authority by appealing to the baptism of John, which his enemies did not dare to say was of human origin, 23-27. (5,) Не еxposes the infidelity and impenitence of the chief priests and elders by the repentance of the publicans, illustrated in the parable of the two sons, 28-32. (6,) He foretels the dreadful doom of the Jewish Church, for its unfruitfulness, in the parable of the vineyard let out to husbandmen, 33-46.

[blocks in formation]

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXI.

Verses 1-3. And when they drew nigh unto Jeru- || salem-Namely, on the first day of the week, five days before his death, for the passover was kept on | the fourteenth day of the month, and this was the tenth; on which day the law appointed that the paschal-lamb should be taken up, Exod. Exod. xii. xii. 3, 3, and and set apart for that service: on that day therefore Christ our passover, who was to be sacrificed for us, was publicly shown. So that this was the prologue to his passion. And were come to Bethphage -Mark says, and Bethany. Then sent Jesus two disciples, saying, Go into the village over against you-This, as the Arabian geographer informs us, was a little village two miles distant from the mount of Olives, toward the south. And straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her-As Mark | and Luke say that the colt was tied, the words of Matthew contain an ellipsis, which must be supplied thus, and a colt bound with her. It must be observed, also, that the other evangelists make mention only of the colt, because our Lord sat on him on.y. See note on verse 7. Here we have "a wonderful instance of Christ's prescience in very minute matters. He says, 1, You shall find a colt: 2, On which no man ever sat: 3, Bound with his mother: 4, In a place where two ways meet, Mark xi. 4: 5, As you enter into the village: 6, The owners of which shall at first seem unwilling that you should

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

unbind him: 7, But when they hear the Lord hath need of him, they will let him go." -Whitby.

Verses 4, 5. All this was done, &c. -Ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν δια το προφητε, that what was spoken by the pro phets might be fulfilled, that is, not only hereby the words of the prophet were fulfilled, but our Lord directed this to be done, that they might be fulfilled. As the prophets looked forward to him, and all bore witness to him; so he looked back upon them, that all things which were written of the Messiah might be punctually accomplished in him. Tell ye the daughter of Zion-That is, Jerusalem, so called from mount Zion, which was in the city, and on which was erected a fortress for its defence. This poetical manner of personifying the cities and countries, to which they addressed themselves, was familiar to the prophets. The first words of the passage are cited from Isa. lxii. 11, the rest from Zech. ix. 9. The ancient Jewish doctors were wont to apply these prophecies to the Messiah. On an ass-The Prince of peace did not take a horse, a warlike animal: but he will ride on that by and by, Rev. xix. 11. In the patriarchal ages, illustrious persons thought it no disgrace to make use of this animal: but it by no means appears that this opinion prevailed, or this custom continued, till the reign of Tiberius. Was it a mean attitude wherein our Lord then ap peared? mean even to contempt? We grant it: we glory in it: it is for the comfort of our souls, for the Jesus enters Jerusalem, amid

Α. Μ. 4037. A. D. 33.

[blocks in formation]

6 d And the disciples went, and did || 9 And the multitudes that went A. M. 4037. as Jesus commanded them,

7 And brought the ass and the colt, and on them their clothes, and they set thereon.

A. D. 33. h Bless

before, and that followed, cried, sayput || ing, & Hosanna to the son of David: him ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; f others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way.

d Mark xi. 4.- e 2 Kings 1x. 13. - Lev. xxiii. 40; John xii. 13.5 Psa. cxviii. 25. h Psa. cxviii. 26; Chap. xxiii. 39.

honour of his humility, and for the utter confusion of all worldly pomp and grandeur. Upon an ass, and a colt, &c.-"From the other evangelists it would appear that our Lord rode only on the colt; from this passage we should be apt to think that both had been used. But it is not unusual with the sacred authors, when either the nature of the thing spoken of, or the attendant circumstances are sufficient for precluding mistakes, to employ the plural number for the singular."-Campbell.

