73 Cibrarjp of Che trheolo^ical ^eminarjo PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY PRESENTED BY Princeton University Library -^ \- >^-^^ . \\ > s "^ Pr 1 1 ce t en nr. i vev^l ty "^^^ Library » ^f'"' THE \J^ !^0Q!^,^ nrV^^ FOUR GOSPELS, ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORIZED VERSION, WITH ORIGmAL AND SELECTED PARALLEL REFERENCES AND MARGINAL READINGS, AND AN ORIGINAL AND COPIOUS REV. DAVID 6rOWN, D.D. PROFESSOR, FREE CHURCU COLLEGE, ABERDEEN. PHILADELPHIA: WILLIAM S. & ALFRED MAPtTIEN, No. C06 CHESTNUT STREET. 1859. CHEONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE MIRACLES OF CHEI5T. On tJie order of some of our Lord's miracles and parables, the data being scanty, coj> siderahle difference obtains. ^IlRACLES. Where wrought. Wliere recorded. Water made wine, Cana, Traders cast out of the temple, Jerusalem, • Nobleman's sou healed, . . . ICana, First miraculous draught of fishes. Sea of Galilee, Leper healed, Capernaum Centurion's servant healed, . ■ Capernaum, Widow's son raised to life, . . Nain, Demoniac healed, Capernaum, Peter's mother-in-law healed, . Capernaum, Paralytic healed, Capernaum, Impotent man healed, .... Jerusalem, Man with withered hand healed, jGalilee, Blind and dumb demoniac healed,! Galilee, Tempest stilled, Sea of Galilee, Demoniacs dispossessed, . . . Gadara, Jairus' daughter raised to life, . Capernaum, Issue of blood healed Near Capernaum, . Two blind men restored to sight, Capernaum, Dumb demoniac healed, , . . Capernaum, rive thousand miraculously fed, Decapolis. Jesus walks on the sea, . . . Sea of Galilee, Syrophenician's daughter healed. Coasts of Tyre&Sidon Deaf and dumb man healed, . . Decapolis, Pour thousand fed, ..... Decapolis, BUnd mau restored to sight, . . iBethsaida, Demoniac and lunatic boy healed, iNearCesareaPhilippi Miraculous provision of tribute, 1 Capernaum, The eyes of one bom blind opened, Woman, of 18 years' infirmity, Dropsical man healed, . [cured- Ten lepers cleansed, Lazarus raised to life, .... Two blind beggars restored to sight Barren fig-tree blighted, . . . Buyers and sellers again cast out, Malchus' ear healed, .... Second draught of fishes, . . . Jerusalem, [Perea.] I Perea.] Borders of Samaria, Bethany, Jericho, Bethany, Jerusalem,' ". Getlisemane, Sea of GaUlee, John, 2, 1-11. Johu, 2, 13-17. John, 4, 46-54 Luke, 5, 1-lL Matt 8, 2-4; Mark, 1, 40-45; Luke, 6, IS-li Matt. 8, 5-13; Luke, 7, 1-10. Luke. 7, 11-17. Mark, 1, 21-23; Luke, 4, 31-37. Matt. 8, 14,15; :\[ark, 1, 29-31; Luke, 4.38, 3a Matt 9, 2-8; Mark, 2, 1-12; Luke, 5, lV-a6. John, 5, 1-16. Matt 12,10-14; Mark,3,l-fi; Luke, 6,6-lL Matt 12, 22-24; Luke, 11, 14. Matt 8, 23-27; Mark, 4, 35-41; Luke, 8, 22-25. Matt 8, 28-34; Mark, 5,1-20. Matt 9, 18-26; Mark, 5, 22-24; Luke, 8, 41-56. jratt 9, 27-31. Matt 9, 32-34. r John, 6, 5-14. Matt. 14, 13-21; Mark,C, 31-44; Luke, 9, l(i-17; Matt 14, 22-33; Mark, 6, 45-52; John, 6, 15-21. Matt. 15, 21-28; Mark, 7, 24-30. Mark, 7,31-37, Matt 15, 32-39; Mark, 8, 1-9. Mark, 8,22-26. INIatt 17, 14-21; Mark, 9, 14-23; Luke, 9,37-43, Matt 17, 24-27. John, 9,1-41. Luke, 13, 10-17. Luke, 14, 1-6. Luke, 17, 11-19. John, 11, 1-46. Matt 20, 29-34; : Matt 21, 12, 13, Luke, 19, 45, 46. Matt. 26, 51-54; : John, 21, 1-14. , Mark, 10. 46-52; La 18,35-431 19; Mark, 11, 12-24. , Mark, 14, 47-49; Luke, 22, 50, [51; John, 18, 10, 11. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE PAEABLES OF CHRIST. Parables, The two debtors, The strong man armed, . . . The unclean spirit, . . . * . The sower, ........ The tares and wheat, .... The mustard seed, ..... The seed growing secretly, . . The leaven, The hid treasure The pearl of great price, . . , The draw net The unmerciful servant, ... The good Samaritan The friend at midnight, . . . The rich fool, The barren fig-tree, ..... The great supper, . . . . , The lost sheep, Thelost piece of money, . . . The prodigal son, ...... The good shepherd The unjust steward, ..... The rich man and Lazarus, . . The profitable servants, . , . The importunate widow. . . . The Pharisees and publicans, , The labourers in the vineyard, , The pounds, The two sons, The wicked husbandmen. . . . The marriage of the king s son. The ten virgins, .;...: ^Tbetaleuts, . Where spolcen. [Capernaum,] Galilee, Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee,' Sea-shore of Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee, Sea-shore of Galilee, Capernaum, Near Jerusalem, Near Jerusalem, GalUee, Galilee, Perea, , Perea, Perea, Perea, Jerusalem 7 Perea, '^ Perea, Perea, Perea, Perea, Perea, Jericho, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Mount of Olives, Where recorded. Luke, 7, 40-43. Matt 12, 29; Mark, 3, 27; Luke, 11, 21, 22. Matt 12, 43-45; Luke, 11, 24-26. Matt 13,3 9,18-23, Mark, 4, 3-9, 14-20; Luke, Matt 13,24-30,36,-43. [8, 5-8. 11-15. Matt 13, 31, 32; Mark, 4, 30-32; Lu. 13, 18, 10. Mark, 4. 26-29. l\Iatt 13, 33; Luke, 13, 20, 2L Matt. 13, 44. Matt 13, 45, 46. Matt 13, 47-50. Matt 18, 21-35, Luke, 10, 29-37. Luke, 11, 5-a Luke, 12, 16-2L Luke, 13, 6-9. Luke, 14, 15-24 Matt 18, 12-14; LukC, 15, 3-7. Luke, 15, 8-10. Luke, 15, 11-33. John, 10, 1-18. Luke, 16, 1-8. Luke, 16, 19-31. Luke, 17, 7-10. Luke, IS, 1-8, Luke, 18, 9-14 Matt 20, 1-18, Luke, 19, 11-27. Matt 21, 28-32. Matt 21,33-44; Mark,lS,l-12;Lukc,C0,0-ja Matt 22, 1-14. 3Iatt 25, 1-13. Matt. 25, 14-3a OT-5XtT? tT' THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. MATTHEW. CnAPTEH I. I Tht pentalogy of Jesxts Christ: 18 Mary's mi- rofulous ameef'tion; Jeans is born: iil, 23 At* i»>i»i«>, with their interpretation. T^ll E book of the » generation of Jesus -*- Christ, t> the son of Da\id, * the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thaniar; and <* I'hares begat Esrom; and Esroni begat Aram ; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Ami- nartab begat *Naasson; and I^aasson begat Salmon; 6 And Salmon begat Booz of /Kachab: and Uooz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And "Jesse begat Da\id the king; and David * the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Unas; 7 And » Solomon begat Koboam ; and Ro- boam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa be^at Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9 And Ozias begat Joatham ; and Joatham begat Achaz ; and Achaz hegat Ezekias ; 10 And > Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manassea begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11 And 1 Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren.about the time they were * canied away to Babylon: 12 And after they were brought to Babj-- lon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Sala- thiel begat < Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc bcL'at Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan ; and Matthan begat Jacob : 16' And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was bom "* Jesus who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from Da\id until the carrying a^^ay into Babylon are fourteen generations; and frfim the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. 18 H Now the " biith of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing " to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee ilary thy wife; p for that which is 2 con- ceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou Shalt call his name 3 JESDS; for She shall save his people from their sins. 22 (Now all this was done, that '" it might Ua. 11. 1. ch. 22. 42- Acts 2. 30. R«m. 1. 3. c Gal. 3. 16. d Kuth 4.18. 1 Ch 2 6,9. « Num. 1. 7. f Josh. 6.22. Heb.il.31. g 1 Sam. 16 1. h 2 Sa.12.24. i 1 Chr.3.10. j 2 £1.2(1 21. 1 Some read, be^-at Jakira,and be;at Jcchoniaa. 1 Chr.3.15. k 2 Ki.25.11. Jer. 27.20. Jer.52. 11. Dan. 1. 2. { Eira .3. 2. H»g. 1. 1. m Gen. 3.15. Isa. 9. e. !«» 53. 2, JohD3. 14 Rom. 9. 5. lTim.3.1G. n Luke 1.27. Gal. 4. 4. Heb. 10. 6. o Deut. 24.1. p Luke 1. 36. 2 t.e,'otton. 3 That is, q Gen. 49.10. Jer. 33 16. Dan. 9. 24. Acts 5. 31. Heb. 7. 25. 1 JohD3.5. RcT. 1. 6. r Ueb. 6. 18. 8 Isa. 7. 11. t Isa. 9. 6. 1 Tim .3. 16. 4 Or, his name shall bo called, u Ex. 13. 2. CHAP. 2. o Dan. 9. 24. Liike 2. 4. 6 Gen. 10. 30. Gen. 25. 6. 1 Ki. 4. 30. laa. 11. 10. e Luke 2. 11. d Nu. 24. 17. e P.. 2. 1. / 2 Ch.34.13. Jlal. 2. 7. h Mic. 5. 2. i Key. 2. 2". 1 Or, feed. Isa. 40. 11. ;■ P.. 2. 12. John 6. 23. be ftilfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying. 23 Behola • a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and * they shall call his name Eninianuel, which, being interpreted, is, * God with us.) 24 Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife; ; 25 And knew her not till she had brought I forth " her first-born son: and he called his name JESUS. i CHAPTER IL 1 Wise men enquire after Chritt: 11 they worship him, and offer ■presents. 13 Joseph fteeth into Mgypt with Jesus an4 Alary. 16 Herod slayeth the children at £ethlehem: 19 Christ brought cut of Egypt. "NJO W when " Jesus was bom in Bethlehem -'-^ of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men * from the east to Jemsalem, 2 Saying, « Where is he that is bom King of the Jews? for we have seen <* his star in the east, and are come to Avorship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he bad gathered all 'the chief priests and /scribes of the people to- gether, ^ he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the pro- phet, 6 And '» thou, Bethlehem, in the land of J uda, art not the least among the princes of J uda: for out of thee shall come a Gov- ernor, » that shall i mle my people IsraeL 7 Then Herod, when he had pnvily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said. Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have fomid him, bring me word again, that I may come and wor- ship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw La the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 H And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Ma)-- his mother, and fell down and J worshippea him: and when they had opened their treasures, they 2 presented mi to him gifts; gold, and franldncense, and mynh. 12 And being warned of God * in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 IT And when they were departed, be- hold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 11 When he arose, he took the young child THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. MATTHEW. CHAPTER I. Vee. l-ir. Genealogy OF Christ. l.Book of the generation— table of the pedigree. So Ge. 5. 1. This is the title, then, only of the first 17 verses. Of Jesus Christ— JEsrs is the Personal, Christ the Official name of our Lord. See on v. 21, & v. 16. The Son of David the Son of Abr. — Abraham was the first, David the last, in connection with whose family Messiah was promised (Ge. 22. 18; 2 Sa. 7. 12.- 16.^. Hence, as from his nearest father, he was styled 'The Son of David' (M. 12. 23; etc.); see also on v. 6, & Preface. 2. Judah— Jacob's fourth son only is here named, Messiah's descent being through him Ge. 49. 10.). 3, 5, 6. Of Thamar, of Bachab, ofRuth, ofher of Unas. Four women are here introduced, two of them Gentiles by birth, and three with a blot at their names in the Old Testament. By this, he who styles himself *M. the publican would point to the grace that could reach not only to 'them that afar off.' but down to ' publicans and harlots,' and raise them to "sit with the princes of his people." 6. David the king— so styled as first of the royal line of Messiah, who was to ** sit on the throne of his father David." 8. Joram begat Ozias— Three idolatrous kings are here omitted; probably to compress the whole into three fourteens. see v. 17. 11. Jechonias and his brethren— meaning Josiah's grandson, and his uncles who came to the throne. 12. The time they were carried away— lit. ' of their migration' or ' removal;' for the Jews avoid- ed the word ' captivity,' as too bitter a recol- lection. 13-15. These names are not found in the O. T. but were doubtless taken from the public or family registers, which the Jews kept, and their accuracy was never challenged. 16. Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesns— Joseph being his legal father, it was important that he too should be seen to be of the royal line. Thus, our Lord's descent from David was never questioned. Called Christ— Mes- siah from the Hebrew.) and Christ from the Greek,) have exactly the same mean- ing, anointed. It is applied to the kiyigs (1 Sa. 24. 6, 10.),to the priests Le. 4. 5, 16, etc.', and to the larophets iKi. 19.16.), as being anointed with oil, the symbol of the needful spiritual gifts, to consecrate them to office; and to the promised Deliverer, in its most sublime and comprehensive sense, as consecrated to an office embracing aU three, by the immeasur- able anointing of the Holy Ghost (Is. 61. 1; J. 3. ?4.). Fourteen generations— That is, the whole may be conveniently divided into three four- teens, each embracing one marked era, and each ending with a notable event, in the Is- raelitish annals. Such artificial aids to me- mory were familiar to the Jews. 18-25. Birth of Christ. 18. This wise- lit, 'thus.' found— discovered to be. Holy Ghost— That the Holy Ghost is a Person, is plainly impUed here, and elsewhere clearly taught (A. 5. 3, 4, etc.). That He is distinct from the Father and the Son in the tinity of the Godhead is also clearly taught (M. 28. 19; 2 Co. 13. 14.). Ou the miraculous conception of Chri.'Jt. see on L. 1. S.'. 19. "Set Husband, and v. 20. Mary thy wife.— Espousals or betrothal was equivalent in law to mar- riage. In giving Maiy up therefore, Joseph had to divorce her by a legal document, make her a public example— 'expose her,' see De. 22. 23, 24.). privily— privately ; by giving her the writing of divorcement (De. 24. l.). before two or three witnesses, and without cause assigned, instead of bringing her before a magistrate. 20. Joseph Son of David— This style of address, reminaing him of what aU the families of David's line so eagerly covet- ed, would at once prepare him for the mar- vellous announcement which followed. 21. Jesus— originally Jehoshua, 'Jehovah the Saviour;' afterwards contracted into Jeshua, or (in Greek] Jes^is; sweetest of all names, expressing so melodiously his whole office and work! for He shall save— The 'He' is emphatic here: q. d. 'He and no other,' 'He personally, and by personal acts.' His people— the lost sheep of the house of Israel first (A, 5. 31.,; then, on the breaking down of the middle wall of partition, ' the redeem- ed unto God by his blood, out of every kin- dred, and people, and tongue, and nation, from their sins— in the most comprehensive sense seeEph. 5. 25-27.) ; of salvation from sin; from the guilt, the strength, the being of it, "spot and wrinkle and every such thing. The proper Deity of Christ is v:ritten as ivtth a sxivheam here cf. L. 1. 68, withPs. 130. 7, 8.). 23. They shall, &c.— He shall be known and recognized as 'God with rs,' God mani- fested in the flesh. 25. The word 'till' does not settle the much disputed question, whether Mary had any children to Joseph after the birth of Christ, for it is often used where the event referred to never afterwards occurred. (But see on ch. 13. 55, 56. i. A double end was gained by our Lord being bom of a betrothed virgin: the reproach of illegitimacy was avoided, and a protection of his infancy provided. CHAPTER n. Ver. 1-12. Visit of the Magi. 1. Beth- lehem of Judea — so called to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, near the sea of Galilee (Jo. 1 19. 15,): it is called B. Judah, as being in that tribe (Ju. 17. 7,'; also Ephrath Ge. 3.5. 16.); and combining both, Bethlehem Ephratah INIi. 5. 2.). It layabout six miles S. IV. of Jerusalem, see on L. 2. 4. Herod the king— styled the Great, son of Antipater, an Edomite, made king by the Komans: thus was 'the sceptre departing from Judah,' (Ge. 49. 10.1, a sign that Messiah was at hand. Wise Men— lit. Magi, or Magicians from the east; probably a class of astrologers, to whom Balaam's prophecy, Nu. 24. 17, and perhaps Daniel's, 9. 24, etc. might have come down by tradition; but nothing definite is known of them. 2. King of the Jews— This shows they were not themselves Jews. Suetonius and Tacitus, Eoman historians, testify to a General expectation in the east that out of udea should arise a sovereign of the world; and V. 11, shows that they deemed this ' King Of the Jews' to be their king also. His star— Preaching of John the Baptist, MATTHEW, 111, IV . Chi-ist tempted of the devil. and his mother by night, and departed Into 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was Bpoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out ' of Egypt have I called my son. IG IT Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceed- ing wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in aU the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he h.id diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was Broken by "* Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Kama was there a voice heard, lam- entation, and weeping,and great mourning, Kachel weeping/or her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 IT But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dieam to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the ymmg child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Isi'ael, 22 But when he heard that Arch elans did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: not- withstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside "into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city " called Kazareth: that it might be fulfiUea P which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a 3 Nazarene. CHAPTER IIL 1 John preacheth; his office, 6 and baptism: 7 he rebuketh the Fharistes, 13 Chriit baptized by John in Jordan. TN those days came "John the Baptist, ■*■ preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 And saymg, Repent ye: for "the king- dom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, "iThe voice ot one crymg in the wilderness, * Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And /the same John*" had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was "locusts and wild » honey. 5 IT Then went out to him Jerusalem, and aU Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And } were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of A-ipers, who hath warned you to flee from «the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits i meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves. We * have Abraham to our father: for 1 say nuto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: ""therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good Ihiit is hewn down, and cast into the lire. HI" indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me IS mightier thou I, whose shoes I am not CHAP. 8. a Mai. 3. 1. Mark 1.4. Luke 3. 2. John 1.28. b Jos. 14. 10. c Dan. 2. 44. ch. 10. 7. d Ua. 4U. 3. e Luke 1. 76. f Mark 1. 6. g 2 Kin. 1. 8. h Lev. 11.22. i 1 Sa. 14.25. > Acts 19. 4. * Rom. 6. 9. 1 Thes.1.10. lOr, answerable to amend- ment of life. 2 Cor. 7. 1, 11. I John 8. 33. Actsl3.-.:G. Bom. 4. 1. »» ch. 7. 19. John 15. 6. Heb. 6. 8. n Mark 1.8. Luke 3.16. John 1.33. Acts 1. 6. Isa. 4. 4. Mai. 3. 2. Acts 2.3,4. Titus 3. 6. P Mai. 3. 3. ? Mai. 4. 1. ch. 13. 30. r ch. 2. 22. 8 Dan. 9. 24. t Mark 1. 10. Luke 3.22. John 1. 32. V John 12.28. V) Vs. 2. 7. Isa. 42. 1. Luke 9.35. Col. 1. 13. CHAP. 4. <J Mark 1.12. Luke 4. 1. 6 1 Ki.18.12. Ezo. 3. 14. Acta 8. 39. « Heb. 4. 15. d Ex. 34. 28. e Eph. 6. 17. / Deut. 8. 3. 9 Neh. 11. 1. h Ps. 91. 11. t Dcut.6. 16. > Deut. 6. 13. k Jura. 4. 7. I Heb. 1. 14. m Luke 3.20. 1 Or .deliver- ed up. n 1)1.9. 1,2. worthy to bear: » he shall baptize you witb the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 "Whose yfan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the gamer; but he will « bum up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13 H Then cometh Jesus ^ from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him. Suffer it to he so now: for thus it becometh us to * fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And ' Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw " the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And " lo a voice from heaven, sajing, This «■ is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. CHAPTER IV. 1 ChrUt fasttth, is tempted, and overeometh: 17 he beginneth to preach i 18 7ie caXUth i'eter and Andrew : 'J3 he teacheth in the tynagogue, and heaUth the diseased. fpilEN was " Jesus led up of » the Spirit -*■ into the wUdemess to be ' tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had <* fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, ' It is written, Man /shall not live by bread alone, but by every \Nord that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up g into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written. He '» shall give his angels charge concern- ing thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot agamst a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again. Thou » shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up mto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Lim all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ; 9 And saith unto him. All these things will 1 give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan : for it is written, i Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou ser\'e. 11 Then the de\-il * leaveth him ; and, behold, * angels came and ministered unto him. 12 IT Now "•when Jesus had heard that John was i cast into prison, he departed into Galilee ; 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthahm: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saymg, 15 The "land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the GeuliieB; Joseph JtceVi into Egvpt MATTTTEW. m. probably a huninous meteor. Worship— see on r. 11. 3. Troubled— Herod was concerned for fear of his crown, and all Jenisalem— for fear of what bloody Herod might do, as well as of popular commotions. 4. the chief priests and scribes— The Sanhedrim, consist- ing of 71 members, demanded of them— as the authorized interpreters of Scripture, where Christ should be bom — according to prophecy. 5. in Bethlehem of Judea — an involuntary testimony to Jesus from the highest ecclesiastical authority; which yet at length condemned him to die. 6. art not the least— 'Tliis event ^vill lift thee from the humblest to the highest rank,' rule — lit. •feed' (Marg.i. In the O. T. kings are called shepherds (Ez. 34. etc.), and under this beauti- ful image Jehovah's and Messiah's relation to his people is set forth Ps. 23. etc.). 8. I may come and worship also— Tlie cumiiug of the bloody h%i:)ocrite ! but it served as a safe-con- duct to the strangers. 9. Lo, the star which they saw in the E.— Tliis shows it must have disappeared in the interval ( see v. 10.). went before . . stood over, &c.— This could hardly be but by a luminous meteor, and not veryhigh. 11. fell down and worshipped him:—' worship' is used of any homage to a superior, espec- ially a sovereign; but clearly it was no civil homage to a petty Jewish king, which the Btar-guided strangers came so far,and enquir- ed so eagerly, and rejoiced with such exceed- ing joy to pay, but a loftier spiritual homage, presented— Tliis word is seven times used in the N. T. and always in a rcUmmis sense, of offerings to God. gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh— visits were seldom paid to sovereigns without a present 1 K. ip. 2, etc. See Ps. 72. 10, 11, 15.). Here the feelings ot the givers are seen in the richness of their gifts. 13-23. Flight INTO Egypt. 14.bynight— the same night. The young child and his mother— a remarkable expression, to show that Joseph was only the child's guardian. Egypt — being near, and a Roman province independent of Herod, and much inhabited by Jews, it was an easy and convenient re- fuge. 15. Until the death of Herod— about a year or less after this, of a horrible disease. That it might be fulfilled— verified in its hidi- est sense. 16. Mocked— ' trifled with.' two years old and under— taking a large sweep, not to miss his mark. 17, 18. relates to the Babylonish captivity, but Eachel being buried near Bethlehem, is represented as weeping over again for the loss of her cliil- dren, now by a bloody death, as then by a sad captivity. They are dead which— See Ex. 4. 19. 22. Heard that Archelaus. . . was afraid —He succeeded as ethnarch to Judea, Sa- maria, and Idumea; after a nine years' reign of injustice and cruelty, he was ban- ished, and Judea reduced to a Eoman pro- vince. Then ' the sceptre' clean ' departed from Judah' (see on v. 1.). Galilee— the north province; Samaria the central; Judea the southern. Into those three was the v.hole country W. of the Jordan divided at this time. 23. Nazareth — a small secluded town in lower Galilee, about equally distant from the Medit. sea on the \VT and the sea of Gal. in the E. A Nazarene— 'contemptible' is perhaps the thing meant J. 1. 40. , spoken by the prophets— the spirit of their testimony, not the very words of any one prophet. CHAPTEliin. Ver. 1-12. Pkeaching and Baj-iish or rnplismofJohn, John.— 1. Thos-e days— of Christ's secluded Ufa at Nazareth. For the exact lime, see L. 3. 1, Wilderness of Judea— the desert- valley of ih.ft Jordan, thinly peopled and bare in pa.stute,' a little N. of Jems, (see on v. 3.). 2. Re- pent—the word denotes a change of mind. kingdom of heaven — this sublime plirase occurs only in the first gospel, specially ad- dressed to the Jcus, as if expressly to meet their carnal views. It means Messiah's kingdom, both in its inward and otduard departments. Repent ye, for— Deliverance from sin, the chief blessing of Christ's king- dom (1. 21.). can be valued only by those to whom sin is a burden (9.12.). John there- fore was sent to awaken this feeling, and hold out the hope of a speedy and preciotis remedy. 3. This prophecy is quoted in all the gospels, to show that Christ, like the gi-eat ones of the earth, was to have his im- mediate approach announced, and his way prepared. Wilderness— the scene of his min- istiy was to correspond with its rough nature. Prepare the way— i. e. remove what- ever stands in the v;av of Messiah's triumphs. "Tlie Lord," whose way was to be pre- pared, is, in Is. 40. 3, called "Jehovah" and "our Gop;" a bright evidence of Christ's proper Divinity. 4. camel's hair — i. e. woven of it. leathern girdle— the pro- phetic dress of Elijah 2 Ki. l. 8;cf Ze. 13.4.). locust— the great well-known eastern locust, a food of the poor (Le. 11. 22.). wild honey —made by wild bees (1 Sa. 14. 25, 26.). This chess and diet, with the wild ' cry' in the wilderness, would recall the stern days of Ehjah. 6. baptized of him— A public seal (1.) of their /e« need of < redemption as sin- ners; (2.) expectation of tJie promised Deliverer; (3.) readiness to embrace him when he ap- peared. The Jews, it would seem, baptized proselytes, but this was the baptism of Jeu'S themselves. 7. Phar. and Sadd.— See Table of Sects, etc. generation of vipers— expressing the deadly influence of both sects on the com- mimity (12.34; 23. 33.). flee from the wrath to Striking expression of the real import of this step! (Eo._l,.18;l Th. 1. ip.) who hath warned you— (/. d. 'What can have brought you hither ? ' He more than suspected it was the popularity of his movement rather than their own spiritual anxieties. 9. Abraham to our father— the fatal rock onwhich the nation spUt ;J. 8. 33, 39, 53.'. these stones— 'l"he pebbles of the bare clay hills lay around, to which the Baptist pointed." (Stanley's 'Sinai and Pales- tine,' 1856. p. 311.). The calling of the Gentiles is meant iGa. 3, 28. 29; Eph. 2. 14.). The im,- penitence of those nursed amid the privileges of the visible Church cannot disar point God of a people (J. 6. 36, 37.). 11. 1 baptize with water— q. d. I am but the servant, but the Master is coming: I administer the symbol of purifica- tion; His it is to di.spense the reality. I'he shoes— (sandals,) were tied and untied, and borne about by the humblest servants, bap- tize with Holy Ghost— (See on 1. 20.). The pour- ing out of the Spirit was a familiar figure in the O. T. with fire- another figure of the same purif jing baptism. Tlie visible sjtu- bol of fire appeared at Pentecost (A. 2. 3.). Observe the Baptist's lofty views of his Master and loivUj esteem of himself. 12. fan— winnowing fan, the Gospel, whose re- ception or rejection would separate all into two classes, floor — bam floor, the visible Church, wheat— 50 Jici, precious saints IL. ChrisFs sermon MATTHEW, V. C« *hc mouvt. 16 The "people which sat in darkness saw KTeat light; and to thera which sat in the region and shadow of death light ia sprung up. 17 From P that time Jesoa began to preach, and to say, ' Kenent: lor the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18 IT And '■Jesus, walking by the sea of (Jalilee, saw two brethren, Simon • called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them. Follow me, and * I will make j-ou fishers of men. 20 And " they straightway left their nets, and followed him. -I And ' going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of' Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their uets ; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23 IT And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching "" in their synagogues, and preach ing the gospel of the kingdom, and healing nil manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his '^fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those wiiich were pos- sessed with devils, and those which were limatic, and those that had the palsy ; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multi tudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and /rom be jond Jordan. CHAPTER V. S Who are bUfsed. 13 7'he dwipjus called the salt of the earth, and light of the worlds Christ urgeth on them a good example, etc. A ND seeing the multitudes, " he went up ■"■^ into a mountain: and when he was set his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed b are the poor in sphit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed "are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed ''■are the meek for 'they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hmiger and thirst after righteousness: / for ihey shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: ' for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed f^ are the pure in heart: for » they shall see God. 9 Blessed are > the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed * are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you i falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and he exceeding glad; for gieat IS yoiu- reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before j'oiu 131F \e are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be tioddea under foot of men, I CHAP. 4. o l8». 4U. 7. Luke "2.32. P M»rk 1.14. 9 ch. 10. 7. ••Mark 1.16. » John 1 4a. t £m. 47.10. Luko 6.10 K AI«rkI0.28. LukelS.liS. » Blark 1. 19. Luke 6.10. to Luke 4.15. sc I». 62. 13. CHAP a Mark 3.13. 6 P«. 51. 17. lea. 57. 15 e 2 Cor. 1. 7. Key. 21. 4. d P«. 37. 11. 1 Pet. 3. 4. « Bom. 4. 13. / l«a. 65. 13. y Pi. 41.1. Heb. 6. 10. Jam. 2. 13. ft Heb.12.14. i lCor.13.12. 1 Joha 3. 2,3. ;• Heb. 12.14. k 2 Cor.4.17. 2Tim.2.12. 1 Pet.3.14. 1 Phil! 2. 15. 2 modlus. ed nearly "1 1 Pet 2.12. n John 15.a. 1 Co.14.25. Dan. 9. 24. Rom. 10.4. Gal. 3. 24. p Lukel6.17. 9 Jam. 2 10. rRom. 10.3. 15. 4 Tliat IB, vain feUow. 6 Or, graceless wretch. John 8. 44. ActBlS.lO. « Job 42. 8. 1 Pet. 3.7. » Job 22. 21. Pro. 26. 8. Heb. 3. 7. w P«. 32. 6. IB». 65. 6. ' 2 l-hea. 1.9. V Gen. 34. 2. Pro. 6. 25. Eph. 6. 6. Heb. 13. 4. » Mark 9. 43. 6 Or, do cause tbee P.. 119.37. »Deu.24. 1. Jcr. 3. 1. Mark 10.2. Kora. 7. 3. I Cor.7.10. 14 Ye • are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hiU cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men Ught a candle, and put it under a 2 bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that "* they may see your good works, and glorify " your Father which is in heaven. 17 IT Thmk " not that I am come to de- stroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, P Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever « therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you. That except your righteousness shall exceed *■ the righteous- ness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 ^ Ye hare heard that it was said 8 by them of old time, * Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger ol the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That ' whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, * Raca! shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou 6 fool! shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave " there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; fii-st be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and oiler thy gift. 25 Agree "with thine adversary (jtiiickly, whiles "" thou art in the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily 1 say unto thee. Thou '^ shalt by no means come out thence, tiU thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 ^ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh " on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And 'if thy right eye « offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profit- able for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 31 ^ It bath been said, " Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto jou. That * whosoever shall put away his wile, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adul- tery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 33 % Again, ye have he<ird that it bath Temptalloi(, ofJestis. T.IATTHEAV, TV, Y. Sermon on the monvt 22. :il.), g^mer — heaven (13. z*); cf. 13. 43.). thaS— empty, worthless 'professors (Ps. 1. 4.). 13-17. Baptism of, and Descent of THE Spirit upon Jesus. 13. from Galilee— from his privacy at Nazareth. 14. forbade — Jit. ' was inthe act of hindering him.' comest thou to me? — Eeautiful spirit! 'Shall the Master come to the servant, nay, the Saviour, for baptism, to a sinuerf John clearly viewed Jesus as needing no jmrificaiion. 15. suffered him— John even then only sichmitted. 16. (L. 3. 21,) adds, " and praying." dove — emblem of meekness and purity, the distinguishing character of Christ throughout. All the Evangelists record this. Jt was seen only by Christ and John (J. 1. 32, 33, "and it abode upon him." cf. Is. 11. 2, 'rest upon him.') beloved Son— So at Transfiguration ch. 17. 5, (cf. Eph. 1. 6.). That<7(e divine and eternal natxire of the Son is referred to, is evident from J. 1. 34.— well pleased— {cf. Is. 42. 1, 'in whom my soid deligldcth.'} Here, in the baptism of our Head, are that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, into whose adorable name we are baptized (M. 28. 19.). CHAPTEE, IV. Ver. 1-11. Temptation OF Jesus. l.Then— I\Ik. says 'immediately' (after his baptism). led up— ^Ik. uses the stronger word, 'djiven,' or 'impelled,' — hy a mighty constraining impulse of the Spirit, being (as L. says, ) 'full of the Spirit' (4. 1),— to try his glor- ious furniture for the icork given Jiim to do, to give him a taste of u-hat teas before him, and experimental encouragement to go through witli it. 2. fasted 40 days and 40 nights— So Moses (Ex. 34. 28.), and Elias (lELi. 19. 8,)L. says (4. 2.), he was all that time •tempted of the devil.' These 40 days' temp- tation were likely internal; for when they were over, 'the tempter came i. e. visibly) to him.' afterwards an hungered— For 40 days this was not felt; now it came in all its keenness. 3. If . . . Son of God— Tliis plainly refers to the voice at his baptism, show- ing (we think) that to dislodge that con- viction, as but a splendid illusion, was the object of the 40 days' temptation. In this case the sense is: 'Stili cling to that vain- glorious confidence? What! The Son of God left 40 days without food? Sure those stones Bhall become bread if the Son of God but speak' the word!' The temptation was to distrust God's providence under pressure of want, on the plea that relief in other v:avs could easily be had^ Jesus replies; 'The "jlod is not the pre- sent question, but the duty of man under want: IsraeLwas sustained in the wilderness power of the Son of God is not the ion, but thi eLv for 40 years, nanging on the bare word of God (Deu. 8. 4.); to show that in God's word of promise lies man's Isecurity for life: As Man. therefore, so resting, I will calmly await divine supply.' Mark here, how apt the quot- ation! how ready for use! how invincible in the handof faitn! 5. takcth him up— rather *along with him,' (conducteth him), puinacle of the temple— probably Herod's royal por- tico, overhanging the ravine of Kedion, an immense tower built on the very edge of this precipice, from the top of which dizzy height Josephus says, it was impossible to see the bottom. — 6. If . . . Son of God— This recur- rence to the voice at his baptism confirms what was said on v. 3. What is this I see? Batan himself with a Bible under his arm, nwX a kxt in his moutht IBp, EaU.i The 6 tempter had fdt the power of God's %vord, and will now try it himself {2 Co. 11. 14.). 7. Answer : ' Why should I put this promise to the proof? that were to doubt it : when danger comes I shall expect its fidtilment, but to create the danger is to ' tempt the Lord, which IS expressly forbidden.' Scrip- ture is to be explained by, not set against Scripture. 8. showeth him, &c.— L. adds, " iu a moment of time," (ch. 4. 6.). Tliis shows it was more than natural vision. 9. I e- spairing of success through subtilty, ho throws off the mask, and with a splendid bribe, asks divine honour. 10. Satan — Christ names him now, to show him ho was seen through, and bids him be gone. (This proves M's order to be the right one, not L s.). it is written, kc. — Christ parts with Satan on the rock of Scripture, and. as Man, in adoring s^xbjcction to the Lord as His God. 11. leaveth Him— "/or a season," (L. 4. 13.), to return, (cf. 14. 30.). Ministered unto him— i.e. served him with food. So Elijah, 1 K. 19. 5-8. 12-22. Jesus enters on his public work. —12. N.B. Between Christ's temptation and John's imprisonment there was a consider- able interval, which is fiUed up in J's. Gospel.- 13. Leaving Nazareth — See on L. 4. 16, 23. Capernaum— on the jN'. coast of the Sea of Galilee (see on 9. l.i. 15, 16— i.e. tho light of Christ's ministry in those parts was a glorious fulfilment of this prophecy. 17. Sea on ch. 3. 2. 18-22. Observe, this was not their first meeting fsoe J. 1. 40-42.)- but now they become his "followers." 19. Fishers of men — from a lower to a higher fishing, as David from a lower to a higher feeding (Ps. 78. 70-72.]. 22. (cf. L. 19.5. 6.) 24. N.B. Demon- iacal vossessions are here distinguished from ordinary diseases, healed them — showing himself the Healing Saviour. 25. Decapolia —so called from ten cities in. that district, mostly E. of Jordan. CHAPTER V. Sermon on the Mount. Ver. 1-12. The Beatitude.s— or sevenfold (i. e. complete) blessedness of the si.ibjects of Messiah's kingdom.. 1. Mount— see on L. 0. 17. Set— the teaching posture. 2. Opened liis mouth— a solemn way of introducing any important discourse. 3-12. Obsen'e, (1.) the tenns used to describe the character of the "blessed," are expressly fetched from the 0. T., to show that the new kingdom of God was but the old in a new form; (2.) they are all but varied forms of spiritttality op mind which had almost disappeared under the corrupt teaching of the day. 3. poor, &c.— (Ps. 132. 15, etc.). in spirit— U'Tio in their inmost spirit feel their universal need, theirs is the kingdom of heaven— theirs are the true riches they feel the want of; partially here and fully hereafter. 4.moum— the same class, affec- ted tinder a sense of tins their poverty (Isa. 61. 1-3.). comfort — sowing in tears, they shall reap in joy (Ps. 126. 6; Isa. 67. 15.); partially here, perfectly hereafter. 6. meek— (Zeph. 2. 3, etc.). willing to take wrong (Eo. 12. 19; 1 Pe. 2. 23.). inherit the earth— they are the only rightful occupants of a foot of it now, and heirs of aU coming things. " ■" &c,— at'/iose deepest cravings are after spirit' ual blessings (Ps. 63, 1, 6, ifcc.) They'll have their fill of them; in part now, perfectly hereafter. 7. Mercifid mercy.— ;Ps. 18, 25i. God wili not disown i/ie imaue of HimsclJ Christ's Herman MATTHEW, VL on the mount. been said ? by them of old time, * Thou shalt not forswear thyself, bnt "'shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, * Swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is /God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; foritia his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the preat Kin?. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But " let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. o8 IT Ye have heard that it hath been said, An ''eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, « That ye resist not evil; ^'but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have Uiy cloak also. 41 And whosoever * shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from ' him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 H Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou "* shalt love thy neighbour, " and hat« thine enemy: 44 But I say unto you, " Love your ene- mies, bless them that curse yon, do good to them that hate you, and pray P for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For ' if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye ? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than otliers? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be '■ye therefore perfect, even 'as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. CHAPTER VL 1 Of alms, 6 pi-ayer, 14 forgiveness. 19 Our treasure. 24 Of God and mammon. fPAKE heed that ye do not your i alms ■*■ before men, to be seen of them; other- wise ye have no reward 2 of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore, " when thou doest thine alms, 3 do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in tne synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you. They ave their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth ; 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father wliich seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 TI And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the cornei-s of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, » enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, prav to thy Father which is in Becret; and thy Father "which Beeth in »ecret shall reward thee openly. 6 CHAP. 6. 7 to the ancicDta. e Lev. ID. 12. Num.3<.).2. d Dcu. 23.23. e Jam. 5. 12. / IsB. 66. 1. y Col. 4. 6. A Lev. 24.20. i Pro. 2(1. 22. Rom.12.17. 1 Cor. 6. 7. 1 Then. 6. 15. 1 Pot. 3. 9. j Isa. 60. 6. k filarklo 21. I Deut. 15.8. 'nLcv.19.18. n Deut. 23.6. "Pro. 25 21. Kom.12.14. P I.uke23 34. Acta 7. CO. 1 Cor .4.12. 1 Pet.2.23. q Luke 6. 32. J-Gen. 17.1. Lev. 19. 2. Col. 1. 28. 1 Pet.1.15. « E(.h. 6. 1. CHAP. 0. 1 Or, righte- 2 Cor. 9.9. 2 Or, with. Kom. 12.8. 3 Or, cause not a trumpet to be Bounded. 1 Co.10.31. b 2 Kin.4.33. c Jer. 17. 10. d Eccl. 6. 2. e 1 Ki. 18.26. / Ps. 139. 2. y Luke 11. 2. ft Isa. 6. 3. i Pb. 103. 20. j Job 23. 12. Pro. 30. 8. k 1 Co.lO 13. Jam. 1.13. 2 Pet. 2. 9. Kev. 3. 10. 1 John 17.15. m Eph. 4.32. Col. 3. 13. "Jam. 2. 13. Isa. 68. 6. p Prov. K^.i. lTim.6.17. Hob. 13. 6. 8 lTim.C.19! 1 Pot. 1.4. '•Lukell.34. ' Eora. 1.21. 2 Cor. 4. 4. ( Lukel6.13. « Gal. 1. 10. lTim.C.17. Jam. 4. 4. lJohn2.15. 4 Be not anxiously careful. Pb. 55. 22. Phil. 4. 6. 1 Pet. 6. 7. V Job 38. 41. F<. 147. 9. 7 But when ye pray, <* use not vain repel i- tions, as the heathen do: * for they tniiik that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your /Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: '' Our Father which art in heaven, '•Hal- lowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, »as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our / daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And *lead us not into temptation, but deliver ius from e^•il: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For "* if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But " if ye forgive not men their tres- passes, neither will your Father forgi\e your trespasses. 16 V Moreover, " when ye fast, be not, ae the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you. They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shaU re- ward thee openly. 19 ^ Lay p not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But « lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth coiTupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The ''light of the body is the eye: if therefore tliine eye be single, thy whole body shaU be fuU of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, *how great is that darkness! 24 No * man can sen'e two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. " Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, * Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for yoiu- body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raim<;nt? 26 Behold 'the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into bams ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they glow: they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet 1 say imto you. That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the Held, which to-day is, and to-m jrrow ■ CJi-nsVs rela tion to t he Jaw. reflected iii^the merciful. 8. Heart-purity the only capacity for the viston of God. 9. peaceinalers.... children of God— (Fs. 34. 14.). Peace mth God makes peacemakers; the children then reflecting their Father's image. 10-12. Observe, this is merely a supvlevieii- tary beatitude, to warn us of what the other seven thivtjsvnM bring onus, more or less, in this wicked world. Accordingly, the promise is the same as the first one. 12. So persecuted they the prophets— q. d. 'They are only at their old trade, and you are in good coinpany.' 13-16. The office of Christians to- wards THE WOULD. Salt, to preserve the earth from corruption and to sweeten it ; lig}it, to disperse the world's darkness— the oiie their more inward, the other their more outward influence. "Wanting these properties, our Christianity is worthless, and justly doomed. We must neither hide nor varade our light, but so shine by good works, as to commend our Father (Ph. 2. 15. 10.). 17-48. Christ's relation to the Latv. —17. law or prophets— the O. T. authority and princii>les (L. 16. 16 ; A. 13. 15.). not to de- stroy but to fulfil— not to subvert, but estab- lish, unfold, embody in living form, and enshrine them in the reverence, affection, and character of men, did C. come. 18. till heaven, &c.— in other words, they are im- perishable principles. 19. whosoever, &c.— q. d. Men will be treated on the same prin- ciple, with honour or contempt, as they treat the law, in its least requirements. 20. Scribes and Pharisees, <fcc.— See Table of iSects. exceed— be of different and higher qiialities. 21. Tlie subject of the rest of this cnapter is, The spirituality of the law, in opposition to traditional expositions of it. 22. ' Ye have been taught that the 6th com- mandment is broken only by murder; but I tell you. It is broken even by causeless anger. Judgment ... council. . . . hell-fire— by allusion to Jewish courts, three degrees of divine condemnation are here expressed, all of them spirittud, and all fatal. Eaca^— 'Empty.' fool —not the words so much, as the fcelin expressed by them, is here condemned. 23, 24. bring gift to altar— this is just Jewish language for any act of tvorship. Aught against thee— just cause of complaint. Leave, etc— q. d. ' 2Tiy offering will not be accepted i ill th ou hast removed the ground of complaint. ' (cf. Ps. 66. 18.), "If I regard iniquity in m' heart the Lord wiU not hear me." 25, 26 As when we have made one our just 'adver- sary,' it is wisdom to make up the matter ere he drag us to law, and even at the lest moment, on the way to court, so should we act tou-ards an offended Gocl, ere it be too late. 27, 28, ' Ye have been taught to believe that the seventh commandment for- bids only the criminal act- but I tell you it is broken by an impure looh.' 29, 30. Occas- ions of sin, at whatever cost, are to be sacri- ficed, on pain of 'heUfire.' Such language from lips so gentle, bespeaks aicfid danger. 31, 32. Divorce on frivolous pretexts, loosen- ing the bonds of morality, is here con- demned; and breach of the conjugal tie pronoimced the only justification of divorce, (Tlie Jews of the present day allow and prac- tise divorce for the most trifling reasons). 33-36, While oaths on solemn occasions are lawful, in common intercourse theyarepro- Q MATTHEW, VI. Sermon on the mount continued. fane :_ every oath carries an appeal to God, kVhatever go( beyond yes and no comes of that 'evil' which whether named or not. 37. Wnatever goes begets and siispects falsehood (cf. Ja. 5. 12.). 38. 39. Private revenge, under colour of punishment by the magistrate, is here con- demned (see 1 Pe. 2. 23.), and long-suffering, obliging love enjoined. 43. love thy neigh- bour— this is the law: hate thine enemy— this is the perverse inference from it. 44. Never was this precept so divinely exemplified as in Christ himself. 46, 47. publicans— q. d. 'Tlie worst of men will do that much.' What do ye more?— To be 'neighbour -like' is the world's standard, but to be 'God-like' the Christian's. 48. See Col. 3. 14 ; 1 Jo. 4. 16. CHAPTEE VI. Sermon on the Mount Conttntjed, Ver. 1-18. Against ostentation in good WORKS — A3 almsgiving, PRAYER, FAST- ING.— FrOm actions the discourse now passes to motives. 1. to be seen . . otherwise no reward of your Father— God accepts only what is done to Himself. 2. sound a tnunpet— make a dis- Elay of. have their reward— what they seek, uman applause. 3.— ' Dwell not on it even in thine mind', it will nourish self-right- eousness. 7. vain repetitions . . . much speak- ing—Praying much, and using at times the same words, is not "WTong: for our Lord himself did it: only vain repetitions and un- meaning length are here condemned. In this the Eomanists are little better than 'the heathen.' 9. after this manner— lit. 'thus:' cf. L. 11. 2. "When ye pray, say," showing that both as a model and as a form this matchless prayer is prescribed. Father— It is the peculiar privilege of N. T. believers so to speak to God, though we have glimpses of it in the O. T. (Isa. 63. 16; Jer. 3. 4, etc. See Ex. 4, 22. 23.). name— Himself as revealed. 12. debts. As the debtor in the creditor's hands, so is the sinner in the hands of God. 13. lead into temptation— so into temp- tation as to fall in with it. 14, 15. God sees with complacency his ovm image re- flected in his forgiving children; but to ask (iod for what we ourselves refuse to men, i.^ to insult him. See on ch. 5, 7, & especially ch. 18. 32-35. anoint . - . wash— i. e. 'appear as usual.' 19-34. DEVOTEDNESS TO AND CONFIDENCE IN God. — 19. lay up— hoard, moth and rnst corrupt— in other words, they are per- i-h able. Thieves, . . . steal— in other words, tliey are precarious, cf. Col. 3. 2. 22, 23. V\ hen the mind's eye is directed sing- ly to God, the whole character is consistent and bright ; but a heart divided between earth and heaven is all dark, and darker still by abuse of light. 24. mammon— a foreign word signifying 'riches.' 25. take thought— ' cankering care ' (Ph. 4. 6.). If God gives life, will he withhold the less precious food to nourish it — or the body, and not also its covering? 26, 28, 30. As you are nobler, so dearer to God than the whole animal and vegetable creation, so richly fedand gorgeous- ly clad, grass— wild flowers cut withthegrass, w.ithering by the heat, and used for fuel ; Ja, 1. 11.). 27. cubit— a cubit to one's heightcau hardly be the thing meant. But if ' stature, here mean 'age' (as in sonieother places), the sense is, 'None can in the least stretch out his own life.' 32. Gentiles — who know no Father, as ye do. first— fc^ore and abova Chrisfs sermon on the mount MATTHEW, VIT, VIII. Christ cle^nseth a leper. Is cast into the oven, shaU, he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? SI Therefore take no thought, saying, "What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these tilings do the Gen- tiles seek:) for "'your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. . 33 But ''seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things ehall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no 5 thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the thin.gs of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. CHAPTER VII. 1 Christ, ending Ms sermon on the mount, reprov- eth rash judgment, 6 forbiddeth to east holy things to dogs, 7 exhorteth to prayer, 13 to enter in at the strait gate, 15 to beware of false pro- phets, 21 and not to be hearers only, but doers of the tvord. JUDGE » not, that ye be not judged. ** 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye Bhall be judged: * and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measm:ed to you again. 3 And " why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thme own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother. Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, bthold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6 IF Give <^ not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their tieet, and turn again and rend you. 7 IT Ask, 'and it shall be given you; seek, Rnd ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For /every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh fiiideth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much " more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him! 12 Therefore all things ^ whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for Hhis is the Law and the Prophets. 13 H Enter Jye in at the strait gate: *for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that Icadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 1 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 H Beware ' of false prophets, *" which come to you in sheep's clothing, but in- wardly thcv are •* ravening wolvts. Id Y e shall know them by their fruits. " Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so P every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. lis A gvc'd tree cannot biiiig forth e^il 7 A. D. 31. CHAP. 6. V Phil. 4.19. riKin.3.13, Ps. 34. 9. Pa. 37. '25. Mar. 10.30. Lu. 12.31. Kom. 8 32. 1 Tim. 4.8. anxioita tliought. CHAP. 7. a Ram. 2. 1. Rom. 14 3. lCor.4.3,6. Jam. 4. 11. b Mark 4. 24. Luke 6.38. e Luke G. 41. d Pro. 9.7,8. Pro. 23 9. Act3l3.45. 6 John 15. 7. Jam. 1.5,6. 1 Johnij. 22. / Pro. 8. 17. Jer. 29.12. g Isa. 49. 15. Rom. 8.32. ft Luke 6. 31. i Lev. 19. 18. Rom. 13. 8. Gal. 5. 14. 1 Tim. 1.5. } Luke 13.24. k 1 John 6. 19. 1 Or, How. JDeut.13.3. Jer. 23.16. Ho. 16. 17. Eph. 6. 6. Col. 2. 8. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 1 John 4.1. m Mic. 3. 6. 2 Tim. 3.5. n Ac. 20.29. Luke 6.43. p Jer. 11. 19. q Hos. 8. 2. Ac. 19. 13. Rom. 2.13. Jam. 1. 22. r Num24.4. JohnU.51. 1 Cor. 13.2. « Ps. 5. 5. Ps. 6. 8. ch. 25. 41. t Luke 6. 47, u Acts 14.22 2Tim.3.12. V 2Tim.2.19 1 Pet. 1.6, tv Heb. 10.31, 2 Pet. 2.20, Z ch. 13. 64. Mark 1.22. Mark 6. 2 Luke 4 32 y Isa. 50. 4. John 7. 46. CHAP. 8. a Mark 1.40. Luke 5.12. 6 ch. 9 30. Jlark 6.43. c Lev. 14. 3. Luke 5.14 d Luke 7. 1. e Luke 15.19. / Hs. 33. 9. l\. lu? liU. fiTiit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the tire. 20 Wherefore bytheii- fruits ye shall know them. 21 H Not every one that saith unto me, « Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the wUl of my Father which is in heaven. 22 iMany will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we *" not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out denls? and in thy name done many won- deiful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never ki.ew you: * depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 U Therefore, * whosoever heareth these sajings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which buUt his house upon a rock: 25 And " the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and "it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these say- ings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell : "" aud gi'eat was thefiiUofit. 28 ^ And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, * the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For J' he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. CHAPTER VIII. 2 Christ eleanteth the leper, 5 healeth the centu- rion's servant, 14 Peter's mother-in-law, 16 and many other diseased; 18 showeth how he is to be followed; 'ISstilkth the tempest on the sea; 28 healeth two men possessed, etc. WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, " behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, sayin.g. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, * See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that "Moses commanded, lor a testimony mito them. 5 IT And <i when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a cen- turion, beseeching him, 6 And saying. Lord, my servant lieth at home sick ot the palsy, grievously tor- mented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said. Lord, I ' am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but /speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 for 1 am a man under a\ithority, ha^^ng soldiers under me: and 1 say to this man. Go, and he goeth; and to another. Come, aud he cometh ; and to my seiTant, Do this, and he doeth it. , , 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled. Mid said to them that followed. Verily 1 Ml^ceTlaneo'ds cmnseJs. MATTHEW, Vn. vm. Cenlwdon's Sifvant healed. all else. 33. kingdom of God— the thing to be sought, his righteousness— the character which fits for it. 34. take no thought for the jnorrow — Every day brings its ovm. cares, and to anticipate is only to double them. CHAPTER vn. Ver. 1-12. Miscellaneous coixnsels. udgenot—i.e.rashly, censoriously. Untendcr judgment of others vMljudkiallv return uvon ourselves. 3-5. heholdest thou the mote— spying small faults in others, and overlook- ing niuch greater in ourselves. He only tvlio is severe on himself is .tit to he a reprover of others. 6. give not that which is holy— But neither are we to be indiseriminate. swine trample . . . dogs turn and xtiA— religion is brought into conlempt, and its professors insulted, when foreed on those who cannot 1-alue it. 7-10. Prayer— suggested by the difficulty of the duties just enjoined, ask, seek, knock — a climax, stone — to smite, serpent— to sting. 11. If ye being evil . give- Bad as our fallen nature is, uxq father in us is not extinguished. Whet a heart then •must the Father of all fathers have tovMrd his pleading children! 12. whatsoever ye would .". do ye even so to them— Incomparable summary of aU relative duty, law ^id prophets— all Scripture in a nut-shell. ver. 13-29. Conclusion and effect of THE Seejmon on THE MouNT.— 13, 14. strait is the gate . . broad is the way— Entrance to "life" difficult, to "destruction" frightfully easy. Few, therefore, frefiuent the one ; many crowd the other. 15-20. false prophets —who would persuade you the gate is not straight in sheep's clothing — as if of the flock, while bent only on devouring it for their own ends. Fruits— whole teaching and walk. Tlie figure of a tree and its fruits Buggests, in the 19th verse, the a\^■ful end of the fruitless — 'the fire!' 21-23. many will say to me on that day— Here Jesus speaks as Judge on the great white throne, Ivi ot professed but proved subjection to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ— not lip. but life-service— will avail 'in that day,' emphatically unnamed, have we not pro- phesied— ';publicly taught.' then will I pro- fess—' I'll tear off the mask,' &c. I never knew you— our acquaintance was not brciken off; thei-e never was any. ye that work— not 'that wroupht,' for they are summoned fresh from 'working iniquity" to his judgment seat. 24-27. rain- from above; floods— from beneath ; winds— sweeping c-cross— its stabil- ity tried aU ways, rock— firm foundation, eubjcetion to Christ, sand— loose foundation, empty profession. Great the fall— Terrific the ruin of such ! 28, 29. He taught them as one having authority — The Consciousness of divine authority, as Lawgiver, Expounder, and Judge beamed through liis teacliing : no wonder the scribes' teachmg appeared drivel- ling in such a liglit ! CHAPTER VTH. Ver. 2-4. Leper healed. 2. lejer— Luke says, 'full of leprosy,' (L. 5. 12.). Affecting emblem of siN.as l.) loathsome, (2.) spreading, (3.) incurable. Tlie ceremonial cleansing of lepers (see Le. 13 & 14.\ held forth a coming remedy, worshipped him— 'kneeling down to him,' (INIk. 1. 40.1; 'fell on his face,' (L 5 12.). Lord, if thou wilt— in the power of Christ, already displayed, he had entire faith; of his willingness to put it forth upon lum lie Lad not so much evidence. 3. put J forth his hand and touched liim— 'being mov- ed with compassion' (Mk. 1. 41.), and dis- regarding the ceremonial defilement by that touch {Le. 5. 3.); for He who could cure the malady itself was above such laws. I wUl— maje.^tic removal of the man's one uncer- tainty ! Ee thou clean, (tc. — cf. Ps. 33. ; Ge. 1. 3, 4. see thou tell no man— see on ch. 12. 19, & on JMk. 1. 45. shew thyself to the priest— see Le. 14. 2. testimony— iu behalf of Christ. Ver. 5-13. Centukion's servant heal- ed.— 5. centurion, (see Table)— a gentile pro- selyte, came— but by 'elders of the Jews* (L. '7,3.]. not in person, (out of deep humility L. 7. 7.). saying— sending this message. 6. my servant— who ' was dear vmto him ' (L. 7. 2.). 'He is unworthy to be well-sei-ved that will not sometimes wait upon his followers.' ~-\Bp. EalU sick of the palsy, grievously tormented — 'and ready to die {L. 7. 2; and see there on v. 4. 6.) 8. answered— by a second message. Lord, I am not worthy — what humility! but speak the word only— such faith was quite new. 9. for I am a man under authority, etc.- q. d. 'I know both to obey and command: tho' but a subaltern, my orders are implicitly obeyed: Shall not diseases then obey their Lord, and at His word be gone?' 10. Jesus marvelled— ile did tliis h^d at two things- faith and unhelief (Wk. 6, 6.). no, not in Israel —This shows he was a Gentile, out-stripping the children of the covenant. 11. manv shall come from the east . . . west— all parts o"f the heathen \io\\i\. sit down— 'recline,' i. e, as .at a feast.. Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob —the fathers of the covenant. 12. children of the kingdom— bom to its privileges, but void of faith, outer darkness— ' the darkness outside' the banqueting house, weeping— from anguish, gnashing of teeth— from de- spair. 13. as thou hast believed so, &c.— Thia was to teach, that as in these ?)0(7«i/ diseases, so in the salvation oi the soul, all hinges on faith. V er. 14 - ly. Peter's mother - rw - law, AND MANY OTHERS, HEALED. 14. Peter's wife— see on 1 Co. 9. 6. 15. ministered nut them— 'served;' showing how complete as Mell as immediate was the cure. When the even was come— It was the Salibath-day (see ]Mk. 1. 21, 29, 32), and they waited till it was over, many that were possessed with devils— The fame of Clirists miracles brought crowds with all kinds or maladies, and 'all the city was gathered at the door' (Mk. l. S3.), his word— lit. 'a word' of command- See on L. 4. 41. 17. took our infirmities ani bare cur sicknesses— .^Is He sin-hearing 'Matt, of sorrows, and acquaiui d with grief,' Chriii was touched icith the feeling of every mul . t and pang he removed. Ver. 18-34. Incidents before crossinq THE LAKE.. TEMPEST STILLED— TAVO DEMO- NIACS HEALED. 18. the ether side — Ea.^t side of the Sea of Galilee. 19. Jlaster, I will follow thee— the precipitate disciple, making an unlimited, but rash offer of service to Christ, q. d. 'Wilt thou? kuowest thou ■!'-ftoHe is, and xvhithcr he may lead thee? No warm home, no downy pillow has He for thee: He has them not for himself. So " count the cost." ' How affecting ! (2 Co. 8. 9.) 21. Lord, suffer me first— the procrastinat' ing or evfavc/lcd discijiie — not ofrerinc, aa the former. Lut adhd not onli^ lo follow but spo Hii Christ slillcth the tempest. Fay unto you, I huve not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That ''many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit do\TO with Abraham, and Isaac, and Ja- cob, in the kincrdom of heaven: 12 Euf* the children of the kingdom < shall be cast cut into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way ; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour. 14 II And } when J esus was come into Peter's house, he saw *his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 16 H When ' the even was come, they brought unto him many that were pos- sessed with de\'ils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be ftdfilled which was ken by Esaias the prophet, saying, imself "took our infirmiUes, and bare our sicknesses. 18 11 Now when Jesus saw great multi- tudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And " a certain scribe came, and said unto him. Master, I will follow thee whith- ersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but " the Sou of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And P another of his disciples said unto him. Lord, « sulTer me fu-st to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him. Follow me; and let •■ the dead bury their dead. 23 K And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, * behold, there arose a great tem- pest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves : but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying. Lord, save us : we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why * are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? llien «* he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him ! 28 IT And " when he was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeaing fierce, 60 that no man might pass by that way. 29 And, behold, they cried out, saying. What *" have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many * swine feeding. 31 So the devils " besought him, sajing. If thou cast us out, sutler us to go away mto the herd of swine. 32 And he 8;iid unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place iiito the 6f.a, and perished in the waters. MATTHEW, IX. The call of Matihew, CHAP. 8 ' Gen. 12. Isa. 2,3. Isa. 11.10. Mai. 1. 11. Lu. 13.29. ActslO.45. ActsU.lg. Actal4.27. Rom. 15.9. Eph. 3. 6. ft ch. 21. 43. i ch. 13. 42. ch. 22. 13. ch. 24. 51. ch. 25. 30. Lu. 13.28. 2 Pet.2.17. Jude 13. ;• Mark 1. 29. Luke 4.38. k 1 Cor. 9. 5 J Mark 1.32. Luke 4. 40. m Isa. 53. 4. 1 Pet.2.24. n Luke 9. 67. Pa. 22. 6. P Luke 9. 59. q 1 Ki. 19.20. r £ph. 2. 1. 8 Mark 4. 37. Luke 8.23. t PhU. 4. 6. u Pb. 65. 7. Ps. 89. 9. Pa. 107.29. Nah. 1. 4. " SUrk 5. 1. w 2 Pet. 2.4. * Deut.l4 8. y Phil. 2. 10. » Deu. 5. 25. 1 Ki.l7.l8. Luke 5. 8. Ac. 16. 39. CHAP. 9. « ch. 4. 13. b Mark 2. 3. Luke 5. 8. Mar.12.16. Luke 6. bT Luke 9.47. Lukell.l7. / Acts 5, 31. ? Mark 2. 14. Luke 5. 27. h JIark 2.15. Luke 5 29. i Luke 5. ao. Luke 16,2. i Gal. 2. 15. k Pro. 21. 3. Hos. 6. 6. Mic. 6. 8. cb 12. 7. I lTim.1.16. m, M»rk2.18. Luke 6.3:5. Lukel8.12. n John 3. 29. Acts 13. 2. Act»14.23. 1 Cor. 7. 5. 1 Or, raw, cloth, p Mark 5.22. Luko 8.41. 33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thuig, and what was befallen to the pos- sessed of the de\ils. 34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they * besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. CHAPTER IX. 1 Chrift eureth the palsy, 9 ealUth Matthew, 10 justijieth himself for eating with publicans and sinners: 2U he healeth the bloody issue ; 'ZSraiielh to life the ruler's daughter; '27 giveth sight to two blind men , etc. A ND he entered into a ship, and passed over, " and came into his own city. 2 And, 6 behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: " and J esus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy. Son, be of good cheer; <* thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves. This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus, ' knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier to say, TJiy sins be forgiven thee; or to say. Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that /the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. 9 H And " as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10 IT And '» it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with hiiu and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples. Why eateth your Master with » publicans and > sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them. They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and leam what that meaneth, I * wiU have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, 'but sinners to repentance. 14 IT Then came to him the disciples of John, sajing, •" Why do we and the Phari- sees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And J esus said unto them, Can " the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegi-oom shall be taken from them, and * then shall they fast. 16 No man putteth a piece of i new cloth unto an old garment; for that which is put in to fill it up tidceth from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preseiTed. 18 H While y he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My dau^htel Paralytic healed. MAlUHiiiW. IX. Blatthnifs call. preach (cf. L. 9. 59, 60.); yet not ready: to God only. 4. tWiik ye— 'harbour ^~6,0' 'Lord, I ^cill; but there is a diflSculty in whether is it easier to say, drc— Is it easier to the way just now.' 22. follow me — Christ command away disease than to bid away will have immediate obedience, the dead— , sin? if then, I do the one, Mhich you can see spiritually, their dead— in a literal sense, know thus that I have done the other you q. d. ' There are times when even filial { cannot see.' the Son of Man hath power on duty must yield to higher— nature to grace : 1 earth— that forgiving power dwells in this your dead father will have others to attend : flesh of Man. and is exercised by Him while to him, who are dead to the things of the on this earth with you.' take up thy bed and kingdom.' For another such case, see Luke go into thine house— Taking up the portable 9. 61. 62. 24. there was a great tempest— see on , couch, and walking home with it, was de- Mark, 4. 37. the ship was covered with the ' signed to prove the completeness of the cure. •they all ap- iM-iiiii, ». o(. wie Biup was covereu wiin lae signeu to prove ine completeness 01 tne ( waves— rather, 'was getting covered.' See on 8. such powerto men— At forgiving power Mark, 4. 37, & Luke, 8. 23. He was asleep— wondered not, but that a Man, to al] 'Twas evening (INlk. 4. 35.1, and after the pearance like one of themselves, should ig - . - - — - fatigues of a busy day, having nothing to do while crossing, he sinks into sleep (He. 4. 15.)," in the hinder (stern) part of the ship, on a piUow,' or cushion (Mk. 4. 38.). 25. Lord save us, v/e perish— imminent must have been the danger to alai-m the fishemien of the lake. 26. ye of Uttle faith— faif/t they had, for they applied to Clnist for relief; but little, for they were afraid, though Christ was in the ship. Faith dispels fear, but in proportion to its strength. 27. See on Mark, 4. 41. 28. country of the Gergesenes— ' Gadarenes,' Mark, 5. l, & Luke, 8. 26— the same region. South East of the lake, coming out of the tombs, &c.— dweUing in no house, but in the gloomy abode of the dead <L. 8. 28.); clothed with superhuman strength, scorning restraint, and the terror of all ; yet enduring untold misery, which sought relief in tears and self-inflicted torture (Mk. 5. 3, 4, & L. 8. 27.). 29. they cried out, <S:c. —Mark (5. 6.), says 'Wlien he saw Jesus he ran and worsMvped him — inwardly com- pelled, with terrific rapidity before the Judge to receive sentence, what have we to do with thee, &c.—q. d. * Thou and we have nothing in common: we want not Thee; what wouldest Thou with us?' to torment us —Behold the tormentors anticipating, dread- ing and entreating exemption from tor- ment! before the time— In Christ they behold their destined Tormentor ; the time, they know, is fixed, and they feel as if it were come already ! f Ja. 2. 19.). 31. so the devils besought him— Being ordered out of their victim (Mk. 5. 8.), they ask leave to enter victims of another kind, suffer us, &c.— that by destroying their property they midit steel them against Christ. 32. Go — Majestic brevity! The O'W'ners, if Jews, drove an illegal trade ; if heathens, they insulted the national religion: In either case the per- mission was just, a steep place— 'the hang- ing cliff.' 34. they besought him that he would depart— Tlie evil spirits had thus, alas ! their object. Irritated, the people could not suffer his presence ; yet, awe-struck, they dared not order him off— they entreat him to withdraw, and he takes them at their word 1 (ch. 9. 1). See ch. 7. 6. CHAPTEEIX. Ver. 1-8. Paralytic Healed. 1. His own city— Capemaiim, where he chiefly dwelt after entering on public life (ch. 4. 13, and J. 2. 12.). 2. For further details, see Mk. 2. 2- 4, and Lk. 5. 17-19. Jesus seeing their faith— The patient's chiefly,but probably his bearers' too. 'Twas truly a blessed deed, this bring- ing of a patient to the great Physician (See J. 1. 42.). thy sins be forgiven— properly, ' are forgiven'— an authoritative proclamation. 3. This manbksphemeth— claiming what belongs a pearance like one of themselves, should pos- 9-13.' Matthew's Call and Feast. 9. Matthew— called Levi by Mark and Luke. Double names were not imcommon. sitting at the receipt of custom— see Mk. 2. 14. Follow me, (fee— Clirist's sovereign power over the wiU was gloriously displayed on many and different occasions. 10. Jesus sat at meat, <fec.— Matthew omits, from hmiiihty, to tell us that it was "a great feast," and made bv himself, in his own house (L. 6. 29.). many publicans and sinners came and sat down with liim— doubtless invited expressly as of his own former class, if haply they might experience a like change (Ps. 61.13;L.22.32.). 12,13. they that be whole need not a physician— ' Ye deem yourselves whole: my business then is not Mith you: The physician is for the sick; so, I eat vith publicans and sinners.' AVhat myriads of broken bearts have been bound up by these matchless sayings! I will have mercy and not sacrifice— see marg. ref. ; " Sacrifice" isput for ceremonial obedience; "mercy" for the higher moral duties, particularly " compassioii" for them that are out of the ways;" and the one class of duties is infinitely preferable to the other. 14-17. Fasting. 14. disciples of John— who seem not to have statedly followed Christ, we and the Pharisees— They were intermediate be- tween the Pharisaic life and that of Christ's disciples, fast oft.— twice in the week, (L. 18. 12.), besides the prescribed seasons. 15. chil- dren of the bridechamber— bridal attendants, bridegroom- Glorious title to take to Himself I the Old Testament is full of this conjugal tie between Jehovah and his people, but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them— tlelicate and aflecting allu- sion to coming events, and the conserjuent grief of his disciples, then shall they fast— 'In my presence 'twere unseemly: when bereft of Me, they'll have time enough and cause enough. 16, 17. Other examples of in- congruous things, to illustrate the foregoinpr. bottles— made of skins, and so liable to bury in the supposed case. 18-26. Jaikus' Daughter Eaised, and Issue of Blood Healed. 18. ruler—" of the synagogue" (L. 8. 41.), of which class but few believed in Jesus, Jolm, 7, 48. worship- ped him— "fell at his feet" (Mk. 5. 22.). my daughter— his "one only daughter" (L.8.42.). is even now dead— "She lay at the point of death" (Mk. 5. 23); but ere Jesus arrived, word came that she was "dead" (Mk. 5. 35.). Matthew's brief account gives only the re- stdt. but come lay thy hand upon her and she shall liva— Strong faith; for as yet it had 1 leen done but in one case (L. 7. ll. <fcc.). 20-22. See on Mark 5. 25-34. 23. Minstrels making a noise. &c.— lamenting for the dead. (Jer. 9. Clinsl healtth two hlind men. MATTHEW, X. 77c c >inm,L<;sMns Jiig aposdcf. is even uow dead: but come aiid lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 f And, « behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve yeais, came beliind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his Erarment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about- and when he saw her, he said, l)aas;hter, be of good comfort; *" thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And " when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw ' the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, "Give place; for the niaid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went m, and took ner by the hand, and the maid arose. 20 And - the fame hereof went abroad into aJ! that land. 27 H And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, " Thou sou of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesits saith unto them. Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying. According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And *" their eyes were opened: and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, * See that no man know it. 31 But J' they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. 32 IT As *they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a denl. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, Baying, It was never so seen in Israel. 31 But the Pharisees said, lie casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. 35 % And "Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and neaUug every sickness and every dis- ease, among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, be- cause they 3 fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith lie unto his disciples, 6The haiTest truly is plenteous, but the labomers are few ; 38 Pray "ye therefore the Lord of the har- vest, that he will send forth labom-ers into his harvest. „ CHAPTER X. 1 Christ aendeth his apostles to do miraehs, B to pre<tch: 10 he telteth them of persecutions. 40 Mlessitigs to those who receive them. A ND " when he had called unto him his ■'^ twelve disciples, he gave them power i against unclean spnits, to cast them out, and to heal nil manner of sickness, and aU manner of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, * who is caWed Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the $on of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 PhiUp, and Baitholomew; Thomas, and H CHAP. 9. •7 -Mark 5. 2.^. Luko 8 43. ••LukoTSO. Luke 8.48. Lukel7.19. Lukel8.42. » Mark 5. 38. Luke 8.51. t 2 Chr. 35. 2.5. « Aets20.10. 2 Or, thii » ch. 15. 22. ch. 20. SX M.ir.in.47. Lu. 18. 38. w Pa. 145. 8. X Luke 5. 14. V i^Iar. 7. S6. » Lu. 11.14. « Mar. 6. 6. Lu. 13. 22. 3 Or, were tired and b Lu. 10. 2.' John 4.35. c Ada 13 2. Acts20.28. 1 Cor. 12. CHAP. 10. a Mar. 3. 13. Mar. 6. 7. Lu. 6. 13. Lu. 9, 1. 1 Or, over. 6. John 1.42. 2 Or, Judan. Judo 1. c Acts 1. 13. d Jolml3.26. e 2 Kin. 17. 24. Jolui 4. 9, 20. /Acts 13.46. 9 Isa. 53. 6. Horn. 11.1. 1 Pet.2 25. h Luke 9. 2. 3 Or, Get. .9.7. iU. ^2. 35. staff. i Lu. 10. 7. 1 Cor. 9.7. 1 Tim. 5. 18. Acts 13.51. Acts 18. e. k Eom 16.19. Eph. 5. 15. 5 Or, simple. 1 Co.14.20. I Acts 5. 40. Acts 12.1. Acts24.10. Ex. 4. 12. Jcr. 1. 7. 2 Sam.23.2. Acts 4. 8. Acts 0. 10. P Mic. 7. 6. 1 Dan. 12.12. Gal. 6. 9. Acts 14. 6. G Or, end, or, finish. « ch. 16. 28. Acts 2. 1. 7 B«eUt;bul. Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was 2'lhaddeus; 4 Simon ' the Canaanite, and Judas <* Is- cariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and com- manded them, sayuiff, Go not into the flay of the Gentiles, and into any city of * the Samaritans enter ye not: G But /go rather to the ''lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And '' as ye go, preach, saying. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 3 Pro\ide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your j'urses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet * staves ; • for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11 And into whatsoever city or to\vTi ye shall enter, enquhe who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear yom- words, when ye depart out of that house or city, f shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Go- monlia in the day of judgment, than for that city. 16 U Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: «be ye therefore wise as serpents, and ^ hannless as doves. 17 But beware of men; for they wiU de- liver you up to the coimcils, and 'they will scourge you in their synagogues: 18 And *" ye shall be brought before gover- nors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for " it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shiill speak. 20 For *'it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And P the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: « but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But '■ when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily 1 say unto you. Ye shall not 6 have gone over the cities of Israel, till • the Son of man be come. 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the ser^'ant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house 7 Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of liis household? 26 FeAr them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What 1 tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the eai", that preach ye upon the house-tops, 2 U X>«m5 d/:moniae healed. MATTHEW, X. Mission of the Apostles. 20; Am. 5. 16.) 24. the maid is not dead, but Bleepeth— so brief her state of death as to be more like a short sleep, and they laughed him to scorn— an important testimony this to the reality of her death. 25. See on Mark, 6. 43, & Luke 8. 56. (J. 11. 25.) 27-34. Two Blind Men, and a Dumb Demoniac, Healed. 27. thou Son of David.— By this august title they owned him as Messiah (see 12. 23.). 28-30. the blind men came to him— Jesus, to try their faith and perseverance, makes them no answer; they follow him into the house ; He asks, and receives from them an acknowledgment, touchingly simple, of his power to heal them; immediately it is done, and the cure is ex- pressly linked to faith, see that no man Know it— from Mark 1. 45, we see how this *' blazing abroad" of Christ's miracles tended to impede, rather than advance his work. 32. A dumb man possessed with a devil— The dumbness was caused by the possession. 33. it was never so seen in Israel— referring not to this case only, but to his miracles in general. 34. See on ch. 12, 24, &c. 35 - 38. Jesus, Compassionating the Multitudes, asks Pkayer for Help. 36. fainted— better copies read "harassed;" refen-ing, perhaps, rather to their wretched- ness, as the victims of Pharisaic guidance, than to their bodily fatigue, scattered abroad — * abandoned,' ' unprotected,' with none to care for their souls, yet now flocking after and hanging on Him. lliis spectacle moved liis heart. 37. the harvest plenteous— His eye doubtless rested on the Jewish field first, but He saw this widening into the vast field of "the world," (13. 38. , to be all gathered in. labourers few— even for the narrower, how much more for the wider field ! 38. the Lord of the harvest— cf. J. 15. 1. My Father is the Husbandman, that He will send, (fee— The Church, in its missionary character should take this precious saying along with ch. 28. 18-20; the one as the directory of its devotional, the other of its active work, as Christ's instrument for evangelizing the •world, and every Christian should do the same. Ministers of Christ are'. God's gifts to a perishing world, to be sought by prayer, offered ttp in the spirit of tlie Saviour's awn compassion. CHAPTER X. Ver. 1-15. IMissioN of the ttvelve Apos- tles. The choice of the apostles had taken place before this, though not related by M. Hee Luke, 6. 13; this is the sending of them, twelve— 'Hiis number was fixed on with an eye, doubtless, to the number of the tribes of Israel. See on Luke, 10. 1. & Eev. 21. 12, 14. cast out. . . heal all manner of sickness— Tlius it will be seen that their mission was all for restoration from sin's ravages, notliing for destruction. 2. Apostles— i. e. persons *sent' with a divine commission, first Simon— so named as being the most promi nent. John— named after James as bein^ the younger. 3. Bai'tholomew- the same, it is believed, with " Nathanael of Cana in <;alilee," because (1.) Bartholomew (that is, ' son of Ptolemy") is not so properly a name as a family surname; (2.) he follows, in this list, as also in Mark's and Luke's, the name of " Philip," who was the instrument of biing- ing"Nathanael" firstto Jesus, See Jolm 1,45. _, - ,.- - <3. ) Wlien our Lord appeared at the sea of other scarce better than locakness: combined, Tiberias after his resurrection, "Nathanael even the wolves gave way before it, in the a of Cana in Galilee" is mentioned along with six others, all apostles, as being present (J. 21. 2.). Matthew the publican— In none of the lists is this apostle so branded but in his own, as if he would have all to know how deep a debtor he was to hia Lord. See on ch. 1. 3-6. &: cf. 1 Ti. 1. 12-16. James of Alphens— See on Mark 3. 18. Lebbeus, whose sxirname was Thaddeus— called also "Judas the brother of James" (Luke, 6. 16; & Acts, 1. 13.). 4. Simon the Canaanite— to distin- guish him from Simon Peter— perhaps from a word signifying "zealous," for he is called also "Simon Zelotes," or "the zealot." Is- cariot— i. e. 'of Kerioth,' a town of Judah (Jos. 15. 25,)— so called to distinguish him. from Judas, brother of James (Luke, 6. 16.)^ who also betrayed him— Judas is not only put last in aU the lists, as Peter is in all put first, but he is branded as the traitor in tlie other lists also, as if he had become an abhorrence to all Cliristians ; in so much that the be- loved disciple, in recording a most interest- ing question put by Judas to his Lord at the supper-table, seems anxious to explain that it was "not Iscariot" that he meant (Jolin, 14. 22.). 5, 6. these twelve Jesus sent forth— "two and two" (Mark. 6. 7.). Go not into the way of the Gentiles— Until Christ's death, which broke down the middle waU of partition (Eph. 2. 14.), the Gospel commis- sionwas to Jews only, who tho' the.visible peo- ple of God, were j'et "lost sheep," needing a Saviour even as others. Samaritans— see Table. 7. preach, saying, the kingdom of hea- ven is at hand— Tlie burden of their coimnis- sion was two-fold, (1.) A call to "repent" (Mark. 6. 12.); (2.) An encouragement to com- ply, " because the kingdom of heaven was at hand." See on ch. 3. 2. 8. freely ye have received, freely give, (fee- a divine saying, and divinely said; "apples of gold in a set- ting of silver," (Pro. 25. 11.), compare with this that other golden saying of our Lord res- cued by Paul, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (A. 20. 35.). Who can esti- mate what these sayings have done for the world, and how they will yet ennoble and transfigure it! 10. scrip— a leathern pouch for victuals, slung over the shoulders, two coats, &c.— no change of dress, staves — no more than their usual stafi". for the workman is worthy of his meat, <fec. —Another prover- bial saying, which is now the great law of the Christian ministry. (Ho. 15. 27; 1 Cor. 9. 11; Gal. 6. 6.). 13. return to you— 'be a.^ though you had never dropt your word of peace upon it.' worthy . . . not worthy— i. e. prepared or unprepared to recei ve you and yoiir message, till ye go thence— i. e. tiU ye leave the place. 14. shake off the dust— ' the guilt of rejecting us and our message be on yourselves; we shake off all connectioa with you and responsibility for you.' 15.. more tolerable— Soaom and Gomorrlia, cony sumed for their loathsome impurities, shcdl be treated as less criminal than those who, though faidtless in morals, shall reject tha Gospel-message, and affront those that bear it. 16-42. Christ Forewarns His Apostles, and comforts them in persecution. 16. sheep — defenceless, wolves — ready to make you their prey iJ. 10, 12.). wise as ser- pents, and harmless as doves— remarkable com- bination! alone, the one is mere cunning, tho 5i8 And 'leur not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather tear him which i3 able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a 8 far- thing? and one ol them shall not fall on ihe groimd without vour Father. 30 But " the very haii^ of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many soari ows. S"J Whosoever * therefore shall confess me before men, "" him will 1 confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But '^whosoever shall deny me before men, him will 1 also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 3i Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at vari- ance ^against his father, and the daughter against her motlier, and the daughter-in- law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a man's loes shall he they of his own household. 37 lie that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and foUoweth after me, is not worthy of me. 391Ienhat findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for mysake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. 41 He " that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And * whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily 1 say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. CIIAFTER XI. 2 John sendeth his dtscipUs to Christ. 7 The Utti- tnotii/ of Christ concerning John. 20 Christ upbraideth the unthankj'utness and impenitence cf Chorazin, Jietusaida, and Capernaum: *8 Gracious offer of rest to the penitent. A ND it came to pass, when Jesns had "^^ made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence, to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 If A'ow " when John had heard *in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him. Art thou "he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them. Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The '' blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the *poor have the Gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be/ort'ended in me. 7 IT And » as they departed, Jesus began to Bay luito the multitudes concerning John, What 'went ye out into the wilderness to iee? A reed shaken with the whid? B liut what went ye out lor to see? A man 10 MATTHEW, XI. His tcstiwcmx) of John. as buing the tenth part of tho Koman ch. 13. 28. Acts 27 34. Horn. 10. 9. ' Rev. 3. 5. <»lKi.l7 10. •1 Ki. 4. 8. b ch. 25. 40. Ueb. 6. 10. CHAP. 11. « Lu. 7. 18. 6 ch. 14. 3. c Gen. 4a.l0. Nu. 24. 17. Dan 9.24. Blal. 3.1-3. John 0.14. d 1 33.29. 18. l;a. 35. 4. / lea «. 14. ch. 13. 57. ch. 24. 10. cli. 20. 31. Rom. 9.32. 1 Cor. 1.23. 1 Cor.2.14. Gnl. 5. 11. 1 ret. 2. 8. g Lu. 7. 24. h Lu. 1. 76. i Mai. 3. 1. Mark 1. 2. j Lu. 10. 10. 1 Or, is ^tten by the; that thrust k Mai. 4. 6. L Mai. 4. 6. ch. 17. 12. Lu. .17. John 1.23. m Key. 2. 7. n Lu. 7 31. o ch. 9 10. p Phil. 2.15. q Lu. 10. 13. r Jonah 3. 8. « Isa. 14. 13. t Ps. 8. 2. 1 Cor 1.27. 2 Cor 3.14. L,,h. 1.21. John 1.18. Jol.n U. 40. JohnlO.I5. '> 1 John 2.6. ■ Zocli. 9. 9. clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, /* and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, * Behold, 1 send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you. Among them that are bom of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notmthstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And i from the days of John the Baptist until now the kmgdom of heaven i suf- fereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For * all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is <£lias, which was for to come. 15 He *" that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 16 But * whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling imto their fellows, 17 And saying, "We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have momneu unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say. He hath a denl. 19 The Son of man came eatuig and drinking, and they say. Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, " a friend of publicans and sinners, fiiut Wisdom is justilied of her children. 20 IT Then « began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty woilis were done, because they repented not: 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago *■ in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, • which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell : for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained mitil this day. 24 But I say unto you. That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. 25 H At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord ot heaven and earth, because ' thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so. Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All " tilings are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; " neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and lie to whomsoever the Son will reveal Idm. 28 H Come unto me, all we that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, "" and learn of me; for 1 ain meek and * lowly in heart: and y ye shall lind rest mito jour souls. 30 For ' my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The Baptises incssane. T.IA' *V. XT. XTI. Ph.rl-ivr cor:i -r,ro ^- ,C^7 '-r-'r, . early ages ot Christianity. 18. for a testimony against them— to the truth and its glorious effects, the Gentiles— a hint that the mes.sage would not long be confined to tlie lost sheep ofthe house of Israel {v. 6.). 19. take no thought —See on ch. 6. 25. given you— see marg. 20. the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you —see J. 15. 26. 27. pointing to a future mis- sion after Pentecost. Jy.B. Jesus never says, "our Father," but always "mi/" or "your Father" (see on J. 20. 17.). 21. deli- ver up— perhaps, by gi\ing official ivform- ation against them. 23. flee ye into another— see marg. till the Son of Man be come— in the establisliment of his kingdom on the ruins of Jerusalem and the old economy. 25. Beelzelbub— see on ch. 12. 24. 26-33. See on L. 21. 2-9. 34-36. I come not to send peace, but a sword, (tc— deadly opposition between light and darkness, Christ and Eelial, penetrating into and rending asunder the dearest ties Mi. 7. 5-7.; cf. Deu. 33. 9.). he that loveth father . . is not worthy of me— a claim to supreme affection which Jesus could not have made without blasphemy, if only a creature. 39. See on L. 9. 24. 40. he that receiveth you receiveth me—' your authority is mine, as mine is my Father's.' 41. in name of a prophet— because he is one, and from love to Christ his Master. 42. little ones— little thought of disciples. CHAPTER XI. Ver. 2-30. The Baptist's JIessage, the Beply, xst) Consequent Discourse. 2. John heard in the prison— See on ch. 14. 3., etc. 3. Art thou He, (tc— a cjuestion rather of im- patience than of unbelief. Hearing "of the works of Christ " from his disciples {v. 2. and L. 7. 18.), he wondered he was allowed to lie in prison, and hoped to draw from Christ some hint of his intentions. 4. Shew Jolin those things ye hear and see— These were mir- acles wrought " the same hour" iL. 7. 21. 22.), and words of grace spoken " to the poor," [V. 5.\ expressly to be reported to John. 5, 6. The blind receive their sight—' Let these con- vince him that " my hand is not shortened that it cannot save;" but blessed is he who can take Me in a prison, and is not stumbled if perchance he be called to die for Me.' 7. etc. Not a ray of light is cast on his prospects, nor a word of conmiendation uttered while his tlisciples are present; he must die in sim- ple faith, and as a martyr to his fidelity. But no sooner are they gone, than Je.sus breaks forth into a glorious commendation of him. reed shaken, &c.— 'driven about by every wind, bearing an uncertain testimony? Such was not John.' a man clothed, &c.— 'a self-indulg- ent, courtly preacher? Such was not John. 9. more than a prophet— a straightforward ut- terer of his divine message? Then he is that, and more than that.' 10. ' There were many prophets, but only one Forerunner, and this is he.' 11. a greater than he— in official dignity, not personal character, least in kingdom of heaven— in the new .Gospel kingdom which John announced, but was not of. See on v. 13. 12. suffereth violence—' is pressed into,' or 'entered by violence.' the violent, etc.— eager multitudes seize on it' ;L. 16. 16.). 13. John stood midway between the old economy (with its "law and prophets,") and the new; above the one, below the other. 14. If ye wiU receive, &c.— ' He is the only Elias promised by Mala- chi, (4. 5. 6.), if ye can take it in' (for they ex- pected the Tishbite in person.) 16-19. See on 10 L. 7. 31-35. 20-^*. Cliorazm, iJeinsaioa, c-autr- naum— on the borders of the sea of Galilee, which art exalted— in having more of Christ's presence and ministry than all others. Tyre and Sidon— North of Palestine, on the Medi- terranean sea; heathen cities ruined by com- mercial prosperity, repented long ago— there- fore in God s sight less criminal. See on L. 10. 12. 25. 1 thank thee— lit. ' I assent to thee' — expressing deep acquiescence, holy satisfac- tion with this arrangement. Father— the first time he calls God oy this name in puhlic. Lord of heaven and eai-th— from Whom of right spring all such arrangements, wise and pru- dent Father (or ' shrewd 'j-vrho pride them- selves on their intellectual superiority, babes —in unassuming docility. 26. Even so. &g.— A sublime echo of the foregoing, as if he had paused to reflect on it, and as if the glory of it, in the light of God's absolute will, had filled his soul. 27. AU things are dehvered— not "revealed," for He is Himself the Ee- vealer— but made over, i. e. the whole ad- ministration of the economy of grace, as Mediator J. 3. 35.). knoweth, <kc.— Tlie Father and the Son are perfectly known to each other alone. A higher claim to equality with the Father cannot be conceived, will reveal— or 'wills to reveal' (cf. J. 1. 18.). 28. come unto me all— Incomparable, ravisliing words! as if expressly to prevent discourage- ment, from V. 27. labour . . . heavy laden- misery, both on its active side (' toiling,', and on its passive side ('burdened.') rest— to the soul, making all yokes easy, all burdens light. 29. my yoke— subjection to Me. I am meek, &c. — Chi-i.st's sublime willingness to empty him- self at his Father's bidding was the spring of ineffable repose to his own spirit; and in this track he invites all to follow him. £0. For my yoke is easy, <irc.— Matchless paradox] CHAPTER XII. Ver. 1-8. Plucking Corn Eaks on Sab- bath. 1. Began to pluck ears— Tlie act was expressly allowed (Deu. 23. 25.). 2. not lawful on Sabbath day— as "servile work" it was judged wrong on that holy day. Jesus de- fends it on the plea of necessity. Tlie little family must therefore have been, at that as at some other times, short of provisions! '2 Co. 8. 9.) 3, 4. See on L. 6. 3, 4. 5. profene Sabbath and are blameless— lor the lawrequired double offerings that day iNu. 28. 9.), new- baked shew-bread (Le. 24. 5 9., and 1 Chr. 9. 32.1, and circumcision, when the eighth day after birth fell on the Sabbath (J. 7. 22.). 6. q: d. ' Tlie Sabbath and the temple have in- nmnerable times to give way to what is high- er; but a Greater than aU outward sanctities is here, to provide for whose wants Sabbath and temple alike must give place.' 7. If ye had known— «. d. 'Had ye understood the great principle, that ceremonial observances must ever yield to moral duties ' (See on ch. 9, 13.). 8. See on L. 6. 5. Ver. 9-21. Witheked Hand Healed, and Eetirement of Jesus to Avoid Danger. 10. his hand— "his right hand" (L. 6. 6.). withered— disabled by paralysis, asked him, (fee- Seeon L. 6. Y. 11,12. Resistless appeal. " A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" (Pr. 12. 10.), and would instinctively rescue it from death on the Sabbath; much more his nobler fellow-man. do well— See on L. 6. 9. 13. Stretch forth, &:c.—qjower to obey vent forth vnth the icord of command. (On this principle we are to explain the seeming Christ healeih the withered hand. MATTHEW, XII. The Pharisees seek a sign. CHAPTEll XII. 1 Christ rtproveth the hUndnus of the Fharisett concerning the breach of the sabbath ; 9 he healeth the withered hand, etc. A T that time " Jesus went on the sabbath ■"■ day through the corn ; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him. Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Bab hath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read * what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him ; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat " the showbread, which was not lawfiil for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, «* but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the * Law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But 1 say unto yon. That in this place is <w?e /greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I " ^-ill have mercy, and not sacrilice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the '» Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 9 IT And »when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, } Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, ^Vhat man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and * if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14 1[ Then ' the Pharisees went out, and 1 held a covmcil against him, how they mii:;ht destroy him. 15 But when Jesus "* knew it, " he with- drew himself from thence : and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16 And charged them that they should not make him known: 17 That " it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 18 Behold ^my servant, whom 1 have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put * my Spirit upon him, and he shall snow judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20 A ''bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. 22 IT Then ■ was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both sp.xke and saw, 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is nut this * the son of David? U A. D. 31. CHAP. 12. a Deu. 23.26. »Iar. 2. 23. 5 1 Sam.21.6. c Ex. 25. 80. I^T. 24. 6. d Ex. 29. 32. Lev. 8. 31. Lev. 24. 9. e Num. 28. 9. John 7. 22. /2 Ch.6. 18. Hag. 2.7,9. Mai. 3. 1. g Ho8. 6. 6. Mic. 6. 6. h Dan. 7. 13. { Mark 3. 1. Luko 6. e. ;■ Lu. 13. 14. Lu. 14. 3. John 9. 16. k Ex. 23. 4. Deu. 22. 4. I Mark 3. 6. Lu. 6. 11. John 5. 18. JolinlO.39. Johnll.63. 1 Or, took counsel. m Heb. 4.13. Ps. 139. 2. " Mark. 3. 7. ''Num.23.19. P Isa. 42. 1. 9 Isa. 61. 1. »• Isa. 40.11. 8 Mar. 3. 11. Lu. 11. 14. t Kom. 9. 6. « Slar. 3. 22. 2 Beelcebul. " ch. 9. 4. John 2.25. Key. 2. 23. v Dan. 2.44. Dan. 714. Lu. 1. 33. Lu. 11. 20. Lu.l7. 20. Hcb.12.28. » Isa. 49. 24. V Mar. 3. 23. Lu. 12. 10. Heb. 10.26. 16. « Acts 7. 51. Heb. 6. 4. o ch. 11. 19. ch. 13. 55. John 7. 12. 6 1 Tim.1.13. ech.7. 17. Lu. 6. 43. d ch. 3. 7. cli. 23. S3. « Lu. 6. 45. / Eph. 6. 4. a ch. 16. 1. Mar. 8. 11. Lu. 11. 16. John 2. 18. 1 Cor. 1.22. ft Isa. 67. 3. Mar. 8. 38. John 4.43. i Jonah 1.17. } Lu. 11. 32. % Jer. 3.11. Ezo. 16.61. { Jonah 3. 5. Kom. 9. 5. ■\ Ki. 10.1. 2 Ch». 9. 1. 24 But •* when the Pharisees heard it, they said, Ihls fellow doth not cast out deMls, but by sueelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus " knew their thoughts, and said mito them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and everv city or house diuded against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is dinded against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by I3eelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then •" the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or *else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31 Wherelore I say unto yon, * All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men : * but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever " speaketh a word against the Son of man, * it shall be for- given him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the ivorld to come. 33 Either make the tree good, and * his fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit conxipt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O <* generation of vipers, how can ye. being evil, speak good things? * for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things: and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things. 36 But 1 say unto you. That every/idle word that men shall speak, they sliall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justi- fied, and by thy words thou shalt be con- demned. 38 f, Then o certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Alaster, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and h adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shaU no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For » as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three davs and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The i men of Kineve shall rise in judg- ment with this generation, and * shall con- demn it: ^because they repented at the preaching of J onas ; and, behold, "' a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The " queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: lor she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wi sdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a " gieater than Solomon is here. 43 When ^ the unclean spirit is gone out FV.nd avd clwrnh fUmov^'ac hcnlcfl. IMATl'llEVV. XTT. Tl^c Phnriseea sedc a sign. mradox of Ez. 37. 4.; Is. 55. 4.- Eph. 5. 14, etc. i it ' jyresvmvtvnusly,' or rcith e e^ open. Tlu3 14. See on L. 6. 11. 18-20. The grandeur of had not been yet done; but in charging Jesus Messiah's victories should be not more won- " ' " derful than the unobtrusive noiselessness of the steps by which they would be brought about. One i-ough toucli will break a reed already bruised, and quench the flickering, smoking flax; but His it will be, with match- less tenderness, love, and skiU to "strengthen that which remains, and is ready to die." 21. the Gentiles trust.— Part of his audience at this time were Gentiles, from Tyre and Sidon (Mk. 3. 8.). Ver. 22-45. Blind ajtd DU>rB demoniac HEALED — CHAKGE OF BEING IN LEAGUE ■WITH HELL, AND KEPLY— DEMAND OP A SIGN, AND REPLY. 22. blind and diunb— see on cli. 9. 32. 23. Son of David— the promised Messiah (see on ch. 1. 1.). 'Tis remarkable that in all the three narratives of sight given to the blind the patients give this title to Jesus (ch. 0. 27.; 20. 30, 31.), 24. Beelzebub —same as 'Baalzebub, the god of Ekron' (2 Ki. 1. 2.}. How the name of this Philistine idol came to be given to Satan, is not known; but as idolatry is in reality devil-worsliip (1 Co. 10. 20.), it was not unnatural, n.b. Chrisfs bitterest enemies did tiot deny the reality of his miracles; and being stung by the unsophisticated testimony of 'aU the people ' (' the multitudes,' v. 23.), they had no way of holding out against liis claims but by the desperate shift of ascribing his miracles to Satan. 25, 26. The argimient here is ir- resistible. ' Ko organised society— whether with being in league with hell, they wero displaying beforehand a malignant determi- nation to shut their eyes to aU evidence, and so bordering upon, and '^n spir 't committing the Tinpardonable sin, 33-35. either, (to.— A new application of a former saying (ch. 7. 16. 18.): ' There are but two kingdoms, interests, parties, together ^vith the proper workings and fruits of each; if I promote the one, I canntit belong to the other, but they that set them- selves in wilful oppo.=^.ition to the kingdom ot light, openly proclaim to what other kingdoiu they belong. As for you, ye have but re- vealed the viperous, venomous, malignity of your hearts m the words ye have uttered.' 36, 37. every idle word — Tliey might say, 'It was nothing; we meant no evil; wa merely threw out a supposition, as one way of accounting for the miracle we mtnessed; if it will not stand, let it ro; why make so much of it, and bear down with such severity for it?' Jesus replies, 'It was not nothing, and at the great day will not be treated as nothing : Words, as the index of the heart, however idle they may seem, will be taken account of, whether good or bad, in estimating character in the day of judgment.' 38, 39. Master, we would see a sign—' from heaven' (L. 11. 