Verses 6-8. The disciples went, &c. (and found even as he had said unto them, Luke,) found his prediction exactly true. And how convincing must this have been of the divine mission of Jesus, not only to the two disciples that were sent, but to every unprejudiced person in that great multitude who were witnesses to his uttering the prediction, and saw the disciples bring the ass and the colt, and heard their testimony, that they had found every thing as Christ had foretold. This was another remarkable instance, like that recorded chapter xvii. 27; where see the note. And brought the ass, &c., and put on them their clothes-Τα ιματια, their mantles.-Campbell. And set him thereon-That is, on the clothes, which were spread upon the colt instead of a saddle. For though the creature had never been used in riding before, it was perfectly tame on this occasion. A very great multitude spread their garments, &c. -The multitude which attended him on this journey had increased prodigiously as he advanced toward Jerusalem, and he did not now shun them, as he had always done on former occasions. "The people were to honour him with the title of Messiah publicly, that he might have an opportunity of accepting that august name in the most avowed manner, before he ascended into heaven. Moreover, the priests, who had issued out a proclamation against him, (John xi. 57,) were

10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus * the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Mark xi.15; Luke xix. 45; John ii. 13, 15. Chap. ii. 23: Luke vii. 16; John v1. 14; vi1. 40; ix. 17.

cities. For as they all firmly believed that he would take the reins of government into his own hands at this passover, they had a mind to make his entry into Jerusalem have the air of a triumph. Accordingly some spread their garments in the way: others cut down branches of the trees, and strewed them in the way-Carrying the larger sort on high in procession before the Messiah, as demonstrations of their joy.

Verses 9-11. And the multitude that went before, and that followed-In this triumphal procession, cried, saying-Probably from a divine impulse; for certainly most of them understood not the words they uttered, Hosanna-(Lord, save us,) which was a solemn word in frequent use among the Jews. The meaning is, "We sing Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he, the Messiah, of the Lord. Save, thou that art in the highest heavens." Our Lord restrained all public tokens of honour from the people till now, lest the envy of his enemies should interrupt his preaching before the time. But this reason now ceasing, he suffered their acclamations, that they might be a public testimony against their wickedness, who, in four or five days after, cried out, Crucify him, crucify him. The expressions recorded by the other evangelists are somewhat different from these: but all of them were undoubtedly used by some or others of the multitude. And all the city was moved-Was in a great commotion at so uncommon an appearance, saying, Who is this? - That comes in all this pomp, and is attended with these high congratulations And the multitude-Namely, that came along with him, said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth - What a stumbling-block was this! If he was of Nazareth, he could not be the Messiah. But they who earnestly desired to know the truth would not stumble thereat: for, upon inquiry, (which such

to be awed, at least, for a while, and restrained from | would not fail to make,) they would find, he was

offering him violence. For as he had doctrines to teach, rebukes to give, and other things to do, that would not fail to incense those proud rulers, with

out doubt they would have put him to death pre-tended by the great ones of the country, nor met

not of Nazareth, but Bethlehem. Thus Sion's king comes to Sion; and the daughter of Sion had notice of his coming long before; and yet he is not at

maturely, had not the people appeared on his side." Now, it seems, when this great multitude saw him mounted, they immediately bethought themselves of showing him the honours which kings were wont to receive at their creation; (see 2 Kings ix. 15;)

by the magistrates of the city in their formalities, as might have been expected. The keys of the city are not presented to him, nor is he conducted, as he ought to have been, with all possible ceremony, to the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the

and in their triumphal entries into their capital || house of David, Psa. cxxii. 5. Here is nothing of

Jesus drives out those who

Α. Μ. 4037.