16.): something of an im- mediate and decisive nature, to show that his miracles were by a power from above. This was asked by a different class from „ . those who had charged Him with being in 'kingdom, city, or household"— can stand I league with Satan (L. 11. 15. 16.); but as the when turned against itseK ; such intestine war is suicidal: But the works I do are all destructive of Satan's kingdom : That I should be in league with him, therefore, is incredible and absurd.' Observe, Jesus here aets his seal to the Jewish doctrine of an wganized kingdom of evil, under one chief, emph.atically called' Satan; akingdom which, though full of contradiction and division in itself, is tremendously harmonious in its op- position to truth and righteousness. Tor this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy' this kingdom (1 Jo. 3. 8. ; Ge. 3. 15.). 27. your children— or 'sons,' i.e. the disciples or pupils of the Pharisees, cast them out— Our Lord seems to admit that such works were really done; in which case the Pharisees were self-condemned. 28. kingdom of God is come upon you—' It this ex- pulsion of Satan is, and can be, by no other than the Spirit of God, then is his Destroyer already in the midst of you, and that king- dom which is destined to supplant it is al- ready rising on its ruins.' 29, 30. See on L. 11. 21-23.). 31, 32. aU manner of sin and blas- phemy, kc— "every description of sin is par- donable' Therefore, when it is added that the .•«in against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable, this cannot arise from anything in the sin itself; for that would be a contradiction. It arises from the wilful malignity which hates ihe light and wilt not admit it, wMch of cour.se precludes salvation. This is plain from what follows, where rejection of ' the Son of Man,' that is, in his veiled condition and, unfinished v:ork, is said to be pardon- able, since it might be done 'ignorantly, in unbelief 1 Ti. 1. 13.)- whereas after the bla;^e of glory which ' the Holy Ghost' was soon to throw around his claims, to reject Him in the fuU knowledge of these, would be to do U spirit of both was similar, the tone of severe warning is continuecL evil and adidterous— cf. Je. 3. 20. * Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me. ' 40. so shall the Son of Man, &:c.— This was the first public an- nouncement of his resun-ection three days after his death. Any sign of this in the form of an actual resurrection wrought for the occasion was out of the question; but the re- ference to the analogous case of Jonah, as a past sign, comes the nearest to it, as being (1.) God's awful judgment, (2.) reversed in three days, and (3.) followed by a glorious mis- sion to the Gentiles. 41, 42. Tlie Ninevites (see on Jon. 1. #), though heathens, repented at a man's preaching; they, God's covenant- people, repented not at the preaching of the Son of God— whose supreme dignity is rather hinted at than expressed. The queen of Sheba/— a tract in Arabia, near the shores of the Bed Sea— came from a remote country {'south' of Judeai to hear the wis- dom 01 a mere though gifted man ; they, when a Greater than he had come to them,, despised and rejected, slighted and slandered lum. 43-45. dry places — i.e. desert, unin- habited places, where are no men to possess and destroy, seeking rest and finding none— because out of his element, ^vithout human victims. I win return unto my house, etc.— 'It may be I shall find it wearj' of its new religious ways, and not unwilling to entertain overtures of reconciliation with its old friend.' empty — occitj'ied by no rival. swept and garnished— not only empty, but all ready to receive him— nay, decked out as if to invite his return, seven more wicked, &c. —a sevenfold mightier diabolic force, as if resolved not to be again disturbed, enter . . . dwell— jio resistaiice now—' they walk tha ParnhU of the sower. MATTHEW, XIII. Parables representing of a man, « he walketh through dry places, Beeking rest, and ftiideth none. 44 Then he saith, 1 will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished, 45 Then *■ goeth he, and taketh with him- eelf seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and * the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 46 ^ While he yet talked to the people, behold, ' his mother and " his brethren Btood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Theu one said unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him. Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said. Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For " whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. CHAPTER XIII. 8 Of the sower and the seed. 10 Why Christ spake in parables. 38 The exposition of the parable of the sower. 24 Divers other parables, etc, T'HE same day went Jesus out of the house, " and sat by the sea-side. 2 And * great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that " he went into a ship, and sat: and the whole multitude stood on the snore. 3 And he spake many things imto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow: 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, and the fowls came and de- voured them up: 5 Some fell upon <* stony places, where they had not much earth ; and tbrthwith they sprung up, because they had no deep- ness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched ; and because they had no * root, they withered away: 7 And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprung up and choked them: 8 But other fell into good gi'ound, and Drought forth liuit, some / an hundred-fold, gome sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. 9 Who » hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 ^ And the disciples came, and said unto nim. Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them. Be- cause '» it is given vmto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For • whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance ; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they under- stand. 14 And in them is fulfdled the prophecy f>f Esaias, which saith, 3 By healing ye shall bear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, aud their ears ^are dull of hearing, and A. D. CUAP. 12. 9 Job 1. 7. 1 Pot. B 8. r Isa. M.S.*. « Heb. 6. 4. Hob.10.26. 2 J'et.2.i». t Mar. 3. ai. Lu. 8. 10. W Mark 6. 3. John 2. 12. John 7.3,5. Actsl. U. 1 Cor. 9.5. GaL 1. 19. W Johnl5.14. Gal. 5. 5. Gftl. 6. 15. Col. 3. 11. Heb. 2.11. CHAP. 13. a Mark 4. 1. b Luke 8. i. e Luke 5. 3. d E7.e. 11.19. e Col. 2. 7. / Gen. 20.12. g Alark 4. 9. h ch. 11. 25. ch.16. 17. JLir. 4. 11. 1 Ccr.2.10. 1 John 2. 27. Col. 1. 26. i Mar. 4. 26. Lu. 8. 18. Lu. 19. 28. }■ li-a. 6. 9. Eiek.12.2. Mar. 4. 12. Lu. 8. 10. Johnl2.40. Act328.26, 27. Rom. 11.8. 2 Cor.3.14. k Heb. 5. 11. I ch. 16. 17. Lu. 10. 23, 24. John20.29. »nHeb.ll.i3. 1 Pet.l.lU. n Mar. 4. 14. Lu. 8. 11. 2 Cor. 2.11. P Isa. 68. 2. Eze 33.31. John 5. 35. 8 ch. 11. 6. 2Tim.l.l6. r ch. 19. Zi. Mar. 10.23. Lu. IS. 24. 1 Tim. 6.9. 2Tim.4.10. « Jcr. 4. 3. t 1 Pot. 6. 8. " ch. 3. 12. "188.2.2,3. Mic. 4. 1. Mar. 4. 30. Lu. 13. 13. 2Pet.3.18. K'Lu.13.20. 1 The word in the Greek is a their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they shoiud see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, aud should under- stand with their heart, and should be con- verted, and I should heal them. 16 But 'blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily 1 say unto you, '" That many prophets and righteous mtn have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 18 % llear " ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then Cometh "the wicked oiie, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way- side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon P with joy receiveth it: 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while ; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by * he is otiended. 22 He '"also that received seed 'among the thorns is he that heareth the word ; and the care of this world, and the deceitfid- ness of riches, choke the word, aud he bccometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fniit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-fold, some sLxty, some thu-ty. 24 H Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, « his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Su-, did.st not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them. An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said. Nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the har- vest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers. Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them m bundles to burn them; but "gather the wheat into my barn. 31 fl Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, ^ The kingdom of heaven is like to a giam of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the bu'ds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. 33 IT Another "'parable spake he onto them ; The lungdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three i meiisures of meal, till the whole waa leavened. Tlie parable of the sower. MATTHEW. Xm. cfthe vjheat and tares, dc course.' the last state worse, &c.— Relapse into evil, wlun thoroughly yielded to, nuikes the case ever loorse than before. The power of a resisting will is destroyed- in just judgment God lets this awful law of tlie human soul take effect ; and the Enemy is permitted to take his own advantage of it. 45. By the ministry of the Baptist their 'heart was turned to the Lord,' to a large extent ; then was their opportunity to receive Christ and live; but they did not; so they became worse than at the first, and soon put their very Dehverer to death. It matters little though the devil be out if Clirist be not in. Negative reformations em in positive and fatal de- clension. 4S-60. Hi3 Mother and Brethren SEEK TO Speak with Him. 46. Ms brethren —See on ch. 13. 55, 56. to speak with him— for what purpose we learn from ;Mk. 3. 20. 21. In his zeal and ardour he seemed indifferent both to food and repose, and "they went to lay hold of him," as one " beside himself." 48. who is my mother? . . . who my brethren?- Ab- sorbed in the awful warnings he was pouring forth, he felt this to be an unseasonable iu- terruption, fitted to dissipate the impres- sion made upon the large audience, such an interruption as duty to the nearest relatives did not require him to give way to. But in- stead of a direct rebuke, he seizes on the in- cident to convey a sublime lesson, expressed in a style of inimitable condescension. 49, 50. Behold . . . For whosoever, &c. — ' Tliere stand here the members of a family trans- cending and surviving this of earth; filial subjection to the wiU of My Father ia hea- ven is the indissoluble bond of union be- tween Me and all its members; and whoso- ever enters tliis haUowed circle ' becomes to Me " brother and sister and mother! " '. CHAPTMl XTIT. Ver. 1-52. Seven Parables. 1,2. "The same day" on which the foregoing solemn discourse was delivered, and his kindred thought him "beside himself" for his in- difference to food and repose— that same day, retiring to the sea-shore of Galilee, and there seating himself, perhaps for coohiess and rest, the crowds again flock around him, and he is fain to push off from them, in the boat usually kept in readiness for him; yet only to begin, without waiting to rest, a new course of teaching by parables to the eager multitudes that lined the shore. There is nothing in all language to be compared to the parables of our Lord, for simpUcity, grace, fulness, and variety, of spiritual teaching. They are adapted to all classes and stages of advancement, being imderstood by each ac- cording to the measure of his spiritual ca- pacity. 3-9, 18-23. First Parable: The So AVER. ITiis parable is introductory to the other six, which consist of three pairs. For the exposition of it, see on Mk. 4. 3-9, 14-20. Eeason for Teaching in Parables, V. 10-17. 10. why in parables ?— This seems to imply that, though one or two parables had been spoken before to illustrate what was spoken in another style, he now for the first time formally employed this me- thod of teaching. 11. to you it is given to know ... to them not — Parables serve the double purpose of revealing and con- cealing; presenting 'the mysteries of the Ivingdom' to those who know and reUsh tliem, though in never so small a degree, in a new and attractive light; but to those who are insensible to spiritual things yielding only, as so many tales, some temporary entertain- ment. 12. whosoever hath, &c. — " retains," or keeps, as one does who values what he re- ceives: the 'hath not' means the reverse of this— not cherishing, but letting go, as of what one sets no value on. The one class are re« warded by an increase of what they so much prize; the other are punished by the judi- cial vAthdrawal of what they despise. 13. Therefore because, &c. — Our Lord did not begin to teach by parables till his enemies perversely ascribed his miracles to Satan. " Seeing,"— for the light shone on them as never light shone before—" they saw not," for they closed their eves; "hearing," for He taught them who spake as never man spake," they yet "heard not"— taking noth- ing in, "understanding not" the soul-pene- trating, life-giving words addressed to tnem. 14, 15. They were judicially sealed up in the darkness and obduracy which they delibe- rately prejerrecl to the light and the healing which Christ brought nigh to them. 16, 17. Not only were the disciples blessed above the blinded jiist spoken of, but favoured above the most honoured and the best that lived under the old economy, who had but glimpses of the things of the new kingdom, just sufficient to kindle in them desires not to be fulfilled to any in their day. Second and Seventh parables, or. First Pair: The Wheat and Tabes {v. 24-30, 36-43.) and The Good and Bad Fish (v. 47-50.1— or. The MIXED character of the kingdom in its present state, and the final absolute sepa- ration of the two classes. Both parables teach the same truth, with a slight diver- sity of aspect. 24. a man which sowed— " the Son of Man," v. 37. The most frequent title by which our Lord designates Himself, but never given Him by others save once, by Stephen (A. 7. 66.). to indicate, it would seem, that the glorified Saviour appeared bodily to his eyes. " The one true and perfect flower which had ever unfolded itself out of the root of humanity." [Tiiench.] cf. Da. 7. 13. with Ps. 8. 4. good seed— "the childi-en of the kingdom;" the same seed of " the word" as in the former parable, but now received into the heart and converting him that receives it into a new creature, a^' child of the king- dom," (cf. Ja. 1. 18; Ho. 2. 23.). his field—" the world," V. 38. Observe, this vast field is Christ's — " His field," says the parable (See Ps. 2. S.|, 25. while men slejpt— As it could oiily be done then, no blame seems intended, nor is any such charged on " the servants:" 'tis just the dress of the parable, his enemy—' ' the devil," V.39; emphatically " His enemy"— " the Son ot Man's" (Ge. 3. 15; 1 Jo. 3. 8.). sowed— i.e. within the territory of the visitjle Chxirch. tares- not what we call such, but a noxious plant, probably Darnel. These are " the chil- dren of the wicked one," v. 38, resembling, in religious profession, "'the children of the kingdom, and produced by the same process " ("sowing.") went his way— His dark work takes time to develope its true character, which at length appears, v. 26. 27. the ser- vants—Christ's ministers.— Didst not thou, &c. —This well expresses the surprise, cUsap- pointment, and anxiety of Christ's faithful servants and people, at the discovery of " false brethren," among the members of the Church, wiit thou— compare James and John the kingdom of heaven. MATTHEW, XIV. John Baptist beheaded. ci All these things spake Jesus nnto the multitude in parables ; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken bv the prophet, saying, * I will open my mouth in parables ; " I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. 36 TI Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and Ms disciples came unto him, saying. Declare uuto us the parable of the tares of the held. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that ^ soweth the good seed is the Son of 38 I'he « field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the Uires are 6 the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the dcNil; "the haiTest is the end of the world - and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the lire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, <* and they shall gather out of his kingdom all 2 things that offend, and them which do iniquity, 42 And * shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ,. ^ , 43 Then /shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 44 H Again, the kingdom of heaven is lilce unto treasure hid in a field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and ^ selleth all that he hath, and '» buyeth that field. 45 U Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls : 46 Who,- when he had found » one pearl of great price, went and sold all that lie had, and bought it. . ,., 47 IT Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea. and gathered > of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat do^vn, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wcked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, „ 51 Jesus saith unto them. Have ye under- stood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 52 Then said he unto them. Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder which bringeth forth out of his treasm'e * things new and old. 53 H And it came to "pass, tluxt, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 54 And 'when he was come into his own country,he taught them in their sj-nagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said. Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55 Is ""not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary ? and " his brethren, •James, and Joses, and Shnon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence thcu hath thia man all thtse thuiga? 13 CHAP. 13. «; Pa. 78. 2. y Ro. 16. 25. 1 Cor. 2. 7. Epli. 3. 9. Col. 1. 26. 2 Is. 01. 1. a ch. 24. 14. Lu. 24.47. Ro. 10. 18. Col. 1. 6. 6 Gen. 3. 13. Acts 13.10. 1 John 3. 8. e Jool 3. 13. Rov. 14.15. d 2 Pet .2.1,2. a Or, Bcandals. e Rev. 19.20. Rev. 20.10. / Dan. 12. 3. 1 Cor. 15. 42. R«v. 7. 9. ff Phil. 3. 7. h Is. 65. 1. Key. 3. 18. t Prov. 2. 4. Pro. 3. 14. Pro. 8. 10. } ch. 22. 10. k Sor,g 7. 13. I Deu. 18. 15. ch. 2. 23. Mark 6. 1. Lu. 4. 16. m u. 49. 7. 18.53.2,3. Mark 6. 3. Lu. 3. 23. John 6.4a. nch. 12. 46 o Mar. 15. 40. p Ps. 22. 6. John 4. 44. r Htb. 3. 19. Heb. 4. 2. 57 And they ^ were ollended in him. But Jesus said unto them, «A prophet is not ^Nithout honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58 And ^ he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. CHAPTER XIV. 1 Herod's opinion of Christ. 3 John Baptist beheaded. 15 rive thousand fed, etc. A T that time " Herod the tetrarch heard ■"■ of the fame of Jesus, 2 And said unto his ser^-ants, This is John the Baptist: he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works i do show forth themselves in him. 3 IT For f> Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put hirn in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto him, * It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, <* because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's * bu-thday was kept, CHAP. 14. a Mar. 6. 14. Lu. 9. 7. 1 Or, are wrought 6 Pro. 10.17. Pro. 15. 10. Mar. 6. 17. Lu. 3. 19. e Lev. 18. IG. Lot. 20.21. Dan. 6. 22, 23. Eph. 6. U. 2 Ti. 4. 2. d ch. 21. 26. Lu. 20. 0. « Gen. 40. 20, 2 in the midst. /Ti. 1. 16. ff ch. 10. 23. ch. 12. 15. Mark 6. 32 Lu. 10. John 6.1,2. A ch. 9. 36. Heb. 2. 17. Hob. 4. 15. t 2 Kin. 4. 42. 4<. j oh. 15. 36. A Mar. 0.40. the daughter of Herodias danced them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised vnth an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said. Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 9 And the king was sorry: / nevertheless, for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her, 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. •12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and bm-ied it, and went and tola Jesus. 13 IT When " Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart; and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and '' was moved with compas- sion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 IT And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying. This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multi- tude away, that they may go into the vil- lages, and buy themselves nctuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them. They need not depart; »give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him. We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said. Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and, looking up to heaven, J he blessed, and brake, and tave the loaves to his disciples, and the isciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 22 IT And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the nailtitudts away. 2J And '' when he had sent the multitudes Parable of the good and bad fi sh, MATTHE W. XIIL L 9^X" Wilt thou that we command fire," [ Arc. In this kind of zeal there is nsually a lar?e mixture of carnal heat. 29. Nay, lest, &c. — ' It wiU be done in due time, but not now, nor is it j'our business.' This condemns intolerance, on pretence of purging out heresy, lest ye root up the tares— This plainly teaches tfie dij/iculty of didinguish- ing the tvxf classes, and so the impropriety of sitting in judgment on men's state be- fore God. 30. let both grow together— i.e. in the visible Church. 27i.i5, however, must not be stretched so far as to justify retaining s"andalous persons in tlie communion of tlte Ciitirch, in tlie teeth of apostolic injunctions (1 Cor. 5.). till harvest— till the one have ripened for full salvation, the other for de- struction, at " the end of the world," v. 39. reauejrs— "the angels." v. 39. Observe the extent and grandeur of the ministiy of angels. In V. 41, they are called "His angels" (cf. 1 Pe. 3. 22. I wiU say. Gather, &c.— Christ, as Judge, will separate the two classes, cf. ch. 25. 32. Observe, the tares are burned before the wheat is housed; and the same order is observed in the exposition of the parable, V. 41. 43, and cf. ch. 25. 46; as if m some literal sense, "with thine eyes shalt thou liehold and see the reward of the wicked," Ps. 91. 8. 4L Gather out of his kingdom— to which they never belonged, cf. Ps, 1. .5, "The ungodly .shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners (abide" in the congregation ot the righteous." that offeud— or cause others to stumble, and them that do iniquity— The foi-mer class, as the worst, are men- tioned first. 42. waUing, &c.,— see on ch. 8. 12. 43. shine forth— as if under a cloud daring their present association with un- godly pretenders to their character, and claimants of their privileges. 47. a net—' a draw-net,' and a ' hauling ' net as distin'-;Tiish- ed from a ' casting' net; a net of the largest size, sufFeiing nothing to escape — point- ing to the wide reach and potent opera- tion of the Gospel. [Trench.] gathered of every kind— every variety ot character. 48. when fuU— The separation will not be tiU the number of the elect is accomplished, sat down — expressing the deliberateness with which the separation will be made, the bad — worthless fish, corresponding to " the tares," "the children of the wicked one." The aifterence between the two parables of this pair, besides the minuteness in detail of the Wheat and Tares, in contrast with the brief generality of the Draw Net, is that the cue gives more prominence to the present mixture ; the other to the future separation of the two classes. Third and Fourth Parables, or Second Pair: The Mustard Seed, and The Lea- VEX (v. 31-33.}, or The Growth of the kingdom, from the smallest beginnings to tdtimate universality. For the exposition of these parables, see on L. 13. 20, 21. 34. without a parable spake he not— i. e. on this occasion, refraining not only from all naked discourse, but even from all interpretation in public of these parables. 35. in parables things kept secret, &c.— Though the Psalm here quoted (Ps. 78.) seems to contain only a summary of Israehtish history, the Psalmist himself calls it "a parable" and "dark sayings of old," as containing, underneath the history, truths for all time not fuily brought to Ught till the Gospel-day. 13. cf the hidden treasure, tfrc Fifth and Sixth Parables, or Third Pair: The Hidden Treasure and The Pearl of Great Price {v. 44-46.^. or The priceless value of the blessinns of the Kinndom. The one parable represents the kingdom faund ivithout seeking; the other, thekm^domsought and found. 44. treasiire hid in a field— no un- common thing in unsettled and half-civiUzed countries, even now as well as in ancient times, when there was no other way of se- curing it from the rapacity of neighl)ours or marauders, (Jer. 41. 8; Job 3. 21; Pr. 2. 4.). a man that found— i. e. unexpectedly, for joy thereof, &c.— perceiving what a treasure he had found, passing the wortli of all he pos- sessed, buyeth that field— in which case, the treasure would^ by the Jewish law, become his own. In the other parable, the " one pearl of great price" is not found by acci- dent; it is found by "a merchant-manj" whose business is to " seek goodly pearls; it is found in the way of seeking just for such treasures. But in tliis case, as in the othtw", it is seen to be of surpassing value, and aU is parted with for it. The truths taught in these captivating parables are the following: (1.) The ble^xings of Christ's kingdom are of incomparable value. (2.) They oidy deem tliem so who are prepared to part with all for them. (3.) Sonic find Christ withotd seeking him; others, as the residt of Ion g and anxious search. Of the first sort Christ himself says, "I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me " iRo. 10. 20.). And such was the wo- inan of Samaria J 0.4.). Of the second sort it is said, " Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart ''^ (Jer. 29. 13. ) . Such was Na tkanael fJo. 1. 45.), (fee. Tlie calling of the Gentiles was nearly all of tlie first sort, as are the fruits of missions still in heathen lands; the dis- ciples of John, and generally "all those who in Jerusalem looked for redemption " (L. 2. 3«.i, were of the second sort, as are all nowin Christian lands reared in the knowledge of Christ, and taught to seek htm early, yet often long of finding liim. (3.i Tliose %vho find Christ v-ithout seeking him liave u.'iuMly the liveliest joy; while those who find him, after long and anvious search have usually the deepest apprehension of his value. It will be observed that the joy of discovery is only in the fonner parable; as if to express not the value set upon tlie treasure, but the unea>- pectedness of it. So, there was "more joy" over the unexpected return of the " prodigal son" than over the son who had been with his father all his days. Yet not less, nay rather more, profound is the sense of Christ's preciousness when fo\iud after lon^ and anxious search has deepened the craving df the soul after him. 52. therefore— q. d. ' WelL then.' scribe— Chri.stian teacher; so called from that well-known class amon.g the J ews ch. 23. 34.). instructed unto the kingdom of heaven— himself taught and trained in the mysteries of the Gospel, bringeth forth — ■ dealeth out.' treasure— storehouse, things new and old— old truths in ever new forms and applications, and with ever new illustra- tions. 5x-56. his own country —Nazareth. whence this wisdom? carpenter's son? <fec. — 'Do we not know all about his parentage? Has he not gi-owu up in the midst of usV are not all his relatives our own townsfolk? Y/hence then such wisdom and such, works.?' Christ walh fh on Ihc sea. MATTHEW. XV. Up, he.alfith preat mnltihides. Bway. he went up into a mountain apart to pray: ' and when the eremiig was come, he was there alone. 24 liut the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 vVoid when the disciples saw him "* walk- ing on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit: and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying. Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said. Lord, if it be thou, bid me come ujito thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind 3 boisterous, he was afraid: and, beginning to sink, he cried, saving, Lord, save me ! 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said uuto him, O thou of little Ikith, wherefore " didst thon doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the " wind ceased. 33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying. Of a truth thou * art the Son of God. 34 TT And ' when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; 3ti And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and '"as many as touched were made perfectly whole. CHAPTER XV. 1 Of God's eommandments, and m^n's traditions. 40 Christ showet/i what defiUth a man: 29 he healetit great muUiUtdes, et<;, H'^IIEN " came to J esus scribes and Phari- ■*■ sees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why *do thy disciples transgress "the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when th-ey eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the command- ment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, * Honour thy father and mother : and, * He that cm-seth father or mother, kt him die the death. 5 But ye say. Whosoever shall say to Ms father or his motlier, f It is a. gift, by what- soever thou mightest be nrofited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, lie shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none eflect by your tradition. 7 Yt " hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This * people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lii's; but their heart is far from me. 9 But m vain they do worship me, * teach- ing fr/r docti^ines the commaudments of men. 10 t And } he called the multitude, and eaid unto them. Hear, and undersUmd: 11 Not *that which goeth into the mouth detileth a man; but that which cometh oat of tile luouth, tliis detileth a mau. 14 CHAP. 14. I John 6. 16. "» Job 9. 8. 3 Or, strong. ♦* Jam. 1. 6. Pi. 107. 29. P Ps. 2. 7. Mark 1. 1. ch. 16. 16. ch. 26. 53. Lu. 4. 41. John 1. 49. John 6. C9. John 11.27. Ads 8. 37. Kom. 1. 4. 9 Mar. 6. 53. •• ch. 9. 20. Mar. 3. 10. Lu.6. 19. Acta 19 12. CHAP. 15. « Mark 7. 1. 6 .Mark 7. 5. « Gal. 1. 14. Col. 2. 8. d Ei. 20. 12. Lev. 19. 3. Deu. 5. 10. Pro. £3.22. Eph. 6. 2. e Ex. 21. 17. Lev. 20.9. Deu. 27. 16. Pro. 20.20. Pro. 30.17. /Mar. 7. 11. ff Mar. 7. 6. h la. 29. 13. Ee. 33. 31. i U. 29. 13. Col. 2. 18. 1 Ti. 1.6,7. I John 15. 2. 1 Cor. 3.12. mHoa.4,14, ch. 23. 16. Lu. 6. 39. o Mar. 7. 17. P ch. 16. 9. Mar, 7. 18. q 1 C«r. 6.13. r Jam. 3. 6. 8 Gen. 6. 5. Geo. 8. 21. Pro. 6. 14. J«r. 17. 9. Mar. 7. 21. t Is. 5:i. 6. ch. 10. 5, 6. AcU 3. 25, 26. AcU 13.46. Rom. 15. a. « ch. 7. 6. Eph. 2. 12. Phil. 3. 2. V Mar. 7. 31. M' ch. 4. 18. « la. 35.5,6. ch. 11. 5. Lu. 7. 22. V ilark 8. 1. » P». 103. 13. Hob. 2. 17. ONu. 11. 21, 22. 2 Ki. 4. 43. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowesft thou that the Pharisees were ollended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, ' Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let *" them alone : " they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then "answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, ^ Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that ' vfhaU soever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But *■ those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For *out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man : but to eat with uuwashen hands detileth not a man. 21 U Then Jesus went thence, and de- parted into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, beht>ld, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Ha\'e mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him. saying, iSeud her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, « I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, lx)rd, help me! 26 But he ansAvered and said. It ia not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to " dogs. 27 And she said. Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that ver^ hour. 20 H And "Jesus departed trom thence, and came nigh "'unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 00 And "great multitudes came unto him, having with them tJtose tluxt were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' leet; and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they gtoiified the God of Israel. 32 ^ Then i* Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, 1 * have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and 1 will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And " his disciples say unto him. Whence should we have so much bread in the w ilderuess as to till so great a multi- tude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. Discovrsc o n ceremon ial vollu tion. flLVl''.l.'llE\V, XIV. XV. Miracles of Ixea linrf, cfff.' These particulars of the hvmnn his*-oiT ofi to drink in everv thins he said, and -with ad- our Lord are the most vahiahle testimony niirable plainness, pithiness, and brevity not only to his perfect humanity, but to the lays down the great principle of real poUu- divine character of his whole rnisnpn. his tion. by wliidi a world of bondage and un- hrethren ... his sisters— Either l.i/«Uoro«/wrs easiness of conscience would be dissipated and siders; or (•-'.) s'tv-hrothers and sisters, \ia a moment, and the sense of sin be re- children of Joseph hy a former marriage ; or. served for deviations from the holy and (3.) coiisins, according to a common way of eternal law of God. 12. the Fharisees, &c. speaking amon? the Jews, for the second —they gav6 vent to their irritation, and opinion there is no ^ound but a vasrue tra- perhaps threat.s, not to our Lord him .-elf, dition, probably arising from tlie wish for I from whom they seem to have slunk away, some such exidanation. Tlie first opinion i but to some of the disciples, who report it to .suits the text best in all the places ; but as it | their Waster. 13. ' They are ofiended, are they? Heed it not; their corrupt teaching is already doomed; the Garden ol the Loid upon earth shall ^-et be purged of them and their system; yea and v.hatsoever is not uf " my Father, the Husbandman" (J. 15 i t.}. 14 Striking expression ol the ruinous effects ol erroneous teaching ! 16. Sloumeas of spiri- tual avvrchension grieves the Saviour. 17-20. How searching is this ! As notliing outward can defile, so neither can it sanetify, of iiaeli —as the Church of Eome teaches that sacra- ments do of themselves: But all the evil that is in tlte heart, that is allowed to rise up in thought and affection, and that flows forth in voluntary action— that is defiling. How appalling is tjie black catalogue here given, (and even more minutely in Mark], of the heart's depravities ! 21-28. The SYPvOPHENiciANWoiyiAii See on ]Mk. 7. 24-so. 29-30. MIRACLE3 OF HeaLING — FOUK, Thousand Fed. 29. a mountain— the moun- tain-range bounding the lake on the north- east, in Decapolis. See ilk. 7. 31. 30. casi them down at Jesus' feet—' a graphic descrip- tion of their appeal to his compassion and reliance on lii s power ' [ W. & W.] 31. maimed whole — The word "maimed" probably means here, not * mutilated,' but ' deformed:' Jesus restored them, glorifieii the God of Israel— thty saw in these glorious miracles, with delight and thanksgiving, an evidence that the God of their fathers, after long is difficult to account for our Lord's com-' mitting his mothei- to John, if he had full brothers of his own then living, many of the best interpreters prefer the third opinion Still it is not to be doubted tmt our Lord might have reasons for appointing the be- loved disciple the adopted son of his doubly widowed mother, in preference even to ful brothers of his own. 57. fc^ee on L. 4. 24 58. did not manv mighty works— "save that lie laid his hands on a few sick iolk, and healed them" 'Mk. c. .5.). , _ CHT AFTER XIV. Ver. 1-12. Hekod Thinks Jestts a Ee- HTJRRECTION' OF THE MURDEBED E.^PTIST— Account os- His Death. See on JVIk. 6. 14-30. 15-21. Five Thousand Miraculously Fed. See on Jo. 6. i-i 3. 22-23. Jesus Walks on the Sea. See on J. 6. 14-21. 34-36. Incidents on Landing, v. M. land of Gennesaret — from which the lake sometimes takes its name, stretching .-i-lon - its western shore. Capernaum was his land- ing-place, J. 6. 24, 25. 35,36. SeeMk's. more graphic narrative, ch. 6. 54-56. Our Lord's l.opularity was now at its height. CHAPTER XV. Ver. 1-20. Discourse on Ceremoniai. Pollution. 1. Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem— As our Lord did not attend that Passover which was "nigh at hand" when . hefedthefive thousand I J. 6. 4.J— on account I silence and apparent distance, had anew of the plots against his life which were hatching in Judea J. 7. 1.)— but "walked in GaUlee, where his influence was daily in visited his people," L. 7. 16. 32. I have compassion— an expression of that deep emo- tion in the Redeemers heart which always creasin .'these rulers followed him north preceded some remarkable interposition (Mk. 7. 1.), expressly to watch, and if possible ' '■ ' '^' "^ " ^•- "" ".a,,. . .. give him a check. 2. wash not when they eat— !See on JNIk. 7. 2-4. 3. ye also transgress— The charge is retorted with startling power. * The tradition they tran.sgress is but man's, and is itself the occasion of heavy transgres- sion, undermining the authority of Gods law: 5,6. but ye say, <fec. — To dedicate property to Gk)d is lawful and laudable, but the support of a parent is a first duty, tradition taught the reverse; so that parents were allowed to want rather than touch what had, in a fit of superstition, or, it might be, anger, been dedicated to more ' pious uses'— "ye sutler him no more to do an gilt for his father or his mother" iMk.7. 12.). How has the Romish Church served itself heir to the worst features of Rabbinical Judaism ! 7. hypocrites— Wliat hypocrisy can exceed that just described? 10, 11. the miU- ticule. &c.— the foregoing dialogue, though in the people's hearing, was between .Jesus and the Pharisaic cavillers, whose object was to disparage Him with the people. But Jesus having put them down, turns to the multitude who. at this time 14 lor relief. See ch. 14. 14; 20. 34; JNlk. l. 41: L. 7. 13; also ch. 9. 36, before the mission of the twelve, (cf. Ju. 2. 18; lo. 10.). have been with me—' are in constant attendance upon me.' "Tlie multitude was very great, and they had nothing to eat" (Aik. 8. 1.), yet in their eagerness they seem not to have thought of it, though " divers of them came from far" (INIk. 8. 3.). But the Lord thought of it. I will not send— 'I am imwilling to send.' 33, 37. Tlie only ditierence between this miracle and that of the five thousand, is the number fed, the number of the loaves and fishes, and the number of the baskets of frg,gments taken up. But it is remarkable tnat the word for "baskets" in the two cases is quite dillerent, and that this differ- ence is marked not only in the narratives themselves, both of M. and Mk., but in the allusion to the two miracles afterwards, ch. 16. 10. Tlie word used in the present case- that of the four thousand— denotes a ba.^.ket large enough to hold a man's body, for Paul was let down in one of these from the waU of Damascus, A. 9. 25. 39. coasts of Magdala— were orepared on the W. shove ol lue ialie. from wluvh Christ healefh a lunafis. MATTHEW. XVIII. Of htimility andforgivencfs. 11 And Jesus answered and said unto fhem, Elias truly shall first come, and restore • all things. 12 But } 1 say unto yon, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, hut have * done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples trnderstood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. 14 H And ' when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saving, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faith- less and per\erse generation, how long shall I be with youl how long shall 1 sutilr you! Bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the discijiles to Jesus apart, and said. Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for veiily I say uuto you. If *" ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shaD say unto this mountain, Ue- move hence to yonder place ; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Ilowbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fastins:. 22 II And "while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them. The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men; 23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. 24 II And " when they were come to Capernaum, they that received i tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, say- ing. What thinkest thou. Simon? of wliom do the Kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 2(J I'eter saith unto him. Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding,lest we^ should ofiend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou Shalt find 2 a piece of money: that take, and give uuto them for me and thee. CHAPTER XVIU. 1 Christ tfacheth to be humble. 7 Touching of- ffiices, 21 and forgiving one another. AT "the same time came the disciples ■*■*- vmto Jesus, saying. Who is the greatest in the kingdom ot heaven ? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said. Verily I say unto you, 6 Ex- cept ye be converted, and become as little children, ye sliall not enter into the king- dom of heaven. 4 Whosoever " therefore shall humble him self as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. b And i* whoso shall receive one such litUe child in my name rtceiveth me. 16 t Mai. 4. 6. Lu. 16. Acts 3. 21. j >Urk 9. 12. % ch. 14. 3. I Lu. 9. 37. »» Mar. 11. 23. Lu 17.6. »»ch. 16.21, Mark !<.31. Lu. 9. 22. Lu. 18. 31. Lu. 24.6.7. Mark 9, 33. 1 didrachma, ID value fifteen- pence. P Mar. 12 17. 1 Cor. 10. 32. 2 Or, a luo 2s 6d. after 63. the ounce. iPs. 131.2. Mar. 10.14. Lu. \». 16. 1 Cor. 14. 2<J. 1 Pet. 2. 2. c P». 67 15. Ps. 66. 2. d ch. 10. 42. e Lu 17. 1. 1 Cor. 11. 19. /ch. 26. 24. a Mar. 9. 43. ft P.. 34. 7. Zech. 13 7. Heb. 1. 14. i Esth. 1. 14. Lu. 19. ;■ Lu. 15. 4. *Lev. 19.17. I Jam. 5. 20. 1 Pet. 3. 1. m Deu 19 16. 2 Cor.13 1. Heb.10.28. n 1 Ti. 5. 20. Ro. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 6. 9. 2 John 10. P John 20.23. 1 ch. 6. 24. r Jam. 5. 16. 1 John 3. 22. « Em. 48. 35. Zech. 2. 6. ch. 28. 20. Rev. 1. 13. Rev. 2. 1. Rev. 21. 3. t Lu. 17. 4. « Col. 3. 13. 1 A talent is 7.TU ounces of silver, 187(. lOs. '2 Kin. 4. L 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 ^ Woe unto the world because of offen- ces ! for ' it must needs be that offences come; but /woe to that man by whom the offence cometh ! 8 Wherefore o if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than hav- ing two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast" into hell fire. 10 IT Take heed that ye despise not ore of these little ones; for 1 say unto you. That in heaven '^ their angels do always « behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How /think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you. He rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the muety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 15 H Moreover, * if thy brother shall tres- Eass against thee, go and tell him his fault etween thee and him. alone : if he shall hear thee, ' thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not near thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in "^ the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto " the church: but if he neghct to hear the church, let him be unto theeaa an " heathen man and a pubHcan. 18 Verily 1 say tmto you, ^ W'hatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again « 1 say unto you. That if two of you shall agree on eartn as touchhig any thing that they shall ask, *" it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, • there am 1 in the midst of them. 21 H Then came Peter to him, and said. Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and 1 forgive him? ' till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, 1 say not unto thee. Until seven times; " but. Until seventy times seven. 23 ^ Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his senauts. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto hun, which owed him ten thousand l talents: 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay. his lord commanded him "to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and Jesus tranfftrtured. MAT THEW. XVI J, XYUl. " free." the Lord shook off with horror. Thou art an offence to me— 'Tliou playest the Temp- „ , ~ ter, castins? a stumbling-block in my way to tlie_one and oUii/atory for the other, the cross. Could it siicceed.where wert thou ? and how should the seri)ent's head be bruis- ed V savo:irest not the things of God, but of men — 'throwest thy soul into human views of the way of setting up Messiah's kingdom, clean contrary to those of God.' This was said to explain why Peter was so addressed. How possible is it even for Christians, by falling into unspiritual conceptions of the things of God, to throw stumbling-blocks mi, the way of devoted servants of Christ, think- ing they are only checking fanatical or inju- dicious proceedings, when they themselves are, in so doing, the mere tools of Satan. Would that they met vAth cls little success as Peter did with his blessed Master! 24- 28. See onMk. 8. ;i <\ .and L. 9, 23-27. CHAPTER XVn. Ver. 1-13, Jesus Tkansfigxtked— Con- VERSATioK ABOUT Elias. See on L. 9. 28-36. 14-21. Demokiac and Lunatic Boy Healed. See on Mk. 9. 14-29. 22,23. Second Explicit Announcement BY OUR Lord of His Death and Resur- rection. The proper parallels to this are Mk. 9. 30-32, and L. 9. 43-45. exceeding sorry —shocking against all their ideas of Him and his kingdom, of. ch. 16. 22. 24-27. The Tribute-Money. 24. tribute —the word here means an Attic coin corres- ponding to the Jewish half -shekel, payable, towards the maintenance oi the temple and its services, by every male Jew of twenty years old and upward— a sacred tax. Ihe word rendered " tribute " in the next verse means the poU-tax payable to the Romans by every one whose name was in the 'census' — a ciml tax. The question related to the sacred tax (see Ex. 30. 13; 2 Chr. 24. 6, 9.). It seems implied that the payment of this tax was volurdary, though expected. 25. Yes— gr. d. 'To be sure he does;' as ii eager to remove even the suspicion of the contrary. If Peter knew that there was no money in the bag, this reply was a great act of faith in his JNIaster. prevented-' anti- cipated' him. Simon— his family name, used for familiarity, custom— customs on goods exported or imported, tribute — See on V. 24. strangers — not 'foreigners,' but •subjects' not ot their own family. 26,27. Then ... the children free . . . Notwithstanding — g. d. ' 2'his tax is for unhoMing my Father s House: As His Son the tax is not due by Me, I AM Free: Yet, let us pay it,' "lest we should offend ibe a stumbling-block to) them," who know not my relation to the Lord of the temple. A more direct claim to essential Deity, as " own Son " of the Father, cannot well be conceived, a piece of money — ' a stater,' equal to two of the coins first mentioned, and so the exact sum required for both. The wonders of this miracle are, (I.) That the exact sum required should be found in a fish's mouth. (2.) That Jesus should know it. (3.) That this very fish fJiould come to the spot where Peter's nook was to be cast, and be caught by it, re- taining and yielding the coin required.— Yet at this moment the Lord's whole means of subsistence were exhausted! See 2 Cor. 9. for— lit. ' instead ot ; ' for the payment was a redemption paid for the person (Ex. 80. 12.}, in wnich sense certainly Jesus was j liim aside, show lum his lault.and if he own Strife among the twelve, etc. for Tile and thee — " not for us," to distinguish between voluntary pajTueut for the one and obligatory for the other. See on J. 20, 17. CHAPTER XVm, Ver. 1-35. Strife among the Twelve, "WHO Should be Greatest in the King- dom of Heaven, v. 1. Tlie dispute, it seems, (Mk. 9. 33, 34,!, was " on the way" to Capernaum; and "among themselves;' Jesus, though aware of it, waited till they were "in the house," and then questioned them about it, which put them to the blush, conscious of the temper towards each other which it had kindled. This raised the whole question afresh, and at this point Matthew here takes it up. The subject was suggested by the recent announcement of the King- dom (ch. 16. 19, 28.), the transfiguration of their Master, and especially the preference given to three of them at that scene. 2. set him in the midst—" and (after this] took him in his arms" (Mk. 9. 36.). 3, 4. except ye be converted ... not enter, (fee. — ' Look at thnt child— what absence of all seJ f -seeking, vthiit simplicity, humility, confidence ! Except ye be "converted" from carnal ambition into this cliild-Iike frame of mind, you have neither part nor lot in the Kingdom at all; and he who has most of it is highest there. See Llk. 9. 35. 5. one such little child —who, as a disciple of Jesus, cultivates and mani- fests the spirit which this child involunta- rily displays, in my name— from love to Me. (Here comes in the incident about one cast- ing out devils, for which see L. 9. 49, 50.) . offend— cause to stumble or fall, refenlng probably, to the effect which their unsa- voury disputes would have on " those with- out," leading to the belief that they were no better than others, the world because of of- fences—' There will be stumblings and falls and loss of souls enough from the world's treatment of disciples, without any addition from you: dreadful will be its doom in con- sequence; see that ye share not in it.' it must needs be, &c.—' The stni^gle between light and darkness will inevitably cause stumbhngs, but not less giulty is he who wilfully makes any to stumble.' 8, 9. See on Mk. 9. 43-50. 10. their angels behold, &c.— Among men, those who nurse and rear the royal children, however humble in themselves, are allowed free entrance with their charge, and a degree cf familiarity which even the highest state ministers dare not assume. Pi'obably our Lord means that, in virtue of their charge over his disciples (Heb. 1. 13; Jo. 1. 51.), the angels have errands to the throne, a icelcome there, and a dear familiarity in dealing with "His Father which is in heaven," which on their own matters they could not assume. 11. 'The whole object and errand ot the Son of Man into the world is to " save the lost: " Take heed that ye, by causing " offences," do not lose the saved.' See v. 14. 12, 13. See on L. 15. 3-7. 15, 17. If thy brother trespass against thee— Each would be saying, in re- ference to the late dispute. It was not I that began it, I that threw oxit imworthy and irritating insinuations against my brethren. Ee it so, says our Lord; but as such things wiU often arise. I wiU direct you how to pro- ceed. (1.) Neither harbour a eiiidge against your offending brother, nor break forth upon him in presence of the unbelieving, hut take Of divorcement. * worshipped him, sayins, Lord, have pa^- tience with me, and 1 will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed hun, and for- gave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred ''pence; and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, Baying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And hi's fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saybig. Have pa^ tience with me, and 1 will pay thee all. 80 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest ""not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-sen'axit, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So * likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. CHAPTER XIX. 1 Christ htaUth tlie sick; 3 tie answereth the Fhari- tees touching divorcement ; 16 he instructeth how to attain ev'erlastittg life, etc. A ND it came to pass, " that when Jesns ■*^ had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan; 2 And * great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. 3 % The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him. Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them. Have ye not read, *=that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, ^ For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and 'they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder, 7 They say unto him, /Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but ^ from the begin- ning it was not so. 9 And '' I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornica- tion, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10 H His disciples say unto him, » If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to n:arry. 11 But he said unto them, } All men can- not receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so boru from their mother's womb: 17 MATTHEW, XIX, XX. Bow to attain etenml H^dr 3 The Ro- man penny ounce, whichgfter fire thil- linga the ounce is Bevenpenoe halfpenny. o.. aj. a. f Eph. i. B2. Ep». 5 2. Col. 3. 13. * Pro. 81. 13. ch. 6. 12. BL-ir.11.26. Jam. 2. 13. CHAP. 19. a JIar. 10. 1. John 1U.40. 6 ch. 12. 16. c Gen. 1. 27. Gen. 5. 2. JIal 2. 15. d Gen. 2 24. Blar 10.5,9. Eph. 6. 31. ei Cor. 0.16. 1 Ciir. 7. 2. / De\u 94. 1. ch. 5.31. g Jer. 6. 16. A ch. 5. 32. Mar.lO.ll. Lu 16. 1«. 1 Cor. 7. 10, 11. i Pro. 21. 19. i 1 Oor. 7. 2, 7, 9, 17. k 1 Cor. 7. 32,34. 1 Cor. 9. 5, 15. I Mark 10.13. Lu. 18. 15. »»ch. 18. 3. 1 Pe.2.1,2, n Lu. 10. 25. Rom. 9. 31. p Ex. 20. 13. r>eu. 5. 17. 9 ch. 15. 4. r Lev. 19. 18. Kom. 13. 9. G»l. 5. 14. Jam. 2. 8. « Lu. 12. 33. Lu. 16. 9. Acts 2. 45. Acts 4. 34. . 1 Ti. 6. 18. t 1 Cor. 1.26. 1 Tim. 6.9. u Gen. 18.14. Job 42. 2. Jer. 32. 17. Zech. 8. 6. V Mar. 10.28. «'X)eu.33.9. eh. 4. 20. Lu. 5. 11. * 2 Cor. 5. 17. Kcv. 2. 26, Sch. 20. 16. Mar. 10.31, and there are some eimuchs, which were made eunuchs of men; and * there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. 13 IT Then ' were there brought unto him little children, that he should put Ais hands on them, and pray: and the disciples re- buked them. 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; fot of"* such is the kingdom of heaven. 13 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. 16 TT And, behold, one came and said unto him, " Good Master, what " good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him. Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, tJuit is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him. Which? Jesus said. Thou P Shalt do no mm-der. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour 9 thy father and thy mother; and, ''Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him. If thou wilt be perfect, * go tt»id sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 H Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you. That * a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto yon, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them. With men this is impossible; but with " God all things are possible. 27 % Then " answered Peter and said unto him. Behold, "■ we have forsaken all, and followed thee ; what shall we have there- fore? 28 And Jesus said unto them. Verily I say unto you. That ye which have followed me, in * the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his gloiT, ^ ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for niv name's sake, shall receive an hundred- fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But * many tliat are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. CHAPTEll XX. 1 Of the labourers m the vineucird. 17 Christ foreUlleth his passioin 2U Teachcth his disci fles to be lowly t W and giveth sight to two bUud men, "r"OK the kingdom of heaven is like unto ■* a man lliat is an householder, which Final dcparlurc from Ccdilec. MATTHEW, XIS, XX. The rnrahle of the la'mircrs, etc. and make reparation for it, you have done more service to him tlian even justice to your- self.(2.] If this fail, take two ortnree to w itness how just your complaint is, and how broth- erly your spirit in dealing with him. (3.) If this fail, bring him before the Church, to which both own subjection. (4.) If this fail, regard him as no longer a brother Christian, but as one " without," as the Jews did Gen- tiles and Publicans. 18. See on ch. 16. 19, and J. 20. 23. 19, 20. \Miat precious en- couragement to united prayer! Observe the connexion of the two verses. ISvo or three met in Jesus' name are assured that tl:ey have Him in the midst of them; and this secures that "Hw Father in heaven will" do for them what they " agree to ask." Ob- serve also the answer "in heaven" to the asking "'on ea?-Wi."— Jesus being the link of connexion, the living Conductor of the prayer upward, and the answer downward I 21. Peter . . . Lord, how oft shall my brother —In the recent dispute, Peter had probably been an object of special en'^'y, and his for- wardness in continually answering for all the rest would likely be cast up to him, (by Judas? notwithstanding Ids Master's commendations. And as such insinuations had been made once and again, he wished to know how often and how long he was to bear it. 22. seventy times seven— As long as needed; i. e. never coming to the point of refusal when sincerely asked. See on L. 17. 3. 4. 23. Therefore— Q. d. 'in reference to this matter.' take account of his servants— 'overhaul the accounts of his revenue-col- lectors.' 24. ten thousand talents— if of silver, equal to the revenue of a province; much more if gold. 25. sold— See Marg. and Le. 25. 39. 26. fell down . . . worshipped, &c. — This is just an aclmowledgment of the jus- tice of tlie claim against hirn, and a piteous impl oration of mercy. 27. Payment being hopeless and the case desperate, the Master (1.1 is "moved with compas.sion;" ,2.) libe- rates Ms debtor from prison; 3. cancels the debt— freely. 28. one of liis feUow-servants— Jlark the different footing of these two Irom that of Master and servant— which was the other case. See v. 33. an hundred pence— a proportion to the other of about one to a hundred, took by throat— thrusting the hand between the upper part of a close-fitting tunic and the throat, and so griping him. [w. & \v.] pay, &c.— Mark the mercilessness even of the tone. 29. The same words which, from his own lips, drew compassion from his ]\laster. 31. This expresses their sense of the intolerable injustice and impudence of the act, in one so recently laid imder the heaviest obligations to their common mas- ter. 34. tormentors- more than j«t/ers— de- noting additional severity. 35. So likewise, &c.— in this spirit- for God cannot mistake the character of those he pardons, as men often do. In this beautiful parable, it is presupposed that God's forgiveness of us pre- cedes our forgiveness of each other, begets the forgiving disposition in us, and furnishes the grand model of mercy which we are to copy. See ch. <;. 15. CHAPTER XIX. Ver. 1-12. PiNAL Departtjke from Galilee — Divorce. 1. departed — but a considerable time elapsed between the events of ch. 18. and those of this chapter. iL. 9. 61 to 18. 14; J. 7. 2-10, 40.). beyond Jordan— on the E. side. 3. put away ... for every cause— See on ch. 5. 31, 32. IVo rival JewLsh schools were divided on this question —a delicate one in Herod Antipas' domin- ions De W.). 4-6. Jesus sends them back to the original constitution of man as one pair, a male and a female; to their marriage, as such, by divine appointment; and to the purpose of God, expressed by the sacred historian, that in all time one man and one woman should by marriage become one flesh, i. e. so long as both are in the flesh. ITiis being God's constitution, let not man break it up by causeless divorces. 8. Moses— as a civil lav:giver. for— 'having respect to.' the hardness, fcc— their low moral state, their inability to endure the strictness of the original law. F^iffered— tolerated a relasation.of the strictne^-s of the marriage bond: not in approbation of it, but to prevent still greater evils, but from the beginning, izc. — this is repeated to enforce the temporary and civil nature of this INIosaic relaxation. 10. If, <i:c. — "In this view of maiTiage, it must prove only a snare, and had better be avoided altogether.' 11, 12. this saying— that the unmarried state is better: A state of celibacy, says our Lord, is for (1.) Persons constitutionally incapable of or indisposed to maniage; (2.) Persons rendered incapable by others; (3.^ Persons who, to do God s work better, choose this state. Such was Paul ilCor. 7. 26. >. He that is able, izc.—' who feels it to be his own vo- cation, let him embrace it— i. e. he only. Thus, all is free in this matter. 13-15. Little Children Brought to Christ. See on L. 18. 15-17. 16-30. The EiCH Young Euler. See on L. 18. 18-30. CHAPTER XX. Ver. 1-16. The Parable of theLabottr- ERS in the Vineyard. 1. For, (tc— This parable is closely connected with the close of ch. 19, being spoken with reference to Peter's question, how it should fare with those who. Like himself, had left all for Christ. It is designed to show that while they would be richly rewarded, a certain equity would still be observed towards later converts and workmen in his service, early in the morning- At vintage time labour was scarce and masters were obhged to be early in the market to secure it. Perhaps the pressing nature of the work of the Gospel, and the comparative paucity of labourers, may be incidentally suggested, ch. 9. 37, 38. [W. & W.J labourers— first, the official ser- vants of the Church, and next, all the ser- vants of Christ, considered as lying under an obligation to engage in the work of His kingdom. 2. penny— a usual day's liire. 3. third hour— after a tourth of the working-day had expired, whatsoever is right— a. e. in Eroportion to their time. 6. the eleventh our— a most unusual time of day both to offer and engage. 7. No man hired us— Of course they had not been there at the pro- per time. But as they were now willing, they also are engaged, and on similar terms. 8. even— the reckoning-time with servants, Deu. ^4 1.5, pointing to the day of flniu ac- count, his steward—" Christ as a Son over his own house," Heb. 3. 6; M. 11. 27; J. 3. 35' 5. 27. beginning from the last— the last hired the first paid. Here is support against de- spair to those who, reading the encourage- Of the Uihourers m the vincj/rrrd. MATTHEW. XXI. CJirist's entry ivto Jnifsnlcm. went out early in the morning to hire laboinvrs into his vineyard. 2 And when Jie had as,Teed with the labourers for a i penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle iu the market-place, 4 And said unto them. Go ye also into the vinevard, and whatsoever is right I will give jou. And they went their way. 5 Again he went ont about the sLx.th and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and I'ound otliers standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him. Because no man hath hired us. lie saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when " even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward. Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last mito the first. 9 And when they came that wtre hired about the eleventh hour, they received eveij man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they munnured against the goodman of the bouse, 12 Saying, These last 2 have wrought hut one hour, and thou hast made thtm equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and Baid, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou asree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give mito this last even as unto thee. 15 Is 6 it not la'ivfiil for me to do what I will with mine owa'i 'Is thine eye evil, be- cause lam good? 16 So ''the last shall be first, and the first last: * for many be called, but few chosen. 17 H And /Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, » we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, ly And ''shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. 2011 Then <came to him /the mother of Zebedee's * children with her sons, worship, ping him, and desu'ing a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her. What wilt thou? She saith unto him. Grant that these my two sons 'may sit, the one on thy riyht 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 the "* cup that I shall drink ot', and to be bnptized with "the baptism that 1 am baptized with? They say unto hun. We are alile. Td And he saith unto them, Te shall 1 The Ko. which after five ahU- Linga tho eevenpenc© halfpcHDy. a Acts 17.31. 1 Thoss. i. 15. 2 Or, have continued one hour only. 6 Kom. 9. 21. c Dcu. 16. 9. Pro. 23. 6. Jonah 4. 1. ch. 6. 23. d ch 19. m. e ch. 22. 14. / John 12.12. g ch. 16. 21. h ch. 27. 2. John 18.28. Acts i. 13. i JUrk 10.B6. J cli. 27. 66. Mark 15.10. fcch. 4.21. { ch. 19. 28. James 4.3. m ch. 26. o9. Mar. 14.36. John 18. 11. n Lu. 12. 50. o Acts 12. 2. Rom. 8. 17. 2 Cor. 1. 7. Rev. 1. 9. J> ch. 25. 34. 9 Lu. 22. 24. 1 I'ct. 5. 3. U. Mark 9. 35. Mark 10.43. t ch. 18. 4. « John 13. 4. Phil. 2. 7. V Lu. 22 27. John 13.14. tv la. 53. 10. Dan. 9. 24. Johnll.51. 1 Tim. 2.6. Tit. 2. 14. 1 Pet.1.19. ' ch. 2ti. 23. Kom. 5. 15. Heb. 9. 28. y Mar. 10.16 Lu. 18. 35. s cb. 9. 27. a Pa. 146. 8. Heb. 4. 15. »ch. CHAP. 21. a Mark 11.1. Lu. 19. 29. 6 Zech. 14. 4. c Ps. 24. 1. d 2 Cor. 8. 9. e 1 Kin. 1.33. Is. 62. 11. Zech. 9. 9. /Mark 11.4. a 2 Ki. 8. 13. A I-uv. 23.40, John 12.13. i Ps. 1 10. 25. / ch. 23. 39. drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized witli the baptism that L am baptized with: but to sit on my ri^ht hand, and on my left, is not mine to P give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24 And ' when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 13ut Jesus called them unto him, and said. Ye know that the jjiinces of the Gen- tiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 2G But ''it shall not be so among you: but whosoever *will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And * whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even " as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, " but to minister, and to '* give his life a ransom '^ for many. 29 H And S'as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And, behold, ''two blind men sitting by the way-side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying. Have mercy on us, Lord, thou son of David ! 31 And the multitude rebuked them, be- cause they shuuld hold their peace : but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy en us, O Lord, thoii son of David! 32 And Je-sus stood still, and called them, and said. What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33 They say unto him. Lord, that our eyea may be opened. 34 So Jesus had " compassion on them, and touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. CHAPTER XXI. 1 Christ rideth into Jerusalem wfon an ess: 12 drivetk the buyers and sellers out of the (emj'le: 18 curseth the Jig tree. 2a JfarabU of the two sons: 33 of the husbandmen. A KD "when they drew nigh unto J era- ■'^ salcm, and were come to Bethphage, unto * the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them. Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them., and bring them unto me. 3 And if any »nan say ought unto you, ye shall say. The ' Lord hath <i need ot them; and straightway he will send them. 4 (All this was done, that it might be ful- filled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ' ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh mito thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.) C And / the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put ^ on them then: clothes, and they set /(iw thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in tne way; ''others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed Ihtm in tlie Avay. y And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, »iiosannrt to the son of David! J Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! iiosanna in the highest! Of the labourers in the vineyard. MATTHEW, XXI. Second cleansing of the temple, etc. ments to early piety are yet conscioiis of hav- ing come in late. 10-12. supposed they should have, &c.— the calculating, mercenary spirit which had peeped out in Peter's question (ch. 19. 27,), which this parable was spoken to rebuke, neat and burden, &c. — ' working not only longer but during a more trying period oi the day.' 13-15. one of them— the spokesman of the party, in their protestations of injustice, no wrong— 'You appeal to jus- tice, and by that your mouth is shut; for the sum you agreed for is paid you: Your case being disposed of, with the terms I make with other labourers you have nothing to do; and to grudge the benevolence shown to others, when by your own showing you have been honourably dealt with, is both unworthy envy of your neighbour, and discontent with the goodness that engaged and rewarded you in his service at all.' 16. last first, and first last—' Take heed, lest by indulging the spirit of these "murnmrers "at the "penny" given to the last liired, you miss not your own penny, though first in the vineyard; while the consciousness of having come in so late may inspire these last with such a humble frame, and such admiration of the grace that has hired and rewarded them at all, as will put them into the foremost place in the end.' Taking the parable thus, the difficulties which have divided so many commentators seem groundles.s. It teaches that there are gracious revards common to aW, the true servants of Christ; nor is this inconsistent with the specicd rewards of dis- tinguished Christians promised at the close ol ch. 19. And it teaches the unreasonable- ness and ingi-atitiide of those who, not con- tented with being called into the service of Christ— itself a high privilege— and gracious- ly rewarded for aU they do, envy their fel- low-servants, and reflect upon their common Master, for seeming to do to others more than is consistent with justice to themselves. Such was the spirit of the elder brother of the prodigal son (L. 15. ) . Those Christians who ap peal to God's justice will find their mouth closed * in the day that he deals with them." Eut this'is not all the teaching ol this parable; for tlie parables are ' Uke many-sided i)recious stones, cut so as to cast their lustre in more than one direction.' [Olsh.] 17-19. Fuller Announcement of Hts Approaching Death ani> Eesurrec- TION. See on Mk. 10. 32, and L. 18. 31-.'i4. 20-28. AJMBITIOUS KEQUE.ST OF ZEBEDEE'S Children, and the Eeply. See on Alk. 10. 35-45. 29-34. Two Blind Men Healed. See on L. 18. 35-43. CHAPTER XXI. Ver. 1-11. Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. This grand and impos- ing scene is recorded by all the evanselists, 1). 1-3. See on L. 19. 29-31. 4, 5. daughter of Zion— the members of the Church, as we should. say, by a beautiful figure, as being the osj'spring of Zion's ordinances, thy King- magnificent regal title of Messiah: cf. Ps. 2. 6, " I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion." meek— entering the city with royal autliority, yet waiving, during his humbled state, all the external grandeur that shall yet accompany tl.at royalty, an ass and colt— used by magistrates and persons of distinction, Ju. 5. 10; 10. 4; 12. 14, but only on peaceful occasions. The Lord sat on the focd, (Mk. 13 11. 7; L. 19. 35.), the mother accompanying. 8. a very great multitude— " that were come to the fea.st (of the passover:, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem" {J. 12. 12.1, which they woidd do from those who had gone to Bethany, to see Lazarus whom he had raised i J. 12. 9.), and the re- port of whose resurrection, in the immediate neighbourhood, woidd set the whole city astir. This multitude "went forth to meet Him" (J. 12. 13, 18.'. spread, &c.-this was expressly to do him royal honour, 2 Ki. 9. 13. 9. went before . . . followed — This arrange- ment, of one company before and another behind, was doubtless intentional, to make it a state-procession. Hosanna, Arc— See on L. 19. 37, 38. 10, 11. Who is this ? — naturally suggested by the advancing crowd, the prophet— in the sense, probably of J. 6. 14, 15. 12 - 17. Second Cleansing of the Temple, and other Transactions the Same Day. 12, 13. See on L. 19. 45, 46. 14. These miracles, in the very temple-court from which the money-changers had been cleared out, would set a divine seal on that act of mysterious authority. 15, 16. chil- dren crying, &c. — the prolonged echo of the popular acclamations on his triumphal entry, but drawn forth anew from these children, on witnessing what doubtless filled their unsophisticated minds with wonder and admiration. Hearest thou — stung, most of all,'by this novel testimony to Jesus, as showing to what depths his popularity was reachin" down, and from the mysterious effect of siirn voices upon the human spirit. Have ye never read, &c. — This psalm is re- peatedly referred to as prophetic of Christ. The testimony he would receive from " babes "—a v«ry remarkable feature of the prophecy, though here fulfilled UteraUy— reaches deeper see M. 11. 25. ; as is the case with other prophecies of Christ. 18-22. The Barren Pig-Tree Cursed, AND Lesson from It. See on Mk. ll. 12- 14, 20-26. 23-32. The Authority of Jesus Ques- tioned. —His Reply. 'Now commences that series of parables and discourses of our Lord \nth his enemies, in which He deve- lopes, more completely than ever before, His hostility to their hypocrisy and iniquity: —and so they are stirred up to compass Ids death.' [AlfJ 23—27. See on L. 20. 1-8. 28. two sons— From the application of this parable, v. 31, 32, it is plain that the ^rs^ son means that class of men to which "the pub- licans and the harlots" belonged, and the second that of '"the chief priests and the elders of the people" [v. 23.', whom He was addressing. Go work in my vineyard— a strik- ing evidence of the vracticul character and aim of all true religion, as a " bringing forth Iruit unto God." 29. I will not— 'The rude- ness oi the answer, and the total absence of any attempt to excuse his disobedience, are both characteristic, representing careless, reckless sinners' [Trench.], 'who di.^^obey God to his face.' fAxF.] afterv/ard repented and went— See on v. 31, 32. 30. I, sir— The em- phatic "I" is meant to denote the self- righteous " God, 1 thank thee that I am not as other men," (L. 18. 11.). and went not— He did not "afterwards repent" and re- fuse : there was in this case no intention to go. For the class intended "said and did not" (ch. 23. 3.)— 'a falseness more abominable C TTie priests and elders rehul-ed. MATTHEW, XXIL ParaUe of the hvsband/nen. 10 II And * when he was come iuto Jenisa- lem. all the city was moved, sajing, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the' prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 H And "Jesus went into the temnle of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the " money-changers, aud the 8e«ts of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, "My house shall be called the house of praj'er; but^ 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 saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crjing in the temple, and say- ing, llosanna to ''the son of l)and; they were sore displeased, 16 And said unto hitn, Ilearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea ; have ye never read, * Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into * Bethany ; and he lodged there. 18 V Now in the morning, as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw i a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it. Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the tig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the tig tree withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said nnto them. Verily I say unto you, " If ye l^ve faith, and " doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the tig tree, *" but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And * all things, whatsojever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 23 IF And " when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teach- ing, and *said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 24 And "Jesus answered and said nnto them, 1 also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, 1 in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying. If we shall say. From heaven ; he will say unto us. Why did ye not then believe him? 26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people ; * for all hold John as a prophet. 27 And they answered Jesus, and said. We cannot tell. And he said unto them. Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 28 IT But what think ye? A certain man had two sons ; and he came to the first, and said, 8on, go work to-day in mv vineyard. 2S» He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said Ukeivise. And he answered and said, I go, Bir; and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They sa\ uuto him, The first. CHAP. 21. *JVI»r. 11.15. Lu. 19. 46. Johnl2.13. I John 6. 14. m John 2AR. n Ueu. 14.25. Is. 56. 7. P Jer. 7. 11. q Is. 36. 5. ru. 11. 1. 8 Ps. 8. 2. t Mar. 11.11. John 11. 18. 1 one fig- L\>. » J(i l.G. «< 1 C..r.l3.2, «ch. 7. 7. Lu 11. 9. Jam. 5. 15, 1 John 3. 22. 1 John a. * E.^. 2. l-t Acts 4. 7. Att3 7. 27. a Job 5. 13. 6ch. 14.5. Mark 6. 21). c Lu. 7. 29. d ch 3. 1. « Lu. 3 12. / Ps 80. 9. S.ine 8. 11. ch. 5. 12. ch. 2!. 34. Acts 7 52. 1 Thc3.2 16. neb. 11.36. ;■ Gal. 4. 4. * Ps. 2. 8. Hcb. 1. 2. I Ps. 2. 2. John 11. 63. Acts 4. 27 "• Acts 2. 23. n Lu.20. 16. " Deu. 4. 26. Lu. 21 24. Hob. 2. 3. P Acts 13.46. Kom! 10.1. Kom. 11.1. 9 Ps 113. 22. Is. 28. 16. Mar. 12.10. Acts 4. 11. £l.h. 2. 20. 1 Pet.2C.7. r 1 Tim.3.16. Sch. 8. 12. ( Is. 8. 14. Zech. 12. 3. « Is. CO. 12. Dan. 2. 44. f Lu. 7. 16. John 7. 40. CHAP. 22. a Lu. 14. 16. IUv.19.7,9. 6 Pro.. 9 2. e Pb. 81. 11. Jesus saith unto them, * Verily 1 sav unto you. That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For ''John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but ' the publicans .and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not aften,\'ard, that ye might believe him. 33 IT Hear another parable: There w.as a certain householder, /which planted a \'ineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, aiid let it out to husbandmen, and ^ went into a far country: 34 And when the time of the frait drew near, he sent his servants to the husband- men, '« that they might receive the fruits of it. 35 And 'the husbandmen took his ser- vants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they did vuito them likewLse. 37 But last of all i he sent unto them his son, sa>ing. They will reverence my son. 38 But when tne husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, *This is the heir; ' come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And "• they caught him, and cast him out of the ^^neyard. and slew him. 40 When the Lord therefore of the vine- yard cometh, what will he do mito those husbandmen? 41 They *» say unto him, ' He will miser- ably destroy those wicked men, ^ and will let out his vineyard unto other husband- men, which shall render him the tiuits iu their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, 'Did ye never read in the Scriptures. The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the comer : this is the L<ud'8 doing, and it is •■ man'ellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, * The king, dora of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereoil 44 And whosoever * shall fall on this stone shall be broken : but on whomsoever it shall fall, " it will grind him to powder. 45 And when the cliief priests and Phari- sees had heard his parables, they percei\ed that he spake of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they " took him for a prophet. CHAPTER XXIL 1 The marriage of the king's st>». 9 T%e calling of the Oentiles. U The' wedding garment. "Jl Tribute ought to be paid to Cesar. 23 Christ silenceth the Sadducees. A ND Jesus answered "and spake unto ■'^ them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto j certain king, which made a marriage foj his son, 3 Aud sent forth his sen'ants to call them that were bidtlen to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other sen'ants, sajiug. Tell them which are bidden, Be- hold, I have prepared my dinner: * my o.\en and mi/ fallings are killed, and all things are ready: come uuto the mar. riage. 6 But they * made light of it, and went rarable oftJie mnrrlafjs MATTHEW. XXU, XXHI. of Uie Icing's son, etc. tlinn any ' I Avill not.' [Stier.] 31. jubli- sion of the Spirit, to wliich the parable could cans and harlots go— are even now entering in not directly allude; in the strictest sense \vhile ye hold cJack. 32. John came— The , when 'all thingswere ready' seel Cor. 5.7,8; father's call to his two sons is here represented [ J. 6. 51.). 6, 6. Two classes of despisers, the as given by the Baptist; implying that the cri- indifferent and the hostile— scorners and per- minality of rejecting Himself was hut a re- 1 secutors. 7. Ms armies— the Eomans; just as petition of their prior conduct in the case the 'Assyrian' is styled 'the rod of God's of John, in the way of righteousness— i.e. cal- anger,' Is. 10. 5. their city— Jeru.salem, no ling you to repentance; as Koah is styled " a longer ' the city of the Great King.' So He preacher of rii;hteousness " (2 Pe. 2. 5.), when now calls the temple ' your house,' ch. 23. 38, he warned the old world, like the Baptist, to , [Tkench.] 8. not worthy—' they robbed Him "flee from the -wrath to come." believed him of the honour of being gracious to them, they did not reject him, but would not re- 1 and bestowing salvation upon them. See ■ ' ~' ' the fulfilment, A. 13. 46,' [Stier,] and a be- ceive his testimony to Jesus, (see v. 25 publicans and harlots believed him — L. 3. 12; 7. 29— and hastened to Jesus, ;L. 7. 37; 15. 1; | <^-''.) when ye had seen, rei^ented not, <fec. gimiing of this, M. 10. 13. 9. highways— great outlets and thoroughfares, whether in town 1 or country. 10. good and bad, (fcc— i. e. without 'Youwerenot, as you should have been, "pro- 1 making any distinction between open sin- voked to jealousy" by their example.' "What lUers and the morally correct. TheGospelcall encouragement here to the chief of sinners 33-46. Pahat^teof VixEVARD. SeeL,2u,9-19, CHAPTER XXH. fetched in Jews, Samaritans, and outlying heathen alike. Tlius far the parable answers to that of ' the Great Supper,' L. 14. 16. &c. Ver. 1-14. Parable or the Marriage of i But the distinguishing feature of our parable THE King's Sox. (A dili'erent parable from is what follows. 11. King came iu to see the that of the Great Supj:>er,'L. 14. 15. &:c.) 1. acer- guests— Solemn expression of that omniscient tain king . . . marriage for his son— 'See ho\v \vnspection of every professed disciple of the the Lord is revealing himself in ever clearer | Lord Jesus, even now, in virtue of which light as the central Person of the kingdom, i his true character wiU hereafter be judici- giving here a far plainer hint than in the ally proclaimed ! a man— Tliis shows that last parable of the nobility of his descent, lit is tne judument of inc/irif/tmZswhichis in- There he was indeed the son, the only and I tended in this latter part of the parable: the beloved one (Mk. 12. 6.), of the householder; first part represents rather national judg- but here his race is royal, and he ai)pears as himself at once the king and the king's son. (I's. 72. 1.) The last was a parable of the O. T. history ; and Christ is rather the last and greatest of the line of its prophets and teachers than the founder of a new kingdom. In that, God appears demajiding something from men; in this, a parable of grace, God appears more as giving something to them. Thus, as often, the two complete each other; this taking up the matter where the ment. a wedding -garment— The language is drawn from a remarkable passage in Zeph. 1. 7, 8. The custom in the east of pre- senting festival-garments Ge. 45. 22; 2 Ki. 5. 22.), even though not clearly proved, is cer- tainly presupposed here. It means 'that righteousness out of and above us, in Clirist, "the Lord our righteousness," which by the appropriative and assimilative power of faith we also make ours — ''putting on the Lord Jesus."' [Trench.] As the king clothes other left it.' [Trench.] a marriage for his ■ his guests, and the bridegroom his bride son— The marriage of Jehovah to his people | iPs. 45. 10.), so does God himself clothe us Israel was familiar to Jewish ears ; and iu | with the robe of righteousness and the gar- Ps. 45, this marriacre is seen consummated in ment of salvation. (Is. 61. 10.) IFe may and the Person of Messiah ' the King,' hhnseU . ought, ichen lie calls, to come a.s we are: a-idressed as ' God ' and yet as anointed by : but we may not, if we tcoidd see His face and * His God' with the oil of gladne-ss above his jeijjoy his last feast, rejiain as we are.' fe'Jows" iv. 6.). These apparent contradic- [Stier.] And see 2 Cor. 5. 3. 12. speech- tories (see on L. 20. 41-44.) are resolved in less— being self -condemned. 13. servants— tlus parable; and Jesus, claiming to te | angels, ch. 13. 39, 41. outer darkness, <i:c.— See this Kiufjs Son,' serves Himself Heir to all ' on ch. 8. 12. that the prophets and sweet singers of Israel i 15-40. Entangling Questions About held forOi as to Jehovah's ineffably near and' Trxbvt^, Marriage, and the Great endearing union to his people. But n. b. the I Commandment — The Eeplies. See on Bride does not come into view in this para- ble; its design being to teach certain truths under the figvxre of guests at a wedding-^'ieao-;^, and the want ol a wedding-(7a?-mcn<, wliich would not have harmonised with the intro- duction of the Bride. 3. them that were bidden— the Jews, 'bidden' from the first cuoice oi them onwards, through every sum L. 20. 20-40, and 'Mk. l5. 28-34. 41-46. Christ Baffles the Pharisees BY A Question Ajjout David and Mes- siah. See on L. 20. 41-44. CHAPTER XXHI. Ver. 1 - 39. Denunciation of The Scribes and Pharisees. 2. sit — The Jewish teachers stood to read and sat to ex- mons addressed to them by the prophets to i pound the Scriptures, ( hold themselves in readiness for the appear- ; seat— as interpreters iS, (L- 4, of the 1 16, 20.). Moses' law. 3. All there ing of their kin?, to call them to the wedding fore. &c.—i. e. ail which, as sitting in that —or maiTiage-festivities, when the prepara- ' chair and oid of that law, they enjoin, "ob- tions were aU concluded; and this by the serve and do." The word "therefore" Is ministry of the Eapthst, the twelve, the thus mo.5t important; for He who denounced seventy, and especially His own ministry their traditions ch. 15.3.), cannot have meant —though that is kept out ot sight to pre- to throw his shield over a/i they taught, but. serve the proprieties of the parable [Trench] fcc— ' The warning to beware of the Scribes —but aU in vain. 4. other servants, &c.— is given in Mk. and L. without any qualifica- This points to the Gospel calls after Christ's tion; the charge to respect and obey tliem in death, resurrection, ascension, and the elfu- M. ciily— iutimatin;^ for whom tLiii Gospel 19 Parahle of the marriage feast. MATTinOW, XXIII. ffupocriny of the tcrihejt their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And - the remnant took his servants, and entieated thum spitefully, and slew 7 Bat when the king heard ihereof, he was wToth: and he sent forth ' his armies, and destroyed those murderera, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not /worthy. 9 Go ye therefore mto the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the man-iage. 10 So those servants went out into the hifrhways, and " gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the weddmg was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man /t which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him. Friend, how earnest thou in hither not havin.^ a wedding garment? And he «was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the sen'ants, Bind him hand and foot, aTid take him away, and cast him i into outer darkness; tlu-re sh.all be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For *many are called, but few are chosen. 15 H Then ' went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their dis- ciples with the llerodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neitlier carest thou for any -man; for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore. What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, j/c hypocrites? ly Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a i penny. iJO And he saith unto them. Whose is this image and 2 superscription? 21 They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto them, •" Render therefore vmto Cesar the things which are Cesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they " maiTelled, and left him, and went their way. 23 H The " same day came to him the Sadducees, ^ which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24 Saying, Master, * Moses said, If a man die, h.aving no children, his brother shall mjirry liis wife, and raise up seed imto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had manied a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 2(j Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the 3 seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they aU had her. 2y Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, •" not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resuiTcction they neither 2U A. D. 33. CHAP. 22. d 1 Thess. 2. 14. 15. Dan 9 26. Lu. 19. 27. /ch. 10. U. Acts 13 46, ch. 13. 38. 2 Cor. 5. 3. EpU. 4. 24. Col. 3. 10, 12. Eer. 3. 4. Hev. 16.15. Ker. 19. 8. Rom. 3. 19. ch. 8. 12. Lu. 20. 20. 1 In value Bevenfience halfpenny. ch. aj. 2. 2 Or, in- scription. »»ch. 17.25. Ko. 13. 7. n Job 5. 13. Mar. 12.18. Lu. 20. 27. P Acts 23. 8 1 Cor. 15.' 12. 2Ti 2.17. 9 Gen. 38. 8. Deu. 25. 6. 3 seven. •■John 20. 9. « 1 Cor. 7 29. 1 John 3.2. t Ex 3. C,16. Mar.l2.2G. Lu. 20. 37. Act! 7. 32. Heb. 11. lU. « ch. 7. 23. f Lu. 10. 25. w Deu. 6. 5. Deu. 1012. Dou. 30.0. Pro 23.'.6. X Lev. 19. 18. ch. 19. 19. Mar. 12.31. Kom.13. 9. Gal. 5. 14. Jam. 2. 8. ]/ ch. 7. 12. 1 Tim. 1.5. « Mar. 12. o5. Lu.2U 41. a 2 Sa. 23. 2. Acta 2. 30. 2 Pet. 1.21. 6 Pa. 110. 1. 1 Cor. 15. 25. Heb. 1.13. Heb. 10.12. e Lu. 14. e. CHAP. 23. a Neh. 8. 4,8. Mai. 2. 7. 6 Rom. 2. 19. CLu. 11.40. Act. 15.10. Deu. 22.12, / Mar. 12 3b, Lu. 20. 46. g Jam. 3. 1. h Mai. 1. 6. i ch. 20. 26, marry, nor are given in marriage, but 'aro as the angels oi God in heaven. 31 But as toucViing the resurrection of the deiid, have ye not read that which wa& spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 1 'am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the linng. 33 And when the multitude heard this, they ** were astonished at his doctrine. 34 IF But when the I'hansees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was "a law- yer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 3G Miister, which is the great command- ment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, ""Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and gi-eat command- ment. ;^9 And the second is like unto it, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On ^ these two commandments hang aU the Law and the Prophets. 41 H While * the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him. The son of David. 43 He saith unto them. How then doth David " in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The 6 Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou ^ ., ...,-- ..and. ti' thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And " no man was able to answer him a word; neither dm-st any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. CHAPTER XXIIL 1 Of the scribes and I'harisees' quod doctrine, but evil examples of life, 34 The desCructioti of Jerusalem foretold. n^'HEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and ■*- to his disciples, 2 Saying, " The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for ^ they say, and do not. 4 For * they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themsetves will not move them with one of their hugers. 5 But <^ all theu- works they do for to be seen of men: * they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And /love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the sjna- gogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and io be called of men. Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But " be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye aie brethren. y And call no man your father upon the earth: Afor one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Chiist. 11 But » he that is greatest among you shall be yoiu- servant. Chrid's Prophecy of the MATTIIEW, XXm. Destruction ofJerusahm, etc. was especially written, and the writer's de- every Jew, and recalling to him all that was sire to conciliate the Jews.' 1 w. & w.] 4. ' distinctive and precious in his religion. See on L. 11-46. 6. whatever they do has but Jenxsalem, Jerusalem— intense feeling redoub- 1 he motive-human applause, paylacteries— , ling the word, that killest . . . stonest— not strips of pai'chment with iScripture texts on ! content with spurning God's messages of them, worn on the forehead, ann, and side mercy, that canst not suffer even the mes- in time of prayer, borders— fringes, of their sengers to live. See 2 Chr. 36. 15, 16; Ne. upper garments (Nu. 15. 37-40.). 6. upper- ; 9. 26; M. 5. 12; 21. 35-39; 2.s. 29-32. 35; A. 7. 51- most rooms — See' on L. 14. 8. 7-10. be not ; 54, 57-59. gathered thee— Thee, truth-hating, called— It is the 62)irit rather than the better i mercy -spurning, prophet-killing Jerusalem of this that must be pressed; though the —how often would I have gathered Thee ! violation of the letter, springing from spiri- . tual pride, has done incalculable evil in the ] the great ministerial commission, j Compare with this that affecting clause in " . ■ ■ , "that re- Church of Christ. ' Tlie reiteration of " rabbi, pentance and remission of sins should be rabbi" («. 7.) marks the delight they took in preached in his name among all nations, the sound of such titles, and the ready ofti- beglmiing at Jerusalem .'" L. 24. 47. What ciousness of the people, or their disciples, in encouragement to the heart-broken at their giving them.' [\\r. <fe w.] 12. See on L. 18. 13. own long-continued and obstinate rebellion ! 4, 13. See on L. 11. 52. 14. See on L. 20. 47. | as a hen her chickens, &c. —Was ever ima- 15. proselyte — from the heathen. See gery so homely invested with such grace and Joseph. Antiq. xiii. 9. 1. twofold the child such sublimity as this, at our Lord's touch I of hell— condemned, for the hypocrisy he [And yet how exquisite the figure itself— would learn to practice, both by the religion j of protection, rest, warmth, and all manner he left, and that he embraced. 16-22. Our of conscious well-being in those poor, de- Lord here condemns the subtle distinctions fenceless, dependent little creatures, as they they made as to the sanctity of oaths, dis- creep under and feel themselves over- tinctions made for avaricious purposes, shadowed by the capacious and kindly wing blind guides — See ch. 15. 14. gold of the j of the mother-bird ! If, wandering beyond temple—' not what adorned its walls but the , hearing of her peculiar call, they are over- Corban set apart for sacred uses (Mk. 7. 11 for these knaves, from motives of self-in- terest, gave the preference to the gold and the altar-gifts, over the temple and the altar, even in oaths.' [Stiek.] iVe know who Uieir successors are. See on ch. 15. 5, 6. As to oaths, see on ch. 5. 33-37. 23. See on L. 11 42. 24. strain at a guat— rather ' strain out,' as in taken by a stonn or attacked by an enemy, what can they do but in the one case droop and die, and in the other submit to be torn in pieces. But if they can reach in time their place of safety, mider the mother's wing, in vain will any enemy try to drag them thence. For rising into strength, kind- ling into fury, and forgetting herself entirely older English translations. The Jews were i in her young, she wiD let the last drop of her forbidden to eat what had not fins or scales blood be shed out and perish in defence of in the water; it was doubted whether this her precious charge, rather than yield them applied to animalcidEe in liquids; from the | to an enemy's talons. How signiticant aU abundance of insects in the East, they used I tJiis of what Jesus is and does for men ! to strain their vrnie before drinking it. Under His gi-eat Mediatorial wing would He [w. & w.] camel— the largest animal known i have "gathered" Israel. For the figure, see to the Jews, as opposed to the "gnat," the Ben. 32. 10-12; Kuth 2. 12; Ps. 17. 8; 36. 7: smallest insect— both aUke tinclcan. [X)o.] 25, 26. See on L. 11. 39-41. 27, 28. whited— 'white washed.' This was done annually, partly from respect to the dead, partly to avoid legal defilement in touching them: * With all your fair show, your hearts are a grave of corruption.' 29, 32. See on L. 11. 47, 48. 33. This recalls the language of the Baptist, as if to show they were, at the end of Messiah's ministry, just what they were when his Forerunner began— but now ripe for their doom, as they were not then. 34, 36. I send—' am sending,' i. e. am about to send. See on L. 11. 49-51. 37. Jerusalem, &c. — How ineffably melting ! It is the very heart of God pouring itself forth through human flesh and speech. It is this incarna- tion of the innermost life and love of Deity 61. 4; 63. 7; 91. 4: Is. 31. 5; Mai. 4. 2. The ancient rabbins had a beautiful expression for prosel>-tes from the heathen— that they had ' come under the wings of the Sheclu- nah.' [ScHCETTGEN in !Mey.] For this last word, see on v. 38. how often— not, surely, during the six or seven times merely that he visited and taught in Jerusalem while on earth— that would be against the whole spirit of this appeal. It points to "the prophets" whom they "killed," to "them that were sent unto her, "whom they "stoned;" for, says Peter, it was " the Spirit of Christ which was in them that did testify before- hand the sufferings of Christ and the follow- ing glories" (1 Pe. 1. 11.). He it was that "sent unto them all his servants the pro .. phets, rising early and sending them, sajing, pleading with men, bleeding for them, and Oh donot that abominable thing thatlhater ascending only to open his arms to them and (Je. 44. 4.) ' In his divine and eternal natur win them back by the power of this story of matchless love, that has conquered the world, that wiU yet " draw aU men unto Him," and beautify and ennoble Humanity itself ! Jerusalem— not the mere city or its in- habitants, nor as the metropolis of the ruition merely, but as the centre of their re- lUjious life, "the city of their solemnities," " whither the tribes went up " to worship, and at this veiy moment full of them. It is the whole visible family of God, then, that is here apostrupliized, by a name dear to 20 nature He was the Prophet of the prophets.' [Olsh.] But see on v. 38. and ye wovJd not— (See JSe. 9. 26; Ps. 81. 11, 13; Is. 28. 12; 30. 8, 9, 15; 49. 4; 53. 1; 6. 9, 10. with J. 12. 37-41). my.ste- rious word ! mysterious the resistance of such i)atient Love— mysterious the liberty of self-undoing ! The awful dignity of the vyill, as here expressed, might make the ears to tingle. But though if we "will not come ('have not the will to come') unto Him that we may have life," we die, yet it is "God that worketh in us, of his own good pleasure, both and rJiarisees denwvccd. MATTIIEAV, XXIV. De^tnidion of Janisalnn farctold. 12 And /whosoever sliall exalt himstll shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13 H But * woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of Leaven against men : tor ye neither go in yourselves, neither sutler ye them that are enterins,' to go in. li Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ' for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer : therefore ye shall receive the greater dam- nation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte ; and when he is made, ye make hnn two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16 Woe unto you, *" ve blind guides, which say, " Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, " or the temple that sanc- titieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is i guilty. 19 Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gill, or i' the altar that sancti- fieth the gifti 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, Bweareth by it, and by « him that dwelleth therein. '/J An{l he that shall swear by heaven, Bweareth by ''the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! * for ye pay tithe of mint and 2 anise and cummin, and 'have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judg- ment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! "for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are lull of extortion and excess. 26 77iou, blind Pharisee, cleanse lirst that which " is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ■"" for ^e are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Kven so ye also outwardly appear righ- teous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say. If we had been in the days of our lathers, we would r.ot have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your- selves, tliat ''ye are the childien of them which killed the proplk-ts. 32 i'ill * ye up then the measure of your fathers. 36 Ye serpents, ye ' generation of vipers, CHAi". 23. /Fro. 15.33. Pro. m. 23. Dan. 4. 37. 1 ret. 6. 5, k Lu. 11 r.2. I Eze. 22. 25. 2Tiin. 3.0. Tit. 1. 11. m Is. 58. 10. ch. 15. 11. n cli. 5. 33. Ex. 3U. 29. 1 Or, debtor, or, bound. P Ex. 29. 37. 3 1 Ki. 8 13. 2 Chr. 6. 2. Pa. 26. 8. P3. r ch. 5. 34. Pa. 11. 4. Acta 7. 49. « Lu. 11. 42. 2 anethon, Acta 23. 3. Acts 7. 61. 1 Theas. 2. lo. » ch. 12. 34. « ch. 21. 34. i Acta 5. 40. Acta 7. 58. Acts 22.19. c 2 Cor. a. 24. •I Key. 18.24. « Gen. 4. 8. 1 John 3. /•Deu. 32.11. g Pro. 1. 2B. A Pa. 118. 26. ch. 21. 9. CHAP. 24. a fliark 13 1. Lu 21.5. b 1 Kin. 9. 7. Jer. 5. 10. J or. 26. 18. Mic. 3. 12. Lu. 19. 44. 1 Thoa. 6.1. d Eph. 5. 6. 2 Tho8.2.3. 1 John 4.1. « Jer. 14. 14. Jer. 23. 21. John 5. 43. / I«. 19. 2. Hiig. 2. 22. i;ech.l4.13. g Acta 4. 2.3. Acts 7. 59. Acts 12. 1. h 2 Ti..l. 15. i Arts tSl.^y. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 2 Pet. 2. 1. J 1 Tim. 4.1. k Heb. 3. 0. 1 Horn. 10.18. m D.-iu. 9.27. l^au.ia.U. how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, " behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some * of them ye shall kill and crucify; and " some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute thtm from city to city: 35 that <i upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, * from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, w hom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily 1 say unto you. All these thiuga shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thort that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I / have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, ^ Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, '' Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. CHAPTER XXIV. 1 Christ foretelleth the destruction of the temple} 3 tvhui shall happen at his coming. ;J0 As no man knoweth the day, we ought to watch, etc. A ND "Jesus went out, and departed from ■^ the temple: and his disciples came to him, tor to show him the buildings of the teniiile. 2 And Jesus said unto them. See j-e not all these things? Verily 1 say unto you. There'' shall not be left here one stone ui)oii another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 II And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came mito him pri- vately, saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And J esus answered and said unto them, Take <i heed that no man deceive you. 5 Por * many shall come m my name, saying, I am Christ ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For / nation shall rise against nation, and kuigdora against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All the.se are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then ''shall they deliver you up to be atllicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many '' be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And » many false prophets shall rise, and i shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But * he that shall endm-e unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom ^ shajl be preached in all the world lor a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abo- mination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel '" the prophet, stand in the bolj Destruction Oj Jerusalem foretold. MATTHEW, XXV. FarahJe of the Ten Virgins. from Jerusalem to Bethany they would cross mount Ohvet; on its summit He seats Him- self, over agamst the temple, having the ciiy all spread out under his eye. the disciples came privately— four of tliem, " Peter, and .James, and John, and Andrew," J\Ik v.i 3 When shall these be ? what the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? — They no doubt looked upon the date of all these things as one and the same, and their notions of the things themselves were as con- fused as of the times of them. Our Lord takes his own way of meeting their ques- tions. 5-31. See on L. 21. 8--33. 36. that day and that hour — the precise time, knoweth my Father only— See on Mk. 13. 32. 37, 39. See on L. 17. 26, 27. 40, 41. two [men] in the field . . . two women at the mill— i. e. at their ordinary work; the children of light and the children of this world mingled to the last. 43--61. See on L. 12. 35-40, 42-4r.. CHiOTEK XXV. Ver. 1-13. Parable of the Ten Vir- gins. 1. Then—' in that great day of deci- sion, wherein the Lord shall have shown himself " a swift witness" against the hypo- crite and unbeliever ich. 24. 51.;, [Tbencu.J to meet the Bridegroom— Tliis supplies a key to the parable, whose object is, in the main, the same as that of the last parablo —to illustrate the viijilant and expectant al- titude offaiih, in respect of which believers are described as "they that look for Him" (Heb. 9. 28.). and "love His appearing" (2 Ti. 4. 8.). In the last parable it was that of servants waiting for their absent Lord; in tliis, it is that of virgin-attendants on a Bride, whose duty it was to go forth at night with lamps, and be ready on the appearance of the Bridegroom to conduct the Bride to Ms house, and go in with him to the marriage. Tliis entire and beautiful change of figure brings out the lesson of the former parable in quite a new light. But let it be observed, that, just as in the parable of the Marriage Sup- per, the Bride does not come into view at all in this parable; the Virgins and the Bridegroom holding forth all the intended instruction— nor could believers be repre- sented both as Bride and Bridal Attendants without incongruity. 2-4. wise . . . took oil . . . foolish ... no oil—' They are not dis- tinguished into good and bad, but as the hearers at M. 7. 25-27 into ''wise and ''fool- ish;" for as a certain degree of good\vill toward the truth is assumed there in the foolish, as evidenced in their willingness to hear, and in the superstructure, however weak, which they raise, so on the part of these, in their going forth even with the in- tention of meeting the Bridegroom. We have them described— the wise, 2 Pet. 1. 5-8. and the foolish, 2 Pet. 1. 9.' [Tkench.] But what are the " lamps" and the "oil?" Many answers have been given; but ' it is clear that whatever is merely outward in christian pro- fession is the lamp— whatever is inward and spiritual is the oil reserved in the vessels. . . Yet in either case before we have fully ex- hausted the meaning of the oil, we must get beyond both the works and the faith to something higher than either, the informing Spirit of God which prompts the works and quickens the faith, and of which Spirit oil is ever in scripture the standing symbol (Ex. templewassoprofanelydw9«2/'(I>o.vii.8.7.). 30. 23-32; Ze. 4.2, 12; A. 10. 38; Heb. I. 9.). 8. sat upou the Mount of Olives— On their way I lu fact having no oil provided iu the vessels to xvill and to do," in " working out our o^vn salvation" (Ph. 2. 12, 13.). 38. your house- beyond all reasonable doubt, the Temple ; their house now, not the Lord's. See on ch. 22. 7. desolate—' deserted ' i e. bereft of its di- vihe Inhabitant. Wlio is He ? Hear the next words. 39. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see ME henceforth— What ! Does Jesus mean that He v/as Himself the Lord of the temple, and that it became " deserted " when He finally left it? It is even so. Now is thy fate sealed, O Jenisalem, for the glory is departed from it ! Tfuit glory, once visible in the holy of holies, over the mercy-seat, when on the day of atonement the blood of t.ypical expiation was sprinkled on it and in front of it— called by the Jews the Shechinah, or the Dwdling, as being the visible pavilion of Jehovah— that alory, which Isaiah (ch. 6.) saw in vision, the beloved disciple says was the glory of Christ (J. 12. 41.). Though it was never visible in the second temple, Haggai fore- told that "the glory of that latter house shoidd be greater than of the former," (ch. 2. 9,) be- cause " the Lord whom they sought was sud- denly to come to his temple," (Mai. 3. 1,) not in a mere bright cloud, but enshrined in living Humanity! Yet brief as well as "sudden" was the manifestation to be; for the words He was now uttering were to be his very last within its precincts, till ye shall say. Blessed, &c.— -i.e. till the "Hosannas" with which the midtitude had welcomed him into the city, instead of " sore tlispleas- ing " the " chief priests and scribes" ch. 2i. 15,) should break forth from the whole nation, (Ze. 12. 10; Ko. 11. 20; 2 Co. 3.) CHAPTER XXTV. Ver. 1-51. Christ's Prophecy of the Dessxruction of Jerusalem, and Warn- ings TO PrepareFor His Second Coming, Suggested by It. v. 1. went out, and de- parted—or ' was in the act of departing' from the temple— taking leave of it, to return no more. 'As He withdrew, the gracious pre- sence of God left the sanctuary; and the Temple, with all its service, and the whole theocratic constitution, was given over to destruction.' [Olsh.J his disciples— "one of them," says JNIk. (13. 1.). came to show him the buildings of the temple — saying, "Master, see what manner of stones and what ■buildings!"- wondering, probably, how so massive a pile could be overthrown, as seemed implied in our Lord's last words regarding it. Josephus, who gives a minute account of the wonderful structure, speaks of stones forty cubits long (Jewish War. v. 6, 1.), and says the pillars supporting the porches were twenty-five cubits high, all of one stone, and that the whitest marble (Do. v. 6. 2.). Six days' battering at the walls, dur- ing the siege, made, no impression upon them, iDo. vi. 4, 1.). Some of the under- building, yet remaining, and other works, are probably as old as the first temple. 2. See ye not these things 1— 'Ye call my atten- tion to these tilings? I have seen them: Ye point to their massive and durable appearance; now listen to their fate.' not one stone left, <fcc. —Titus ordered the whole city and temple to be demolished (Joseph. J. W. vii. 1, 1.); Eleazar wished they had aU died before seeing that holy city destroyed by enemies' hands, before the S'i(}ns of Chrbt's coming. MATTIIf]W, XX 7. rarahle of the ten virgins. place, ("whoso readeth, let him under- stand.) 16 Then let them which be iu Judea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the house-top not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! I'O But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For " then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shor- tened, there should no fltsh be saved: p but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 2t For 2 there shall arise flilse Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, *" if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore, if they shall say unto you. Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers ; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh oat of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For * wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 2y H Immediately ' after the tribulation of those days " shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And "then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: "'and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, '^and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And " he shall send his angels l with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the foiu: winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 U Now learn 'a parable of the fig tree: When liis branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that Sit is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, " This generation shall not pass, tiU all these things be ful- filled. 35 Heaven ^and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 H But ''of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, ^ but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe tvere, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For 'as in the days that were before the tlood they were eating and diinking, marrying and giving in man-iage, mitil the day tliat Noe entered into the ark, 3y And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; so shall also the commg of the Son of man be. 40 Then shaU two be iu the field; the one shall be taken, and the other kit. 22 A. D. CHAP. 24. n Dan. 9. 23. 0nn. 12. 1. Jool 2. 2. p Is. 65. 8, 9. Zech. 14, 2,3. q Deu. 13. 1. 2 The9.2.9. Rev. 13.13. »• Rom. 8. 28. 2Ti Pet. » Joh 3J. 30. t Dan. 7.U. « U. 13. 10. Ete. 32. 7. Acts 2. 2(J. Rev. 6. 12. w Dan. 7. 13. V) Zech. 12. 12. « Rev. 1. 7. V 1 Cor. 15. 62. 1 Thest. 4. 10. 1 Or, with a trumpet, and a great »Lu. 21.29. 2 Or, he. a ch. 16. 28." ch. 23. 36. 6 Is. 61. 6. Jer. 31. 35. Ileb. 1. 11. e Acts 1. 7. lThe3.5.2. 2 Pet.3.1U. d Zech. 14 7. e 1 Pet. 3. 20. /Rev. 16.15. g 1 Cor. 4. 2 Heb. 3. 6. ft 1 Tim. 4. 7,8. Kov.16.15. 3 Or, cut him off. iPs. 11.6. Rev.21.2,9. 6 ch. 13. 47. ch. 22. 10. e 2 Tim. 3. 6. Titus 1.16. d 1 Thes 5 6. e ch. 24. 31. 1 Thesa. 4, 9 Lu. 13. 25. ft ch. 7. 21. i Ps. 5. 6. Hab. 1. 13. John 9. 31. i ch. 24. 42. Mar. 13. 33. Lu. 21. 36. 1 Cor. 16. 13. 1 Pet, 6. 8. Rev. 16. 15. k Lu. 19. 12. J ch. 21.33. 2 A talent is 187J. lOg. w Rom. 12.6. Cor ] Efh. i. 11. 41 Two ivomen shall be grinding at the mill ; the one shall be taken, and tlie other left. 42 IT Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour yoiu' Lord doth come. 43 But/ know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have sufl'ered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye thuik not the Son of man Cometh. 45 Who ^then is a ftxithful and vnse ser- vant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat iu due season? 46 Blessed '^ is that ser^'ant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you. That he shaU make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart. My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellow- sen'ants, and to eat and drink with the dranken ; 50 The lord of that ser^'ant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and iuan hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall <* cut him asunder, and ap- point him » his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and- gnashing of teeth. CHAPTER XXV. 1 The parable of the ten tirpins; 14 of the talents, and the reward to those who improved them, 31 Of the hist judgment. fpHEN shall the kingdom of heaven be -"- likened imto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet " the bridegroom. 2 And *five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took "^ no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tanied, <* they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight * there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet him. *" 7 Then all those vir^ns arose, and trunmed their /lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise. Give us of your oil; for our lamps are igone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the biide- groom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the ^ door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, '' Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you, » I know you not. 13 ^Vatch J therefore ; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherehi the Sou of man cometh. 14 H Y or '' the kingdom of heaven is 'ns a man travtlling iiito a far country, ttho called his own servants, and deUvered uiilo them his goods. 15 And imto one he gave five - taknts. to another two, auu to another one ; '" to every T(rrnl>lf of the Ten Virghis, MATTUEY/, XXV. of the Talents, etc. is exactly parallel to having no deepness of | inconsistent ■with the whole tenor of such earth (M. 13. 5! ; the seed si)rings np till the sun scorches it ; the lamps burn on till their oil is exliausted through the length of the bridegroom's delay. La each case there is something more than a merely external pro- fession, conscious to itself that it is nothing besides ; it is not that there was no faith, but rather that there was only that temporary faithvihich could not endure temptation nor survive delay— the christian lile in manifes- tation, but not fed from deep internal foun- tains.' 6. the bridegroom tarried— cf. A. 3. 21. "Whom, the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things ;" also L. 19. 11. Among other reasons. Christ " tar- ries" to try the faith and patience of his people, all slumhered and slept— wise virgins as well as fooUsh. The one word— expressing the sleep of persons sitting up, 'nodding,' or becoming drowsy'— denotes the first stage of spiritual letliargv: the other, signifving to 'lie down to sleep, marks a more cmvanced stage of sviritual declension consciously yielded to— cf. L. 18. 8. " When the Son of Man Cometh, shall He find faith in the earth T 6. at midnight—' That is indeed the true midnight, ■« hen even those who shoiUd be watching are asleep' [Stier.] The mean- ing is, the time when He -vvill be least ex- pected, coming "as a thief in the night," 1 Th. 5. 2. 7. all arose and trimmed— the fool- ish virgins as weU as the wise. How long do both parties seem the same— almost to the moment of decision ! 8. cur lamps are gone out— rather 'are going out;' andatwhata moment ! cf. in the parable of the Sower, (ch. 13. 21.) the thorny-ground hearers : Yet "hath he not root in himseff, but dureth forav:hile." give us ofyoiir oil— They have now at length discovered not only their own foUy, but the wisdom of the other class, and they do homage to it. Tlius will many who, if not despising the more spiritually minded, deem them " righteous over much," yet be forced, with bitter mortification, to o-rni their superiority. See Is. 60.14; Ke. 3. 9. 9. The words "not so" are not in the original, where the reply is strongly elliptical. 'In case there be not enough for us and you'— what then ? Both loill he undone. What is divine cannot be imparted by one man to another. "The just shall live by his own faith" (Ha. 2. 4. ) see Ga. 6. 4, 6 • Pi-. 9. 1 2. go rather— This merely reminds them of the proper way of obtaining the precious article, and im- plies, beneath a friendly advice, a certain reflection on them for having it now to seek, that sell, and buy— i. e. get it in the only le- gitimate way. For the language, of Pr. 23. 23; Llk. 13. 44 ; Ee. 3. 18 ; Is. 55. 1, 10, 11. while they went the bridegroom came— Tliey are sen- sible of their folly ; they have taken good advice ; they are in the act of getting what alone they lacked : a very little more, and they also are ready. But the Bridegroom comes; the ready are admitted ;—" the door is shut" (L. 13. 25 ; Ge. 7. IG.), and they are imdone. How graphic and appalling this Eicture of one almost saved— hut lost! 11. ord, Lord— see 7. 22. It is here a piteous ci-y of urgency and felt danger. Now at length they realise their past folly. 12. I know you not— The difference made by some between this and " I never knew you," in ch. 7. 23. as being milder, and impljlng a different fate, [Olsh., Siiek., AtF.J is to be resisted, as 22 laugiiage, [see Trench], and especially with the solemn moral of the whole, v. 13 : to say nothing of the danger of such criticism. Why, it may be asked, are unworthy gue-sta admitted to "the Marriage of the King'.s Son" in a former parable, (ch. 22. 8.), and the foolish virgins here excluded? In Ger- hard's words, quoted by Trench. ' Those festivities are celebrated in this life, in the church militant ; these at the . last day. in the church triumphant. To those, even they are admitted who are not adorned with the wedding-garment ; but to these, only they to whom it is granted to be arrayed in fine linen clean and white, which is the righteous- ness of saints (Eev. 19. 8.) ; to those, men are called by the trumpet of the Gospel; to these by the trumpet of the Archani;el. To those, who enters may go out from them, or be cast out ; who is once introduced to these, never goes out, nor is cast out, from them anymore: wherefore it is said, "The door is shut." • ^ 14-30. Parable or the Taxents. For the points of difference between this parable and the very similar one of The Pounds, L. 19. 11-27, see opening remarks there. 'AVliile the Virgins were represented as xcaiting for their Lord, we have the servants vorking for him : there the imcard spiritual life of the faithful was described; here hia external activity. It is not, therefore, with- out good reason that they appear in their actual order— that of the Virgins first, and of the Talents follo\nng— since it is the sole con- dition of a profitalde outward activity for the Kingdom of God, that the life of God be diligently maintained within the heart.' GCpench.] 14. travelling into a far country— t. 'going abroad.* called, &c.— Between master and slaves this was not uncommon in ancient times. Christ's "servants" here mean aU who stand in the relation to Hira of professed entire subjection. His "goods" mean all their gifts and endowments, whe- ther original or acquired, natural or spiritual. As all that slaves have belongs to their mas- ter, so Christ has a claim to everything which belongs to his people, everything wliich may be turned to good, and he cfemauds its appro- priation to his service ; or rather, they first otter it up to Him, as "not their own, but bought with a price" (1 Cor, 6. 19, 20.), and He "delivers it to them" again to be put to use in his service. 15. Five, two, one, to every one according to, &c.— The gifts diher in every servant, but the principle of distri^ h%itio7b is the same in aU. This lays the foundation for an equitable reckoning, see L. 12. 48. took his journey— cf. ch. 21. 33, where the same departure is ascribed to God after setting up the old economy ; for ' the divine visitation, after it has organized a new plan of life— lent out new capital— is always followed by a "departure," in order to a trial how men will use it : the instructive revela- tion is followed by a quite as instructive silence.' [Beck, quoted by Stier.]. 16-17. traded— 'wrought;' marking the act ii^ity and labour bestowed, other five . . . other two- each doubling what he received, and there- fore ftof/i, cquaiii/^ai^/i/MJ. 18. see on -i?. 24, 25. 19. after a long time— cf. v. 5, "tarried," and ch. 24.48, "deiayeth his coming"— ' intimat- ing that the interval would be no short one.' [ALF.J 20 22. Lord. &c.— How beautifully The paraUe of the talents. MATTHEW, XXVI. Tlie last jiuIgmenL man according to his several ability; and Etrais;htway took his journey. 1(> Then he that had received the live talents went and " traded with the same, and made thtvi other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But ne that had received one went and digged in the earth, and "hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those 8er\'ant3 cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, say- ing. Lord, thou dehveredst unto me five talents: behold, 1 have gained besides them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him. Well done, thou good and faithful sen-ajit: thou hast been faithful over a few things. Pi will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into ' the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said. Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold. I have gained two other talents besides them. 23 His lord said unto him. Well done, good and faithful sen'ant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not straw ed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast th<it is thine. 26 His lord answered and said anto him. Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knew^est that I reap w here 1 sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed; 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 2;) For *■ unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable sen'ant into outer darkness: there shixU be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 31 11 When ' the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And 'before him shall be gathered all nations: and "he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand. Come, ye blessed of my Father, "inherit the kingdom "'prepared for you from the fouiidation of the world: 35 For ' 1 waa an hungered, and ye gave me meat: 1 was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: " I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 30 Naked, » and ye clothed me: 1 was sick, and ye visited me: " 1 was in piisou, and ye came unto uie. 23 CHAP. 25. n Pro. 3. 14. 1 Pet. 4.10. Phil 2. 21. p ch. W. 47. Lu I'J. 44. Lu. 22. 29. q Acts 2. 28. Ueb 12.2 2 Ti. 2. 12. 1 Pet. 1.8, r Lu. 8. 18. Jnhn 16. 3. 1 Cor. 15. Acts Act»17. 31. lThes.4.16. 2Tl,ea.l.7. Phil. 2.9,10. Heb 9 28. Jude 14. Rov. 1. 7. t Ko. 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5.10, Kev. 21}. 12 w Ek. 20. 38. Ezo. 34.17. ch. 13. 19. V Bora. 8. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 4,9. 1 Pet. 3. 9. Rev. 21. 7. w 1 Cor. 2 9. Heb.11.16. X U 58. 7. Ez. 18. 7. 2 Ti. 1. 16. Jam.]. 27. V Heb. 13. 2. 3 John 5. s Jam. 2. 15. a 2 Ti. 1. 10. ft Pro. 14.31. Pro. 19.17. Heb. 0. 10. e Pa. 6. 3. d ch. 13. 40. e 2 Pet. 2. 4. Judo 6. / Pro. 14. 31. Pro. 17. 5. Zech. 2. 8. Acts 9. 5. S Dan. 12. 2. John 5. 29. Kom. 2. 7. Kev. 14.11. Reir. 20.10, 15. CHAP. 26. a Mark 14. 1. Lu. 22. 1. John 13. 1. 6 Ps. 2. 2. John 11.47. Acta 4. 25, e Mark 14. 3. John 11. John 12. 3. dch. 21. 17. • John 12. 4. / Dou. 15. 11. John 12. 8 g John 17.11 h Rom 1.8 i Mark 14. 37 Then shall the risrhteous answer him, saying. Lord, when saw we thee an hunger- ed, and fed theei or thirsty, and gave t/iee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranjjer, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thse^ 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them. Verily I say unto you, * Inas- much as ye have done it ur.to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into <i everlasting fire, prepared for * the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: 1 was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, say- ing. Lord, when saw we thee an hmigered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister mito thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Veiily I say imto you, / Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And » these shall go away into ever- la.sting punishment: but the righteous into life '' eternal. CHAPTER XXVL 3 The rulers conspire against Christ; 14 Jitdas setleth him. It Christ eaUth the pasacmer. A ND it came to pass, when Jesus had "^^ finished all these savings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye "know that after two days is the /east of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3 M Then * assembled together the chief priests, and tlie scribes, and the elders of the people, mito the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5 But they said, ^'ot on the feast da^/, lest there be an uproar among the people. 6% iSow^when Jesus was in •'Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But * when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying. To what purpose is tliis waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them. Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For/ye have the poor always with you; but " me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, ** Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there sliall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. 14 H Then * one of the twelve, called ' TaraVeofthi MATTHEW, XXY. LaUudgmenf. does tlais illustrate what the beloved 34, 40. The King say to them on his right disciple says of "boldness in the day hand ... the King answer them 'The Kino of juiigment," and his desire that " when —here for the first and only time does the He shall appear we may have confidence. Lord give Himself this name.' [AlfJ. It and not be ashamed before Him at his means that in thus addressing the heirs of coming f (iJo. 4. 17; 2.28.) 21-23. well done! the kingdom He will jmt on all his regal —A single word, not of bare satisfaction, mojesf)/. blessed of my Father— for they were but of warm and delighted commenda-t "chosen m C7t?-t.t" by "the God and Father tion; and from What lips ! B(jth are of our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. 1. 3, 4. commencledin the same terms, arulthe reward inherit— This word, along with "blessed of of both is precisely the same: see on v. 15. 1 my Father," excludes all merit apart froni Observe also the contrasts: ' Thou hast been the gitt and grace of the Father: The "for " faithfid as a servant; now be a rwter— thou which follows yv. 35.) in connexion witli the hast been entrusted with a /ew things; now works of mercy, is therefore to be under- have dominion over mwny things.' the joy of stood as an acknowledgment, by their acts, thy Lord— Tliy Lord's own joy (J. 15. il.). of the worthiness wrought in them. [Beng., 24-27. an hard man, &c. — one whom it was I Stier.1 prepared from the foundation of the impossible to serve, one whom nothing would world — Li tph. 1. 4, they are said to be please; exacting what was impracticable, and " chosen hcfore the foundation of the world." dissatisfied with what was attainable.' Thus Tlie meaning is the same—' before time was,' do men secretly think of God as a hard Mas- j ' from everlasting.' 35. 36. an hungered . . ter, and virtually throw on liim the blame of ; 34-40. — Astonishing dialogue bet\/een the their fruitlessness. I was afraid— of making Elng, from the throne of his glory, and his matters worse by medcUing with it at all. wondering people ! " I was an huugered, and hid thy talent—' We read repeatedly of those ye gave Me meat," &c.— ' ^ot we,' they reply, in the early Church who -vv?th pleasJike these ; ' We never did that. Lord: We were born out — that they had enough to do with their ovv'n of due time, and enjoyed not the privilege of souls, and were afraid of losing them in try- , ministering' unto Thee.' 'But ye did it to ing to save others—' put back from them- 1 these my brethren, now beside you, when selves the charges to which they were called; : cast upon your love.' ' lYuth, Lord, but was and who, when they should have been the that doing it to Thee? Thy name wr.s indeed salt of the earth, thought rather to keep their ' dear to us, and we thou;^lit it an honour loo own saltness, by withdrawing, sometimes ' great to suffer shame for it. When among into caves and wildernesses, from all those the destitute and distressed we discerned active ministries of love by which they might any of the household of faith, we will not .' [Tkench.I I deny that our hearts leapt within us at to the " gooa\ discovery, and when their tap came to the our have served their brethren, wicked— falsehearted; opposed ^--. — servants," iJ. 21 and 23. slothfid —Thus this j dwelling, "our bowels were moved, as servant's "wickedness" consisted not in though "our Beloved Himself had put in his his doing anything against, but simply hand by tlie hole of the door." Sweet was nothing for his mader: see on v. 30. knewest the fellowship we had with them, as il we that I reap, (tc— He takes the servant's own had '^entertained angels unawares;" all accoimt of his demands, as expressing graphi- difference between giver and receiver some- cally enough, not the " hardncs^' which he how melted away under the beams of that had baselv imputed to him, but simply his ' love of Thine wliich knit us together; nay, demand of ' a lyroiitable return for the gifts rather, as they left us with gratitude for our entrusted.' exchangers— 'bankers.' usury— 1 poor givings, we seemed the debtors qur- ^ interest' 28-29. take . . , give, &:c.— See on selves, not they. But Lord, were we all that L. 19. 24; alsoonM. 13.12, 30. improfitable— time in company with Theer 'Yes^that 'useless,' that does his Master no service, scene was all with Me, reijbes the King- outer darkness, <fcc.— See on ch 8. 12. Christ's ' Me in the disguise of my poor ones. The voice in this parable, as in that of the Poi{?icis, I door shut against me by others was opened is, not 'Wait for your Lord' 'Love his ap- ! by you '— " Ye took me in."_ Apprehenaed pearing,' but "Occupy till J come." Blessed and imprisoned liy the enemies of the truth, IS that servant whom his Lord when He i ye whom the truth had made free sought me cometh shall find, not vrttching, as iu a for-jOutcliligentlyandf9undnie;visitin^meinm^ mer parable, but— luoj-fcinj? / ' ' " -""■ '- " - - 31--46. The Last Judgment. ' lonely cell at the risk of your own lives, and 'It will cheering my solitude: ye gave me a coat, for heighten- our estimation of the wonderful I shivered, and 1 felt warm. With cups sublimity of this description, when we re- of cold water ye moistened my parched hps; collect that it was spoken by the Lord o?z^(/i when famished with hunger ye supplied me three davs before his sufferings!' [Alf.I 31. 1 with crusts, fud my spirit revived— Yb come in his glory— in contrast with the shawe did it unto Me." AVhat tlioughts crowd of his first coming.which was speedily to reach upon us as we listen to such a description of its lowest depth, all holy angels, &c. — cf. the scenes of the Last Judgment ! Lo ! He l3eu 33. 2; Da. 7. 9, 10; Jude 14; and see Heb. i casts bis entire cause in the earth upon the 1. C; 1 Pe. 3. 22. then shall He sit— the atti- love of his people. His vivn poveiiy ^vas to tndeoi regal and judicial dignity andre-poae. have an end,but that of his Lhurch v:as to throne of Ms glory— " Jf is glory " twice, with tahe his place. His personal conflict 'tm- iitmost emphasis; the one expressing his ished," that of his cause was then only to Personal glory, the other the glory of his begin. Tlie ^chole story of his necessities and mdicinl office. 32,33. separate— now for the endurances from the world, was to be re- first time; the two classes being nangled all pcatcd in the C/mrc/i, which was to fall up alonu' up to this awfid moment, as a shep- that tchich ivas behiml oj the afflictions of herd,"" Arc- cf. Ez. 34. 17. on his right hand Christ" iCo. 1. 24.). And what condescen- — the side of honour, .'cf. Ps. no. l, A:c.i on sion is there in identifying Himself w^th ths Icrt— place gf dishonour iEccl. iif. 2.], ■ " tue lj^ast of his brethreu, lioldins Him- The paraUe of Ihc talents. MATTHEW, IXVI. 77ie last judgment man according to his several ability; and etraitthtway took his journey. l(j Then he that had received the five talents went and " traded with the same, and made thtm other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and "hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those Ben'ants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, say- ing. Lord, thou dehveredst unto me five talents: behold, 1 have gained besides them five talents more, 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful sen-ant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, p I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into « the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said. Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: beiiold. I have gained two other talents besides them. 23 His lord said unto him. Well done, ^ood and faithful sen'ant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, 1 knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And 1 was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast th<.U is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him. Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where 1 sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed ; 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with lisury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For •■ unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable sen'ant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and jrnashing of teeth. 31 11 When * the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him then shall he sit upon the ttuone of his glory: 32 And 'before him shall be gathered all nations: and "he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 3t Then shall the King say unto them on his right har.d. Come, ye blessed of my Father, "inherit the kingdom ""prepared for vou from the fouiidation of the world: 35 For '1 was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: v l was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, * and ye clothed me: 1 wius sick, and ye visited me: " 1 was in piison, and ye cauie mitu me. CHAP. 25. n Pro. 3. 14. 1 Pet. 4.10. Phil 2 21. ch. 24. 47. Lu 12.44. Lu. 22. 29. Acta 2. 28. IJeb 12.2 2 Ti. 2. 12. 1 Pet. 1.8. r Lu. S. 18. John 15. a 1 Cor. 15. 10. 2 Cor. 6.1. « Zech. 14. 6. Acts 1. 11. Acts 3. 21. Act. 17. 31. lThes4.16. ZTliea.l.?. Phil. 2.9,10. Hob 9. 28. Jude 14. Rov. 1. 7. t Ko. 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5.10. Ker. au. 12, " £m. 20. 38, Eze. 34.17. ch. 13. 19. » Rom. 8. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 4,9. 1 Pet. 3. 9. Rev. 21. 7. to 1 Cor. 2 9 Heb.U.16. X U 68. 7. Ez. 18. 7. 2 Ti. 1. 18. Jam.l. 27. V Heb. 13. 2. 3 John 5. « Jam. 2. 15. a 2 Ti. 1. lU. ft Pro. 14.31. Pro. 19.17. Heb. 0. 10. C Pa. G. 3. d ch. 13. 40. e 2 Pet. 2. 4. / Pro. 14. 31. Pro. 17. 5. Zech. 2. g. Acta 9. 5. (7 Dan. 12.2. John 5. 29. Rom. 2. 7. Rev. 14.11. Rov. 20.10, 15. h Rev. 3. 21. Rot. 7. 15. CHAP. 26. a Mark 14. 1. Lu. 22. 1. John 13. 1. b Pa. 2. 2. John 11.47. Acta 4. 25. C Mark 14. 3. John 11. 1,2. John 12. 3. deh. 21. 17. • John 12. 4. / Dou. 15. 11. ,:ohD 12. 8. g John 17.11. h Rom 1.8. i Mark 14. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, sajlng. Lord, when saw we thee an hunger- ed, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave (/«« drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee^ 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, * Inas- much as ye have done U unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left baud, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into <* everlasting fire, prepared for " the devil and his augels: 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: 1 was thiisty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 4t Then shall they also answer him, say- ing. Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Veiily 1 say unto you, / Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And » these shall go away into ever- lasting punishment: but the righteous into life '' eternal. CHAPTER XXVL 3 The ruters conspire against Christ: 14 JtuUa selleth him. 1/ Christ eateth the passoiier. A ND it came to pass, when Jesus had -"- finished all these saiings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye "know that after two days is the feast o/the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3 If Then * assembled together the chief priests, and tlie scribes, and the elders of the people, unto tiie j-.alace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5 liut they said, Kot on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. 61l Now "when Jesus was in <* Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But * when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor, 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them. Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For /ye have the poor always with you; but " me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, » Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial other. , „ , 14 H Then » one of the twelve, culled ' TaraVe of tTvs MATTHF'.V, XXT. La t Jtidgmenf. does this illustrate what the beloved 34, 40. The King say to them on his right disciple says of "boldness in the day hand ... the Kiag answer them 'The Kino of judgment," and his desire that "when —here for the first and only time does the He sha.il appear we may have confidence. Lord give Himself this name.' [AlfJ. It and not be ashamed before I[im at his means that in thus addressing the heirs of coming!" (iJo. 4. 17; 2.28.) 21-23. well done!, the kingdom He will jnd on all his regal —A single word, not of bare satisfaction, majesty, blessed of my Father— for the but of warm and delighted commenda-| "chosenm C'/irLst" by "the God andJ tion; and from AVhat lips ! Both ^ were by ''the God and Father are oi our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. 1. 3, 4. comraendedin the same terms, aiulthe rexvard mhRrit— This yvord, along with '"blessed' of of both is prcciselv the same: see on v. 15. j my Father," excludes aU merit apart from Observe also the contrasts: 'Thou hast been > the gift and grace of the Father: The "for" faithful as a servant; now be a ruler— tlwa which follows [V. 35.) in connexion with the hast been entrusted with a fev) things; now I works of mercy, is therefore to be under- have dominion over manij things.' the joy of I stood as an acknowledgment, by their acts, thy Lord— Thy Lord's own joy (J. 15. 11.). of the worthiness WTought in them. LBexg., 24-27. an hard man, &:c. — one whom it was Stier.] prepared from the foundation of the impossibletoserve, one whom nothing would world — In tph. 1. 4, they are said to be please; exactingwhat was impracticable, and " chosen before the foundation of the world."" dissatisfied mth what was attainable.' Thus Tlie meaning isthe same—' before time was,' ■ from everlasting.' 35. 38. an hungered . . Astonishing dialogue bet\,een the do men secretly think of God as a hard Mas ter, and virtually throw on Mm the blame of 34-40 „ _, . their fruitlessness. I was afraid— of making; King, from the throne of his glory, and his matters worse by meddling with it at all. wondering people ! " L was an hungered, and hid thy talent—' We read repeatedly of tho _ in the early Church who w?th pleas like these ye gave Me meat," &c.— ' >>ot we,' thty reply, 'We , , X, _x T _ , ,,r We never did that. Lord: We were born out —that they had enough to do with their ovvti [ of due time, and enjoyed not the privilege of souls, and were afraid of losin^' them in try- , ministering unto Thee.' 'But ye did it to ing to save others—' put back from them- these my brethren, now beside you, when selves the charges to which they were called; cast upon your love.' ' lYiith, Lord, but was and who, when they should have been the that doing it to Thee? Thy name w:'.s indeed salt of the earth, thotight rather to keep their ' dear to us, and we thou.uht it an honour too owTi saltness, by withdrawing, sometimes ' great to suffer shame for it. When among into caves and wildernesses, from all those the destitute and distressed wc discerned active ministries of love by which they might any of the household of faitli, we will not have served their brethren.' [Trench. 1 deny that our hearts leapt within us at the ■wicked— falsehearted; opposed to the "good\ discovery, and when their tap came to our servants," v. 21 and 23. slothful —Thus this , dwelling, " our bowels were moved," as servant's "wickedness" con.sisted not in I though 'our Beloved Himself had put in his his doing an}^hing against, but simply hand by tlie hole of the door." Sweet was nothing for his mader: see on v. 30. knewest the fellowship we had with tliem, as ii we that I reap, (tc— He takes the servant's own had "entertained angels unawares;" all account of his demands, as expressing graplii- difference between giver and receiver some- caUy enough, not the " hardnesi^' which he : how melted away under the beams of that had basely imputed to him, but simply his love of Thine which knit us together; nay, demand of "aproftable return for the gifts i rather, as they left us with gratitude for our entrusted.' exchangers—' bankers.' usury— \ poor givings, we seemed tlie debtors our- interest' 28-29. take ... give, Ac— See on selves, not they. But Lord, were we aU that L. 19. 24; also on M. 13.12, 30. unprofitable— time in company with Thee'r' 'Yes, that 'useless,' that does his Master no service, scene was all with Me,' replies the King- cuter darkness, <Src.— See on ch. 8. 12. Christ's ' Me in tlie disguise of my i>oor ones. The voice in this parable, as in that of the Pounds, door shut against me by otliers was opened is, not 'Wait for your LorcL' 'Love his ap- ' by you '— " Ye took me in." Apprehended pearing,' bitt "Occupy till J came." Blessed and imprisoned liy the enemies of tlie truth, is that servant whom his Lord when He ye whom the truth had made free sought me cometh shall find, not vatcldng, &5 in a for-)outdiligentlyandfoundnie;visitin^nieinmy mer parable, but^-if orA-tngr .' 'Ioik' 31--46. The Last Judgment. nely c'ell at the risk of your o^^■nlives, and It will cheering my solitude: ye gave me a coat, for heighten' our estimation of the wonderful I shivered, and I felt warm. With cups sublimity of this description, when we re- ol cold water ye moistened my parched Ups; collect that it was spoken by the Lord on^i/j when famished with hunger ye supplied me three day s before his sujj'erings!' [Alf.I 31. Uvith crusts, f,nd my spirit revived— "Yb come in his glory— in contrast with the shame ! did it unto Me." AVhat thoughts crowd of his first coming,which was speedily to reach upon us as we listen to sucli a description of its lowest depth, all holy angels, &c. — cf. the scenes of the Last Judgment ! Lo ! He Deu. 30. 2; Da. 7. 9, 10; Jude 14; and see Heb. | casts bis entire cause in the earth upon the 1. C; 1 Pe. 3. 22. then shall He sit— the atti- love of liis people. Hisoxvn poveHv was to tudeof resTrtZandJMd iciaJ dignity and repose. '/iff ve an end, but that of his Church v:as to throne of his glory— " ffis glory " twice, with take his place. His personal conflict "fin- ntmost emphasis; the one expressing his ished," that of his cause was then only to rcr.<onal glory, the other the glory ol his begin. Tlie %chole story of his necessities and indicial office. 32, 33. separate— now for the endurances from the world, was to be re- first time; the two classes being mingled all pcatcd in tlie C/mrcft, which was to "fill up along up to this awful moment, as a shep- that tchich was behitul of the affl.ictions of herd, kc.—ci. Ez. 34. 17. on his right hand Christ" (Co. 1. 24.). And what coudescen- — the side of honour, fcf. Ps. lio. l. Arc.) on siou is there in identifying Himself with tli5 Itrt— place of dishonour lEccl. If. ii.J. • "the least of his brethren," holdinsHiui- THSlliiUion of the Lord's supper. MATTUEW, XX7L Jtidas Ittrat/i Christ. Judas } Iscariot. went uuto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them, *What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thiity pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought oppor- tunity to betray him. 17 H Now ' the first tZa v of the feast of nn- leavened V)read the discipks came to Jesus, sajing unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; 1 will keep the pass- over at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20 IT Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. ^1 And as they did eat, he said, Verily 1 say uuto you. That one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I ? 2:3 And he answered and said, •" He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth " as it is written of him: but "woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been bom. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, an- swered and siiid, Master, is it I? He said unto him. Thou hast said. 26 % And as they were eating, P Jesus took bread, and i blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat ; this « is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For '■ this is my blood • of the new testament, which is shed 'for many for the remission of sins. 29 but I say unto you, I will not diink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, « until that day when 1 drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. tW H And " when they had sung an 2 hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, •* All ye shall ' be otlended because of me this night: for it is written, " 1 will smite the Sheplierd, and the sheep of the Hock shall be scattered abroad. o2 But after I am risen again, * I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and s.aid unto him, Though all men shall be olftnded because of thee, yet wiU 1 never be otlended. 34 Jesus said unto him, » Verily 1 say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Feter said unto him. Though I should die with thee, yet will 1 not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. 36 H Then * cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while 1 go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Feter and * the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sor- rowful and very heavy. iJS Then saith he unto them, <*My soul is CHAP. 26. ;• eh. 10. 4. ftZ«h.ll.l2. ch. -27. 3. I Ex. I'J. 6. Lot. 23.5,6. "* Pi. 41. 9. Lu. 2Z. 21. John 13. 18. U.53.1. Dan. 9. 28. Acts 26.22. 1 Cor 15.3. o John 17.12. P 1 Cor. 11. 23. Greek co- piea have, g«r« thanlM. Mar. 6. 41. q 1 Cor. lU. 16. Or, repro- 1 Cor. 10.4. r Ex. 24. 8. Lot. 17. 11. « Jer. 31. 31. t Kom. a. 15. Heb. 9. 22. WAcUld.tl. V Mar. 14.26. 2 Or, psalm, w Jolin 16. 32. ' ch. 11. 6. V Zech. 13. 7. » ch, 2d. 7. ftUrk 16. 7. a Lu. 22 31. John 13. 33. b John 18. 1. ch. 4. 21. d John 12.27. «1 Pet. 5. 8. / Mar. 14. 36. Lu. 22. 42. Heb. 5. 7. g John 12.27. h ch. 2>i. 22. { John 5. 3>J. John 6 38. PhU. 2. 8. ;• Mar. 13. 33. Mar. 14. 38. Lu. 22. 40. Eph. ti. 18. k Alar. 14.43. Lu. 22. 47. John 18. 3. Acts 1. 16. 1 2 Sa. 20. 9. 3 Compau- P8.41. 9. Ps. 65. 13. n* John 18. 10. n 1 Cor.4.12. Gen. 9. G. Rev. 13.10. p2Ki.6. 17. « la 53. 7. Dan. 9. 25. rLam. 4 20. * John 18.15. t Mar. H.U3. Lu. 22 54. IKi. .10. P.. 27. 12. exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and * watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and /prayed, saying, <'0 my Father, if it be possible, '» let this cup pass from me: nevertheless »not as 1 will, but as thou ivilt. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saitli unto Feter, What ! could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch .;■ and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them. Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the nour isat hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. M Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. 47 II And * while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of tlie twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, W homsoever 1 shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. 49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and saiil. Hail, Master! ' and kissed him. 50 And Jesus said uuto him, 3 Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51 And, behold, "* one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and diew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and smote otf his ear. 52 TJien said J esus unto him, " Fut up again thy swoid into his place: "for all they that take the sword shaJl peiish with th« sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pra> to my Father, and he shall presently give me Pmore than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then shall « the Scriptures be fuimied, that thus it must be? 55 in that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? 1 sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 56 But all this was done, that the '"scrip- tures of the prophets might be fultiiled. Then ' all the disciples foi-sook him, and tied. 57 IT And * they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were as- sembled. 58 But Feter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; CO But found none: yea. though " many Twralle of tlie Lad Judgment. MATTHEW, XXVI. TM Anointing at Bdhanv. self to be the Person to whom anything It is said to be " prepared for the devil and whatever is done that is done to the humblest his angels," because they were "first in aud the meanest of them. JS or let it be over looked that ' the assistance to the sick and imprisoned here is not hmling and release, which only few could render, but just that which all could render— ^iaitation, sympathy, attention. (See Ex. 2. 11; 1 Ki. 17. 10-16; Je. ;;S. 7-13; A. 16. 15; 2 Ti. 1. 16-18; 3 Jo. 6-8.).' 1 W. & W.] 41-45. ' As for you on the left liand, ye did nothing for Me. I came to you also, but ye knew me not; ye had neither warm atfections nor kind deeds to bestow upon me: I was as one despised inyonr ej'es.' 'in our eyes. Lord? We never saw Theo before, and never, sure, behaved we so to 1'liee.' * But thus ye treated these little ones that believe in me and now stand on mj right hand. In the disguise of these poor members of mine 1 came soliciting your pity, l>ut ye sliut up your bowels of compassion from me: I asked relief, but ye had none to fcive me. Take back therefore your own coldness, your own contemptuous distance: Ye bid me away from your presence, and now 1 bid you from mine— ' Depart rrom Me ye cursed!" "What claims does ' the Son of Man " here put f onvard for Himsell ! He is to come in his o-mx glory; all the holy angels are to come with him; he is to take his seat on the throne; it is the throne of his own glory; all nations are to be gathered before him; the awful separa- tion of the two great classes to bf Jlis doing; the word of decision on both— "Ye blessed !" "Ye cursed!" and the word of command to the one, ' Come !" to the other, " Depart !" — ' To the Kingdom! To the flames ! ' aU this is to be His doing. But most astonishing of aU, The blissful or the blighted eternity oj each one ofbotli classes is sus- pended upon his treatment of Hiirh— is made to turn upon those mysterious ministrations from age to age to the Lord of glory, dis- guised in the persons of those who love his name: 'Ye did thus and thus unto me — Come, ye blessed ! Ye did it not to me— Depart ye cursed ! In that " me " lies an emphasis, the strength of which only the scene itself and its everlasting issues wiU disclose. Verily, "God is Judge Himself," (Ps. 60. 6,) hut it is God in flesh. God in One who is " not ashamed to callus Brethren." And what a practical character is here stamped upon Christ's service ! It is not, ' Ye had it in your hearts,' but ' Ye did it with your hands.' It is the love of Christ in the heart rushing to the eyes, ears, hands, feet, going in search of Him, hastening to embrace and to cherish Him, as he wanders through this bleak and cheer- less world in His persecuted cause and needy people. O what has this done, and what will it yet do, to bless and to beautify this fallen world ! 46. these shall go away— these "cursed." Sentence was first pro- nounced, in the hearing of the wicked, upon the righteous, who thereupon sit as asses- sors in the jud,gment upon the wicked I Cor. 6. 2.); but sentence is first ej:ecuted, it would seem, upon the wicked, in the sight of the righteous, whose glory mt.11 thus not be be- held by the wicked, while their descent into "their own place" will be mtnessed by the righteous. [Bexg.] everlasting punishment — "everlasting fire prepared lor the Devil and his anijels," v. -ll. cf. 13. IJ; 2 Tli. 1. 9. &c.) transgression." But both have one doom, because one unholy character, life eternal— or ' everlasting:' it is the same word in both clauses. Thus the decisions of this awful day wiU be final, irreversible, unending, "The Lord grant," to both the ^vTiterandhis readers, "that they may find mercy of the Lord in that day !" (2 Tim. 1. 18.) CHAPTEK XXVI. Ver. 1-5. Our Lord's Final Announce- >rENT OF His Death, as "SVithin Two Days— Conspiracy oftheJewishAutho- RiTiES. 1. had finished all these sayings— His pitfc^w; teaching was now at an end. From his proplietical He now passes into his priestly office, though essentially aU along, " Himself took our infirmities and bare our sickness." pa.ssover . . . crucified— "By the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," it was at the Passover-season that "Christ, our Pass- over, was to be sacrificed for us." betrayed to be cracified— the first and the last steps of his final 6ufi"erings are brought together in tins brief acnouncement of aU that was to take place. 3. then assembled— probably while announce- riiey mean, . _ , ted seven days |MuY ] ; the influx of stran'-ers at that festival beiag enormous, and in their excited stati", tli«= danger of tumult and bloodshed araon^ " the people," who owned Jesus a prophet, extreme. (See Jo^seph. Ant. xx. 6, 3.) But just at the feast-time shall it be done; the unexpected offer of Judas inducing them to get over their fears. Thus the divine counsel takes efi"ect! LBeng.] 0-13. The Anointing at Bethany. This occurrence took place " six days before the Passover," iJ. 12. l, and therefore before \\hat is related in the first five verses of this chapter. It seems to have been inserted here, in order to mention what induced Judas to carry into eflect his intention of betraying his Master, namely, the rebuke admimstered to him for his hypocritical objection to the tcaste of money in anointing our Lord. [Alf.] See V. 14, following immediately on thi.s scene, and the corresponding passages la Mk. and L. 6. in the house of Simon the lever.— But for this statement, and that of jMk. (14. 3), we should have supposed, from John's account, that the scene occurred in the house of Lazarus. Who tliis Simon was is quite unknown. But as Martha served, [Alk. L. and J.; he was probably some near relative of her family. A "leper" at that time he could not have been, while entertaining guests at his own table. But he had been one, perhaps long one, and so came to be called by no other than his old name, " Simon the leper," even after the Saviour had, by healing him, wen his heart; for there can hardly be a doubt that, having owed to Jesus both body and soul, he had, like him who delighted to call himself " Matthew the pubhcan" long after he was transformed into "an apostle of Jesus Christ," made him this supper in the fulness of a grateful heart. It was his last visit to Bethany, that quiet and loved retreat, where dwelt friends peculiarly dear to him. 7-13. See on J. 12. 2-8. 14-lG. JUDAS AGREES WITH THE CHTEP PuiEaiS TO Betray HIS Lop^d. See L. 22.3-0, Pcttr deniefh Christ. MATTIIETV, XXVIT. Cltrht is accused before Pilate. f;\lse witnesses came, yet fouml they none. At the last came "two false witnesses, 61 And said, Thisftlloiv said, '" I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high priest arose, and snid unto him, Answerest thou nothiiigl what is it which these witness against thee? 63 But * Jesus held his peace. And the hish priest answered and said unto him, v I adjure thee by the living God. that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus saith unto him. Thou hast said: nevertheless, I say unto you, ' Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man '■* sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest * rent his clothes, s.aying. He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy, 66 What think ye? They answered and said, " He is guilty of death. 67 Then ''did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and 'others smote him with *the palms of their hands, 6S Saying, /Proyihesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? 60 IT Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying. Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before them all, saying, 1 know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This/eitoto was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely tiiou also art one of them ; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And imme- diately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jtsus, which said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thi-ice. And he went out, and " wept bitterly. CHAPTER XXVII. 1 Christ delivered bound to FiUte. S Judas hangeth himself. 27 Christ is mocked. 33 cruci- Jied, S^ and reviled. 51 The astonishing events which attended his death, etc. AVHEN the morning was come, " all the ' chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against J esus to put him to death: 2 And when they had bound him, they led hira away, and '' delivered him to Pontius I'ilate the governor, o H Then " J udas, which had betrayed him, wl'.en he saw that he was condemned, re- pt-nted himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have be- ti ayed the innocent blood. And they said. What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, "^ and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said. It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is tlie rice of blood. V Dou. 19.15. tOch. 27 V.l John 2. 19. X Is. &3. 7. ch. 27. 12. V Lev. 5. 1. 1 .Sa. 14.24. * Ps. 110. 1 Dan. 7. 13. John 1.51. K.im.14.10. 1 aiies. 4. Hev. 1. 7. a Pa. 110. 1. Acts 7. 56. b 2 Ki.l8 37. 2 KL 19.1. c Lev. 24. 16. John 19. 7. d U. 50. 8. Ifl. 53. 3. ch. 27. 3IJ. « Lu, 22. 6S. 4 Or, roil. / ALir. 14.05. g Zoch. 12.10. 2 Cor. 7.10. CHAP. 27. a Ps. 2. 2. Mark 15.1. Lu. 22. m. Lu. 2a. 1. John 18. 28. 6 ch. 20. 19. Acts 3. 13. c Job 20.5. ch. 26. 14. 2 Cor. 7.10. d2Sa.l7.23. Acta 1. 18. e Zech. 11. 12, 13. 1 Or, whom they bought of the cliilJ drcn of Israel. / Mark 15. 2. Lu. 23. 3. John 18. 33. i^ John 18. 37. 1 Ti. 6. 13. h laa. 53. 7 ch. 63. John lU 9. 1 Pot. 2.23. i ch. 20. ' 2. John 19.10. j Mark 15. 0. LuUe 23.17. JolinT8.39. * Acts 7. 9. I Job 33 15. »n Mar. 15.11. Lo 23.18. John 18. 40. Acta 3. 14. n Deu 21 6. Ueu 19 10. Jo=.h.2.19. 1 Ki. 2. 32. 2 Sa. 1. 16. P la. 53. 5. Q Lu. 23 11. r P.. 69. 19. » la. 50. 6. t .Mic. 5. 1. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 'Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulhlled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, * And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, l whom they of the children of Israel did value, 10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. 11 H And Jesus stood before the governor; and /the governor asked him, saying, .\rt thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said mito him, ^ Thou sayest. 12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, '«he answered nothing. 13 Then said Pilate unto him, tlleai'est thou not how many things they witness again.st thee? 14 And he answered him to never a word ; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. 15 H Now / at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. 16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them. Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? 18 For he knew that for * envy they had delivered him. ly ir When he was set down on the judg- ment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying. Have thou notliin!^ to do with that just man: for I have surt'ered many things this day in f a dream because of him. 20 But *" the chief priests and elders per- suaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and -destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said unto them. Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 22 Pilate saith unto them. What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? TheyaM say unto him. Let him be crucified. 23 And the governor said. Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying. Let him be crucified. 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he ** took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 1 am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 25 Then answered all the people, and said, "His blood be on us, and on our children. 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when ^ he had scourged Jesus, he de- livered him to be crucified. 27 II Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the '-^ common hall, and gathered unto hira the whole band of sol- diers. 28 And they stripped him, and ' put on him a scarlet robe. 29 H And ''when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a ived in his riL'iit hand : ami they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, sayin.'. Hail, Kingof the Jews! oO And* theyspit upon him, and took the reed, and '.smote him on the heail. 31 And after that they had inockvjd him. Desertion of the Disciples. ]^r\TTIIEW\XX\^n. nemorse and Sudcic'e of Judas. 17-30. Last Celebration op tbe Pas3- OVEU— ANNOUNC£iIENT OF THE TjlAlTOPv —Institution of tele Supp£11. fcee on L. 22. 7-20; J. 13. 21-.30. 31-4G. DE^EiiTION OF THE DISCIPI.ER, AND Fall of Petep.,Fob.etoij)— Agony in THE Garden. 31. all ye— probablywith re- ference to the one who had just "gone out." Great as was the relief, now for the first time experienced by the Saviour himself, in the traitor's voluntary separation from a fellow- ship to M'hich he never in heart belonged (see on J. 13. 31 , even in those who remain- ed there was something which burdened the spirit and wounded the heart of the Man of borrows. It was sad to him to think that within one brief hour, or less, of the time when their hearts had warmed towarcLs him more than ever at the Paschal and Conmiunion table, they should every one of them be * stumbled ' because of Him. for it is written— He falls back upon this striking prophecy, partly to confirm their faith in what they would hardly think credible, even from Him; and partly to console Himself with therefleo tion that it was but one of "the thintts con- cerning him" wliich "would have an end,"— that they would be but links in the chain, *' doing what God's hand and purpose de- termined before to be done." I wiU smite the Shepherd— In the Hebrew and Septuagint, it is Jehovah who com'nands the sword to *' smite the Shepherd. *" Here. Jesus receives tlie thrust direct from hisFather's hand (J. 18. 11.). the sheep . , . scattered— Jesus up to this Kioment had been their one Bond of union. When Pie is smitten, they are scattered. How beautiful and how true thetigure ! The sheep speedily disperse when their Shepherd iji struck. 32. How very explicit He is in his announcements now, when ou the eve of parting with them tiU after his resurrection. go before you— as a shepherd; for it is a pas- toral word. fliENG.] cf. J. 10. 4. There is an intended allusion to the remainder of the prophecy he had quoted from Zech. (13. 7\ " and Iwill turn mine hand upon the little ones." Tills he began to do when he " went before them into GalLlee;for though after his resurrection he Bad several interviews with them at .lerusalem before this, it was in Galilee that he collected and rallied them, as the shepherd of his lately scattered flock and gave tnem those parting instructions and commissions which may be termed the ini- tial organization of the thurdi. 33-46. See on L. 22. 31-46. 47-56. BETP.A.TAL AND APPREHENSION OF jErsu8— Slight of His Disciples. See on L, 22. 47-54. and J, 18. 1-12. 67-75. Jesus bepore Caiaphas— Con- demned TO Die and Sha3Iej.'Ully En- TREAiED— Fall of Peter. See on Mark 14. 53-61; and Luke 22. 03-71, 67. to Caiaphas —From J. 18. 13, it appears that he was led first to Annas his fatner-in-law, as probably j.earest: with him he appears to have re- mained till the Council was convened in the palace of Caiaphas, to whom he was then .<ent bound. (J. 18. 24.) where the scribes and eiders were assembled —awaiting their Vic- tim. 58, See on L. 22. 54, C2. CHAKL'EE xx^ti. Ver. 1, 2. Jei5U8 pepore Pilact. Eeo on J. IS. 28, &c. 3-10. REilORRE AND SUICIDB OF JUDAS. G. w 1.3tt he fiaw tLxt lie was co^^utuiusd— Ihe conucimiation, even thourh not unexpected, might well fill him v.-ith horror. Tereuted— with " the sorrow of the world that workc th death" (2 Cor. 7. 10.). brought again, <irc.— A remarkable illiiKtration of the po^\ er of an awakened conscience. A short time before the promise of thissordidpelf was temptation enough to his covetous heart to outweigh the most overwhelming obligations of duty and love; now, the possession of it so lashes him that he cannot use it, cannot even keep it! 4-7, I have siDned. . . innocent blood — AYliat a testimony this to Jesus ! Judas had been with Kim in all circumstances for three years; his post as treasurer to Him and the twelve (J. 12. 6,) gave liim peculiar opportunity of watching the spirit, disposition, aid habits of hi.s Master; while Ids covetous nature and thievish practices would incline him to dark and suspicious, rather than frank and gene- rous, interpretation.'? of all that He said and did. If, then, he could have fastened on one questionable feature in all that he had so long witnessed, no such speech as this would ever laive escaped his lips, nor would he have been so .stung with remorse as not to be able to keep the money and surv'ivo his crime, vdiat is that to usi see thou to that —'Guilty or innocent is nothing to us: Wo have him now— begone 1 ' Was ever speech more hellish uttered? 5. cast down— The sarcastic, diabolical reply which he had got, in place of the sjTnpathy M'hich perhajis he expected, deepened his remorse into an agony, in the temple — 'the holy place,' into wliich only the prie.sts had access. Perhaps he flung the money in after them, thus were fulfilled the words of the prophet— "I cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord." (Ze. 11. 13.) departed . . . and hanged — Sc« on A. 1. IS. 6. it is not lawful— How scrupulous now! But those scruples made them unconsciously fulfil the Scripture. 7-10. Kever was a complicated prophecy, otlierv.isc hopelessly dark, more marvellous- ly fulfilled. — Jeremy— Various conjectures have been formed to account for M's. as- cribing to Jeremiah a prophecy found in the book of Zechariah. But .since with this book he was plainly familiar, having quoted one of its most remarkable prophecies of Christ but a few chapters before, (ch. 21, 4, 5,) the question is one more of curiosity than importance. 11. See on J. IS. 33-38, See on Mk. 15. 3-5; 12-14. 15-30. Jesus again before Pilate- Mocked BY THE SoLDiPRs— Delivered to beCPvUCIfied, See onMk. 15. C-10;L. 23.18-25; J. 19, 4-16. 31-34. Je?us led away to be Crucified, See on JMk. 15. 20-23. 35-50. Cruciitxion and Death of the Lord Jesus. See on Mk. 15. 29-36; L. 23. 39; 43-40. 51-56. Signs following His Death. AND OTHEp. Circumstances. 51. veil reiit —This was the thick and gorgeously wrought veil v.hich was hung between the "hf)ly place" and the "holiest of all,'' shutting out all access to the presence of God as mani- fested "from above the mercy-seat and from between tlie cherubims: "— " the Holy Ghost tlus signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not vet made manifest" (He. 9. 8.). Into this holiest of all none might enter, not even the high-priest, save once a-year, on the great day of atonement, and only The crucijixion cf Christ. MATTHEW, XXVIII. JTis resuiTection^ tliey took the robe oft" from liim. and put his ovm raiment on him, " and led hina away to crucify him. 32 And "as they came out, ""they found a man of CvTeue, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, A place of ti skull, M They ' gave him vinegar to drink mingled with trail: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not driuk. 35 And they crucified him, and parted his parments, casting lots : that it misjht be lultilled which was spoken by the prorihct, They "parted my garments among tnem, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there ; 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then ^ were there two thieves crucified with him; one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39 IT And " they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying. * Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests, mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot Bave. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He * trusted in God; let him deliver him now. if he will have him: for he said, 1 am the Son of God. 44 The "i thieves also, which were crucified ■with him, cast the same in his teeth. 46 H Now *from the sixth hour there was dai kness over all the laud unto the ninth hour. 4<i And about the ninth hour/ Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli ! Eli ! lama Babachthani? that is to say, *' My God! Aly God! why hii,st thou forsaken me? 47 Some of tlietn that stood there, when they heard (iiat, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, '• and tilled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said. Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 60 H Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost, 51 And, behold, Hhc veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and } the earth did qu;die, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; *and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and ajipeared unto many. 54 Now 'when the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they Iciired greatly, saying. Truly this was the Son of God. 65 And many women were there behold- ing afar off, "' which' followed Jesua Irom Galilee, ministering unto him; D. 33. CHAP. 27. IKi.'Jl.lS. Acts 7. sS. lleb. 13 12. <■ filar. 15.21. ■ Ps. 09. 21. ' Ps. 22. 18. I3. 63. 12. Mar. 15.27. Lu 2i. 32. 6 eh. 2f.. 01. John 2. 19. C Pa 22. 8. d Lu. 23. 39. « Isa. 50. 3. Amos 8 9. /Heb. 5. 7. g Ps 22. 1. h Ps. m. 21. John 19.29. i Ei.2e.31. 2Chr.3.14. Mar. 15.38. Lu. 23. 45. £|.h. 2. 14, 18. Iieb.*6. 19. Heb. 10.19, I £i. 20.18, 19. Mar. 15. 39 Lu. 2.3. 47. Juha 19 38. P Is 53. 9. « Ps 2. 1-6. Acta 4. 27, 28. 2 Cor. C. 8. r ch. 16. 21. ch. 17. 2.i. ch. 20. 19. ch. 20 61. Mar. 8. 31. War. lu.34. Lu. 9. 22. Lu 18. 3:i. Lu 24.0,7. John 2. 19. SDan. 6. 17. 56 Among "which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Josea, and the mother of Zebedee's children. 57 % When " the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 Ana p laid it in his own new tomb,which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled p *'°,.'^7*'' ' * .great stone to the door of the sepulchre, p« vifi'k ' and departed. 61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 62 IT Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came togetherimto Pilate, 63 Sajdng, Sir, we remember that ' that deceiver said, while he was ^et ahve, After *■ three days 1 will rise agam. 64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the tliird day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people. He is risen from the dead : so the last error shall be worse than the first. 65 Pilate said unto them. Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, * sealing the stone, and setting a watch. CHAPTER XXVIIL 1 Christ's resurreeticn declared : 9 he appeareth to the women, 16 and to his disciples, ]8 and sendeth them to teach and baptize. TN the " end of the sabbath, as it began -•- to dawn toward the fiist day of the week,came Mary Magdalene * and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there ^ was a great earth- quake: for * the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His d countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead vien. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, * Fear not ye; lor I know that ye seek Jesus, which was cnicilied. 6 He is not here; for he is risen, /as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay: 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead ; and, behold, he "goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, and did lun to bring his disciples word. 9 H And as they went to tell bis disciples, behold, '' Jesus met them, saying. All hail! And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 10 Then said Jesus unto them. Be not afraid: go tell < my brethren that they go hito Galilee, and tnere shall they see me. 11 IF Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed mito the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And wlien they were assembled with THAP. 28. a Mark 16.1. Lu. 24. 1. John 20. 1. 6ch 27.56. 1 Or, had e Mark 16. 5. Lu. 24. 4. John 2IJ.12. d Dau. 10. C. e Eov. 1. 17. f ch. 12. 40. ch. 10. 21. ch. 17. 23. ch. 20. 19. Kev. 1. 17, 18. I Rom. 8. 29. bob. 2. 11. Slrmsfolloxo'n^ Ch rist's Death. MATT II EW. XXVUl. ■with the blood of atouement in his hands •wliich he sprinkled "upon and before the mei-cy-seat seven times Le. 16. 14,;— to sig- nify that access for sinners to a holy God is only through atoning blood." But as they had only the blood of bulls and of goats ■which could not take away sins" He. lo. 4, during all the long ages that preceded the death of Chiist, the thick veil remained; the blood of bulls and of goats continued to be shed and sprinkled; and once a year access to God through an atoning sacrifice ■was vouchsafed— i'rt a picture, or rather dra- •mviticalbj represented, in those symbolical actions— nothing more. But now, the one atoning Sacrifice being provided in "the precious blood of Christ, access to a holy God could no longer be denied; and so, the moment the Victim expired on the altar, that thick veil which for so many ages had been the dread symbol of separation betireen God and guilty men was, -without a hand touching it, mysteriously "rent in twain from top to bottom: "— " the Holy Ghost this His Resrirredion. signifjing that the way into the holiest all was xow made manifest!" Howempha tic the statement "'from top to hottom;" as if to say. Come boldly now to the Throne of Grace; th^ veil is clean gone; the Mercy-Seat stands open to the gaze of sinners, and the way to it is sprinkled with the blood of Him — "who through the eternal Spirit hath offered Himself without spot to God:"— L'e- fore, it was death to go i n, now it is dca th to stay out. See more on this glorious suhje.t on He. 10. 19-2-2. earth did quake . . , the recks rent— the physical creation thus sublimely proclaiming, at the bidding of its Maker, the con>:u.ssion at that moment taking place in the moral world. Extraordinary rents and fissures have been obser\'ed in the rocks near this spot. 52, 53. the graves were opened, &c. —a glorious symbolical proclamation that the Death which had just taken place had "swallowed up death in victory." many bodies of the Saints— 0. T. believers, whicn slept— See on 1 Th. 4. 14. arose— ?:of nov:, at their Lord's dtath, but, as expressed in next verse, (which shouldhave been joined tc this one], they " arose and came out of the graves, after his resurrection." For it was fitting that "The Prince of Life" " should be </te firsi that should rise from the dead." (A. 26. 23.) 53. went into the holy city— Jeru- salem, where He in virtue of whose resur- rection they had risen had been condenmed. appeared unto many — during the forty days of their Lord's stay on earth, while He himself never appeared in Jerusalem save to "the disciples." They thus gave ocular evidence, as of the reality of tneir o-wn resurrection, so through it of their Lonl's also. These resurrections were not like those of the widow of iSain's son, of Jairus' daughter, of Lazarus, and of the man who " re-vived and stood upon his feet," on his dead body touching the bones of Elisha" (2 Ki. 13. 21, > — temporary recaUings of the departed spirit to the mortal bodv, to be fol- lo-n-ed by a final departure of it " till the trum- pet shall sound." They were a resurrection once for all, to life everlasting; and tliis leaves no room to doubt that they went to glory with their Lord, as bright trophies of His vic- tory over death. 54, 56. See on ?.ik. 15. >;y-41. 57-01. liUEIAL OF CHKIST. Se© OU li. -lo. 60 02, 6 J «-J; and J. 19. iiu-il,. 52-66. The SErtTLCHEE Guarded. 63. the next day that followed the day of the pre- paration— i.e. after six o'clock of our Saturday evening. The crucifixion took place on the Friday, and all was not over tUI shortly before sunset, when the Je%vish Sabbath commenced and "that sabbath day was an high day. ,J. 19. 31,) being the first day of the fea.st of imleavened bread. That day over, at six on Saturday evening, they hastened to take their measures. 63. that deceiver—' T«.' ever wiU youflnd the heads of the people to have called Jesus by his own name. [Beng.] Yet here there is betrayed a certain uneasiness, which one almost fancies they only tried to stifle in their own minds, as well as crush in Pi- late's, in case he should have any lurking sus- picion that he had done -wrong in yielding to them, while yet alive— important testi- mony, from the lips of his bitterest enemies, to th^ reality of Christ s death; the comer- stone of the whole Christian religion, after three days— or, after the third day had com- menced, according to the customary Jewish w.iy of reckoning. I will rise— lit. 'I rise,' the present tense, —thus reporting not only the fa^t of the prediction as having come to their ears, but the confidence with which He looked forward to it on the very day- named, made sure— by a Eoinan guard, till the third day— after which, if he still lav in the grave, the imposture of his claims would be manifest to ail. his disciples . . . steal him —Did they really fear this ? last error be worse than the first— the imposture of his pre- tended resurrection be worse than that of his pretended Messiahship. 65. ye have a watcn— The guards had already acted under orders of the Sanhedrim, with Pilate's con- sent: but probably they were not clear about emploj-ing them as a night-wat<;h without Pilate s express authority, go . . . make it as sure as ye can— Though there may be no irony m this speech, it evidently insinuated that if the event should be contrary to tbeir -wish, it would not be for want of hurran power to prevent it. 66. made the seruV-hre sure— namely, by "sealing the stone, which was "very great," iMk. 16. 4, and " setting the watch,'" to guard it. "What more could man do? But while they are trj^ing to prevent the resurrection of the Prince of Life, God makes use of their precautions for his own ends. Their stone-covered, seal- secured sepulchre shall preserve the sleeping dust of the Son of God free from all intligni- ties, in untlisturbed, sublime repose; while their watch shall be His guard of honour until the angels shall come to take their place 1 CHAPTER XXVm. Ver. 1-10. Glorious Ee.sueeectiok of Christ— He Appears to the Wo3iex. 1 In the end, <fcc.— See on Mk. 16. 1. 2. And be- hold, (fcc— Tills august preparation bespeaks the grandeur of the exit which was to follow, sat upon it— to overawe, with the lightning- lustre that darted from him, the Pvoman Eiard, and do honour to his rising ord. 3. lightning . . . snow— the one ex- pressing the glory, the other the purity of the celestial abode from which he came, keepers became as dead men— Is the sepulchre " sure ' now, O 3'e chief priests? He that sit- teth in the heavens doth laugh at you. 5. tear not ye— The "ye" is emphatic: q. d. 'Let itiiuie miserable creatures, sent hither to D The fxipUam of Jesnu. MA UK. !. //.: preaches tfu Oospd. the elders, and h;id takeu counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye. His disciples came by nisht, and st-ole him amay while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is com- monly reported among the J ews untU this day. _ IG H Then the eleven discijiles went away into Galilee, into a mountain ^" where J esus liad appointed them. A. D. aa. CHAP. 28. } ch. 28. a2. k Daa. 7. 13. Eph 1 21. Piiil. 2. a 1 Pet. SSti. Ret. 17.U. 2 Or, mako 17 And when they saw him, they wor- shipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, *A11 power is given mito me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and " teach' all na- tions, baptizhig them in the name of tlie Fatlier, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; 'JO Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever! have comnuuidedyou: aud,lo. I am with you alway, even unto the euu of the world. Amen. TUE GOSFEL ACCOKDKNG TO S. M A K K. CHAPTER L I 1 John Baptist's office. 9 Jesiis baptized: 12 Ae | is tempted, 14 preaeheth, 16 ealUth Peter and others, 32 and cureth many. rpiIE beginning of the gospel of Jesus ■*■ Christ, " the Son of God; 2 As it is written in the Prophets, 6 Be- hold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepai-e thy way before thee. 3 The "voice of one crying in the wilder- ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 Jolm did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance ifor the remission of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jenisalem, and were all baptized of him in the liver of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed ■with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about hi.s loins ; and he did eat <* locusts and wild honey; 7 And preached, saying, 'There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes 1 am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I /indeed have baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you ^ with the Holy Ghost. 9 H And ft it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Ivazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And » straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens -opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, ) Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 % And * immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty dnys. tempted of Satan ; and was with the wild'Tieasts ; ' and the angels ministered unto him. 14 U ^'ow after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, "'preach- ing the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, " The time is fulfilled, and the kinjj'dom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel. IG ^ Wow "as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon, and'Andiew Im A. D.26. endinij. CHAP. 1. a Pa. 2. 7. Lu. 1. 35. John 1. 34. Kom. 8. 3. 1 John 4, 15. b Mai. 3. 1. c Is, tJ. 3. Lti,3. 1. John 1. 15, 23. 1 Or, unto. d Lev. 11.22. e Acts 13. 25. f Actsll.lG. Acts 19. 4. g Is. 44. 3. Joel 2. 28. Acts 2. 4. Acts 10 45 Acts 11 15. 1 Cor. 12. 13. h Mat. 3. 13. Lu. 3. 21. i John 1. 32. 2 Or, cloven, ;■ Ps! 2. 7." Mat. 3. 17. 2 Pet. 1.17. * Mat. 4. 1. I.u. 4. 1. I Mat. 4. 11. 1 Ti. 3. 16. w* Mat. 4. 23. n Pa. 110. 3. Dan 2.44 Dan. 9. 25, Gal. 4. 4. Eph. 1. 10. Mat. 4. 13. Luke 5. 4. John 1. 35.44. p Mat. 19.27. Lu. 5.11. q Mat. 4 21. r Jlat. 4 13. Lu 4. 31. 8 Mat. 7. 2S. t Lu. 4. 33. « Mat. 8. 29 V Pa. lU. 10. Acta 2. 31. Jam. 2. 19, f ch. 9. 20. X JIat. 8 14. Lu. 4. 38. brother casting a net into the sea: for they were lishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them. Come ye after me, and I will miike you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway P they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And « when he had gone a little larther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 2U And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hii'ed seiTants, and went after him, 21 And *■ they went into Capernaum ; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and tau.ght. 22 And ' they were astonished at his doc- trine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And 'there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spuit; and he cried out, 24 Saving, Let tts alone; "what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the " Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 2G And when the unclean spirit '" had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thmg is this? what new doc- trine is this? for with authority commaud- eth he even the unclean spiiits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. 29 H And * lorthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with Jaiuea and John. 30 13ut Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took hc-r by the hand, and lifted her up; and " inmiediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32 IT And ' at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were dis- eased, and them that were possessed with devild. Preaching and Baptism oj^ John. 3L^il keep the Living One among the dead, (L. 24. 6,) "for fear of me shake and become as dead men," but fear not ye.' for I know, kc. —See on Mk. 16. 6. 6-8.— See on Mk. 16. 7, 8. 9. Jesus met them, saying, (fee— This appear- ance is recorded only by M. held him. Arc— liow truly womanly! 10. my brethren— per- haps not in the sense of J. 20. 17, but ratlier of M. 13.55; since "his brethren" in the higher sense had several meetings with him at J erusalem before he went to Galilee, which they would have missed if they had been the persons ordered to Galilee to meet him. 11-15. The Guards Bribed to give a False Account of the Kesuhrection. 11. Returning straight to those who employ- ed them, tliey reported in detail the simple truth. 12. assembled— But Joseph at least was absent; Gamaliel probably also; and perhaps others, large money— It would need a good deal; but the whole case of the Jew- ish authorities was now at stake. With what contempt must these soldiers have regarded the Jewish ecclesiastics! 13. while we slept — a capital offence in soldiers on watch. So they consent to brand themselves with in- famy, on promise of immunitv from punish- ment, {v. li). 15. reported until this day— till tlie publication of this Gospel. Tlie wonder is that so clumsy and increchble a story lasted so long. But those who are resolved not to come to the light vnl\ catch at straM-s. 16-20. Intee.\iew with the Disciples ON ^ Mountain in Galilee— The Great jVIlNISTEPvIAL COJIMISSION GiVEN FORTH. 16. a mountain— lit. 'the mountain,' some particular spot mentioned by none of the evangelists, (see eh. 26. 32.) 17. some doubted —certainly none of "the eleven," after what took place at Jerusalem, but others— perhaps some of the "five hundred brethren" men- tioned 1 Cor. 15. 6. 18-20. This Glorious Commission is twofold: I. ]\Iissionary— "Go, teach," lit. 'Make disciples of "all nation^-" and when gained, set the seal of visible disciplesldp ui^ou them by "baptizing '-}^'J^ Jesiis enters on Eis Tuhlic Work. them in," lit. 'into' "the name"^the whole fulness of the grace "of the Father, and ol the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"— as theirs (See on 2 Cor. 13. 14.) This done, the Mis- sionary department of your work, which is temporary, must merge in another, which is permanent. n. Pastoral— '^Terj^/anr; Vumr these baptized members of the Church visible, "to observe all things v:hat- soever," during the three years ye have been withMe, "I have commanded you." *JFe con- quer the -world for Thee, Lord, who have scarce conquered onr own misgivings— we, fishermen of Galilee, with no letters, no means, no influence over the humblest crea- tures Kay, Lord, do not mock us.' ' I mock you not, nor send you a warfare on your own charges. For"— here now are the Encou- RAGE3IENT3 to Undertake and go through the work—" AU power in heaven"— the whole power of Heaven's love, wisdom, strength; "and all power in earm"— power over all persons, all passions, all principles, aU movements—' is given unto Me" as risen Mediator:— (what creature, had Jesus been such, coidd have received and wielded such power?)— "Go ye therefore; for all this power of mine is at your command," "And" for a farther Encouragement, "to.' I am with you," 'm the midst of you,' to keep you company, to furnish and to prosper you, "ahraiis"— lit, ' all the days'— not only to pei-petuity, but without one day's interruption, " ^i/ito the end of the icorld," till his second coming! Neglecting either branch of this great Com- mission, neither the Power nor the Presence promised dare be expected. But going forth in faith to both alike, the conquest of the world to Christ— as it might have been achieved long ago, but for the Church's unbelief, selfishness, apathy, corruption, division- ~ -'■ """ ^- --'-" — ^ — l - throiigh on? clear as the sun, and terrible as an armif with baxmers." iCant. 6. 10.) ueiiei, seuiMuie^ss, apaiiiy, corruption, i^ision— so it will be achieved, when, roiigh the Spuit poured upon it from high, it shall become " fair as the moon. THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO S. MARK. CHAPTER I. Ver. 1-8. Preaching and Baptism op John. 'The object of Mk. being to relate the official life and ministry of our Lord, he liegins with His baptism, and, as a necessary introduction to it, with the preaching of J ohn the Baptist.' [Alf.] 1. Son of God— See on R. 1. 3. 4. 2-8. See on M. 3. 1-6, 11? 9-11. Baptism and Descent of the Spirit ttpon Jesus. See on M. 3, 13-17. 12, 13. Temptation of Jesus. See on M. 4. 1-11. In Mk'sbriefnotice of the Temptation, there is one e.xpressive particular not given l.y M. or L.— that "He was with the wild beasts;" no doubt to add terror to solitude, and aggravate the horrors of the whole scene. Contrast Adam surrounded by all the beasts as his peaceful servants in paradise, yet falling before the Tempter, with Jesus in a rocky solitude, amidst beasts of prey, and a fiercer enemy bent on His overthrow, yet itanding unscathed and coming; forth from 2J this first taste of humiliation " more than Conqueror ! " 14-20. Jesus Enters on His Public AVoRK. See on M. 4. 12, 17-22. Mk. has one particular peculiar to himself, about Zebe- dee and his two sons— that they had "hired servants" {v. 20,) which shows that they were in good circumstances. 21-28. Demoniac Healed. See on L. 4. 31-37. 29-34. Peter's Mother -in -Law, and MANY othebs, Healed. See on M. 8. 14-17. 34. suffered not, Arc- See on L. 4. 41. 35 - 39. Jesus, Alone at Morning Prayer, is Sought Out and Goe.s Forth Preaching and Healing. 35. AU day in pubUc, he snatches the hours from sleep lor solitary communion with His Father, stealing away unperceived from the twelve. AVhat an example ! prayed— 'continued in prayer.' cf. L. 0. 12; Is. 60. 4. 38. See on L. 4. 12, 43, which is more lull. Christ clcanFcth a hfrr. MARK, II. 33 And all the city was gathered to^'ether at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and "sutlered not the devils 3 to speak, be- cause they knew him. 35 If And * in the morning, rising up a frreat while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and " there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him tollowed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they Baid unto him. All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them, <* Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: lor ' therefore came 1 forth. 3a And / he preached in their synagogues throughout ail Galilee, aud <> cast " out devils. 40 IT And ^ there came a leper to him, be- seeching him, and kneeling down to him, i Kud saying unto him. It" thou wilt, thou Civnst » make me clean. 41 And Jesus, J moved with compassion, put torth hU hand, aud touched him, and saith unto hun, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soou as he had spoken, imme- diately the leprosy departed &om him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forth- with sent hiin away; 44 And saith unto him. See thou say no- thmg to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things * wliich Moses com- manded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But 'he went out, and began to publish It much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without m desert places: '"and they came to bim from every qoaiter. CHAPTER II. 1 Christ folloiued by muUittides: S he hcaleth the paUy, Hcatkth Levi, \5 justifieth himself for eating with publicans and sinners, lb excuseth MS disciples for not fasting, etc. A Ni) again "he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: aud he * preached the word unto them. 3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of tour. 4 And when they could not come nigh onto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was : and when they had broken it up, they let do\vn the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5 When Jesus "saw their faith, he said onto the sick of the palsy, <i tion, thy sins be forgiven ihee. 6 But there were certain of the scribes sittins' there, aud reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this ma»t tlius speak blas- phemies? *who can forgive sins but God Dnlyl 8 And immediately /when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them. Why reason ye these thiu-rs in your lie;u-ts? y Wheihor ''is it easier to say to the sick of the piilsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or 2i The call of Matthew. CHAP. 1. a ch. a. 12. Lu. 4. 41. Acts 16. 17, 18. 3 Or, to say that they 6 Lu. 4. 42. c Heb. 6. 7. rf Lu. 4. 43. « U. 61. 1. John 16.23. Johi Mat.! Lu. 5. VI. i Gen. 18. 14 Jer. 32. 17. j Heb. 2. 17. Heb. 4. 15. k Lev. 14. 3, 4, 10. Lu. 5. 14. I Lu. 5. 15. m ch. 2. 13. CHAP. 2. o Mat. 9. 1. Lu. 5. 18. 6 Isa. 61. 1. Eph. 2. 17. Heb. 2. 3. e Gen. 22. 12. Heb. 4. 13. d Ps. 103. 3. Isa. 53. 11. e Job 14. 4. Ps. 13U. 4. U. 43. 25. Kom. 3. 33. / 1 Sa. 16. 7. 1 Chr.29. 17. Ps. 7. 9. Ps. 139. 1. Jer. 17. 10. fliat. 9. 4. Heb. 4. 13. Kev. 2. 23. g JIat. 9. 5. h Isa. 53. 11. Dan. 7.13. i Fs. 33. 9. received. I Jlat. 9. 10. m Isa. 65.5. n iMat. 9. 12, 13. Blat. 1811. Lu. 5. 31, 32. Lu. 19. 10. Ex. 29. 32, to say. Arise, and take up thy bed, aud walk? 10 But that ye may know that " the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy.) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And • immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all : insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saving, We never saw it on this fashion. 13 IT And } he went forth again by the sea-side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And * as he passed by, he saw Le>a the son of Alpheus sitting i at the receipt of custom, and said unto him. Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 And ' it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and suiners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples : for there were many, and they followed him. IG And when '" the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, " They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. IS H And "the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the discijiles of John and of the Phaiisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them. Can the children of p the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have 2 the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bride- groom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth a piece of " new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine iuto old bottles; else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the buttles will be maiTed: but new wine must be put into new bottles. 23 IT And '"it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, * to pluck the ears of corii. 24 And the Pharisees said nnto him. Be- hold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read <what David did, when he had need, and was an himgered, he, aud they that were with him? 2(J How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the showbread, " which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to t)iem which were with hiin? 27 And he said unto them. The sabbath was made for man, and not uiau for the sabbath: 26 Therefore " the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. ■ Withered Uand ITenTed. 40--45. Leper Healed, gee on M. 8. 2-4. 45. Jesus coiild no more, (i'c. — Thus, this b.aziiif,' of the matter," natural as it was to a grateful spirit, impeded Christ's work. ^ CHAPTEK II. tvtX?^; ^"^^a Paralytic Healed. See on W ^-tV"^- 2. preached to them— i. e. indoors. Had He gone forth, as He naturally would, the paralytic's faith woidd have had no such opportiuiity to display itself. 4. uncovered the root . . broke it up — deterinined to brino Imn into contact ivith Jems. It was a faith victorious over aU difficulties, c.^^"^''-,^*-'^^^^^'^^'^ C-iLL AND Feast. See on M 9. 9-13. 14. son of Alpheus-not the sanie Alpheus as in ch. 3. 18. 14. receipt of custom— the toll-house or booth in which the collector sat. Being here by the sea-side (^/ i2-'.}t i^S^t be the ferry-tax for the sea of GaUlee. is-2:i. Fastino. See on M. 9. 14-17. 23-28. Plucking Corn-Eaks on the Sab- bath. See on M. 12. 1-8. 25, 26. The show- bread was for the priests alone i Le. 24. 29) ; but Dav^.d, suffering in God's cause and strait- ened lor provisions, asks and receives it from the high priest (l Sa. 21. 6.). Abiathar -In 1 ba. 21. 1, '^limelech." Tliey were father and, son. 27. A glorious and far- reachmg principle. 28. Lord of the Sabbath —not surely to abolish it (a strange lordship! put to own it, to interpret it, to i)reside over It, and to ennoble it by merging it in " the Lord's Day." (Ee. l. lo.) _ , ^ CHAPTEEIII. Ver. 1-r. Withered Hand Healed— Ketirement to Avoid Danger. See on , '^^^'^''^^' ^^^ ^- 6- 6-11. 2. watched him, <^S^—l\^&y were now come the length of dog- ging lus steps, to collect materials for a charge of impiety agamst Him. 4. do good or evil save or kill— He shuts them up to this starthng alternative: 'Not to do good u-hen m our power, is to do evil; not to save life, is to fci^^-Must the letter of the Sabbath rest be kept at this, expense'if" ITiis unexpected thrust shut their mouths. 6. anger . . grieved r-a very important passage, one of the very few which reveal our Lord's feelings. How holy tins anger' was, appears from the grief at their hardness which mingled •mth it. 6. how to destroy Him— the first ITAP^K, n, m. IV. Parable of the Smi'cr. Sl;3o. Hls Mother and Brethren i-E£:i xo Speak avith Uui. 8ee on M. 12. 40-50 CHAPTEE, IV. Ver. 1-25. Parable of the Sower— Reason FOR Teaching IN Parables 1 2 See on M 13. l, 2, 3, &c. Tlie Seed is the word of God (i7 14; L. 8. 11.); the Soiver p. the Son of Man (M. 13. 37.), and aU foitliful preachers of the word imder Hun. Ihese are the same in all the cases described : me whole difference lies in the soils, which mean different states of the human heart. According to these will the fnut of preacliing be, hoM'ever faithful the preacher, however pure liis message. First case: 'The way-side'' {v. 4.)-by the side of the hard path through the field, where the soil was not broken up. Not only could the seed not get beneath the surface, but "it was trodden down," and afterwards picked up and devoured by the fowls. HeaHs aU fnbroken and hard are no fit soil for savina truth. They apprehend it not (M. 13. 19.). as Gods means ot restoring them to Himself; It penetrates not, makes no impression, but lies loosely on the surface of the heart, till the Wicked One— afraid of loosing a victim by Ins believing to salvation" tL. 8 12) —finds some frivolous subject by whose greater attractions to draw off the atten- tion, and straightway it is gone. Of how many hearers of the word is this the graphic but painful history! Second case: "Tlie stony (rather, rocky j ground" (v. 5.'— i. e not ground with stones in it, which would not prevent the roots striking downward, but ground where a thin surface of earth covers a rock. "Immediately" the seed m such case "springs up"-aU the quicker from the shaUowness of the soil — "be- cause It has no depth of earth." But the sun, beating on it, as quickly scorches and mthers it up "because it has no root" («. 6.) and "lacks moisture" (L. 8. 6.). ficarte superficiaUy impressed receive Vie truth unth ^ngular readiness, yea with joy {V. 13 ) ; but the heat of tribulation or persecu- tion because of the word' (M. 13. 21.) — {the tnals which their new profession brings upon them},— quickly dries up their relish for the truth and withers all the ' hasty promise of Jrmt which they had put on. Such disav- ""'A;"- „Y- .,""." "" "csi-iuy iiim— me nrst jruit which they i Sfr"w ^ f:^onf'TT ^^S.^^^ri^'^''^^'^ -i"^'' pf'aYaiihfula;;TawaU^ our ix,ra. bee_pn L. 6. 11. Herodians-the rngminidry afc^ hmv frequent are they ""^ -iJviLi. oec uu u. D. 11. nerooians— the supporters of Herod's dynasty, created by h^,^^^'";^ pohtical rather than a religious party. But though the Pharisees opposed them as untrue to their religion anci coun- n^ni^fni ^w ^^1 *¥r°^ Combining together against Christ. See M. 22. lo, 16. 8-12. SUMBIARY OF LABOURS BY THE SeA OF Galilee. See on M. 12. 15. 16. 11. How glorious this extorted homage to the Son of God! See Ja. 2. 19. oni?- ^.^^ Tttelve Chosen. See L. 6. 12-16. -'o-3o. Charges against Jesus of IVIad- NEss AND Demoniacal Possession, by his Kelations AND THE Scribes. 20,21. cometh together agam— referrmg back to the gather- "1? mentioned at ch. 2. 2. Ms friends—' his relatives See v. 31, and on M. 12. 46. 22. He hath Beelzebub-M. and L. merely say, " He casteth out devils ihrouah Beelzebub;" but Ppfil^K 'k ^^Sa%^^ ^^^ Ilimself iwssessed by Er?if ^^?- ^\^y repeated this in other terms afterwards. See J. 8. 48, r.2. 23-30 fcee on M. 12. 25-32. and on L. 11. 21 22 Third case: ''The thorny groioul" (v 7) -ground not thoroughly cleaned of the thistles, &c.; which, rising above the good seed choke" or "smother" it, excluding light and air, and drawing away the mois^ ture and richness of the soiL Hence it " be- comes unfnutful" (V 22.J— it gi-ows, but Its growtli is checked, and it never ripens. The evU here is neither a hard nor a shallow soil— there is softness enough, and clepth enough; but it is the exfst- euce m it of what draws aU the mois- ture and richness of the soU away to itself and so starves the plant. "What are these thorns? (l ) '.rhe cares of this world"— anxious, unrelaxing attention to the business of this present hfe ; (2.) "the deceitfulness of nches —the fruit of this wordly " care;" '3 ) the pleasures of this life," or " the lu.sts 01 other things entering in" iv. 19.)— the enjojinents, in themselves it may be in- nocent, which wordly prosperity enables one to indulge. TJiese " choke*' or '^ smolh^r " The hvclve aposiles chosen. MA UK, ITT. IV. Piirullc of the sower. CHAPTER III. 1 Christ heaUth the withered hand; 6 the Phari- tces conipire his death: 13 he chooseth twelve apoctlest '£! he confuteth the Pharisees' Uat- phemy respecting his easting ont devils, etc. AND "he entered again into the syiia- Ro^e; and there was a man there which had a ivithered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabhath day; that they misrht accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, l Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill! But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on thtm with >> anger, being grieved for the 2 hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man. Streteh forth thine hand. And he stretched it out; and his hand was re- stored whole as the other. 6 And "the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with «* the Ilero- dians against him, how they might destroy him. 7 IT But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, * and from Judea, 8 And from Jemsalem, and from Idumea, and /rom beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him: 10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they 8 pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And /unclean spaits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, say- ing, B Tliou art the Son of God. 12 And '<■ he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. 13 IT And* he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth iinto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to r -ach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. 16 And Simon > he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; (and he sur- named them Boanerges, which is, *The sons of thunder;) 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholo- mew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and ' Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed liim. And they went * into an house. 20 II And the multitude cometh together again, ^ so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his 5 friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, lie is beside tiimself. 22 ^ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, " He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 2J And " he called them unto him, and t-J CHAP. 8. a Mat. 12. 9. Lulio G. G. 1 Ariao, BtariJ forth in tho midst. Dan. 6. 10. Fhil. 1.1*. 6 Pa. 09. 9. 2 Or, blindness. e M.it. 12. 14. d Mot. 22.10. « Lu. 6. 17. g Acts IG. 17. Mat. 14.33. ch. 1. 1. ft ch. 1. £5, 34. Blat. 12.10. i Mat. 10. 1. Lu. 12. Lu. 9. 1. ;• John. 1. 42. * Isa. 58. 1. I Jude 1. 4 Or, homo, m ch, 6. 31. 6 Or, John 7. 6. John 10.20. n Mat. 9 34. Mat. 10.25. John 10 22. o Mat. 12. 25. P Is. 49. 24. Mat. 12.29. 3 Mat 12.31. Lu. 12. 10. 1 John 5. 10. »• Acts 7 61. « M;<t. 12. 46. Lu. 8. 19. t .'Mat. 13. 55. ch. B. 3. John 7. 3. « Dv.u. 33. 9. Rnm. 8 29. Heb. 2. 11. CHAP. 4. « Mat. 13. 1. Lu. 8. 4. 6 ch. 12. 38. ' John 15.6. Col. 1. 5. d Pro. 2. 1. Pro. 4. 7. Pro. 13.20. Mat. 13.10. Luke 8.9. e 1 Cor. 2.10. /I Cor. 1.18. 1 Cor. 5.12. Col. 4. 6. 1 Thess. 4, 3.7. said unto them in parables, llow can Sataa cast out Satan? 24 And If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be di^ided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 ^'o P man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily « 1 say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven mi to the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme ; 29 But he that shall blaspheme agamst the Holy Ghost hath *" never forgiveness, but is in diuiger of eternal damnation: 30 Because they said. He hath an uucleai' spirit. 31 H There ' came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent mito him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him; and they said unto him. Behold, ' thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my bretliren? 34 And he looked" round about on them wliich sat about him, and said, "Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God. the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. CHAPTER IV. 1 The parable of the sower: 14 the meaning thereof, 26 Of the seed grotving secretly, etc. AND "he began again to teach by the sea-side : and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, * and said unto them in his doc- trine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, ' and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 H And 't when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of liini the parable. 11 And he said unto them. Unto you it is given to know * the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto /them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That <' seeing they may see, and not perceive ; and hearing they may hear, aud PixrahU of the Seed Growing. MAEK. V. Tempest Stilled, etc. the word; drawing off so much of one's atten- tion, absorbing so much of one's interest, and using tip so much of one's time, that only the dregs of these remain for spiritual things, and a fagged, hurried, and heartless formMlism is at length all the religion of such persons. What a vivid picture is this of the mournful cmuiition of many, especially in great comtner- cial countries, who once promised much fruit ! *' They bring no fruit to perfection " (L. 8. 14.) ; indicating now much growth there may be, in the early stages of such a case, and promise of fruit — wliich after all never ripens. Fourth case: The good ground [v. 8.) — i.e. of qualities precisely the reverse of the other three soils: from its softness and tenderness, receiving and cherishing tlie seed; from its depth, allowing it to take firm root, and not quickly loosing its mois- ture ; and from its cleanness, gi\'ing its whole vigour and sap to the plant. In such a soil the seed brings forth fniit," in all different degrees of profusion, accord- ing to the measure in which the soil pos- sesses those qualities. A heart soft and ten- der, stirred to its depths on the great things of eternity, and jealously guarded from wordly engrossments, such only is tlie "honest and good heart" (L. 8. 15.), which 'keep^' (or '"re- tains") tlie seed of the word, and bears fruit just in proportion as it is such a heart. iSuch "bring forth fruit with patience" {v. 15.), or continuance, 'endurinr; to the end;' in contrast with those in whom the word is " choked" and brings no fruit to pier- .fection. Tlie " thirty-fold" is designed to ex- press the loicest degree of fruitfulness; the *' hundred-fold " the highest ; and the " sixty- fold " the miermediafe degrees of fruitfulness. As 'a hundred-fold,' though not unexam- pled (Ge. 26. 12.), is a rare return in the na- tural husbandry, so the highest degrees of spiritual fruitfulness are too seldom wit- nessed. The closing words of this intro- ductory parable, " He that hath ears," &c. {v. 9.), seem designed to call attention to the fundamental and ^lniversal character of it. 10-12. See on M. 13. 10-17. 13. how then know all parables?— implsdng that tliis para- ble, being of a fundamental and ^miversal character, was to pave the way for other teachings of the same nature, and be a sort of general key to open them; so that not under- standing this one, they would still less com- prehend the others. 21-25. See on L. 8. 16-18. 26 20. Parable of the Seed Growing We Know not How. This beautiful para- ble, peculiar to Mk., is designed to teach the imperceptible growth of the word sown in the heart, from its earliest stage of development to the ripest fruits of practical righteousness, sleep and rise night and day— go about his other ordinary occupations, leaving it to the wcll-kno\Mi laws of vegetation imder the genial influences of heaven. Tliis is the sense of "the earth bringing forth fruit of herself." (v. 28.) first the blade, &c.— beau- tiful allusion to the succession of similar stages, though not definitely-marked periods, in the Christian life, and generally in the kingdom of God. 29. This charmingly points to the transition from the eartlily to the heavenly condition of the Christian and the Cliurch. 30-34. Parable of the Mustard-Seed. 31. less than all seeds— not absolutely, but popidarly and proverbially: thus, " If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, i. e. ' never so little.' greater than all— not absolute- ly, but, in relation to the size of the seed, proverbially great, especially in warm lati- tudes, fowls lodge, (fee— to express the amvli- tude of the tree. But as tlus seed has a hot fiery vigour, gives out its best virtues when bruised, and is grateful to the taste of birds, wliich are accordingly attracted to its bran- ches both for shelter and food, is it straining the parable to suppose that besides the won- derful growth of His ldngdom,our Lord select- ed this seed to illustrate further the shflter, repose, and blessedness it is destined to afford to the nations of the world ? [Trench.J 33, 34. See on M. 13. 34, 35. 35-41. Tempest Stilled. See on M. 8. 23, 27. 36. took him even as he was in the ship;-with- out any preparation, without leaving the vessel he had been speaking from, other little ships— probably of people wishing to follow him. 37. a great storm of wind—' Tlie lake is situated in a deep depression, and bounded on the N. & N.E. by mountain- ranges rising to the elevation of SUO or 1000 feet, wliich renders it liable to sudden and violent storms.' [w. & av.]. beat into— lit. ' kept pitching on' the ship, was now fuU— 'was already filling.' 38. carest Thou not— unbelief and fear making them forget their place. 39. See on v. 41. 40. why so fearful? —There is a natural apprehension under dan- ger; but there was unbelief in their fear. 41. they feared exceedingly— were struck with deep awe. what manner of man is this, that even, &c.— The Church has all along been singing of Jehovah, " Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stUlest them! The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea:" (Ps. 89. 9; 93. 4.) But lo, we have amongst us One of our own flesh and blood, who with his word of command hath done the same! Exhausted with the fatigues of the day, He was but a moment ago in a deep sleep undisturbed by the howling tempest; we had to awake Him with the cry of our terror; but rising at our call. His majesty was felt by the elements, for they were instantly hushed ! " What Manner of Man is iHisi" CHAPTEE V. Ver. 1-20. Demoniac of Gadara Healed. See on M. 8. 28-34. 2. out of the tombs— hewn out of the rock, and serving for shelters and lurking places. Observe the complicated evil which the powers of darkness inflicted on their victim. They deprived him of the exercise of his rational powers; they so lashed his spirit, that he could not suffer even a garment upon his body, but went naked, (L. 8. 