A. D. 33.

[blocks in formation]

A. D. 33.

12¶1 And Jesus went into the tem- || saw the wonderful things that he did, A. M. 4037. ple of God, and cast out all them and the children crying in the temthat sold and bought in the temple, and over-ple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; threw the tables of them money-changers, and they were sore displeased,

the seats of them that sold doves,

16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what Mythese say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; but have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ? 17

13 And said unto them, It is written, house shall be called the house of prayer; ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

15 And when the chief priests and scribes

1 Mark xi. 11; Luke xix. 45; John ii. 15. m Deut. xiv. 25. n Isa. lvi. 7.

all this: yet he has his attendants; and those a very great multitude. But alas! they are only the common people (the rabble, we should have been apt to call them) that grace the solemnity of Christ's triumph. The chief priests and elders are not among them. We find them afterward, indeed, intermixed with the multitude that reviled him, when he hung on the cross, but none of them are here joining with the multitude that did him honour! Ye see, here, your calling, brethren; not many mighty, or noble, attend on Christ; but the foolish things of the world, and base things, and things that are despised. Such is what has been termed the triumph of Christ! But what sort of a triumph is it? Not like the triumphs of the potentates and conquerors of the world: but the triumph of humility, self-denial, meekness, and love, over the pride, vain glory, ambition, and selfishness of carnal and worldly-minded men.

And he left them, and went out of the city into a Bethany; and he lodged there.

• Jer. vii. 11; Mark xi. 17; Luke xix. 46. -p Psa. viii. 2. 9 Mark xi. 11; John xi. 18.

is ιερον, not ναος. By the latter word was meant properly the house, including only the vestibule, the holy place or sanctuary, and the most holy. Whereas the former comprehended all the courts. It was in the outermost court that this sort of traffic was exercised. For want of a name, in European languages, peculiar to each, these two are confounded in most modern translations. To the ναος, or temple, strictly so called, none of those people had access, not even our Lord himself, because not of the posterity of Aaron."-Campbell. And the blind and lame-Having heard of his arrival in the city, and requested their friends to lead them to the place where he was; came to him in the temple, and he healed them-In the presence of all the people. "Many such afflicted persons would, no doubt, be waiting in the several avenues of the temple to ask alms, at a time when there would be such a vast concourse of people: and there seems a peculiar

Verses 12-14. And Jesus went into the temple-propriety in our Lord's multiplying these astonish

He did not go up to the court, or to the palace,
though he came in as a king; but to the temple; for
his kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world. It
is in holy things that he rules, and in the temple of
God that he exercises authority. And cast out them ||
that sold and bought-Namely, doves and oxen for
sacrifice. He had cast them out three years before,
(John ii. 14,) bidding them not make that house a
house of merchandise: upon the repetition of the

ing miracles, both to vindicate the extraordinary act of authority he had just been performing, and to make this his last visit to Jerusalem as convincing as possible, that those who would not submit to him might be left so much the more inexcusable." -Doddridge.

Verses 15-17. When the chief priests, &c., saw the wonderful things he did-The undeniable and astonishing miracles which he performed, and the

offence, he uses sharper words; In the temple-That | children crying in the temple, and continuing the

song which the multitude had begun, Hosanna to the son of David, they were sore displeased-Inwardly vexed and filled with indignation. The works that Christ did recommended themselves to every man's conscience: if they had any sense, they could not but own the miracle of them; and if any good-nature, they could not but be in love with the mercy of them; yet, because they were resolved

is, in the outer court of it, where the Gentiles used to worship. The money-changers-The exchangers of foreign money into current coin, which those who came from distant parts might want to offer for the service of the temple. And said unto them -As he turned them out, It is written-Namely, Isa. lvi. 7, My house shall be called a house of prayer-To all nations, Mark xi. 17. That is, a place to which they shall resort for the perform-to oppose him, even for these works they envied

ance of religious worship: but ye have made it a den of thieves-A harbour of wicked men; a place || where traffic is carried on by persons of the most

and hated him. And said, Hearest thou what these (the children) say?--Insinuating that it was his duty to stop their mouths, by refusing the praises which

infamous character, who live by deceit and oppres- | they offered without understanding what they said. sion, and practise the vilest extortion, even in the Jesus saith, Yea; have ye never read-Are you unhouse of the most righteous and blessed God. "Let acquainted with the Scriptures? You, that want it be observed, that the word rendered temple here, || the people to regard you as the great teachers of

« VorigeDoorgaan »