27,) and could not endure the sight of living men and social comfort, but dwelt among the tombs, as if the sepulchral gloom had a mysterious congeniality with the wretchedness of his spirit; they allowed liiui not a moment's repose even there, for "ahcays, night and day,h& was in the moun- tains and in the tombs, crying"— his unmin- gled misery venting itself in wild waiUng cries ; nay, so intolerable was his mental torture, that he " kept cutting himself with stones I' —the natural explanation of which seems to be, that one in this state is fain to draw off his feelings from the mind, when its anguish grows unendurable, by trying to I'oraUe of the mustard seed. The leijlon of devils caet out. not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins sliouiil Lie Ibrgiven them. id And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 14 II The " sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way-side, where the word is sown ; but, when they have heard, « Satan cometh immediately, and takcth away the word that was sown \i\ their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have } no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when atiliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns ; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, *and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. '20 And these are they which are sown on good 'ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fniit, some thirty- fold, some sixty, and some an hundred. 21 It And "^he said unto them. Is a candle brought to be put under a i bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candle- stick? 22 For " there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested ; neither was anything kept secret,but that it should come abroad. 23 If » any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he saith unto them, P Take heed what ye hear: 'with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you; and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For ''he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall oe taken even that which he hath. 26 H And he said, * So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed mto the ground; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full com in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is " brought forth, immediately ' he putteth in the sickle, be- cause the harvest is come. 30 If And he said, " Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But when it is sown, it " groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so tliat the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. 33 And *" with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded aU things to his disciples. 35 H And " the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over Uiito the oLhtr side. CHAI». 4. ft Mat. l;il9. ,•25. i 2 Cor. 2.11. •2 Cor. 4 4. 1 Pet. 5. 8. j Job -27. 10. A 1-8. 52. 7. Pro. 23 5. Ercl. 6. 13. Lu. 18. 24. Acta 6. I. 1 Tir... 6. 9. 17 Tit. 1.11. JKom. 7.4. 2 Cor. 5.17. 2 Pet. 1.4. m Mat. 6.15. Lu. 8. It). Lu. 11. aa. 1 The word the M.-it. 11. 15. P I John 4.1 q .Vat. 7. 2. u. e. S8. Cor. 9. 6. r Mat. la 12. Mat a.-j'jg. Lu. 8. 18. Lu. 19. 20. 8 Mat. 13. 24. u JNIat. 1B.31. Lu 13. 18. Acta 2. 41. Acta 4. 4. Acta 6. 14. Acta 19.at). V JLU. 1. 11. Kev. 11.15. «■ .-Mat. 13.34. JohnlG.12. X Isa. 42. 4. Mat. a. IS, Ps. 29. 10. Ps. B5 5,7. P» «9. 9. Pa. 93.4. Pb. 107. 23-29. Ps. 135.5,0. Nah. 1. 4. ■■ P«. 33. 8, 9. c Lev. 11. 7. Deu. 14. 8. la. tJ5. 4. d 1 Kin. 22. Job 1. 12. Job 2. 6. Job 12.16. eil..m. 1I..20. 1 Joitc -6. S. 36 And when they had sent away the mul. titude. they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of ^ind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now ftill. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and tney awake him, and say unto him. Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and ^ rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea. Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them. Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they ' feared exceedingly, and said one to another. What manner of man is this, that even the wincl|»nd the sea obey him? CHAPTER V. 1 Christ cofteth out the legion of devils: 21 Jairvs'i suit for his dUixighter: 25 the bloody issue heaUd, etc. AND "they came over unto the other ■^^ side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with letters and chains, and the chains had been j)lucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus alar off, he ran and * worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee bv God, that thou torment me not. 8 (For he said unto him. Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.) 9 And he asked him. What is thy name? And he answered, saymg. My name is Legion: for we ai-e many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there, nigh mito the mountains, a great herd of " swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying. Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus ^ gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and * in his riyht mind: and they were afraid. 16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the . devil, and also concerning the swine. Jalriis'' Danglifcr Piavcd. JIAP.K, VL Mission of Vie Tn-che Ar^odla. make the body, thus lacerated and smartin^?, bear its owTi share. One other feature of the evil, thus diabolically inflicted, is very sig- aiiflcant— " no man could iame him; for he liad been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces!" (v. 4.) And now, suppose ye that tliis man was a sinner above ail sinners, be- cause he siTlTeredsuch thin^'srlJS'ay; iL.13. 2-3,) but on the theatre of the body we see affect- ingly exhibited 'w/i.at the. powers of darkness are, when uncontrolled, and wJiat men hare to expect from them when once given into their hand! Human reason they cannot abide, for it is a light shining full upon their own darkness. Human liberty, which is one ^ith law, in its highest state— "the perfect law of ^ioerfiy"— this they hate, substituting for it a wild anarchy, that can submit to no rational control,' Human jjeace they can- not endure, for they have lost their own— "there is no peace to the wicked." For the Fame reason, human comfort, in any tlie least and lowest of its forms, they will never leave, if they can take it away. And over the bowlings and self-inflicted tortures of their maddened victims they sing the dance of death, saying to all their comijlaints and appeals for sympathy, with the chief priests to Judas, " What is that to us? see thou to that !" Is it £0.' Then, the blessedness ot being delivered out of the kingdom ot dark- ness, and translated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son!" iCo. 1. 13.) 15-17. See on L. 8. 35-37. 18. lie prayed Mm that lie might be with him— the graCetul heart fresh from the hands of demons, clinging to its wondrous Benefactor. 19 . g:o home, i:c. — To be a missionary for Christ in the region where he was so well known and so long dreaded, was a far nobler calling than to follow Him where nobody had ever heard of him, and where other trophies not less illustrious could be raised by the same power and grace. 20. Decapolis— the ten- citied region. See on M. 4. 25. Tiirouuhout that district did this m.onument of mercy pro- claim his new found Lord. 21-43. Jairus' Daughter Eaised, and Issue of IJlood Healed. See on M. o. 18-2G. 21. See on L. 8. 40. 25, 26. Pitiable case, and alTectingly aggravated— emblem ot our natural state, as fallen creatures \Ez. ic 5, C,) and illustrating the worse than vanity of all liuman remedies for spiritual maladies (Ho. 5. 13.). 27. when she heard of Jesus, came — ^This was the right experiment at last, be- hind—shrinking, yet seeking, touched— Tliis was ceremonially defiling to the person touched; but the instinct of her heart told her that He was above such laws. See on M. 8. 3. 28. If I may but touch his clothes— i. e. come in contact with Him at all-.—xe- markable faith ! 29. fountain dried u i— not only the issue stopt, but the cai sj of it thoroughly removed, felt in her boay, <fcc.— was conscious, from her bodily sensations, of a perfect cure. 30. knowing in Himself— conscious of the forth-going of His healing _ _ , ..._ power, which was not as in prorliets aiut I Dead Sea. (Joseph. Ant. xviii. 5, 2.) Hero- royal seal on it. Go in peace— Glorious dis- missal ! 35, 36. As soon as, &c. — Jesus knov ing how the heart of the agonized father would sink at the tidings, and the reflections at the delay which would be apt to rise in his mind, hastens to reassure liim, and in his accustomed style; "Be not afraid, only believe "—words of unchanging preciousness and power ! How vividly do sucli incidents bring out Christ's knowledge of the human heart and tender sympathy! (Heb. 4. 15.) 41. Talitha-Cumi— Aramaic, or Syro-Chaldaic, the then language ol Palestine. Mark loves to give such wonderful words just as they were spoken. See ch, 7. 34; 14. 3G. 42, 43. walked . . . sometliing to eat— in proof of per- fect restoration. CHAPTER VI. Ver. 1-6. Chmst Kejected at Ts'aza- Beth. See on M. 13. 63-68; and on L. 4. liJ, &c. 1. his own country — Nazareth. 2. whence, &c.— It bore umnistakeabie marks 01 the supernatural, such mighty works— as tliey had heard of, for He wrought none there, brother of James, &c.— Certainly, the natural sense of these words is. that these were well known in Nazareth as the family of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Christ. See on M. 13. 64-66. offended—' scandalized,' or ' stumbled.' 4. Our proverb, ' Too much familiarity breeds contempt,' and similar ones in other langTiages, based on the same principle, show how true it is of social in- tercourse generally. How affecting is its application to the "Chiefest among tea thousand, the Altogether Lovely!— Even He, it seems, had become too common in Maza- reth to be appreciated ! 5. could do no mighty work— i. e. because of their unbelief [V. C,) which — on his own nile, M. 7. 6— tied up his hands, if one may so speak, 6. marvelled-— See on M. 8. 10. 7-13. Mission OF the Twelve Apostle.^. See on M. 10. 1-15. 13. anointed with oil and healed—' This oil was not used medicincdly, but as a vehicle of tlie healing power com- mitted to them, a symbol ot a deeper thing than the oil itsell could accomplish,' [Alp. J of which we have many examples. See on A. 5. 14; 2 Ki. 6. 14, &c. It widely differed from what Romanists caU extreme unction. [Beng.I They do not appear to have taken it with them, but employed it as they found in Mith the sick— the more manliest the mir- acle, rib. ] 14-30. Herod thinks Jesus a Resur- rection OF THE Murdered Baptist- Account of His Death. 14. King Herod — Herod Antipas. one of the three sons of Herod the Great, and own brother of Archelaus, (ch. 2. 22,) who ruled as ethnarch over Galilee and Perea. he said— "to his servants," M. 14, 2. or councillors, court ministers. John risen, &c. — The murdered prophet haunted his guiltybreast like a spectre, and seemed to liim alive again and clothed with uneartlily powers, in the person of Jesus. 15. See on ch. 8. 28. 17. in prison— the castle of Machasrus. at the southern extremity ot Herod's dominions, near the apostles, a potvcr foreign to Him, ttti dwelling in Him. 31-a3. See on L. 8. 45-47. 34. made thee whole ... be whole — Though healed as soon as she believed, it seemed to her a stolen cure— she feared to acknowledge it. Jesus therefore sets His dias — granddaughter ot Herod the Great, his brother Philip's wife— This Philip was not the tetrarcliof that name (L. :i. 1,) but Herod Ihilip, another sou of Heroa the Great, di-sinherited by his father. Herod Antipas' wife was the diiughter of Aretas, Jah-us's daugJifflr restored to life. MA UK, VI. Cliriat cont^nwed by Ms cnimfrymen. 17 And / they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he ^ that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he mijrht he ^nth him. 1!) Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but Baith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and teU them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath nad compas- sion on thee. 'M And he departed.and '' began to publish in Decapolis now great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. '21 II And 'when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much [leople gathered unto him: and he was uigh unto the sea. '22 And. J behold, there cometh one of the nilers of the sjiiagogue, Jairus by name ; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 2'o And besought him gi'eatly, saying. My little daughter lieth at the point of death: / pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, ttat she may be healed; and she shall live. '24 And Jesus went with him ; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 If And a certain woman, * which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and * was nothing bettered, but rather gi-ew worse, '27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and *" touched his gar- ment. '23 For she said. If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And " straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up • and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 'M And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that " virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said. Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him. Thou Beest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me? o2 A.nd he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman, feaiing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him aU the truth. 34 And he said unto her. Daughter, ^ thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. 35 If While ' he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said. Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the B\iiagogue, »■ Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he sutlered no man to follow him, Bave Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. ;W And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 30 And when he was come in, he saith unto them. Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but * sleepcth. 40 And they laughed him to scom. 'But when he had put them all out, he taketh the lather and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth Ui where the damsel was lying. CHAP. 5. f Doll. fi. L'S. 1 Ki 17.18. Job 21 14. t Gen. 49 10. j Wat. 9 18. Acta 13 15. * Lov. 16.25. I I's. 108. I'J. »» Acta 5.15. Acta 19. n Ex. 15. 26. o Lu. G. 19. p Mat. 9. 22. ch. 10. 52. Acts 14. 9. q Lu. 8. 49. r John 11.25, 40. 8 John U. 11. t Acts 9. 40. u l>3. 33. 9. CHAP. 6. a Mat. 13.54. Lu. 4. 10. 6 John 6. 42. c Is. 53. 2, 3. 1 Cor. 1.23 d Mat. 12.4C. Gal. 1. 19. e Mat. 11. 6. / Mat. 13. 57. John 4. 44. g Gen. 19.22. Gen. 32.25. Mat. 13.53. ch 9 23. h Is. 53. 1, 2, 16. i Blat. 9. 35. Lu. 13. 22. j Mat. 10. 1. ch.3. 13. Lu. 9 1. 1 Tlie word Bi.-nifiuth a Piece of farthing, Slat. 10. 9 but here i( is taken in general for money. Luko 9. k Ac ( Mat. 10. 11. Lu. 9. 4. Lu. 10.7,8. m Mat. 10.14. Lu. 10. 10. n Ads 13 61. Acts 18. 6. o Heb.lO. 31. i Jam. 5. 14. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cum!; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And "straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she M'as of the aqe of twelve years. And they were astonished with a gieat astonishment. 43 And " he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. CIIArTER VI. 1 Christ is contemned by his own countrymen. 16 Of John Baptist's imprisonment aud death. 3-1 The miracle of the loaves and_fishes, etc. A ND " he went out from thence, and came -^■^ into his own country; and his disciples follow him. 2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him. were a8tonished,saying,'' From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 Is "not this the carpenter, the son of Mavy, <ithe brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they* were of- fended at him. 4 But Jesus said imto them, / A prophet is not without honour,but in his ovni country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5 And ^ he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, aud healed thtm. 6 And /» he marvelled because of their unbelief, » And he went round about the villages, teaching. 7 II And :>' he called unto Mm the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits ; 8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a stall only ; no scrip, no bread, no i money in their purse: 9 But * be shod with sandals; aud not put on two coats. 10 And ^he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye deriart from that place. 11 And ^ whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake " off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. "Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom 2 and Gomorrha in the day of judg- ment, than for that city. 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, P and anointed witn oil many that were sick, and healed them. 14 II And 9 king Herod heard of Mm; (for his name was si)read abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him, 15 Others *" said. That it is Elias. And others said. That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But «when Herod heard thereof, he said. It is John, whom I beheaded: he ia risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound lim a Death ofJchn the Baptis IIAIIK, VL rive Thousand Ted. king of Arahia; but lie prevailed on Hero- dias, Ms half-brother Philip's wife, to for- sake her husband and live with him, on condition, says Josephus, (Antiq. xviii. 5, 1,) that he should put away his o-mi wife. This involved nim afterwards in war with Aretas, who totally defeated him and destroyed his army. 18. not lawful 31-44. Five Thousand MiEACTTLOui^LY Fed. 31, 32. they departed by ship— "over the sea of Galilee," J. t>. i. into a desert place — "belonging to the city called Bethsaida," L. 9. 10, on the noi-th-eastem shore of iho lake; called Jidias by Philip the tetrarc'i, (L. 3. 1. who raised it from a village to a city. Tliither he retired, as would seem, ISoble fidelity !_ It was not lawful, because : partly to avoid plots against him, following (1.) Herod's wife and Herodias' husband were both lixang; i2.) The parties were be- sides within the forbidden degrees of consan- guinity {see Le. 20. 21 ; Herodias being the daughter of Aristobulus, the brother of Doth Herod and Phihp "Joseph, xviii. 5, 4.>. 20. Herod feared John— But J oh nfca rednot Herod. [Bksg.] observed — rather tas in Marg.) ■ kept' or • preserved' him in safety, that Herodias might not have her wiU of liim. [Ueng. Mey. J did many things, &c.— strik- ing statement, (by I^lk. only,^ iUustrat:ng upon the Baptist's death— exemplifjdng his o%\-n directions about flight from persecu- tion M. 10. 23; partly to "rest a while" with Ms disciples; "for there were many coming and going, and theyhad no leisure so much as to eat" \.v. 31 ; and partly, as the apostles had but just returned from their mission and reported their success (L. 9. 10, that he might open to them a little further the things of the Kingdom. 33, How grajjhic ! afoot— here, rather by land,' A. 20. I3.i 34. moved with compassion— At the sight of the multitudes the working of contrary principles in the I who had followed him by land and even slaves of passion. 21. suprer, (fcc. — Ihis I got before him, he was so moved, as was his grapliicminuteness of detail aildsmuchtothe • wont in such cases, with compassion, because interest of the tragic narrative. 22. daughter they were like shephercUess sheep, as to fore- of Herodias— by her proper husband, PhUip: go both privacy and rest that he mi^'ht mini- Salome was hr ''- '' ' "" '^ ^ .1 r.. ..er name Joseph, lb.}. 23. ster to them. The approaching fassover, sware, &c. — Those in whom passion and i no doubt, made the crowds gi-eater. iSeeJ\ luxury have destroyed self-command will in a capricious moment say and do what in their cool moments they bitterly recTet. 25. Give me the head of John, tc — Aban- doned vjornen o/re more shanuless and heart- less than men. The Baptist's fidelicy marred the pleasures of Herorlias, and this was too good an opportimity of getting rid of him to let slip. 26. the king— so called by courtesy, fcee on v. 14. sorry— for he 'heard John gladly, and did many tilings ' in compliance with John's injunctions. This only shows how far HerotUas had won him over, as Jezebel did Aliab, to agree to what his awakened conscience kept him long from executing, his oath— See how men of no principle, but troublesome conscience, will stick at breaking a rash oath, while consent- ing to the worst crimes ! and their sakes which Bat with him— lalse shame, which could not brook being thought to be troubled with reli- gious or moral scruples. To how many has this iiroved a fatal snare! 27, beheaded— B;e-;sed martjTl Dark and cheerless was thine end; but thou hast now thy Master's benediction, i M. 11. 6,) and hast tound the Life thou gavest away .'M . 10. 39. ' . But where are they in whose skirts is found thy blood ? 28. head in a charger . . . gave it to her mother— As Herodias did not shed the blood ot the stern reprover, but only got it done, and gloated aver it, streaming from the trunkless head, so the anti christian "Woman" is only '"drunken with the bhod of the saints and of theraartyrs of Jesus Rev. 17. 6); she gets "the Jieast"—' the secidar arm,' to shed it. See on Rev. 17. 3, &c. 29. Ms disciples— i. e. the Bap- tist's, M. adds that ' 'they went and told Jesu; ' 6. 4, 5.) 35. the day far spent — M. says it " lat was "evening," and yet mentions a later evening of the same day, v. 23. The earlier began at 3 p.m. ; the later at sunset. 37. Give ye them to eat — doubtless said to prepare them for this new kind of miracle. Here, and in J. C 5-9. follows some further dialogue —"to prove them, for he Himself knew what he would do" J. 6. 6. . 40. in ranks by hun- dreds and by fifties— Doubtless this .vas to show at a glance the number fed, and to enable all to witness this glorious miracle in an orderly manner, on the grass— says M. [U. 19.,— '■ Jsow there was much grass in the place " (J. 6. 10.;— the bushy wastes of Beth- saida. blessed— L. adds, "them" i9. 16,1 le. the loaves and fishes, John calls this 'giv- ing thanks" (6. 11.; Tliis thanksgiving for the meat and benediction of it as the food of thousands, was the crisis ot the miracle, his disciples to set before them — Thus were the twelve held up as His future ministers. 42. did all eat, and were filled- Ail the four Evangelists mention this, and John says they got "as much as they would" 6. ll,) to show that vast as was the multitude, and scanty the pro^'isions, the meal to each was a full one. 43. And tiiey took up, (i:c.— but not without being bidden; for Jesus said, " Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost" (J. 6. 12. . Tliis was to bring out the whole extent of the miracle. 01 the fragments—'" which remained over and above unto them that had eaten" J. G. 13.). twelve baskets full— the word for "baskets" here denotes part of the luggage taken by J ews on a .journey, to carry, it is said, both their pro-s-isions and hay to sleep on, that (14. 12.). H these disclipes had, up to this time they might not have to depend on Gentiles, stood apart from Him, as adherents of Jolm, | and so run the risk of ceremonial pollution. iCh. 11. 2,) perhaps they now came to Jesus 1 44. five thousand men—" besides women and not without some secret reflection on Him for his seeming neglect of their master; but perhaps, too, as orphans, to cast in their lot henceforth with the Lord's disciples. How Jesus felt, or what he said, on receiving this intelligence, is not recorded; but niitfht it not have been said, as at the grave ol his triend Lazarus, "Jesus wept;" 31 children," M. 14. 21. Of these, however, there would probably not be many; as only the males were obliged to go to the approaching festival. "We have faint precursors of this glorious miracle in the doings of Elijah— 1 Ki. 17. 14-16- and still more of Llisha, 2 Ki. 4. 1-7, and 42-14: but besides the in- feriority of the things done, those proijheta JoJi-n iht Eaitisl beheaded. JAAUK, vi: Christ walkeUi en the sea. prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, 'It is not lawful fur thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had 3 a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod " feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and * ob- served him ; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And " when a convenient day was com.e, that Herod, •" on his burth day, made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee ; 22 And when * the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel. Ask of me what- soever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, ^ Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother. What shall I ask? And she said, Tlie*^ head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straiglitway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent 6 an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded bim in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave It to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and " took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. 30 IT And ^the apostles gathered them- selves together unto J esus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And "he said unto them. Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for <* there were many coming and going, and they had no leisuie so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34 And * J esus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with com- passion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and /he be- gan to teach them many things. 35 And if when the day was ijow far spent, his disciples came un to him, and said. This a desert place, aud now the time is far 3(j Send them away, that they may go into the comitry round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: lor they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them. Give ye them to eat. And they say mito him, « Shall we go and buy two hundred Sljeimywoith of bre;id, aud give them to eut'< 32 t Lev. 18. 16. Lav. 20. 21. 2 Sa. 12. 7. Dan. 5. 22, 2a. Eph. 5. 11. 2 Tim. 4. 2. Heb. 13. 4. " Mat. 14 5. Mat. 21.26. 4 Or, kept «ave'd him. V Mat. 14. 6. t« Gen 40.20. KEsth. 1.11, y E's'th. 5 3,6. E^h. 7.2. « Pro. 12. 10. 6 Or, one of his guard. a Acts 8. 2. 6 Lu. 9. 10. c Mat. 14. 13. d ch. 3. 20. e Mat. 9. 36. ilat. 14.14. f Isa. 54. 13. Isa. Ul. 1. Lu. 9. 11. 9 Mat. 14.15. Lu. 9. 12. 74 Nu. 11. 13, 2 Ki.4.43. 6 The Ko- man penny ponco half- pfnny. Mat. 13.28. i Mat 14.17. Mat. 15. 34. ch. S. 5. Lu. 9. 13. John 6. 9.; 7 baDqi;et3, 1 Cor. 14. 40. }• 1 Sa. 9. 13. Mat. 'jG.26. 1 Ti. 4.4.5. k Mat. 14.22. John 6. 17. 8 Or, over BeUisaid.!. I Mat. 14 23. m Lu. 24. 28. n ch. 8. 17. o Jer. 17. 9. ch. 3. 5. ch. 16. 14. Rom. 8. 7. Ilcb. 3. 13. P Mat. 14.3i. 4 Mat. U. DO. Acts 5. 16. 9 Or. it. CHAP. 7. a yUi. 15. 1. 1 Or, 2 witli tha fist, or, Uiligently. Theoi.h}- tho clb-v^. 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, »Five, and two fishes. 39 And he commanded them to make all sit dovra 7 by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hun- dreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and> blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve liaskets full of the fragments, ancl of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. 45 IT And * straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before 8 ui.to Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And ' when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fom-th watch of the night he cometh imto them, walking upon the sea, and "* would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spuit, and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were trou- bled. And immediately he taUced with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I ; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond mea- sure, and wondered. 52 For " they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for theii- "heart was hard- ened. 53 And P when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. 54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, - 55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. , . 56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick hi the streets, and besought nini that they 9 might touch if it were but the bor- der of his garment: and as many as touched 9 him were made whole. CHAPTER VII. 14 Meat defiUth not a man. 24 Christ heaUth the Si/ro phenician wonan's daughter, 31 aiid one that luas deaf, and stammered in his speech. rPHEN " came together mito him the ■*■ Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with i defiled (that is to say, with unwashen) hands, they found fault. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands Soft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders, 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be which they have Of Ceremonial Pollution,. n^iAiiK, vn. Tlic Syrophcnician IVoinan, acted ever as servants, saj-ing, " Thus saith the Lord," "when they announced the mir- acles they Avere to perform; whereas, the one feature which most struck all who came in contact with Jesus was the air of Personal authority with which he ever taught and wi-ought his miracles. 45-62. Jesus Walks ox the Sea. See on J. 6. 14-21. 53-56. Incidents on Landing. 53. See on M. 14. 34. drew to the shore— a nautical term is here employed, nowhere else used in the N. T. [w. & w.] 54-55. How rich in detaUs, as usual in this Gospel. 54, 55. knew him and ran, &c.— At lliis period of our Lord's ministry, the popular enthusiasm in his fa- vour was at its height, carry about— some- times misinfornSed of the place where he was, and following the rumour of His pre- sence. iAlf.1 66. touch but the border of his garment— having heard, no doubt, of what the woman with the issue of blood expe- i-ienced on doing so (ch. 5. 25-29. ^ and per- haps of other um-ecorded cases of the same nature. All this they contimced to do whUe our Lord was in that region (as is implied in the tenses of the verbs). The time corres- ponds to that mentioned J. 7. 1, when He walked in Galilee " instead of appearing in Jerusalem at the rassover, " because the ! borders, Jews," that is, the rulers, "sought to kiU know it him,'' (J. 6. 15.) while the people sought to enthrone him! CHAPTER vn. Ver. 1-23. Discourse on Cehemonial Pollution. See on M. 15. 1-20. 2. defiled— not ceremoniaUy cleansed by washing. 4. And from the market — ' after market, any common business, or attending a court of justice, where, after their subjection to the Romans, the Jews were especially exposed to intercourse and contact with heatuens. [w. & w.] tables— ' couches,' . such as were used at meals, which perhaps were merely sprinlled for ceremonial purification. Be it ODserved. that such practices, though based only on the tradition of the elders," might seem, even to conscientious Israelites, in the liighest degree laudable. It was a ceremo- nial economy they lived under; and as one principal design of this economy was to teach the difference oetv-een clean and unclean by external symbols, it was natural to think that exposed, in contrast with the manly obser- vance of "the commautbnent of God." 9. reject, or ' set aside,' the commandment, &c. — There is an observable climax in our Lord's representation of the dishonour done by these traditionists to the divhie law. (l.) They " gave up the commandment of God that they rmght hold the tradition of men" {v. 8.). (2.) They "set aside the commancbneat of God that they might keep their own tradi- tion" ,v. 9.) 1,3.! They "'made of none effect the word of God through their tradition" iv. 13^ or made it practically nuU. [w. & w.l 10. curseth— Obsen-e the large sense of " cursing " here, as including, besides what it expresses, all the dishonour and cruelty done to a parent by mtliliolding from them the "honour" legally due to them. 11. Cor- ban— q. d. ' I have gifted this to pious usos, and so am not permitted to alienate any portion of it, even to save my parents from want.' 13. many such things, &c.— This was but a specimen of their hideous treatment of the divine law — all for their own objects. See on M. 23. 16-18. 24-30. The Syrophenician Woman. 34. went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon— i. e., as seems from the narrative, actually into those heathen territories, though on the entered a house and would have none because He had not come to minister to heathens, but to avoid the wTath of the Pharisees at his withering exposure of them. He could not be hid— Christ's fame had early spread from GaUlee to these border heathen. See ch. 3. 8; L. C. 17. 25. heard of him— one wonders how; but distress is quick of hear- ing. 26. a Greeks, e., a Gentile, a Syrophe- nician by nation— so called, as being made up of Syrians and Phenicians. 'M., •wTitmg for Jews, describes her ;ch. 15. 22,) as "a woman of Canaan." [w. (fcw.l besought Mm— "cried unto Him, saying. Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David." Thus, though no Israelite herself, she salutes Him as Israel's promised Mesdah. 27. But Jesus said unto her— not at first, however, nor for a long time, as we learn from M. "He ansicerecl her not a v-ord," M. 15. 23, (1.) expressly to show that He was not sent to such as she. He had given express injunctions to the Twelve, "Go not into the way - of the Gentiles" (M. 10, 5.;; and being the more mviclly and varioudy they could Himself now, in point of fact, amongst them, bring this before their own minds, the more ' it was necessary, for consistency's sake, to would they be falling in with the spirit and let it be seen that he had not gone thither following out the de.sign of that economy.ifor missionary purposes. Therefore, He not Such are the plausibilities by v)hich most of the symbolical features of the Romish ritual are defended. JN or is it merely as acts of will- worship, without divine warrant, that they are to be condemned, but as tending to iceak- en the sense of divine authority for what is commanded by mixing it up with v:hat is purely human, though originally introduced with the best intentions. Examples of tliis deep principle will readUy occur — .such as the effect, everj^vhere seen, of observing a multitude of saints' days in weakening the sense of the paramount claims of " the Lord's Day." 7, 8. m vain they worship . . . teacliing, &c.— putting the commandments of men on a only kept sUence, but actually left the house and proceeded on liis way, as wiU presently appear. (2.) To try and to whet her faith, patience, and perseverance. And it had the desired effect: " She cried after them' (M. 15. 23). which shows that he was already on his way from the place. Tlie disciples, as often in such cases, thinking her troublesome— so importunate were her cries— asked their Lord to "send her away," i.e., to grant her request and be rid of her; for His reply shows that they meant to solicit favour for her, though not from the best of motives. To this Jesus answered, "I am not sent but unto the lest sheep of the house of Israel' level Avith the divine prescriptions:— </tw| (M. 15. 24.)— a speech evidently intended for made their whole toorshin "vain;" an im- the disciples themselves, to satisfy them portant confirmation of the remarks above I that, though the gi-ace He was about made. 8. Tlie drivelling nature of these [ to shew to this Gentile believer was iniiltitudinouo obsei-vaiices is here pointedly i beyond his commission, he bad not gong Of the Pharisees' traditiovs. AIAUK, VITI. A rmiUUude miraculousli/fcd. received to hold, as the washing of cups, and Spots, brasen vessels, and of* tables.) 5 Then * the Pharisees and scribes asked him. Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said nnto them. Well hath Esaias projihesied of you hji^ocrites, as it is written, "^This people honoiireth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For, laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the Wfishing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them. Full well ye 6 reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your o^vn tradition. 10 For Moses said, <* Honour thy father and thy mother; and, ' Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 Uut ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother. It is/Corban, (tliat is to say, a gift.) by whatsoever thou might€st be pro ri ted by me; Iw sluiU be free. 12 And ye sutler him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ve. 14 IT And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15 There is "nothing from without a man, that enteiing into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16 If 1 any man ha\ e ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And < when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. IS And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from with- out eutereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entcreth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the diaught, pm'giiig all meats? 20 And he said. That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For } from \^'ithin, out of the heart of men^ proceed evU thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, 6 covetousness, ^vickedness, de- ceit, lasci\iousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 24 H And *from thence he arose, and v/ent into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daugliter had an unclean spirit, heai'd of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a i Greek, a Svro- Ehenician by nation; and she besought ini tliat he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But J esus said unto her. Let ' the chil- dieu liist be filled: for it is not meet to a half. 4 Or, beds. 6 Mat. 15. 2. c Is. 29 13. Alat. 15. 8. Tit. 1. 14, 16. 5 Or, frus- trate. laa. 24. 6. Tit. 1. 14. d Ex. 20. VI. Deu. 5 16. aiat. 15. 4. e Ei. 21. 17. Ley. 20. 9. Pro. 2<).20. / Mat. 15. 5. Mat. 23 18. 1 Tim. 5 8. g Act» 1U.14, 15. Kom.14.17. 1 Cor. 8. 8. 1 Tim. 4.4. Tit. 1 15. h Mat. 11.15. t Mat. 15 15. ;• Gen. 6. 5. Gon. 8. 21. Mat. 15 19. Acts 8. 22. Gal. 5. 19. ncsses, wicked- nesses. k Mat. 15.21. 7 Or, Gentile. { Mat. 10.5,6. Acts 13. 46. Kom. 9. 4. Eph. 2. 12. m Mat. 9 29. ch. 9. 23 1 John 3.8. n Mat. 16 29. Mat. 9 32. Lu. 11. 14. P ch. 8. 23. John 9. 6. 1 ch. 6. 41. John 11.41. John 17. 1. r John 11. 33,38. lis. 42. 2. ch. 5. 43. cfa. 8. 26. CHAP. 8. a Mat. 16 32. 6 Ps. 145. 9. Heb 2 17. Heb. 4. 15. c Num. 11. 21. 22. 2 Kin. 4. 42. 43. e Deu. 8.10. lTi.4.4,5. / Mat. 14. 19. ch. e. 41. tfJIat. 15.39. h Mat. 12.;«. take the chUdi-eu's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29 And he said unto her. For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found "* the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. 31 IT And ** again, departing from the coasts of TjTe and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of JJecapolis. 32 And "they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in iiis speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multi- tude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he P spit, and touched liis tongue; 34 And, 9 looking up to heaven, ^ he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is. Be opened. 35 And * straightway his eai-s were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And * he charged them that they should teU no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they pub- lished it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, sajing. He hath done all things well: he nvdveth both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. CHAPTER VIIL 1 Christ feedeth the -peo-pU miraculously ; 22 aiveth a blind man fiis sight; 27 acknmvledgeth that he is Christ who should suffer and rise again, etc. TN those days " the multitude being very ■*- great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have * compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three diiys, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciyiles answered him, From whence " can a nmn satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5 And <i he asked them. How many loaves have ye? And they said. Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down en the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and ' frave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he/ blessed, and commanded to set them also before theyn. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. 10 fl And ^ straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 11 And ''the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spiiit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say mi to you. There shall uo sign be given unto this generation. Deaf and Dumb Man Healed. jiAEK, nn. Sign from Heaven SougM. ' •when Tliou foundest on Thy way to Galilee, ! Tliou sentest away to make many rich ! ' ultronenudy to dispense it. Yet did of certain actions He was about to do to even tliis speech open a gleam of hope, awaken and direct his thoughts to the proper could she have discerned it. ' " I am not source of relief, put his finger, &c.— To the SENT," did He say? Ti'uth, Lord, Tliou impotent man He said, "Wilt thou be made comest not hither in quest of ws, but I come whole i" to the blind men "What will ye in quest of T}\ce; and must I go empty away? that I shall do unto you? (M. 20. 32,^ and So did not the woman of Samaria, whom, | " Believe ye that I am able to do this!" (M. 9. 28.) But as this patient could hear nothing, our Lord substitutes sj-mbolical But this our poor Syrophenician could not actions upon each of the organs affected. He attain to. Wliat, then, can she answer to puts his fingers into his ears, as if he would such a speech? Nothing. She has reached pierce through the olistacles which hindered her lowest depth, her darkest moment ; she soundsfromreachingthem.[GiioT.,TKENCH.] AviU just utter her last cry: "Then came she spit— See Marg. and toii.ched his tongue— i. e. and worshipped Him, sajdng. Lord, help with his finger wetted with the moisture of me r M. 15. 25. Tills appeal, so artless, and His own mouth lib.] as if to lubricate the A\Tung from the depths of a believing heart, organ, or facilitate its free motion. By this reminding us of the Publican's " God be mer- action He showed that the healing virtue ciful to nie, a sinner," moved the Redeemer was from His own Person. 34. looking up to at last to break silence— but in what style? heaven — ever acknowledging His Father, Let the children first be filled— Is there hope even while the Healing was seen to flow from here? "Illled riE,ST?— then 1117 turn, it Himself iSee J. 5. 19. i he sighed— 'over the scems,i5coming!— but then, "The cHiLriREN M-reck which sin had brought about, the fust/' Ah! when, on that rule, shall my malice of the devil in deforming the fair turn ever come? But ere she has time for features of God's original creation,'LTREXCH,] tliese ponderings of his word, another word but with a yet more painful impression comes on the back of it— for it is not meet ... of that " evil thing and bitter" whence all have sprang, and which, when Him- self took our infirmities and bare our sick- ness " I.M. 8. 17,J became mysteriously Hia o\\-n. "In thought of these His bro-ws benign, Not even in healing, cloudless shine."— [Kehle.'} go unblest? But Thou hast spoken, and Ephphatha— See on ch. 5. 41. 36. tell no man the victory is mine. 28. Yes, Lord, yet, j —Into this verv region He had sent the man (fcc— 'I thank Thee, O blessed One, for that out of whom had been cast the legion of word! That's my whole case. Is'ot of the devils to proclaim " what the Lord had done children? True. A dog? True also. Yet the for him" ich. 5. 19.) Now He will have them dogs under the table are allowed to eat of " teU no man." But in the former case, there the children's crumbs. Give me that, and I was no danger of obstructing His ministry am content. One crumb of power from lliy by " blazing the matter," (see on ch. 1. 45, ) as table shall cast the devU out of my daughter, j He himself had left the region; whereas now O what lightning-quickness, what reach of He was sojourning in it. But they could mstinctive ingenuity, do we behold in tliis I not be restrained; nay the prohibition seemed woman! 29. And he said unto her — "O wo- only to whet the determination to publish man, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even his fame. 37. He hath done all tlungs weU as thou -wilt." INI. 15. 28. For this saying, go ' — 'reminding us of the words of the fir.st thy way, the devU is gone out of thy daughter— creation (Ge. 1. 31, Greek,) upon which we That moment the deed was done, v. 30, and are thus not unsuitably thrown back, for M. 15. 28. The wonderfulness of tills case in Christ's work is in the truest sense "a new aU its features has been felt in every age of , creation." [Trench.] M. adds, that seeing the Church, and the balm it has adniini- the miracles wrought on this occasion, "they stered, and will yet administer, to milUons glorified the Gpd_ofJ[srael " ^ "" " wiU be known only in that day that shall re- dogs, &c.— Is this the death of her hopes? our iUs have sprang, and which, when Him Nay, but it is life from the dead. "Out of '-'*■ * — ^ -"** — •*' -' ' =-'- the eater shall come forth meat," (Ju. 14.14.) At evening time it shall be light. {Ze. 14. 7.) Ha! I have it now. Hadst Thou kept silence, what couM I have done but ! veal the secrets of all hearts 31-37. Deaf aud Dujib JMan Healed See on M. 15. 31. CHAPTEE VHI. Ver. 1-9. Four Thousand jriRACuxous- LY Fed. See on M. 15. 32-38. 6. gave to his 31. unto the sea of GaUiee tlirough the coasts disciples— ' kept giving' {the imperfect tense, of Decapolis— crossing the Jordan, on liis re- here used, marking continuous distribution], turn from the borders of TjTe and Sidon, and I [w. & w.] approachinj; the lake on its east side. M. | 10-13. Sign from Heaven Sought. See adds that He " went up into a momitain, and on M. 15. 39, and 16. 1-4. 12. sighed deeply in sat do-rni there," and tnat "great multitudes : his spirit— These glimpses into the interior of came unto Him, ha\ang with them lame, | the Kedeemer's heart, in which Mk. abounds, bUnd, dumb, maimed, and many others, I are more precious than rubies. The state of casting them down at Jesu.s' feet, and He ! the Pharisaic heart, which prompted the healed them," to the amazement of all. See ■ desire for a fresh sign, went to his very soul. on M. 13. 29-31. ISIk. here singles out one of 1 Why a sign?—' but from unbelief and. hypo- these cases, whose cure had something pecu- crisy, which repels from itself the evident liar to itself. 32. they beseech Him to put ! miracles and clear proofs already afforded ! his hand upon him— In their eagerness they [Stier.] There shaU be no sign, <tc. — lit. are too otticious: our Lord, though usually (after the Jewish manner of expres.singa doing as they here suggested, -will deal Avith solemn and peremptory determination,) *It this case in His own way. 33. took him aside there sliaU be given to this generation a from the multitude— So before. He " took the j sign.' a generation incapable of appreciating blind man by the hand and led liim out of the such demonstrations. See He. 4. 5, and Ps. town." ch. 8. 23— probably to fix his imdis- 95. 11. (Marg.) tractcd attention oji Himself, and by meana ' 14-21. Tue Leavkn OS" TUfi PiiARioJiiia ITie hlind restored to si(ihf. WAUK, IX. Tlie trausfgnralimx of Clirlst. 13 And he left them, and, entering into the shin again, departed to the other side. 14 ^ Now » the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither nad they in the ship n-ith them more than one loat 15 And f he charged them, sajing. Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Phari- sees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, Ba.nng, It is'' because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them. Why reason ye because ye have no bread ? ' perceive ye not yet, neither understand 1 have ye your heait yet hardened? 18 Hanng eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remem ber? 19 When "* I brake the five loaves amonj, five thousand, how many baskets full of fi-agments took ye up? They say unto him Twehe. 20 And " when the seven araon^ four thousand, how many baskets full of frag ments took ye up? And they said. Seven. 21 And he said unto them. How is it "that ye do not undei-stand ? 22 IF And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and be- sought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when P he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, ajid said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his bouse, sajing, Neither go into the town, « nor tell it to any in the to\^Ti. 27 IT And *■ J esus went out, and his disci- ples, into the towns of Cesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them. Whom do men say that lam? 28 And they answered, * John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that 1 am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, « Thou art the Christ. 30 And " he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31 H And " he began to teach them, that the Son of man must sufler many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and alter three days rise again. 32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had tm'ued about, and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying. Get thee behind me, Satan: ""lor thou savoinrest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. 34 H And when he had called the people unto him, with his disciples also, he said unto them, * Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 i or * whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his lile for my S!ike and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. iHi i-"oi- what shall it profit a man, if he CHAP. 8. i Mat. 16. 5, / .Mat. 16. 6. Lu. la. 1. 1 Cor. 5. 7. * JUt. 16. 7. ; ch. 6. 62. "» Mat. 24. 20. ch. 6. 43. Lu. 9. 17. John 6.1i n Mat. 15.37. ch. 6. 62. P ch 7. 33. « Mat. 8. 4. ch 5.43. r Mat. Itj.l3. Lu. 9. 18. 8 Mat. 14. 2. t Mat. 10. 6. John 0. eg. John ll.'.i7. t* Mat. 16.21). "JUt. 18 21, Mat. 17.2J. Lu. 9. 22. «> Rom. 8. 7. 1 Cor.2.14. X Mat .10. -.iS. Blat. 16. 24. Lu. 23. Lu. 14. 27. Gal. 5. 24. Gal. 6. 14. P John 12. 25. 2 Ti. 1. 8. 2 Ti. 2. 12. 1 Johns. CHAP. 9. a Mat. 16 23. Lu. 9. 27. 6 Mat. 24.3IJ. AUt. 25.al. Lu. 22. 18. Heb. 2. 8,9. ejlat. 17.1. Lu. 9. 23. d Dan. 7. 9. Mat. 28. 3. « Ex. 40. 34. Isa. 42. 1. 2 Pet. 1.17. /Heb. 1.1,2. Hob. 2. 3. Hob. 12.25, 26. g Mat. 17. 9. A Mai. 4 5. JMat. 17.10. i Ps. 22. 6. laa. 53. 2. Can. 9. 26. Zech. 13. 7. ;• Lu. 23. U. Phil. 2. 7. k Mat. 11.14. Mat. 17.12. Lu. 1. 17. J Mat. 17. 14. Lu. 9. 37. 1 Or, Be I Tee? mSLit.17.14. Lu. 9. 38. Or, (lasli. otii liim. shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever ' therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. CHAPTER IX. 2 Jesus transfigured: 11 he instnicteth fits <fif- ciples concerning Elias; 14 casleth forth a dumb and deaf spirit; 'M foreteUeth his death, etc. AND he said unto them, "Verily I say -^■^ unto you. That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen * the kingdom of God come with power. 2 IT And * after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and lead- eth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, ex- ceeding <i white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesns, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was * a cloud that over- shadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying. This is my beloved Son: hear /him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And »as they came down from the mountain, he ch.irged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were liseu from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with them- selves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11 IT And they asked him, sajing. Why say the scribes '' that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Eliaa verily cometh first,and rec toreth all things ; and » how it is written of the Son of man, that he must sufler many things, and > be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you. That * Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. 14 f And J when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes. What ques- tiou ye i with them? 17 And '"one of the multitude answered and said. Master, 1 have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit: 18 And wheresoever he t<iketh him, he 2 teareth him ; and he foameth, and giiash- eth wth his teeth, and piiieth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. Lcfiven ofihe rnarisees and Sadducecs. MAEK, IX. Peter's Confession oj Christ, Ax. A>T5 Sapkucees. See on M. 16. 5, 12. 14. put Ms hands again . . . saw dearly— Perhaps cue loaf— Here we have another example of the one operation pertectly re.-itored the that graphic circumstantiality which gives €*/e5, while the other miparted inmiediately such a charm to this briefest of the four Go. pels. The circumstance of the " one loaf the faculty of a.nng thtm. 'Tis the only re- rded example of a progressive cure, and it only remaining 'was more suggestive of their ■ certainly illustrates similar methods in the Master's recent miracles than the entire , spiritual kingdom. Of the four recorded absence of provisions.' [vr. & \v.] 15. leaven i cases of sight restored, all the patients save of the Pharisees— " and of the Saiducees," ' one either came or v:cre brought to thePhy- M. 16. 6. and the leaveu of Herod— Ihe teach- 1 sician. In the case of the man bom blind, ing or "doctrine" ,r. 12., of the Pharisees and tlie Physician came to the patient, fctme of the Sadducees was Quite difi'erent, but ' seek and find Christ: of others He is found both were equally pernicious; and the who seek Him not. See on M. 13. 44, 46. 20 Herodians, though rather a political party, ''°''*' ^^"^ *" '''^'' >i""<'o_T>^c:iri,.= t-ha ,i=„q1 r^o. were equally envenomed again.st our Lord's -„ „ — „ , spiritual teaching. See on ch. 3. 6. The ; matter, retirement in this case •would be penetrating and diffusive quality of leaven, for good or bad, is the ground of the com- p^ri.son. 16.— But a little ago He was tried with the obduracy of the Pharisees; now He is tried with the obtuseness of his own di.s- ciples. Tlie nine questions, following in rapid succession, v. 17-21, show how deeply He was hurt at this want of spiritual apprehension, and worse still, their low thoughts of Him, as if He would-utter so solemn a warning on so pettv a subject. It will be seen, however, from the verj' form of their conjecture, " It is because v:e have no bread," and our Lord's i the Mediterranean Sea. It was situated at astonishment that they should not by that i the foot of Mount Lebanon, near the sources sent hi-m to his house— Besides the usual rea- sons against going about "blazing the matter, retirement '" *'"' = salutary to himself. 27-38. Peter's Coxfesston of Christ- First Explicit Ajs^xouncement of His Approaching Death— Rebuke of Peter, AND General AVarnlng. See on M. 16. 13-28. 27. Csesarea Philippi — originally Pa- neas, but changed, by Philip the tetrarch who rebuilt it , in houour of the Roman Emperor, llberius, into Cctsarca Joseph. Antiq., x\aii. 2. 1. , to which he added Phi- lippi, after his own name, to distinguish it from Ciesarea of Palestine A. lo. l, (fcc. on time have known better what He took up His attention with— that He ever left the ahote care for His cnvn temporal icants to the of ths Jordan. John— risen from the dead. M. adis as another theory— Jeremias — M. 16. 14. "SVas this because "the Man of Tvelve; that He did this so entirely, that j sorrows" seemed to resemble 'theweepin finding they were reduced to their last loaf they felt as if unworthy of such a trust, and could not think but that the same thought was in their Lord's mind which was pressing upon their own; but yet that, so far wTong were they, that it hurt His feelings— sharp just in .proportion to His love— that such a thou.uht of Him should have entered their minds ! AVTio that like angels ' ' desire to look into these things" will not prize such glinvpses above gold? 17. heart yet hardened — How strong an expression to use of real disci iiles! cf. ch. 6. 52, and on J. 6. 21. 19, 20. baskets- full . . . Twelve . . . Seven — Profuse as were our Lord's miracles, we see from this that tliey were not wrought at random, but that He carefully noted their minutest details, and desired that this should be done by those who witnessed, as doubtless by all who read the record of them. Even the different kind of baskets used at the two miraculous feedings— so carefully noted in the two nar- ratives, both in M. and IMk.— are here also referred to; the one smaller, of which there prophet?' 29. But whom say ye, (tc. — He had never put this question before, but the crisis He was reaching made it fitting that He should now have it out of them. "We may suppose this to be one of those moments of which the prophet says, in His name, " Tlien 1 said. Ihave laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain" ;ls. 49. 4. . " Lo, these tliree years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree;" and what is it ? As the result of aU, I am taken for " John the Baptist, Elias, Jeremias, one of the prophets." Yet some there are that have "beheld my glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father," and 'I shaU hear their Aoice, for it is sweet.' 33. When He had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter— for He perceived that he was but bokUy uttering what others felt, and that the cheek was needed by them aiso. 34. When he had called the people, with his disciples also. He said, Ax.— turn- ing the rebuke of one into a warning to all, including even his general audi- were twelve, the other much larger; of wliichence: 'A suffering and dying Messiah lik- there were seven. 21. How not understand— j eth you iU; but what if His servants shall ' that care about the fewness of loaves in vour I meet the same fate? They may not; but scrip coiUd not have prompted the warning I i who follows Lie must be prepared for the gave you.'; worst.' take up his cross e prep; -W3 li have become 22-26. BLrsT> Man at Bethsaiba Re- I so accustomed to this expression, in the stored to Sight. 22. to Eethsaida— Is. E. j sen.«e of being prepar-ed/or </'iaismr7e?tero?, of the lake, besought Him to touch him— See that we are apt to forget the pveciser sense on ch. 7. :i3. 23. took him by the hand and led i in which it is here used and iu M. 16. 24,) him— Gf the deaf and dumb man it is merely 1 namely, a going forth even to crv-cifinon, as said that "He took him aside;" ,ch. 7. 33 ;! our Lord did when made to bear his own but this bUnd man He led by the hand out of I cross J. W. 17,) tiU relieved by Simon the the to%\Ti, doing it Himself, rather than Cyienian ;M. 27 employing another— great himiility [Beng.J —that He might gaiu his confidence and raise his expectation, spit on his eyes— the organ affected. See on ch. 7. 33. 24. men as trees walkhig— he could as yet only distin 35-38. See on L. 0.23-27 CHAPl'ER IX. Ver. 1-13. Jesus Transfigured— Cox- yersatiox about Elias. See on L. 9. 27-36. 14-29. Demonl\c and Lunatic Boy Healed. 14-16. On the moniiug after the guisli tJiem from trees by their moving. 25. ] Transfi^nration, which appears to have Si Chrisl enjobieth humility. MARK, X. Of divorcement. 19 He answereth him, and saith, faith- less generation, how long shall I he with you? how loug shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when " he saw him, straiglitway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father. How long is it a<;o since this came unto him? And he said. Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have com- passion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, " If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears. Lord, I believe ; P help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he « rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent mm sore, and came out of liim: and he was as one dead ; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up ; and he arose. 23 And ''when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately. Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting. 30 IT And they departed thence, and passed tlirough Galilee ; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For «he taught his disciples, and said unto them. The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him ; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saymg, and were afraid to ask him. 33 IT And « he came to Capernaum: and, beuia; in the house, he asked them. What was it that ye disputed among yom'selves by the way? „ , 3i But they held their peace: " for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35- And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, " If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of alL 36 And "' he took a child, and set him in the midst of them : and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 ^'^hosoeve^ shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: *and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 H And ^ John answered him, saying. Master, we saw one casting out devils m thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbade him, because'he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said. Forbid him not: "for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For " he that is not against us is on our part. 41 For 6 whosoever shall gire you a cup of water to diiuic in my uanie, because yc CHAP. 9. n ch. 1. 26. Lu. 9. 42. 2 Chr. 20. 20. Mat. 17. 20. ch. 11. 23. Lu. 17. 6. q Acts 10.3.3. 1 Jonn 3.8. r .^Ut. 17.19. « JLit. 17. 22. Lu 9. 44. {Mat. 18.1 Lu 9. K. Lu. 22. 24. « Pro. 13 l:i. B Mat. 20.2C, 27. ch. 10. 43. Jam. 4. 6. U> xMat 1.^. 2 ch. 10. ID. «Mat 10.40. Lu. 9. 48 y Nu. 11. 28. L I. 9. 49. Z 1 Cor. 12.3. a M»t. 12.:*). b ftLit. 10. 42. c Mat IS. 6. Lu. 17. 1. Dexi. 13. 6. JIat. 6. 29. Mat. 18. 8. Col. 3. 5. Heb. 12.1. d U 1)6. 24. 2 Thei.l.O. 4 Or, cause ortbnd. Rom. 8. 13. Gal. 5. 24. / Lev. 3. 13. Ezo. 4.1. 34. Sf JIat. 5.13. Lu 14.34. /. Eph. 4. 29. Col. 4. 6. i Rom. 12.18. Rom. 14 19. 2 Cor. 13. 11. 2 Ti. 2. 22. Heb. 12. 14. CHAP. 10. I Mat. 19. 1 John 11.7. 1 Mat. 19.3. c Deu. 24.1. Mat. ft. Si. Mit. 19. 7. dOeu 9. 15. Acta 13.18. eGen. 1.27. Gen ft. 2. /Gen 2. 24. r.e.lli. E|.h .'•.. 31. g^Lt 5. 32. Mat 19.9. Lu. llj. 18. Rom . 7.3. ft »Lit 19.13. Lu. 18. 15. i 1 Cor. U. 2). j Mat ia.ij belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, ho shall not lose his reward. 42 And "whosoever shall offend one of these, little ones that believe m me, it is bitter for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the 43 And if thy hand 3 offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched ; 44 Where ^ their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than ha\ing.two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. , , 47 And if thine eye * offend thee, « pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eve, than having two eves to be cast into hell-fiie; 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ,:,.., ^ 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and / every sacrifice shall be salted with 50 *Salt ^is good; but if the salt have lost his saltness. wherewith will ye season it? Have '' salt in yourselves, and » have peace one with another. CHAPTER X. 2 Of divorcement. 13 Christ bl^sseth children; 23 telleth the datujer of riches; .32 foretdkth his death and resurrection. 46 Blitui Barttmeus receivelX sight. A ND " h« arose from thence, and cometh ■^ into the coasts of Judoa by the larther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again: and, as he was wont, he taught them again. . ^ , . . 2 H And 6 the Pharisees came to him, and asked him. Is it lawful for a man to put away /iismfe? temptin^g him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did .Closes command you? 4 And th(y said, " Moses suftered to write a biU of di rorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Je lus answered and said unto them. For d. the hardness of yom- heart ne wrote vou this precept: „ ,, 6 But from the beginning of the creation God " made them male and temale. . 7 For fth\s. cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wite; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath jomed to- gether, let not man put asunder. 10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 11 And he saith unto them, ^ Whosoever shaU put away his mfe, and marry another, coramitteth adultery against her. 12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. u-i^,.^,, 13 1[ And " they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and ^is disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he ■vvas much displeased, and said unto them, ^ufier the little children to come unto me and lorbid tlieni not: lor *of such is the kmgdom ol 15 Verily I say unto joa,; Whosoever shall Christ casteth out MARK, IX. a Deaf and Dumb Spirit. taken place at night, Jesus " came down i enough to cure the boy, and by the dignity from the hill" (see on L. 9. 37,) with Peter i with which He had ordered him to be brought and James and John, and, on approacliing to Him— in this mixed state of mina, he the other nine, found them surrounded by a great multitude, "and the Scribes ques- tioning " or disnuting with them. iN'o doubt these cavillers were twitting the apostles of Jesus with their inability to cure the Demo- niac boy of whom we are presently to hear, aaid insinuating doubts even of their Mas- ter's ability to do it; while they, zealous for their Master's honour, would no doubt refer to Ms past miracles in proof of the contrary. But no sooner was Jesus " beheld," than "all the people" ('the multitude') were gi-eatly amazed,— or 'astounded'— "and running to him saluted him." l"he singularly strong expression of surprise, the sudden arrest of the discussion, and the rush of the multitude towards Him, can be accounted for by nothing less than something amazing in Ms appear- ance. There can hardly be any doubt that His countenance still retained traces of His transfiguration-glory. (See Ex. 34. 29, 30. [Beng., De W., Mey., Trench, Alf.] No wonder, if tMs was the case, that they not only ran to Him but saluted Him. Our Lord, however, takes no notice of what had attracted them, and probably it gradually faded away as He drew near; but addressing Hmiself to the Scribes, he demands the subject of their discussion, ready to meet them where they had pressed hard upon his nalf-mstructed and as yet timid apostles. 17, 18. Ere they had time to reply, the father of the boy, whose case had occasioned the dispute, himself steps forward and answers the question; telling a piteous tale of deaf- ness, and dumbness, and fits of epilepsy, ending with tMs, that the disciples, though entreated, could not perform the cure. 19, 20. Our Lord replies to the father by a severe rebuke to the disciples. As if wounded at the exposure before such a multitude of the weakness of his disciples' faith, which doubt- less He felt 'as a reflection on Himself, He puts them to the blush before all— it is given with more severity in M. 17. 17 — but in lan- fuage fitted only to raise expectation of what lunself would do :— "How long shall / be with you," and yet you cannot perfonn this cure ? High claims these ; but they shall speedily be made good. 20, 24. The order to bring the patient to Him was instantly obeyed- when lo! as if conscious of the pre- sence of Ms divine Tormentor, and expecting to be made to quit, the fovd spirit rages and is furious, determmed to die nard. doing all the miscMef he can to this poor cliild Miiile yet within Ms grasp:-" When he saw Him, straightway the spirit tare him," kc. Still Jesus does nothing, but keeps conversing with the father about the case— partly to have its desperate features told out by him who knew them best, in the hearing of the spectators ; partly to let its virulence have tune to show itself; and partly to deepen the exercise of the father's soul, to draw out his faith and thus prepare both him and the by- standers for what He was to do. Having told briefly the affecting features of the case, the poor father, half dispirited by the failure of the disciples, and the aggravated virulence of the malady itself in the presence of their Master, yet encouraged too by what he had heard of Christ, by. the severe rebuke He had given to His disciples for not having faith 5i closes Ms description of the case with these touching words, "Bid if thou canst do any- thing, have compassion on us, and help us !" — maMng the case Ms own. \cf. M. 1.5. 26, "Lord help me,", [Axf.] Still, nothing done. Tlie man is but struggling into faith. It must come a step further. But he had to do with Him who breaks not the bruised reed, and wbo knew how to inspire what He demanded. 23. The man had said to Htm, "// Thou, canst do;" Jesus retorts upon him, "IJ thou canst believe." The man had said, "If Tliou canst do anything-" Jesus replies, "aH things are possible" to faith: — 'My doing all depends on thy belieying.' To impress this still more. He redoubles upon the believing: "If thou canst beikve, aU things are possible to Mm that hellevetli." ' Thus the Lord helps the birth of faith in that struggling soul; and now, though with pain and sore travail, it comes to the birth.' [Olsh., Tkench.] 24. —Seeing the case stood still waiting not upon the Lord's power but nis faith, the man becomes immediately conscious of con- flicting principles, and rises into one of the noblest utterances on record: "Straightway," kc.—q. d. 'It is useless concealing from Thee, Tliou mysterious, mighty Healer, the un- belief that still struggles in tMs heart of mine; but that heart bears me witness that 1 do believe in Thee- and if distrust stiU re- mains, I disown it, I wrestle with it, I seek help from Thee against it.' Two things are very remarkable here: (1.) The fit and owned presence of unbelief, which oMy the strength of the man's faith could have so re- vealed to his own consciousness. (2.) His appeal to Christ for help against his felt un- belief—a, feature in the case quite unparallel- ed, and showing, more than aU protestations could have done, the insight he had attained ofapowerin Christmore glorioii.s than any He haclbesought for his poor child. 25.— The work was done; and as the commotion and con- fusion in the crowd was now increasing, Jesus at once, as Lord of spirits, gives the word of command to the "dumb and deaf spirit", to be gone, never again to return to that victim. 26.— The malignant cruel spirit, see on ch. 5. 2, &c.j now conscious that Ms time was come, gathers up his whole strength, v,-ith intent by a last stroke to MU Ms victim, and had nearly succeeded: "in so much that many said. He is dead." But the Ix)rd of life was there ; the Healer of aU maladies, the Friend of sinners, the Seed of the woman, a " Stronger than the strong man anned, was there. The very faith wliich Christ de- clared to be enough for everything being now found, it was not possible that the serijent should prevail. He might " bruise the heel," and he does it to this believing man in Ms child. But " his own head" shall go for it — his "works shall be destroyed," (l J. 3. 8,) — as related in v. 27. 28, 29. This kind—' of evil spirits,' perhaps, fasting— 'as thev could not I'gst whUe He was with them, ■ h. 2. i9,i perhaps this was intended' as ii great prin- ciple ' for their after guidance,' 1 Ale. ] Great and difficult duties require special preparer- Hon and self-denial. 30-32. Christ's Second Explicit An- nouncement OP His Death and Eesxjr- BECTioN. See on M. 17. 22, 23; and L. 9. 43 45. T?ie dawjer ofrkhes. AIARK, XT. Blind Bartimens healed^ not receive the kingdom of God a3 a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he * took them up in his arms, put hix hands upon them, and blessed them. 17 IT And ' when he was gone forth into the waVj there came one runnins, and kneeled to him, and asked him. Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good hut one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments,"* Do not commit adultery, Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness, Defraud not. Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him. Master, all these have I obsen'ed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus, beholdina; him, loved him, and said unto him. One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell " whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure "in heaven: and come, take up tlie P cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that sasing, and went away giieved: for he had gieat pos- sessions. 23 H And « Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the king- dom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them ^ that trast in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus, looking upon them, saith. With men it is impossible, but not with God: for * with God all things are possible. 28 % Then ' I'eter began to say mito him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Yerily I say unto you. There is no man that hath lelt house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lauds, for my sake, and the Gospel's, 30 But " he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and bretluen, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, " with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31 But "'many that are first shall be last; and the last tirst. 32 IT And * they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went befuiethem: and they were amazed; and as they fol- lowed, they were afraid. 2' And he took again the twelve, and began to tellthem what things should happen unto him, 33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jeru- salem: and the Son of man shall be de- livered mito the chief piiests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him " . lall Gentiles to death, and shall deliver him to the 3-i And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and Bhall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. 35 H And * James and John, the sons of Ztbedee, come unto him, saying, ^aater, CHAP. 10. k Is. 40. 11. I Mat. 19. IG. Lu. IS 18. Acta 44. 1 Ti. C.13. J>t-.t. 6. 19, 20. Mat. 19.21. Lu. 12. 33. Lu. 16. 9. P Acts 14.22. 2 Tim. 3. 12. 9 JIat. 19.23. Lu. 18. 24. r Job 31. 24. Ps. 52. 7. Ps. 62. 10. lXim.6. « Jor. 32. 17. Mat. 19 26. Lu. 1. 37. Heb. 7. 25. t aiat. 19.27. Lu.18.28. M2Chr.25.9. Ps. 19.11. Lu. 18. .30. K Acta 14.22. 1 Thos. 3.3. 2 Tim. 3. Hob. 12. 6. "'JNlat. 19.30. fiLit. 20.1G. Lu. 13 -M. « Mat. 20.17. 18. 31. y ch. 8. 31. ch. 9. 31. Lu. 9. 22. Lu. 18. 31. « Mat. 20.20. a Acts 12. 2. "Rev. 1.9. 6 Jam. 4. 3. c Mat 20.24 d Lu. 22. 25. 1 Or, think good. e Mat. 20.26, ch. 9. 35. Lu. 9. 48. /■John 13.14. Phil. 2. 7. Heb. 6. 8. g Isa. 53. 10. D.-m. 9. 24, iskt. 20.23. 1 Ti. 2. 6. Tit. 2.14. h Mat. 20.29. La. 18. 35. i Isa. 11. 1. Jer. 23.5.6. Rora. 1. 3. Rev. 22.1G. 2 Or, savei! 6 Acts 1. 12. c Acts 10.36. lieb. I. -i. we would that thou shonldest do for U3 whatsoever we shall desire. 36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37 They said unto him. Grant unto us that we may git, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38 But Jesus said unto them. Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I diink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, "Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given b to them for whom it ia prepared. 41 And " when the ten heard if, they be- gan to be much displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesns called them to him, and saith unto them, <* Ye know that they which i are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But "so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister; 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even /the Son of man came net to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to ^^ve his life a ransom for many. 46 if And '' they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a gi-eat number of people, blind Barti- mens, the son of Timeus, sat by the high- way-side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, tliou »son of Da\id, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a gieat deal, Tliou son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him. Be of good com- fort, rise ; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, ^Vhat wilt thou that 1 should do unto thee? The blind man said mito him Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him. Go thy way: thy laith hath i^made thee whole. And immediately > he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. CHAPTER XI. 1 Christ rideth into Jerusalem; 12 cvrseth a fruit' less fig tree : Tt silencet/i the priests who quei- iioned his authority. A ND "when they came nigh to Jerusa- -"■ km, unto Beth phage and Bethany, at the mount of * Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them. Go your way into the tillage over against you: and as sooa as ye be entered mto it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you. Why do ye this? say ye that 'the Lord hath need John rebuked for Exdusivsness. MAPJv, X. Christ's Announcement of His Death. 33-50. Strife abiong the Twelve, Who [Grot.] and they were amazed—' struck with suouLD BE GREATEdT IN THE KiKGDOM astonishment' at Ms courage in advancing .._ TT — ,.,„ T„„„ -r.„„^^_„„ „.-... !:-„ to certain death. OF Heaven— John Eebuked Foit. Ex CLUSiVENE.ss. See on M. IS. 1-9; and ou L. 9. 46-50. 35. sliall be— i. e. 'let him be,' cf. L. 14. 11; 18. 14. 43-48. See ou M. 5. 29, 30, The "offence," or occasion of stumblinj?, immediately in view here was the dispute among the apostles, which arising out of their carnalambition,was aggravated, doubt- less, as the dispute went ou, by a number of little things, hand , . . feet . . . eyes, &c. — 'wliatever i:> to thee an occanon of sin, sacri- fice it, hov:ever dear.' The literal interpre- tation of these precepts by some early fana- tics shows a very low apprehension of spiri- tual things, two liands . . . feet . . . eyes, (fee. — * no laceration of natural feeling or corrupt affection can be ivcighed against final perdi- tion.' hell . . . hell . . . heU-fire, &c.— Thrice repeated, hoiv awfid this, of itself tremendous word sounds from tJie tips of Love incar- nate ! But when to this he adds, thrice over in the same terms, " where tlieir worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" — words enough to make both the ears of everyone that lieareth them to tingle — one cannot but loathe the mawkish sentimental- ism which condemns all such language in the mouthT of His servants, as inconsistent with what they presume to call 'the religion ot the meek and lowly Jesus.' It is just the apostle who breathed most of his Master's love whose Epistles express what would be thought the harshest tilings against vital error and those who hold it. It is love to men, not Imtred, that prompts such severity against vjliat will inevitably ruin them. (Who that has any regard for the teaching of Christ can venture, in the face of these verses, to limit the duration of future torment?) 49. A diffi- cult verse. "Eveiy one" probably means 'every follower of mine;' "salting with fire," 'a fiery trial to season him,' and thus "every sacrifice " vnil mean, ' every one who would be found an acceptable offering.' In this case, the whole verse vnU. mean, ' Every dis- ciple of mine shall have a fiery trial to under- go, and every one who would present him- self a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable un- to God, must have a salting, as had the legal sacrifices of old.' He has stiU in his eye the unseemly jarrings which had arisen amongst them.the peril to themselves of the indulgence of such passions, and the severe self-sacrifice which salvation would cost them. 50. q.d., * As to this salt, forget not that aU its value lies in its savour (its salting quality) : If this be lost, how shall it be restored? isee M. 6. 13'. Well, Have this salt— this quality that win make you a blessing to others; and with respect to the miserable strife out of which all this discourse has sprimg, "Have peace one •with another." ' (l Th. 5. 13.) CHAPTER X. Ver. 1-12. Final Departure frosi Ga- lilee—Divorce. See on M. 19. 1-12. 13-16. Little Children brought to Christ. See on L. 18. 15-17. 17-31. The Eich Young Euleb. See on L. 18. 18-30. 32-34. Fuller Announcement of His Approaching Death and itE.-jURRECTioN. 32. in the way going up to Jerusalem— proba- bly somewhere between Ephraim and Jeri- cho, N.E. of Jenisalem. and Jesus went before them—' in the style of au intrepid Leader.' 'testimony He would yet receive from them 3G Tiae Saviour, what a noLIe flame Was kiudled in His breast. When, hasting to Jerusalem, He marched before the rest!— [Cojrper.l and, as they followed, they were afraid— for their own safety, "niese most artless and intei-esting statements are peculiar to Mk.— as usual, took agaui the twelve— referring to his recent amiouncement of the same events, ch. 9. 31. This was now the third time. 33. the Gentiles— the first express statement that the Gentiles would combine with the Jews in His death. The two grand divisions of the human race, for whom He died, took part in crucifying the Lord of Glory, (.w. & w.J 34. Singularly explicit as this announcement was, L. says, "they understood none of these tilings, and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which v^ere spoken" 18. 341—16., not in their literal sense, but in their Messianic bearing [Mey.I; the whole prediction being right in the teeth of their preconceived notions. That they should have clung so teuaciousy to the popu- lar notion of an wnsuftering Messiah, may surprise us; but it gives inexpressible weight to their after-testimony to a sufiering and dying Saviour. 35-45. Ambitious Eequest op Zebedee's Children, and the Keply. 35. the sons of Zebedee come, saying— M. -says their " mother came to him with her sons, worshipping him and desiring," &c., (M. 20. 20;. Salome was her name iJ\Ik. 15. 40; 16. 1). We caimot be sure with which of the parties the move- ment originated; but as our Lord even in M.'s account) addresses himself to James and John, making no account of the mother, it is likely the mother was merely set on by tiiem. The thought was doubtless suggested to her sons by the recent promise to the twelve of "thrones to sit on, when the Son of Man should sit on the throne of his glory," I\[. 19. 28; but after the reproof so lately given them ch. 9. 39], they get their mother to speak for them, do for us what we shaU desire— thus cautiously approacliing the sub- ject. 36. Though well knowing what she intended, our Lord ^\iJl have her utter before all the unseemly petition. 37. Thy right . . . thy left— i.e., assign them the two places of highest honour. ' One of these brethren had his usual place close to the Lord (J. 13. 23); the other was among the chosen three.' [Alf.J 38-40. How gentle the reply to such a request, and preterred at such a time, after the sad announcement just made ! Can ye drink . . We can . . Ye shall indeed drink, (fee- Here we see them owning their mother's petition for them as their o\ati; and doubt- less they were perfectly sincere in professing their wiUirfgness to follow their Master to any suffering He might have to endure. Well, and they shaU have to do it. 'The one of them was the first of the Apostles to drink the cup of suffering, and be baptized with the baptism of blood, A. 12. 1, 2; the other had the longest experience amon^ them of a life of trouble and persecution. L^Vlf.] For all this unworthy ambition they were blessed men, and their Lord knew it; and perhaps the foresight of what they wouJd have to pass through, and the courageous Christ's entry into Jerusalem. AUK, Xir. Par.ille of the ickkerf husJfandmpn, of him; and straightway he will seud him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose niin. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus bad commanded: and they let them ?o. 7 And they brouarht the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; <*and he sat upon him. S And * many spread their garments in the way ; and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed the/m in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that ibllowed, cried, saying, / Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of tlie Lord! LO Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord! " Hosanna in the highest! 11 And ''Jesus entered into JenTsalem, and into tlie temple : and when he had looked round about upon all thintcs, and .now the even-tide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. 12 ^ And » on the mon"ow, when they were come from Bethany, he was himgrv: 13 And > seeing a fig tree alar oil' having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 15 IT And * they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man Bhould caiTy any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, ' My house shall be called i of all nations the house of prayer? but "'ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And " the scribes and chief priests heard it. and sought how they might de- stroy him: for they feared him, because lill " the people was astonished at his doc- trine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 ^ And P in the momtng, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up trom the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith imto him, Master, behold, fhe fig tree wliich thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, 2 Have faith in God. 23 For « verily I say unto you. That who- Boever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea: and shall not doubt in his heart, but ehall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, ^ What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, • forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your a? CDAP. U. d 1 Kin. 1. 33. Zcch. 9. 9. e Mat. 21. 8. / J'E 118. 213. l»a G2. U. g Ps. 14.S. 1. h MhI. 21.12. t Mat. 21. 18 ) >Ut. 21.19. k Mat. 21.12. Lu. 19. 45. John 2. H. I Isa 56. 7. Isa. 00. 7. Zech. 2. 11. 2 Or, Have tho faith of God. g Mat. 17.20. Mat, 21.21. Lu 17. C. r Mat. 7. 7. Lu 11 9. John 11.13, JoliD 15. 7. John 1U.24. Jaiu. 1.5.ti. « Mat. (J. It. Tol. 3. 13. £|.h. 4 3-J t lUit. IH. 35. " Mat. 21. 2.i. Lu. 20. 1. 3 Or, thing V Mit a. 5. HUl. 14. 5. ch. 6.20. «" Job 5. 13. Heb.ll 3( Kom. 8. 3 Gal. 4. i. i *Ut. 21.45, ch 11. IS. John 7. 25, 30, 44. ; Mat. 22.16. La. SO. -J}. Father also which is in heaven may forgive you vour trespasses. 2G But «if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. 27 IT And they come again to Jerusalem: and" as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, 28 And say unto him. By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? 29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, 1 will also ask of you one !* question, and answer me, and 1 will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John, was it from hea- ven, or of men ? answer me. 31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying. If we shall say. From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not beheve him? 32 But if we shall say. Of men; they feared the people: for "all me^i counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. 3;^ And they answered and said unto Jesus, \Ve cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, "' Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. CHAPTER XII. 1 The parable of the vineyard. 13 Touching the paying of tri'/ute. 18 I'he Sadducees confuted. 35 A difficulty proposed to the scribes, etc. A ND " he began to speak unto them by ■^^ parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it. and digged apUice/or the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season ne sent to the hns- handmen ," servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and * killing some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, "his well- beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying. They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is <'■ the heir; come, let ua kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and * killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and /will give the vineyard unto others. 10 And have ye not read this scripture; The "stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: 11 This was the Lord's doing, and f^ it is mar\'ellou3 in our eyes? 12 And « they souglit to lay hold on him, but feared the peojile ; for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. 13 H And J they send unto him certain of the Phari-sees and of the Herodians, to catch liim in his words. 14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thuu ai't Amhit 0U-. rrqvcfd o,' Zchedre'if Ch ildrcn. IMARK, XI. TJie Barren Fig-Tree Cursed. was the cause of that gentleness which we cannot but wonder at in his reproof. 40. is not mine to give— to whomsoever I merely please, on a principle of farovritiim. but it shall be given to them for whom— lit., ' but to those for whom;' and the full sense must be supplied thus: 'but it is mine to pive to those for whom.' From this it wiU be seen how far our Lord is from disclaiming the right to assign co each his proper place in His Kingdom. On the contrary, He expressly asserts it; merely announcing that file principle of disiixbutlon is quite diffe- rent from what these petitioners supposed. for whom it is prepared— "of my Father," M. 20. 23. See M. 25. 34. In so saying, our Lord does not deny the petition of James and John, or say they shall not occupy the place in His kingdom which they now im- properly sought:— for aught we know, that may he their true place. All we are sure of is, that their asking it was displeasing to Him "towhomall judinneut is committed," and so was not fitted to gain their object, but just the reverse (L. li. 8-11.) 'One at least of these V rethren saw the Lord on His ■ ross—onHis right and left hand the cruci- ied thieves. Bitter indeed must have been the remembrance of this ambitious prayer at that moment!' [Als".] 41.the ten much dis- pleased.-' were moved ■with indignation' as che same word is rendered in M. 20. 24. And can we blame them? Yet there was pro- bably a spice of the old spirit of rivalry in it, which in spite of our Lord's recent len.sth- ened, diversified and most solemn warnings against it, had not ceased to stir in their breasts. 42—45. admirable -sAlsdom!— checking the hot quarrel, which doubtless would have broken out at this moment by calling them aU equally around Him and opening to them calinly the relation in which they were to stand, and the spirit they were to cherish, to each other in tne future work of His kingdom, holding forth Himself as the sublime Model both for their feeling and for their acting! they whicli are accounted to rule — ' are recogTiiued or acknowledge i as rulers.' lordship . . . authority— as superiors exercising an acknowledged authc rity over inferiors. But so it sh2.11 not be amr ng you—' In tiie Kingdom about to be set vp this principle ^tall luwe no place. jI' my servants shall tJierebeequal; and tlie only "greatness" knovm to it shall be the greatness of humility and devotedness to the service of others: He that goes down tlie deepest in these services of self- denying humility sJuill rise tlie highest and hold the "chief est" place in that kingdom; evenasthe Sonof Man, Whose abaementand set f -sacrifice for others, transcending all, gives Him of fight a place aX>ove all! your mini- ster—one holding a subordinate station, servant, or slave, a servant of the lowest m contrast with few or with all, but in op- position to one— tlie one Son of Man for the many sinners, to give Ms life a ransom for —or 'instead of.' The sacrificial and vica- rious VMture of Chrl^ts death is here ex- pressed by Himself as plainly as the -manner of his death is foretold a few verses before. And to say that this was merely in accom- modation to Jewish ideas, is to dishonour the teaching of our Lord, and degrade Juda- ism to a level with the rites of Paganism. 40-52. Blind Bartimeus Healed. See on L. 18. 35-43. CHAPTER XL Ver. 1-11. Christ's Tkiumphal Entrt INTO Jerusali::.!, and Bp.ief Notice of THE Sequel of xhat Day. See on M. 21. 1-11, 14-1". 12-16. The Barren Fig Tree Cursed, AND Lesson from it— Second Cleansing OF the Temple. 12-13. It was not now safe for the Lord to sleep in the City, nor, from the day of His Trimuphal Entiy, did He pass one night in it save the last fatal one. He was hungry— How was this? Had He stolen forth from that dear roof at Bethany to the " mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God;" (L. 6. 12.) or, "in the morn- ing," as on some occasions, " risen up a great while before day, and departed into a soli- tary place and there prayed," (Mk. 1. 35.), not breaking His fast thereafter, but bending His steps straight for the citj', that He might "work the works of Him that sent Him while it was day?" ;J. 9. 4.) We know not, though one lingers upon and loves to trace out the every movement of that life of wonders. One thing, however, we are sure of— it was real bodily hanger, which He now sought to allay by the fruit of this fi^ tree, "if haply He might find anj-thing thereon f not a mere scene for the purpose of teaching a lesson, as some early heretics maintained, and some still seem virtually to hold. And was there not another Fig Tree to which He came— not once only, but "lo! those three years— seeking fruit, and finding none';" (L. 13. 6, 7.) How really, how continuously, how keenly. He hungered for that fruit, is best understood by His lamentation over it. " How often would I have gathered these, and ye would not!" (M. 23. 37.) a fig tree— "one fig tree," says M. (21. 19, Marg.i having leaves— and therefore promising fruit, which generally comes before the leaves, for the time of figa was not yet— lit. 'was not.' "What the pre- cise meaning of this explanation is, inter- preters are not agreed. I'erhaps the most probable is— the fig-season or harvest had not arrived, and consequently they must have been sciU on the trt e if it had any at all, (Bethphage derives its name from its being a. tig-region.) 14. Jesus said, (fcc— That word did not make it barren, but it sealed it up in grade. Both terms are applied to our Lord, j its ovm barrenness. " Hearing ye shall hear & W.J came not to be Kiinistered unto, , and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall but to minister— As "the Word in tlie see and not perceive: For, the heart of this ginning %vith God," He ira ministered imto;! people is waxed gross, and their eves they i.ndas the risen Eedeemer in our nature, He I /lat-e closed, lest tfxey slwukl see with their \snow ministered unto, "angels and autho- ei/es," &c. A. 28. 26, 27. disciples heard it— rities and powers being made subject unto This is introduced as a connecting link, to liim " (1 Pe. 3. 22. ) But not for this came He ' explain what was afterwards to be said on hither: The Served of aU came to be tlie explain wnat was aiterwaras to oe saiu on the subject, as the narrative had to proceed Servant of aU ; and His last act %cas the gra nd- to the other transactions of thi.s day. 15-18. est Service ever beheld by tlie universe of God See on L. 19. 45, 48. 20. in the iuorning— of —•'He gave His Life a Eansom for | the day after the cursing of the fig tree. In ManyI" "Many" is here to be taken, not M. (21.19,20.) the whole is represented as JSi{j7ys of ChrLiVs cominrf. MARK, XIV. CHAP. 13. h Zi. 24. 12 Lu. 12. U. 11 But ''when they shall lead vou, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye pre- meditate; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ve: for it is not ye that speak, »but the Holy Ghost. 12 Now 3 the brother shall betray the : « Acts a. 4. brother to death, and the father the son ; Ana 4. 8, and children shall rise up against their \ . f}: , „ parents, and shall cause them to be put to J f^; J^^gi 13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my jlu 21. le. name's sake: but *he that shall endure *D»n. 12.12. unto the end, the same shall be saved. 2 Ti. 4 7,8. 14 H But f when ye shall see the abomina- 1 "/''• '^ ^' tion of desolation, '"spoken of by Dciniel j jA'. „ - the prophet, standing wlieie it ousht not, lu ' "• ' (let him that readeth understand.) then I Kev. 3 10. let "•them that be in Judea flee to the i J Mat. 24. 15. x.;„_ "» Dub. 9.27. « Ln. 21.21. Lu. 23. 29. P Deu.2.S.15 Dan. 9. 2G Dan 12. 1. Joel 2. 2. Jlat. 24.21. 9Lu 17.2a. Conspiracy agaivst Christ, mountains 15 And let him that ia on the house-top not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16 And let him that is in the field not ttiru back a^'ain for to take up his garment. 17 But "woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! 18 And pray ye that yom- flight be not in the winter. 19 For P in those days shall be affliction, Buch as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shor- tened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21 And * then, if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, Ae is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, ''if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But * take ye heed: behold, I have fore- told you all things. 24 II But « in those days, after that tribu- lation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And " then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the fom- winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. 28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender,and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: 29 So ye, in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30 Verily I say unto you, that this genera- tion shall not pass, till all these thmgs be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my " words sliall not pass away. 32 H But of that day and that hour know- elh no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33 Take "■ ve heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. &t For * the Son of man is as a man tak- mg a far .iourney, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every Lu. 21. 1 Pa. 1. 5. a 2 Pet 3.17. t D.m. 7. 10. Ze-i.h. 1. 15. Mai. 24. 29. Lu. 21. 25. tt D..D. 7. 13. Mat. 16 27. ch. 14. 12 Acts 1.11. 1 Thesa. 4. 16. V Is. 40. 8. Is. 51. 6. Pb. Ui2. 28. f Mat. 24. 42. Mat. 25 13. Lu. 12. 4'J. Lu. 21. iH. Ko. 13. 11. 1 Thes.5.6. * Mat. 24.45. Mat. 25.14. y Mat. 24. 42, 44. 2 Pet. 3. 1-18. Bev. 3. 3. man his work, and commanded the porteT to watch. 35 Watch »'ye therefore; for ye know not when the master of the house conieth, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crow- ing, or in the morning: 36 Lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto all. Watch. CHAPTER XIV. 1 A conspiracy against Christ: 3 a woman pour- eth ointment on his head: 10 Judas cmtenanteth to betray him: \2heeateth the passover: 22 ft. instituteth his sttpper: G6 i'eter thrice denieth A FTLR " two days was the feast of the ■^^ passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. 2 But they said. Not on the feast day, lest *here be an upropr of the peo]>le. 3 1' And * being in Bethany, m the house of Simou ihe leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman ha%'ing an alabaster box of ointment of i spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and pomed it on his head. 4 And there were some that had indigna- tion within themselves, and said. Why was this waste of the ointment made? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred "pence, and have been given to the poor. And they mmmmed a.gainst her. 6 And .Jesus said. Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For d ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9 V'erily I say unto you. Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. 10 H And * Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to be- tray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him / money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. 12 IT And " the first day of unleavened bread, when they Skilled the passover, his Lu. 22. 1. JohnU.55. John 13. 1. b Mat. 2IJ. e. Lu 37. a Mat. 26. 2. i disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his dis- ciples, and saith unto them. Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bear- ing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house. The Master saith. Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat '' the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will show you a large upptr room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and fomid as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 17 And »iu the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesua Jchnl2.1,3. 1 Or, pure c Mat. 18. 28. d Deu 15.11. e Mat. 20 14. /Zech. 11.12. 1 Ti. 6. 10. JuJe 11. 8 Lu. 22. 7. 2 Or, sarriBced. ft Ex. 12. 6. Lev. 23. 5. i Mat. 'J6.-J0. The Great Commandment, d-c. »iAPK. xni. Signs of Christ's Coming. as deirancling the same affection, and only the extension of it, in its proper measure, to the creatures of Him whom we thus love, our brethren, in the participation of the same nature, and neighbours, as connected with us by ties that render each dependent upon and necessary to the other, as thyself — therefore, not "' with all thy heart," <tc. Thus, this IS a condemnation of the idolatry of the creature. Our uttermost affection is to be reserved for God. As sincerely ' ourselves " we are to love all mankind, and ^vith the same readiness to do and suffer for them as we should reasonably desire them to show to us; 'the golden nile'— M. 7. 12— being here our best interpreter of the nature and extent of these claims, none other com- mandment greatef than these—" On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets," M. 22. 40; q.d., 'This is all Scrip- ture in a nutshell.' It is the whole law of human duty in a portable, pocket fomi; so simple that a child may understand it, so brief that laU may remember it, so compre- hensive as to embrace all possible cases. And from its very nature it is unchangeable. It is inconceivable that God should require from his rational creatures anything less, or, in substance, anything else, under any dispen- sation, in any icorld, at any period throughout eternal duration. He cannot but claim this, all this, alike in heaven, in earth, and in hell! And this incomparable summary of the divine law belonged to theJev:iih Religion! As it shines in its own self-evidencing splendour, so it reveals its own true source. The Religion from which the world has re- ceived it could be none other than a God- givenReligion. 32,33. more than all whole burnt- offerings aud sacrifices— more than all positive institutions; thereby showing his insight in- to the essential difference between what is moral and in its own nature unchangeable, and what is obligatory only because enjoined and only so long as enjoined. 34. discreetly — rather, 'sensibly.' not far from the kingdom of God— for he had but to folloxo out a little further what he seemed sincerely to own, to find his way into the Kingdom; learning to say, with another eminent scribe afterwards, (1.) *' For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnaf, sold under sin." (2.) "O wretched man that I am ! AVho shall de- liver me ?" i3.) " I thank God through Jesus Christ!" (E. 7. 14, 24, 25.) Perhaps among the "great company of the pi-iests" and other Jewish ecclesiastics who "were obe- dient to the faith," almost immediately after the day of Pentecost (A. 6. 7, this up- right lawyer was one. But for all his near- ness to the Kingdom of God, it may be he never entered it. none after that durst ask Mm— all felt they were no match for Him, and that it was vain to enter the lists with Him. 35-37. Christ Baffles the Phakisees BY A QUE.STION ABOUT DAVID A_ND MES- SIAH, bee on L. 20. 41-44. 38-40. Denunciation of ihe Sckibes. See on L. 20. 45-47. 41-44. The Widow's Two Mites. See on L. 21. 1-4. CHAPTER Xin. Ver. 1-31. See on M. 24. 1-36; and L. 21. 6-36. 32. neither the Son— This is a very remarkable addition to the statement a6 given by M. (24, so.) Whether it means that the Son was no< at that time in possession oj the knov-hd^e referred to, or that it was not among the things which He had received to communicate— has been matter of much controversy even amongst the firmest be- lievers in the proper divinity of Christ. Be- yond all doubt, as the word " know" in this verse is the well-known word for the know- ledge of any fact, the former sense is the one we should naturally put upon the statement; namely, that our Lord did not at that time know the day and hour oi" His ovna. second coming. But the nature of the case— meaning by this the speaker, his subject, and the probable design of the statement in question —is always allowed to have its weight in determining the sense of any doubtful utter- ance. What, then, is the nature of this case? (1.) The Speaker was One who, from the time when He entered on His public minis- try, spoke ever, acted ever, as One from whom nothing teas hid; andtouhom theichole administration of the Kingdom of God was committed, from first to last: nor when Peter ascribed omniscience to Him, J. 21. 17,, can he be supposed to have pointed to any enlargement of the sphere of His Lords knowledge since His resurrection, or to aught save what He had witnessed of Him "in the days of His flesh." (2.) There seems nothing so peculiar in the knowledge of the precise time of His second coming, much less of the destruction of Jerusalem, xfthis onhjbe immediately in view,"! more than of other things which we are certain that our Lord knew at that time, that it should be kept from Him while those other things were all full before His view. We are ill judges of such matters, but v. e are obliged to give this con- sideration some weight. So far as we may presume to judge, there was no benefit to the disciples to be gained by the concealment —as certainly there could be no danger to Himself from the knowledge— of the precise time of His coming. But 3.) when we have familiarised ourselves with our Lord's way of speaking of His communications to men. we shall perhaps obtain a key to this remark- able saying of His. Thus: "And what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth-" "I speak to the world those things that I have heard of Him;" " The Father which sent me. He gave me a commandment what I should say. and what I should speak." (J. 3. 32; 8. 26; 12. 49.) And in a remarkable prophecy-— Is. 60. 4.— in which beyond doubt He is the Speaker— He represents Himself as receiving His instructions daily, being each morning instructed what to communicate for that day. In this view, as the precise time of His coming was certainly not in His instructions; as He had not "seen and heard!' it, and so could not "testify" it, as He had no com- munication from His Father on the stibjcct— might He not, after saying that neither men nor angels knew it, add that Himself knew it not, without the danger of lowering even in the minds of any of his half-instructed dis- ciples, the impression of His Omniscience, which every fresh communication to them only tended to deepen? What recom- mends this opinion is not any inconsis- tency in the opposite opinion with the sup- reme divinity of Christ. That opinion might quite well be maintained, if only there appeared sufficient ground for it. But wliile the one argument in its favour is the appa- fns'itutityii of the Lord's supper. MAKR, XIV. Judas oeirays Clirist said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sonowful, and to say unto him one by one, /s it 1? and another said. Is it 1? 20 And he answered and said unto them. It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The i Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been boni. 22 H And * as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said. Take, eat: this -^ is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them. This is ^my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily . I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that 1 drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 IT And »" when they bad sung an *hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27 And "Jesus saith unto them. All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, " 1 will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But P after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But 9 Peter said unto him. Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him. Verily I say unto thee. That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently. If I should die with thee, 1 will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 32 IT And ^ they came to a place w hich was named Gethsemaue: and ne saith to his disciples. Sit ye here, while « I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, « Aly soul is ex- ceeding soiTowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went fora'ard a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the horn- might pass from him. 3e And he said, "Abba, Father, "all things are possible unto thee ; take away this cup from me: "'nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them Bleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. *The spirit truly is ready, but the tiesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he retmued, he found them asleep agam, (for thek eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and Baith unto them. Sleep on now, and take vour rest: it is enough, i'the hour is come; behold, the Son of man ia betrayed into the hands of sinners. 40 CHAP. 14. j Gen. 'J3.15. is». 5a. 1-12. Dan. 9 S6. Zech.13. 7. NUt. 26.24. Lu. 22. 22. k Mat 26.26. Lu.22. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 23. 3 Or, repro- 1 Cor. 10. 4,16. I Heb. 9. 14. "' JUt.26..-«. 4 Or, pealm. 1 Mat. 26.31 isB. 53. 2-10. Dan. 9. 26 Zech. 13. 7. P eh. 16. 7. 9 AUt. 26. 33, 34. Lu. 22. 33, John 13, 37,38. r Mat. 26. 36. Lu. 22. 39. John 18. 1. 8 Heb. 6. 7. t John 12.27. " Rom. 8.15. Gal. 4. 6. " Heb. 5. 7. w Johns. 30. John 6. 38. a: Rom. 7. 23. Ga! 5. 17. i/ John 13. 1. » Mat. 26. 46. Johnl8.1,2. a Mat. £6.47. Lu. 22 47. John 18. 3. 5 Rabbi, Rabbi. iMat. 23.10. John20.16. b 2 Sa. 20. 9. « Mat. 26. 55. Lu. 22. 52. d Ps, 22. 6. Is. 53. 7. Dan. 9. 26. Lu. 22. o7. Lu. 24. 44. « P». 88. 8. / Alat. 26.67. Lu. 22. 54. John 18 13. g Mat. 26.59. A Dan. 6. 4. 1 Pet. 3.16, i Ps. 35. 11. Pro. 6. 19. Pro. IB. 5. J ch. 15. 29. John 2. 19. k Mat. 26.62. I Is, 53, 7. 1 Pet. 2. 23. ™ Mat.26.03. n Mat. 24.30. Mat 2G.64. Lu. 22. 69. o Lev. 24. 16. Acts 6. 13. P Is. 60. 0. Is. 53, 3, 9 Mat. 26. 42 Rise ''up, let us go; io, he that be- trayeth me is at hand. 43 H And " immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a gieat multitude with sworda and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the ciders. 44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying. Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he ; take him, and lead him away safely. 45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, 6 Master, master; and f> kissed him. 46 And they laid theii' hands on him, and took him. 47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a secant of the high priest, and cut off" his ear. 48 And * Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but <* the Scriptm-es must be fulfilled. 50 And * they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And there lollowed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. 53 H And / they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. 5i And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himseli at the fire. 55 And ^ the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and ''found none: 56 For many bare » false witness against him, but their witness agreed not to- gether. 67 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, 58 We heard him say, V I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made with- out hands. 59 But neither so did their witness agree together. 60 And * the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these wit- ness against thee? 61 But ' he held his peace, and answered nothing. ""Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him. Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: "and ye shall see the Son of man silting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further wit^ nesses? 64 Ye have heard "the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. 65 And some began to P spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him. Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. ( V And ? as Peter was beneath in the Bdraml^fCliTist MAEK. XIV. He isBrmidht hefore Caiphns: rent sense of the words— a strong argiiment to nvxkc a case, found none— tliat would si 't however— everytlung else which one is accus- their purpose, or make a decent ground uf tomed to take into account, in weighing the charge before Pilate. 56. many bare fa'<-e sense of a doubtful saying, is in favour of a j witness against Him— bribed, we are led to modified sense of the words in question. | conclude from their debasing theo'velves to 33-37. These verses are peculiar to Jlk. but ; ''seek" them; though there are never v,-ant- the substance of them is in M. 24 42 -61, aad i ing sycophants enough, ready to sell theni- L. 21. 34-30, See on L. 12. 35-10; 42-46. CHAPTEE, XIV. selves for naught, if they may but get a smile from those above them: see a similar Ver. 1, 2. Conspiracy of the Jewish ' scene, A. 6. ll. their witness agreed not to- AuTHORiTiES TO PUI Jesus TO Deaxh, gather— If even fu-o of them had been agreed Spfi on T\r 9fi 9-.;; , j^ -would havc been greedily enough laid hold of, as all that the law insisted upon even in capital cases, Deu. 17. 6. But even in this they failed. One cannot but admire the providence which secured this result; since, on the one hand, it seems astonishing that those unscrupulous prosecutors, and their ready tools, should so bungle a business in which they felt their whole intere.sts bound up, and, on the other hand, if they had succeeded in making even a plausible bee on M. 26. 2-5, 3-9. The Anointino at BEiHAjnr. See on M. 26. 6-13, and on J. 12. 1-8. 10, 11. Judas Agrees with the Chief Priests to Bexray His Lord. See on L. 22. 3-6. 12-26. Last Celebration of the Pass- over— Announce>ient OF THE Traitor —Institution of the Supper. See on L. 22. 7- 23 and on J. 13. 21-30. 27~£2. Desertion op the Disciples, AND Fall of Peter Foretold— Agony | case, the eftect on the progress of the Gospel in the^GaFvDen. See on M. 26. 31-46, and might for a time have been injurious. But ing, " God hath forsaken Him; persecute and take Him; for there is none to deliver Him " (Ps. 71. 11 -He whose Witness He was and on L. 22. .'l«46. 43-52. Betrayal and Apprehension of Jesus— Flight of His Disciples. 43-50. See on L. 22. 47-54, and on J. 18. 1-12. 51, 52. A singular incident, peculiar to JNIk. Tlie general object of introducing it is easily seen. The flight of all the Apostles, recorded in the preceding verse, suggested the mention of this other flight, as one of the noticeable incidents of that memorable night, and as showing what terror the scene inspired in aU wTio were attached to Jesus. By most interpreters .it is passed over too slightly, whose work He v.as doing was keeping Him as the apple of his eye, and, while he was making the wrath of man to praise Him, was restraining the remainder of that WTath (Ps. 76, 10. . 57. And there arose certain- M. is more precise here : ''At the last came two false witnesses." As no two hud before agi-eed m anything, they felt it necessary to secure a duplicate testimony to something, and One thing is stamped on the face of it— it is they were long of succeeding even to this the narrative of an eyewitness of what is , extent. And what was it? 58. I will destroy described Tlie mention of the fate of one I this temple that is made with hands and individual, and him a certain young man." j within, dc— On this charge, observe d.) that, (expressively put m the original 1 of his single! eager as his enemies were to find piece of dress, and that of " linen," of the precise parties who laid hold of him, though many ancient copies omit the parties,) and how he managed to make a hair-breadth escape, even though it obliged him to part with all that covered his nakedness— this singular minuteness of detail suggests even more than the pen of an eye-witness. It irresistibly leads to a further question— Had the writer of this Gospel himself nothing to do with that scene ?— ^ To me,' says Olshau matter against our Lord, they had to go back to the outset of his ministry, his first visit to Jerusalem, more than three years before this. In all that He said and did after that, though ever increasing in boldness, they could find nothing; 2.) that even then, they nx only on one speech of two or three words, which they dared to adduce against Him. (3.) j-heymost manifestly pervert the speech of our Lord. We say not this because— in JMk. 's ^^ ^ ... r-- ■ -V tJ- -.r — ^o™^ of it— it differs from the report of the SEN. it appears most probaUe that ?i€re I words given by the Evangelist John-, J. 2 18- Mark }rrites concerning himself.' a linen! 22 ,the only one of the Evangeli.sts who reports cloth- They were wont to sleep in linen i it at all, or mentions even any visit paid by clothing^ and in this condition this youth our Lord to Jerusalem before liis last— but had started up from his bed. [Grot.] the because the one report bears evident truth young men — the attendants of the chief and the other evident falsehood, on its face' priests, mentioned J. 18. 3. 52. fled naked ' When our Lord said on that occasion ' De- _ r, ^^„ „ ,._ , gj.j,^y ^jjjg temple and in three days 1 will raise it up," they might, for a moment, have understood him to refer to the temple out of whose courts He had swept the buyers and sellers. But after they expressed their astonishment at Ms saj-ing, in this sense of it considering the time it had taken to be built as it then stood, and no answer to this ap- pears to have been given by our Lord, it is hardly conceivable that they should con- tinue in the persuasion that this was really His meaning. i4.) But even if the more Ignorant among them had done .so, it is next to certain that the ecclesiastics, who were the prosecutors in this case, did not believe that this teas His meaning. For, in less than three days after this, they went to Pilate, — ' In great danger, fear conquers shame. [Beng. I 63-72. Jesus before Caiaphas— Con- demned TO Die and Shamefully En- treated—Fall of Peter. 53. led Jesus away to the high-criest — i. e. Caiaphas, as appears by comparing what follows ^^■ith the corresponding passage of M. But "'they led him away to Annas first, his father-in- law, probably for the reasons mentioned on M. 26. 57; and with him, and not Caiaphas, that important scene recorded J. 18. 19-23 appears to have occurred. 54. See on L 22. 64, 65 65. sought witness— " sought false witness," says M. (26. 59.) They knew they could find nothing vaUd; but having their Prisoner to bring before Pilate, they behoved Christ accvised before r'iUile. MARK. XV. palare. there cometh one of the maitla of t)ie hi^h priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming him- Belf, she looked upon him, and said. And thou iUso wast with Jesus ofls'azareth. 68 But he denied, saying, 1 know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And ""a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of tliem. 70 And he denied it again. • And a little after, they that stood by said again to Teter. Surely thou art one of them: ' for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thevto. 71 But " he began to curse and to swear, faying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And 6 when he thought thereon, he wept. CHAPTER XV. J Jesus it brought frounrf and aeeused before Filate: 6 Fiiate, prevailed on by the people, giveth up Jesus to be crucified i [7 he is crowned with thorns. '.T crucified between two thieves: 43 he is hQnuurcU>ly buried. AND * straightway in the morning the ""■ chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole coun- cil, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. '2 And t> Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, * Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but <* ne answered nothing. 4 And * Pilate asked him again, saying, Answcrest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But /Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. 6 H Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they de- sired. 7 And there was one named Barabbas, tvhich laif bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire him to do aa he had ever done unto them. 9 But Pilate answered them, sajing, Will ye that 1 release unto you the King of the Jews? 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for ^ envy. 11 But « the chief priests moved the peo- ple, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. L.' And Pilate answered and said again unto them. What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call > the King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14 Then Pilate said unto them. Why, what evil hath he done? And theycriedout the more exceedingly. Crucify him. 15 And so Pilate, * willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. 16 i[ And the soldiers led him away into 41 CHAP. 14. r Mat. '.i;.71. John \A-£>. • Mat. MJ-i. Lu. 22. 59. John IS.l^. e judg.vj.6. Acts 2. 7. u Pro. 20.26. . Cor. 10. abundilit- ly, or, ho weep. Eze. 7. 16. Zcch. 12. 10. 2 Cor.7.10. CHAP. 15. a P«. 2. 2. Mat. 21.38. Mat. 27. 1. Acts 3. 13. Acts 4. 26. 6 Mat. 2711. e\ Ti 6. 13. d 1 Pot. 2.23. e Mat. 27.13. f I». 53. 7. John 19. 9. ff Mat. 27. 16. Lu. 23. 17. John ia.39. h Acts 7. 9, 1 John 3. 12. i Mat. 27.20. Acts 3. 14. j Jor. 235,6. Mic. 6. 2. * Pro. 29. 25. I Mat. 27. 32. Lu. 23. 26. m Ro. 16 13. n John 19.17. Act. 7. 68. Heb.13.12. P.. 69. 21. p P». 22. 18. Lu 23. 34. 1 ftlat. 27.45. Lu. 23. 44. John 19.14. r Deu. 23. 5. Mat. 27.37. « Is. 53. 12. Lu. JZ 37. t P». 22 7. u ch 14. 58. John 2. 19. » Mat 27.44. Lu. 23. 39. Heb. 12. 3. 1 Pet. 2.23, VJ Lu. 23. 44, * Ps. 22. 1. V Mat. 27.48. John 19.29. » Ps. 09. 21 o Lu. 23. 46. b Ex. 26. 31. Eph.2. 14. Hob. 6. 19. Heb. 10.19. c Mat. 27 64 d Lu. 23. 49 * Ft. 38. 11. nis crncifxion, the hall called Pretorium; and they call together the whole band. 17 And they clothed him with purple, and E bitted a crown of thorns, and put it about is hea/i, 18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took otl' the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. 21 And '■ they compel one Simon a Cyre- nian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander •" and lliifus, to bear his cross. 22 And ''they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted. The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him "to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24 And when they had crucified him, theyP parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25 And « it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26 And *■ the superscription of his accusa- tion was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, 'And he was numbered with the transgressors. 29 H And « they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah! thou " that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross. 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes. He saved others ; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And "they that were crucified with him reviled him. 33 IT And "" when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, sajing, *Eloi! Eloi! lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted. My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me? 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 36 And ^ one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and * gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. 37 And "Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And 6 the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. 39 TI And 'when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said. Truly this miui was the Son of God. 40 There ''were also women looking on afar ' oil: among whom was Alary Magda- lene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 2'i: 'Jes us Before rUate. JMA FvK, XV. Hi s Cnwi fixkm and Deaih. Bcaying, "Sir. we remember that that de- See A. 3. 14. is; He was theri^lecukrofa ceiver_said,while he was yet^ahve, after three yang, for our verse speaks of those who had ,(le ct((Vs I ifill rise again" ;M. 27. C3!. They; made insurrection ^vith him." (4.) He was ejseak of this not as a casual speech, once! "a notable" or 'notorious' character M 27 Uttered, but as what he had given out re- 16. 8. the multitude, <tc.— This is peculiar to folding his fate, and what was well enough JNlk., and enables us vi\idly to realise the uo-\vn amongst themselves. No doubt it rising of the popular excitement before was fuU in their minds at the very time which Pilate, reluctant as he was, eventually when it was agreed to bring up against him gave way. lliis clamour for the exercise of tlus old speech; and in this view, one can his usual clemency at tlie feast probably hardly have a doubt that by tliis time, at ! suggested to Pilate the thought of another least, they were perfectly aware that our { way of saving his conscience. ' I find no Ijoi-d lefeired to his death by their hands aiLdlf&ultiahim; but even if guilty, I offer liim his resurrection by his own. But this is con- j to you as the prisoner of my choice, for re- fi! med by the next verse. 59. But neither so ! lease at the feast, in compliance with you r did their witness a^ee together —" fc-o," 'in| vociferous demands, ^yill ye, then, that 1 asserting this' e. they varied in the I release imto you the King of the Jews terms in which it was expressed. [AxF.JIHe gave them their choice ot " Barahbas ov But in this ca,se, everything depended on the \ Jesus v,hich is called Christ" (M. 27. 17), to very terms alleged to have been used. For ev( ry one must see that a very slight turn, either way, given to such words would make them either something like indictable matter, or a ridicxdous ground for a criminal charge —would give them a colourable pretext for the charge of impiety wliich they were bent on nialdng out, or make tlie Avhole saying appear, on the worst view that could be taken of it, as merely some mystical or eoipty boast. 60. the high-priest stood up . . . Answerest thou nothing ? . . . what is it these witness against thee?— Clearly, they felt that their case had failed, and by this artful ciuestion the high-priest hoped to get from his ou-n mouth what they had in vain tried to get from their false and contradJ.;tory •witnesses. But in this, too, they failed; for "He held His peace, and an.swered no- thing, V. 61. Again the high-priest asked hi-m, <fcc.— On this question, and oni'. 62- G.i, see on L. 22. 63-71. 66-72. !<ee on L. 22. 65-62. CHAPTEE XV. Ver. 1-5. Jesus befoiie Pilate. See on J. 18. 28, &c. 1. in the morning held a council — IL 3 M'hole Sanhedrim. Having already de- cided at their night-meeting, on indicting Him before Pilate, they now met again, to prepare their plans and frame their charge. 2. Pilate askea Him, dzc.—Hee on J. 18. 33-38. 3. The silence of Jesus was the most dii^ni- fied and speaking reply to such clia^'ges as they had to bring. 5. answered yet notliiiig— rather, ' nothing more,' that is, than He haa answered to Pilate, v. 2. marvelled greath'— already persuaded, probably, of his inno- cence, and surprised he did not refute their charges. 6-21. Jesus aoaii^ before Pilate— De- livered UP— Mocked by the Soldiers —Led away to be Crucified. To relieve himself. Pilate now sends the Prisoner to Herod, to whose jurisdiction he had learnt, from a casual remark of his prosecutors, that he belonged, andwho happened to be at Jerusalem at that time. (See on L. 23. 6-12.) But Herod declined, in proud contempt, to do more than make merriment of Him— before Whom himself must in turn one dav stand, and who may then "laugh at his calamity, and mock when his fear cometh." On this, Pilate judicially pronounces Jesus innocent (L. 23. 13-15). and here comes in the scene now before us. 7. Barabhas— This man was (l.) a robber, J. 18. 40. (2.) He was "in prison and bound" for ''sedition made in the city" (L. 23. 10), and for "murder committed by him in the insurrection." a hame them into releasing Jesus ; for he knew that tor envy they had delivered him, V. 10, jealous of His popularity and afraid for their own. 12. to him whom ye call the Kin? of the Jews— Bitter this, for it was just what they could not endure, and Pilate was sharp enough to see it. See v. v. 13. In L. 123. 21) the shocking cry is redoubled. 14. His re- monstrances are waxing I'ccblcr, and soon he will yield the point. Tliey sec it. and bury his question in a storm of " Crucify him!" See L. 23. 23. What a scene! M. adds two important particulars here u^I. 27. 24-2G,: (1.) " When Pilate saw that lie could prevail nothing"— his liumiliating l.'elplessness was manifest to him.self— '* but that rather a tumult was made, ho took water and washed his hands befcrc tJifc multitude, saj-ing, 1 am innocent of tl.'O Llood of this just person; see ye to it"— 'tis r.ot so easy, O Pilate, to wash out sin, much h.ss th.e iimo- cent blood of the Holy One of Cod! But thy testimony to Him, and to the uneasi- ness of thine own conscience in condemning Him, we accept with all thankfulness— to a Higher than thou.' (2.) " Then answered all the people and said. His blood be on us and on our children." O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how heavy has that word been to tliee I And the dregs of that cup of fury, volun- tarily called aoym. upon thine own head, are not all di-unken yet. "But thou, U Lord, how long?" 15. willing to content the people, delivered Jesus to be crucified— against all jus- tice, against his own conscience, against his pronounced judicial decision t'lat Jesus was innocent. See the emphatic statement of L. 23. 25. when he had scourged him— In otter- ing this less injustice before L. 23. 10. 22 , as a substitute for a greater, J^late was tlie \'ictLm of conflicting emotiou.s. But 7iow that he has brought himself to perpetrate the greater, can we expect him to stick at the less ? And so, amidst the conflict of human passions and the advancing tide of crime, the Scripture was fuljillcd which said, da Messiah's name, many hundred years before He came into the world, "I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks tc them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting." lis. 60. 6.) 16-21. See on J. 19. 1-16. 22-37. Crucifixion and Death of the Lord Jes us. See on L. 23. 26. 32-46; and ou J. 19. 10-30. 38-41. SioNS AND Circumstances Fol- lowing Hi3 Death. See on M. a?, 6i.6(j; andouL.23. M-^.i CIt list's resurrection. MARK. XVI. His ascension into heaven. 41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed/ him. and ministered unto him;) anil many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. 42 % And '^ now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, which also ''waited for the kiujjdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were al- ready dead: and, calling unto him the cen- turion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And » he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was' laid. CHAPTER XVI. J An angel declaretk the resurrection of Christ to three women: 9 he apjaeareth to Mary Magda- lene, VI to two of his disciples going into the eountr;/, 14 and to the eleven, whom he commis- siotielh to preach the Oospel to all the world; 19 his ascension into heaven; the Gospel is preached. A ND "when the sabbath was past, Mary •^•*- Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, * had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And * very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us aw ' of the sepulchr 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And <* entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were artrighted. 6 And ' he saith auto them. Be not af- CHA)'. 15 /Luke 8. 2. a John 19. CHAP. 16. a Alat. 28. 1. 6 tu. 2a. 56. "John 20.1. (/ Lu 24. 3. e Mat. 28. 5. / .)..lni 2. 19. y .Mat. 26.32. ch. 14. 28. h .Mat. 2S. 8. i John 20.14. j Lu. 8. Z k Lu. 24. 11. I Lu. 24 36. 1 Cor. 15.5. 1 Or, together. m John 15. 16. nCol. 1.23. o John 3. 18, 30. Acts 2. 38 Acta 16 31). Rom. 10. 9. 1 Pet. 3.21. p John 12.48. 9 Lu. 10. 17. Acts 6. 16. r Act. 2. 4. Acts 10 16. Acts 19. 6. 1 Cor. 12. 10, 28. « Acta 28.5. t Arts 9. 17. Jam. 6. 14. « Acta 1.2,3. V Lu. 24. 61. wPs. 110. 1. Acts 7 55. Htb. 1.3. Rc». 3. 21. « Alts 14. 3. 1 Cor. 2. 4,5. Heb. 2. 4. frighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, whit-h was crucified: he is /risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Gali- lee: there shall ye see him, "as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulclire ; for they trembled and were amazed: '' neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. 9 f Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, »he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, >out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And * they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 IT After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and tcld it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14 IF Afterward *he appeared unto the eleven as they sat i at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And "* he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, ♦* and preach the Gospel to every creature. 16 He " that belie veth and is baptized shall be saved ; P but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe: «In my name shall they cast out devils ; '' they shall speak with new tongues : 18 They * shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; 'they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 % So then, " after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was "received up into hea- ven, and "> sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord workuig with them, and ' confirming the word with signs fol- lowing. Ameu. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. LUKE CHAPTER I. 1 Ia^'s preface. 6 The conception of John Bap- tist, 26 and of Christ. 57 The nativity and circumcision of John. 64 The mouth of Zacharias opened: 67 Aw prophecy. TfORASMUCH as many have taken in •*- hand to set forth in order a declaration of " those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Kven 6 as they delivered them unto us, which 'from the beginning were eye-wit- nesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It <* seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee • in order, most/ excellent Theophilus, 4 That «' thou mightest know the cer- t.iinty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 12 CHAP. J. 1 Ti. 3. 16. b Heb. 2. 3. 1 Pet. 5. 1. 2 Pet. 1.16. c John 15.27. <i 1 Cor. 7. 40. e Acta 11. 4. /Actal. 1. g John 20.31. A Mat. 2. 1. i Neh. 12. 4. j 2 Ki. 20. 3. ft 2 Chr. 8. li. 1 Ex. 30. 7,8. 17. 5 IT T'lIERE was, » in the days of Herod •^ the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, • of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both / righteous be- fore God, walking in all the command- ments and ordinances of the Lord blame- less. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren ; and they both were noiv well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that, while he exe- cuted the priest's oifice before God *in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was ' to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And ""the whole multitude of tha CLrist's llesui-rectloii. J^rARK, iLVI. Bis Ascension into Heaven, 42-47. BuKiAL OF CHRIST. See on L. 23. 50-52. 55. 56; & J. 19. 31, 39 41. CHAPTER XVI. Ver. 1-8. A-N-GELio Announcement to THE "Women that Christ is Risen. 1. sabbath past— i.e. at sunset of our Saturday. had bought— simply ' bought ;* but, as ap- pears from L. 23. 56. immediately after the Crucifixion on Friday evening, and only deferring the anointing till tlae sabbath- rest should be over. Mary Magdalene. See on L. 8. 2. Mary the mother of James— "James the less. ch. 15, 40, the same probably with " the son of Alpheus," ch. 3. 18. Salome— "the mother of Zebedee's children." James and John ; as is next to certain from comparing ch. 15. 40. with M. 27. 56. auoint— See on J. 19. 40. 2. at the ris- ing of the sun— not literally, but at earliest dawn; according to a way of speaking not uncommon, and occurring sometimes in the O. T. Thus our Lord rose on tlie third day ; having lain in the grave part of Friday, the whole of Saturday, and part of the following day. 3, 4. said among themselves— on their way to the sepulchre. Though the stone was too great for them to remove, without which their spices had been useless, they come not- withstanding ; discussing their difficulty, yet undeterred by it. On reaching it they find their difficulty gone— the stone already rolled away by an unseen hand. And are there no others who, when advancinq to duty in the face of appalling difJicaUies,Jind their stone also rolled av:ay ? 5. a young man — " the angel of the Lord," as M. (28. 2, culls him, but here described just as he appeared to the eye, in the bloom of a life that knovjs no de- cay. In M. he is represented as sitting on the stone outside the sepulchre; but since even there he says *' Come, see the place where the Lord lay," M. 28. 6.! he seems to have gone in with them from without [Alf.], only awaiting their arrival to accompany them into the wondrous spot, and instruct them about it. on the right side— having respect to the po- sition in which His Lord had lain there. This trait is peculiar to Mk. But cf. L. 1. 11; M. 25. 33. long— Isa. 6. 2. white— See on M. 28. 3. affrighted— a stronger word than " fear" in M. 28. 5. 7. and Peter— il/fc.'s Go-q)el being drawn up (as all the earliest tra- dition states) under the eye of Peter, or from materials chiefly furnished by him, there is something d.ej:ply a.tf'ecting in the preservation of this little clause by Mk. alone, as well as in the clause itself, which it is impossible not to connect with the cloiid under which Peter lay in the eyes of the eleven, not to say in his own also. Doubtless the " look " of Jesus, and the "bitter weeping" which followed upon it, fL. 22. 61, 62.) contain- ed all the materials of a settlement and reconciliation; but s^ich wounds are. not easily healed ; and this was but the first of a series of medicinal touches, the rest of which will follow anon. 9-20. Appearances of Jesus after His Resurrection — His Ascension— Trium- phant Proclamation of His Gospel. 9. first to Mary Magdalene— there is some diffi- culty here, and different ways of removing it have been adopted. She had gone -w-ith the other women to the sepulchre {v. 1.) ; parting from them, perhaps before their in- terview with the angel, and finding Peter and John, she had come with them back to the spot ; and it was at this second visit, it would seem, that Jesus appeared to this Mary as detailed m J. 20. 11-18. To a woman was this honour given to be the first that saw the risen Redeemer- and that woman %vas not his virgin mother. 11. believed not— this, once and again repeated of them all, is most important in its bearing on their subsequent testimony to His resurrection, even unto death. 12, 13— See on L. 24. 13, &c. 14. 15— See on J. 20. 19-23, and L. 24. 36-49. 16. be- lieveth and is baptized— baptism is here put for the external signature of the inner faith of the heart, just as " confessing with the mouth" is in R. 10. 10 ; and there also as here this outward manifestation.once mentioned, as the proper fruit of faith, is not repeated in what fol ows, R. 10. 11. saved . . . damned— These awful issues of the reception or rejec- tion of the Gospel, though often recorded in other connections, are given in this connec- tion only by Mk., as also the "signs" enume- rated in v. 18. 19. See on L. 24. 50. (fee. the Lord —applied to Jesus by ]\Ik. himself in this and the following verses only, sat on the right hand of God— here only related, but after- wards perpetually referred to as a glorious fact. 20. the Lord— t/^e Lord Jesus, (see on v. 19.) a most important link of connection with the Acts of the Apostles, where He who di- rected all the movements of the infant Church is perpetually styled " the Lord;" thus illustrating his own promise for the founding and building up of the Church, " Lo, I AM AViTH YOU alway!" THE GOSPEL ACCOPvDING TO S. LUKE CHAPTER L Ver. 1-4. It appears from the Acts of the Apostles and the Apostolic Epistles, that the earliest preaching of the Gos- pel consisted of a brief summary of the facts of our Lord's eartlily history, with a few words of pointed application to the parties addressed. Of these astonishing facts, notes would naturally be taken and digests put into circulation. It is to such that Luke here refers; and in terms of studied respect, as narratives of what was •* believed surely," or " on sure grounds" I 42 among Cliristians, and drawn up from the testimony of " eye-witnesses and ministerins servants of the word." But when he adds that "it seemed good to him also to write in order, having traced do^\Ti all things with exactness from their first rise," it is a virtual claim for his own Gospel to su- persede these " many" narratives. Accord- ingly, while not one of them has survived the wreck of time, this and the other cano- nical Gospels Hve. and shall live, the only fitting vehicles of those life-bringing facts which have made all things new. Apocryph al F John the Baptist's bb-th foretold. LUKE, I. Mary's song of thanksgiving. the Eeople were praying without at the time of icense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord stautling on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zachariassaw/iim, "he was tn lubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 lint the angel said unto him. Fear not, Zacharias: for "thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Ehsabeth shall bear thee a sou, and thou shalt call his name John. U And thou shalt have joy and gl and many siiall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be ^ great in the sight of the Lord, and « shall drink neither wine nor strong diink; and he shall be tilled with the Holy Ghost, *■ even from his mother's womb. l(j And 'many of the children of Israel filiall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And « he shall go before him in the siiiiit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts 01 the fathers to the children, and the dis- otjedient ifo the wisdom ot the just; "- make ready a people prepai-ed for "■ Lord. IS And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby "shall 1 know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in yiars. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, 1 am ^ Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidmgs. 20 And, behold, * thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fultilled in their season. 21 And the people ^ waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tai'ried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not siieak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple ; for he beckoned unto them, and remained speech- less. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the * days of his ministration were accom- plished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Ehsabeth conceived, and hid herself live months, sayiu", 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to " take a>vay my reproach among men. 2(> If And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a * virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin's name was ^lary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said. Hail! thou that art 2 highly favoured, tne Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women! 29 And when she saw him, sue was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her. Fear not, ilary; for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, 'behold, thou shak conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt c»ill his name JESUS. a! lie shall be ^ great, and shall be called i3 CHAP. 1 » Dan. 10. Gen. •^.■n. 1 Sa 1 19. P Mat. 11.11. q Nu. 6 3. JuJ? 13.4. ch. 7. Xi. r Jer. 1. 5. Gal. 1. 15. « Mai. 4. 5,li. (Mat 11.14. Mark 9. 12. 1 Or, by. •Mat. IS.IO. Heb. 1. 14. « Eze. 3. 26. £ie 24.27. V -Nu. b. 23. 2 2Ki. 11 5. a Gen. 30.23. 6 U. 7. 14. Mat. 1. 18. a Or, graciously a-'cepte*!, c Gal. 4 4. d 1 Ti. 6. 15. Phil 2. 10. e 2 Sa. 7. U. Pi. 132. 11. 1b. 9. 6, 7. Is. 16. 5. Jer. 23. 5. Kev. 3. 7. f Dan 2. 44. Dan. 7. 14. Oliad. 21. Mic. 4. 7. Jolm 12.34. g Mat. 14.33. Mat. 26.03. »lark 1. 1. Jolm 1. 34. John 20 31. Acta 8 37. Kom 1.4. h Gen. ia.l4. Jer. 32.17. Zech. 8. 6. R.mi. 4.21. t Joah 21. 9. Acts »» Mai. 3. 12. ch 11.27. o Gen. 17. 7. El. 20. 6. Ps. 103.17, P Ps. 93. 1. Pa. 118.15 9 Ps. 33. 10 1 Pet 5. 5 r 1 Sa. 2. 6. Pa. 113. 0. e Ps. 34 10. t Ps. ys. 3. Jor. 31. 3, the Son of the Highest: and ' the Loid God shall give unto him the throne of his father DaA-id: 33 And /he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 31 Then said Mary unto the angel. How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, ana the power of the Highest shall over- shadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the ^ Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old ai,'e: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For ''with God nothing shall be im- possible. 38 And Mary said. Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; he it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 39 II And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hiU country with haste, » into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacha- rias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisa- beth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was hlled.'' with the Holy Ghost; 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, * Blessed artthou among women, and blessed is the tiuit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she <*that believed: for there shall be a performance of those thhiga which were told her from the Lord. 4(5 % And Mary said, * My soul doth mag- nify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For " he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden : for, behold, from henceforth " all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ; and holy is his name. 50 And " his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He ^nath showed strength with hia arm: 'he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of theur hearts. 52 He ''hath put down the mighty from Iheir seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He * hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his ser^-ant Israel, * iu remembianee of /iis mercy, 55 As " he spake to om- lathers, to Abra- ham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57 U Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered ; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed gr»at mercy upon her; and they rejoiced witn her, 59 And it came to pass, that "on the eiglilh (lay thiy came to cutiancise toe John the Baptises LUKE, I. Lirih Fo'rdold. or spurious gospels, upheld by parties Tin- friendly to the truths exhibited in the cano- nical(>ospels have noiperished; but thosewell- meaut and substantially correct narratives here referred to, used only while better were not to be had, were by tacit consent allowed to merge in the four peerless documents which from age to age, and \vith astonishing unanimity, have been accepted as the ■^^Titten Charter of all Christianity, to set forth iu order— more simply, ' to draw up a narrative. ' from the beginning— that is, of His public ministry, as is plain from what follows, from the very first— that is, from the very earliest events ; referring to those precious details of the birth and early life, not only of our Lord, but of his forerunner, which we owe to Luke alone, iu order— or " consecutively"— in contrast, probably, with the disjointed productions t' < wliich he had referred. But this must not be pressed too far; for, on comparing it with the other Gospels, we see that in some particulars the strict chronological order is not observed in this gospel, most excellent — or ' most noble '—a title of rank applied by this same writer twice to Felix and once to Festus (A. 23. 26; 24. 3: 26. 2.5.). It is likely, tliere- fore, that " Theophilus " was chief magi- strate of some city La (rreece or Asia Minor. [w. & w.l that thou mightest know—' know thoroughly.' hast been instructed— * orally instructed '—?if. 'catechized' or ' catecheti- cally taujiht,' at first as a catechumen or candidate for Christian Baptism. Ver. 5-25. Announceme-nt of the Foke- RUNNER. 5. Heroa— See on M. 2. l. course of Abia— or Abijah— the eighth of the twenty- four orders or courses into wliich David divided the priests. See l Chr. 24. 1, 4, 10. Of these courses only four returned after the captivity Ezra, 2. 36-39.), which were again subdivided into twenty-four— retaining the ancient name and order of each. They took the whole Temple-service for a week each, his wife was of the daughters of Aaron— The priests might marry into any tribe, but ' it was most commendable of all to marry one of the priest's line.' [Lft.] 6. commandments and ordinances — Tlie one expressing their mo )'a?— the other their ceremonial obedience. FCal. Beng.] cf. Ez. 11.20; He. 9. 1. It has been denied that any such distinction was known to the Jews and N. T. writers. But Mk. 12. 33, and other passages, put this beyond aU reasonable doubt. 7. So with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Elkanah and Hannah, Manoah and his wife. 9. his lot to burn incense — The part assigned to each priest in his week of service was decided by lot. Three were employed at the offering of incense— to remove the ashes of the former service; to brinw in and place on the golden altar the pan lilled with hot burning coals taken from the altar of burnt-offering; and to sprinkle the incense on the hot coals; and, while the smoke of it ascended, to make intercession for the people. This was the most distinguished part of the service (Eev. 8. 3,) and this was what fell to the lot of Zachaiias at this time. [Lft.] 10. praying without— outside the court in front of the temple, where stood the altar of burnt- otlering; the men and women in separate courts, but the altar visible to all. the time of incense- which was offered along with tlie morning and evening sacrifice of everyday: 43 a beautiful symbol of the acceptableness of the sacrijice offered on the altar of burnt- offering, with coals from whose altar the incense was burnt (Le. 16. 12, 13.). This again was a symbol of the "living sacrifice" ol themselves and their services offered daily to God by the worshippers. Hence the language of Ps. 141. 2; Re. 8. 3. But that the accept- ance of this daily offering depended on the expiatory virtue presupposed in the burnt- otfering, and pointing to the one " sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour," (Eph. 5. 2 i is evident from Is. 6. 6, 7. 11. right side— the south side, between the altar and the candle- stick, Zacharias being on the north side, in front of the altar, while offering incense, [w. & w.] But why there? The right was the favourable side, M. 25. 33. [Sch. & AVetst. in Mey.i, cf. JVIk. 16. 5. 13. thy prayer is heard- doubtless for offspring, which by some presentiment he even yet had not despaired of. John— the .same as " Johanan," so frequent in the O. T., meaning ' Jehovah s gracious gift. 14. shall rejoice— so they did [v. 58, 66.) ; but the meaning rather is. ' shall have cause to rejoice '—it would prove to many a joyful event. 15. ffreat in the sight of the Lord— nearer to Him in offi- cial standing than all the prophets. See on M. 11. 10, 11. drink neither wine, &c.— i.e., shall be a Nazarite, or ' a separated one,' Num. 6. 2, (fcc. As the leper was the living symbol of mn, so was the Nazarite of holiness: nothing inflaming was to cross his lips; nc rizor to come on his head ; no ceremonial defilement to be contracted. Thus was he to be " holy to the Lord ceremonially all the days of his separation." Tliis separation was in ordinary cases temporary and volun- tary: only Samson (Ju. 13. 7.), Samuel (1 Sa. 1. 11.), and John Bai tist, were Nazarites from the womb. It was fitting that the utmost severity of legal consecration should be seen in Christ's forerunner. He was the Reality and PerfectioxV of the Nazarite without the symbol, which perish- ed in that living realization of it:—" Such an High Priest became us, who was sepa- rate from sinners" (He. 7. 26.). filled with Holy Ghost from womb— a holy vessel for future service. 16,17. A religious and moral refoom- er, Elijah-like, he should be (Mai. 4. 6. where the " turning of the people's heart to the Lord" is borrowed from l Ki. 18. 37.) In both cases their success, though great was partial— the nation was not gained, before Him— before " the Lord their God," v. 16. By comparing this with Mai. 3. 1, and Is. 40. 3, it is plainly " Jehovah " in the flesh ol Messiah [Cal.; Olsh.1 before whom John was to go, as a herald to announce his ap- proach, and a pioneer to prepare his way. in the spirit— after the model, and power of Elias— not his miraculous power, for " John did no miracle" iJ. 10. 41.) but his power in •' turning the heart." or with like success in his ministry. Both fell on degenerate times; both witnessed fearlessly for God; neither appeared much save in the direct exercise of their ministry : both were at the head of schools of disciples; the success of both was similar, fathers to the children— taken lUe- rady, this denotes the restoration of parental fidelity [Mey. &c.], the decay of which is the beginning of religious and social corruption- one prominent feature of the coming revival beiug put for the whole. But what follows. Zaeharias's prophecy of John. LUKE, 11. The birth of Jems Christ, ctiild ; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her. There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, sajiiig. His name is John. And they mar\'elled all. 64 And hia mouth was opened imme- diately, and his tongue loosed, and he Bpake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these * sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of J udea. 66 And all they that heard them ^ laid them up in their hearts, saying. What manner of child shall t his be! And * the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 1[ And his father Zacharias ^ was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, say- 68 lilessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salva- tion for us in the house of his servant l;a\'id: 70 As * he epake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began; 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To " perform the mercy promised to GUI' fathers, and to remember his holy covenant. 73 The A oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our ene- mies, might " serve him without fear, 75 In "^holiness and ritrhteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest: for * thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wais: 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, & by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the 6 tender mercy of our God, whereby the 7 dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To /give light to them that sit in dark- ness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. _ 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto IsiaeL CHAPTER IL 1 Augtistus taxeth the Roman empire. 6 Christ's nativity: i!l Ms circumcision: Hi he questioneth tfte doctors, etc. A ND it came to pass in those days, that •^^ there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be 1 taxed. 2 [And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into J udea, UJito * the city of David, which is called 44 CHAP. 1. 4 Or, things. f cli. 2. 19. « Gen. 39. 2. Ps. 80. 17. Ps. 89. 21. Act. 11. 21. V 2 Chr. 20. 14. Joel 2. 28. « Jer. 23. 6. Jer. 30. 10. Dan. 9. 24. Acts 3. 21. Rom. 1. 2. 1 Lev. 26.42. b Gen. 12. 3. Heb. 6. 13. c Rom. 6. 18. Heb. 9. 14. d Je .32. Bl'h. 4. 24. 2 Thess. 2. 13. 2 Ti. 1. 9. Tit 2. 12. 1 Pet. 1.15. 2 Pet. I. 4. « Is. 40. 3. Mai. 3. 1. JVIat. 11.10. 6 Or, tor. 6 Or, boweU Nu. 24. 17. l9. 11. 1. Zech. 3. 8. Zoch. B.12. Mai. 4. 2. fla.9.2. CHAP. 2. 1 Or, enrolled in order to be Uxed. Acts &. 37. a 1 Sa. 16. 1. Mic. 5. 2. 6 M.it. 1. 10. « Gal. 4. 4. d Is. 53. 2. 2 Cor. 4. 4. 2 Or, the night e Gen. 12. 3. Col. 1. 23. f Is. 9. 0. g Phil. 2. 11. A Gen. 28 12. Pa. 103.20. Dan. 7. 10. He 1 John 4.9. 3 the men the shep- l Mat. 1. 21. •» Lev. 12. 2. n £i. 13. 2. o Is. *). 1. Mar. 15. 43. P Ps. 89. 48. Beb. 11. 5. Bethlehem, (* because he was of the house and lineage of David,) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And '^she brought forth her first-bom son, and wrapped him in swaddliiis< clothes, and laid him in "'a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 IT And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping 2 watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tid- ings of great joy, ' which snail be to all people. 11 For /unto you is bom this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, «' which is Chiist the Lord. 12 And this sMll be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And '» suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth » peace, } good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, 3 the shepherds said one to another. Let us now go even unto Dethlehem. and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they tliat heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 21 ir And * when eight days were accom- Elished for the circumcising of the child, is name was called ' JLSDS. which was so named of the angel before he was con- ceived in the womb. 22 And when "• the days of her purifica- tion according to the law of Aloses were accomplished, they brought him to Jeru- salem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it 13 written in the law of the Lord, Every " male thatopeneth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to ofl'er a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons. 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jera- salem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, " waiting for the consolation of Israel: ana the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not^ see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Anvvrrinffon of Christ. LTTKE, I. Visit of Mary to Elizahcfh. explanatory of this, rather sut'J,'ests afig^ira- 1 of a double Sonship, as some do, harshly atul tire sense. If "the disobedient" be "thai without all ground, nor deny what is here children," and to "the fathers "belongs "the plainly expressed, the connection between wisdom of the just" [Beng.], the meaning His human birth and His proper personal will be, 'he shall bring back the ancient Sonship. 36. thy cousin— * relative,' but how spirit of the nation into their degenerate near the word says not. conceived, <fcc.— this „T,;i.i — . rr-., i.„ i t;- t^'""*- '—i--' was to MaiT an toisottff/ti sign, in reward of her faith. 37. for, (fcc— referring to what was said by the angel to Abraham in like case, Ge. 18. 14, to strengthen her faith. 38. Mar- vellous faith in such circimistances ! 39--56. Visit of JLvry to Elizabeth. 39. hill country— the mountainous tract run- ing along the middle of Judea, from N. to S. [^Y. &. ^Y.] with haste — transported with the announcement to herself and with the tidings, now first made known to her, of Elizabeth's condition, a city of Juda— pro- bably Hebron (see Jos. 20. 7; 21. 11.) 40. saluted Elizabeth— now returned from her seclusion, v. 24. 41. babe leaped — From v. 44, it is plain that this maternal sensation was something extraordinary— a sympathetic emotion of the unconscious babe, at the presence of the mother of his Lord. 42-44. \Vliat beautiful superiority to envy have we here ! High as was the distinction conferred upon herself, Elizabeth loses sight of it children.' [Cal., Szc] So Elijah invoked '"the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," when seeking to " turn their heart back agam" (1 Ki. 18. 36, 37. . to m^ke ready, &:c.— more clearly, ' to make ready for the Lord a prepared people,' to have in readiness a people prepared to welcome Him. Such preparation requires, in every age and every soul, an operation corresponding to the Bap- tist's ministry. 18. whereby, <tc.— Mary be- lieved what was far harder without a sign. Abraham, though older, and doubtless Sarah too, when the same promise was made to him, "staggered not at the promise of God through unlielief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. " This was what Zach- arias failed in. 19. Gabriel— signifying ' man of God,' the same who appeared to Daniel at the time of incense (Da. 9. 21.). and to Mary, V. 26. stand, fcc— as his attendant, cf. 1 Ki. 17. 1. 20. dumb—' speechless.' not able— de- prived of the power of speech, v. 64. He : ^^ ^.,„, ^„„ ^^^^^ „^„ „. ^v asked a sign, and now he got it. until the altogether, in presence of one more honoured day, (tc— see on v. 64. 21. waited— to receive \ stiU; upon whom, with her unborn Babe, in from him the usual benediction, Nu. 6. 23-27. an ecstasy of inspiration, she pronounces a tarried so long— it was not usual to tarry long, benediction, feeling it to be a wonder unac- lest it should be thought vengeance had countable that " the mother of her Lord stricken the people's representative for j should come to her." ' Turn this as we will, something wrong. [Lft.] 22. speechless ,, „ , ^ ^ .shaUnever be able to see the propriety of dumb,' and deaf also, see v. 62. 24. hid calling an unborn child "Lord," but by five months— till the event was put beyond doubt and became apparent. 20-38. Anxu>-ciatiox of Christ. See on M. 1. IS- 21. 26. sixth month — of Eliza- beth's time. Joseph, of the house of David- see on M. 1. 16. 28. highly favoured— a word only once used elsewhere (Eph. 1. 6 " made accepted") : cf. v. 30. "Thou hast found fa- vour with God." The mistake of the Vul- gate's rendering,' full of grace,' has been taken abundant advantage by the Romish Church. As the mother of our Lord, she was the most "blessed among women" in external dis- tinction ; but let them hear to the Lord's own words, " Nay rather blessed are they supposing Elizabeth, like the prophets of old, enlightened to perceive the Alessiah's Divine nahire.' [Olsh.I " llie mother of my Lord"— but not "My Lady" icf 20. 42; Jo. 20. 28./. [Beng.] 45. An additional bene- diction on the Virgin for her implicit faith, in tacit and delicate contrast with her own husband, for, &c.— rather, as in the margin, 'that.' 46-55. A magnificent canticle, in which the strain of Hannah's ancient song, in like circumstances, is caught up, and just slightly modified and sublimed. Is it imna- turalto suppose that the spirit of the blessed Virgin had been dra^vn beforehand into mysterious sjnnpathy with the ideas and the that hear the word of God and keep it." See | tone of this hymn, so that when the life and on L. 11. 27. 31. The angel purposely con- 1 fire of inspiration penetrated her whole forms his language to Isaiah's famous pro- soul it spontaneously swept the chords of phecy, ch. 7. 14. [Cal.] 32, 33. This is but this song, enriching the Hymnal of the an echo of the sublime prediction. Is. 9. 6, 7. Church with that spirit-stirring canticle 34. How, &c. — not the unbelief of Zacharias, which has resounded ever since from its " Whereby shall I know this?" but, taking temple walls? In both songs, those holy the fact for granted, ' How is it to be, so con- 1 women, filled with wonder to behold "the trary to the unbroken law of human birth ?' j proud, the mighty, the rich," passed by. and. Instead of reproof, therefore, her question is i m their persons, the lowliest chosen to answered La mysterious detail. 35. Holy ; usher in the greatest events, sing of this as Ghost— see on M. l. 18. power of the highest— ; no capricious movement, but a great law oj the immediate energy of the Godhead con- [ the kingdom of God, by which he delights to rgy ' r Gl veyed by the Holy Ghost, overshadow— a " put doion the mighty from their seats and word suggesting how gentle, while yet effica- 1 exalt them of loiu degree. " In both son'4S cious, would be this Power P5eng.}-, and its the strain dies away on Christ- in Hah- mysterious secrecy, withdrawn, as if by a nah's, under the name of "Jehovah's King"' to whom, through all his line, from David ... .-„ ^^„ exalt cloud, from human scrutiny. [Cal.] that holy thing bom of thee—' that holy Offspring onwards to himself. He will "give strengi of thine.' therefore. Son of God— That Clirist j His "Anointed," whose horn He wiU e the Son of God in his divine and eternal (1 Sam. 2.10); in the Virgin's song, it is as the .ture is clear from j,ll the N. T.; yet here *'Help" jjromised to Israel by all the pro- my spirit — "all that is nature we see that Sonship efflorescing into human phets. My soul . , ^ and palpable manil'estation by his being ; within me " ,Ps. 103. l.\ my Saviour— Mary, born, through " the power n oy of th e Highest, ' | poor heart, never dreamt, we see, of her an Infant oi days. W e must neither°tliink ! own ' immaculate conception '—in the offen- 41 B'rfh avrl Circnmnsnnn of John. LUKE, 11. five language of the Koinanists— any more than ot her own immaculate life, holpen— cf. Ps. 80. 19.i *' I liave laid help on One that is mighty." As He spake to our fathers — 27* c scu e reQuircs this clause to be read as a Vaiaithesis. \Ci. Mi. 7. 20 ; Ps. 98. 3.) for ever— the i erpetuity of Messiah's Idngdom, as expre;:sly promised by the angel, v. 33. 66. abode with her about three months— What an honoured roof was that which, for such a period, overarched these cousins! and j'et not a trace of it is now to be seen, while the progeny of those two women— the one b\it the honoured pioneer of tlie other — have made the world new. returned to her own house— at Nazareth, after vlikh took place what is recorded in M. l. 18-25. 57-80. BtRXH AJSD ClRCUMClSlOX OF JOHN — bONG OF ZACH ARIAS, AND PROGRESS OF THE Child. 69. eighth day— The law iGe. 17. 12,; was observed, even thou.uh the eighth day after birth should be a Sabbath J. 7. 23., and see Ph. 3. 5.;. called him— /*(. "were calling"— i.e., laswe should say) 'were for calling.' The naming of children at baptism has its origin in the Jewish custom at circumcision (Ge. 21. 3, 4,) and the names of Abram and Sarai were changed at its first performance ^Ge. 17. 5, 15.). 62. made signs — showmy: he was deaf, as well as dimib. 63. v/ondered all — at his giving the same name, not knowing of any communication between them on the subject, mouth opened immediately— on thus palpably showing his full faith in the vision, for disbelieving which he had been struck dumb (v. 13. 20.;. 65. fear— religious awe; under the impres- sion that God's hand was specially in these events icf. ch. 5. 26; 7. 16; 8. 37.). 66. hand of the Lord with him— by special tokens marking him out as one destined to some great work (1 Ki. 18. 40; 2 Ki. 3. 15; A. 11. 21.). 68-79. There is not a word in this noble burst of divine song about his own child ; like Elizabeth losing sight entirely of self, in the glory of a Greater than both. Lord God of Israel— the ancient covenant -God of the peculiar people, visited and redeemed— t. e., in order to redeem: returned after long absence, and broken his long silence see on M. 15. 31.;. In the O. T., God is said to '■ visit" chiefly for judgment, in the N. T. for mercy. Zacharias would, as yet, have but imperfect views of such " visiting and redeeming," " saving from and delivering out of the hand of enemies" (I\, 74.!. But this O. T. phraseology, used at first with a lower reference, is, when viewed in the light of a loftier and more comprehensive king- dom of God, equally adapted to express the most spiritual conceptions of the redemp- tion that is in Christ J esus. horn of salva- tion— i. e., ' strength of salvation,' or 'mighty Salvation,' meaning the iSaviour Himself, whom iSimeon calls "Thy Salvation" ch. 2. 30.). ITie metaphor is taken from those animals whose strength is in their horns (Ps. 132. 17; 75. 10; 18. 2. . 69. house of David Song of Znrharins. efr. on oath to Abraham and his seed, to be realised at an appointed period; and at length, in " the fulness of the time," glori- ously made good. Hence, not only grace," or the thing promised; but " tndh," or JidelUy to the promise, are said to " come by Jesus Christ" iJ. 1. 17. j. that He woidd grant us, &c.— How comprehensive is the view here given ! (l.i The piirpose of all redemption — "that we should serve Him"— i. e., "the Lord God of Israel" v. 68.). The word signifies religious service distinctively—' the priesthood of the N. T.' [Beng.J i2.) Tlie nature of this service — "in holiness and righteousness before Him'— or, as in His presence icf. Ps. 56. 13.). (3.) Its freedom— "being delivered out of the hand of our enemie.s." (4.) Its Jearlessness —" might serve Him without fear." i5.) Its duration — "aU the days of our life." 76-79. Here are the dying echoes of this song; and very beautiful are these closing notes— like the setting sun, shorn indeed of its noon tide ratUance, but skirting the liorizon Avith a ■wavy and quivering l:ght— asof molten gold —on which the eye delights to gaze, till it disappears from the view. Tlie song passes not here from Christ to John, but only from Christ direct, to Christ as heralded by his forerunner, thou child— not " my son "—this child's relation to himself being lost in his relation to a Greater thun either. Prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go before him — i. e., "the Highest." As "the Most High" is an epithet in Scripture, only of tlie supreme God, it is inconceivable that inspira- tion should apply this term, as here undeni- ably, to Christ, unless he were " God over all blessed lor ever" lEo. 9. 5.). to give know- ledge of salvation— to sound the note of a needed and provided " salvation," was the noble office of John, above all that pre- ceded him; as it is that of aU subsequent ministers of Christ; but infinitely loftier was it to be the "Salvation" itself ^v. CO, and ch, 2. oO. . by the remission of sins— ITiis stamps at once the spiritual nature of the salva- tion here intended, and explains v. 71, 74. Through the tender mercy, A:c. — the sole spring, necessarily, of all salvation for sin- ners, day-spring from on high, <fcc.— either Ch rist Himself, as the " Sun of righteousness " (Mai. 4. 2.) arising on a dark world [Bez., Grot., Calv., De W.^lsh., &c.1, or the light which He sheds. Tlie sense, of course, is one. 79. (cf. Is. 9. 2; M. 4. 13-17.) 'That St. Luke, of all the Evangelists, should ha^ e obtained and recorded these inspired utter- ances of Zacharias and Mary— is in accord- ance with his character and habits as indicated in v. 1-4.' hv. & w.] 80. And the child, (Kc— ' a concluding paragraph, indicat- ing, in strokes luU of grandeur, the bodily and mental development of the Baptist; and bringing his life up to the period of his public appearance.' IOlsh.] in the deserts —probably "the wilderness of Judea" jNI. „. „ ^^, ^ . „„. „ 3. 1.1, whither he had retired early in life. This shows tluit 'Mary must have been known in the Nazarite spirit, and where, free from <o fee o/(/iero(/«//ine, independent of Jo.seph;[ rabbinical influences and alone with God, of whom Zacharias, if he knew anything, ] his spirit would be educated, Like Moses in could not know tliat after this he would j the desert, for his future high vocation recogni.se Slary. since the world began ' from the earlie.st period.' the mercy pro- mised ... his holy covenant . . . the oath to Abraham- The whole work and kingdom of Messiah is represented as a mercy pledged his showing unto Israel— the presentation of himself before his nation, as Messiah's forerunner. ,^ CHAPTER n. Ver. 1-7. Birth of Christ. 1. Cesar Birth of Christ LUKE, n. Anodic AnnunciaHon, Augustas— the first of the Roman Emperors. • 8-20. Angelic An->;uxciation to thg all the world— so the vast Eoman Empire was Shepherds — their Visit to the Nkw- termed.' taxed— 'enrolled,' or "register them- born Babe. 8 Abiding in the fields— stay- selves.' 2. first.. when Cyrenius, <fcc.— a very ing there, probably in huts or tents, watch perplexing verse, inasmuch as Cj'renius, or by night— or, ' night-watches,' taking their Quirinus, appears not to have been governor turn of watching. From about Passover of Syria for about ten years after the birth of time in April until autumn, the flocks pas- Christ, and the " taxing" under his admini- tured constantly in the open fields, the shep- stration was what led to the insurrection herds lodging there all that time. (From mentioned in A. 5. 37. That there icas a this it seems plain that the period of the taxing, however, of the whole Roman Em- year usually assigned to our Lord's birth is pire under Augustus, is now admitted by too late, i Were these shepherds chosen to all ; and candid critics, even of sceptical have the first sight of the blessed Babe with- tendency, are ready to allow that there is not out any respect to their own state of mind? likely to be any real inaccuracy in the state- That, at least, is not God's way. ' No doubt, ment of our evangelist. Many superior like Simeon iv. 25, they were among the scholars would render the words thu.s, 'This waiters for the Consolation of Israel' [Ol.sh.J; registration was previous to CjTenius being and, if the simplicity of their rustic minds, governor or Syria'— as the word 'first" is their quiet occupation, the stillness of the rendered in J. 1. 15 ; 15. 18. In this case, of midnight hours, and the amplitude of the course, the difllculty vanishes. But it is deep blue vaidt above them for the heavenly perhaps better to suppose, with others, that music which was to fill their ear, pointed the registration may nave been ordered with them out as fit recipients for the first tidings a view to the taxation, about the time of our of an Infant Saviour, the congenial medita- Lord's birth, though the taxing itself— an tions and conversations by which, we may obnoxious measure in Palestine— was not suppose, they would beguile the tedious carried out till the time of Quirinus. 3 went... to his own city— the city of his extrac hours would perfect their preparation for the unexpected \isit. Thus was Nathanael tion, according to the Jewish custom, not engaged, all alone but not unseen, under the of his abode, which was the usual Roman fig-tree, in unconscious preparation for his method. 4, 5. Not only does Joseph, who first interview with Jesus. <See on J. 1. 48.). royal line, go to Eetlilehem 1 Sam. i So was the rapt seer on his lonely rock " in but IVIriry too— not from choice surely ' the spirit on the Lord's day," little thinking was of the royal line, go to Eetlilehem 1 Sam. i So was the rapt seer on his lonely rock 16 1,1 but IVIriry too— not from choice surely ' the spirit on the Lord's day," little think..,o in her condition, but, probably, for personal that this was his preparation for hearing be- s herself an heiress, espoused hind him the trumpet-voice of the Son of enrolment, as wife— now. without doubt, taken honie to Man Re. 1. 10, .tc. . * But if the shepherds in _._.,_.. 6. while. .1' &c.— Mary had up to this time been livin^ at the wrong place for :Messiah's birth. A little longer .stay at Nazareth, and the pro- phecy would have failed. But lo ! with no intention certainly on her part much less of Cesar Augustus, to fulfil the prophecy, she is brought from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and at that nick of time her period arrives, and her Babe is born Ps. 118. 2.J.). 'Every him, as related M. 1. 18. ; 25. 6. while, .there, ! his immediate neighbourhood haathe iirsi, j„. Ti,r„„.. v.. J .._ ._ .i_.-_ x..__- ,, . ,.„■ the sages from afar had the wj:< sight of the new-bora King. Even so still, simplicity first, science next, finds its way to Christ. AVliom In quiet ever and in shade Shepherd and Sage may find They, who have bowed untaught to Nature's sway. And they, who follow Truth along her etar-pav'd way.— A'e'jZe. creature walks lilindiold; only He that dweUs 9. glory of the Lord—' the brightness or glory in light knows whether they go.' [Bp. Hall.] which is represented as encompassing all 7. first born— So M. 1. 25,26, yet the law, in [heavenly visions.' [OlshJ sore afraid— .so speaking of the first born, regardeth not | it ever was (Da. 10. 7, 8 ; L. i. 12 ; Re. 1. 17.) whether any were bom after or no, but only 2Men have never felt easy with the invisible that none were bora before. [Lft.] wrapt ; world laid suddenly open to their gaze. It him., laid him— the mother herself did so. Had was ne^*er meant to be permanent; a mo- .she then none to help her? It would seem so. mentary purpose was all it was intended to (2C0.8 9.). araanger— 'thenianger,'thebench serre. 10 to all people— ' to the whole people ' towards which the horses' heads were tied '" '^ ' , .. -. on which their food could rest.' [w. & w. t.e.,of Israel; to be by them afterwards opened ^ . -, up to the whole world. (See on v. 14.! n no room in the inn— a square erection, open unto you is born, <tc.— you shepherds, Israel inside, where travellers put up, and whose mankind. [Be.ng.] cf. Is. 9. 6, "Unto us a back parts were used as stables. The ancient Child is bom." It is a Birth—" Tlie Word is tradition, that our Lord was bom in a grotto ; made .rfes/i,." 'Wlien? "This day." Where' or cave, is quite consistent with this, the " 1 7i the dty of David"— in the right K?tfi and country being rocky. In Mar^s condition at the right spot: where prophecy bade us the joumey would be a slow one. and ere they look for Him. and faith accordingly expected arrived the inn would be pre-occupied— aft'ec ting anticipation of the reception He was throughout to meet with {J. 1. 11.). Wrapt in His swaddling bands. And in His manger laid. The hope and glory of all lands Is come to the world's aid. No peaceful home upon His cradle smiled, Guests rudely went and came where slept the royal Child.— A-«6?«. But some 'guests went and came.'no^ 'rudely,' but reverently. God sent visitors of his own to pay court to the new-born King. at Him. How dear to us should be these histo- ric moorings of our faith! With the loss of tliem aU substantial Christianity is lost. By means of them how many have been kept from making shipwreck, and attained to a certain external admiration of Him. ere yet they have fully " beheld his glory." a Savi- our—not One who shall be a Saviour, but • bom a Saviour." Christ the Lord—' magni- ficent appellation !' [Beng.] 'This is the only place where these words come together; and I see no way of understanding this Lord but as corresponding to the Hebrew F^melm mid Amm prnphpfi/ of Cht-ist. LUKE, ITT, Prcachivg of John the nn< list. '27 And he came by «the Spirit iuto the tt-mple: and when the parents brontrlit in the child Jesns. to do for him aiitr the custom of the law, '2S Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, •jy Lord, *■ now lettest thou thy sen-ant depart in peace, according to thy word: •H) For mine eyes ■ have seen thy salva- tion^^ 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; 32 A « light to lighten the GentUes, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled Ht those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother. Behold, this chUd is set for the "fall and risini? again of many in Israel: and for "a sign which shall be spoken against; 3-5 (Yea, ** a sword shall pierce through thy owTi soul also,) that * the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. M And there was one Anna, ^ a pro- phetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the t! ibe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years fiom hermginity; 37 And she teas a widow of about four- score and four years, which departed not from the temple, but 8er%'ed God with fastings and prayers ' night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that " looked for re- demption in < Jerusalem. 33 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon him. 41 IT Now his parents went to Jerusalem every 6 year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after tne custom of tbe feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and iiis mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, * both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And "'all that heard him were aston- ished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him. Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, tny father and I have sought thee Borrowmg. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about * my Father's Dusiness? 50 And /they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and CHAP. 2- q K«v. 1. 10. Phil. 1. 23. Rev. 14.13. » l3. 52. 10. ActB 4. 12. t Is. 9. 2. Acts 13.47. « Is. 8. 14. Has. 14. 9. Rom. 9.32. 1 Cor .1.23. 2 Cor.2 16. I Pet 2.7.8. V Acts 28.22. »«- Ps. 42. 10. John 19. 25. » 1 Cor. 11. 19. V Ex. 15. 20. 2 Acta 25. 7. 1 Tim. 5.5. a Mar. 16 43. ch. 24. 21. 4 Or, Israel. 6 Deu. 16. 1. c la 11. 1-4. d M»t. 7. 28. M.r. 1. 22. John 7. 15. « John 2 16. John 4 34. John 8. 29. /ch. 9. 45. ch. 18. 34. a Dan. 7. 28. CHAP. 3. « John n. 49. John 18.13. Acta 4. 6. 6 Mai. 4 6. Mat. 3. 1. Mark 1. 4. Acta 13.24. Acta 19. 4. Cch. 1. 77. d la. 40. 3. Mat. 3. 3. Mark 1.3. John 1.23. « Ps. 98. 2. Is. 62. 10. f Mat. 3. 7. k Mat. 7. 19. t Acts 2. 37. ;■ 2 Cor. 8.14. Jam. 2. 15. I John 3. 17. * Mat. 21.32. J Mic. 6. 8. ch. 19. 8. 2 Or, Put no fear. "» Ex. 23. 1. L6v.19.ll. 3 Or, allowance. 4 Or. in 5 Or, rea- debatod. n Mat. 3. 11. o 1 C«r. 12. 13. P Mic. 4. 18. came to Nazareth, and was subject uuto them: but his mother "kept all these say- ings in her heart. 52 And Jesus A increased in wisdom and 6 stature, and in favour with God and man. CIIAPTEK III. 1 John'/ preaching atui baptism: 16 his testimony 0/ Chrxft. 19 Herod imprisoneth John. 'liChrist IS b'lptized; 23 his genealogy. "M O \V^ in the fifteenth year of the reign of -'^ Tiberius Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip jtetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetraich of Abilene, 2 Annas " and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zachari;\s in the wilderness. 3 And * he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repent- ance ' for the remission of sins; 4 As it is WTitteu in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, <* The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth: 6 And * all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, / O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee tiom the wrath to come? 8 Bring ''forth therefore fruits l worthy of repentance, and lit-gin not to say with- in yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: tor 1 say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up cliildren unto Abraham. 9 And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: '' every tree tliereforc which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewu down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What 'shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them. He } that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then * came also publicans to be bap- tized, and said onto him. Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, 'Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying. And what shall we do? And he said unto them, -Do violence to no man, '" neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your 3 wages. 15 % And as the people were * in expecta- tion, and all men » mused in their heaits of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 J olm answered, saying unto them all, I " indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with " the Holy Ghost and with tire: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thi-oughly purge his floor, and p will gather the wlieat iiito his garner; but the chad" he will burn with fire uuouonchable. 18 And manv other things in nis exhorta- tion preached h« uuto the people. The Visit oftlie ShepJierds. LUICE, n. Purification oj the Virghl. ' Jehovah.' [Alf.] 12. a sign— 'the sign.'i 21. Circumcision of Christ— Here only the babe— 'aEal e.' a manger— ' the man,^'er.i recorded, and even here merely alluded Tlie sign was to consist, it seems, solely in to, for the sake of the name then given to the overpowering-cort^rosi between the thing's the holy Babe, " Jesus," or Saviour. 'M. just said of Hiui and the lowly condition in 1. 21; A. 13. 23.) Yet in this naming of Him which they would find Him:—' Him whose " Saviour," in the act of circumcising Him, goings forth have been from of old, from | which was a symbolical and bloody removal everlasting, *' ye shall find a Babe;" Whom of the body of sin, we have a tacit intimation the heaven of heavens cannot contain, I that they " had need "—as John said of His " wrapt in swaddling bands;" the " Saviour, I Baptism— rather to be circumcised by Him Christ the Lord," lying in a manger!' Thus I " with the circumcision made without hands, early were these amazing contrasts, which [ in the putting oft' of the body [of the sins] of are His chosen style, held forth. See 2 Cor. 8. | the flesn by the circumcision of Christ," ;Co. 9.) 13. suddenly- as if only waiting till their 2. 11,) and that He only " suff"ered it to be so, fellow had done, with the angel— who retires j because thus it became Him to fulfil all right- not, but is joined by others, come to seal j eousness." iM. 3. 1.5.) StiU the circumcision and to celebrate the tidings he has brought, of Christ had a profound bearing on His own heavenly host— or ' army,' an army celebrating work — by few rightly apprehended. For jcace! [Besg.], ' transferring the occupation since " he that is circumcised is a debtor to of their exalted station to this poor earth do tJle^chole lav:," (Ga. 5. 3, Je-siis thus bore which so seldom resounds with the pure j about with Him in his very flesh tlie seal of praise of God ' [Olsh.] ; to let it be known i a voluntary obligation to do the whole law — now this event is regarded in heaven and I byHim only possible in the flesh since the fall, should be regarded on eaiih. gloiy, (fcc— I And as He was " made under the la.w " for no brief but transporting hymn— not only in ar- 1 ends of His own, but only " to red^'em them ticulate hmnan speech, for our behoof, hutlthatverennderthelawAha.t-n-emightTeceive in tunable measure, in the form of a Hebrew the adoption of sons," (Ga. 4. 4, 6,, the obe- parallelism of two complete clauses, and a dience to which His circumci.sion pledi^ed third one only amplifying the second, and so Him was a redeeming obedience— that of a without a connecting " and." The " glor-y to j " Saviour." And, finally, as " Christ hath God," which the new-bom " Saviour" was to redeemed us from the curse of the law " by brin^, is the first note of this sublime hymn: " being made a curse for us," (Ga. 3. 13.) we to this answers, in the second clause, " the must regard Him, in His circumcision, as veace on earth," of which He was to be " the brought under a palpable pledge to be " ohe- trince," Is. 9. 6)— probably sung responsively dient unto death, even the death of the cross." by the celestial choir ; while quick follows | iPh. 2. 8.) the glad echo of this note, probably by a 22-40. Purification of the Virgin. third detachment of the angelic choristers— —Presentation of the Babe in the " Good-will to men." ' TTiey say not, glory to \ Temple.— Scene there with Simeon and God in heaven, where angels are, but, usin;^ Anna. 22, 24. her purification— Though the a rare expression, " t?i the highest (heavens , ' most and best copies read " their," it was the whither angels aspire not. He. 1.3,4.' [Beng.I mother only who needed purifying from the " Peace" with Gk)d is the grand necessity of legal uncleanness ol child-bearing. '"Tlie a fallen world. To bring in this, and all days" of this purification for a male child otherpeaceinitstrain, was the prime errand were 40 in all Le. 12. 2, 4.), on the expiry of of the S;iviour to this earth, and, along with which the mother was required to otter a it. Heaven's whole " good-wiU to men '—the lamb for a burnt ofiering, and a turtle-dove or Divine complacency on a new footing— de- ayoun2i)igeonfora sin-ofiering. If she could scends to rest upon men, as upon the Son not afibrd a lamb, the mother had to bring Himself, in whom God is " well-pleased." another turtle-dove or young pigeon ; and, (M. 3. 17, the .same word as here.) 15. let us if even this was beyond her means, then a go, etc.- lovely simplicity of devoutness and portion of fine flour, but without the usual faith this! They are not taken up with the fragrant accompaniments of oil and frankin- angels, the glory that invested them, and cense, as it represented a sin-ofiering. Le. the lofty strains with which they filled the 12. 6-8 ; 5. 7-11.). From the intermediate air. Nor do they say. Let us go and see i/ offering of "a pair of turtle-doves or two this be true— they have no misgivings. But young pigeons,' we gather that Joseph and " let us fco and see this thing tchich is come the Virgin were in poor circumstances 2 Co. to pass, which the Lord hath made k7iov:n 8. 9. \ though not in abject poverty. Beinga unto us." Does not this confirm the view first-born male, they " bring him to Jeru.sa- given on v. 8, of the spirit of these humble lem, to present hiin to the Lord." All such men? 16. with haste— cf. ch. 1. 30; M. 28. 8. had been claimed as "holy to the Lord," or (" did run" I ; J. 4. 28 (" left her water-pot," set apart to sacred uses, in memory of the as they do their flocks, in a tran.sport!. loimd deliverance of the first-born of Israel from Mary, <S:c. — ' mysteriously guided by the destruction in Egypt, through the sprinkling Spirit to the right place through the obscu- of blood. lEx. 13. 2. . In lieu of these, how- nty of the night.' [Olsh.] a manger—' the ever, one whole tribe, that of Levi, was manger,' as before. 17. made known abroad— accepted, and set apart to occupations ex- before their return {v. 20 , and thus were the clusively sacred (Nu. 3. 11-38. ; and whereas first evangelists. [Beng.J 20. glorifying and there were 273 fewer Levites than first-bom of praising God, <fcc.— the latter word, used of all Israel on the first reckoning, each of these the .song of the angels [v. 13\ andch. 19. 37, first-born was to be redeemed by the pa jTuent and 24. 53, leads us to suppose that theirs of 5 shekels, yet not without being "presented was a song too, probably some canticle from (or broughti unto the Lord," in token of His the P.salter— meet vehicle for the swelling rightful claim to them and their service, emotions of their simple hearts at what (Is u. 3. 44-47; 18. 15-16. It was in obedienco *• they had heard and .wen." < to this " law of Moses," that the Virgin pre- 45 &7WP9ri. and Anna. LUKE. 11. Prophesy of Christ, sented her babe unto the Lord, 'in the east * Blessed as thou art among women, thou pat^of the court called Nicanoi-'s Gate, ■where: shalt have thine owti deep share of the herself would be sprinkled by the priest with i struggles and sufferings whicn this Babe is to the blood of her sacrifice.' [Lft.J By that j occasion'— pointing not only to the continued Babe, in due time, we were to be redeemed, obloquy and rejection of this Child of hers, "not with corruptible things as silver and those agonies of His which she was to witness gold, but wth the precious blood of Christ.' (I Pe. 1. 18, 19), and the consuming of the mother's burnt-offering, and the sprinkling of her with the blood of her sin-offering were to find there abiding realisation in the "living sacrifice" of the Christian mother herself, in the fulness of a "heart sprinkled from an evil conscience," bv " the blood which clean- seth from all sin.' 25. just— upright in his moral character, devout—of a religious frame of spirit, waiting for the Consolation of Israel —a beautiful title of the coming Messiah, here intended, the Holy Gliost was, supernaturally. upon Mm. Thus was the Spirit, after a dreary absence of nearly 400 years, returning to the Church^ to quicken expectation, and prepare for coming events, revealed by the Holy Ghost —implying, beyond all doubt, the perso- nality of the Spirit, should see death till he had seen— 'sweet antithesis f [Be.vg.] How would the one sight gild the gloom of the other ! He was, probably, by this time, advanced in years. 27. 28. The Spirit guided him to the temple at the very mo- ment when the Virgin was about to pre- sent Him to the Lord. 29. took him up in his arms— immediately recognising in the child, with unliesitating certainty the promised Messiah, without needing Mary to inform him of what had happened to her. [Olsh.] The remarkable act of taking the babe in his arms must not be overlooked. It was as if he had said. ' This is all my salvation and all my desire (2Sa. 23. 5.). 29.Lord— 'master,' a word rarely used in the N. T., and selected here with peculiar propriety, when the aged samt, feeling that his last object in wi.shing to live had now been attained, only awaited his Master's word of command to " depart." now lettest. &c.— more clearly, ' now thou art re- leasing thy servant;' a patient yet reverential mode of expressing a desire to depart. 30. seen thy Salvation— many saw this chUd. nay. the full-grown "man, Christ Jesus," who never saw in him "God's Salvation.' This estimate of an object of sight, an unconsci ous, helpless babe, was pure faith. He " beheld his glory." (J. 1. 14.) In another view, it was j»rior/ai</(. rewarded by present sight. 31. 32. all people—' all the peoples, mankind at large, alight to the Gentiles— then in thick darkness, gloryofthy Israel— already thine, and now, in the believing portion of it. to be so more glori- ously than ever. It will be observed that this ' swan-like song, bidding an eternal farewell to this terrestrial life,' [Olsh.] takes a more comprehensive view of the kingdom of Christ than that of Zacharias. though the kingdom they sing of is one. 34, 35. set— appointed, fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against— perhaps the former of these Clauses expresses the two stages of temporary " fall of many in Israel " through unbelief, during our Lord's earthly career, and the subsequent " rising again " of the at the cross, and her desolate condition there- af ter,but to dreadful alternations of faith and unbelief, of hope and fear regarding Him. which she would have to i^ass through, thai the thoughts, &c.— men's views and decisions regarding Clirist are a mirror in which the very "thoughts of their hearts" are seen. 36. 37. Anna — or, Hannah, a pro- phetess — another evidence that " the last times" in which God was to " pour out his Spirit upon all flesh" were at hand, of the tribe of Aser— one of the ten tribes, of whom many were not carried captive, and not a few re-united themselves to Judah after the return from Babylon. The distinc- tion of tribes, though practically destroyed by the captivity, was well enough known uo to their final dispersion (Ro. li. 1; He. 7. 14.1; nor is it now entirely lost, lived, &c.— .she had lived seven years with her husband, and been a widow 84 years; so that if she married at the earliest marriageable age, 12 years, she could not at this time be less than 103 years old. departed not from the temple— was found there at all stated hours of the day, and even during the night-services of the temple watchmen. (Ps. 134. l, 2. " serving God with fastings and prayer." (See 1 Ti. 5. 5. suggested by this.) coming in—' presenting herself.' She had been there already, but now is found ' standing by,' as Simeon's tes- timony to the blessed Babe died away, ready to take it up ' in turn ' (as the word rendered " likewise' here means), to all them, &c.— the sense is, * to all them in Jerusa- lem that were looking for redemption '—say- ing in effect. In that Babe are wrapt up all your expectations. If this was at the hour of prayer, when numl)ers flocked to the temple, it would account for her having such an audience as the words imply. [Alf.] 39. Nothing is more difficult than to fix the pre- cise order in which the -visit of the Magi, with the flight into and return from Egypt, (M. 2,1 are to be taken, in relation to the cir- cumcision and presentation of Christ in the temple, here recorded. It is perhaps best to leave this in the obscurity in which we find it, as the result of two independent, though, if we knew all, easily reconcileable narra- tives. 40. His mental development kept pace with his bodily, and " the grace of God," the Divine favour, rested manifestl}' and in- creasingly upon Him. See v. 62. 41-52. First Conscious Visit to Jeru- salem.—' Solitary floweret out of the won- derful enclosed garden of the 30 years, plucked precisely there where the swollen bud. at a distinctive crisis, (at 12 years of age,) bursts into flower. To mark that is assuredly the design and the meaning of this record' pjTiER.] went up— ' were wont to go.' Though males only were required to go up to Jerusa- lem at the three annual festivals, (Ex. 23. 14- 17.) devout women, when family duties per- savie persons after the effusion of the Spirit j mitted, went also, as did Hannah, (1 Sa. 1. 7.) at Pentecost threw a new light to them on and, as we here see, the mother of Jesus, the whole subject ; wh.ile the latter clause ' 42. when twelve years old— At this age every describes the determined enemies of the Jewish boy was styled ' a son of tne law,' Lord Jesus. SulIi opposite views of j being put under a course of instruction and Christ are taken from age to age. yea, &c.— i trained to fasting and attendance on public 46t First Conscious Fm/ to Jenimhm, v.orship, besides being set to learn a trade. At this age accordingly our Lord is taken up for the first time to Jerusalem, at the Pass- over season, the chief of the three annual fes tivals. But, O, with what thouL^hts and feelings must this Youth have gone up! Long ere He beheld it, He had doubtless '* loved the habitation of God's house and the place where his honour dwelt," Ps. 26. 8,) a love nourished, we may be sure, by that " word hid in His heart," with whirh in after life He showed so perfect a familiarity. As the time for his first visit approached, could one's ear have caught the breathings of his young soul, he might have heard Him whispering, "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. The Lord loveth the gates of 2:aon more than all the dwellings of Jacob. I was glad when they said unto me. Let us go unto the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem ! " (Ps. 42. 1 ; 87. 2 ; 122. 1, 2. On catching the first view of "the city of their solemnities," and high above all in it, " the place of God's rest, " we hear Him saying to Himself, " Beauti- ful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King : Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God doth shine." 'Ps. 4S. 2; 50. 2.i Of his feelings or actions during all the eight days of the feast not a word is said. As a devout child, in company with its parents. He would go through the sendees, keeping his thoughts to himself. But methinks I hear Him, after the sublime services of that feast, saying to Himself, "He brought me to thebamiuet- ing house, and his banner over me was love. I sat down under his shadow with great de- light, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." (Cant. 2. 3, 4. ) 43. as they returned— if the duties of life must give place to worship, worship, in its turn, must give place to them. Jerusa- lem is good, but Nazareth is good too ; let him who neglects the one, on pretext of attending to the other, ponder this scene. 43. tarried behind. .Joseph and his mother knew not— accustomed to the discretion and obedi- ence of the lad [OL.SH.], they might be thrown off their guard. 44. sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances— On these sacred ioumeys, whole villages and districts travel- led in groups together, partly for protection, partly for company; and as the well-disposed would beguile the tediousness of the way by good discourse, to which the child Jesus would be no silent listener, they expect to find him in such a group. 45, 46. After three sor- romng days, they find him stiU in Jerusalem, not gazing on its architecture, or surveying its forms of busy life, but in the temple— not the " sanctuary" as in ch. 1. 9. , to which only the priests had access, biit in some one of the enclosures around it, where the rabbins, or "doctors'* taught their scholars, hearing, .ask- ing— the method of question and answer was LU KE, n. Chr ist Quedio ns the Doctors. [v. 62.), Infact. the beautyof Christ's example lies very much in His never at one stage ot His life anticipating the xluties of another. All would be in the style and manner of a learner, " oppiiinp his mouth and panting." " His soul breaking forthe longing that it had unto (iod'a judgii,entsat all times Ps. 119. 20.). and now more than ever before, when finding Himself, for the first time in his Fathei-'s house. Still there would be in His questions far more than in their ans^vers; and if we may take the frivolous interrogatories with which they afterwards plied Him, about the woman that had seven husbands and such Uke, as a spe- cimen of their present drivelling' questions, perhaps we shall not greatly err, it we suppose that the questions, ' which He now " asked them" in return, were just the germs of those pregnant questions with which he astonished and silenced them in alter years :— " What think ye of Christ ? Whose Son is He ? If David call him Lord, hoto is he then his son ?" "Which is the first and great commandment ?* " Who is my neighbour f" about my Father's business— tt<. 'in' or 'af my Father's' i.e. either 'about my Father's a.fairs' or ' in my Father's rottr^s'- where He dwells and is to be found— ahout His hand, so to .speak. This latter shade of meaning, which includes the foniier, is. perhaps, the true one. Here He felt Himself at home, breathing His own proper air. His words convey a gentle rebuke of their ob- tuseness in requiring Him to explain this. ' Once here, thought ye, I should so readily hasten away? Let ordinary worshippers be content to keep the fea.st and be gone ; but is this all ye have learnt of me f Methinks we are here let into the holy privacies of Nazareth; for sure what He says they should have kno\^'n. He must have given them ground to know. She tells him of the sorrow with which His father and she had sought Him. He speaks of no father hut one. saying, in effect, ' My Father has not been seeking me; I have been with Him aU this time; the King hath brought me into His chambers His left hand is under my head, and His right hand doth embrace me Cant. 1, 4; 2. 6.). How is it that ye do not understand 'Mk. 8, 21.'?' 50,51. understood not— probably He had never expressly said as mucn, and so confounded them, though it was but the true interpretation of many things which they had seen and heard from nim at home. See on J. 14. 4,5. i But lest it should be thought that now He threw off the filial yoke, and became his own Master henceforth, ana theirs' too, it is puriKsely added, "And He went down with than, and was sidject unto them." The marvel of this condescension lies in its coming after such a scene, and such an assertion of His higher Sonship ; and the words are evidently meant to convey this. * From this time we have no more mention of Joseph. The next we hear is of his "mother and brethren" (J. 2. 12) ; whence it is inferred, that between the customary form of rabbinical teaching; j tliis time and the commencement of our teacher and learner becoming by turns ques- 1 Lord's public life, Joseph died,' [Alf.] hav- tioner and answerer, as may be seen from , ing now served the double end of being the their extant works. Tliis would give full protector of our Lord's Virgin-mother, and scope for all that "astonished them in His affordingHimself the opportunity of present- understanding and answers." Not that He ing a matchless pattern of subjection to both assumed the office of teaching— "His hour" parents. 52. Seeonv. 40j stature— or better, for that "was not yet come," and his furniture perhaps, as in the margin, 'age,' which im- for that was not complete ; for He had yet to , plies the other. This is all the record we have 'increase in wisdom" as well as 45; "stature." j of the next 18 years of that wondrous life. Thf fjpnealofjy of tVn-ist. LUKE, IV. 17. is kmytol of Ike devil. 19 H Hut 1 Herod the tctiarch, bein? re- proved by him for Herodias his brother Vhilip's wife, and lor all the e\ils which Herod had done, 'JO Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 21 H Now when all the people were baptized, ♦■ it came to pass, that ,1 esus also being baptized, and praying, the heavtn was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came *froni heaven, w hich said. Thou art my beloved Son; iu thee I am well pleased. 20 1[ And Jesus himself began to be 'about thirty years oi age, being (as was supposed) the " sou of Joseph, which was the ^son of Heli. 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was ttie son of Le\i, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was tlw son of Joseph, 25 Wliich was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the soti of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 2C Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was tlie son of Juda, 27 Which was the S07i of Joanna, which was tlie son of Khesa, which was the son of 1 Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was tlie son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was tlie son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was ths son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliczer, which was the son of Jiirim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Le\i, 30 Which was tlie s&n of Simeon, which was the son of J uda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Elialcim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was tJie son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of "Nathan, which "" was the son of David, 32 Which * was the son of J esse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Thaa-es, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, ^ which was tlie son of Thara, wiiich was the S07i of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Sanich, which was the S07i of Kagau, which was the son of Fhalec, which was tlie son of lleber, wliich was the son of Sala, 36 Which* was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, " whicli was the son of Sem. whicli was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 87 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was tht son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, as Which W!us the son of Euos, which was tite son of Seth, which was the son of Adaui, I' which was the son oi Go<L those lucn- Alat. 1. 12, 13. and 1 Chr. 3. 17, 19. f Zech.l2.l2. K-aSa. .S. H. 1 Clir. 3.5. *Kuth 4.18. 1 Chr.a.llJ. V Gen. 11.24, 28. » Gen. 11. 12. « Gen. 5. 6 Gen. ll.llj. 6 Gen. 1. 26, 27. Gen. 2. 7. Gen. 5.1,2. Is. 64. 8. CHAP. 4. ois. 11.2. 18.61.1. Mat. 4. 1. Mark 1.12. John 1.33. John 3. 34. 6 ch. 2. -J?. c Gen. 3. 15. Heb. 2. 18. Heb. 4. 15 d Ex. 34. -28. 1 Ki. 10. 8. e Deu. 8. 3. Eph. 6. 17. /John 12.31. John 14.30. Kev.13.2,7. 1 Or, taU down before ine. g Deu. 6. 13. Deu. 10.20. ft Mat. 4. 5. i 1 Pet. 5 8 i P». 91. 11. * Deu. 6. le, I James 4. 7. »» Jolin 14. 30. Heb. 4.15 n Mat. 4 12 John 4. 43 Acts 10.37. p Is. 52. 13. </ Mat 2. 23. Mat. 13.54. Mark 6. 1. r Acts 13.14. « U. 42. 1. Dan. S. 24. 1 1*». 26. 8- Cor. tj. ii. CHArTEH IV. 1 Christ's temptation ami fasting: 13 he, over- coming the devil, M beqinneth to preach: \Qlhe people at Nazareth admire Mm; 33 he curelh one possessed of a devil, etc, A ND "Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost •'•^ returned irom Jordan, and *was led by the Spirit uito the wilderness, 2 Being forty days "tempted of the devil. And "^in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the de\11 said unto him. If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 And J esus answered him, saying, ' It is wiitten. That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed vmto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the ^evil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for /that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever 1 will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt i worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him. Get thee behind me, Satan : " for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And '' he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast 'thyself down from hence: 10 For J it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keen thee; 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him. It * is said. Thou shalt uot tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he ' departed from him "' lor a season. 14 H And "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into " Galilee : and there went out a fame of him through all the rcgiou round about. 15 And he taught in their SiTiagogues, being P glorified of all. 16 il And he came to « Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his cus- tom was, •■ he went into the synagogue on the sibbath day, and stood up lor to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And v.heu he had opened the book, he found the place where it was wnitten, 18 The • Spu-it of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deli\ cr- ance to the captives, and recovering of si- ht to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To -preach the < acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the syna- go^ue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say mito tbem. This day is this (u-aipiure fulfilled in joui eais. Preaching and Bay ti-m of John, Lt l KE. HL JBaptirmof Ch rid. ^Vllat seasons of tranquil meditation over the, that extortion which made the publicans a lively oracles, and holy fellowship with His bye-word. See on ch. 19. 2. 8. soldiers ... do Father; what inlettings. on the one hand, of, violence to none— the word signifies to ' shalce light, and love, and power from on high, and ; thoroughly,' and so to ' intimidate,' probably outgoings of filial supplication, freedom, lov and joy on the other, would these : " contain ! And would they not seem few days," if thev were so passed, however ardently he might long to be more directly "about His Father's business?' CHAPTER Ul. Ver. 1-20. Preaching, BaptIsM, Aud Imprisoxment of John. See on I\L 3. 1-12; Mk. 6. 17, &a 1. 2. Here the curtain of the N. T. is, as it were, drawn up, and the gi-eatest of all epochs of the Church com- mences. Even our Lord's own age iv. 23.), is deter^nined by it. [Beng.] No such ela- borate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the N. T., and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the pecuUar re- commendation of his gospel, that he had ' accurately traced down all tilings from the first' ich. 1. 3.). Here, evidently, commences his proper narrative, the 15th year of Tioerius —reckoning from the period when he was ad- mitted, three 5'ears before Augustus* death, to a share of the empire [w. <fe w. ), about the end of the year of Rome "79,, or al'out 4 years before the usual reckoning. Pilate governor of Judea— his proper title was Procurator, but with more than the usual powers of that office. After holding it about ten years he was ordered to Rome, to answer to charges brought against him, but ere he arrived riberiusdied (A. D. 35.), and soon after Pilate committed suicide. Herod— see on Mk. 6. 14. Philip — adiflerent and very superior Philip to the one whose wife Herodias went to live with Herod Antipas. See Mk. 6. 17. Iturea —to the N. E. of Palestine ; so called from Ishmael's son Itur or Jetur (iChr. l. 31.), and anciently belonging to the half tribe of Ma- nasseh. Trachonitis— farther to the N. E., between Iturea and Damascus; a rocky dis- trict, infested by robbers, and committed by Augustus to Herod the Great to keep in order. Abilene— still more to the N. E., so called from Abila, 18 miles from Damascus. [Robinson.] Annas and Ciiiaphas high priests —the former, though depo.secf, retained much of his influence, and. probably, as Sagan or deputy, exercised mucli of the power of the high priesthood along with Caiaphas. (J. 18. 13; A. 4 6.). Both Zadok and Abiathar acted as high priests in David's time (2. Sa. 15. ;;.5.), and it seems to have become the fixed practice to have two. (2 Ki. 25. 18. i word of God came unto John— st^A fonnufas, of course, arenever used when spcakitm of Jesus, because the Divine nature manifested itself in Him not at certain isolated moments of his life. He was the one everlasting iruini/estation of the Gori- /icaci— The Word.' [Olsh.]. 5. every valley, &c. — levelling and smoothing, obvious figures, the sense of which is in the fir.st w ords oi the proclamation, "Preimre ve the way of the Lord." all flesli.&c.— (quoted literally from the Septuagint of Is. 40. s.- The idea is that every obstruction shall be so removed as to reveal to the whole world the Salvation of God in Him whose name is the " Saviour." icf. Ps. 98. 3; Is. 11. 10; 49. 6; 52. 10; L. 2. 31, 32; A. 13. 47.) 10-14. what shall we do then 1— to show the sincerity of our rerientance. two coats, (fee- directed against the reigning avarice. publicans. . exact nomore.cbc.- directedagainst, =.0 in oriler to extort money or other property, years I accuse ialsely— acting as informersvexatious- but a I ly. on frivolous or false grounds, contcul vith your wages— * rations. ' We may take this as a warning against mutiny, which the ofhcers attempted to suppress by largesses and donations, [w. & w.J And thus the " iruits" which woidd evidence their re- pentance were .just resistance to the reign- ing sins, particularly of the class to which the penitent belonged, and the ma- nifestation of an opj.osite spirit. 15-17. whether he were the Christ — showing both how successful he had been in awakening the expectation of Messiah's immediate ap- pearing, and the high estimation, and even re- verence, which his own character commanded. John answered, &c.— either to the deputation from Jerusalem (.see J. 1. 19, ifcc.) ; or on some other occasion, simply to remove im- pre.ssions derogatory to his blessed Master which he knew to be taking hold of the popular mind, sajring unto them all, &:c.— in solemn protestation ; So far from enter- taininci such a thou.yhtas laying claim to the honours of Lfessiahship, the meanest ser- vices I can render to that " Mightier than me that is coming after me," are too high an honour for me. Beautiful spirit, distin- guishing this servant of Christ throughout! one migiitier than I—* the Miirhtier than-I.' IS. many other thhigs, &c.— such as we read in J. 1. 29. 33, 34; 3. ^7-36. 19, 20. but Herod, (tc— See on Mk. 6. 14, &c. and for all the evils which Herod had done — important fact here only mentioned, showing how //(orot<ff/i- guing was the fidelity of the Baptist to his royal hearer, and how strong must have been the workings of conscience in that slave of pas.-ion when, notwithstanding such plain- ness, he '■ did many tilings and heard John gladly." Tdk. 6. 20, 20.) 21, 22. Baptism of and Descent of the Spirit upon Je.-tt3. See on M. 3. 13-17. when all the people were baptized— that He might not seem to be merely one of the crowd. Thus, as He rode into Jerusalem upon an ass, * ichercon yet never man sat," cli. 19. 30,) and lay in a sepulchre " tchcrein v:as never man yet laid," (J. 19. 41,) so in His 1 laptism He would be " separate from si7i- )iers." 23-38. GE>rr:.\.LOGY of Jestts. 23. he be- gr,n to be about thirty — i.e., 'was about en- tering on his ;-;Oth year.' So our translators have taken the word; [and so Cal., Bez , Bloomf.. w. & w. fcc] but ' was about 30 years of age when he began (liis ministry),' makes better Greek, and is probably the true sense. [Beng., Oi.sn., De W., Mey , Alf., &c.) At this age the priests entered on their olhce. (Nu. 4. 3.) being, as was sup- posed, the sen of Joseph. <tc.— Have we in this genealogy, as well as IM.'s, the line of Jo. eph? or is this the line olMar\i?—a. point on which there has been great difference of opinion and much acute discussion. Those who take the former opinion contend that it is the natural sense of this verse, and that no other would have been thought of but for its sup- posed improbability and the uncertainty which it seem.s to throw over our Lord's real descent. But it is liable to anotkerditiicuity fThrift preacJies at Kaznrefh. LUKE, V. The miranLlous drant/M offi hes. 22 And all bare him witness, and " woii- dtred at the gracious words which pro- ceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is " not this Joseph's son? '23 And he said unto them. Ye will surely Bay unto nie this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in "' Capernaum, do also here in * thy country. 24 And he said. Verily I say unto you, Ko prophet " is accepted in his own country. 2-5 But I tell you of a truth, *many widows were in Israel in the days of Klias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great tiimine was throughout all the land ; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And "many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none < f them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they ijeard these things, were filied with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thnist him out of the city, and led him unto the 2 brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30 But he * passing through the midst of them went his way, 31 And * came down to Capeniaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. 32 And they were astonished at his doc- trine: <* for his word was with power. 33 II And 'in the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 Saying, 3 Let vs alone ; what have we to do w-ith thee, Ihou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; /the Holy One of God. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, AVhat a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And " the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. ;^ ii And '■* he arose out of the synagogue, and entered hito Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. '.'Q And he stood over her, and « rebuked the fever; and it left her. And immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40 H Isow> when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases biought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 41 And *de\'ils also came out of many, crying out, and sajing. Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And ' he, rebuking them. Buttered them not * to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. 42 And •" when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place; and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart irom tai;iii. 47 CHAP 4. ' P« 45. 2. MBt. 13.54. Slarke.a. 'Ma * Mat. 10.64 Mark G. 1. V Mat. 13.67. Mark 6. 4. John 4. 44. »1 K[. 17.9. 1 Ki. 18. 1. Jam. 5. 17. 0.2 Ki. 5 14. 2 Or, edge. 6 John 8 59. John U).:a e Mat 4 13 Mark 1.21. '/ Mat. 7. 23, •.'9. Tit. 2. 1.^. « Mark 1. 23. 3 Or. Away. f P». 16. lU. Is. 49. 7. Dan. 9. 24. ch. 1. 35. Acts 2. 31. Art. 4. 37. g Mic. 5. 4. A Mat. 8 14 k Maikl 34 ALirk3. 11. I JNLirk 1. 25, 34. 4 Or, to say th.1t they to be Thrist. TOM.,rkl.35. n .Mark 1.14, 6 Joiin 21. ti. c 2 Sa 6. 9. IKi. 17.18 « Mat. 4. 20 Mai. 19.27. Murk 1 18 / Mat. 8. 2. i Lev. 13. 1. Lev. 14.4. 10,21.22 ;■ Mat. 4 25. Ma k 3. ; John 6. 2. k Mar. U.-.3. Mar. 6. 46. { Mat. 9. 2. Mark 2. a. 43 And he s.aid unto them, " I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44 And "he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. CHAPTER V, 1 Christ tfacheth out of Feter's ship. 4 A mi- racu!ou3 draught of fishes. \'i A lepfr deaiised. 18 The palsy healed. 27 Levi called from the receipt of custom. A ND " it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God. he stood by the lake of Gennes.iret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him tliat he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat do^vn, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, * Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him. Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they in- closed a great multitude of fishes; and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, tnat they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man. O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; "^from henceforth thou shalt catch men. U And when they had brought their ships to laud, *they forsook all, and followed liim. 12 H And /it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man lull of leprosy; who, seeing Jesus, fell on his lace, and be- sout,'ht him, saying. Lord, it thou wilt, thou canst "make nie clean. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thi u clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And '» he charged him to tell no man: but go, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, « according as Aloses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and> great multituiiea came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And * he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 17 1) And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were I'hari- sees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea. and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord w&s present to heal .hem. 18 II And, ' behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and Genealogv of Christ, friz., that in this case M. makes " Jacob, " , ihile L. makes "iMi," to be Josei;h's fa- LTJ KE, IV. HehcGinsMs Minidry. that event. ITie visit to Nazareth recorded Ln M. 13. 54-58, (and JWk. 6. 1 6J we take to be Iher; and though the same man had often ; not a later visit, but the same with this first more than one name, we ought not to resort j one; becaiise we cannot think that thelS'aza- to that suiiposition, in such a case as this, I renes, after being so enraged at His Jirst dis- without necessity. And then, though the play of wisdom as to attempt his destruction, descent of Mary from David would be liable | should, on a second display of the same, won- to no real doubt, even though we had no { der at it and ask how he came by it,' as if table of her line preserved to us, (see, for ex- ! they had never witnessed it before, as his ample, ch. l. 2-32, and on ch. 2. 5,i still it does I custcm was— cf. A. 17. 2. 17. stocd up to read- seem unlikely— we say not incredilile— that ■ others besides rabbins were allowed to ad- two genealogies of onr Lord should be pre- ' dress the congregation. See A. 13. 15. 18, 19. served to us neither of which gives his real \ To have fixed on any passage announcing descent. These who take the latter opinion. His sufferings, (as Is. 63,) would have been that we have here the line of Mary, as in ' unsuitable at that early stage of His minis- M. that of Jo6fi)/t— here his real, there his ; try. But He selects a passage announcing reputed line— explain the statement about the sublime object of His whole mission, its Joseph, that he was " Uie sou of Heli," to Liivine character, and His special endow- mean that he was his son-in-laiv, as the hus- ments for it; expressed in the first person, band of his daughter Mary, asin Eutb 1. 11, and so singiUarly adapted to tliejirst opening 12, and believe that Joseph's name is only | oj the mouth in his prophetic capacity, that i,r.t,.^A„..r.A ;„„+«o.i ^e-\\„„^^ ,-^ ^^„f„ — ,;»„ ^j seems OS if made expressly for this occa- sion. It is from the weU-known section of Isaiah's prophecies whose burden is that mysterious "bEEVAKT or the Loed," de- spised of man, abhorred of the nation, but before AVliom kings on seeing Him are to arise, and princes to worship; m visage more marred than any man and his form than the introduced instead of Maiys, in conformity with the Jewish custom in such tables. Per- haps this view is attended with fewest diffi- culties, as it certainly is the best supported. However we decide, it is a satisfaction to know that not a doubt was tlirowTi out by the bitterest of the early enemies of Christi- anity as to our LorcVs real descent from David. On comparing the two genealogies, I sons of men, yet sprinkling many nations- it wid be found that M.,wTitiug more imme- 1 labouring seemingly in vain, and spending diately for Jews, deemed it enough to show that the Saviour was sprung trcm Abraham and David; whereas L., wTittng more im- mediately for Gentiles, traces the descent back to Adam, the parent stock of the whole human family, thus showing him to be the prondsed " Seed of the woman." * The pos- sibility of constructing such a table, com- prising a period of thousands of years, in an his strength for nought and in vain, yet Je- hovah's Servant to raise up the triles of Jacob and be His Salvation to the ends of the earth. (Is. 49, Arc.) The quotation is chiefly from the Septuagint version, used in the synagogues, acceptableyear— an allusion to the Jubilee year. iLe. 25. iO,i a year of uni- versal release for person and property. See also Is. 49. 8; 2 Co. G. 2. As the maladies un- uninterrupted line from father to son, of a j der which humanity groans are here set family that dwelt for a long time in the utmost retirement would be inexplicable, had not the members of this line been endowed with a thread by which they could extricate themselves from the many families into which every tribe and branch was again subdivided, and thus hold fast and know tlie member that was destined to con- tinue the hneage. This thread was the hope that Messiah would be bom of the race of Abraham and David. Tlie ardent desire to behold Htm and be partakers of his mercy and glory suffered not the attention to be exhausted through a period embracing thou- sands of years. Thus the member destined to continue the lineage, whenever doubtful, became easily distinguishable, awakening the hope of a final fulfilment, and keeping it alive untd it was consummated.' [Ul^h.] 24-30. son of Matthat, drc— See on M. 1. 13-15. In V. 27, Salathiel Ls called the son, while in M. 1. 12, he is called the fatherot Zerubbabel. i>ut they are probably difl'erent persons. 38. son of God— cf. A. 17. 28. CHAPTEE IV. Ver. 1-13. Temptation of Chkist.— See on M. 4. ML 14-32. Je.stjs, E^r^EKING ox his Public Ministry, makes a Circuit of Galilee — Rejection at Nazareth, n.b. A large forth under the names of povcrtij, broken- ficarteclness, bondage, hlindnefs, bridsedncss, (or crushedness,'^ so, as the glorious Healer of all these maladies Christ announces Him- self in the act of reading it, stopping the quo- tation just before it comes to "' the day of vengeance," which was only to come on the rejecters of His message. (J. 3. 17.) The first words, *' The Spirit of the Lord is upon ]Me," have been noticed since the days of the Church fathers, as an Illustrious example of Father, Son, and, Holy Ghost, being exhibited as in distinct yet haimonious action in the scheme of salvation. 20. the minister— the Chazan ox synago-ue ctticer. all eyes fastened on Him— astoimded at his putting in such claims. 21. began to say, &c. — His whole address was just a detailed appli- cation to Himself of this and perhaps other like prf)phecies. 22. gracious words—' the words ol grace,' referring both to the rich- ness of his matter and the sweetness of his manner. iPs. 45. 2.) is not this <tc.— See on M. 13. 54-66. They knew he had received no rabbinical education, and anything supema- tural they seemed incapable of conceiving. 23. this proverb— hke our ' Charity begins at home.' whatsoever, &c.— ' Strange rumours have reached our ears of thy doings at Capernaimi; but if such power resides in gap here occurs, embracing the important thee to cure the ids of humanity, why has tran.-iactions in Galilee and Jerusalem which | none of it yet come nearer home, and why is are recorded in J 1. 29, to 4. 54, and which | all this alleged power reserved for strangers? occurred before John's imprisonment (J. 3. His choice of Capernaum as a place of lesi- 24); whereas the transactions here recorded dence since entering on i itblic hfe was, it occurred (as appears from M. 4. 12, 13j, after i seems, already well-known at Nazareth; and 4r The caU of Maf*hpw. LUKE, VI. TJte twefve npo?tles chosen. they sought meavs to biing him in, and to j lay him before him. IS And when they could rot find bv what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house- top, and let him down through the tihng with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 2C And when he saw their ""faith, he said nnto him, Man, •* thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And "the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? P Who can forgive Bins but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said mito them, What reason ye in yom- hearts? 23 Whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say. Rise up and walk? 24 lint that ye may know that ' the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy.) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, '■glorifying God. 26 And tbey were all amazed, and they gloritied God, and were lilkd with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to- day. 27 H And ' after these things he went firth, and saw a publican, named Levi, Bitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him. Follow me. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 29 And ' Levi made him a great feast in his own house : and " there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees mur- mured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician ; but they that are sick. 32 I " came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 33 H And they said imto him, •" Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and dnnk? 34 And he «aid unto them. Can ye make the children oiihe bride-chamber fast while the * bridegroom is with themi 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall ^ be taken away from them, and then shall they * fast in those days. 36 fl And » he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new gai-ment upon an old: if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are presei-ved. 39 No man also havmg drunk old whie Straightway desireth new ; for he saith. The old is better. CHAP. 5. n Rev. 2. 23. ' Acts. 5.B1. Mat. 9. 3. ir. 2.6,7. P Ex 34. 7. ¥». 32 6. P». 103. 3. Is. 1. 18. I«. 43. 25. Dan. 9. 9. 9 Acts 6. 31. Col. 3. 13. r P». 103. 1. « Mat. 9. 9. Mark 2. 13, 14. t Mat. 9. 10. Mark 2. 16. « ch. 15. 1. V Mat. 9. 13. 1 Ti. 1. 16. «■ Mat. 9. 14. Mark 2.18. 1 Mat. 22. a. ch. 14. lt>-23. 2 Cor. 11.2. Kev. 19. 7. Eer. 21. 2. V Dan. 9. 26. Zech. 13. 7. John 7. 33. « Wat. 6. 16, 17. Ac. 13. 2,3. 1 Cor. 7.6. 2 Cor. 6. Mat. 9. 16, 17. Mark 2.21, CHAP. 6. a M.it. 12. 1. Mark 2. 23. b Ex. 2U. 10. Mark 7. 2. Cl Sa. 21.6. d Kx. 29. 23, 33. Lev. 24. 9. e Mat. 12.9. Mark 3. 1. ch. 13. 14. ch. 14. 3. John 9. 16. fl Sa. 16. 7. ch. 5. 22. John 2. 24, 25. John 6. 64. John 21.17. Acts 1. 24. EoT. 2. 23. g John 7. 23. * Mat.l4Ji3. t Mat. 10. 1. j John 1. 42. * John 14.22. Acts 1. 13. Jude 1. J Mat. 4. 25. Mark 3. 7. »» Mat.14.36. n Mark 5.30. ch. 8. 46. Mat. 5. 3. Mat. 11.6. p Is. 65. 1. 1 Cor.4.11. g la. 61. 3. Kev. 7. 14-17. CHAPTER VL 1 ToucMng the ears of corn that were vlueked bo the disciples on the sabbath. 13 Christ chooseih the tiuelve, M healelh divers diseases, 20 pro- nounceth blessings, etc. A ND "it came to pass, on the second ''•■*■ sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his discipks E lucked the ears of com, and did eat, rub- iug them in their hands. 2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, 6 Why do ye that which is not lawl"ul to do on the sabbath days? 3 And Jesus answering them said. Have ye not read so much as this, ' what David dill, when himself was an hmigered, and they which were with him; 4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him ; <* which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? 5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. ' % And * it came to pass also on another sbath, that he entered into the syna- gogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withtred. 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8 But he /knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered haiia, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; ^ Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10 And looking round about upon them aU, he said unto the man, Stretch forth tliy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. 12 H And "i it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day. he called xaito him his disciples: < and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named Apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, I'hilip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas ''tlie brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plam, and the company of his disciples, ' and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidou.wliich came to hear him, and to be healed of their 18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude '"sought to touch him: for " there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. 20 H And he lifted up his eyes on his dis- ciples, and said, • Blessed be ye poor: for yoms is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed Pare ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. 'Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Peter's Mother-in-law Healed. LUKE, V. Call of Peter, James, and JoTiiu when he did come thither, to give no displays as His enemies actually alle'^ed (See on M. -''' ' '■— J------^ -' -:" - 12. 24, &C.1. See also A. It;. iG-18. 42-44. Jesus, iSouGnr Out at Mobxino De- His we of his power when distant places were rinj ing with his fame, wounded their pride. He had indeed " Liid his hands on a few sick Prayer, and Extueated to Stay, folk and healed them," Mk. 6. 5 ; but this clines from the Urgency seems to have been done quite privately, the Work.— See on Mk. 1. 35-39, where ..„ general iinbelief precluding anything more | learn how early He retired, and how He and he said, &c.— He replies to the i was engaged in solitude when they came open. 24 one proverb by another, which we express in a rougher much familiarity breeds contempt equally familiar, form—' Too king Him. stayed him — ' were staying ^..v. him,' or sought to do it. What a con- Our trast to the Gadarenes ! The nature of Lord's long residence in Nazareth merely as His mission reqiiired Him to keep moving, a townsman had made him too common, in- , that all might hear the glad tidings. (M. capacitating them for appreciating Him as 8. :j4.) I must, (fee— but duty only could others did who were lees familiar with his move Him to deny entreaties so grateful to tivery-day demeanour in private life. A most His spirit important principle, to which the wise will pay due regard. _ .See also M. 7. 6, on which Ver. 1-11. CHAPTER V. Miraculous Draught op our Lord Himself ever acted.) 25-27. But I { Fishes — Call of Peter, James, and tell you, &c.— falling back for support on the j John. — Not their firhi call, however, re- well-known examples of Elijah and Elishal corded J. 1. 35-42; nor their second, recorded (Eliseus), whose miraculous power, passing |M. 4. 18-22; but their third and last before by those who were near, expended itself on i their appointment to the apostleship. That those at a distant, yea on heatliens, ' the these calls were all distinct and progressive. two great prophets who stand at the com- mencement of prophetic antiquity.and whose miracles strikingly prefigured those of our Lord. As he intended like them to feed the poor and cleanse the lepers, He joints to these miracles of mercy, and not to the fire from heaven and the bears that tore the mock- ers.' [Stier.]. three years and six mouths— So Ja. 5. 17, including perhaps the six months after the last fall of rai7i, when there would be little or none at any rate ; whereas in 1 Ki. 18. 1, which says the rain returned " in the third year," that period is probably not reckoned, save . . . saving—* but only. ' cf . Mk. 13. 32, Gr.) Sarepta — " Zarephath, " I Kl. 17. 9, a heathen village between Tyre and Sidon. (See Mk. 7. 24.) 28, 29. when they heard these things— these allusions to the heathen, just as afterwards with Paul (A. 22. 21-22.). rose np— broke up the .service irreverently and rushed forth, thrust him— with violence, as a prisoner in their hands, brow, &c.— Nazareth, though not built on the ridge of a hiU, is in part surrounded by one to the west, having several such precipices. (See 2 Chr. 25. 12: 2 Ki. 9. 33. It was a mode of capital punishment not unusual among the Eomans and others). This was the first insult which the Son of God received, and it came from "them of his own household !" (M. 10. 36.). 30. passing through the midst. &c. — evidently in a miraculous way, though perhaps quite noiselessly, leading them to wonder afterwards what spell could have come over them, that they allowed him to escape. [Similar escapes, however, in times of persecution are not unexampled). 31. dov/u to Capernaum— it lay on the Sea of Galilee (M. 4. 13.), whereas Nazareth lay high. 33-37. Demoniac Healed, unclean— the frequency with which tliis character of imptiritii is applied to evil spirits is worthy of notice, cried out, (fee.— see on M. 8. 29-, I\Ik. 3. 11. rebuked them, (fee— see on v. 41. thrown him, (fee— see on JMk. 9. 20. what a word— a word from tJw Lord of spirits ! 38-41. Peter's Mother-in-Law, and Many Others, Healed. See on M. 8. 14-17. 41. suffered them not to speak— the marginal reading here is. wrong. Our Lord ever refused testimony from devils, for the very reason tvhy they vjere eager to give it, because He and they would thus seem to be one interest, 48 seems quite plain. Similar stages are ob- servable in other eminent servants of Christ.) 3. taught out of the ship— see on M. 13. 2. 4. for a draught— munificent recompense for the use of his boat. 5. Master— betokening not surely a first acquaintance, but a relation- ship already formed. aU night— the usual time of fisiiing then (J. 21. 3.i, and even now Peter, as a fisherman, knew how hopeless it was to" let down his net" again, save as a mere act of faith, "at His word" of command, which carried in it, as it ever does, assurance of suc- cess. (Tills shows he must have been already and for some time a follower of Christ.) 6. net brake— rather ' was breaking,' or ▼begin- ning to break,' as v. 7, " beginning to sink." 8. depart, (fee- Did Peter then wish Christ to leave him? Verily no. His all was wrapt up in Him. (J. 6. 68.) 'Twas rather, 'Woe is me. Lord! How shall I abide this blaze of glory? A sinner such as I am is not fit com- pany for Thee.' (cf. Is. 6. 5.) 10. fear not, Simon— this shows how the Lord read Peter's speech. Themore hinhly they deemed of Him, ever the more grateful itwas to the Redeemer's spirit. Never did they vain Him ly mani- festing too lofty concei)iions of Him. from henceforth— marking a new stage of their con- nection \vith Christ. The last was simply, " I will make .you fishers." fishers of men— 'What ynli thou think, Simon, overwhelmed by this draught of fishes, when I shall bring to thy net what wiU beggar aU this glory? See on M. 4. 18. 11. forsook all— They did this before (M. 4. 20 ; now they do it again- and yet after the (iucifixion they are at their boats once more. (J. 21. 3.) In such a business this is easily conceivable. After Pentecost, however, they appear to have finally abandoned their secular calling. 12-16. Leper Healed.— ijee on M. 8. 2-4. 15. but so. (fee— See on I\Ik. 1. 45. 17-26. Paralytic He.^led.— See on M. 9. 1-8. 17. Pharisees and doctors . . . sitting by— the highest testimony yet borne to our Lord's growing influence, and the necessity increas- ingly felt by the ecclesiastics throughout the country of coming to some definite judgment regarding Him. power of the Lord present— with Jesus, to heal them— the sick people 18. house-top — the flat roof, through the tiling . . , before Jesus— See on Mk. 2. 2. 24 take up thy couch— 'sweet saying l The bed G Christ imtructeth his disciple s. -1 J31cssed *■ are ye when men sliall hate .vou, and wheu they « shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach yon, and cast out your name as e^•il, lor tne Son of man's sake. 23 llejoice «yein that day, and leap for joy: tor, behold, iour reward is afreat in heaven: for "hi the like manner did their lathers unto the propliets. 24 iJut "woe unto you that are rich! for ye '" have received your cousolation 25 Woe * unto you that are full! tor ye shall hunger, v Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn ana weep. 26 Woe ''unto you when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 27 IT liut " I say unto yon which hear. Love your eueuiies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and Spray for them which despitefuUy use you. 2!> And^uuto him that smiteth thee on tiie one cheek oiler also the other ; ^ and him that taketli away thy cloak forbid not io Uike thy coat fxlso. 3(1 Give * to every mau that asketh of thee ; and of liim that taketh away thy goods ask them noi again. ol And /as ye would that men sliould do to^you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For ^ if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for siuuers also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And 'I if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? lox sinners also lend to siiiuers, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and » lend, hoping for nothing agaui ; anJ your reward shall be great, and > ye shall be the children of the Highest: for *he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil 3(} Be ' ye therefore merciful, as your father also is merciful. 37 Judge "* not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned : forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, "and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and ninuing over, shall men give iiito your "bosom. For ^with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 3y And he snake a parable unto them: Cans the blind Igad the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The '"disciple is not above his master: but every one i that is perfect shall be as his master. _ 41 And * why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother. Brother, let me pull out the mote that is m thine eye, when thou thyself be- holdest not the beam that is in thine owu eye? Thou hypocnte, 'cast out first the beam out of tliine o-vvn eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is m thy brother's eye. 43 For "a good tree bringeth not forth con-upt fruit: neither doth a corrupt tree biiuu lortli good li uit. I LUKE, vn. TTie centurion's faith. CHAP. 6. r Alat 5. 11. 1 Pet. 2.19. 1 Pet. 3.14. Col. 1 24. Jam. 1. 2. » Acts 7. 51. V Amos 0. 1. cli. 1^. ai. «« ftUt". 6. 2. ch. It) 25. a: Is. C5. 13. V Pro. 14. 13. " John 15.19. I.luhn4.5. a Ex. 2a. 4. Pro. 25. 2. »Iat. 5. 44 Ko. 12. 21), b ch. 23. 34. Acta 7 60. <-• Alat. 5. 39. d 1 Cor. G. 7. e Dou. 15. 7. Pro. 3. 27. Pro. 21 2C. Mat. 5. 42. / Mat. 7. 12. Phil. 4. 8. Mat. 6. 46. h Mat. 5. 42. i Lot. 25. 36. Ps. 37. 26. j Mat. 5. 45. 1 John 3. 1. A Act« H.17. 1 Mat. 5. 48. Eph.b.lX »» Mat. 7. 1. Jam. 4.11. n Pro. 19.17. Ps. 79. 12. P Mat. 7. 2. Mark 4.24. Jam. 2. 13. q aiat. 15.14. r Mat 10.24. John 13.16. John 15.20. 1 Or, shaU per- fected I his master. 8 Mat. 7. 3. t Pro. 18. 17. M Mat. 7. 16. Gal. 5. 19, 2.1 2 Ti. 31-9. V Mat. 12.33. 2 a grape. M- Ko. 8. 5-8. « Mai. 1. 6. Mat. 25.11. 44 For^eveiT tree is knov,-n by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they 2gTapes. 45 A '"good man out of the good trea.sure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ; and an evil man out of the evil trea- sure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 46 H And "why caU ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the tilings which I say? 47 Whosoever " cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a mau which built an house, aud digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and whqi *the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it; for it was fouuded upon " a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a inau that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; agauist which the stream did beat vehemeutly, aud im- mediately it fell; and *the rum of that house was great. CHAPTER VIL I The eenturion's faith { lU Christ healeth Mi $er- va7it, beitig absent; U raiseA the widow's son, 2i Christ's testimony of John. 36 Mary Mag- dalene anoinleth Christ's feet. ">JOW when he had ended all his sayiiigg -'-^ in the audience of the people, " he en- tered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion's servant, who -vas dear uuto him, was sick, aud ready to die. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseech- ing him that he would come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they be- sought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saj ing uuto him. Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say m a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For 1 also am a man set under author- ity, having under me soldiers; and 1 say unto 1 one. Go, and he goeth; and to another. Come, and he cometh; aud to my ser\'aiit, Bo this, and he doeth it. 9 When Jesus heard these things, he mar- veiled at him, and tm-ued him about, aud said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, 1 h.vve not fotmd so great faith, no, not in * Israel. 10 And they that were sent, rettmiing to the house, found the sen'ant whole that had been sick. II ^ And it came to pass the day after, that he went mto a city called Nain, and many of his disciples went with ium, aud much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carrii d out, the only sou of his mother, ami she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. Plucldng Corn-ears on Sahhath. LTJKE, VT. Divers Diseases Healed. liad borne the man; now the man shall bear the bed.' JBeng.L 27--32. Levi's Call and Feast.— See on M. 9. 9-13; and Mk. 2. 14. 30. tlieir scribes— a mode of expression showing that L. was writing for Gentiles. 33-39. Fasting.— See on M. 9. 14-17. The incongruities mentioned in v. 36-38 were in- tended to illustrate the diflereuce between the genixLS of the old and the new economies, and the danger of mixing up the one with other. As, in the one case supposed, " the rent is made worse," and in the other, " the new wine is spilledj" so by a mongrel mixture of the ascetic rituahsm, of the old with the spi- ritnal freedom of the new economy, both are disfigured and destroyed. The additional E arable in i;. 39. which is peculiar to L., has een variously interpreted. But the " new wiue" seems plainly to be the evangelical freedom which Christ was introducing; and the old, the opposite spirit of Judaism: men 'ong accustomed to the latter could not be expected " straightway"— all at once— to take a liking for the former, q.d. ' These inquiries about the difference between my disciples and the Pharisees,' and even John's, are not surprising; tliey are the effect of a natural revulsion, against sudden change, which time wiU cure; tlie oiew wine will itself in time be- come old, and so acquire all the added charms of antiquity. What lessons does this teach, on the one hand, to those who unreasonably cling to what is getting antiquated ; and, on the other, to hasty reformers who have no patience with the timidity of their weaker Drethren! CHAPTER VI. Vcr. 1-5. Plucking Corn Ears on Sab- bath. See on M. 12. 1-8 ; and Mk. 2. 23-28, 1. secoud sabbath after tiie first disciples to pray for " labourers" just beforo sending themselves forth see on M. 9. 37; 10. 1.). so here we find the Lord Himself in prolonged communion with His Father in preparation for the solemn appointment of those men who were to give birth to His Church, and from whom the world in all tune was to take a new mould. How instructive is this! 13-16. See on M. 10. 2-4. 17. in the plain— by some rendered ' on a level place,' i. €., a piece of high table-land, by which they understand the same thins, as "on the mountain," where our Lord delivered th& sermon recorded by M. (5. 1.), of which they take this following discourse of L. to be but an abridged form. But as the sense given in our version is the more accurate, so there are weighty reasons for considering the dis- courses ditt'erent. Tliis one contains little more than a fourth of the other; it has woes of its own as weU as the beatitudes common to both; but above all, that of M. was plainly delivered a good while before, while this was spoken after the choice of the twelve, and as we know that our Lord delivered some of His weightiest sayings more than once, there is no difficulty in supposing this to be one of his more extended repetitions; nor could anything be more worthy of it. 19. healed— kept healing, denoting sucessive acts of mercy till it went over "a/J" that needed. There is something unusually grand and pictorial in this touch of description. 20, 21. In the Sermon on the Mount the be- nediction is pronounced upon the " poor in spirit" and those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness." (M. 5. 3, 6.) Here it is simply on the "poor" and the "hungry now." In this form of the discourse, then, our Lord seems to have had in view " the tiie first— an obscure ! poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of expression occurring here only, generally I the kingdom which God hath promised to understood to mean, the first Sabbath after them that love him," as these very beatitudes the second day of unleavened bread. The are paraphrased by James (2. 5'. laugh— how reasons cannot be stated here, nor is the charming is the liveliness of this word, to ex- opinion itself quite free from difficulty. 5. i press what in M. is called being " comforted!" Lord also— rather 'even,' as M. 12. 8.— of the i separate you— whether from theii Church, hy Sabbath— as naked a claim to cdltheaidhority [ excommunication, or from their society: both of Him who gave the law at Mount Sinai as i hard to flesh and blood. 22. for the Son of could possibly be made. q.d. ' I have said j Man's sake— cf. M. 5. 11, " for my sake-" and enough to vindicate the men ye carp at on my immediately before, " for riohteousness' sake" account; but in this place isthe Lord of the law, {v. 10). Christ thus binds upihe cause ofriuht- and tliey luive His sanction. See on Mk. 2. 28. 1 eousness in the v:orld icith the reception of 6-11. Withered Hand Healed. See on] Himself. 23. leap for joy — a liveher word M. 12. 9-15; and J\Ik. 3. 1-7. watched whether, j than " be exceeding glad" or ' exult, ' M 5 &e.— inM. this is put as an ensnaring question 12. 24, 25. rich . . full . . laugh— who have oftheirs'toourLord, who accordingly speaks I aU their good tilings and joyous feelings to tlie state of their liearts, v. 9, just as if they had spoken it out. 9. good or evil, save I your consolation or destroy— By this novel way of putting His ger— their Inwa case, our Lord teaches the great ethical principle, that to neglect any opportunity o/;26. all speak well of you— alluding to the court doing good IS to_xncu,r the guilt of doing evil; j paid to the false prophets of old. (Mi 2 11 ) TT., ,,.. ^^.j. (yee j For the principle of this woe, and its proper and by this law He bound His own on Mk. 3. 4.) 11. filled with m „ „-, „im jo; here and nov), in perishable objects, received see on ch. 16. 25. shall hun- Inward craving strong as ever, but he materials of satisfaction for ever gone. 6. all speak well of you— alluding to the court -aid to the false prophets of old. (Mi. 2. 11.) ess —the limits, see J. 15. 19. 27-36. See on M. 5. 44-^ word denotes senseless rage— at the con-! 7. 12; and 14. 12-14. 37, 38. See on M 7 l 2- fusion to which our Lord had put them, I but this is much fuller and more graphic' both by word and deed, what to do with ) 39. can the blind. &c.— not in the Sermon oii Jesus--not so much whether io get rid of! the Mount, but recorded by M. in another Him, hMt how to compass it. iSee on M. 3. 6.) ] and very striking connection, ch 15 14 40 12-19. The Twelve Apostle.s Chosen- [the disciple, kc.-q.d. 'The disciple's aim t6 Gathering Multitudes-Glorious Hea- come up to his master, and he thinks himself LINGS. 12, 13. went out— probably from complete when he does so: if you then be Capernaum, all night m prayer . .and when day, blind leaders of the blind, the perfection of he called, &c — the work with which the next one's training under you will only land him cia^ began shows what had been the burden the more certainly in one common ruin with of this mfir/ifs devotions. As He directed His yourselves." 41-4.9. See on M 7 3-6 l6-'>7. 49 ' ' • Christ's testimony of John, LUKE, vin. Parahle of the tioo debtont. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he "had rompassion ou her, and said unto her. Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the 2 bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, d Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat np, and be- gan to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And 'there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, sajing, /That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, 'That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about. 18 IT And 'i the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 19 And John calling unto him two of his discii)les, sent tfiem to Jesus, saying, Art thou «he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John baptist hath sent us unto thee, saving. Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in the same horn* he cured many of their infinnities and plagues, and of e%al spirits ; and unto mauy Uuit were blind he gave sight. 22 Then } Jesus answering said unto them. Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; *how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, ' to the poor the Gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be oiiended in me. 24 IT And '"when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto th'', people concerning John, What went ye out mto the wilderness for to see? A reed Bhakeu with the wind? 25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. 2Q But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, 1 say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written, "Be- hold, 1 send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28 For 1 say unto you. Among those that are bom of women there is not a greater prophet than J olm the Baptist : but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, " being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the I'harisees and lawyers 3 re- jected^ the counsel of God * against them- belves, being not baptized of him. 31 IT And the Lord said, « Whereunto then thall 1 liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the market - place, and calling one to another, and saj ing. We have i)iped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For '■John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye Bay, lie hath a deviL 34 The Son of man is come oaiing and diuikiiij;; and je say. Behold a glut touous A. D. 81. I CHAP. 7. e Lam. 3. 32. Jol.n 11. 33,85. Heb. 4. 15. 2 Or, coffin. d ch. 8. 64. John 11.43. AcU 9. Vh Kom. 4.17. e ch. 1. 65. /ch. 24. 19. John 9. 17. g ch. 1. 68. A Mat. 11. 2. i Eze. 21. 27. Eie. 34. 23, 29. Dan. 9, 24-26. Mic. 5. 2. Hag. 2. 7. Zech. 9. 9. Mai. 3. 1-3. } Mat 11. 5. k I«. 29. 18. I«. 35. 5. Is. 42 6. { la. 61. 1. ch. 4. 18. Jam. 2. 6. "» Mat. 11.7. n Is. 40. 3. Mai. 3. 1. Mai. 4. 5. Mat. 3. 6. ch. 3. 12. 3 Or, frua- trateil. P Acts 20.27. 4 Or, within selves. 9 Mat. 11.16. r Mat. 3. 4. Mark 1. 6. ch. 1. 16. » Mat. 11.19. 1 Cor. 1.23, 24. t Mat. 26. 0. Mark 14. 3. John 11. 2. « ch 8. 2. «' Zech.12.10. «» ch. 15. 2. * Mat. 18.28. V Is. 1. 13. Is. 43. 25. Is. 44. 22. » Gen. 18. 4. 1 Ti. 6. 10. a 1 Cor. 16. 20. 2 Cor. 13. 12. b Ps. 23. 5. Eccl. 9. 8. e 1 Ti. 1. 14. d Mat. 9. 2. Mark 2. 6. « Is. 53. 3. Mat. 9. 3. Mark 2. 7. / Mat. 9. 22. ch. 18. 42. CHAP. 8. a Mat. 27.56, 60. Mark 16.9. c Mnl^ 13. 2. M^ik4.1. man, and a wine-bibber, a liiend of pub- licans and sinners! 35 But • Wisdom is justified of 411 her children. 36 H And <one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the rharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a "woman in the city, which jvas a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Bharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind ^him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 3!) Kow when the Pharisee which had biddei. him saw it, he sjjake within him- self, saying, *" This man, if he were a pro- phet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him ; for she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five himdred * pence, and the other fifty. / i'2 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly v forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them wiU love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And ha said unto him. Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he tmned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered mto thine house, thou gavtst me no * water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped thtm with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no "kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My 4 head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore " I say unto thee, Her sins, wliich are many, are forgiven ; for she loved much: but to whom little la forgiven, tfus same loveth little, 48 And he said unto her, <* Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with hivn began to say within themselves, * Who is this that forgive th sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, /Thy Mlh hath saved thee ; go in peace. CIIAPTEll VIIL 1 Devout xvoinen minUter unto Christ. 4 Th» partible of the soiver, 16 and of the candle. liS The legion of dei'ils cast out: 43 the woman healed of her bloody issue, etc. A NU it came to pass aftenvard, that he •"- went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 2 And "certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, *out of whom went seven devils, 3 And J oaiina the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and mauy others, which ministered imto him of their sub- stance. 4 ^ And "^ w hen much people were gathered Widow ofNain's Son Raised to Life. LUKE, VIL Christ s Feet Was7i£d with Tears, CKAJ^TET. VTI. Ver.1-10. Centurion'.s Servant Healed. See on M. 8. 6-13. 4. he was worthy, (kc— a testimony most precious, coming from those who probably were strangers to the principle from which he acted. (Eccl. 7. 1.) loveth our nation— having found that " salvation was of the Jews," he loved them for it. built, &c.— his love took tliis practical and appropriate form. 11-17'. ■Widow of Natn's Son Eaised to Life. (In L. only.) 11. Nain— a small vil- lage not elsewhere, mentioned in Scripture, and only this once probably visited by our Lord; it lay a little to the south of mount Tabor, about 12 miles from Capemamn. 12. carried out—' was being carried out.' Dead bodies, being ceremonially unclean, were not allowed to be buried within the cities (thovigh the kings of David's house were buried in the city of David , and the fune- ral was usually on the same day as the death, only son. (fcc— affecting particulars, told with delightful simplicity. 13, 14. the Lord — 'This sublime appellation is more usual with L. and J. than M.; Mk. holds the mean.' [Bejsg.] saw her, had compassion. &c. — "What consolation to thousands of the bereaved has this single verse carried from age to age ! 14, 15. What mingled ma- jesty and grace shines in this scene ! The ilesurrection and the Life in human flesh, with a word of conunand, bringing back life to the dead body ; Incarnate Compassion summoning its absolute power to dry a widow's tears ! 16. visited his people— more than bringing back the days of Hijah and Elisha. (1 Ki. 17 17-2i; 2 Ki. 4. 32-37; and see on M. 15. 31.) 18-35. The Baptist's Message, the Ee- PLY, AND consequent DISCOURSE.— See on M. 11. 2-14. 29, 30. and all the people that heard—' on hearing this .' Tliese are the ob- sen'ations of the evangeUst, not of our Lord, and the publicans — a strikin<i clause, justified God, being baptized, &c.—ratner' having been baptized. The meaning is, They acknow- leilged the Divine wisdom of such a prepara- tory ministry as John's, in leading them to Him who now spake to them; see ch. 1. 16, 17;' whereas the Pharisees and lawyers, true to themselves in refusing the baptism of Jolm. set at nought also the merciful design of God in the Saviour himself, to their owti destruc- tion. 31-35. the Lord said, <Sr3.— As cross, ca- pricious childien, invited by their playmates to join them in their amusements, will play with them neither at weddings nor at fune- rals (juvenile imitations of the joyous and mournful scenes of life), so that generation rejected both John and bis Master: the one because he was too unsocial— more like a de- moniac than a rational man ; the other, be- cause he was too much the reverse, given to animal indulgences, and consorting ^vith the lowest classes of society. But the children of Wisdom recognise and honour her whether in the austere garb of the Baptih;t or in the more attractive style of his Master, whether in the Law or in the Gospel, whether in rags or in royalty; for " the full send loathcth an honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." (Prov. 27. 7.) 36-50. Christ's Feet Washed -wtth Tears. 37, 33. a sinner— one who had led a profligate life. n.b. There is vo ground what - ixerfor Uie popular notion HuU this woinan n-as Mary Magdalene, nor do we know what her name was. See on ch. 8. 2. an alabaster box of ointment— a perfume-vessel, in some cases very costly iS. 12. 5.;. ' The ointment has here a peculiar interest, as the offering by a penitent of what had been an accessory in her unliallowed work of sin.' [Alf.] at his feet behind him— the posture at meals be- ing a reclining one, with the feet out behind, began to wash, etc.— to ' water with a shower. ' Tlie tears, which were quite involuntary, poured dowTi in a flood upon His naked feet, as she bent down to kiss them; and deeming them rather fouled than washed by this, slie hastened to wipe them oft' with the only towel she had. the long tresses of her own hair, * with which slaves were wont to wa.sh their masters' feet.' [Stier.] kissed— the word signifies ' to kiss fondly, to caress,' or to ' kiss again and again,' wliich v. 45 shows is meant here. "What prompted this? Mudi love, springing from a sense of mudi forgive' ncss. So says He who knew her heart, v, 47. ■\\liere she had met with Christ before, or what words of His had brought life to her dead heart and a sense of Divine pardon to her guilty soul, we know not. But probably she was of the crowd of "publicans and sinners" whom incarnate Compassion drew so often around Him, and heard from His lips some of those words such as never man spake, " Come unto me all ye that labour," itc. No personal interview had up to this time taken place between them; but she could keep her feelings no longer to herself, ami having found her way to Him and entered along with him, v. 45\ they burst forth in this surpassing yet most artless style, as if her whole soul would go out to Him. 39. the Pharisee— who had formed no definite opinion of our Lord, and invited him appa- rently to obtain materials for a judgment, spake within himself, &c.— ' Ha ! I have him now- he plainly knows nothing of the person he allows to touch him, and so, he can be no prophet.' Not so fast, Simon; thou hast not seen through thy Guest yet, but He hath seen through thee, 40 43. Like Nathan with David, our Lord conceals his home-thrust under the veil of a parable, and makes his host himself pronounce upon the c^se. Tlie two debtors are the woman and Simon; the criminality of the one was tai times that of the other (in the proportion of " 60o " to " 60 "y ; but both being equally insolvent, both are -with equal frankness forgiven; and Simon is made to owti that the greatest debtor to forgiving mercy wiU cling to her Divine Benefactor with the deepest gratitude. Does our Lord then admit that Simon was a forgiven man ? Let us see. 45-i7. 1 entered . . . no water— a compliment to guests. Was this "much love T Wa.% it any ? no kiss— of salutation. How much love was here "r Any at all ? with oil . . . not anoint— even common olive-oil in contrast with the woman's "oint- ment" or aromatic balsam. "What evidence was thus afforded of any feeling which for- giveness prompts? Our Lord speaks this with delicate politeness, as if huti at the.se inattentions of his host, which though not invariably shown to guests, were the cus- tomary marks of studied respect and regard. The inference is plain— o?ii)/ one ofthcdihtors was really forgiven, though in the first in- stance, to give room for the play of withheld feelings, the forgiveness of both is supposed Partihle of the tOwer. LUKE, VIII. The legion of devils CMt (nil. together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and «s he sowed, some fell by the waj'-side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, be- cause it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred-fold. And when he had said these things, he cried, lie that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 IT And <* his disciples asked him, saymg, What might this parable be? 10 And he said. Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables ; * that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now /the parable is this: The 'seed la the word of God. 12 Those by '^ the way-side are they that hear; then cometh 'the de^^l, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they sliould believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with Joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are thev, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares /and riches and pleasures of this life, aud bring no fruit to perfection. 1.5 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and* bring forth fruit with patience. 16 IT No 'man, wlien he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it, under a bed ; but setteth it on a candle- stick, that they which enter in may see the light. 17 For*" nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid that shall not be known and come abroad. 18 Tiike heed therefore how ye hear: " for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shal be taken even that which he ^ seemeth to have. 19 H Then " came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 20 And it was told him hy cert/iin, which eaid. Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21 And he answered and said unto them. My mother and my brethren are these wliich hear the word of God, aud do it. 22^ Now Pit came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his dis- ciples: and he said unto them. Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 Aud they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, niast<;r, we perish! Then he 'arose, aud rebuked the wind and the 51 CHAP. 8. d Mat. 13.10. Mxrk 4. 12. /Mat. 13. 18. Blark 4. 14. g Acta 20.27, i 2 Cor. 2.11. 2 Cor. 4. 3. 2 TUesB. 2. 10. 1 Pet. 5. 8. J Mat. 19. 23. 1 Ti 6.9,10. 2 TL 4. 10. k Ei.h. 2. 4. 2 Fet. 1. 6-10. I Mat. 6. 15. 4Urk4.21. ch. 11. 33. Phil. 2. 16, 16. m Mat.l0.2Q. ch. 12. 2. n Mat. 13.12. Mat. 25.29. Mark 4 26. ch. 19. 26. John 16. 2. Kev. 22.11. 1 Or, thick- eth that be hath. Mat. 12.46. Mat. 13.55. Mark 3. 31. John 7. 6. Acts 1. 14. 1 Cor. 9. 5. Gal. 1. 19. P Mat. 8. 23. Mark 4.35. <7 Job 28. 11. Job 38. 11. Pb. 29. 10. Pb. 46. 1. Ps. C5. 7. Pb 89. 9. Pb. 93. 4. Ps. 107. 29. Ps. 135. 6. Nah. 1. 4. r Ps. 33. 8.9. Mark 4.41. Mark 5.51. Sfilat. 8.28. Mark 5. 1. t Acta 10. IC, 17. PhU. 2. 10, 11. « Eev. 20. 3. V Lev. 11. 7. D«u. 14. 8. w Job 1. 12. Job 12. le. Rev. 20. 7. X 1 John 3.8. Enm. 16.20. y Mat. 8. 34. 2 1 Sa. lb. 4. Job 21. 14. ftliirkl.24. ch. 4. 34. ch. 5.8. 1 Cor. 2.14. a Pa. 103. 1. Pb. 116.12. Mark b.\i ch. IS. 43, b Mat. 9. It aUrk6.22. raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And he said unto them, "Where is your faith? And they being ''afraid wondered, saying one to another. What manner of man is this! for he commandeth eveu the winds and water, and they obey him. 26 % And 'they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the citj a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he « cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said. What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? 1 beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For often- times it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters ; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said. Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not commaud them to go out "into the deep. 32 And there was there an herd "of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would sutler them to enter into them. And ^ he sufl'ered them. 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done: and came to Jesus, and found the man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, ""aud in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the de^ils was healed. 37 U Then v the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought ^ him to depart from them ; for they were talven with great fear. Aud he went up into the ship, and returned back a train. 38 Now " the man out of whom the de\il3 were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 lletum to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how gi-eat things Jesus had done unto him. 40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. 41 ^ And, behold, there came a man named J aims, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell downi at Jesus' feet, and besou-ht liim that he would come into his house: 42 For he had one only daughter, .about twelve years of age, and she lay a-dying, But as he went the people thronged hiuu A Galilean Circuit tviihthe Tivdv e. LUKE . Vm. in the rarable. her sins which are many— 'those many sins of hers,' our Lord, whoi admitted how much more she owed than the Pharisee, now proclaims in naked terms the forgiveness of her guilt, for— not because, as if love were the cause of forgiveness, but 'in- asmuch as,' or ' in proof of which.' 1 he latter clause of the verse, and the Avhole structure of the parable, plainly shows this to be the meaning, little for^ven . . . loveth little —delicately ironical intimation of no lore' and no forgiveness in the present case. 48. said iinto her, &c.— an unsought assurance, [ u.sually springing up unexpected in the midst [ of active duty and warm affections, while often it flies from those who mope and are ; Parable of the Sower. paralyzed for want of it. 49, 50. they that Bat . . . who is thisi &c.— no wonder they were startled to hear One who was reclining at the same couch, and partaking of the same hospitalities with themselves, assume the awful prerogative of ' even forgiving sins.' But so far from receding from this claim, or softening it down, our Lord only repeats it, with two precious additions: one, aimouncing what was the one secret of the -' forgiveness" she had experienced, and which carried "sal- vation" in its bosom ; the other, a glorious dismissal of her in that "peace" which she had already felt but is now assured she has His full warrant to enjoy ! This wonderful scene teaches two very weighty truths : il.) though there be degrees of guilt, insolvency, or inability to wipe otd the dislwnour done to God, is common to all sinners. (2. As Christ is Vie Great Creditor to whom all debt, whether great or small, contracted by sinners is oicing, so to Him belongs the jn-erogative of forgiving it. This latter truth is brought out in the structure and application of the present par- able as it is no where else. Either then Jesus was a blaspheming deceiver, or He is God manifest in the flesh. CHAPTER vm. Ver. 1-3. A Galilean Circuit, tvith the TV/ELVE AND CERTAIN MINISTERING Wo- WEN. (InL.only.) went— ' travelled,' ' made a progress.' throughout every city and village— * tlirough town and village.' preaching. Arc- the Prince of itinerant Preacliers scattering far and wide the seed of the Kingdom, cer- tain women hea.ed, &c. — on whom He had the double claim of having brought healing to their bodies and new life to their souls. Drawn to Him by an attraction more than ma.uTietic, they accompany Him on this tour as His a/mo«eri— ministering unto Him of their substance. Blessed Saviour! It melts us to see Tliee living upon the love of thy ransomed people. That they bring thee their poor offerings we wonder not. Tliou hast sown unto them spiritual things, and they think it, as well they might, a small thing that Thou shouldst reap their carnal thin-s. (1 Co. 9. 11.) But dost Tliou take it at their hand, and subsist upon it? " O the depth of the riches"— of this poverty of His ! Llary Magdalene— i. e., probably, oi Magdala, on which see M. 15. 39. went— rather ' had gone.' seven devils— ;Mk. IG. 9.) It is a great VTong to this honoured woman to identify her with the once profligate woman of ch. 7. 27, and to call all such penitents Magdalenes. The mistake has arisen from confounding iinha]rjijy demoniacal iiossession with the con.scious entci-tainmt nt of diabolic im- Ijurity, or supposing the one to have been 51 inflicted as a punishment for the other— for which there is not the least scriptural ground. Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward— If the steward of such a godless, cruel, and licentious wretch as Herod Autipas {.see on Mk. 6, 14, &c.) differed greatly from himself, his post would be no ea.sy or enviable one. That ha was a disciple of Christ is very improbable, though he miglit be favourably disposed to- wards Him. But what we know not of Him, and may fear he wanted, we are sure his wife possessed. Healed either of " evil spirits" or of some one of the " infirmities" here re- ferred to— the ordinary diseases of humanity —she joins in the Saviour's train of grateful, clinging followers. Of " Susanna," next men- tioned, we know notlung but the name, and that here only. But her sei'vices on this memorable occasion have immortalized her name. " Where.soever this gospel shall be preached throughout the vhole world, this also that she hath done, ' in ministering to the Lord of her substance on His Galilean tour. " shall be spoken of as a memorial of her." (Mk. 14. 9. many others— i.e., many oi\\er healed u'omen. "What a train! and all mini.stering imto Hun of their substance, and He allowing them to do it and subsisting upon it! 'He who was the support of the spiritual life of His people disdained not to be supported by them in the body. He was not ashamed to penetrate so far into the depths of poverty as to live upon the alms of love. He only fed others miraculously: for Himself, He liveJr upon the love of His people. He gave all things to men His brethren, and received all things from them, enjoying thereby the pure blessing of love; which is then only perfect when it is at the same time both giving and receiving. Who could invent such things as these? ' It was necessary to live in this manner that it might be *o recorded.' [Olsh. | 4-18. Parable of the Sower.— See on Mk. 4. 3-9, 14-20. 16. No man, <fcc.— See on M. 5. 1.5, of which this is nearly a repetition. 17. for nothing, A:c.— See on ch. 12. 2, 18. how ye — in Mk. 4. 24, " wJtat ye hear." Tlie one im- plies the other. The precept is very weighty, seemeth to have — or, ' thinlveth that he hath.' (Marg.) The " having" of M. 13. 12. ,ou which see and this " thinking he hath, are not different. Hanging loosely on him, and not jippropriated. it is and is not his. 19-21. His JMuther and Brethren de- sire to Speak with Htm.— See on Mk. 12. 4G-.50. 22-25. jEStrS, CROSSING THE LAKE. StILLS THE Storm.— See on M. 8. 20-27, and Mk. 4. 3.5-41. 23. filled— Kt. ' were getting filled, i.e., those who sailed; meaning that their ship Mas .so. 2(>-39. Demoniac of Gadaba Healed.— See on M. 8, 28-34; and Mk. 5. 1-20. 40-56. Jairus' Daughter Raised, and Issue of Blood Healed.— See on M. 9. 18- 26; and Mk. 5. 21-43. 40. gladly received him, for . . . all waiting him— The abundant teach- ing of that day (in M. 13; and see Mk. 4. 36.) had only whetted the jpeople's appetite; and ointed, as would seem, that He had left them in the evening to cross the lake, they remain hanging about the beach, having got a hint probably through some of His dis- ciples that He would be back the sanie evening. Perliaps they witnessed at a dis- tance the sudden calmiug ol the tempest. Jairus^s daughter restored to life. LUKE. IX. mtdtitude miraeidouslp fed. Lev. 16.25. Mat. 9. 20. d Acts 5. 15. Acts 19 12 Mark 5. 30. ch. 5. 17. ch. tj. 19. / Mark 5. 36. g 2 Chr. 20. 20. Mark 9. 23. h John 11. 11, 13. i ch. 7. 14. John 11.43. j Mat. 8. 4. Mat. 9. 30. Mark 5. 43. 43 If And * a woman, havintr an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her li\'ing upon phjsicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and ''touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus s-dd. Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that 'virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her. Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 4'J IT While /he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the sj-nagogue's house, saj-ing to him. Thy daughter is dead : trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying. Fear not: s believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 And when he came Into the house, he suHered no man to go in, save Peter and James and John, and the father and the mother ot the maiden. • 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, '' but Bleepeth. 53 And they laughed him to Bcom, know- ing that she was dead. 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, sajing. Maid, • arise. 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway; and he commanded to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished: but he i charged them that they should tell no man what was done. CHAPTER IX, 1 Christ tendeth out his ovostUs: 7 Berod is de- sirous to see him. 12 Christ feedeth five thou- sand; '2S his trMtsfiguration: 37 he heaUth a lunatic, etc. fTHEN " he called his twelve disciples -•■ together, and >> gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure dis- eases. 2 And * he sent them to preach the king- dom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And "* he said unto them. Take nothing for T/ottr journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money ; neither have two coats apiece. 4 And * whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And / whosoever will not receive yon, when ye go out of that city, ^ shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6 And A they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the Gospel, and heal- ing every where. 7 IT Now < Herod the tetrarch heard of aU that was done by him: and he was per- plexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; 8 And of some, that Elitis had appeared; i 1 2 Ki. a. ii. CHAP. 9. Mat. 10. 1. Mark 3.13. Mark 6. 7. b John 14.12. Acts 3. 6. c Mat.10.7,8. Mark 6. 12. ch. 10.1,9. Tit. 1. 9. Tit. 8. 12, 14. d Pa. 37. 3. Mat. 10. 9. Mark 6. 8. ch. 10. 4. ch. 22. 35. 2 Ti. 2. 4. e Mat. 10.11. Mark 6. 10. / Mat. 10. 14. g Acts 13.51. % Mark 6.12. i Mat. 14. 1. Mark 6. 14. j ch. 23. 8. k Mark 6. 30. 1 Mat. 14.13. m Mat. 14.15. Mark6.35. John 6. 1,6. 1 2 Kj. 4. 42, q Mat. 16 13. Mark 8. 27. r Mat. 14. 2. 8 Mat. 16.16. John 6. 69. Rom. 10. 9. 1 John 4. 14, 15. 1 Jolin 6. 5. t Mat. 16.20. u Mat. 16.21. Mat. 17.22. V Mat. 10 bS. Mat. 16.24. Mark 8. 34. ch. 14. 27. tf Mat. 16.26. Mark 8.B6. X Mat. 10.33. Mark8.o8. 2 Ti. 2. 12. i Mat. 16 28. Mark 9. 1. « Mat 17. 1. Mark 9. 2. 1 Or, things. a El. 34. Si9, and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. [) And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this of whom I hear such things? And i he desired to see him. 10 IT And * the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And ' he took them, and went aside pri- vately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 And the peonle, when they knew it, followed him: ana he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. 12 If And "^ when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him. Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. 13 But he said unto them, " Give ye them to eat. And they said, " We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. 14 (For they were about five thousand men.) And he said to his disciples. Make them sit down by fifties in a company. 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 And they ^ did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. 18 If And 1 it came to pass, as he was alone E raying, his disciples were with him : and e asked them, saying. Whom say the people that I am? 19 They answering said, ^ John the Bap- tist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen agaiii. 20 He said unto them. But whom say \e that I am? 'Peter answering said. The Christ of God. 21 And « he straitly charged them,and com- manded them, to tell no man that thing ; 22 Saying, " The Son of man must suller many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 23 If And "he said to them all, If any wan . will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For ^ what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For * whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 27 But V I tell you of a tinith, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. 28 If And * it came to pass, about an eight davs after these i sayings, he took Peter and J ohn and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as he prayed, the " fashion of his comitenance was altered, and his raiment teas white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and <> Elias; Peter's Confession ofChHst. LUKE, IX. JesMS Transfigured. Here at least they are, watching for His re- j the same instinctive desire to stand well vnth turn, and welcoming Him to the shore. The | others begets the temptation to be ashamed of tide of His popularity was now fast rising. ' "'^^ '""' ■>-'-^~ ' ^-^ 45. Wiio touched mel— 'Askest Tliou, Lord, M ho touched Thee'r Eather ask who touched Sou of Man be ashamed when he cometh, &c.— He Thee not in such a throng.' 46. somebody will render to that man his own treatment: touched— yes, the multitude " i/ironged and He will disown him before the most august of •pressed Him "—" they jostled against Him, all assemblies, and put him to "'shame and I Him which only the 'expulsive power' of higher aftection can effectually counteract. but all Mt-yo'trnfanZi/; they were merely car- everlasting contempt." Da. 12. 2.1 O shame, ried along: but one, one only—" somebody— to be put to shame before God, Christ, and TOUCHED HiM," with the conscious, volun- angels.' [Bexg,] 27. not taste of death till they tary, dependent touch of faith, reaching see the kingdom of God— "see it come with forth its hand expressly to have contact with Him. This and this only Jesus ac- knowledges and seeks out. Even so, as the - Church father Augustin long ago said multi- tudes stiM come similarly close to Christ in the means of grace, Init all to no purpose, being only sucked into the croivd. The voluntary, living contact of faith is that electric conduc- tor which alone draws virtue out of Him. 47. declared before all— this, though a great trial to the shrinking modesty of the believ- ing woman, M-as just what Christ wanted power" (]Mk. 9. 1.); or see "the Son of Man coming in his kingdom" (M. 16. 28.). Tlie reference, beyond doubt, is to the firm es- tablishment and victorious progress, in the life-time of some then i^resent, of that new Kingdom of Christ, which was destined to work the greatest of aU changes on this earth, and be the grand pledge of His final coming in glory. 28-36. Jestjs Tbansfigttred. 28. an eight days after these sayings— including the day on which this was spoken and that of the Trans- dragging her forth, her public testimony to ! figuration. M. and Mk. say " after six days," the facts of her case— both her disease, with ' excluding these two days. As the "sayings so her abortive efforts at a cure, and the in-' ''"*'"='^"'" '^--^ — ""^^ •"-- "" ^ stantaneous and perfect reUef which her touch of the Great Healer had brought her. 55. give her meat— .';ee on Mk. 5. 43. CHAPTER IX. Ver. 1-6. Mission of the Twelve Apos definitely connected with the Transfigura- tion scene are those announciug His death— at which Peter and aU the Twelve were so startled and scandalized, so this scene was designed to show to the eyes as well as the heart how glorious that death was TLBS. See on M. 10. 1-15. 1. power and in the view of Heaven. Peter, James, and -...,.. ._-i._ rx_ ■u^^^. — T.-.-.j — J _....i -•' Joiin— partners before in secular business; now sole v,-itnesses of the resurrection of Jairus' daughter JNIk. 5. 37.\ the transfigu- ration, and the agony in the garden (Mk. 14. 33.). a mountain— not Tahor, according to long tradition, with which the facts ill com- port, but someone near the lake, to pray— for the period he had now reached was a critical and anxious one. (See on M. 16. 13.) But who can adequately translate those " strong crj-ings and tears "? Methinks, as I steal by His side. I hear from Him these plaintive sounds. Lord, "SVho hath believed Our re- port? lam come unto mine own and mine authority— He both qualijied and autltorized tnem. 7-9. Herod TRotrBLED, at what He Hears 6y Christ, Desires to See Hui. See on Mk. 6. 14-30. 7. perplexed-' at a loss,' 'embarassed.' said of some that John was risen — amon^ many opinions, this was tlie one which Herod himself adopted, for the reason, no doubt, mentioned on Mk. 6. 14. desired to see him— but did not, till as a prisoner He was sent to him by Pilate just before His death, as we learn from ch. 23. 8. 10-17. On the Eeturn of the Twelve, Jesus retires with them to Betiisaida and there Miraculously Feeds Five ov.ti receive Me not; I am become a stranger Thousand. See on Mk. 6. 31-44. 18-27. Peter's Confession of Christ- Our Lord's First Explicit Announce- ment OF His Approaching Death, and Warnings arising out of it. See on M. 16. 13-28; and Mk. 8. 34. 24. will save— 'is minded to save,' bent on saving. Tlie pith of this maxim depends— as often in such weighty sas^ngs (for example, " Let the dead bury their dead," M. 8. 22.)— on the double sense attached to the word "life," a lower and a higher, the natural and the spiritual, temporal and eternal. An entire sacrifice of the lower, ora\\T.llingness to make it, is indis unto my brethren, an alien to my mother's children: Consider mine enemies, for they are many, and they hate me ^vith cruel hatred. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail. "Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, slune forth : Show me a token for good : Father, glorify thy name.' 29. as he prayed, the fashion, &c.— before He cried He was answered, and whilst He was yet speaking He was heard. Blessed interruption to prayer this ! Thanks to God, transfiguring manifestations are not quite strangers here. Ofttimes in the deepest depths, out of groanings which cannot be uttered, Gtod's dear children are suddenly pensable to the preservation of the higher life; transported to a kind of heaven upon earth. and he who cannot bring himself to sun-ender the one for the sake of the other shall eventu- ally lose both. 26. ashamed of me and of my words— the sense of shame is one of the strongest in our nature, one of the social affec- tions, founded on our love of reputation, which causes instinctive aversion to what is fitted to lower it, and was given us as a preser- vative from aU that is properly shameful. WTien one is, in this sense of it, lost to shame, he is nearly past hope. (Ze. 3. 5; Je. (>. 15; 3.3.) But when Christ and "his word "' and their soul is made as the chariots of Amminadab. Tlieir prayers fetch down such light, strength, holy gladness, as makes their face to shine, putting a kind of celestial radi- ance upon it. ,2 Co. 3. 18. with Ex. 34. 29-3.i.) raiment wldte, Arc. — M. says "His .face did shine as the sun" (17. 2,), and Mk. says "His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them." (9. 2.) The light, then, it would seem, shone not upon Him fro^n v-ithout but out of Him /Vom within; He was all irradiated, was Cliristianity, especially in its more spiritual j in one blaze of celestial glory. What a' con- and uncompromising features— is unpopular, I trast to that "visage more marred than The trnnffirrurnfion. LUKE. X. Fevevft; dhciples sevt to preach. 31 Who appeared in "glory, and spake ot his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were with him were "^ heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with. him. 3:3 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it 13 good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Ellas: not knowing what he said. 34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son: hear/ him. 3G And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. " And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. 37 IT And '• it came to pass, that on the next dav, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. 38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying. Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son; for he is mine only child: 39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and, bruising him, hardly departeth from him. 40 And 1 besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. 41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation! how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 42 And as he was yet a-coming, the de\il threw him down, and tare lum. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 43 II And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But. while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, 44 Let « these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. 45 But } they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they per- ceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saving. 46 H Then * there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of theur heart, took a child, and set him by him, , „ 48 And said unto them, « Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me ; and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: ™ for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. 49 And "John answered and said. Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name ; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for " he that is not agaiiist us is for us. 61 IT And it came to pass, when the time was come that P he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to J era Balem, 52 And sent messengers before his face and they went, and entered into a village Oii CHAP. 9. c Unl. 3. 21. Col. 3. 4. d Dan. 8. 18. Dan. 10. 9. Mat. 3. 17. 2 Pet. 1.16, 17. /Ex. 23.21. Den. 18. 15-13. Acta 3. 22. Hob. 2. 3. Q Mat. 17. 9. >t Mat. 17 14. Slark 9.14, Mat. 17. 22. j Mark 9. 32. ch. 2. 50. ch. 18 34. * Mat. 18. 1. M>rk9.34. I Mat. 10. 40. Mat. 18. 5. Mark 9. 37. John 12 44. John 13 20. n» Mat.23.11, n iil'rk 9.38. Nu. 11.28. Mat. 12.30. ch. 11. 23. 1 Cor. 12.3. P Mar. 16.19. Acts 1. 2. ? John 4.4,9. »- 2 Ki. 1. IC, 12. 8 Bom. 10. 2. t John 3. 17. John 12.47. " Mat. 8. 19. « Mat. 8. 21 '" 1 Ki. 19.20, » Heb. 6. <. CHAP. 10. a Mat. 10. 1. Mark 6. 7. 6 Mat. 9. 37, .Toiin 4. 35 e 2 Thes3.3 1. d Jar. 3 15. 1 Cor. 12. 10. Mark 6. 8. ch. 9. 3 g 2 Ki. 4. 29. ft Atit. 10.1'J. i Mat. 10 11. } 1 Cor. 10. 27. k Mat. 10 10. 1 Cor. 9 4. 1 Ti. 5. 18. I Eph. 5. 15. m cb, 9. 2. n la. 2. 2. Mat. 3. 2. Mat. 4. 17. Mat. 10. 7. Rom. 10.8. Tit 2, 11. o Mat. 10.14. ch. 9. 5. Acts 13.51 Acts 18. 6. pM.t. 10.15. Mark e.ll Heb. 6.4-8, of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 63 And ' they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 64 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said. Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as *■ Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said. Ye know not * what manner of spiiit ye are of. 56 For ' the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another \-illage. 57 H And " it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I \vili follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 53 And Jesus said unto him. Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59 And " he said unto another. Follow me. But he said. Lord, suffer me tii'st to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him. Let the dead bury their dead : but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said. Lord, "" I will follow thee • but let me first go bid them farewell which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, ^No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking Dack, is fit for the kingdom of God. CHAPTER X. 1 Christ sendeth oiU sevr'nt^ disciples. 13 Woet against Chorazin. Bethsaida,and Capernaum, 38 Mary ciymmendM, etc. A FTER these things the Lord appointed ^^ other seventy also, and " sent them two and two before his face into every city and plafe, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, *The har- vest truly is great, but the labourers are few: "pray ye therefore the <^ Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his hai-\'est. 3 Go your ways: * behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4 Cairy /neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and «' salute no man by the way. 5 And /i into whatsoever house ye enter, first say. Peace be t<i this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, yonr peace shall rest upon it : if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And « in the same house remain, i eating and drinking such things as they give: for the * labourer is worthy of his hire. Go nut ' tirom house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9 And "* heal the sick that are therein : and say unto them, " The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10 But iiito whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even " the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wpe off against you: notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12 But 1 say unto you, That p it shall be more tolerable in that daj for Sodom, thaa for that city. Jesus Transjtcnired, men, and His form than the sons of men ! [v. (Is. 52. 14.) 30, 31. there talked with him two on men . . . Moses and Elias . . . appeared in glory — ' Who would have believed these were not anfiels had not theirJtuman names been sub- joined ? [Beng.] (cf. A. 1. 10; Mk. 16. 5.) Moses represented "the law," Elijah "the prophets." and both together the whole tes- timony of the O. T. Scriptures, and the 0. T. saints, to Christ; now not borne inabook but by Iming men, not to a coming but a come Messiah, visibly, for they '* appeared," and aih- dibly, for they "spake." spake— 'were speak- ing.' of Ms decease—' departure ;' beautiful euphemism (softened term) for death, which Peter, who witnessedthe scene.uses toexpress his o%vn expected death, and the use of which single teiin seems to have recalled the whole by a sudden rush of recollection, and oc- casioned that delightful allusion to this scene which we find in 2 Pe. 1. 1.5-18. which he should accomplish. ' was to fulfil.' at Jeru- salem— JMark the historical character and local features which Christ's death assumed to these glorified men— as important as it charming— and see on ch. 2. 11. What now may be gathered from this statement ? (l.) That a dying Messiah is the great article of th e true Jetnsh theology. For a long time the Church had fallen clean away from the faith of this article, and even from a preparedness to receive it. But here we have that jewel raked out of the dimghill of Jewish traditions, and by the true representatives of the Church of old made the one subject of talk with Christ himself. (2. ) The adori n g gratitude of glorified mcnjor His undeiiakirig to accomplish such adecease; their felt dependence upon it for the glory in which they appeared; their profound interest in the progress of it; their humble solaces and encouragements to go through with it- and their sense of its peerless and over- vmehning glory. 'Go, matchless, adored One, a Lamb to the slaughter ! rejected ot men, but chosen of God and precious; dis- honoured, abhorred, and soon to be slain by men, but worshii>ped by cherubim, ready to be greeted by aU heaven ! In \'irtue of that decease we are here; our aU is .suspended on it and wrapt up in it. Thine every step is watched by us with ineffable interest; and though it were too high an honour to us to be permitted to drop a word of cheer into that precious but now clouded spirit, yet, as the first-fruits of harvest, the very joy set before Him, we cannot choose but tell Him that what is the depth of shame to Him is covered with glory in the eyes of heaven, that the Cross to Him is the Crown to us, that that " decease" is all our salvation and all our desire.' And who can doubt that such a scene did minister deep cheer to that spirit? 'Tis said they "talked" not to Him but "with Him;" and if they told Him how glorious His decease was, might He not fitly reply, ' I know it, but your voice, as messengers from heaven come down to tell it me, is music in mine ears.' 32. and when they were awake — so, certainly, the most commentators; but if we translate literally, it should be ' but having kept awake.' f AIey. LUKE. IX. Dem oni ac and Lunat ic Boy Healed. .). saw his glory, Arc— the emphasis lies sau-, qualiiying them to become " eve- ivitnesscs of his majesty" (2 Pet. 1. I6.i. 33 they aeparted— Ah! bright manifestations in this vale of tears are always "departing" manifestations. 34, 35. a cloud — not one of our watery clouds, but the Shechinah- cloud (see on M. 23. 39', the pavilion of the manifested presence of God with his people, what Peter calls "the excellent" or mag- nificent glory" (2 Pe. 1. l" . a voice—" such a voice," says Peter emphatically; " and this voice (he adds) we heard when we were with Him in the holy mount." i2 Pe. 1. 17, 18.) my beloved Son . . , hear Him— reverentially. Alf.J Perhaps, ' having roused tlumselvcs tip' [Olsh.] may come near enough the Uteral sense; but from the word used we can gather no more than that they stu>oko.tr't]tcir drowsi- ness. Ifc was night, and the Lord seems to have spent the whole night on the mountain ;3 implicitly, alone. 36, Jesus found alone— Mo.ses and Elias are gone. Their work is done, and they have disappeared from the scene, feel- ing no doubt with their fellow-servant the Baptist, " He must increase, but I must de- crea.se." The cloud too is gone, and the naked majestic Christ, braced in spirit, and en- shrined in the reverent aflection of hi3 disciples, is left— to suffer ! kept it close- feeling, for once at least, that such things were unmeet as yet for the general gaze. b7-4o. Demoniac ajjd Lunatic Boy Healed — Christ'-s Second Explicit An- nouncement OF His Death and Eesur- KECTioN.— See on Mk. 9. 14-32. 43-45. the mighty^ power of God — * the majesty" or Iniightmess' of God in this last miracle, the Transfignration, <fcc. ; the divine grancUur of Christ rismg upon them daily. By com- paring M. ir. 22, and Mk. 9. 30, we gather that this had been the subject of conversation between the twelve and their Master as they journeyed along, these sayings— not what was passing between them about His gran- deur [Mey., kc.\ but what He was now to repeat for the second time about His suffer- ings. [De W., Stier, Alf., (tc.J q.d. ' Be not carried off your feet by aU this grandeur of mine, but bear in mind what I have already told you, and now distinctly repeat, that that Sun in whose beams ye now re- joice is soon to set in micbiight gloom.' "The Son of7«a)i," says ChrLst, "into the hands of men " — a remarkable antithesis also in M. 17. 22, and Mk. 9. 31 . and they feared— ' insomuch that they feared.' Tlieir most cherished ideas were so completely dashed by such announcements, that they were afraid of laying themselves open to re- buke by asking him any questions. 4G-48. Strife among the Tavelve, who SHOULD BE Gre.\test— John PlEuuked FOR Exclusiveness. 46 48.— See on M. 18. 1-5. 49, 50. John answered, (tc— The link of connection here with the foregoing context lies in the words " in My name" yV. 48. i. ' O, as to that, (said John, young, warm, but not .sufficiently appreliendiug Christ's teaching in these things) We saw one casting out devils " in thy name " and we forbade him: Were we wrong"? ' Ye were ^vrong.' 'But we did " because he followeth not us." ' ' No matter. For 1.) " There is no man which shall do a miracle in my name that can lightly (or * soon') speak evil of INle," Mk. 9. 39. ,i..u (2.) If such a person cannot be suppo^ d to be " against us," you are to hold him "jor us." Two principles of immense importance. Christ does not say this man should not have followed " with them," but simply teaches how he was to be regarded though he did not— as a reverer of His name and a promoter oi ParaJ^ of the. g<y>d Snmnrifan. LUKE, XI. CJn-isf teaches Jtnrr to pray. 1»5 Woe »unto thee, Chorazin! -woe unto thee, Bethsaida! Tor if the nii^chty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they had a ^-eat while ago • repented. Bitting in sackcloth end ashes, 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tjts and Sidon at the judgment, than for you, 15 And ' thou, Capernaum, which art exalted " to heaven, "shalt be thnist down to hell. 16 He "'thatheareth you hearethme; and he * that despiseth you despiseth me; I'and he that despiseth me despiseth him that Bent me. _ 17 IT And the seventy returned again with joy, sajing. Lord, even the devils are sub- ject unto us through thy name. IS And he said luito them, * I beheld Satan as lightning fall fiom heaven. 19 Behold, "I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because *your names are wiitten in heaven. 21 H In "that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from "^the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so. Father- for so it seemed good in thy sight. 22 1 All things * are delivered to me of my Father: and /no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and lie to whom the Son will reveal }dm. 23 ^ And he turned him unto his disciples, and said pri\'ately, » Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, '' that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them.; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 25 II And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, 'Master, what shall 1 do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him. What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, /Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and * thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast an- swered right: this do, and ' thou shalt live. 29 But he, willuig to "'justify himself, said unto Jesus, AJid who is my neigh- bour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerasalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him ot his raiment, and wounded him, and de- parted, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a cer- tam priest that way: and when he saw him, « he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the ot her side. 33 But a certain "Samaritan, as he jour- neyed, came where he was: and when he Baw him, he had compassion on him, ol And went to him, and bound up his Vouuds, Eouiing in oil and wine, and set | &1 CHAP. 10. 9 Mat. 11.21. r Ere. 8. 6. « Jnn»h 3. 5. t Mat. 11.23. « Geo. 11. 4. Deu. 1. 28. Is. 14. 13. Jer. 61. 63. » Em. 28. 20. EzB.32. 18. «" Mark 9.37. Jolm 13.20. « 1 Thes 4.8. V John 5. 23. t John 12 31. John 16.11. Heb. 2. 14. 1 John 3.8. Kev. 9. 1. Rev. 12.8,9. O Mar. 16.18. Act3 28. 5. 6 Ex. 32.32. P8. 69. 28. Ii. 4. 3. Dan. 12. 1. Phil. 4. 3. Heb. 12.23. Ee». 13. 8. Kev. 2I).12. Bev. 21.27. c Mat. 11.25. d 1 Cor.1.19. 2 Cor. 2. 6. ancient copies add And turn- ing to his disciples, e Ma t. 28.18. John 3. 35. Jolm 5. 27. John 17 2. Ei.h. 1.21. Phil. 2. 9. /John 1. 18. John 6. 44. Mat. 13.16. A 1 Pet.l. 10. i Mat. 22. 36. ;■ Deu. 6. 5. ft Lev. 19.18. J Lev. 18. 5. Neh. 9. 29. Ew. 20. U. Rom. 10. 5. m eh. 16. 15. n P». 38. 11. John 4. 9. P Mat. 20. 2. 9 Rom. 12.20. r John 11. 1. 8 Deu. 33 3. Acts 22. 3. t 1 Cor. 7.32. CHAP. 11. a 2 Cor. 3.6. b Is. 63. 16. e Is. 11. 9. Dan. 7. 14. 1 Or, for the day. d E|.h. 4 32. e 1 Cor.10.13. Kev. 3. 10. 2 Or, out of his vpay. /ch. 18. 1. ffl John 5.14. A Mat. 7. 0. 3 give. him on his omi beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two P pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him. Take care of him: and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that tell among the thieves? 37 And he said. He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, i Go, and do thou likewise. 38 % Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named ''Martha received him into her house. 89 And she had a sister called Mary, which also *sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was « cumbered about much serving, and tame to him, and said. Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. CllAPTEll XL 1 Chrint tencheth to pray ■ \ihe casteih <yut a dumb devil: 27 tie showetk who are truly t/lessedt JS. he -preacheth. to the people, 37 and reprovethiht i'harisees' outward sh</iv of holiness, etc. A ND it came to pass, that, as he was ■'^ praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him. Lord, "teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, * (Jul- Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us i day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins: for <iwe also forgive every one that is uidebted to us. And ' lead us not into temptation; but de- liver us from eviL 5 And he said unto them, Which of yon shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine 2 in his journey is come to me, and 1 have nothing to set "be- fore him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; 1 cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, /Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And " I say tmto you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall hud; knock, and it snail be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh tindeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If " a son shall ask bread of any of yon that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a hsh, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if ne shall ask an egg, will he 3 offer him a scorpion! Christ tdlces Eis Last Leave of Galilee. LUKE, X. Mission of the Seventy Disciples. Bis cause. Surely this condemns not only those horrible attempts hy force to shut up all ^vithin one visible pale of discipleship, which have deluged Christendom with blood in Christ's name, but the same spirit in its milder form of proud ecclesiastic scowl upon all who ** after the form which they call a sect (as the word signifies, A. 24. 14 , do so worship the Gk)d of their fathers." Visible unity in Christ's Church is devoutly to be sought, but this is not the way to it. See the nolle sjyirit of Moses, Nu. 11. 24-29. 51-56. The Period of His Assumption Approaching, Christ takes His Last Leave of Galilee — The Samaritans Refuse to Receive Him. 51. the time was come— rather, ' the days were being fulfilled,' or approaching their fulfilment, that he should be received ap— ' of His assiunpdon,' meaning His exaltation to the Father ; a sublime expression, taking the sweep of His whole career, as if at one bound He was about to vault into glory. Tlie work of Christ in the flesh is here divided into tico great stages; all that preceded this belonging to the one, and all that follows it to the other. During the one. He formally " came to His ov:n," and "would have gathered them;" during the other, the awful consequences of "His ov:n receiving Him not" rapidly re- vealed themselves, he steadfastly^set his face— the "He" here is emphatic—' He Him- self then.' See His own prophetic language, " I have set my face like a flint." Is. 50. 7. go to Jerusalem— as His goal, but including his preparatory visits to it at the feasts of Taber- nacles and of Dedication i J. 7. 2, 10; and 10, 22, 23), and aU the intermediate movements and events. 52. messengers before his face . . . to make ready for him— He h.ad not done this before ; but now, instead of avoiding. He seems to court publicity— all now ha-itening to maturity. 53. did not receive him, be- cause, &c. — the Galileans, in going to the festivals at Jerusalem, usually took the Samaritan route (Joseph. Antiq. xx. 6. 1.), and yet seem to have met with no such inhospitality. But if they were asked to prepare quarters for the Messiah, in the person of one whose face was as though He would go to Jemsalem," their national pre- judices would be raised at so marked a slight upon their claims. (See on J. 4. 20.) 54. James and John— not Peter, as we should have expected, but those " scms of thunder " (Mk. 3. 17 , who afterwards would have aU the highest honours of the Kingdom to them- selves, and the younger of whom had been rebuked already tor his exclusiveness {v. 49, 60.^. Yet this was " the disciple whom Jesus loved," while the other willinirly drank of His Lord's bitter cup. (See on ilk. 10. 38-40, and A. 12. 2:< That same fiery zeal, in a mellowed and hallowed form. In the beloved dispiple, we find in 2 J. 10, and 3 J. 10. fire . . as Eiias— a plausible case, occurring also in Samaria. (2 Ki. 1. 10-12.) 55, 56. know not what spirit, kc. — * The thing ye demand, though in keeping with the kgal, is un- suited to the genius of the evangelical dis- pensation.' Tlie sparks of unhi ly indignation would seize readily enough on this example of Elias, though our Lord's rebuke las is plain from v. 56,) is directed to the principle mvolved rather than the -animal heat which doulitless prompted the reference. 'It is a eoiden sentence of TiUotsou. Let us never do 61 anything for religion which is contraiy to religion.^ [av. & w.] for the Sou of Man, <fec.— a saying truly Divine, of which all His miracles— for salvation, never destruction- were one continued illustration, went to another— illustrating His o^vn precept, M. 10. 23. 57-62. Incidents Illustrative of Dis- cipleship. 57, 58. The precipitate dis- ciple.— See on M. 8. 19, 20. 59, 60. Tlie pro- crastinati:jg disciple.— See on M. 8. 21, 22. 61, 62, The ibresolute disciple. I will follow ... but — The second disciple had a " but " too— a difficulty in the way just then. Yet the different treatment of the two cases shows how diS'erent was the spirit of the two, and to that our Lord addressed himself. The case of Elisha (1 Ki. 19. 19-21 , though apparently similar to this will be found quite different from the " looking back" of this case, the best illustration of which is that of those Hindu converts of our day who, v:hcn cmce perstcaded to leave their spiritual fathers in order to " bid them farewell vjhieh are at fiome at their house," very rarely return to them, no man, (fee— As plou:jhing requires an eye intent on the furrow to be made, and is marred the instant one turns about, so will they come short of salvation who prose- cute the work of God -with a distracted attention, a divided heart. Though the re- ference seems chiefly to ministers, the appli- cation is general. Tlie expression " loolcing back" has a manliest reference to " Lot's wife." (Ge. 19. 26; and see on ch. 17. 32.) It is not actual return to the world, but a reluctaru:e to break y-ifh it. CUAPTER X. Ver. 1-24. Mission of the Seventy Disciples, and their Return. As our Lord's end approaches, the preparations for the establishment of the coming Kingdom are quickened and extended. 1. the Lord— a becoming title here, as this appointment was an act truly tordii/. [Beng.] other seventy also — rather, ' others, (also in number) 70;' proba- bly with allusion to the seventy elders of Is- rael on whom the Spirit descended in the wilderness. iNu. 11. 24, 25.) The mission, unlike that of the Twelve, was evidently quite temporary. All the instructions are in keeping with a brief and hasty pioneering mission, intended to supply what of general preparation for coming events the Lord's own visit afterwards to the same " cities and places" {v. 1.), would not, from want of time now suffice to accomplish ; whereas the in- structions to the T\velve, besides embracing all those to the seventy, contemplate world- v:ide and permanent effects. Accordingly, after their return from this single missionary tour, we never again read of the seventy. 2. the harvest, <fec.— see on M. 9. 37, 38. 3-12. See on M. 10. 7-16. son of peace— inwardly prepared to embrace your message of peace. See note on " worthy, ' M. 10. 13. 12-15. See on M. 11. 20-24. for Sodom— Tyre and Sidon were ruined by commercial prosperity ; So- dom sank through its vile pollutions : but the doom of otherwise correct persons who, amidst a blaze of light, reject the Saviour shall be less enduraijle than that of any of these. 16. he that. &c. See on ]\L 10. 40. 17. returned— evidently not long away. Lord, &c.— ' Thou hast exceeded thy promise, for " even the devils,"' &c. The nossession of such power, not being expressly iu theu" commia- Return of the Seventy Dimples. LUKE. X. Parable oj the Good Samaritan. Bion, as in that to the Twelve (ch. 9. 1), filled theru with more astonishment and joy than all else, in thy name— taking no credit to themselves, bnt feeling lifted into a region of unimagined superiority to the powers of evil simply through their connexion with Christ. 18. I beheld— As much of the force of this glorious statement depends on the nice shade of sense indicated by the imperjed tense in the original, it should be brought out in the translation:— 'I was beholding Satan as lightning falling from heaven:" q.d., 'I followed you on your mission, and watched its triumphs; wlule you were wondering at the subjection to you of devils in My name, a grander spectacle was opening to My view; sudden as the darting of lightning from heaven to earth, lo! Satan was beheld falling from heaven i* How remarkable is this, that by that law of association which connects a part with the whole, those feeble trimnphs of the Seventy seem to have not only brought vividly before the Redeemer the ■whole ultimate result of His mission, but compressed it into a moment and quickened it into the rapidity of lightning! n.b. The word rendered "devils," is always used for those spiritual agents employed in deraonia- cal possessions — never for the ordinary agency oi Satan in rational men. When therefore the Seventy say. "the devils de- mons) are subject to us, and Jesus re- plies, * Mine eye was beholding Satan fall- ing,' it is plain that He meant to raise their minds not only from the particular to the general, but from a very temporary fonn of Satanic operation to the entire kingdom of evil. (See J. 12. 31; and cf. Is. 14. 12. i 19. behold I give you, &c.— not for any renewal of their mission, though probably many of them afterwards became ministers ot Christ; but siniiily as disciples, serpents and scor- pions—the latter more venomous than the former: literally, in the first instance; Mk. 16. 17, IS; A. 28. 5;) but the next words, "and over all the power o/ the enemy, and nothing slwdl by any msans hurt you," show that the glorious power of faith to " overcome the T.'orld" and " quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one," by the communication and maintenance ot which to his people He makes them innocuous, is what is meant. (1 J. 5. 4; Eph. 6. 16. 20. rejoice not, &c.— i.e. not so much. So far from forbidding it, he takes occasion from it to tell them what had been passing in His owai mind. But as power over demons was after all intoxicating. He gives them a higher joy to balance it, the joy of having their names in Heaven's register. (Ph. 4. 3.) 21, 22. Jesus said, &c.— Tlie very same sublime words were uttered by our Lord on a former similar occasion, M. 11. 25-27, (on which see note ; but (I.) there we are merely told that He "answered and said" thus; here. He "rejoiced in spirit and said." (.2.) There it was merelyi"at that time (or season)" that he spoke thus, meaning with a general re/erence to the rejection of His gospel by the self-sufficient; here, "In thathourJeiiViS said," with express reierence probably to the humble class from which He had had to draw the Seventy, and the similar class that had chiefly welcomed their mes- sage. "Rejoice" is too weak a word. It is " exulted inspirit"— evidently giving visible expression to His unusual emotions, while, at tlie same time, the words "in spirit" are 64* meant to convey to the reader the depth of them. Tills is one of those rare cases ia which the veil is lifted from off the Re- deemer's inner man, that, ansel-like. we may "look into it" for a moment, il Pe. 1. 12.) Let us gaze on it with reverential wonder, and as we perceive what it v/as that pro- duced that mysterious ecstasy, we shall find rising in our heiirts a still rapture— "O the depths!" 23, 24.— See on M. 13. 16, 17. 25-37. Question of a Lawyer, and Parable of the Good Samaritan. 25. tempted Mm— * tested him;' in no hostile spirit, yet with no tender anxiety for light on that question of questions, but just to see what insight this great Galilean teacher had. 26. what is written in the law— apposite ques- tion to a doctor of the law, and putting him in turn to the test. [Beng.] 27. thou shalt, &c. — the answer Christ himself gave to another lawyer. See on Mk. 12. 29-33. 23. he said, &c.— ' Right ; this do, and life is thine '—laying such emphasis on "this" as to indicate, without expressing it, where thereat dijfieulty to a sinner lay, and thus non- plussing the questioner himself. 29. willing — ' wishing,' to get himself out of the diffi- culty, by throwing on Jesus the definition of ' neighbour, ' which the Jews inten>reted very narrowly and technically, as excluding Samaritans and Gentiles. [Alf.] 30. a certain man — a Jew. from Jerusalem to Jericho— a distance of 19 miles N.E., a deep and very fertile hollow — ' the Tempe of Judea.' [Trench.J thieves — " robbers. " The road, being rocky and desolate, was a notorious haunt of robbers, then and for ages after, and even to tliis day. 31, 33. came down a priest . . . and a Levite— Jericho, the second city of Judea, was a city of the priests and Levites, and thousands of them I lived there. The two here mentioned are supposed, apparently, to be returning from temiAe-duties, but they ' had not learnt what thatmeaneth. " I will have mercy and not sacrifice.'" [Trench] saw him— it was not inadvertently that he acted, came and looked I —a farther aggravation, passed by— although ithe law expressly required the opposite ; treatment even of thebeast not only of their ; brethren, but of their ervemn, Deu. 22. 4; Es", 23. 4, 6. (cf. Is. 68. 7.) 33. Samaritan— one ex- 1 communicated by the Jews, a bye-word among them, sjaionymous with heretic and devil. (J. 8. 48.) See on ch. 17. 18. had 1 compassion— His best is mentioned first; for * He who gives outward things gives some- I thing exter-nal to himself, but he who imparts I compassion and tears gives him something from his very self' [Gregory the Great, in Trench.] No doubt the Priest and Levite had their excuses—' Tisn't safe to be linger- ing here; besides, he's past recovery; and then, mayn't suspicion rest upon ourselves ? So might the Samaritan have reasoned, but did not.' [Trench.] Nor did he say. He's a Jew, who would have had no dealings with me (J. 4. 9), and why should I with him? oil and wine— the remedies used in such cases all over the East Js. 1. , and elsewhere; the wine to cleanse the wounds, the oil to assuage their smartings. on his own beast— himself going on foot. 35. two pence — equal to two days' wages of a labourer, and enough for several days' sui iport. 36. Which was neigh- bour?— a most dexterous way of putting the questioa: (1.) turning the question from MttHha and Mary. LUKE, XI. TheMsdples tauoM to Pray. •Whom am I to love as my neijchboiir?' to 'Who is the man that shows that love?' (2./ compelling the lawyer to give a reply very dilferent from what he would like— not only condemning his own nation, but those of them who shoulcJ ie the most exemplary. (3.) making him commend one of a deeply- hated race. And he does it, but it is almost extorted. For he does not answer, ' Tlie Sama- ritan'— that would have sounded heterodox, heretical— but " He that showed mercy on him." It comes to the same thin?, no doubt, but the circimilocution is significant. 37. Go, &c.— O exquisite, matchless teaching ! What new fountains of charity has not this opened up in the hxmian spirit— rivers in the wUdemess, streams in the desert! what noble Christian Institutions have not such words founded,all undreamed of till that won- drous One came to bless this heartless world of ours with His incomparable love— first in words, and then in deeds which have trans- lated His words into flesh and blood, and poured the life of them through that hu- manity which He made His own ! Was this Parable, now, designed to magnify the law of love, and to show who fulfils it and who not? And who did this as never man did it, as our Brother Man. " our Neighbour?" The Priests and Levites nad not strengthened the dis- eased, nor bound up the broken (Ez. 34. i\ while He bound up the broken-hearted (Is. <il. 1), and poured into all wounded spirits the balm of sreetest consolation. Ad the fathers saw through the thin veil of this noblest of stories, tlie Story of love, and never wearied of tracing the analogy though sometimes fancifully^ enough). [Trench.] ' He hungered,' exclaims Gregory of Nazian- zum (in the 4th cent. i but He fed thousands; He was weary, but He is the Rest of the weary ; He is saluted " Samaritan " and " Demoniac. " but He saves him that went dovm from Jerusalem and fell among thieves,' &c. 38-42. Martha and ]Mart. 38. certain village— Bethany J. 11. 1), which L. so speaks of, having no farther occasion to notice it. received Mm . . her house— the house belonged to her, and she appears throughout to be the elder sister. 39. which also — * who for her Eart,' in contrast with Martha, sat—' seated erself.' From the custom of sitting bencatJt an instructor, the phrase ' sitting at one's feet ' came to mean being a disciple of any one. A. 22. 3.) heard— rather, ' kept listen- ing ' to his word. 40. cumbered—' distracted.' came to him—' presented herself before him,' as from another apartment, in which her sister had " left her to serve or make prepa- ration) alone, carest thou not? ... my sister, &c.— ' Lord, here am I with evers^thing to do, and this sister of mine will not lay \ hand to anything ; thus I miss something from thy lips, and Tliou from our hands.' bid her. &c.— she presumes not to stop Christ's teach- ing by calling her sister away, and thus leaving Him -without His one auditor, nor did she hope perhaps to succeed if .she had tried. Martha, Martha— emphatically re- doubling upon the name. careful and cumbered— the one word expressing the inward VJorriiing anxiety that her preparations should be worthy of her Lord; the other, the outward biw^te of those preparations, many things— " much service" [v. 40 ; too elabo- rate preparation, which so engrossed her at- 64t tention that she missed her Lord's teaching. 42 one thing, &c.— the idea of ' Short work and little of it suffices for Me ' is not so much the hnver sense of these weighty words, as supposed in them, as the basis of something far loftier than any precept on economy. Underneath that idea is couched another, as to the littleness both of elaborate prejiaratiou for the present life and of that life itself, compared with another, chosen the good part— not in the general sense of Moses' choice He. 11. 25^ and Joshua's (Jo. 24. 15), and David's (Ps. 119. 30 , i.e., of good in oppo- sition to bad; but, of two good ways of serving and pleasing the Lord, choosing the better. Wherein, then, was Mary's better than Mar- tha's? Hear what follows, not be taken away— Martha's choice would be taken from her, for her services would die with her; Mary's never, being spiritual ajid eternal. Both were true-hearted disciples, but \ue one waa absorbed in the higher, the other in the lower of two ways of honouring their com- mon Lord. Yet neither despised, or would willingly neglect, the other's occupation. The one represents the contemplative, the other i\iQ active style of the Christian charac- ter. A Church full of Maries would perhaps be as great an evil as a Church full of Marthas. Both are needed, each to be the complement of the other. CHAPTER XI. Ver. 1-13. The Disciples Taught to Pray. 1. one, &c.— struck with eitlier the matter or the manner of our Lord's pray- ers, as John, <fec. —From this reference to J ohn, it is possible that disciple had not heard the Sermon on the Mount. Nothing of John's inner teaching ito his own disciples) has been preserved to us, but we may be sure he never taught his disciples to say, "Our Father." 2-4. See on M. 6. 9-13. day by day. <fcc.— an extension of the petition in M. for " this day'^ supply, to every successive day's necessities. The closing doxology, wantmg here, is wanting also in aU the best and most ancient copies of Ms gospel. Per- haps our Lord purposely left that part open; and as the grand Jewish doxologies were ever resounding, and passed immediately and naturally, in all their hallowed familiarity into the Christian Church, probably this Prayer was never used in the Christian assemblies but in its present form, as we find it in M., while in L. it has been allowed to stand as originally uttered. 6-8. at midnight ... for a friend is come— the heat in wann countries makes evening preferable for tra- velling to day; but "midnight" is every where a most unseasonable hour of call, and for that very reason it is here selected, trouble me not— the trouble making him in- sensible both to the urgency of the case and the claims of friendship. I cannot— without ex- ertion which he would not make, importunity —the word is a strong one—' shamelessness^ persisting, in the face of aU that seemed reasonable, and refusing o take a denial, as many, cfcc— his reluctance once overcome, all the clauns of friendship and nece.ssity are felt to the fuU. The sen e is obvious : If the churlish and self-indulgent — deaf both to friendship and necessity— can after a posi- tive refusal, be won over, by sheer persistency, to do all that is neede , hoir much more may the same determined ersevevance in prayer be expected to prey with Him whose very Christ vindkale$ his cMracter. LUKE, XI. The scribes and FJixrisees denounced. 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy « Spirit to them that ask hiniV 14 11 And > he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the de^'il was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, *He casteth out de%1l3 through * Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting Mm, ' sought of him a 8i,£rn from heaven. 17 But "* he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be di\'ided against him- self, how shall his kingdom st^aud? because ye say that 1 cast out devils through Beel- zebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do "your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When p a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But 9 -when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh trom him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He •■ that is not with me is against me ; Biid he that gathereth not with me scat- tereth. 24 When "the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh thi-ough dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, 1 will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than him- self; and they enter in, and dwell there: and * the last state of that man is woi'se than the first. 27 H And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the com- Eany lifted up her voice, and said unto im, " Blessed is the womb that bai-e thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But ne said. Yea * rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. 29 H And "" when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say. This is an e^'il generation : they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 I'or as * Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Sou of man be to this generation. 31 The ^ queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them : for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a ' neater than Solomon is here. _32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it : for " they repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 33 No 6 man, when he hath lighted a caiidle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a '' bushel, but on a candlestick. CHAP. U. i l3. 44. 3. ;■ Mat. 9. 32. Mat. la.'."-'. ft Mat. 9. 34. Mat. 1 -J ,24. 4 Beeliebul. I Mat. 12.38. Mat. 15. 1. m Mat. 12. 26. Mark 3.24. John 2. 25. KeT. 2. 23. n Mark 9.38. ch. 9. 49. o Ex. 8. 19. P Mat. 12.29. Mark 3.27. Evh. 6. 12. Eph. 2. 2. 1 Pet. 6. 8. 9 Is. 9. 6. Is. 63. 12. Col. 2. 15. Heb. 7. 25. r Mat. 12.30. 8 Mat. 12.43. { Jolm 6. 14. Hob. (3. 4. Heb. 10 26. 2 Pet. 2.20. « ch. 1. 28, s Jonah 1.17. Jonah 2.10. J/1 Ki. 10.1. 2 Is. 9. 6. Rom. 9. 6. Titus 2.13. Phil. 2. 10. u Jonah 3. 6. 6 Ma>. 5. 16. fiUrk 4. 21. ch. 8. 16. c Mat. 6.16. (I Mat. 6. 22. 6 a candle by its bright shining. e Mark 7. 3. / Mat. 23.25. y 2 Tim. 3.5. Tit. 1. 16. h Is. 68. 7. Dan. 4. 27. ch. 12. 33. 6 Or, as you are ablo. i Mat. 23 23. j 1 Sa. 15.22. Hos. 6. £. ft Mat. 23. 6. Mark 12. 38,39. I Blat. 23. 27. m Ps. 6. 9. Acts 23.3. n Mat. 23. 4. JMat. 23. 29. P Acts 7. 61, 62. 1 Thest. 2. 15. ? Pro. 1. 20. 1 Cor. 1.24. r Mat. 23.34. « Gon. 4. 8. ( Mat. 23.13. 7 Or, forbade. « Mark 12. that they which come in may see tha light. 34 The <* light of the body is the eye : therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is e\il, thy body also is full of darkness. 3.5 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when 6 the bright shin- ing of a candle doth give thee light. 37 H And as he spake, a certain Tharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And *when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not fiirst washed be- fore dinner. 39 And /the Lord said unto him. Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but ^ yom- inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. 40 Ye fools, did not lie that made that which is without make that which is within also? 41 But '' rather give alms « of such things as ye have ; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 42 But » woe unto you, Pharisees! / for ye tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God : these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 43 Woe * unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 44 Woe 'unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! '"for ye are as giavcs which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. 45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him. Master, thus saymg thou reproachest us also. 46 And he said, Woe unto you also, y* lawyers! " for ye lade men with burdens giievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the bmdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe "unto you! for ye build the sepul- chres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for p they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore also said the « wisdom of God, ""I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 60 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this genera- tion; 51 From ' the blood of Abel.unto the blood of Zachaiias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily 1 say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe * unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye enter not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye ' hindered- 53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things; 54 Laying wait for him, and " seeking to catch something out of hia mouth, that they might accuse him. Demand of a Sign, aiidEcply. LUKE. XI. DenUTiciation of the Pharisees. nature is "rich unto all that call upon Him." (K. 10. 12.) 9-13. See on M. 7. Ml. the Holy Spirit— in M. (7. 11,' "good gifts;" the former, the Gift of gifts descending on the Church through Clulst, and comprehending the latter. 14—36. Blind and Dusib Demoniac Healed— CuAKGE of bexno in League WITH Hell, and Eeply— Deslind of a Sign, and Reply. See on M. 12. 22-45. 14. dumb— blind also, M. 12. 22. 20. the finger of God— "the Spirit of God," M, 12. 28 ; the former figuratively denoting the pov:er of God, the latter the livim Personal Agent in every exercise of it. 21, 22. strong man- meaning Satan, armed— pointing to all the subtle and varied methods by which he wields his dark power over men. keepeth— 'guardeth. Ms palace— ni^n, whether viewed more largely or in incli\idual souls — how significant of what men are to Satan ! in peace— undisturbed, secure in his possession, a stronger than he — Christ: Glorious title, in relation to Satan! come upon him and overcome him— sublimely ex pressing the Redeemer's approach, as the Seed of the woman, to bruise the Serpent's head, taketh from him all his armour—' his Eanoply,' 'his complete armour.' Vain would e the victory, were not the yneans of regain- ing his lost power wrested from him. It is t his that completes the triumph and ensiires the final overthrow of his kingdom. The par- able that immediately follows— ■». 24-26— is just tfie reverse of this. See on M. 12. 43-45 In the one case, Satan is dislodged by Chnd, and so finds, in all future assaults, the house pre-occupied ; in the other, he merely goes out and comes in again, finding the house "empty" (M. 12. 44.1 of any rival, and all ready to welcome him back. This explains the important saj-lng that comes in bdveen the two paraJbles, v. 23. Neutrality in religion there is none. The absence of positive attachment to Christ involves hostUity to Him. gathereth . . . scattereth— referring pro- bably to gleaners. The meaning seems to be, AMiatever in religion is disconnected from Christ comes to nothing. 27, 28. as he spake these things, a woman of the company— 'of the multitude,' the crowd. A charming little incident and profoundly instructive. With true womanly leelin;^, she envies the mother of such a wonderful Teacher. Weil, and higlier and better than she had said as much before her, ch. 1. 28, 42 ; and our Lord is far from condemning it. He only holds up— as " blessed rather"— the hearers and keepers of God's word; in other words, the humblest real saint of God. See on M. 13. 49, 50. How utterly alien is this sentiment from the teaching of the Church of Rome, wliich would excommunicate any one of its members that dared to talk in the spirit of this glorious saying ! 29-32. See on M. 12. 39-42, 33-36. See on M. 5. 14-16; 6. 22, 23. But V. 36. here is peculiarly vivid, expressing what pure, beautiful, broad perceptions the clarity of the inward eye imparts. 37-54. Denunciation of the Pharisees. 38. maive led, (tc.-See on Mk. 7. 2-4. 39-41. cup and platter— remarkable example of our Lord's way of drawing the most striking illustrations of great truths from the most familiar objects and incidents in life, raven- ing—rapacity, that wliich is without, fee.- q.a.,* He to whom belongs the outer life, and 65 nght to demand its subjection to Himself-i? the inner man less His? give alms and all clean— a principle of immense value. As the greed of these hyirocrites was one of the most prominent features of their character (M. 23, 14 ; ch. 16. 14), our Lord bids them exem- plify the opposite character, and then their ozitside, ruled by this, would be beauti- ful in the eye of God, and their meals would be eaten with clean hands, though never so fouled with the business of tliis worky world. (See Eccl. 9. 7.) 42. mint, rue, <fcc.— founding on Le. 27. 30, which they interpreted rigidly. Our Lord purposely names the most trifling products of the earth, as examples of what they punctiliously exacted the tenth of. judgment, mercy, and the love of God— in M. 23. 25. "judgment, mercy, a.nd faith." The re- ference is to ]\Ii. 6. 6-8. whose third element of all acceptable religion, " walking humbly with God" comprehends both "love" ana " faith." See on Mk. 12. 29, 32, .33. ITie same tendency to merge gi-eater duties in less be- sets us still, but it is tlie characteristic ofhvj)o- crites. these ought ye, &c.— Tliere is no need for one set of duties to jostle out another: but of the greater, our Lord says, "Ye ou{ihi to have do ne^' them; of the lesser, only "ye ought not to leave them midone." 43. upper- most seats— See on ch. 14. 7-11. greetings— See on M. 23. 7-10. 44. appear not, &c.— As one might unconsciously walk over a grave con- cealed from view, and thus contract ceremo- nial defilement, so the plausible exterior of the Pharisees kept people from perceiving the pollution they contracted from coming in contact with such corrupt characters. See Ps. 5. 9 ; R. 3. 13. A ditierent illustration from M. 23. 27.) 46. burdens grievous, etc.— referring not so much to the irksomeness of the legal rites, though they were irksome, A. 15. 10,) as to the heartless rigour «lth which they were enforced, and by men of shameless inconsistency. 47, 48. ye build, <fcc.— Out of pretended respect and honour, they repaired and beautified the sepulchres of the prophets, and with whining hypocrisy said, " If we had been in the days of our fatliers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets," while all the time they " were witnesses to themselves that they were the children of them that killed the prophets," M. 23. 29, 30; convicting themselves daUy of as exact a re- semblance in spirit and character to the very classes over whose deeds they pretended to mourn, as child to parent. 49-51. said the Wisdom, (Src— a remarkable variation of the words in ISi. 23, 34, "Behold I send." As there seems plainly an allusion to ancient warnings of what God would do with so in- corrigible a people so here Christ, stepping majestically into the place of God, so to speak, says, ' Kow I am going to carry aU that out.' Could this be other than the Lord God oj Israel in thejfeah? all required of this generation— As it was only in the last gene- ration of them that " the iniquity of the Amorites was lull, Ge. 16. 16,) and then the abominations of ages were at once completely and awfully avenged, so the iniquity ol Israel was allowed to accumulate from age to age till in that generation it came at the full, and the whole collected vengeance of Heaven broke at once over its devoted head. In the first Fiench Revolution the same awful prin- ciple was exemplified, aud Christendom 1ms CJirist instnu:ts his disciples. LUKE. XII. and exhorts them to watchfulness. CHAPTER XII. 1 To avoid fivvocHsu. 13 To beware of eovetous- ness. il the faithM and ivise steward. 49 0/ divisions on account of the Gospel. TN " the mean time, when there were ■*■ gathered togetheran innumerable multi- tude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, 6 Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For * there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house- tops. 4 And <* I say unto you, my friends. Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I Tvill forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath* power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you. Fear him. 6 Are not five span-ows sold for two /far- things? and ''not one of them is forgotten before God: 7 But even the very hairs of yonr head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value tlian many sparrows. 8 Also f^ 1 say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. 10 And « whosoever shall speak a word afjainst the Son of man, it shall be for- given him: but unto hhn that blasphenieth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. 11 And } when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 For * the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the siime hour what ye ought to say. 13 1[ And one of the company said imto him. Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, ' Man, who made me a judsre or a di\'ider over you? 15 And he said unto them, "^ Take heed, a,nd beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things whicii he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying. The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying. What shall I do, because I have uo room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said. This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will 1 bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, " Soul, thon hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, diink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thouiool, this night 1 thy soul shall be required of thee: then " whose shall those things be which thou hast I in n^. led? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, P and is not rich toward God. 'i:i H And he said unto his disciples. There- tor 1 say xmto you, '^ Take no thought for CHAP. 12. a Mat. 16. 6. Mark 8. 16. 6 Mat. 16. 12. 1 Cor. 5. 7,8. e Mat. 10.25. Mark 4. 22. ch. 8. 17. d Is. 8.12,13. Is. 51. 7,8, 12, 13. Jer. 1. 8. Mat. 10.28. • ReT. 1. 18. / Jlat. 10. 29. » Acts 15. 18. ft Mat. 10 32. Mark 8.38. 2 Ti. 2 12. IJohnS. 23. i Mat. 12. 31,32. Mark 3. 28. 1 John 6. 16. j Mat. 10. 19. Mark 13.11. ch. 21. 14. * Ex. 4. 12. 1 Pet. 5. 7. : John 18.36. m Pro. 28.10. 1 Ti. 6. 7. Heb. 13.5. n Pro. 27.1. Eccl. 11. 9. 1 Cor. 16. 1 Or, tlo thoy thy soul. Job 20. 22. Job 21. 13. Job 27. 8. Ps 52. 7. Dan. 4. 31. 1 The3.5.3. Jam. 4. 14. Ps. 39. 6. Jer. 17. 11. p Mat. 6. 20. 1 Ti. tj. 18, 19. Jam. 2. 5. q Mat. 8. 25. Phil. 4. 6. r Job 38. 41. Ps. 147. 9. 2 Or, Uv« not in careful suspense. » 2 Chr. 16.9. Phil. 4. 19. t Mat. 6. 33. w Rom. 8. 31. 1 Ti. 4. 8. " Mat. 11.25. w Mat.l9.2l. Acta 2. 45. Acts 4. 34. « Mat. 6. 20. ch. 16. 9. 1 Ti. 6. 19. V £ph. 6. 14. 1 fet. 1.13. Z Mat. 25. 1. a Mat. 24 46. 6 1 Thes. 5.2. Rev. 16.15. c Mat. 25. 13. Mar. 13.33. d Mat 26.21. 1 Cor. 4.2. * 1 Pet. 6. 1. your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye snail put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 21 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have store- house nor bam ; and *" God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which 13 least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet 1 say vmto yon, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more wiLL he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, 2 neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth » that ye have need of these things. 31 But 'rather seek ye the kingdom of God ; and " all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for * it is yonr Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 3;^ Sell "" that ye have, and give alms; provide 'yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35 Let i'your loins be girded about, 'and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, tney may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed " are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily 1 say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find tJiem so, blessed are those servants. 39 And * this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief wovdd come, he would have watched, and not have sufiered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ' ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 41 IT Then Peter said nnto him. Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, oi even to all? 42 And the Lord said, <* Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth 1 say unto you, * that he will make him ruler over all tnat he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart. My lord Uelayeth hia coming; uud Warning against Hypocrisy. LUKE, xn. Covetousness— Watchfulness. not clone imth it yet. propliets-m the N. T. sense (M. 23. 34!: see l Cor. 12. 28.. blood of Zaclmnas-Probably the aUusion is not to any recent murder, but to 2 Chr 24. 20-22, as the la4 recorded and most suitable case for illustration. And as Zacharias last words were, " The Lord require it,'\ so .they are warned that " of that generation it should be required.-' 52. key of knowledge — not the key to open knowledge, but know- ledge, the only key to open heaven. In ]VL 23. 13, they are accused of shuttmf hea- ven; here oi taking away the key, which was worse. A right knowledge of Gods word is eternal life (J. 17. 3) ; but this they took away from the people, substituting for it their wretched traditions. 53, 54.— ExceecUngly vivid and affecting. They were stung to tlie quick— and can we wonder?— yet had not materials for the charge they were preparing against liim. provoke Mm, &c.— ' to harass liini with questions.' CHAPTER xn. ^ Ver. 1-12. Warning against Hypo- crisy. 1-3. meantime— in close connexion, probably, with the foregoing scene. Our Lord had been speaking out more plainly than ever belore, as matters were coming to a head between Him and his enemies, and this seems to have suggested to His 0%^!! mind the warning here. He had just Himself illustriously exemplifled His OAvn precei>ts. his disciples first of all— aftei-wards to "the multitudes," v. 54. covered— from the view, hid— from knowledge. ' 'Tis no use conceaHng anvthing, for aU will one day come out: Give free and fearless utterance then to all the truth.' (cf. 1 Co. 4. 3. 5. ) 4, 5. 1 say, &c.— * You wiU say. That may cost us our life.' ' Be it so;' ' but, " my friends," there their power ends. He calls them " friends " here, not in any loose sense, but, as we think^ from the feeling He then had that in this " killing of the body" He and they were going to be affectingly one w^th each other. Fear Him . . fear Him— how striking the repetition here! Only tlie one fear would ef- fectuaWi expel the other, after he hath killed, &c.— Learn here. !l. To play false with one's convictions to save one's life, may fail of its end after all, for God can inflict a violent death in some other and equally formidable way. (2. Tliere is a hell, it seems, for the body as weU as the soul; conse- quently, snfferings adapted to the one as weU as the other. (3.) Fear of hell is a di- vinely authorised and needed motive of action even to Christ's "friends." (4.) As Christ's "meekness and gentleness" were not compromised by such harsh notes as these, so those servants of Christ want their Mas- ter's spirit who soften down all such lan- guage to please ' ears polite.' See on ]\Ik. 9. 43-48. 6, 7. five for two farthings— in M. 10. 29, it is "two for one fartliing;" so, if one took two farthings' worth, he got one ' in addition ' — of such small value were they, than many sparrows — not 'than mil- lions of sparrows : *■ the chaiTu and poM-er of our Lord's teaching is) very much in this 9. 26. 10. Son of Man . . . Holy Ghost. See on M. 12. 31, 32. 13-53. COVETOUSNESS— WATCHFUXNESS— Superiority to Earthly Ties. 13. Mas- ter, &LC.—q.d., 'Great Pi-eacher of righteous- ness, help; there is need of Thee in this ra- pacious world; here am I the victuu of injustice, and that from my o\vn brother. ^vho withholds from me my rightful share of the inheritance tiiat has fallen to us.' In this most inopportune intrusion upon the solemnities of our Lord's teaching, there is a mixture of the absurd and the irreverent, the one however occasioning the other. The man had not the least idea that his case was not of as urgent a nature, and as worthy the attention of our Lord, as any thing else He could deal with. 14. Man, &.C.— Contrast this style of address with "my friends," v. 4. Who, &c.— a question literally repudiating the ofllce which Moses assumed. (Ex. 2. 14.) The influence ofrehgious teachers in the external relations of life lias ever been immense, when only tlie indirect effect of their teaching; but whenever they intermeddle directly vMh secular and political matters, the spell of that influence is broken. 15. unto them— the multi- tude around Him, v. 1. of covetoasness. The best copies have " all," i.e., " every kind of co- vetousness;" because as this was one of the more plausible forms of it, so He would strike at once at the root of the eviL a man's Ufe, &c.— a singularly weighty maxim, and not less so because its meaning and its truth are equally evident. 16-19. a certain man. &c. — ^Why is this man called a " loolv" (1.) Because he deemed a life of secure and abundant earthly enjoyment the summit of human felicity. (2.) Becau.se, possessing the means of this, through prosiierity in his call- ing, he flattered himself that he had a long lease of such enjoyment, and nothing to do but give himseK up to it. Nothing else is laid to his charge. 20, 21. this night, &c.— This sudden cutting short ot his career is designed to express not only the foUy of building securely upon the future, but of throwing one's whole soul into what may at any moment be gone. " His soid being re- quired of him " is put in opposition to his own treatment of it, " I will say to my soid. Soul," &c. whose shall those things be, <tc. — cf. Ps. 39. 6, " He heapeth up riches and knmceth not who shall gather them. " so is he, &c. — Such is a picture of his folly here, and of its awful issue, is not rich, (fee— lives to amass and enjoy riches which terminate on self, but as to the riches of God's favour, which is life, (Ps. 30. 5,) of "precious" faith (2 Pe. 1. 1; Ja. 2. 5,) of good works, (1 Ti. 6. 18,) of wisdom which is better than rubies (Pr. 8. il)— lives and dies a beggar! 22-31.— See on M. 6. 25-33. 25, 26. which of you, &c.— ' Corroding solici- tude will not bring you the least of the things ye fret about, though it may double the e-m of wanting them. Ajid if not the least, why vex yourselves about things of more conse quence.' of doubtful, (fcc— ' unsettled ' mind put off your balance. 32. little flock, &c.— How sublime and touching a contrast between this tender and pitying appellation, " Little floclc" simpUcity. 8, 9. confess . . . deny, &c. The j |in the original a double diminutive, which point lies in doing it " before men," because | m German can be expressed, but not in onehas to doit "despising the s/ifMne." But j English — and the " good pleasure " of when done, the Lord holds himself bound to the Father to give them the Kingdom: the repay it in kind by confessing such " before one recalling the insignificance and helpless- the angels of God." For the rest, see on ch. j uess of that then literal handful of disciples. UiiheXieving hypocrites reproved. LUKE, xm. CJtrist heaJeth, a deformed-woman. Bhall begin to beat the meu-sen-ants and maidens, and to eat and di'iuk, and to be drunken ; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when helooketh not for Aim and at an hour when he is not aware, and will 3 cut bim in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And /that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But" he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever mtich is given, of him shall be much re- quired; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. 49 IT 1 am come to send fire on the earth; and what \sill I, if it be already kindled? 60 But f^ I have a baptism to be baptised with ; and how am I * straitened till it be accomplished! 51 Suppose » ye that T am come to give peace on eartn? 1 tell you, I^ay; >but rather di%dsion: 52 For *from henceforth there shall be five in one house di\1ded, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father- the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in- law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 51 IT And he said also to the people. When ' ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower and so it is. 55 And when ye see "* the south wind blow, ye say, Tnere will be heat; and it Cometh to pass. 66 Ye " hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the eartli ; but how is it that ye do not discern " this time? 67 Yea, and why even of yom'selves judge ye not what is right? 68 f When P thou goest with thine adver- sary to the magistrate, « as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 69 1 tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last •■ mite. CHAPTER XIII. 1 Christ preacheth repetiUmce by the calamity upon the OaliUans and others. 6 The fruitless Jig tree cursed. 1 1 He heaieth the crooked tvotnan. 18 Jfarable of the grain of mtistard seed, and of leaven. 'M The strait gate. ^HERE were present at that season some that told him of "the Galileans, whose blood rilate had mingled with their sacri- fices. 2 And Jesus answering said nnto them. Suppose 6 ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suflered such things? 3 1 tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that tliey were i simiers above all men thut dwelt in Jerusalem? 67 CHAP. 12. 3 Or, cut him off. Mat. 21.51. / Nu. 15. 30. D«u. 26. 2. John 9. 41. John 15.22. Acts 17 »'. Jam. 4. 17. ff Lev. 6.17. 1 Ti. 1. liJ. h JIat. 20.22. Mark 10. B8. 4 Or, pained. i Mat. 10. 34. J fliic. Johl John 9. 18. John 10.19. * Mat. 10.36. I Mat. 10. 2. »» Job 37. 17. n 1 Cor. I. 19-27. ch. 19. 43-44. Gal. 4. 4. p Pro. 25. 8. Mat. 5. 25. q Pa. 32. 6. Is. 55. 6. Heb. 3. 7-15. r Mark 12. 42. aXbea.l.S. CHAP. 13. a Acts 6. 37. b Acta '2Si. i. ch. 11. 4. e £ze. 18. 30. d Is. 5. 2. Mat, 21.19. e Kom. 2.4,5. 2 Pet. 3. 9. /Ex. 32. 11. Joel 2. 17. Heb. 7. 25. g Mar. 16.18. Acta 9. 17. A Rom. 10. 2. i Ex. 20. 9. ;■ Mat. 12.10. Mark 3. 2. ch. 6. 7. ch. 14. 3. * ch. 14. 5. 1 ch. 19. 9. m Mat.13.31. Mark*. 30. » Mat 13.33. Mat. 9. 35. Mark 6. 6. 2 Strive as in agony. Mat. 7. 13. P John 7. 34. John 8. 21 John 13. 33. Bo. 9. 31. Ho. 10. 2,3. 5 Ps. 32. 6. Is 66 6 r Mat. 25.10. » ch. e. 46. t Mat. 7. 23. U lit. 1, Iti. 5 I tell you. Nay: but, except "ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 6 H He spake also this parable ; <* A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard: and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard. Behold, these * three years 1 come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him. Lord, let /it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, tveU; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. 10 H And he was teaching iu one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called Tier to him, and said unto her. Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And ^ he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and gloiified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue an- swered '•with indignation, because that J esus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, ' There are six days in which men oui,'lit to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and i not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, 77iOit hypocrite, * doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to wateiing? 16 And ought not this woman, « being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. 18 V Then "' said he. Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall 1 resemble it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. 20 IT And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three " measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 22 And " he went through the cities and villages, teaching and jomneying toward J eiTisalem. 23 H Then said one nnto him. Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24 2 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for Pmany, 1 say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When « once the Master of the house is risen up, and *" hath shut to the door, and ye bt-Lin to stand without, and to knock at tlie door, saying, *Lord, Lori open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, *L know you not whence ye are: 20 Then shall ye begin to say, ** We hare Superiority to Earthly Ties. LUKE, Xm. Not Discerning the Signs of the Times. the ether holding up to their view the eter- nal love that encircled them, the everlasting amis that were imderneath them, and the high inheritance awaiting them!— "the king- domf ' grand word ; then why not " bread," V. 31.' [liENG.J WeU midit He say, " Fear not!" 33, 34. sell, &c.— This is but a more vivid expression of M. 6, 19-21, see note there). 35-40. loins girded— to fasten up the long outer garment, always done before travel and work (2 Ki. 4. 29 ; A. 12. 8.). The meaning is. Be in readiness, lights, k,c.—^ee on M, 25. 1. return from the wedding— not come to it, as the parable of the Virgins. Both have their spiritual significance; but preparedness for Christ's coming is the pro- minent idea, gird himself, &c.— ' a promi.se the most august of all: Thus wiU the Bride- groom entertain his friends [nay, servants] on the solemn Nuptial Day.' [Beng.J second . . . third watch— To find them ready to receive Him at any hour of day or night, when one might least of all expect Him, is peculiarly blessed. A servant may be tr'ily faithful, even though taken so far unawares that he has not everj^thing in stick order and readiness for his master s return as he thinks is due to him, and both could and would have had if he had had notice of the time of his coming, and so may not be willing to open to him " immediately " but fly to preparation, and let his ma.ster knock again ere he admit him, and even then not v:ith full joy. A too common case this with Cliristians. But if the servant have himselt and all under his charge in such a state that at any hour when his master knocks, he can open to him "immediately," and hail his return"— that is the most enviable " blessed" servant of all. 41-48. to us or to all?— us the Twelve, or all this vast audience? Who then, (fee— answering the question indirectly by another question, from which they were left to gather what it would be:— 'To you cer- tainly in the first instance, representing the " stewards" of the " household" I am about to collect, but generally to all " servants" in My house.' faitliful and vrisa— Fidelity is the first requisite in a servant, wisdom, (discre- tion, and judgment in the exercise of his func- tions) the next, steward— house-steward, whose it was to distribute to the servants their allotted portion of food, shall make — Mill deem fit to be made, make him ruler over all he hath— will advance him to the higliest post, referring to the world to come. (See M. 25. 21. 23.) begin to beat, &c.— in the confidence that his Lord's return will not be speedy, throws oil" the servant and plays the master, maltreating those faithful servants who refuse to join him, seizing on and revelUng in the fulness of his master's board; intend- mg, when he has got his fill, to resume the mask ol fidelity ere his master appear, cut him in sunder— a punishment not unknown in the East; cf. He. 11. 37, " Sawn asunder" 1 Sa. 15. 33 ; Da. 2. 6. the unbelievers — ' the unfaithful,' those unwortliy of trust; M. 24. 51 "the hypocrites"— talsely calling them- selves " servants." krew iiot-^.e., knew but yaiiiaUy; for some knowledge is pre-supposed both in the name " senant" of Christ, and his being liable to punishment at all. many ..few stripes— degrees of Suture punishment proportioned to the knowledge sinned against. Even heathens are not without knowledge enough for luture judgment: but 67 the reference here is not to such. It is a solemn truth, and though general, like all other revelations of the future world, dis- closes a tangible and momentous principle in its awards. 49-53. to send—' to cast.' fire — ' the higher spiritual element of life which Jesus came to introduce into this earth, (cf. M. 3. 11,) with reference to its mighty effects in quickening all that is akin to it and de- stroying all that is opposed. To cause this element of life to take up its abode on earth, and wholly to pervade human hearts with its warmth, was the lofty destiny of the Re- deemer.' [Olsh.; soCal., Stier.Alf., &c.] what will I, &c.— an obscure expression, ut- tered under deep and half-smothered emo- tion. In its general import all are agreed; but the nearest to the precise meaning seems to be, ' And what should I have to desire if it were once already kindled?' [Bexg, and Bloomf.] But.. a baptism, &c.— clearly. His own bloody baptism, first to take place. how straitened— not, ' how do I long for its accomplishment,' as many understand it, thus making it but a repetition of the former verse; but ' what a pressure of spirit is upon me.' till it be accomplished— till it be over. Before a promiscuous audience, such obscure language was fit on a theme like tliis; but O what surges of mysterious emotion in the \-iew of what was now so near at hand does it reveal! peace? nay— the reverse of peace, in the fird instance. See on M. 10. 34-36. Ihe connection of aU this with the foregoing warnings about Hyiiocrisy, Covetousness, and Watchfulness, is deeply solemn: ' My conflict hastens apace ; mine over, yours begins; and then, let the servants tread in their Master's steps, uttering their testimony entire and fearless, neither loving nor dread- ing the world, anticipating awful wrenches of the dearest ties in life, but looking for- ward, as I do, to the comiiletion of their testimony, when, reaching the haven after the temiiest, they shall enter into the joy of their Lord.' 64-69. Not Discerning the Signs of THE Time. 54. to the people-' the multi- tude, ' a word of special warning to the thoughtless crowd, before dismissing them. See on M. 16. 2, 3. how not discern, fcc— unable to perceive what a critical period that was for the Jewish Church, why not of yourselves, &c.— They might say. To do this requires more knowledge of Scripture and Providence than we possess; but He sends them to their own conscience, as enough to show them who He was, and -svin them to immediate discipleship. when thou goest, &c.— See on M. 5. 25, 26. Tlie urgency of the case with them, and the necessity, Jor tlieir oun safety, of immediate decision, was the object of these striking words. CHAPl'ER xm. Ver. 1-9. The Lesson, ' Eepent- or Perish,' Suggested by Two Becent Incidents, and Illustrated by the Parable of the Barren Fig-Tree. 1-3 Galileans— possibly the followers of Judas of Galilee who, some 20 years belore this, taught that Jews should not pay tribute to the Bomans, and of whom we learn, from A. 5. 37, that he drew after him a multitude of followers who on his being slain were all dispersed. About th s time that party v ould be at its height, and if Pilate can peri tLig cletachinent of them to be waylaid and put Christ lamentefh over Jerusalem. LUKE, XIV. Parable of the grea^ supper. eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But " he shall say, i tell you, I know you not whence ye are: ""depart from me, all t/e workers of iniquity. '28 There * shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, y when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. ay And " they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, audrrom the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And, " behold, there are last which Bhall be first, and there are liist which Bhidl be last. 31 H The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him. Get thee oat, jtnd depart hence; for Herod will kill thee. 3-' And he said unto them. Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and 1 do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third dai/ * 1 shall be perfected. 33 Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the dai/ follo^ring: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. 31 O '^Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would 1 have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Beheld, <i your house is left unto you desolate: and verily 1 say unto you. Ye shall ' not see me, until the time come when je shall say, / Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. CHAPTER XIV. 8 Christ healeth the driipsy on the sabbath day: 7 teacheth humility! 12 to feed the poor, id The j/arable of the great suyper. 25 What is required of those who would be Christ's disci- ples. X ND it came to pass, as he went into the ■*^ house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answeiing spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, " Is it law- ful to heal on the sabbath day ? 4 And they held theu- peace. And he took him, and healed liim, and let him go: 6 And answered them, saying, * Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day ^ 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. 7 11 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how tliey chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8 \V hen thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the h ghest room; lest a more houoiuable man tlian thou be bidden of him; y And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee. Give this man place; and thuu begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But * when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto W I A. D. 33. CHAP. 13. » Mat. 7. 23. Mat. 25 41. «- yt. 6. B. Mat.25.41. » Mat. 8. 12. Mat. 13.42 Mat. 24.51. V Mat. 8. 11. s Gen. 28. M. a Mat 19 »J. Mat. 20.16. Mar. 10 31. 4 Heb. 2. 10. Heb. 5. 8. c Mat. 23. 37. d Lev. 20.31, 32. Ps. C9. 25. I». 1. 7. Dan. 9. 27. Mic. 3. 12. Lu. 21. 24. « ProT. 1. 24-30. John S. 21, 24. /Ps 118.26. Mat. 21.9. M.ir. 11.10. ch. 19. 38. John 12.13. CHAP. 14. » Mat. 12.10. •> £i. 23 5. Deu. 22. 4. ch. 13. 16. • Pro. 16. 33. Pro. Pro. 25.6,7. d Job 22. 29. Pa. 18. 37. Pro. 29. 23. Mat. 23 12. eh. 18. 14. Jam. 4. C. 1 Pet. 5. 6. e Neh. 8. 10, Job 31. 14- 20. Pro. 3 9,28. / Dan. 12. 2. iVUt. 25. 30. John 5. 29. Acu 24.15. g Roy. 19. 9. ?. Mat. 22. 2. i Pro. 9. 2, 5. ) Mat. 6. 24. Mat. 13. 22. Lu. 8. 14. John 5. 40. ITi. 6.9,10. 2 Ti. 4. 10. k Mat. 28.18, 19. Acts 13.40. I Pro. 1 20. 2 Cor. 5.20. •» Mat. 8. 11, 12. >Ut.21.43. Mat. :;2. 8. Acts 13. 46. Heb. 3 19. »» Deu. 13. 0. Deu. 33 9. Mat. 10.37. o Kom. 9. 13. P Rev. 12 U. 8 ilat. 16.24. Wirk 8. 34. eh. 9. 23. r Pro. 24. 27. 1 Pot. 2. 6. thee. Friend, go up higher: then shalt thoa have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For <* whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 12 H Then said he also to him that bade him. When thou mukest a diimer or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor t/iy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, ' call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt bo recompensed at /the resurrection of the just. 15 H And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, 16 Then f^ said he unto him, A certain man made a gi-eat supper, and bade many: 17 And • sent his sen'ant at supper time to say to them that were bidden. Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The tu-st said unto hhii, i I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have mo excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and 1 go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore i cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant. Go * out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the manned, and the halt, ana the blind. 22 And the servant said. Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, * and compel them to come in, that my house may be tilled. 24 For 1 say unto you, "* that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 25 H And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 2G if "any man come to me, "and hate not his lather, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, ^ yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And 'whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come alter me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For ''which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and count- eth the cost, whether he have sujicienc to finish il? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it be'4n to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down liist, and cousulteth whether he be able Wo man of Infirm ity Hea led. LUKE, XIIL Miscellaneous Teachings. to death as tliev were offering their sacri- 1 in consideration of the sadness an<FionR fices at one of the festivals, that would be duration of her sufferina;. and of her dionity "mingling their blood with their sacrifices." ; notwithstanding, as an heir of the promise « fdROT.. w. <fc w., but doubted by De W. | 18-30. IVIiscellaneous Teachings 18-21. Met., AxF., &c.] News of this being brought mustard-seed . . , leaven — see on Mk. 4. to our Lord, to draw out His views of such, 1 30-32. The parable of " the Leaven" sets and whether it was not a judgment of forth perhaps, rather the inv-ard growth Heaven, He simply points them to the prac-lof the kingdom, while "the Mustard seed" tical view of the matter ; ' These men are seems to point chieflv to the outward. It not signal examples of divine vengeance, as being a woman's work to knead, it seems ye suppose; but every impenitent sinner— ?/e a refinement to say that "the woman" yourselves, except ye repent— shall be like ' here represents the Chu rch, as the instru- monuments of the jud^ent of Heaven, and ment of depositing the leaven. Nor does in a more awful sense? Tlie reference here to the impending destruction of Jerusalem it yield much satisfaction to imderstand the 'three measures of meal" of that three- is far from exhausting our Lord's weighty fold division of our nature into " spirit, souL ^ '" "' "' " -•-'----" ^- and body," alluded to in 1 Thess. 5 23., or of words ; they manifestly point to a " perdi tion" of a more awful kind— future, personal, remediless 4, 5. tower in Siloam— probably one of the towers of the city wall, near the 3ool of Siloam. Of its fall nothing is known, the threefold partition of the world among the three sons of Noah, iGe. 10. 32,) as some do. It yields more real satisfaction to see in this brief parable just the ali-penctrating and. 1-9. fig-tree— Israel, as the visible witness for | assimilating quality of the Gospel, by virtue God in the world, but generally, all within of which it will yet mould all institutions the pale of the visible Church of God ; a and tribes of men, and exhibit over the familiar figure, cf. Is. 5. 1-7 ; J. 15. 1-8 ; &<;, vineyard — a spot selected for its fertility whole earth one "KLingdom of our Lord and_of_His Christ." . (See on Eev. 11. 15.) separated from the surrounding fields, and; 23. Lord, &c.— one of those curious questions cultivated with special care, with a view j by talking of which some flatter themselves Bolely to fruU. came and sought fruit— a heart i they are religious, said unto them— the mul- turned to God; the fruits of righteousness," i titude cf. M. 21. 33, 34, and Is. . taking no notice of the man or his 2, "He looked that • question, save as furnishing the occasion of a it should bring forth fruit:' He has a right to ' solemn warning not to trifle with so mo- it, and will require it. three years— a long mentous a matter as "salvation." strive- enough trial for a fig-tree, and so denoting The word signifies to * contend' as for the probably .just a suffinent period of culture mastery, to ' struggle,' expressive of the diM- lOT spiritual fruit. The supposed allusion culty of being saved, as if one would have to to the duration of our Lord's ministry force his ivay in. strait gate— another figure is precarious, cut it down— indignant Ian- of the same. See note on M. 7. 13, 14. for guage. cumbereth— not only doing no good, many will seek— desire, i.e. with a mere wish but wasting ground. He answering, cfec. or slothful endeavour, and shall not be able — — Chri.st, as intercessor, loath to see it because it must be made a life-and-cleath cut down so long as there was any hope,' struggle. Master of the house is risen up and. see V. 34. dig, &c.— loosen the earth about hath shut to the door— awfully sublime and it and enrich it with manure ; pointing to vivid picture 1 At present He is represented changes of method in the divine treatment j as in a sifiijifl' posture, as if calmly looking on of the impenitent, in order to fresh spiritual to see who will "strive," while entrance is culture, if fruit, well— Genuine repentance, I practicable, and whe wiU merely " seek " to however late, avails to save. fch. 23. 42, 43.) | enter in. But this is to have an end, by the after that, k,c. — The final perdition of such great Master of the house Himself rising and as, after the utmost limits of reasonable , shutting the door, after which there will be forbearance, are found fruitless, will be pre- j 710 admittance. Lord, Lord — emphatic re- eminently and confessedly just. (Pr. 1. 24-31; i duplication, expressive of the earnestness Ez. 24. 13.) 10-17. Woman of Eighteem Years' Infir- I noiu felt, but too late. See on M. 7. 21, 2i'. 26, 27. See on the similar passage, M. 7. 22, MiTY Healed on the Sabbath. 11. spirit ! 23. eaten and dnmk, &c,— we have sat with of infirmity — cf. v. 17, "whom S'atoK hath jTliee at the same table, taught in our streets bound." From this it is probable, though —Do we not remember listening in our own not certain, tliat her protracted infirmity streets to Tliy teaching ? Surely ire are not to •was the effect of some milder form of j be denied admittance ? But he shall say, (fee. possessioyi: yet she was "a daughter of,No nearness of externa), communion with A.braham,," in the same gracious ie \%q,\ Christ vnll avail at the great day, in place of no doubt, as Zaccheus, after his conversion was 'la son of Abraham." 'ch. 19. 9.) 12, 13. tliat '' holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." _ Observe the style which Christ said, Woman . . and laid— both at once. 14. with '■ intimates that He will then assume, that of indignation— not so much at the sabbath- 1 absolute Disposer of men's eternal destinies, violation as at the glorification of Chri-st. | and contrast it with His " despised and re- ef. M. 21. 15. [Trexch.] said to the i)eopie — jected" condition at .that time. 28, 29. See and de- • not daring directly to find faidt with the , on M. 8. li, 12. Lord, he seeks circuitou.sly to reach Him j 31-35. Message to Herod. through the people, who were more under part hence— and 'go for wai J,' ims/ioji. He was his influence, and whom he feared le (Trench.] 16. the Lord— .see on ch. 10. 1 hypocrite !— How " the faithful and true Wit on his way out of Perea. £. of Jordan, and in Herod's dominions, "journeying towards J eru.salem"_ i;. 22.). Haunted by guilty fears. ces.s" tears oft' the mask.? which men v>-ear ! | probably, Herod wanted to get rid of Him. his ox. (fee- see on M. 12. 9-13; and ch 6. 9. i , see on Mk. 6. I4,j and seems, from our Lord's onght not, <fcc. — How gloriously the Lord ! answer, to have sent these Pharisees, under vindicates the superior claims of this woman, \ pretence of a friendly hint, to persuade Him Parahlc of tJie lost sheep. LUKE. XV. XVI. ParahU of the proAiqal son. vi'Mh. ten thousand to meet him that cum- etli against him with twent)- thousaud^ 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way otf, he sendeth *an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 2ii So lilcewise, whosoever ' he be of you that forsaiieth not all that he hath, he can- not be mv disciiile. 31 IT Salt "is Kood: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be sea- Eoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill ; hut men cast it out. lie that hath ears to hear, let him hear. CHAPTER XV. 1 Th« parable of the lost sheep: 8 of the piece of silver: Ho/ the prodigal son. T^HEN » drew near unto him all the pub- -*- licans and >> sinners for to hear him. 2 And the I'harisees and scribes murmur- ed, saying, Tiiis man receiveth sinners, and " eateth with them. " 3 IT And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 Wliat rfman of you, ha^^ng an hundred sheep, if he 'li>se one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after tnat which is lost, until he find it? ' 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neiglibours, saving nrito them, Rejoice with me; for I liave found my sheep /which was lost. 7 I say unto you, That likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repent- eth, " more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 H Either what woman, having ten 1 pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, .and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? y And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours togetlier. Baying, Rejoice with me; for 1 have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, 1 say unto you. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenttth. 11 H And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father. Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth lo nie. And ne divided unto them '' his living. 13 And not many days after, the younger Bon gathered all together, and took his journey into « a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that laud; and he be- gan to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country ; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. IG And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said. How many hired 8ei-\ant8 of my father's have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 1 will 3 arise and go to my father, and will say unto him. Father, * I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, I li) And am iio more worthy to be called 50 CHAP. 14. » Job 22. 21. Mat. 5. 25. CHAP. 15. a Mat. 9. 10. b Eze. 18. 23. 1 Ti. 1. 15. c Acts 11. 3. Gal 2. 12. d M.^t. 18.12. « 1 Pet. 2.25. / 1 Pet. 2.10, 26. g Pro. 3.0. 12. ch. 5. 32. 1 Drachma, here trao- elated a AUt.'l8.« ft ALtr. VIA t Itora. 1. £ Gal. 3. 27, Rev. 19. 8, Eph. 2. 1. £ph 5. 14, Col. 13. P l3. 35. 10. 9 Acts 11 2. r Mat. 20. 11, 12. « Ko.15.9-12. CHAP. 16. Ps. 24. 1. 6 Mat. 12.36. Rom. 14.12, 1 The word Batua in the original nine gal- £ze 45.10, 11, 14. The word here iuter- preteJ a Mua.<uro, containeib jpottto. thy son: make me as one of thy hhed ser- vants. '.'0 And he arose, and came to his father. But ' when he was yet a great way oti'. his father saw him, and had compHssion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and ki.ssed him. 21 And the son said unto him. Father, I have sinned against Heaven, '"and in thy siglit, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his aen'ants. Bring forth " the best robe, and put it on him ; and put a ling on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be men-y: 24 For " this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they P began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, ho heard music and dancing. 20 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him. Thy brother is come ; and th v father hath killed the latted calf, because he hath received hun safe and sound. 28 And ' he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and en- treated him. 2y And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do 1 serve thee, nei- ther transgressed 1 at any time thy com- mandment; and '■yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living witli har- lots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And He said unto him. Son, thou art ever with me, and all that 1 have is thine. 32 It *was meet that we should make merry and be glad : lor this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is fomid. CHAPTER XVI. 1 The parable of the unjuxt steward. 14 Chriit reprmieth the hi/pocrisi/ of the covetmts I'hari- sees. 19 The rich glittton, and Ijuiarus t/H beggar. A ND he said also unto his disciples, There -"- was a certain " rich man which had a steward ; and the same was accused mito him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto mm. How is it that I hear this of theei give an account f> of thy stewardship; lor thou mavest be no longer steward. 3 then the steward said withm himself. What shall I do* for my lord taketh away from me the stewai-dship: I cannot dig; to beg 1 am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do. that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his lord s debtors unto him, and s.oid unto the first. How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said. An hundred i measures of oil. And he said unto him. Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and \n'\te fifty. 7 Then siiid he to another. And how much owest thou? And he said. An hundred 2 measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the ford commended the unjust Healing of a Dropsiml Man. L UKK, X TV. Te achings at a Sabbath Feasi^ that the sooner lie got beyond nero<Vs juris- j [BExa.] The meaninc:, however, is that no diction the better il would be for His own ! e^rcm-s-e of pnnripln is involved in it, a3 safety. Our Lord saw through both . them, and sends the cunning niler a message (M. 5. 46, 47.1 call the poor couched in dij^Tiified and befitting irony. ; calls of i selfishness itself will sultice to promiit to it. Such God himself [BENfj.l blessed— acting from that fox— that crafty, cruel enemy of God's disinterested, god-like compassion for the innocent servants. Behold I cast out devils Wretched. IS^i. when one.. heard.. he said and I wiles lo cures— <y.r7. 'Plot on and ply thy Blessed, ttc— As our Lord's words seemed to I also have my plans; my works of hold forth the future " recompen.=e "' under mercy are ueanng completion, but some yet the idea of a great Feast, the thought pas.ses remain ; I have work for to-day and to- through this man's mind, how blessed they morrow too. and the third day; by that j would be who should be honoured to sit time I shall be where his junsdiction reaches ! down to it. Our Lord's reply is in substance not; the guilt of my blood shall not lie at his | this: ' The great Feast is prepared already; door: that dark deed is reserved for others.' the invitations are issued, but declined; the He does not say, I preach the Gospel— that feast, notwithstanding, shall not want abun- would have made little impression upon dance of guests; but not one of its present Herod— in the light of the rmrcifid character contemners— who shall yet come to sue for of C:hrist's adioits the malice of Herod's arlmission- shall be allowed to taste of it. snares is laid bare. [Bexg.1 to-day, to- This shows what was lacking in the seem- morrow, the third day— remarkable language ingly pious exc'amation of this man. It was exi)ressive of siiccessive step^ of His work Balaam's, " Let me die the death of the yet remaining, the calm detibcrateness with i righteous, and let my ?a4 end be like his," which He meant to go through with them, one after another, to the last, unmoved by Herod's threat, yet the rapid march with | w which they were now hastening to com- p: ^ „ „ pletion. (cf. J. 22. 18.) I shall be perfected—' 1 1 bade vaaxij—historiccalv, the .Jews; (.see on M. finish my course.' * I attain completion.' 1 22. 3 ;) generally, those within the pale of It cannot be that a prophet, Scc—q. d. " It icoiild professed discipleship, supB-^r time . . all nov? never do that.' dtc— awful severity of satire ready — pointing undoubtedly to the now this upon "the bloody city"! 'He seeks to I ripening preparations for the great Gospel "kiU me" does he? Ah ! I must be out of i call. See on M. 22. 4. all began to make ex- Herod's .iurisdiction for that. Go tell him I --,--- r„. neither fly from him nor fear him. but Jeru- •salem is the prophet's slaughter-house.' 34, 35, Jerusalem, Arc— vSee on M. 23. 37 39. CH.\PTER XIV. Ver 1-24. Healing of a Propsicai, Man, and Manifold Tea(:hin<;.s at a Sabbath Feast. 2. Man before him— Not one of the company, since this was appa- rently before tlie guests sat do\vn, and pro- bably the man came in hope of a cure, though not expressly soliciting it. [Dk W.] on M. 12. 11, 12. 7-11. a parable — Nu. 23. 10.) without any anxiety about Uving his life; fondly wishing that all were right with him at hist, while all heedless of the recious present, a great supper- cf. Is. 25. 6. cuse— cf. M. 22. 5. Three excuses, given as specimens of the rest, answer to " the care of this world" {v. 18. , " the dcccitfvlness of riches" {v. 19.), and "the pleasures oftldslife" iv. 20.), which " cholie the word" (M. 13. 22, and L. 8. 14 . Each differs from the other, and each has its own plausibility, but all come to tlie same result: We have other things to attend to, more pre3.sing.just now.' Nobody is represented as .saying, I vnll not conre; nay. all the answers imply that but for certain things they wo^d.d come, and when these are out of the way they ')>-iU come. So it certainly •showing that His design was not so much to , is in the case intended, for the last words inciUcate mere politeness or good manners; clearly imply that the refusers will one day as underneath this to teach something deeper liecome petitioiurs. came and told, &c.— say- {v. 11.) chief rooms— ' principal seats,' in the iing as in Is. 53. 1. ' It is the part of ministers middle part of the couch on which they re- to report to the Lord in their prayers the clined at meals, esteemed the most honour- compliance or refusal of their hearers. ' m one sense a gracious low sincere he was in issuing (Ez. 33. 11.) But it is the light put upon him, the sense of which is not a intended to be marked by this word, streets able.— wedding— and seating thy.self at the [Beng.3 wedding-/ea.s^. Our Lord avoids the appear- word, showin; ance of personality by this delicate allusion , his invitations. to a different kind of entertainment than thisof his host.— IBeng.] the lowest lov:er merely. [Beng.1 with shame—' To be and lanes— /it-storicaf/y. those within the same lowest is oaly ignominious to him who affects pale of " the city of God as the former class, the highest. [Beng.] friend — said to the but the despised and outcasts of the nation, modest guest only, not the proud one, v. 9. the "publicans and sinners," [Trench]; [Beng.1 worship — honour. The whole of generally, all similar classes, usually over- this is but a reproduction of Pr. 25. 6, 7. But looked in the first provision for supplying it was reserved for the matchless Teacher to the means of grace" to a community, half _plv\ of the minutest features of social life, such , in every sense miserable. yet there is utter articulately, and apply to th^ regulation heathen in the midst of revealed inity, light, and great lavs of the Kingdom of God an that of room— irh plying that these classes had em V. 11, " Whosoever," &c.— couching them braced the invitation, M. 21. 32; Mk. 12, 37, in a chaste simplicity and proverbial terse- last cl.; J. 7. 48, 49;) and beautifully express- ness of style which makes them " apples of ing the longing that should fill the hearts of gold in a setting of .silver;" See on ch. 18. 14. ministers to see their Master's table filled. 12-14. call not thy friends — Jesus certainly highways and hedees— outside the city alto- did not mean us to dispense with the duties gether: historically, the heathen, sunk in the of ordinary fellowship, but, remitting these lowest depths of spiritual wretchedness, as to their proper place, inculcates what is being beyond the pale of all that is revealed better. [Beng.] lest..a recompense be given and saving, " without Christ, strangers from thee -a fear tho world is not afllicted with. . the covenant of promise ■ • - 69 havins iio hope. Address to Great Multitudes. liUKE, XV. PulMcansaiul Sinners Welcomed, and without God in the world:" (Eph. 2. 12;) generally, all such still. Thus, this parable vropheticallu contemplates the extension of the kingdom of God to the whole world; and spiritually, directs the Gospel invitations to be carried to the lowest strata, and be brought in contact with the outermost circles, of human society, compel them to come in— not as if they would make the " ex- cuses" of the first class, but because it would be hard to get them over two difficulties: (1.; ' V/e are not fit company for such a feast,' (2.) 'We have no proper dress and are ill in order for such a presence.' How fitly does this represent the difficulties and fears of the sincere! How is this met? ' Take no excuse —make them come as they are— bring them along with you.' What a directory for min- isters of Chi-ist ! that my house may be filled— * Grace no more than nature will endure a vacuum.' PjEng.] I say unto you, that none — OurLordhere appears to throw off the veil of the parable, and proclaim tlie Supper His Own, intimating that when transferred and transformed into its final glorious form, and the refusers themselves would give all for another opportunity. He will not allow one of them to taste of it. (n.b. This pai-able must not be confounded with that of Pr. 1. 24-33, The Marringe Supper, M. 22. 2-14.) 25-35. ADDBES3 TO GREAT MULTI- TUDES Travelling with Him. 25. great multitudes with htm— on his final journey to Jerusalem. The "great multitudes" were doubtless people going to the Passover, who moved along in clusters, (oh. 2. 44,) and who on this occasion falling in with our Lord had formed themselves into one mass about Him. 26, 27. If any man, &c.— See on M. 10. 34-36; and jNIk. 8. 34, 35. 28-33. which of you, &c.— Common sense teaches men not to begin any costly work witliout first seeing that they have wherewithal to finii^h. And he who docs otherwise exposes himself to general ridicule. Nor will any wise potentate en- ter on a war with any hostile power with- out first seeing to it that, despite formidable jdds (two to one), he be able to stand his iTound, and if he has no hope of this, he wiU feel that nothing remains for him but to make the best terms he can. '"Even so," says our Lord, ' in the warfare you will each have to wage as my disciples, despise not your enemy's strength, for the odds are all against you; and you had better see to it that, despite every disadvantage, you still have wherewithal to hold out and win the day, or else not begin at aU and make the best you can in such awful circumstances.' In this simple sense of the parable— Stier., Alf., &c., go wide of the mark here in making the enemy to be God, because of the " condi- tions of peace," v. 32, —two things are taught: (1.) Better not begin (Re. 3. 15.) than begin and not finish. (2.) Though the contest for salvation be on our part an awfully unequal one, the human will, in the exercise of that " faith which overcometh the world," (1 J. 5. 4.) and nerved by power from above, which ' out of weatnessmakes it strong, (He. 11. 34; 1 Pe. 1. 5,) becomes heroical and will come off *' more than conqueror. " But without al- solute surrender of self, the contest is hcipe- less, V. 33. 34, 35. salt, &o. See on M. 6. 13-16; and Mk. 9. .50. CHAPTER. XV. Ver. 1-32. Publicans and Sinners Wel- 60^ coMED BY Christ- Three Parables to Explain This. 1. drew near all the publi- cans and sinners, &c.— drawn around Him hy the extraordinary adajitation of His teach- ing to iheir case, who, till He ai^peared— at least His forerunner— might well say, "No man careth for my soul." 2. murmured, say- ing &c.— took it ill, were scandalized at Him, and insinuated on the principle that a man is known by the company he keeps that He must have some secret sympathy with their character. But O what a truth of unspeak- able preciousness do their lips, as on other occasions, unconsciously utter! Now follow three parables representing the sinner (I.) in his stupidity; (2.) as all-unconscious of his lost condition; (3.) knov;ingly and vnllingly estrariged from God. IBeng.] The first two set forth the seeking love of God; the last. His receiving love. [Trench.] 3-7. I. The Lost Sheep— occurring again, M. 18. 12-14; but there to show how precious one of his sheep is to the good Shepherd, here, to show tliat the shepherd, though it stray never so widely, will seek it out, and when he hath found will rejoice over it. leave the ninety- nine— bend all liis attention and care, as it were, to the one object of recovering the lost sheep ; not saying, ' 'Tis but one; let it go; enough remain. ' go after . . . until, (fcc— pointing to all the diversified means which God sets in operation for recovering sinners. 6. Rejoice with me, &c. — The principle here is, that one feels exuberant joy to be almost too much for liimself to bear alone, and is posi- tively relieved by having others to share it with him. (See on v. 10.) ninety-nine just, needing no repentance — not angels, whose place in these parables is very difi"erent from this; but those represented by the prodigaVs well-behaved hroflier, who have " served their Father many years " and not at any time transgressed His commandment" (in the outrageous sense of the prodigal.^ See on V. 29, 31. In other words, such as have groivn up from childhood in the fear of God and as the sheep of His pasture. Our Lord does not say "the Pharisees and scribes" were such; but as there was undoubtedly such a class, while "the publicans and sinners'* M'ere confessedly the strayed sheep and the prodigal children. He leaves them to fill up the place of the other class, ■;/ they coukl. 8-10. II. The Lost Coin, sweep the house— 'not done v/ithout dust on man's part.' [Beng.] Likewise— on the same principle, joy, (fee- Note carefully the language here:— not "joy on the part,' but "joy in the presence of the angels of God." True to the idea ot the par- ables. The Great Shepherd, The Great Owner Himself, is He whose the joypropcrij is over His own recovered property; but so vast and exuberant is it, (Ze. 3. 17,) that as if He could not keep it to Himself, He"cal]eth His friends and neighbours together"— His whole celestial family — " saying. Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep— My piece" &c. In this sublime sense it is "joy," before " or in the presence of the angels;" they only ' catch the flying joy,' sharing it with Him ! The application of this to the recei)- tion of those publicans and sinners that stood around our Lord is grand in the ex- treme: 'Ye turn from these lost ones with disdain, and because I do not the same, ya murmur at it: but a very different leeling is cherished iu heaven: There, the recovery of Parable of iM LUKE. XV. Prodigal Son. even one such outcast is watched with inte rest and hail'^d with joy; nor are they left to come home of themselves or perish ; for lo even now the great iShepherd is going after His lost sheep, and the Owner is making diligent search for the lost property; and He is finding it too. and bringing it back with joy, and all heaven is full of it.' (Let the reader mark what sublime claims for Himself our Lord covertly puts in here— as if in Him they beheld, all unknown to themselves, nothing less than Heaven in the habiliments of earth, the Great bhepherd above, clothed in a garment of flesh, come "to seek and to save that which was lost!") 11-32. HI. The Prodigal Son. 12. the your.ger— as the more thoughtless, said, &c.— weary of re- straint, panting for independence, unable longer to abide the check of a father's eye. TJt,is is man, impatient of divine control, desiring to be independent of God, seeking to be his own master; that ' sin of sins, in which all subsequent sins are included as in their germ, for they are but the unfolding of this one.' [Tkench.] he divided, &c.— Thus * God, when His service no longer appears a perfect freedom, and man promises himself something far better elsewnere, allows him to make the trial: and he shall discover, if need be by saddest proof, that to depart from Him is not to throw off the yoke, but to exchange a light yoke for a heavy one. and one gracious Master for a thousand imperi- ous tyrants am I lords.' [Trench.] 13. not many days— intoxicated with his new-found resour- ces, and eager for the luxury of using them at will, a far country— beyond all danger of inter- ference from home, wasted, (tc— So long as it lasted, the inward monitor (Is. 55. 2,) would be silenced. (Is, 9. 10; .'.7. 10; Am. 4. c-10.) riotous livine— ^. 30, " with harlots." Ah ! but this reaclies farther than the sensualist: for ' in the deep symbolical language of Scripture fornication is the standing image of idolatry; they are in fact ever spoken of as one and tlie same sin, considered now in its fleshly, now in its spiritual aspect (Je. 3. ; Ez. IC. and 17. .' [Trench.] 14. when he had spent all. .a mighty famine- a mysterious pro- vidence holding back the famine till he was in circumstances to feel it in all its rigour. Thus, like Jonah, whom the storm did not overtake till on the mighty deep at the mercy his rags ? Yes. of the waves, does the sinner feel as it " the j wretchedness stars in their courses were fighting against "in heaven, " is this Thy portraiture? It is him. (Ju. 5. 20.) m want— the first stage of I even so. (Je. 31. 20.) And becau.se it is so Lis bitter experience, and preparation for a 1 1 wonder not that such incomparable teach- change. 15. joined himself, 6:c.— his pride [ ing hath made the world new. 21. Father I not yet humbled, unable to brook the shan.e have sinned, (fcc— ' This confession is uttered of a return, to feed swine— Glad to keep life after the Jciss of reconcviation.' (Ez. 16. 6i.) in any how, behold the son sunk into a swine- 1 [Trench.] 22. but the Father said, <fcc.— The turmng-pomt; midnight before dawn of day 2 Chr. 12. 8; Je. 2. 10; 2 Chr. 33. 11-13.) cama to himself- Before, he had been " beside him- self '—Eccl. 9. 3)— in what sense will presently appear, how many hired, ic— AVhat a testi- mony to the nature of the home he had left' But did he not know all this ere he departed and every day of his voluntary exile? He did, and he did not. His heart being wholly estranged from home and steeped in selfish gratifications, his father's house never came within the range of his vi.sion, or but as another name for bondage and gloom. Now empty, desolate, withered, perishing, home, with all its peace, plenty, freedom, dignity, starts into view, fills all his visions as a warm and living reality, and breaks his heart. 18. " I WILL ABtSE AND GO TO MY FATHER ! " The change has come at last, and what a change!— couclied in terms of such exquisite simplicity and power as if expressly tramed for all heart-broken penitents. Father, Aic— Mark the term. Though " no more worthy to be called his son," the prodigal .sinner is taught to claim the dcoradid anddfji'ed, but still exiiting relation.ship, asking not to be made a servant, but nmaimng a ion to be made "as a servant ' willing to take the lowest place and do the meanest work. Ah! and is it come to this? Once it was, ' Any place rather than home.' Kow, '0 that home could I but dare to hope that the door of it would not be closed against me, how gladly would I take any place and do any work, happy only to be there at all.' Well, ttiat is conversio7i—no\hins absolutely new, yet all new ; old familiar things seen in a new light and for the first time as realities of overwhelming magnitude and power. Hoiu tJtis is hroxight ahont the varahle says not. (We have that abundantly elsewhere— Ph. 2. 13, <fec. ) Its one object is to paint the mltome home of the greatest sinners, when no matter lor the present how, they *' arise and go to their Father." 20. a great way off— O yes, when but the face is turned homeward, though as yet far. far away, our Father re- cognises his own child in us. and bounds to meet us— not saying. Let him come to me and sue for pardon first, but himself taking the first step, fell on his neck and kissed him— W hat! In all his filth ? Yes. In aU In all his haggard, shattered Yes. " Our lather who art herd, among the J ews, on account of the pro- son has hibition of swine's flesh, emphatically vile ! because not said all he purposed, not so much the father's demonstrations had re- He w.'io begins by using the world as a ser- kindled the filial, and .swallowed up all .ser- •'ant, to minister to his pleasure, ends by \'ile, feeling [Trench, <S:c.] (see on the word •reversing the relationship. [Trench.] 16. | " Father, " v. IS.i but because the father's weuld fain have filled— rather, ' was fain to heart is made to appear too full to listen, at fill,' ate greedily of the only food he could that moment, to more in this strain, the get. the husks—' the hulls of a leguminous best robe— ct. Ze. 3. 4, 5. " Take away the plant which in the East is the food of cattle filthy garments from him ; behold I have and swine, and often the nourishment of the clothed thee with change of raiment; and poorest in times of distress. [Stier.] no they clothed him with garments." jie! 3 18- man gave him— not this food, for that he had. Is 61. 10.) a ring -cf. Ge. 41. 42; Ja. 2. 2.' \)iit anything better. (Je. 30. 14.) This was shoes— slaves M-ent barefoot. Thus, we have his lowest depth— perishing unpitied, alone here a threefold symbol of fretdom and in the world, and ready to disapinar from hoiimir. restored, as the fruit of infert re- ii uumissedl Uut this is juat the blessed , co/tciiiafiojt, 23. the latled calf— kept for 691 Th^ rlcTi man and Lazanis. LUKE, XVIT. steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their gener- ation wiser than ' the children of light. -9 And I say unto you, ^ Make to yourselves friends of the 3 mammon of unrighteous- ness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you mto everlasting habitations. 10 He * that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much ; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithftd in the unrighteous * mammon, who will com- mit to your trust the /true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own ? 13 No "servant can sen'e two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 14 !f And the Pharisees also, '* who were covetous, heard all these things: aud they derided him. 15 And he said unto them. Ye are they which 'justify yourselves before men; but God } knoweth your hearts: for * that which is highly esteemed among men is abomina- tion m the sight of God. 16 The * Law and the Prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into 17 And "* it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to fail. 18 Whosoever " putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, coinmitteth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adul- tery. 19 V There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, " lull of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: more- over the dogs came and hcked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and* was can-ied by the angels nito Abraham's 'bosom: the rich man also died, aud was buried; 23 And Ln hell he lilted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar olf, and Lazarus in his bosom. 2i And he cried and said. Father Abra- ham, have mercy on me, and send Jiazams, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and '"cool my tongue; for i *ani tormented in this tiame. 25 But Abraham said. Son, 'remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, aud thou art tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is " a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you caiuiot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, i pray thee therefore, tather, that thou wouldest send him to my lather s house: 28 For 1 have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Of offences and forgiveness. CHAP. 16. c John 12. 35, Eph. 5 8. 1 Thes. 5.5, d r>.in. 4. 27. Mat. 6. 19, Mat. 19.21. ch. 11. 41, 1 Ti, 6. 17. » Mat. 25. 2l'. ch. 19. 17. 4 Or, riclies. / Eph. 3. 8. Rav. 3.18. g Mat. 6. 24 h Mat. 23 14. » ch. 10. 29. } Pa. 7. 9. Jer. 17. 10. Bev. 2, 23. * I Sa. 16. 7. Jam. 4. 4. J Mat, 11.12. *» Fs. 102. 26,27. » 1 Cor. 7.10. Heb. 11,37, P Heb. 1. 14 Jam. 2. 5. q Mat. 8. 11. r ZcTh 14.12. « Is. 06. 24. Mark 9. 44. t Job 21. 13. ch. 6. 24. w 2 Thcs.l.g. V Is. 8. 20. Is. 34. 16. John 5. 39, 45. Acts 1521. Acts 17.11. 2 Ti, 3. 16. il2. 10. CHAP. 17. Mat. 18. 6.7. Mark 9.42. 1 Cor. 11. 19. 6 2 Thes, 1.6. c Mat. 1S,15. d Lev, 19 17. Pro. 17. 10. Jam. 5. 19 « 1 Cor. 13.4. Col. 3. 12. /Mat. 17.20. Mat. 21.21. Mar. 9. 23. Mar. 11.23. g ch. 12. 37. h Job 22, 3. Job 35. 7. P». 16. 2. Kom. 3. 12. Ro. 11.35. 1 Cor. 9.16. Phil. 11. i Lu. 9. 51. John 4. 4. ;• Lev, 13.46. k Lev. 13. 2. Lev. 14. 2. Mat. 8, 4. 1 Ps. 103. 1. m 2 K.i. 17. John 1.48. 29 Abraham saith unto him. " They hava Moses and the Prophets; let them heal them. ; 30 And he said. Nay, father Abraham' but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him. If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, "" neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead. CHAPTER XYIL 1 Christ teacheth to avoid occasions of offence, 3 to forgive one another. 6 The power of faith. 1 1 He heuleth ten lepers, 'ii Of the kingdom of Ood, and the coming of the Son of man, etc. 'PHEN said he unto the disciples, " It is "^ impossible but that offences will come: but *woe unto him through whom they come! 2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 H Take heed to yourselves: ' If thy brother trespass against thee, <* rebuke him; and if he repent, * forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and sevtn times in a day turn again to thee, saying, 1 repent ; thou shalt forgive him. 5 IT And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And/ the Lord said. If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Pe thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it siiould obey you. 7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field. Go and sit down to meat? 8 Aud will not rather say unto him. Make ready wherewith 1 may sup, and gird thy. self, "and serve me, till I have eaten and dimikeu; aud afterward thou shalt eat and diuik? y Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded liimi 1 trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say. We are i^ unprofitable servants: we have done that whith was our duty to do. 11 H And it came to pass, «as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed thi-ough the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which > stood afar oh': 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, * Go show yom-selves unto the priests. Aud it came to pass, ihat, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice ' glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving hhu thanks: and he was "' a Sa- maritan. . , „, 17 And Jesus answenng said. Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine! 18 Tliere are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And "he said unto him. Arise, go thy way: tliy liiith hath made thee whole. 20 il And when he was demanded of the ' 37ic Prodigal Son» LTJKE, XVL T7ie Uvjust Steward. festive occasions. 21. my son— now twice his son. dead . . . lost— to me ; to himself— to my service, my satisfaction; to his own dignity, peace, profit, alive again . . found— to all these, merry- see on v. 10. 25. in the field— engaged in his fauiefs business: cf. 20, " These many years do I serve thee." 28. came his father out and entreated him—" Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." (Ps. 103. 13.) As it is the elder brother who now errs, so it is the same pa- ternal compassion which had fallen on the neck of the younger that comes forth and pleads with the elder. 29. these many years ..neither transgressed at any time, &c.— The words are not to be pressed too far. He is merely contrasting his constancy of love and service with the conduct of his brothers; just as Job, resenting the charge of hypocrisy by his friends, speaks as if nothing could be laid to his charge (Job 23. 10-12), and David too (Ps. 18. 20-24.). The father attests the truth of all he says, never a kid — I say not a calf, but not even a kid. that I might make merry with my friends— Here lay his misapprehen- sion. It was no entertainment for the grati- fication of the prodigal: it was a fathers ex- pression of the joy he felt at his recovery, thy son.. thy living— How unworthy a reflec- tion on the common father of both, for the one not only to disown the other but fling him over upon his father, as if he should say. Take him. and have joy of him! 31. Son, &c. — ITie father resents not the insult — how could he, after the largeness of heart which had kissed the returning prodigal? He calmly expostulates with nim. ' Son, listen to reason. What need for special, exuberant joy over thee? Didst thou say, Lo, these many years do I serve thee ?" In that saidst thou truly; but just for that reason do I not set the whole household a rejoicing over thee. For thee is reserved what is hiahcr still —a tranquil life-long satisfaction in thee, as a true-hearted faitlifiU son in thy father's house, nor cl the inheritance reserved for thee is aught alienated by this festive and fitting joy over the once foolish but now wise and newly recovered one.' 32. it was meet— * Was it possible he should simply take his long-vacant place in the family, without one special sign of wonder and delight at the chanee^ would that have been nature?' But this being the meaning of the festi\'ity, it would for that very reason be temporary. In time, the dutifulness of even the younger son would become the law and not the ex- ception: he too at length might venture to say, " Lo, these manyyears do I serve thee;" , and of him the father would say, "Son, thou ''■ art ever with me. " In that case, therefore, it would not be " meet that they should ; make merry and be glad." The lessons are ! obvious, but how beautiful! (1.) The deeper I sunk and the longer estranged any sinner is, the more exuberant is the joy which his re- : covery occasions. (2.) Such joy is not the portion of those whose whole lives have been spent in the service of their Father in hea- ven. 3.) Instead of grudging the want of this, they should deem it the highest testi- mony to their lifelong fidelity, that some- thing better is reserved for them— the deep, abiding complacency of their Father in heaven. CHAPTER XVI. \ei:. 1-31. Parables of the Unjust 6j Steward A>rD of the Etch Man ano Lazarus, or. The Eight Use of Money". 1. steward— manager of his estate, accused— informed upon, had wasted— rather, 'was wasting.' 3. cannot dig . . . to beg, ashamed— therefore, when dismissed, shaU be in utter want. 4. may receive me, &c.— Observe hia one object— it'/iejt cast out of one home to secure another. This is the key to the par- able, on which there have been many differing views. 5-7. fifty . . . fourscore— deducting a half from the debt of the one, and a fifth from that of the other. 8. the lord— evidently the steward's lord, so called in v. 3, 5. com- mended, &c. — not for his "injustice" but " because he had done wisely," or prudently; with commendable /orcsif/Zi^ undskilful adap- tation of means to end. children of this world —so ch. 20. 34 ; cf. Ps. 17. 14, ("their portion in this life"); Ph. 3. 19. ("mind earthly things") ; Ps. 4. 6, 7. in (or for) their generation —i.e. for the purposes of the "world" they are "of." The greater wisdom (or shrewdness of the one, in adaptation of means to ends^ and in energetic, determined prosecution of them, is none of it for God and eternity— li region they were never in, an atmosphere they never breathed, an undiscovered world, animborn existence to them— but all for the purposes of their o'wn grovelling and fleeting generation, children of light— so J. 12. 36; Eph. 6. 8- 1 Th. 5. 5. Yet this is only 'as night-birds see better in the dark than those of the day— owls than eagles. [Ca jetan and Trench.] But we may learn lessons from them, as our Lord now shows, and be "wise as serpents." 9. make friends of— turn to your own advantage; i.e. as the steward did, " by show- ing mercy to the poor" (Da. 4. 27.) : cf. 12. 33; 14. 13, 14. manimon of unrighteousness- treacherous, precarious. (See on M. 6. 24.) ye fail— in respect of life, they may receive yoa —not generally, ' ye may be received' ( as ch. 6. 38, 'shall men give'), but 'those ye have relieved may rise up as witnesses for you' at the great day. 'llien, like the steward, when turned out of one home shaU ye secure another; but better than he, a heavenly for an earthly, an everlasting for a temporary habitation.' Money is not here made the key to heaven, more than " the deeds done in the body in general, according to which, as a test of character— but not by the merit of which— men are to be judged, (2 Co. 5. 10,) and see M. 25. 34-40. 10. He, &c.— a maxim of great pregnancy and value ; rising from the prudence which the steward had to the fidelity which he had not, the " harmlessness of the dove, to which the serpent" with aU his '"wisdom" is a total stranger. Fidehty depends not on the amount entr^isted, but on the sense of responsibility. He that feels this in little will feel it in much, and conversely, 11, 12. unrighteous mammon— To the whole or this He applies the disparaging term "what is least," in contrast with " the true riches." another man's . . . your own— an important turn to the subject. Here all we have is on trust as stewards, who have an account to ren- der, Hereafter, what the faithful have will be their own property, being no longer on pro- bation but in secure, undisturbed, rightful, everlasting possession and enjoyment of all that is graciously bestowed on us. Thus money is neither to be idolised nor despised; we must sit loose to it and use it for God's glory. 13. can serve— be entirely at the comr Clirist fordeUftli his deafJi. LUKE. XVITI. He ble?seth tittle children. Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should como, he answered tliem and said, The kiiiadorn of God cometh not i with obser- vation: -1 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, • the longdora of God is 8 within you. 2J % And he said nnto the disciples, P The days will come, when ye sliall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye eball not see it, 23 And ' tliey shall say to you. See here! or, see there! go *■ not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also * the Son of man be in his day. 25 Hut ' first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 2t! And " as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of 01 an. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in maniage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise " also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they buililed; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 3U Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man "* is revealed. 31 In that day, he * which shall be upon the house-top, and his >tuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is iu the field, let him likewise not return back. 3J Kemember ^ Lot's wife. 33 Whosoever * shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall presen'e it. 34 I " tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed ; the oue shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two loomen shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 a Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37 And they answered and said unto him, * Where, Lord? And he said unto them. Wheresoever the body is, thither Mill the eagles be gathered together. ClIAPTEll XVIIL I Thf importunate widow. 9 The Pharisee and.^ publican. 15 ChiUiren brought to Christ, 'ii All to be Uft for the Gospel' s'sake. 31 Ht fore- thorveth his death. A ND he spake a parable unto them to "*■*- this end, that men ought "always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was i in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for awhile: but after- ward he said within himself. Though I fear not God, nor regard man ; 6 Vet 'because Uiis widow troubleth me, I V. ill avf nge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said. Hear what the un- just jud^je saith Jam. a. 5. r Jer. 32. 17. Zech. 8. 6. » Mat 19 'll. t Da 1. ;«. 9. «» Job 42. 10. 7 And '^bhall not God avenge his own! iiuv!s.2i. a John 1. 26. Gal. 6. 13. P Mat. 9. 15. Jnhn 17.12. ? Mat 24 aj, r 1 John 4.1. « 1 Ti. 6 16. t ch. t. 22. W Gen. 7. 1. Mxt. 24.a7. » Gen. 19. 1. «'2Thos.l7. * Mar. 13.15. V Gen. 19.-.». « Mat. 16, 'Jo. John 12.i;6. o 1 Tbees. 1. 17. 8 Tliis rerte 18 wanting nany Greek elect, which cry day and night unto himj though he bear long with them? 8 1 tell you <* that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 9 H And he spake this parable onto certain 'which trusted in themselves 2 that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into tiie temple to pray ; the one a Thaiisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee / stood and prayed thus with himself, » God, I thank thee, that I Mar! 13.21! i am not as other men are, extoi tioueis, ■ "■ " 'unjust, adulterers, or even as this pub- lican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that 1 possess. 13 And tlie publican, '» standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: » for every one that exalteth himself shall he abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 15 H And >they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, * Suffer little children to come unto me. and forbid them not: for * of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Verily 1 say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the kin^'dom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. 18 H And "* a certain ruler asked him, say- ing. Good Master, what shall 1 do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me good? none is good, save oue, that is, God. 20 Thou knowest the commandments, " Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness, " Honour thy father and thy mother. 21 And he said. All these have I kept from my youth up. 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him. Yet lackest thou one thing: sell ' all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure iu heaven: and come, follow me. 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, ' How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go throuch a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kmgdom of God. ■2G And they that heard it said. Who then can be saved? 27 And he said, '"The things which are impossible with men are pos.sible with God. 28 ^ Then « Feter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And he said unto them, "Verily I say mito you, * There is no man that hath iett house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of iiod's sake, 30 Who "shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and "in the world to come life evcrlastiug. CHAP. 18. ch. II. 5. ch.21. 36. Ko. 12. 12. EpK. 6. 18. Col. 4. 2. 1 Thesa. 5. 17. 1 in a cer- tain city. 6ch. U.S. C2TI.es. 1.6. 2 ret.3 8,9. « ch. 10. 29. ch. 16. 15. 2 Or. as being righteous. f Pa. 135 2. fl'Is. 1 15. Is. 68. 2. Rev. 3. 17. h Ps. 40. 12. i Job 22. 29. 1 Pet 6 5,6. y Mat. 19.13. Mar. 10.13. k Pro 8. 7. I 1 Cor. 14. 20. ♦» Mat.19.16. « Ex. 20. 12. Deu. 6. 16. Rom. 13 9. o Eph. 6. 2. Col. 3. 20. p Mat. 6. 19. Mat 19,21. The Rich Man and Lazarus. LtTKE, XVn. Offences— Failh^Rumility.' mand of; and this is true even where the into the present life, drove him to seek, and find, consolation in a life beyond the grave, is by death released from all evil ana services are not opposed, hate . . . love showing that the two here inUnckd are in . uncompromisinghostility to each other:— an ushered into umnixed and unintemipted awfully searching principle! 14-18. covetous j good (ch. 6. 21.) (2.) It is impossible, besides all . . . derided Mm— sneered at him; their mas- this— ' independently of this consideration.' ter-sin being too plainly struck at for them [a great gulf fixed— ?)-!/ an irrevocable decree to relish. But it was easier to run dawn tliere has been placed a vast impassable than to refute such teaching, justify your- 1 abyss between the two states, and the occu- selves— make a show of righteousness, highly i pants of each. 27-31. Then he said— now esteemed among men— generally carried away ; abandoning all hope for himself, send him to by plausible appearances. (See 1 Sa. 16. 7 andch. 14. 11.) The Law, &c.— See on M. 11. 13, every man presseth, &c. :— Publicans and sin- ners, all indiscriminately, are eairerly pres- sing into it; and ye, interested adherents of the mere forms of an economy which is pas my father's house, etc.— no waking up of good in the heart of the lost, but bitter reproach against God and the old economy, as not warning him sutiiciently.' [Trench.] The answer of Abraham is. They are sufficiently warned, nay— giving the lie to Abraham. If. sing away, " discerning not the signs of this (fee— a principle "'" --"-^ ^^..j- — j time," will allow the tide to go past jou and | importance. The le of awful magnitude and J go past you and i importance. The greatest miracle will have be found a stranded monument of blindness i no effect on those who are determined not to and obstinacy.' it is easier, &c.— See on M, 5. 17, 18. putteth away his wife, <fec.— See on M. 19. 3-9. Far from intending to weaken the force of the law, in these allusions to a believe. A real Lazarus soon "rose from the dead," but the sight of him by crowds of people. Inclined thereby to Christ, only crowned the unbelief and hastened the new economy, our Lord, in this unexpected murderous plots of the Pharisees against the way, sends home its high requirements mth i Lord of glory; nor has His own resurrec- a pungency which the Pharisees would not j tion, far more overpowering, yet won fail to feel. 19. purple and fine linen, <fcc.— cf. that "crooked and perverse nation." Estb. 8. 15; Ee. 18. 12, wanting nothing C'HAPTEE XVII. - , . „ nothing which taste and appetite craved and money Ver. 1-10. Offences— rAiTH—fltnvrrLiTT. 3, 4.— See on M. 18. -not a Imcer measure could procure. 20, 21. laid— having to be j 1, 2.— See on M. 18. 6, 7. carried and put dow n. fuU of sores— open, j 15-17, 21, 22. seven times- running, "not closed, nor bound up, nor of the forgiving spirit than the "' seventy- moUified with ointment." (Is. 1. 6.) desiring j times seven " enjoined on Peter, which was to be fed with— but was not. [Grot., Beng., occasioned by his asking if he was to stop at Mey., Trench., &c.]: the words may mean ' seven times. * Ko,' is the virtual answer, indeed ' was fain to feed on ' or ' gladly fed | ' though it come to seventy times that num- on,' as ch. 15. 16. [Alf., w. & w., &c.] But { ber, if only he ask forgiveness in sincerity, the context rather favours the former. ; 6. Lord— See on ch. 10. l. increase our faith- licked, &c.— a touching act of brute pity, in i moved by the difficulty of avoiding and for- the absence of hmnan relief. It is a case of giving " offences." This is the only instance heartless indifference, amidst luxuries ofiin which a spiritual operation upon their every kind, to one of God's poorest and sou?^ was solicited of Christ by the Twelve; most afflicted ones.presented daily before the, but a kindred and higher prayer had been eye. 22. died— his burial was too unimport- ' offered before, by one with far fewer oppor- ant to mention; while "the rich man died '< tunities. See on Mk. 9. 24. 6. sycamine — and was huried"—his carcase carried in mulberry. See on Mk. 11. 22-24. 7-10. say gomp to its earthly resting-place, in Abra- junto him by and by— The " by and by" ;or am's bosom— as if seen reclining next to him rather ' directly ') should be joined not to the at the heavenly feast, (M. 8. ll.) 23. in heU— 1 sayix (7 but the qoinq:—' Go directly.' The not the final place of the lost (for which an- connection here is: 'But when your faith has I increased as both to avoid and forgive other word is us but as we say ' the un- ' been i seen world.' But as the object here is cer- offences, and do things impossible to all but tainly to depict the v:hole torment of the one faith, be not puffed up as though you had and the perfect bliss of the other, it comes in laid the Lord under any obligations to you. this case to much the same, seeth Abraham j I trow not— or, as we say, when much more —not God, to whom therefore he cannot cry. is meant, ' I should think not.' unprofitable E3eng.] Father Abraham— a well-founded, | —a word which, though usually denoting the ut unavailing, claim of natural descent, i opposite of profit, is here used simply in its (ch. 3.8; J. 8. 37.) 24. mercy on me— who never ■neffftiive sen.se. *We have not, as his ser- showed any. (Ja. 2. 13.) send Lazarus— the vants, profited or benefited God at ail.' pining victim of his merciless neglect, that Job 22. 2, 3; R. 11. 35.) ne may— take me hence? No; that he dares 11-19. Ten Lepers Cleansed. 11-13. not to ask. dip . . . tongue— i.e., the least through midst of Samaria and Galilee— proba- conceivable ana the most momentary abate- bly on the confines of both, stood afar off— cf. . ment of his torment ; that is all. But Le. 13. 45, 46. they lifted up— their common ! even this he is told is (l.) unreasonable. 25, misery drawing these poor outcasts together, : 26. Son— stinging acknowledgment of the |2 Ki. 7. 3,) nay, making them forget the , claimed relationship, thou. . .Lazarus, <fec.— fierce national antipathy of Jew and Samari- ' As it is a great law of God's kingdom, that tJie tan. [Trench.] Jesus, &c. — cf. M. 20. 30-33. nature 0/ our present desires shall rule that How quick a teacher is felt misery, even of ourfxdure bliss, so by that law, he whose though as here the teaching maybe soon for- good things," craved and enioyed, were gotten! 14. show yourselves— as cleansed per- all bounded by time, could look for sons. See on M. 8. 4. Thus too would the none after his connection with time had Samaritan be taught that " salvation is of come to an end. (ch. 6. 24.) But by the the Jews." J, 4. 22.) as they went, were . same law, he whose "evil things," all crowded cleansed— In how many different ways were 61 Coming of the Kingdom of God. LTJKE, XVni. Tlie Tmporttmate Widow. our Lord's cures wrou,d)t, and this different from all the rest. 17, 18. Were there net ten cleansed?— rather, 'Were not the ten rleansedV i.e., the whole of them— an example iby the way) of Christ's omniscience. [Uexg.] tMs Btranger—* this alien' (literally, ' of another race'). The language is that of wonder and admiration, as is expressly said of another exhibition of Gentile faith, M. 8. 10. 19. arise— for he had " fallen down on his face at His feet," v. 16, and there lain prostrate. faith made thee whole — not as the others, merely in body, but in that higher spiritual sense with which His constant language has so familiarized us. 20-37. Coming of the Kingdom of God AND OF THE Son of Man. 20-25. When, &c. —To meet the erroneous views not only of the Pharisees, but of the disciples themselves, j our Lord addresses both, announcing the coming of the kingdom under different as- pects. " It cometh not Mith obs^ervation "— 'with watching' or 'lying in wait,' as for something outwardly imposing and at once revealing itself. Lo here! lo there! — Shut up within this or that sharply defined and visible geograiihical or ecclesiastical limit, within you— is of an internal and spiritual character (as contrasted with their outside views of it). But it has its external side too. the r^-'ys— rather ' days.' will come— as ch. 19. 43— when, amidst calamities, &c , you will anxiously look for a deliverer, and deceivers will put themselves forward in this charac- ter, one of the days of the Son of Man— Hmi- self again amongst them but for one day; as we say when all seems to be going \vrong and the one person who could keep them right is removed. [Neander in Stier, &c.] 'This is said to guard against the mistake of sup- posing that His visible presence would ac- company the manifestation and establish- ment of His kingdom, [w. & w.] they shall say. See here.. Go not, fee.—' a warning to all so-called expositors of prophecy and their followers, who cry, Lo triere and see here, every time that war breaks out or revolutions occur. [Alf.J as lightning.. so the Son of Man— i.e., it will be as manifest. ' The Lord speaks here of His coming and manifestation in a prophetically indefinite manner, and in these preparatory words blends into one the distinctive epochs.' [Stier.] "When the whole polity of the Jews, civil and ecclesiastical alike, was broken up at once, and its con- tinuance rendered impossible, by the de- struction of Jerusalem, it became as mani- fest to all as the lightning of heaven that the Kingdom of God had ceased to exist in its old, and had entered on a new and perfectly different form. So it may be again, ere its final and greatest change at the personal coming of Christ, of which the words in their highest sense are alone true. But first., suffer, &c.— This shows ihs.i the more imme- diate reference of the vrovious verse is to an event soon to follow the death of Christ. It was designed to withdraw the attention of ** his disci)jies" from the glare in which His foregoing words had invested the approach- ing establishment of His kingdom. 26-30. eat.. married, planted. <S:c.— all the ordinary occupations and enioyments of life. Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked, it is not their wiclcdness, but their icorhlliness, their un- belief aud iudiiTei^nce to the futiue, their til* xuiprcfio redness, that is here held up as a warning, n.b. Tliese recorded events of O. T. history— denied or explained away now-a- days by not a few— are referred to here-as/acfs. 31-33. to take it away, .remember, &c.— a warn- ing against that lingering reludance to part with pre.f^ent treasures which induces some to remain in a burning house, in hopes of saving this and that precious article, till consumed and buried in its ruins. The cases here sup- posed, though different, are similar. Lot's wife— her " look back," for that is all that is said of her, and her recorded doom. Her heart was in Sodom still, and the "look" just said, ' And must I bid it adieuV whosoever, &c.— See on ch. 9. 23-27. 34. two in one bed— the prepared and unpreiiared mingled in closest intercourse together in the ordinary walks and fellowships of life, when the mo- ment of severance arrives. Awful truth ! realised before the desti-uction of Jerusalem, when the Christians found themselves forced by their Lord's directions (ch. 21. 21/ at once and for ever away from their old associates; but most of all when the second coming of Christ shall burst upon a heedless world. 37. v/here— shall this occur? wheresoever, &c. As birds of prey scent out the carrion, so wherever is found a mass of incurable moral and spiritual corruption, there will be seen alighting the ministers of Divine judgment.' a proverbial saying terrifically verified at the destruction of Jerusalem, and many times since, though its most tremendous illustration will be at the world's linal day. CHAiT'ER XVIII. Ver. 1-8. Parable of the Importttnatb Widow. 1-5. always— cf.r. 7, "night and day." faint—' lose heart, or 'slacken.' feared not . . . nor regarded.— defying the vengeance of God and despising the opinion of men. widow- weak, desolate, defenceless, (l Ti. 5. 5, which is taken from this.) came— 'kept coming.' See. 17. 5 " her continual coming." avenge me ~-i.e. rid me of the oppression of. continual coming — ' coming for ever.' 6-8. the Lord— a name expressive of the uuihoritative style in which He interprets His own parable, shall not God — not unjust, but the infinitely righteous Judge, avenge — redeem from op- pression, his own elect— not like this widow, the object of indifference and contempt, but dear to Him as the apple of the eye iZe. 2. 8.). cry day and night — whose every cry enters into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (Ja. 5. 4.), and how much more their incessant and persevering cries? bear long with them — rather. ' in their case,' or ' on their account. (as Ja. 5. 7, " for it"). [Grot., De W.,&c.J speedily- as if pained at the long delay, im- patient for the destined moment to interpose, (cf. Pr. 29. 1.) nevertheless, &c. — <z- d. 'Yet. ere the Son of Man comes to redress the MTongs of His Church, so low will the hope of relief sink, through the length of the delay, that one \dW be fain to, ask. will He find any faith of a coming avenger left on the earth? From this we learn, (1.) That the primary and historical reference of this parable is to the Church in its n-ifloived. desolate, oppressed, defenceless condition during the present absence of her Lord in the heavens ; (2. ) That in these circum- stances importunate, persevering prayer for I deliverance is the Church's fitting exercise. (3.) That notwithstanding every encourage- ment to this, so long will the answer bo The PJuinsee and fJie PuUkan. LITKE. XVHX Tlierdch Young Fader. delayed, while the need of relief continues the ' same, that all hope of deliverance will have ; nearly died out, and "faith" of Christ's com- 1 ing scarcely be found. But the application of i the parable to prayer in general is so obvious as to have nearly hidden its more direct reference, and so precious that one cannot aUow it to disappear in any public and his- torical interpretation. 9-14. Parable of the Pharisee and THE PuEUCAN. 11, 12. stood— as the Jews in prayer. (JNIk. 11. 25.) God, <tc.— To have "been kept from gross iniquities was un- doubtedly a just cause of thankfulness to God; but instead of the devoutly humble, admiring frame which this should inspire, he arroirantly severs himself from the rest of mankind, as quite above them, and with a contemptuous look at the poor pulilican thanks God that he has not to stand afar off like him, to hang down his head like a bulrush and beat his breast like him. But these are only his moral excellences. His religious merits complete his prounds for congratulation. Not confining himself to the one cUviiely prescribed annual fast (Le. 16. 29), he was not beliind the most rigid, who fasted on the 2nd and 5th days of every week ILft.], and gave the tenth not only of what he law laid under tithing, but of " all his gains." Tlius, besides doing all his duty, he did works of sujjererogation; while sins to confess and spiritual wants to be supplied he seems to have felt none. What a picture of the Pharisaic character and reliu'ion ! 13. etauding afar off— as unworthy to draw near; but that was the way to get near. (Ps. 34. IS- Is. 57. 15.) would not li!t up—" blushing and ashamed" to do so. (Ezra. 9. 6.) smote, &c. — * kept smiting;' for anguish (ch. 23. 48 , and self-reproach (Je. 31. it). , be merciful—' be propitiated,' a very unusual word in such a sense, only once else used in the N. T., in the sense of " making reconciliation" by sacrifice. He. 2. 17. Tliereniay, therefore, be some allu- sion to this here, though not likely, a sinner —literally, 'the sinner:' Q.d„ 'If ever there was one, I am he.' 14. rather than the other— the meaning is, ' and not the other ;' for the Pharisee was not seeking justification, and I'elt no need of it. This great law of the Kingdom of God is, in the teaching of Christ, inscribed, as in letters of gold, over its entrance-gate. And in how many different forms is it repeated. iPs. 138. 6; 147. 6; ch. 1. 63.) To be self-emptied, or " poor in spirit," is the fundamental and indispensable prepa- ration for the reception of the " grace which briugeth salvation:" wherever this exists, the " mourning" for it which precedes "com- fort " and the earnest '" hungerings and thirstings after righteousness" which are rewarded by the " fulness" of it, will, as we see here, be surely found. Such therefore, and such onlv, are the ju.stified ones. (Job, 33. 27, 28; Ps. 34. 18; Is. 57. 15.) 15-17. Little Children Brought to Christ, infants — showing that some, at least, of those called in M. (19. 13 and Mk. (10. 13! simply " little" or "young children" were literally " babes." touch them — or, as more fully in M., " put his hands on them and j/ray," or invoke a "blessing" on them (Mk. 10. 16,) according to venerable custom (Ge. 48. 14, 15.). rebuked them— Eepeatedly the disciples thus interposed, to save anno.y- aiice and interruption to their Master, but, Oli as the result showed, alwaijs against the mind of Chrid. M. 15. 2'. ; ch. 18. 39, 40.) Here, it is plain from our Lord's reply, that they thought the intrusion a useless one, as ivfants were not capable of receiving any- thing from Him. His ministrations were for gro^vn peop'e. But Je^us- " muc/i dis- pleased," says jMk. (10. 14' ; an invaluable ad- dition, said—" Suffer the little chil- dren TO COME UNTO Me" — " AND FORBID THEM NOT," is the important addition of M. (19. 14) and Mk. (10. 14). What words are these from the lips of Christ! The price of them is above rubies. But the reason as- signed, " For of such is the Kingdom op God," or " of heaven," as in M. 19. 14, com plete.g the previous information here con- veyed: especially as interpreted by what immediately follows : — "And He took them up in His arm.s. put His hands upon them, and blessed them," mk. 10. 16. It is surely not to be conceived that all our Lord meant was to inform us. that seehig grown people must become childlike in order to be capable of the Kingdom of God, there- fore they should not hinder infants from coming to Him, and therefore He took up and blessed the infants tfienuelves. Was it not just the grave mistake of the disciples that infants should not be brought to Christ, because only gro\vn people could profit by Him. which " much displeased" our Lord? And though He took the irresistible oppor- tunity of lowering their pride of reason, by informing them that, in order to enter the Kingdom, ' instead oj the children first he- coming like them, they must themselves become like the children,' [Richter in Stier] this was but by the way- and returning to the children themselves. He took them up in His gracious arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them, for no conceivable reason but to show that they u-ere thereby made capable. AS infants, of the Kingdom of God. And if so, then " Can any man forbid v:atcr thai the>e should not he baptized xvhich fuive re- ceived the Holy Ghost as well as we ?" (A. 10. 47.) But such application of the baptismal water can have no warrant here, save where the infants have been previously brought to Chi-ist Himself for his benediction, and only as the sign and seal of that benediction. 18-30. The Rich Young Kuler, and Discourse thereon. This case presents some remarkable points. (1.) The man was of irreproachable moral character; and this amidst all the temptations of youth, for he was a "young man' ; M. 19. 22. ', and vealth, for "he was very rich" {v. 2?.; M. 19, 22; Mk. 10. 22. ). But (2.) restless notwithst.Hnding, his heart ! craves eternal life. (3.)Unlike the " rulers," ito who.se class he belonged v. 18.), he .so far i believed in Jesus as to be persuaded He I could authoritatively direct him on this 1 vital point. (4. So earnest is he that he comes " running" and even kneeling before I Him," and that when He was gone forth into .the way (MJi. 10. 17.),— the highroad, by this (time crowded with travellers to the Pass- I over; undeterred by the virulent opposition : of the class he belonged to as a " ruler" and i by the shame he might be expected to feel at I broaching such a question in the hearing of I a crowd and on the open road. 19. "Why, dfcc. —Did our Lord mean then to teach that C4od I only ought to be called "good V" Impossible; 1 for that had been to contradict all Scripture Of Zacchetts the piCbliean. LUKE, XIX. ParaUe of the ten pieces of money. 31 IT Then ""he took imto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things ^ that are written by the prophets conceruing the Son ol" man shall be accomplished. 32 For " he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spite- fully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourse him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And * they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the ttunga which were spoken. 35 H And " it came to pass, that, as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side begging: 3<j And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of JJazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saj-ing, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me! 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, I'lum son of iJavid, have mercy on me! 40 And Jesus * stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said. Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him. Receive thy sight: ''thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately "^he received his sight, and followed him, * glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. CHAPTER XIX. 1 0/ Zaeeheus the fmhlican. 11 The ten pieces of money. 2ci Christ riiieth into Jerusalem: 41 weepeth over it : 4i> driveth the buyers and sellers out 0/ the temple, etc. AND Jesus entered and passed through •'■ "Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zaeeheus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that wai/, 5 And when Jesns came to the place, he looked up. and saw him, and said unto him, Zaeeheus, make haste, and come down; for to-day 1 must abide at thy house. 6 Arid he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all mvurour- ed, saying, ''That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zaeeheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods 1 give to the poor; and il" 1 have taken any thing from any man by 'false accusation, 1 "^ restore him four-fold. 9 And Jesus said unto him. This d.ay is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as '' he also is a son of Abraham. 10 for / the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 11 II And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was liiiih to Jerusaltni. and because ^ they CHAP. 18. Wfilat. lG.:il. Alat. 17.22. Mat. 20.17. Mar. 10.B2. " ft. 22. 1». 53. V Mat. 27. 2. ch. 23. 1. John 18.28. Acts S. 13. » Mark 9. 32. ch. 2. &J. ch. 9. 45. John 10. 6. John 1216. a Mat. 20.29. Mar. 10 4(j. fcHeb. 2. 17. Hob. 6. 2. e ch. 17. 19. d P». 33. 9. la. 35. 5. e P«. 103. 1. ch. 5. 26 Acts 4.21. Acts 11.18. 34. t Mat. 9. 11. ch. 5. 30. c ch. 3. 14. d Ex. 22. 1. 1 Sa. 12. 3. 2 Sa. 12. K. 2 Cor 7.11. • ch. 13. 16. Kom. 4. U, 12, 16. Gal. 3. 7. / Mat 10. 6. Mat. 15. 24. Mat. 18.11. 1 Ti. 1. 15. Ads 1. 6. 'I Mat. 25.14. Mar. 13 34. 1 Mina, here translated a Hound, a half: cording t« five shil- poundstwo shillings pence. i John 1. lU 2 silver. ;ALit 25.21. ch. 16 10. k Mat. 25.24. Rev. 21. 8. I 2 Sa. I. 16. Job 15. 6. >Ut. 12. 37. Mark 4 25. ch. 8. 18. Mar. 10.:«. p Mat. 21. 1. MarkU 1. q Acts 10.36. r 2 Ki. 9. 13. Mat. 21. 7. Mark 11. 7. JoUa 12.14. thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He 'i said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for him- self a kingdom, and to return. 13 And ne called his ten servants, and de- livered them ten i pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But « his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying. We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that, when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the 2 money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 10 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him. Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been J faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. IS And the second came, saying. Loird, thy pound hath gained live pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saving. Lord, be- hold, hei-e is thy pound, which 1 have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For * I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22 And he saith unto him, ' Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. "* Thou knewest that 1 was an austere man, takin" up thai 1 laid not down, and reaping that 1 did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming 1 might have reciuired mine owai with usury? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds, 25 (4nd they said unto him. Lord, he hath ten jiounds.) 26 For 1 say unto you, ^ That unto every one which hath shall be given ; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that 1 should reign over them, brhig hither, and slay thtm before me. 28 And when he had thus spoken, "he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 29 11 And i^ it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Ohves, he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against yuu; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hitJicr. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus sliall ye say unto him. Because « the Lord hath need of liim. 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said mito them. Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said. The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus: ''and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. Tlie Llch Young TMlcr. teaching, and His own too. (Ps. 112. 5 25. 21 ; Ti. 1. 8.) Unless therefore we are to ascribe captioiisness to our Lord, He could have had but one object— to raise the youth's ideas of Himself, as not to be classed merely with other " good masters," and declining to receive this title apai-t from the "One" who is essentially and only "good." This indeed is but distantly hinted: but unless this is seen in the hack grou nd of our Lord's words, nothing worthy of Him can be made out of them. (Hence, Socinianism, instead of having any support here, is only baffled by it.) 20. Thou knowest, &c.— M. is more fuU here: "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the conmiandments. He saith unto him, Which?— as if he had said, 'Point me out one of them which I have not kept ?— Jesus said, " Thou shalt," <fcc. (M. 19. 17, IS.) Our Lord purposely confines himself to the second table, which he would consider easy to keep, enumerating them all— for in ]Mk. (lo, 19.1 "Defraud not" stands for the tenth else the eighth is twice repeated . In M. the sum of this second table of the law is added, "Thou Shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," as if to see if he would venture to say he had kept that. 21. aU these, &c. — "what lack I yet," adds ]M. Ah ! this gives us a glimpse of Lis heart. Doubtless he was perfectly sin- cere; but something mthin whispered to him that his keeping of the command- ments was too easy a way of getting to heaven. He felt something beyond this to be neces- sary; after keeping all the commandments he was at a loss to know what that could be; and he came to Jesus just upon that point. "Then," says ]VIk. (10. 21.), "Je.sus beholding him loved him,"or'lo3kedlovinglyuponhim.' His sincerity, frankness, and nearness to the kingdom of God, in themselves most winning qualities, won our Lord's regard even though he turned his back upon Him— a lesson to those who can see nothing loveable save in the regenerate. 22. lackest one thing— Ah ! but that a fundamental, fatal lack, sell, &c. —As riches were his idol, our Lord, who knew it from the first, lays His great autho- ritative grasp at once upon it, saying^ ' Now give me up that, and all is right. ' 5i o gene- ral direction about the disposal of riches, then, is here given, .save that we are to sit loose to them and lay them at the feet of Him who gave them. He who does this with all he has, whether rich or poor, is a true heir of the kingdom of heaven. 23-25. was very sorrowful— M. more fully, " v:ent away sor- rowful;" Mk. still more: " was sad" or ' sul- len' at that saying, and " went away grieved." Sorry he was, very sorry, to part with C'lnist; but to part with his riches would have cost him a pang mpre. When Pdches or Heaven, on Christ's terms, were the alternative, the result showed to which side the balance in- jclined. Thus was he shown to lack the one all-comprehensive requirement of the law— the absolute subjection of the heart to God, and this want vitiated all his other obedien- ces, when Jesus saw— Mk. says, He " looked round about"— as if first following the de- parting youth with his eye—" and saith unto his disciples." how hardly. &c.— with what difficulty. In IVIk. an explanation is added LtTEE, XYm M. Annoilncement of His Death. the word " children "—sweet diminutive of affection and pity. (J. 21. 5.) easier for a camel, &c.— a proverbial e.\pression denoting literally a thing impossible, but figuratively, very difficult. 26, 27. for, &c.— ' At that rate none can be saved:' 'Well, it does pass human power, but not Divine.' 28-30. Lo, &c.— in the simplicity of his heart (as is evident from the reply:, conscious that the required sur- render had been made, and generously taking in his brethren with him — " we;" not in the spirit of the young ruler, "All these have T — rt-— . J ^„ kept," &c. left all— ' The workmen's little ia hou knowest, &c.— M. is more as much his "all" as the prince's much.' •'■ -' '■^ ■"■ —'— -■-"- '='- TBeng.] In M. il9. 27 he adds, "What shall we have therefore';" How shall it fare with us? there is no man, &c.— graciously acknow- ledging at once the completeness and the acceptableness of the surrender as a thing akeady made, house, Arc— the specification is still more minute in M. and JSIk., to take in every form of self-sacrillce. for the king- dom of God's sake— in JVlk., " for my sake and the Gospel's. " See on ch. 6. 22. manifold more in this present time— In M. (19. 29; " an hundred-fold," to which Mk. iio. 30.) gives this most interesting addition, 'JN'owin this present time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions." We have here the blessed promise of a reconstruction of all human relationships and affections on a Christian ba<is ami in a Christian state, after being sacrificed, in their natural form, on the altar of love to Chrut. This he calls " manilold more "— " an hundredfold more" —than what they sacrificed. Our Lord was Himself the first to exemplify this neiv ad' justmznt of His own relationships. (See on M. 12. 49, 50; and on 2 Co. 6. 14-18.1 But this " with persecutions;" for how could such a transfer take place without the most cruel ^vrenches to flesh and blood ? but the perse- cution would haply follow them into their new and liigher circle, breaking that up tool But best of all, " in the world to coine Ufa everlasting." And >Vhen the shore is won at last. Who will count the billows past?— Jfe6fe. These promises are for every one who for- sakes his all for Christ. But in M. il9. 28.) this is prefaced by a special promise to the Twelve: "Verily I say unto you, "That ye which have followed me in the Begeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. " Ye who have now adhered to me shall, in the new kingdom, rule, or give law to, the great Christian world, here set forth in Jew- ish dress as the 12 Tribes, presided over by the 12 Apostles on so many judicial thrones. In this sense certainly the promise has been illustriously fulfilled. [Pal., Grot., Lft., <irc.] But if the promise refer to the yet future glory (as may be thought from ch. 22. 28-30, and as most take it), it points to the high personal distinction of the first founders of the Christian Church. 31-34. Fuller Announcement of His Approaching Death and Besurrection See on ilk. 10. 32-34. 31. all wiittea by the prophets concerning the Son of Man be accom- plished—showing how Christ Himself read and would have us to read, the O. T., in wliich some otherwise evangelical interpre- ters find uo prophecies, cr virtuaUy none, oi how hardly ty. in jvlk. an expla " How hard is it for them that trust in riches," kc.—i.e., with what difficulty is this idolatrous trust conquered, without which they cannot enter; and this is introduced by 63 Chj'isfs entry into Jerusalem. LUKE, XX. Parahle'of the wicked husbandmen. 36 And • as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had Been, 38 Saying, « Blessed be the King that Cometh in the name of the Lord: " peace Li heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, re- buke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, " the stones would immediately cry out. 41 IT And when he was come near, he be- held the city, and "" wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall * cast a trench about thee, and compass thee romid, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And " shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee ; and they * shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; " because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 45 And * he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saiing unto them, * It is written. My house is the house of prayer: but <* ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. B.ut the * chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people 3 were very attentive to hear him. CHAPTER XX. 1 Christ fileneeth those who questioned hit author- ity 9 The parable of the vineyard. '£1 Tlie Saiiducees confuted, etc, AND "it came to pass, that on one of •*■*■ those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the Gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, 2 And spake mito him, saying. Tell us, by what i authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this au- thority? 3 And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one tlung; and answer me: 4 The baptism of John, was it from hea- ven, or of men? 5 And they reasoned with themselves. Baying, If we shall say. From heaven ; he will say. Why then b'^lieved ye him not? 6 But and if we say. Of men; all the peo- ple will stone us: "for they be persuaded tliat John was a prophet. 7 And they answered. That <* they could not tell whence it was. 8 And Jesus said unto them, « Neither tell 1 you by what authority 1 do these things. 9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable : / A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far cuimtrj tor a long CHAP. 19. 8 Mat, 21.8. t Ps. 118. 26. Eph. 2 14. " Hab. 2. 11. w Ho8. 11.8. John H. 36. "la. 29. 3,4. Jer. 6. 3. 6. ch. 21. 20. V 1 Ki. 9 7,8. o Dan. 9. 24. ch. 1. 68. 1 Pet. 2.12. 6 Mat. 21.12. Mar. 11.11. John 2. 14. e Ps. 9a. 5. Is. 5(j. 7. Is. G(J. 7. d Jer. 7. 11. e Mark 11.18. Acts 16.14. CHAP. 20. a Mat. 21.2a. 6 Acts 4. 7. Acts 7. 27. Mat. 14. 8 Mat. 21.26. ch. 7. 29. d Job 24. 13. Kom.1.18, 21. e Job 6. 12, 13. / Mat. 21.33. Mark 12. 1. g 2 Kin. 17. 13, 14. 2 Chr. 36. 15, 16. A Neh. 9. iS, 30. i Is. 7. 14. John 3. 16. Bom. 8. 3. Gal. 4. 1. /Ps 2.6. Is. 9. 6. Coll.15,16. Phil 2.9-11. Heb. 1. 2. k John 19. Acts 3. 15. 1 Cor. 2. 8. J Ps. 118. 22. Mat 21.42. 1 Pot. 2. 7. m U. 8. 15. Dan. 2.34, 35. Mat.21.44. n Mat. 22.15. o Mat. 22. 16. Mar. 12.14. P Mat. 18.23. q Mat. 2J.2a. Mar. 12.18. r Acts 23. li. « Gen. 38. 8. tieu. •^. 6. 10 And at the season ^ he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the ^'ineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11 And again he sent another servant : and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12 And h again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. 13 Then said the lord of the vinevard. What shall I do? I will send »my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 14 But when the husbandmen saw him, thej reasoned among themselves, saying. This is /the heir: come, let ns kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and * killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16 He shall come and destroy these hus- bandmen, and shall give the >'inej'ard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17 And he beheld them, and said. What is this then that is written, ' The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken ; but "* on whomsoever it shall fall, it Mill giind him to powder. 19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they per- cei^•ed that he had spoken this parable against them. 20 H And " they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might taike hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the gover- nor. 21 And they asked him, sajing, ' Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God i truly: 22^ Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cesar, or no? 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them. Why tempt ye me? 24 Show me a P penny. vVhose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cesar's. 25 And he said unto them. Render there- fore unto Cesar the things which be Cesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. 26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they mar- velled at his answer, and held their peace. 27 IF Then « came to him certain of the Sadducees, *■ which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, 28 Saying, Alaster, * Moses wrote unto us. If any man's brother die, having a wife, and ne die without children, that his brother should take his wile, and raise up seed unto his brother. 29 There were therefore seven brethren: and the fii'st took a wile, and died without children. 30 And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. 31 And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of iill the woman died also. 3'd Therefore in the resuirection wbosa ZaccJicus the Puhlkan. the sufferings of the Son of Man. tinderstood noue, &c.— The evangelist seems unable to say strongly enough how entirely hidden from them at that time was the sense of these exceeding plain statements; no doubt to add weight to their subsequent testimony. which from this very circumstance was prodigious, and with all the simple-hearted irresistible. 3&-4:5. Blind Man Healed. In M. 20. 29, &c., they are two, as in the case of the Demo- niac of Gadara. In M. andlNIk. (10. 4:5, &c. tlie occurrence is connected with Christ's departure from Jericho ; in L. with his ap- proach to it. Many ways of accounting for these slight divergences of detail have been proposed. Perhaps, ifve knew all the facU, we .should see no difficulty: but that we have been left so far in the dark shows that the thing is of no moment any way. One thing is plain, there could have been no collusion among the authors of these Gospels, else they would have taken care to remove these ' spots on the sun.' 33. Son of David, &c.— See on M. 12. 23. 39. rebuked, &c.— See on v. 15. BO much the more— that importunity so com- mended in the Syrophenician woman, and so often enjoined (ch. 11. 5, (fcc; 18. 1, etc.). 40. commanded, <fcc.— Mk. has this interesting ad- dition: "And they call the blind man, say- ing unto him, Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth thee"— just as one earnestly desiring an interview with some exalted person, but told by one ofhcial after another that it is vain to wait, as he will not succeed (they know it), yet persists in waiting for some answer to his suit, and at length the door opens, and a servant appears, saying, * You will be admitted— he has called you.' And are there no oth^r suitors to Jesus ^cho some- times fare thus? *' And he, casting away his garment "—how lively is this touch, evidently of an eye-witness, exi)ressive of his earnest- ness and. jo;'— "came to Jesus." (Mk. 10. 49 50.) 41-43. what will ye, 6zc.—to try them ;to deepen their present consciousness of need; and to draw out their faith in Him. Lord—" Rab- bouni," Mk. 10.51; an emphatic and confiding exclamation. (See on J. 9.) CHAFTEE XTX. Ver. 1-10. Zaccheus the I'ublican. The name is Jewish. 2-4. chief among the pub- Leans— farming a considerable district, with others under him. rich— Ill-gotten riches some of it certainly was. See on v. 8. who he was — what sort of person. Cii^ riosity then was his only motive, thouuh his determination not to be baulked was overruled for more than he sought, sycamore— the Egyptian fig, with leaves like the mulbeiTy. 5, 6. looked up, Arc- in the full knowleilge of who was in the tree, and pre- paratory to addressing him. Zaccheus, &c.— whom he had never seen in the fie.sn, nor probably heard of. "He caUeth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out." (J. 10. 3.) make haste and come down— to which LTJKE, XIX. Parable of the Pounds. avaricious publican ? The internal revolu- tion was as perfect as instantaneous. " He spake and it was done." "Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue o( the dumb sing." (Is. 35. 6. to-day abide— ,cf. J. 1. 39,) probably over night. 7. to be guest —or lodge; something more than "eating with" such (ch. 15. 2.). a sinner— that v:as one but a minute ago, but now is not. This mighty change, however, was all unknown to them. But they shall know it presently. " Sinner" would refer both to his office, vilo in the eyes of a Jew, and to his character which it is evident was not good. 8-10. stcod — before all. said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord —Mark how frequently L. uses this title and always where lordly autJiority, dignity, or poicer is intended, if I have— i.e. ' so far as I have,' for evidently the " if" is so used as Ph. 4. 8.). taken by false accusation—' de- frauded,' 'overcharged.' (ch. 3. 12, 13.) foiufoid —The Eoman law required this; the Jewish law, but the principal and a fifth more. (Nu. 5. 7.) There was no demand made for either; but, as if to revenge himself on his hithe' 'o reigning sin see on J. 20. 28.), and to testiiy the change he had experienced, besides sur- rendering the half of his fair gains to the poor, he voluntarily determines to give up all that was ill gotten, quadrupled. He gratefully addressed this to the "Lord," to whom he owed the wonderful change. Jesus said mito him— but also before all. This d?v, •kc- memorable saying ! Salvation aheauy come, but not a day old. to tliis house— so ex- pressed probably to meet the taunt "He is gone to be guest," (tc. The house is no longer polluted; it is now fit to receive Me. But salvation to a house is an ex- ceedingly precious idea, expressing the new air that would hencetorth breathe in it, and the new impulses from its head which would reach its members. Ps. 118. 15; A. 16. 15, 16, 31. ) son of Abraham— He was that by birth, but here it means a partaker of his faith, bemg mentioned as the sufficient expla- nation of salvation having come to him. 10. lost— and such "lost' ones as this Zaccheus. See on ch. 15. 32. "What encouragement is there in this narrative to hope for unexpected conversions ! 11-27. Parable of the Pounds. A different parable from that of the Talents, M. 25. 14-30. For, (1.) This parable was spoken "when He was nigh to Jerusalem," v. 11; that one, some days after entering it, and from the Mount of Olives. (2.) This parable was spoken to the promiscuous crowd; that, to the Twelve alone. Accordingly, (3.) Be- sides the "servants". in this parable, who profess subjection to him, there is a class of 'citizens" who refuse to own him, and who are treated differently; whereas in the Talents, spoken to the former class alone, this latter class is omitted. (4.) In the Talents, each servant receives a difierent number of them (5, 2, 1,); in the Pounds all re- he literally responded — " he made haste ceive the same one pound, which is but about and came down." for to day, (fcc— Our Lord ] the cuth part of a talent; also, in the talents invites himself, and in royal style, which waits not for invitations, but as tne honour is done to the subject, not the sovereign, announces the purpose of royalty to partake of the subject's nospitalities. Manifestly our each shows the same fidelity by doubling what he received (the 5 are made 10, the 2. 4j; in the Pounds, each, receiving the same, renders a different return (one making his pound 10, another 5. i Plainly therefore, tuo Lord speaks as knowing how the privilege intended lesson is different; the one iUustra- would be appreciated, joyfully— Whence, ting eqita^ fideUti/ with difftrmt degrees of this so sudden.";oy" in the cold bosom ol' aa I advantage; the pther, diJieraU degrees of im- 6J. ^ ^. Of the remrrcctim of the dead. LUKE, XXT. Signs of Christ's cominff. wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife. r.^ ■'^"•.^ Jesas answering said unto them, 1 be children of this world marry, and are given in marriaw: 35 But they which shall be <acconnted worthy to obtain that world, and the re- surrection trom the dead, neither marry, Dor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they "are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, "being the children of the resmrection. 37 Now, that the dead are raised, *" even Woses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For "^ he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for y all live unto him. 30 Then certain of the scribes answering said. Master, thou hast well said. 40 And after that they durst not ask him any question at aU. 41 11 And he said unto them, ' How say they that Christ is Band's son? 42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, " The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 44 Dand therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? 45 ^ Then, * in the audience of all the people, he said unto his disciples, 4G Beware " of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and <^ love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; 47 Which • devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers: /the same shall receive greater damnation. CHAi'TER XXL 1 Christ commendetfi the poor widota. 6Hefore- tellcth the destruction of the temple, and of the eity of Jerusalem: lii the signs also which shall be before the l^xst dat/, etc. A ND he looked up, " and saw the rich •^^ men casting their gilts into the treas- ury. 2 And he saw also a certam poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said. Of a truth I say unto you, that *this noor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the oflerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living tiiat she had. 5 H And * as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which <* there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be tlirown down. 7 And they asked him, saying. Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? 8 And he said, • Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; l and the time draweth near; go ye not therefore after them. a But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not tenilied: for these things must iirst come to pass; but the end vs not by and by. til Kev. S. 4. M 1 Cor. 15. 42. 49. 52. 1 John 3.2. V Horn. 8. 23. WEi. 3. 6. Acts 7. 32. Heb. 11. 9, 35. B John 11.25. Kom. 4. 17. Col. S. 3,4. V Kom. 6. 10, n. » Mat. 22.42. Mar. 12.35. oPa. 110.1. Act« 2. 34. 1 Cor. 15. 25. 6 Mat. 23. 1. Mar.12.38. e Mat. 23. 5. dch.ll. 43. » Mat. 23. 14. / J>Ut. 11.22, ch! 10. 10- CHAP. 21. a Mar. 12.41. b Pro. 3. 9. Pro. 11.24, 25. 2 Cor. 8.12. 2 Cor .9 6,7. c Mat. 24. 1. Mark 13. 1. d 1 Ki. 9. 7. Jer. 5. 10. Mic. 3. 12. ch. 19. 44. e M»t. 24. 4. Blar. 13. 5. Eph. 5. 6. 2The». 2.3. 1 Or, and. The time. Mat. 3. 2. JUt. 4 17. f Mat. •-4. 7. g Rev. 2. 10. h Acta 4. 3. Acts 5. 18. Acts 12. 4. Acts 16 24. i Acts 25. 23. } 1 Pet. 2.13. * Phil. 1. 28. 2Thes.l.5. I Slat. 1U.19. m Acts 6. 10. n Mic. 7. 6. Acta 7. 69. Acts 12. 2. P Mat. 10.22. 2 Ti. 3. 12. 9 Mat. 24.15. r Dan. 9. 26, 27. Zach.ll.l. « Dan. 9. 27. Rom. 11.25. ( 2 Pet. 3.10, 12. « Mat. 24.29. V Acts 1.11. Kev. 1. 7. Rev. 14.14 w Mar.13.28. * Rom. 13.13. 1 i-et. 4. 7. 10 Then /said he unto them. Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 12 But ^ before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, de- livering you up to the synagoCTies, and into '' prisons, » being brought before kings and rulers > for my name's sake. 13 And * it shall turn to you for a testi- mony. 14 Settle fit therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15 For I will give you a month and wis- • dom, "• which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16 And "ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and "some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17 And P ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. 18 But there shall not an hair of yonr head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls. 20 And «when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with aimies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains ; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there- into. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that *■ all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerasalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, •imtil the times of the Gentiles be fulJilleii 25 H And « there shall be signs in the stm, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity: the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: " for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they seethe Son of man coming " in a cloud, with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigli. 29 And "" he spake to them a parable; Be- hold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that siunmer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass away till all be fidtUled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. 34 H And * calie heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts he overcharged with surfeiting, and diuDkem;ess, and cares aS Christ s Entry into Jerusalem. LUKE, XX. The Wicked Hnsbandmcn, provementofthe same opportiivifics: yet with all this difference, the parables are remark- ably similar. 12. a far country— said to put down the notion that He was just on His way to set up His kingdom, and to inaugurate it by His personal presence, to receive a king- dom—be invested with royalty: as when Herod went to Rome and was there made king; a striking expression of what our Lord went away for and received, "sitting down at the right hand of the majesty on high." to return— at His second coming. 13. Occupy— 'negotiate,' ' do business,' with the resources entrusted. 14. his citizens — his proper sub- jects: meaning the Jews, who expressly repudiating our Lord's claims said, "We liave no king but Cesar." (J. 19. 15.) In Christendom, these correspond to infidel rejecters of Christianity, as distinguished from professed Christians. 15-26. See on M. 25. 19-29. ten . . . five cities — different de- grees of future gracious reward, propor- tioned to the measure of present fidelity. 27. bring hither, &c.— cf. 1 Sa. 15. .32, 3.3.)— re- ferring to the awful destniction of Jerusalem: but pointing to the final destruction of all that are found in open rebellion against Christ. 28-44. Christ's TRitnyrpHAL Entry into Jerusalem, and Tears over it.— See on M. 21. 1-11. 29-38. Bethphage— "house of figs," a village which with Bethany lay along the further side of mount Olivet, E. of Jerusalem, whereon, drc- See on J. 19. 41. the Lord hath need, fcc. — He both knew all and had the key of the human heart. See on v. 5. Perhaps the owner was a disciple, set Jesus on— He al- lowing this, as befitting the state He was for the first and only time assuming, whole multitude, &c. — The language here is very grand, intended to express a burst of admi- ration far ^vider and deeper than ever had been witnessed before, blessed be the king, &c.— Mk. more fully, "Hosanna"— i.e., 'save noiv' the woids of Ps. 118. 25, which were understood to refer to IMessiah; and so they add, " to the Son of David, blessed is he that Cometh in the name of the Lord, Ps. 118. 26,) Hosanna in the highest." This was the very loftiest style in wliich He could be saluted the promised Deliverer, peace, &c.— See on ch. 2. 13, 14. 40. the stones, &c.— Hitherto the Lord had discouraged all demonstrations in his favour; latterly He had began an opposite course • on this one occasion He seems to yield His whole soul to the wide and deep acclaim with a mysterious satisfaction, re- garding it as so necessary a part of the regal dignity in which as Messiah He for this last time entered the city, that if not offered by the vast multitude, it would have been wrung out of the stones rather than be with- held! (Ha. 2. 11.) 41-44. when beheld, wept, &c. — cf. La. 3. 51, "Mine eye affecteth mine heart; ' the heart again affecting the eye. Under this sympathetic law of the relation of mind and body Jesus, in His beautiful, tender humanity, was constituted even as we. What a contrast to the immediately preceding profound joy! He yielded Himself alike freely to both. See on M. 23. 37. at least in this, <S:c.— even at this moving mo- ment. See on ch. 13. 9. thv peace—' glancing f)erhaps at the name of tlie city,' He. 7. 2. w & w.] How much is included in this word! now hid— It was His among His last Open efforts to "gather tljein," out their J eyes were iu<liciaLly closed, a trench— ram- part: first of wood, and when this was burnt, a built wall, 4 miles circuit, buUt in 3 days— so determined were they. This " cut off all hope of escape," and consigned the city to unparalleled horrors. (See Joseph. J.W. v. C. 2; and 12. 3, 4.) All here predicted was \vith dreadful laterality fulfilled. 45-48. Second Cleansing oftheTemplg, AND SUBSEQUENT TEACHING. 45, 46. As the first cleansing was on His first visit to Jerusa- lem J. 2. 13-22,) , so this .second cleansing'was on His last, den of thieves— banded together for plmider, reckless of principle. The mild term " house of merchandise," used on the former occasion, was now unsuitable, sought — ' continued seeking"- i. e., " daily," as Ho taught, were very attentive to hear him— • hung upon His words.' CH.\PTEE XX. Ver. 1-19. The Authoritt of Jestts Questioned, and His Eeply— Parable OF THE Wicked Husbandmen.— See on M. 21. 23. 2. these things— particularly the clear- ing of the temple. 4. baptism of John— his whole ministry and mission, of which bap- tism was the seal, why then believed ye L.m not 1— i.e., in his testimony to Jesus, the sum of his whole ^vitness. 7. could not tell— crooked, cringing hypocrites ! No wonder Jesus gave you no answer. iM. 7, 6.) But what dignity and composure does our Lord display as He turns their question upon themselves! 9-13. vineyard— See on ch. 13. 6. In M. 21. 3.3, additional points are given, taken literally from Is. 5. 2, to fix down the apjiUcation and sustain it by O. T. authority, husbandmen— the ordinary spiritual guides of the people, under whose care and culture the fruits of rlu'hteousness might be . ielded. went, (fee— leaving it to the laws of the spirit- ual husbandry during the whole length of the Jewish economy. (See on Mk. 4. 26.) beat, fee- M. 21. 35: i.e., the prophets, extra- ordinary messengers raised up from time to time. See on M. 23. 37. my beloved son— Mk. ;i2. 6,) still more affecting: ly, " Having yet therefore one son, his weil-beloved ;" our Lord thus severing Himself from all merely Miman messengers, and claiming Sonship in its loftie.st sense, (cf. He. 3. 3-6.) it may be— ' surely;' implying the almost unimaginable guilt of not doing so. 14. said among them- selves, (fee- cf. Ge. 37. 18-20; J. 11. 47-53. the heii— sublime expression of the great truth, that God's inheritance was destined for. and in due time to come into the possession of. His Son in our nature. (He. 1. 2.) inherit- ance ours— and so from mere servants we may become loras; the deep aim of the depraved heart, and literally " i/i€ root of all evil." cast him out of the vineyard— cf. He. 13. 11-13; 1 Kl. 21. 13; J. 19. 17. 16. He shall come, &c.— This answer was given by the Pharisees them- selves, (M. 21. 41,' thus pronouncing their own righteous doom. M. alone '21. 43, gives the naked application, that " the kingdom of God should be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof — the great evangelical community of the faithful, chiefly Gentiles. God forbid -His whole meaning now bursting upon them. 17-19. written— in Ps. 118. 22, 23. (See on ch. 19. 38.) The Eangdom of God is here a lomple, in the erection of which a certain stone, rejected as unsuitable by the spi- ritual builders, is, jjy the great Lord of ^ Ofis piracy ag ainst ChHst. LUKE, XXII. Jhstitution of the Lord's supper. this life, aud so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For J' as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch * ye therefore, and " pray al- ways, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and i> to stand before the Son of man. 37 And ' in the day-time he was teaching in the temple ; and <* at night he went out, aud abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. 33 And all the people came early in the morning to him 'm the temple, for to hear him. CHAPTER XXII. 1 The Jews conspire against Christ s 3 Judas covenanteth to betray him: 19 he instituteth his holy supper; 42 his agony in the garden/ 60 he healeth Jlalchus's ear, etc. "NJOW "the feast of unleavened bread •^^ drew nigh, which is called the Pass- over. 2 And 6 the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. 3 H Then " entered Satan into Judas sur- named Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4 Aud he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. 5 And they were glad, and ''covenanted to give him money. 6 And he promised, and sought opportu- nity to betray him unto them l in the absence of the multitude. 7 H Then * came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying. Go and prepare ua the passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10 And he said unto them. Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he euter- eth in. 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house. The Master saith unto thee. Where is the guest-chamber, wliere I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12 And he shall show you a large upper room fm-nished: there make ready. 13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, 2 With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suiter: 16 Por 1 say unto yon, I will not any more eat thereof, / until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. : 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said. Take this, and divide it among yom-selvcs: 18 For " I say unto you, I will not drink of the fiTiit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 1\) H And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave mi to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you: this ^ do in remembrance of me. CHAP. 21. y lThos.6.2. 2 Pet. 3.10. Kev.3. 3. » Mat. 25.13. Mar. 13 33. o ch. 18. 1. 6 Pi. 1. 5. Bph. 6. 13. lJohn2.28. « John 8. 1,2. d ch. 22. 39. * Hag. 2. 7. May. 3. 1. CHAP. 22. a Mat, 26. 2. Mark 14.1. b Pa. 2. 2. John 11.47. Acts i 27. c Mat. 26. 14. Mar. 14.10. John 13. 2, 27. d Zech 11.12. 1 Ti. 6. 10. 1 Or, without tumult. e Mat. 26. 17. Mar. 14.12. 2 Or, I have heartily /•ch. 14.15. Acts 10.41. Rev. 19. 9. p Mat. 26.29. Mar. 14.25. h 1 Cor. 11. 24. i 1 Cor. 10. 16. ;• Pa. 41. 9. Mark 14.18. Jolui 13. 21, 25. * Acts 2. 23. Act. 4. 28. I Mark 9. 34. ch. 9. 46. m Mat.20.25. n Jam 4. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 3. ch. 9. 48. P John 13.13. Phil. 2. 7. 9 Heb. 4. 15. 2 Cor." I. 7. 2 Ti, 2. 12. » ch. 14, 15. K«v. 19. 8. t Ps. 49. 14. Mat. 19.28. 1 Cor. 6. 2. Bev. 3. 21. w 1 Pet. 5, 8. " Amos 9. 9. «» John 17.9, U, 15. X Ps 61. 13. John 21.15. 2 Cor. 1. 4. y John 13^8. « Mat, 10. 9. ch, 9. 3. a U 53. 12. Mur. 15,28. 6 Alat. 6, 13. Mar. 14.38. 3 willing to c John 6. 38. dMat. 4. U. • Jol.n 12 27. U«b. 6. 7. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, say- ing, » This cup 15 the new testtunent in my blood, which is shed for you. 21 1i But, i behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as * it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! 23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 24 U And ' there was also a strife amon.» them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And "» he said unto them. The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But " ye shaU not be so: "but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth sen-e. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that sen'eth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but^I am among you as he that sen'eth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in ^ my temptations. 29 And *■ I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ; 30 That * ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, 'and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 IT And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, " Satan hath desired to have you, that he may " sift you as wheat: 32 But "" I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: ' and when thou art con- verted, strengthen thy brethren. 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both mto prison, and to death. 34 And J'he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. 35 IT And * he said unto them. When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked je any thing? And they said. No- thing. 3G Then said he mito them. But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and like- wise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37 For I say imto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me. And " he was reckoned among the trans- gressors: for the things ooncermng me have an end. 38 And they said. Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said imto them. It is enough. 39 H And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and hia disciples also followed him. 40 And * when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 Aud he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be 3 willing, re- move this cup from me: nevertheless "not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared <» an an^el unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And * bemg in an agony he prayed more earnestly: aud his sweat was as it wera Q\t(&t'o''.xs dbmit frieJtesumctlon. LTJEE. XXL the House, inade~the~l«y-stone of The «nw ^.•. f«n'^ *^.^' ^Pl^ the'^buiWersMere ?Ti ..^^ng-; and being "broken" (Is ». lo), sustainmg great spiritual hurt- hut soon that stone should "fall nvonthem'' and erind them to powdei-" (Da. 2. 34 "5 Ze l-'^O ri^.^^ H^^f ^^7-'^''"*^/^^^acity in the tremen- aflv as uXViP^.^^ Jferusalem. but p.fslt c/in' ^f.unoehevers in a more awful sense theiiTa|l'^"''^°'^~^^'^y*We to restrSi^ tI?;! ?4.1 ^^'^'^-^^^^^^^ Questions about Tribute and the Eesukrectiov-Thp uu. ^^. 15.) on the best plan, spies—" of tli? thanseesandHerodians." (M£ 12 13 ) Sel onMk. 3.6 we know, <fcc.-hoping by flattery to throw ilim. off his guard, tribute-sle o^ ini^^^^• t^in?s which be Cffisar's-Puttin" It m this general form, it was impossible fn? ffi'.r./^'*^'^*° ^«l^"te it, aTd^ylt it dis- solved the snare, and to God-How miu-h there is in this profound but to them start ling addition to the maxim, and how incom Sess^'we^hf.^^l^^^^-f^^"^^^^^^^ ness \\eiylit! .27-34. no resurrection—" nor angel nor .spirit," A. 23. 8; the materiamTof the day. said unto them-fn M. 22 "rtherenfv dn°p"ri? TK^^'' important statement^l'-^i^ fna^f'h^iV^f ^"^'^'"'S "le Scriptures." regard- ing the future state, "nor the powef of God " TheWklow's Two Mites. v^, -, . CHAPlER XXI. ing up he saV-as in Zacclieus' ^se nnf sif/v aidmnnv';;^* '^'^^^y ^'^to the trea- sury, anti many rich cast in much " i e info chescs deposited in one of the courts of Hi « fnwi'^H ^^, ^^^^^^'^ the Offerings of tKpeop I .*P„Yl^^.?3ts niamtenance. (2 Ki. 12. 9;/!. To ) rtu?Efe;c^!^ir^^^ the human ^fvrmil^;rt"aT?h?e SiSe'n'o' breaches by death in the future state tWs ordinance will cease, equal-or ' like •-unto the augels-^. e., in the mimortal it y of thei? nature children of God-uct in respect of chamder hut nature; " beinVthe Siren ence ^rT^?*'.^,"/ ^? ^" "n^tecayinV exist o^thPir pJi.5 ^•^•' And thus the chUdren ?« B3i« M^h^'^^s immortality, 1 Ti. 6. 16. 37 00. even Mnsps — ivVim-n f),«„i,„j .• "i , ' ^a o^;« tS ' * immoiTauty, 1 11. 6. 16. 37 tn'pnTo^ Moses-whom tliey had just quoted to entangle Him. not of the dead, for ail &c wni\^T pOi^^i^nan being is dekd. or ever wiU be; but all sustains an abiding conscious reJation to Him. But the " all " &re meant 'those who shall be accounted worUiyS obtain that world." niese sustain aaracwus aissot^ueo. in this sense our Lord affirms hifiT-^^°l^^to caU the Lord the "God"^f his patriarchal seiwants if at that nioment J^Vul^ ""S e^. stence, would be unworthy cLkdThPir PnH ''f w^\^^ ashamed to be themacftv'^HP ^fHehad not prepared for uiemacity. He. 11. 16. How precious are scnoes . well said— enjoying his victory over the riadducees. they durst not-neither ^Ti^^r^^'r 4^°' the time utterly foK ^ 41-47. Christ Baffles the PHART«!T-Ti'=! s*AH, AM) Denounces the Scribes 41 said, &c-"\Vhat think ye of Christ the promised and expected Messiah /\kosl son IS He (to be ? Tliey say unto Him Th| H?.?>?^^^>'i^-- ^? ''^i"! unto them, How'then ^oth David in spirit (by the Holy {>host Mk i^%-?6-\paU him LoRDV" M. 22. 42 43 Tjfp difficulty can only be solved by the /iiier Ivx te-Sf f 1'f , n<? /^f rni;. natifr^s of e•^^5fan^•i.4^ff.^ar.fe-SK %^t'^: Jhoni hi ';calledTo'him^ lof • ^"^' to teach from it a great futum mS WhtV^^^ 9-'^ PropoS o le? mean.s, which is God's standard, 2 Cor 8 12 ?hey 'h.f ^'^^"'°-' ^heir superjliiitt? what needed nflf.r'r''^' or. beyond what they neetied. of her penury— " or want." (Itfk 1? 44.)- her deMiencv: of what was le^tt'hiA that shP ii^H*^ if till more emphaticallyr ' all uiat she had her whole subsistence.^l^ote the ^rr7>rf/*'rfe"^^"^^ '"^'"^'^ «<^«. for uic service oj Christ at home and abroad <tn Jookmgdmvii" now, as th^n''up/H^'fce7' ly^^ casf w" and'hm^- much \2)ChHsh standard ojcommeiulohle ojjcrinais no^olt ^IPerMity hut our dejiciency~not what wiS sacrifice SinW^f* what costs us sonTer^^ tive amAn?t .^^^.^ ^? proportion to the rela- tive amount of that sacrifice. (See 2 Co. 8^ 5-38. Christ'.s Prophecy of thp Bt!- to"" PR^p-LT i^^^^^^^^^- AND wISni?^ 24 1-3. 8. the time-of the KingdonT in it4 AH these are tlie be=iiinins of sirroii, " ni Bj testimony 19. not a Kiir perisL-He hS i olfn» ."hi"' ,""'' '''"."'O W •■■"■t to death- shall wax cow." But L that enclu?etE to Jxidai hetrayeth Christ, LUKE, xxm. Jems accused before Pilate. great drops of blood falliug down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he fouiid thum sleepintc for sorrow, 4f) And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. 47 If And while he yet spake, behold a nuiltitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus /to kiss him. . 48 liut Jesus said uuto him, Judas, betray- est thou the Son of man with a kiss? 49 When they wliich were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him. Lord, shall we smite with the sword? 50 H And * one of them smote a senant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51 And Jesus answered and said. Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, w hich were come to him, lie ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? 53 When I was daily with you in the tem- ple, ye stretehed forth no hands ai^aiiist me: '<■ but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. 54 H Then » took they him, and led him, and broutiht him into the high priest's bouse. J And Peter followed afar off. 55 And * when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. 5() But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, Tliis man waa alao with him. 57 And he denied him, saying. Woman, 1 know him not. 58 And. ' after a little while, another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Ptter said, Alan, I am not. 6U And about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him; for he is a Galilean. 00 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. "* And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before "the cock crow, thou shall deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and * wept bitterly. 63 IT And ^ the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying. Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. 66 IF And 'as soon as it was day, ""the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the scribes, came together, and led him into their council, ; 67 Saying, Art "thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them. If 1 tell you, ye will not believe: 68 And if 1 also ask yoit, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. 6i> Hereafter 'shall the Son of man sit on the rkht hand of the power of God. 70 Iheii said they all. Art thou then the , D. 33. CHAP. 22. / a !■». 'JO. 9. 1/ Mat. 26 51. Mar. 14.47. John 18.IU. 2 Cor. 10.4. h Gen. 3. 15. John 12. 27. Acti 2. 23. Acts 4. 27. i Mat. 26. 67. Acts 8. 32. j John 18.15. A Mat. 26.69. Mar. 14.titJ. John 18.17, 18. { Alat. 26.71. Mar. 14 09. John IS. '.>6. m Mat.':6.7D Mar.14.72. n John 13.33. o Is. liti. 2. E». 7. 16. 2 Cor. 7 10. p Ps.69 1-21. Is 50. 6. Is. 52. 1*. Mat. 26. 67, 68. Mar. 14.06. q Mat. 27. 1. r Fs. 2. 1. P«. 22. 12, 16. Acts 4. 26. Acts 22. 5. «Mat.2ii.63. Mar. 14.61. t H» no. 1. Dan. 7. 13, 14. Acts 1. 11. Acta 3. 21. 1 ThesB. 1. I Slat. 26.64. Mar. 14 62. ' Mat. 26.05. Mar. 14.63. CHAP. 23. a Mat. 27. 2. Maik 15.1. John 18.28. 6 Dan. 3. 12. Acta 17. 7. Acts 24. 6. e Mat. 17. 27. Mat. i;2. 21. Mar. 12.17. d John 19 12. e Mat. 27. 11. 1 Ti. 6. 13. f 2 Cor. 5.21. 1 Pet. 2.22. ff ch 3 1. li ch. 9. 9. t Mat. 14. 1. Mark 6. 14. / Is 53. 3. k Acts 4. 27. Jam. 4. 4. { Mat. 27 23. Mark 15.14. John 18.38. m D.-»n. 6. 4. » Jlat. 27.26. John 19. 1 Mat. 27.15. John 18.39. p A«u a. 11. Son of God? And he said unto them, " Ya say that I am. 71 And ' they said. What need we any further witness ? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. CHAPTEU XXIIL 1 Jfsus is accused before I'ilate, 7 and tent to Herod. ■ U he is mo<-ked, and lent back to i'ilate: 'Jo he it delivered to be crucijied, 34 prayeth for his enemies, etc. A ND"the whole multitude of them arose, "'•* and led him unto Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying. We found this fellow ' perverting the na- tion, and * forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying <* that he himself is Christ a king. 3 And ' Pilat« asked him, saying. Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said. Thou sayest it. 4 Then s;iid Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, / 1 find no fault in this man. 5 And they were the more fierce, saying. He stin-eth up the people, teaching through- out all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. 6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean. 7 And as soon as lie knt w that he belonged nnto" Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. 8 II And when Herod saw Jesus, he waa exceeding glad: for *he was desirous to see him of a long season, because » he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have sren some miracle done by him. 9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. 11 And } Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked hivi, and ar- rayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 12 1[ And the same day * Pilate and Herod were made friends together : lot before they were at enmity between them- selves. 13 % And ' Pilate, when he had called to- gether the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 Said unto them. Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined ftim before you, have '"found no lault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: 15 J^o, ncr yet Herod: for I sent you to him ; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 16 1 " win therefore chastise him, and re- lease him. 17 (For " of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) 18 And J" they cried out all at once, saying. Away with this inan, and release unto us Barabbas: 19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into piisoii.) 20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. 21 But they cried, sajuig. Crucify him, crucify him. 22 And he said unto them the third time. Why, what cvU hath he doimi 1 hav* Signs of ChrisVs Second Comin ff. LTJKE. XXII. Conspiracy of tlie Jcv^ish A uth orities, ever since, (He. 10. 38. 39 ; Re. 2. 10.) something distinct from Himself, mentioned "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be immediately after. What this was intended preached in all the world for a witness, to mean, interpreters are not agreed. But and then shall the end come," (M. 24. 14.) as before Christ came to destroy Jerusalem God never sends judiTiient without previous some appalling portents were seen in the air, wamiug; and there can be no doubt that the so before His Personal appearing it is likely Jews, already dispersed over most known that something analogous will be witnessed, countries, had nearly all heard the gospel though of what nature it is vain to conjec- '* as a witness," before the end of the Jewish ture. 32. this generation— not ' this nation.' state. The same principle was repeated and as some interpreters, which, though admis- will repeat itself to the end. 20, 21. by ar- sible in itself, seems very unnatural here. It mies— ' encami;ed armies,' i.e., besieged; ''and is rather as in ch. 9. 27. 34-37. surfeiting anl the abomination of desolation (meaning the dnmkenness— all animal excesses, quenching Eoman ensigns, as the symbols of an idola- spirituality, cares of this life— See on ]\Ik. 4. trous.Pagan. unclean power spoken ofby Da- 7, 19. watch. .pray, &c.— the two great duties niel the prophet (Da. 9. 27,) stand in the holy which in prospect of trial are constantly en- place— (" where it ought not," Mk. 13.14,' — joined. These waming.s, suggested by tlie whoso readeth (that prophecy) let him under- 1 need of preparedness for the tremendous etand," M. 24. 15. Then flee, Szc.—Eusebius ; calamities approaching, and the total wreck says the Christians fled to Fella, at the N. of the existing state of things, are the gene^ extremity of Perea, being "prophetically ra? improvement of the wliole discourse, directed ;" perhaps by some prophetic inti- 1 carrying the mind forward to Judgment anil mation still more explicit than this, which Vengeance of another kind and on a gran- Btill would be their chart. 23. woe unto— der and more awful scale— not ecclesias- ' alas for.' with child, &c.— from the greater tical or political but personal, not temporal suffering itwoiild involve; as also "flight in winter, and on the Sabbath were to " pray" against iM. 24. I but eternal— when aUsafety and blessedne.^s which they | will be found to lie in being able to " stand ' , the one as | before the Son of ]\L4.n " in the glory of more trying to the body, the other to the I His Personal appearing. 37, 38. in the 'day ■'For then shall be tribulation such "' '- • -- soul as was not since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be"— language not unusual in the O. T. for tremendous calamities, though of this it may perhaps be literally said. "And except tho.se days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elects' sake those days shall be shortened." (M. 24. 21,22.) But for this merciful "shortening," brought about by a remarkable concurrence of causes, the whole nation would have per- ished, in which there yet remained a rem- nant to be afterwards gathered out. (Here in M. and Mk. are some particulars about "false Christs," who should, "" if possible,"— a precious clau.?e—" deceive the very elect." cf. 2 Th. 2. 9-11; Re. 13. 13.) 24. Jerusalem, trod- den down until, &c. :— implying l.Jthat one day time— of this His last week, abode iu the mount —i.e., at Bethany. M. 21. 17.) CHAPTER XXn. Ver. 1-6. Conspiracy of the Jewish Authorities to Put Jesus to Death- Compact WITH Judas. 1, 2. See on M. 2G, 1-5. 3. Then entered Satan, &c.— but not yet in the full sense. The awful stages of it were these: (l.i Covetousness being his master- passion, the Lord let it reveal itself and gather strength by entrusting him with "the bag" I J. 12. 6,), as Treasurer to Himself and the TTivelve. (2.) In the discharge of that most sacred trust he became "a thief," appro- priating its contents from time to time to his own use. Satan, seeing this door into his heart standing wide open, determines to enter by it. but cautiously (2 Co. 2. 11.); first Jerusalem shall cease to be "trodden down j merely "putting it into his heart to betray by the Gentile-'^' [Re. 11. 2,\asthenby Pagan Him" (J. 13. 2,), suggesting the thought to so now by Mohammedan unbelievers , ,_ that this shall be at the "completion" of " the times of the Gentiles," which from R. 11. 25, (taken from this) we conclude to mean till the Gentiles have had their full tune of that place in the Church which the Jews in their time had before them— after which, the Jews being again " graffed into their own olive tree," one Church of Jew and Gentile together shall fill the earth. (R. 11.) What a vista this opens up! 25-28. signs, (fee- Though the grandeurof this language carries the mind over the head of all periods but that of Christ's second coming, nearly every expression will be found used of the Lord's coming in terrible national judgments, as of Babylon, drc. ; and from v. 28-32, it seems un- deniable that its immediate reference was to the destruction of Jerusalem, though its tiltimatereference beyond doubt is to Christ's final coming, redemption— from the oppres- sion of ecclesiastical despotism and legal bondage by the total subversion of the Jew- ish state and the tirm establisliment of the evangelical kingdom, (v. 31.) But the words are of far wider and more precious import. M. (24. 30,) says, " And then shall appear the sign of the Son of I^Ian in heaven," evicleutly tiC him that by this means he might enrich himself. '3.) This thought was probably con- verted into a settled purpose by what took place in Simon's house at Bethany. See oa M. 26. 6, and J. 12. 4-8. (4. ; Starting back per- haps, or mercifully held back, for some time, the detennination to carry it into immedi- ate effect was not consummated till, sitting at the Paschal suppei, "Satan enteredinto him," See on J. 13. 27.), and conscience, effectually stifled, only rose again to be his tormentor. What lessons in all this for every one (Eph. 4. 27; Ja. 4. 7; 1 Pe. 6. 8. 9.) 5. money—" thirty pieces of silver" (LL 26. 15.); 30 shekels, the fine payable for man or maid-servant acci- dently killed (Ex. 21. 32.), and equal to between four and five poimds of our money —"a goodly price that I was prized at of them !" Ze. ll. 13.1. See on J. 19. 16. 6. in the absence, (fee— See on M. 26. 5. 7-38. Last Passover — Institution of THE Supper — Discourse at the Table. 7. the day of unleaveued bread— strictly the loth Nisan (part of our JIarch and April) after the Paschal lamb was killed; but here, the 14th .Thursday). Into the difficult ques-. tions raised on this we cannot here enter. 10-13. wheu ye enter the city— He himself 77k« <?rM«t/f.rioiw LUKE, XXIV. The rcmrrectioTU found no cause of death in him: 1 will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23 And thi'j- were instant with loud voices, requirint; that he might be cnicitied: and the voices of them ^d of the chief priests prevtuled. '2i And Pilate i gave sentence that it should be as they required. i'5 And 9 he released unto tSem him that for sedition and murder was cast iJito Srison, whom they had desired; but he elivered Jesus to their will. 26 H And ''as they led liim away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a CjTenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great com- pany of oeople, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus, turning unto them, said. Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For, ' behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say. Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30 Then * shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall ou us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For " if thev do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry! 32 ^ And "there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 33 And ""when they were come to the place which is called 2 Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one ou the richt hand, and the other on the left. 34 Tlien said Jesus, Father, "forgive them : for " they know not what they do. And *they paited his raiment, and cast lots. 35 And "the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying. He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and otleriug him >'inegar, 37 And sajing. If thcu be the King of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And *a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KLNG OF THE JEWS. 39 H And " one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying. If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering <* rebuked him. Baying, Dost not thou fear God. seeing thou art in the s;tme condemnation ; 41 And we indeed justly: for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath d' 'ue nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesuu, Lord, remem- ber me when thou comest into * thy king- dom. 43 And Jesus said unto him. Verily I say unto thee. To-day shalt thou be vnth me in /paradise. 44 H And 0\t was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the 8 earth until the ninth h^'ur. 45 And the sun was darkened, and "the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. 46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice he said, • Father, into thy hands I 67 A. D. 33. CHAP. 23. 1 Or, assented. Ei '23. 2. John 19. 16. 9 Pro. 17.15. J" John 19.17. • ch. 21. Zi. t U, 2. 19. Hos. 10. 8. Rev. e 10. B«T. 0. 6. U Pro. 11.31. Jer. 25. 29. Eie. 21147 Ete.21.3,4. 1 Pet. 4.17. V U 53. 12. Mat. 27.38. «" JIar.15.22. Johnl9.17. 2 Or. the place of a skull. Heb. 13.12. X Mat. 6. 44. Acts 7. W). 1 Cor. 4.12. V Acts 3. 17. * John 19.2.3. o Ps. 22. 17. Zech. 12. 10. b John 19.19. h. 5. U. d £) • Heb. 1. 3. Heb. 8 1. / Kev. 2. 7. g Mar. 15 33. 3 Or, land. h M.it. 27 .51. 2 Cor. 3.14. Erh. 2. 14. Hob. 6. 19. t P.. 31. 6. 1 Pet. 2.23. } John 19.30. Phil. 2. 8. * Mat. 27 54. { Ps. 38. 11. John 19.25. m Mat 27.57. n 1 Ti. 6. 22. " ch. 2. 26, P M^t. 27.59. 9 13.63.9. r ch. 8. 2. « JUr. 15.47. t Mar. 16. 1. «t Ex. 20. 10. Is. 56. 2,6. a. 58. 13. Jer. 17.24. CHAP. 24. a Mat. 28. 1. Mark 16.1. John 20. 1. 6 ch. 23. 66. e Mark 16. 6. d John 20.12. AeU 1. 10. 1 Ur, Him that livothT lTi.1.17. Rev. 1. 18. «Mat. 16.21. Mark 8. 31. ch. 9. 22. f John 2. 22. g Mat. 28. 8 Mar. 16.10. ■ft oh. 8. ; i Jatm ao. 3. commend my spirit: J and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 47 H Now * when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying. Cer- tainly this was a righteous man. 48 And all the people that came together to that si^'ht, beliolding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and re- turned. 49 And 'all his acquaintance, and the women that folk>wed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. 60 H And, "* behold, there was a maa named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51 (The same " had not consented to the counsel and deed of them:) he was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews: "who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53 And * he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in ' a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never mau be- fore was laid. 54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. 55 H And the women also, ''which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld * the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned, and * prepared spices and ointments ; and rested the sab- b.-ith day, "according to the command- ment. CHAPTER XXIV. 1 Christ's resurrection declared to the women : 9 thty report it to others. I'i Christ himself ap^ peareth: 49 he promiseth the Holy Ghosts 61 At* aseeitsion to heaven. "fyJOW "upon the first day ot the week, •^^ very early in the morniiig, they came unto the sepulchre, *brindng the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And ' ihey entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, <* behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down t)teir faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye i the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: * remember how he spake unto you when he was yet iu GaUiee, 7 Saving, The Son of man must be d©- livered into the hands of sinful men, and be cmciHed, and the third day rise again. 8 And /they remembered his words, 9 And *' retiumed from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, and '• Joanna, and Alary the motlitr of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. 12 Then » arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping do«Ti, he behelti the Unen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himsell" at that which Wiis come to pass. ^ ^, . 13 H And, behold, two of them went that InsUMlan bfihe Sitpptr. ■LUKE, XXH. 'Agdny in the Garden. stayed at Bethany probably during the day. ten. have au end— are rarddly drawing to a there shall a mau, itc— See on ch. 19. 29-S2. I close, two swords ,, , enough— they thinking 14-18. the hour— about six p.m. Between t he three and this hour the lamb was killed. (Ex. 12. 6, marg.) with desire ... desired - referred to present defence, while Jhia answer showed He meant sometliins else. "" ■" Agony in thje GARDE>r 'earnestly have I longed' (as Ge. 31. 30, "sore wout— See J. 18. 2. the place— the Garden of lon^edst"). Why?._lt was to be Hisja.st Gethsemane, on the w. or city side of the mount. Comparing all the accounts of tliis mysteriousscene, the facts appear to b "before He suffered"— and so became "Christ our Fasxover sacrificed for v^' 1 Co. 5. 7.),'...^., „ ^, ,,,^ ,„^,., ,.i.,....v. iv, .o when it was "fulfilled in the Kingdom of these: 1.) He bid 9 of the 12 remain "here" Ood," the typical ordinance thenceforth ' while He went and prayed " yonder." i2.) disappearing, took the cup— the first ofjHe "took the other 3, Peter, James, and several partaken of in this service, divide it, j John, and began to be sore amazed appalled', for, &c.— Q. d. 'It is to be 1/our last as well as i sorrowful, and very heavy .'oppressed , and Mine,'"untUtheKingdomof God come;" or said. My soul is exceeding sorrowful even as it is "beautifully given in M. 26. 29, " until I unto death"—' I feel as if nature would sink that day when I shall drink it new with you in ! under this load, as if life were ebbing out, my Father's kingdom." It was th^. point of and death coming before its time'—" tarry transitionbctweentv:o€conoiniesandtheirtwo ye here, and watch with me;" not, 'Witness if/reoi/esfirafo, the one about to close for ever. Ifor me, but. 'Bear me company.' ItdidHim the otlier immediately to open and run its ! good, it seems, to have them beside Him. luajestic cai-eer until from earth it be trans ferred to heaven. 21, 22. 8ee on J. 13. 21, d'c. I Illm: He must be aloiie. 24 30. there was— or 'had been,' referring ' drawn from them about probably to some symptoms of the fonner ' ' strife which had re-appeared, perhaps on seeing the whole paschal arrangements com- mitted to two of the Twelve. See on Mk. 10. 42-45. benefactors — a title which the vanity of princes easerly coveted, but ye not— of how little avail has tliis condemna- tion of "lordship" and vain titles been a,:,'ainst the vanity of Christian ecclesiastics ? continued, <fec.— attecting e\idence of Christ s tender susceptibility to human sympathy and support J See on J. 6. 66, 67 ; 16. 32.) I appoint, &c.— "WTio is this that dispenses kuigdoras, nay, the Kingdom of kingdoms, within an hour or two of his apprehen- sion, and less than a day of his shameful death? These sublime contrasts, however, lierpetually meet and entrance us in this matchless History, eat and drink, <tc.— «ee on v. 16, and on ch. 18. 28, &c. 31-.34, Simon, Simon— See on ch. 10. 41. desired to have— rather, 'hath obtained you,' pro- perly 'asked and obtained;' alluding to Job (1. 6-12; 2. 1-6), whom he solicited and obtained that he might sift him as wheat, insinuating as "the accuser of the brethren (lie. 12. 10.) that he would find chaff enough in his religion, if indeed there was any wheat at aU. to have you— not Peter only, but them all. but I have prayed— have been doing it already, for thee— as most in danger. (See out'. 61, 62.) fail not— i.e., entirely, for par- tially it did fail, converted— brought back afresh as a penitent disciple, strengthen, icc.—q.d., make use of thy bitter experience for the fortifying of thy tempted brethren. 1 am ready, &c. — honest-hearted, warmly- attached disciple, thinking thy present feel- ings inunoveable as a rock, thou shalt find them in the hour of temptation unstable (3 ) But soon even they were too much for ■'He was with- stone's-cast" — though near enoui^h for them to be competent witnesses— and kneeled down, uttering that most affecting prayer iMk. 14. 3U,), that if possible "the cup," of His approaching death, " might pass from Him, but if not. His Father's will be done:" implying that in itelf it was so purely revoltins^ that only its being the Father's wiU would induce Him to taste it. but that iit, that view of it He was perfectly prepared to drink it up. It is no struggle between a reluctant and a compliant will, but betweeen two views of one event— an abstract and a relative view of it, in the one of which it was revoking, in the other welcome. By signifying how it felt in the om view. He shows his beautiful oneness with ourselves in nature and feeling; by express- ing how He regarded it in the other Ught. He reveals his absolute obediential subjection to His Father. (4.) On this, having a mo- mentary relief, for it came upon Him, we imagine, by surges. He returns to the 3, and finding them sleeping, He addresses them afiectingly, particularly Feter, as in Mk. 14. 37, S8. Be then i5.) goes back, not now to kneel, but feU on his face on the ground, saying the same words, but with this turn, " If this cupwaj,'«o<pass,"<fcc. M. 26. Y>.]—q.d., 'Yes.I understand this my.sterious silence'Ps.:22.l-6) ; it may not pass; I am to drink it, and I wUl— " Thy wiU be done!" (6.) Again, for amoment relieved, he returns and finds them " sleep- ing for sorrow," warns them as before, but puts a loving construction upon it, separating between the " willing spirit' and the " weak flesh." i7. Once Uiore, returning to his soli- tary spot, the surges rise higher, beat more tempestuously, and seem ready to overwhelm Him. To fortify Him for this, " there ap- peared an angel unto Him from heaven „„ water: "I have been praying for i strengthening Him"— not to minister light thee," therefore thy faith shall not perish; lor comiort, iHe was to have none of that, but thinking this superfluous, thou shalt : and they were not needed nor fitted to con- find that " he that tmsteth in his own heart 1 vey it./ but purely to sustain and brace up is a fool." iPr. 28. 26.) cock crow—" twice." i sinking nature for a yet hotter and fiercer Mk. 14. 30. 35-38. but now— that you are j struggle. And now, He is "in an agony, and going forth not as before on a temporary , prays more earnestly— even Christ s prayer, mission, provided tor without purse or, it seems, admitted of and now dem-auded scrip, but into scenes of continued and i such increase— and His sweat was as it were Severe trial, your mef/tods must be difierent; ' great diops (literally clots) of blood faUirg for purse and scrip will now be needed for i down to the ground. ' What was this ? hot support, and the usual means of defence. ! His proper sacrificial offering, though esscn- tlie things coLcemug me— decreed and writ- 1 tial to it. It wau just tiie internal gtruggle. ' Jesus Wore Eerod. LUTCE, xxm. He is led away to he Crucified., apparently hushing itself before, but now swelling up a^ain, convulsing His whole in ner man, and this so afiecting His animal nature that the sweat oozed out from every pore in thick drops of blood, falling to the ground. It was just slutddering nature and indomitable will struggling together. But again the cry. If it must be. Thy will be done, issues from His lips, and all is over. " The bitterness of death is past." He has antici- pated and rehearsed His final conflict and won the victory— now on the theatre oi an invincible will, as then on the arena of the Cross. ' I will sufler,' is the grand result of Gethsemane; "It is finished" is the shout that bursts from the Cross. The Will with- out the Deed had been all in vain; but His work was consummated when He carried the now manifested Will into the palpable Deed, •* by the which will we are sanctified THKOUGH THE OFFERING OF THE BODY OF Jesus Christ once for all." (He. 10. 10. ' (8.) At the close of the whole scene, finding them still sleeping (worn out with continued sorrow and racking anxiety). He bids them, with an irony of deep emotion, " sleep on now and take their rest, the hour is come, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of simiers, rise, let us be going, the traitor is at hand." And while He spake, Judas ap- proached with his armed band. Tims they proved " miserable comfortei-s, " broken reeds ; and thus in His whole work He was alone, and " of the people there was none with Him." 47-54. Betrayal and Apprehension of Jesus— Flight of His Disciples. 55-62. Jesus Before Caiaphas — Fall OF Peter. The particulars of these two sections require a combination of all the nan-atives, for which see on J. 18. 1, &c. 63-71. Jesus Condemned to Die and Shamefully Entreated.— See on Mk. 14. 53-6^; J. IS. 10, (fee. i^ee on 55-G2.J C^IAFTER XXIII. ' Ver. 1-5. Jesus before Pilate See on Mk. 15. 1-5; and J. IS. 28, <fec. 6-12. Jesus before Herod. See on Mk. 15. 6. sent him to Herod— hoping thus to escape the dilemma of an unjust condemna- tion or an unpopular release, at Jerusalem . . at that time— to keep the Passover, some mir- acle—Fine sport thouexpectest, as the Philis- tines with Samson (Ju. 16. 25.), O coarse, crafty, cruel tyrant! But thou hast been baulked before (see on ch. 13. 31-33,) and Shalt be again, answered nothing— See M. 7. 6. stood and vehemently accused him— no doubt both of treason before the king, and of bias- plu'.niy, for the king was a Jew. and his men of war— his body-guard, set him at nought, A^c. —stung with disappointment at His re- fusal to amuse him with miracles or answer any of his questions, gorgeous robe—' bright robe.' If this mean as sometimes) of shining white, this being the royal colour among the Jews, it may have been in derision of His claim to be " King of the Jews." But if so, 'he in reality honoured Him, as did Pilate vith His true title blazoned on the cross.' [Beng.] sent him again to Pilate— instead of releasing Him as He ought, having esta- blished nothing against Him (v. 14, 15.) ' Thus he implicated himself with Pilate in all the guilt of His condemnation, and with him accordingly he is classed, A. 4. 27.' [Beng.] at e^raity- i)erliaps about some point of dis- puted jurisdiction, which this exchange of the Prisoner might tend to heal. 13-38. Jesus again before Pilate— Delivered up— Led away to be Cruci- fied. See on Mk. 15. 6-15; and J. 19. 2, <Sjc. 26. Cyrenian— of CjTene, in Libya, on the N. coast of Africa, where were many Jews who had a synagogue at Jerusalem (A. 6. 9, and see 2. 10.) He was " the father of Alexander and Rufus," (Mk. 15. 21j) probably better known afterwards than hmiself, as disciples. See E. 16. 13. out of the country— and casu- ally drawn into that part of the crowd, laid the cross— "him they compel to bear his cross," (M. 27. 32,)— sweet compulsion, if it is.su ed in him or his sons voluntarily "tak- ing up their cross. I" It would appear that our Lord had first to bear his own cross (J. 19. 17,), but being from exhaustion miable to proceed, it was laid on another to bear it "after him." 27-31. women— not the precious Galilean women [v. 49,1 but part of the crowd. not for me, Arc— noble spirit of compassion, rising above His own dread endurances, in tender commiseration of sufferings yet in the distance and far lighter, but without His supiwrts and consolations! mountains. . .hills, &c.— (Ho. 10. 8, fljing hither and thither as they did in despair for shelter, during the siege; a very slight premonition of cries of another and more awful kind. (Is. 2. 10, 19, 21; Re. 6. 16, 17.) green tree— that naturally resists the fire, the dry— that attracts the fire, being its proper fuel. The proverb here plainly means : ' If such sufferings alight upon the innocent One, the very Lamb of God, what must be in store lor those who are provoking the flames?" 32-38, 44-46. CRUCIFIXION AND DeATH OF the Lord Jesus. See on J. 19. 17-30. 39-43. The Two Thieves. 39. railed on him— catching ui3 the universal derision, but with a turn of his own. Jesus, " reviled, re- viles not again:" but another voice from the cross shall nobly wipe out this dishonour and turn it to the unspeakable glorv of the dying Redeemer. Dost not thou—" Thou" is emphatic : ' Let others jeer, but dost thouf fear God:— 'Hast thou no fear of meeting Him so soon as thy righteous Judge?' Thou art within an hour or two of eternity, and dost thou spend it in reckless disregard of coming judgment ? in the same condemnation — ' He has been condemned to die, but is it better with thee? Doth even a common lot kindle no sympathy in thy breast? we justly, &c.— He owns the worst of his crimes and deserts, and would fain shame his fellow into tlie same, notliing amiss— lit. ' out of place;' hence 'unnatural:' a striking term here. Our Lord was not charged with ordinary crime, but only with laying claim to office and honours which amounted to blasphemy. The charge of treason had not even a show of truth, as Pilate told His enemies. In this defence then there seems more than meets the eye. 'He made Himself the promised IVlessiah, the Son of God; but in this He "did nothing amiss:" He ate with publicans and sinners, and bid all the weary and hea^^r laden come and rest under His wing; but in tliis He " did nothing amiss:" He claimed to be Lord of the Kingdom of God, to shut it at will, but also to open it at pleasure even to such as we are; but in this He "did nothing " Does his next speech imply less than this i Observe (1.) His frauk confession ancj TJie Two Thieves. LtJKE. XXIV. Chrisfs Resximdion Declared. genuine self-oonrtemnation. (2.) His aston- ishment and horror at the very state of his fello\\^s mind. (3.) His anxiety to bring him to a better mind while yet there was hope. (4,! His noble testimony not only to the innocence of Jesus, but to all that this implied of the rightfulness of His claims. Said to Jesus, &c.— Observe here (1.) The "kingdoiu" referred to was one be- yond the grave; for it is inconceivable that he should have exijected Him to come down from the cross to erect any temporal king- dom. (2.) ITiis he calls Christ's own (thy kingdom. (3.1 As such, he sees in Christ the absolute right to dispose of that kingdom to whom He pleased. (4.) He does not presume to ask a place in that kingdom though that is what he means, but with a humility quite affecting, just says " Lord, remember me when," &c. Yet was there mighty faith in that word. If Christ wiD but "tliink upon him" CNe. 5. 19.), at that august moment when He " comeih into his kingdom," it will do. * Only assure me that then Thou wilt not forget such a wretch as I, that once hung by thy side, and I am content. Now contrast with this bright act of faith the darkness even of tlie apostles' minds, who could hardly begot to believe that their Master would die at all, who now were almost despairiug of Hun, and who when dead had almost buried their hopes in His giave. Consider too the man's previous aisadvardcKjes and bad life. And then mark how his faith comes out— not in protesta- tions, 'Lord I cannot doubt, I am firmly persuaded that Thou art Lord of a kingdom, that death cannot disannid thy title nor im- pede the assumption of it in due time,' <ta— but as having no shadow of doubt, and rising above it as a question altogether, he just says " Lord remember me when thou comest," &c.— Was ever faith like thLs ex- hibited upon eaith'? It looks as if the brightest crown had been reserved for the Saviour's head at His darkest moment ! Jesus said, &c.— The dying Redeemer speaks as if He Himself viewed it in this light. It was a "song in the night." It ministered cheer to His spirit in tlie midnight gloom tliat now enwrapt it. verily I say unto thee— 'teince thou speakest as to the king, with kingly authority speak I to thee.' to-day— * lliou art prepared for a long delay before I come into my Kingdom, but not a day's delay shall there be tor thee, thou shalt not be parted from me even for a moment, but togetlier we shall go, and with JMe, ere this day expire, shalt thou be in paradise' future bliss, 2 Co. 12. 4; Ke. 2. 7.), Learn (1.) How " One is taken and another lelt.-" (2.) How easily divine teaching can raise the rudest and worst above the best instructed and most devoted servants of Christ ; (;<.) How prebXimption and desiKiir on a death hour ' are equally discountenanced here, the one in the impenitent thief, the other in his peni- tent ieUow. 47 50. SlGisrS AND CTRCtTMSTAJICES FOL- LOWING His Death— His JbJuEXAi. See on M. 27. 61-iiC, Cu-{>0; J. 19. 31-42. CHAPTER XXIV. Ver. 1-12. ANiKLIC ANNOtrNCEMENT TO THE WoiNfEN THAI CllKiST IS illSEN — VetER's ViblT TO THE IlJirTY SEPULCHRE. See O" Mk. 13. 1-8 ; and M. 28. l-o. 6. why, 4c — Astouishiug ciucstion I uot ' the rtsan,' 67: but ' the Living One" (cf. He. 1. 18); and tha surprise expressed in it imrilies an incon- gruitij in His being there at all, as if, though He miglit mbmit to it, " it was impossible He should be holdcn of it." (A. 2. 1.4. 6. in Galilee— to whicli these women themselves belonged, ch. 23. 55. 7. saying, &c.— How re- markable it is to hear angels quoting a whole sentence of Christ's to the disciples, mention- ing where it lyas uttered, and wondering it was not fresh on their memory, as doubtless it was in their's! (1 Ti. 3. 16, *' seen of angels," and l Pe. 1. 12.) 10. Joanna— See oa ch. 8. 1-3. 12. Peter. &a— See on J. 20. 1. &c. 13-35. Christ Appears to the Tw^o Going to Ejvijiaus. 13. two of them— one was Cleopas 18 , who the other was is mere conjecture. Emmaus— about "^ miles from Je- rusalem. They probably lived there and were going home after the Passover. 14-16. com- muned and reasoned— exchanged views an4 feelings, weighing afresh all the facts, as de- tailed in V. 18-24. drew near— coming up be- hind them, a from Jenisalem. eyes holden— Partly, He was ' ' in another form" i Mk. 16. 12,) and partly there seems to have been an opera- tion on their own vision; though certainly, as they did uot believe that He was alive. Wis company as a fellow-traveller was the last thing they would expect. 17-24. commu- nications, &c.— The words imply the earnest discussion that liad appeared in their man- ner. 18. knowest not. Arc— If he knew not the events of the last few days in Jerusalem, he must be a mere sojourner; il' he did, now could he suppose they would be talking of anything else y How artless all this ! con- cerning Jesus, &c.— As if feeling it a relief to have some one to imburdeii his thoughts and feelings to, this disciple goes over the main facts, in his ovmi desponding stvle, and this was just what our Lord wished, we trusted, &c.— Tiiey expected the promised. Deliverance at His liand, but in the current sen»e of it, not by His death, besides aU this —not only did his death seem to give the fatal blow to their hoi)es, but He had been two days dead already, and tins was the third. It is true, they add, some of our women gave us a surprise, telling us of a vision of angels they liad at the emijty grave this morning that said He was alive, and some of ourselves who went thither con- firmed their statement ; but then. Himself they saw not. A dolctul tale truly, told out of the deepest despondency. 25-27. fools — senseless, without understanding, ought not Christ—' the Christ,' ' the Messiah.' to suffer . . . and enter--i.e., through the gate of sulTering (and suffering *' thei'e things," or such a death) to enter into his glory. ' Ye believe in the glory- but these very suffer- ings are the predicted gate of entrance into it.' Moses and all the prophets, <i:c.— Here our Lord both teaches us tne reverence due to O. T. Scripture, and the great burden of it—" Him.self." 28-31. made as though, <kc.— cf. Mk. 6. 48; Ge. 18. 3, 5; 32. 24-l6. con- strained, &c.— But lor this, the whole design of the intense w had been lo.st; butii vxisnot to be lost, tor He who only wished to be con- strained had kindled a longing in the hearts of his travelling companions which was not to be so easily put off. And does not this still repeat itself in the interviews of the Saviour with his loving, longing disciples I Else why do they say. Christ appears to Ids disctples. LUKE, XXIV. His ascension to heaven. same day to a rilli^e called Enimaus, which was from J erusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they ^"talked together of all these things wiiich had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, * Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But ' their eyes were holdeu that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them. What manner of communiwxtions are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, "* whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in .Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said imto them. What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, " which was a prophet " mighty in deed tod word before God and all the people: 20 And P how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted « that it had been he which shiiuld have redeemed Israel: and besides all this, to-day is the thii-d day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre ; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that hewas alive. 24 And certain of them which were with US went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women bad said: but him they saw not, 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the pro- phets have spoken! 26 Ought "^not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at * Moses and * all the I'rophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning him- 6df. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village whither they went: and ''he made as though he would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained him, saying. Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went m to tarry with them. oO And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And then- eyes were opened, and they knew hku; aud be - vanished out of their sight. cuaP. u. } Deu. 6. 7. Mai. 3 16. k Mat IS 20. 1 John al. 4. ♦» John 19. n Acts 2. 22 o AcU 7. 2-J. P Acts 13.27. Q Acts 1. 6. r Acts 17. a, Fl.il. 2. e-u. 1 Fet. 1.11 » Gen. 3. 15. Gen. 22.1S. Gen, 2-3. 4, Gen. 49.10. Nu 21. 9. Deu. 18 15. t l'«. 10. 9. P«. 22. Ps. 132.11. Is. 7. 14. Is. 9. 6. Is. 41). 10. Is. 60. 6. U 53. Jer. 23. 6. Jer. Si 14. Eze. H 21. Eza.37 26 Dan. 9. 24 Mic. 7. 20. Mai. 3. 1. Mai. 4. 2. John 1.45. " Geo. 32 2a. 2 Or, ceased to be seen ch. 4. 30. " 1 Cor. 16.5. u> Acts 10.41. ■t Mat. 10.21. V Acts 1G.14. 2 Cor. 4. G. s Dan. 9. 24. Acta 13.33. IJolin 2.12. a Gen. 12. 3. Pa. 22. 27. Is. 49. 6. Jor. 31. 34. Hos. 2. 23. Mic. 4. 2. Mai. 1. II. Gal. S. 28. * John 16.27. Acts 1. 22. « Is. 44. 3. Joel 2. 28. Acts 2. 1. d 2 Ki. 2. 11. Eph. 1. 20. Eph. 4. 8. e Acts 2. 40. Acta 5. 42. S2 And they said one to another. Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way. and while be opened to us the Scriptures? 33 Aud they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusaleni, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with thorn, 'di Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath * appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. 36 H And as they thus spake, Jesus him. self stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. e 37 But they were teriitied and affrighted, I and supposed that they had seen a spirit. " 38 And he said unto them. Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise iu your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is 1 myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thiis spoken, he showed them his hands and his teet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them. Have je here any meat? 42 And they g.ave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honey-comb. 43 And ** he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, 'These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fullilled which were written iu the law of Moses, and in the i'rophets, aud in the I'salms, concerning me. 45 Then " opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, 46 And said unto them. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to sutler, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and * remission of sins should be preached in his name among all " nations, beginnuig at Jerusalem. 48 And i- ye are witnesses of these things. 49 H And, * behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of J erusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. 50 II And he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And "f it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted iioin them.and cairied up nito heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 63 And were contmually ' in the temple, praising and blessing God. Ameii. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. JOHN. CHAPTER L 1 The divinity of Christ. 14 The in«amafion of the Word. 15 John's testimoni/ of Christ. 39 The euiting of Andrew, feter, etc. [N the beginning " was the Word, and the *• Word was 'with God, 'and the Word was God. CHAP. 1. a Rev. 19.13. b Ze. h. 13. 7. c la. 9. 6. ch. 10. 30. Phil. 2. 6. Tit. a. 13. 1 Jobs 6.7. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and with- out him was not any thing made that waa made. 4 In him waa life; and the lile was the light of men. Je37is appenrs to iJie Phnp^ei. ■LUKE, XXIV. A'>ide with me from morn to eve, Tor without Thee I cannot live: Abide with me when nipcht is nigh, Tor without Thee I canaot die.— Kcble. he took . . and blessed . , . and their eyes were opened— The ,stran;;er first startles them by taking the place of master at their own table, but on proceeding to that act which repro- duced the whole scene of the last Supper, a rush of associations and recollections dis- closed their Guest, and He stood confessed before their astonished gaze— their risen Lord! They were going to gaze on Him, perhaps embrace Him, but that moment He IS gone ! It was enough. 32-34. They now tell each to the other how their hearts burned —were fired— within them at his talk and his expositions of Scripture. * Ah ! this ac- counts for it : We could not understand the glow of self-evidencing light, love, glory that ravished our hearts; but now we do.' They cannot rest— how could they?— they must go straight back and teU the news. They find the eleven, but ere they have time to tell their tale, their ears are saluted with the thrilling news, "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." Most touch- ing and precious intelligence this. The only one of the Eleven to whom He appeared alotte was he. It seems, who had so shamefully de- nied Him. What passed at that interview we shall never know here. Probalily it was too sacred for disclosure. See on Mk. 16. 7. llie two from Emmaus now relate what had happened to them, and while thus comparing notes of their Lord's appearances, lo! Himself stands in the midst of them. What encour- agement to doubting, dark, true-hearted disciples ! 36-63. JE.SUS APPEAB.S TO THE ASSEMBLED Disciples— His Ascension 36. Jesus stood - See on J. 20. 19. 37. 38. a spirit — the ghost of their dead Lord, but not Himself in the body. (A. 12. 15; M. 14. 26.), thoughts — rather 'reasonin. s ;' i.e. whether He were risen or no, and whether this was His very self. 39 43. Behold, <fcc. —lovingly offering them both ocular and tangible demonstration of His Ascension'. Christ's immediate access to the hnman spirit and absolute power over it. to the adjustment of its vision, and permanent rectification for spiritual discernment (than which it is im- possible to conceive a stronger evidence of His proper d; viiiity ) ; and, on the other hand, making it certain that the manner of inters pretatiiig the 0. T. which the apostles after~ yards employed see the Acts and Epistles) has the direct sanction of Christ himself, be- hoved Christ— See on v. 26. beginning at Jenisalem— (1.) As the metropolis and heart of the then existing kingdom of God:— "to the Jew first" R. 1. 16: A. 13. 46; Is. 2. 3 ; see on M. lO. 6.). (2.' As the great reservoir and laboratory of all the sin and crime of the nation, thus proclaiming for all time that tliere is mercy in Christ for the chief of sinners. (See on M. 23. 37.) witnesses— cf. A. 1. 8, 22. I send— the present tense, to inti- mate its nearness, promise of my Father— i.e., ' what my father hath promised;' the Holy Ghost, of which Christ is the authoritative Dispenser. (J. 14. 7; Ee. 3. 1: 5. 6. endued— 'invested' or 'clothed with;' implying, as the p;irallelsshow(R. 13. 14; iCo. 1.5. .53; Ga. 3. 27: Co. 3. 9,10,) their being so penetrated andacteil upon by conscious supernatural "poiver'' (in the fuU sense of that word) as to stamp vntfi divine authority the whole exercise of their apostolic office, including, of course, their pen as well as their mouth. 50-53. to Bethany— not to the village itself, but on the descent to it from Mount Olivet, while he blessed.... parted, <tc.— Sweet intimation! Incarnate Love, Crucified Love, Risen Love, no>v on the wing for heaven, waiting only tlmse odorous gales which were to waft Him to the skies, goes away in benedictions, that in the character of Glorified, Enthroned Love. He might continue His benedictions, but in yet higher form, until He come again! And O if angels were .so transported at His birth into this scene of tears and death,whatmust have been their ecstacy as they welcomed and attended Him " far above all heavens" into the presence-chamber, and conducted Him to the right hand of the Majesty on High! l1iou hast an everlasting right O the reality of His resurrection, a spirit i my Saviour, to that august place. I'h hath not— an important statement regarding Brightness of the Father's glory, enshrined "spirits." flesh and bcnes— He says not "flesh ' in our nature, hath won it well, for He and blood:" for the blood is the life of the poured out His soul unto death, and led animalandcorruptiblebodyiGe. 9. 4.), which captivity captive, receiving gifts for men, "cannot inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Co. yea for the rebellious, that the Lord God 15. 60: but "flesh and bones," implying the i might dwell among them. 'TTiou art the identitv, but with diversity of laws, of ine resurrection-body. See on J. 20. 24 28. be- lieved not for joy, <frc.— They did believe, else they had not rejoiced.' [Beno.] But it seemed too good to be true. Ps. 126. 1. 2.) honeycomb — common frugal fare, anciently, eat before them— i.e. let them see Him doing it; not for His own necessity, but their con- Tiction. 44-49. These are the words, &c.— q. d. " Nov/ you w ill understand wh;/ seemed so dark to you when I told you about "the King of glory, O Christ.' Lift up your heads, O ye gates, be lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in! Even so wilt thou change these vile bodies of ours, that they may be like unto thine own glorious body: and then, with gladness and rejoicing shall the_y be brought, thev shall enter into the King's palace! wcrshipped him— certainly in the strictest sense of adora- tion, returned to Jerusalem— as instructed to do: but not till after gazing, as if entranced. Son of Man being put to death and rising i up into the blue vault in which He had dis again." (ch. 18. 31-34.) while yet with you— a striking expression, implying that He was now, as the dead and risen Saviour, virtually dissevered from this scene of mortality, ana from all ordinary intercourse with His mor- tal disciples, law ..nrophets.. j)salms— The three Jewish divisions of the O. T. Scriptures, then opened he, &c.— a statement of unspeak- able value expressing, oa the one hand. appeared, they were gently checked by two shining ones, who assured them He would come again to them in the like manner as He had gone into heaven. (Seci on A. 1. 10 11.) This made them return, not with disap- pointment at His removal, but " with great joy." were continually, in the temple— i.e._ every day at the regular hours of prayer till the day of Pentecost. The wcarimfion of the Word. JOim. n. Andrew, Peter, and Nattiatmel called. 5 And d the light shiueth in darkness; and ^he darkness comprehended it not. 6 H There 'was a man sent Irom God, whose name ivas John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Lii^ht, that all men through him mi.^it believe. 8 He /was not that Lisrht, hxxt was sent to bear witness of that LiH'ht. 9 That » was the true Liirht, which li?ht- eth every man that conietn into the world. 10 He was in the world, and '> the world was made by him, and the world knew hun not. 11 He < came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But J as many as received him, to them gave he i power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which * were bom, not of blood, nor of the will of the Hesh, nor of the will of man, but of Gtid. 14 And !■ the Word "'was made "flesh, and dwelt among us, (and " we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.) P full of grace and truth. 15 % J ohn bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom 1 snake, He that Cometh after me is preferred before me: 9for he was before me. 16 And of his '' fulness have all we re- ceh'ed, and grace for grace. 17 For the * Law was given by Moses, * but grace and " truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 iSo * man hath seen God at any time; the "" only begotten Son, which is in * the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 19 ^ And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. •21 And they asked him. What then? Art thouyElias? And he saith, =^ 1 am not. Art thou 2 that prophet? And he answered, No. -'2 Then said they mito him. Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thy Bclf? Zd He said, I am the voice of one crjing in the mlderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as " said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisi es. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, W hy baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 2G J ohn answered them, saying, I baptize wth water: * but there staudeth one among jou, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me, is pre- ferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara Deyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. _29 H The next day Jonn seeth Jesus com- ing unto him, and saith, Behold ' the Lamb ot God d ^iiich 3 taketh away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me Cometh a man which is preferred before tne: tor he was betbre me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he Jhouid be made maiiiitst to Israel, there- lore am 1 come baptizmg with water. by CHaP 1. d th. 3. 19. e M»l. 3. 1. I>uke 3. 2. / Acta Vi. 25, la. 49. 6. 1 John 2.8. h Pi. 33. G. 1 Cor. 8 6. Eph. 3. 9. Col. 1. 17. Heb. 1. 2. Heb. 11.3. Key. 4. 11. t Lu. 19. 11. Acts 3. 26. Acti 13.16. j Is. 50. 5. Horn. 8. 15. Gal. 3. 26. 2 Fet. 1. 4. 1 John 3.1. 1 Or, ihe right, or, privilege. k Deu. 3U. 6. «h. 3. 5. Jam. 1. 18. 1 Pet.1.23. 1 Mat. 1. 20. 1 Ti. 3. 16. 1 John 1. 1. m Kom. 1. 3 Gal. i. 4. « Heb. 2. 14. Is. 40. 8. Mat. 17. 2. 2 Pel. 1.17. p Col. 2. 3,9. 9 Col. 1. 17. r Eph. 1, 6. Col. 2. 9. 8 Ex. 20. 1. t Rom. 5. 21. " ch. 14. 6. " Ex. 33. 20. ch. 6. 46. 1 T 6. 16. 1 John 4. 12. i:u. «" 1 John 4.9. * Pro. 8. 30. V Mai. 4. 5. 2 Lu. 1. 17. 2 Or, a prophet. a Is. 4(1. 3. i Mai, 3. 1. c Ex. 12 3. Is. 63. 7. 1 Pet. 1.19. Kev. 6. 6. d 1 Cor.15.3. Gal. 1. 4. Heb. 1.3. Heb. 2. 17. Heb. 9.28. 1 Pet. 2. 24. 1 John 2.2. Key. 1. 6. 3 Or, beareth. e Acts 2. 4. 4 Or, abideet. 5 That was two hours right. 6 Or. the Anointed. Ps. 2. 2. Dan 9.25. 7 Or, Peter. /Deu. 18.18. y Is. 9 6. Mic. 6. 2. Zi'ch.6. 12. IDmi. :i2 AiidJohn bare record, saymg, 1 saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a diive, and it abode upon him, ;>3 And 1 knew him not: bnt he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the • same is he which baptizeth with the H..1.V Ghost. 34 And 1 saw, and bare record that this is the Son ot God. 35 H Again, the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples; oG And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two discii)les heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them fol- lowing, and saith unto them. What seek ye? They said unto him, Kal)bi, (which ig to say, being interpreted, Master,) where *dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them. Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode witu him that day: for it was 5about the tenth hour. 40 Oue of the two which heard John st)eak, and followed him, was Andi'ew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first lindeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, 6 the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said. Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, ' A stone. 43 H The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and tindeth Thilip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 A'ow I'hilip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and I'eter. 45 rhihp tindeth Nathanael, and saith unto him. We have Ibimd him of whom Moses /in the Law, and the " Frophets, did write, Jesus of isazareth the son or Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Fluiip saith unto liun, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him. Behold an Israelite in- deed, in whom is no guilel 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the hg tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Kabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him. Because 1 said unto thee, I saw thee mider the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, ''Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God a,scend- ing and descending upon ^the Son of man. CHAPTER II. 1 Christ tumeth water tnio tvine, i'Z goeth info Captrnaum, and to Jeru$alem, 14 pwgeth tlit temple, li) foi-eteUeth his death and resurrectiy/it, etc. A ND the third day there was a marriage ■^^ in Cana of Galilee; and the mother ot Jesus was there; THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S. JOHN. _ CHAPTEHT. Ver. 1-14, The Word JNIade Flesh. 1. In, the beginnuig— of all time and created existence, for this Word gave it being iv 3, 10.) ; therefore, " before the world was'' iyT- OT- /• %' °h ^^P^. «^^ eternity, was tlie Word — He v;ho ts to God what man's word ts to himseiy, the manifestation or ex- pression of himself to those without him (See on I'. 18.) On the origin of this most lofty and now for ever consecrated title of Christ this IS not the place to speak. It occurs only l^}^% V^l'""? "*" ^^"s seraphic apostle, was WitH (rod— having a conscious personal exist- ence distinct from God, (as one is from the person he is "with") but inseparable from mm and associated with Him., {v. IS • ch 17. 6: 1 J. 1. 2,] where "the Father" is used in the same sense as "God" here, was tod— m substance and essence God ; or was possessed of essential or proper di- vinity Thus, each of these brief but preg- nant statements is the complement of the £u-^^ correcting any misapprehensions ?ir J *S? others might occasion. Was the 'Zu^'^J^it^'^^l ?*- ^jas not the eternity of trie J'ather, hut of a conscious personal exiSi,ence d%4%nct from Him and associated with Him Was the Word thus "with God:" It was not the distmctness and the fellowship ol another being, as if there were more Gods t/mnone, but of One who was HimsrlfGod- m such sense that the absolute unity of the Godhead, tne great principle of all religion IS only transferred from the re-ion of sha^ dowy abstraction to the region of essential Jile and love. But why all this definition? ?K f^ W^ "'^ ^-"y. <-^stra(t ih formation about certain mvstenous distinctions in the Godhead, but solely to let the reader know Who xt tvastlmtm the fulness of time "was mad^ flesh. After each verse, then, the reader must say, "It was He who is thus, and thus and thus described, Who was' made flesh." 2. The same. kc. —See what property of the Word the stress is laid upon — His eternal distinctness, in unity, from God -the Father. (J. l! 2.) 3. ali things <tc.-all things absolutely, as is evi- dent from V 10: l Co. 8. 6: Co. 1. 16. ir : but R w-*5'^-^'?"^T. question by what foUows. (brought into being) that was made." This iL^^.*^*^"<!^^ P/ the «?e.7if<v and non- ^i.^i^'^V^^'^*"*^' '5^,^"ch was held by the «i<7r;.l5'/"'''"f world o«fett7e of Judaism and Chrtstiamty: or rather, its prober crea- ;^!^T^•^"^^^ * ^^ ^^^P^, as dreamt of save by the children of revealed relinion. 4 in Him was his— essentially and originally, as the show to be the i ness and the .shadow of death " mm «/» ability to find the v-ap eitl^roftrmflorof hohness.^ In this thick darknesl and con4. 3Hv,°* ,.^"J^^"^<^t»al and mora oblimUtv the bght of the Word" .shineth-^^ S ths rays whether of natural or revealed n^ttnn^nf'ff.'^ me« (apart from the Inca,- ?^}a 1.^^ *'*® ^°rf^' "'■« favoured with /iL^v'^^"'"' comprehended it not - ' did not inHhi "^- . a. bnef summary of the effect of tillnL^'*1\l"-^^ ^^"''« «/'incamate Word throughout this wide world from the be<-in- ning, and a hint of the necessity of His to,.t>e effected. (] Co. 1. 21.) 6-9. The evan- geh-st here approaches his grand thesis so paving his way for the full statement of ,'t IS ul\' "f '\^ '^^"?¥ ^.^ ^.''le to bear the bright i'^^*/*^ It and take in its length and breadth ^ot'^tte^T,-^!!? ^t?^''*- ^1^5:°"^^ him-Tol n. not that Light --See on ch. 5. 35. Wliat a testimony to John, to have to explain that " he was r?o< that Light - Yet was he but a foil to set It off, his night-taper dwindHn'^ before the Day.spring from ok high (ch! 3. 30.1 Lghteth every man, (tc. --rather which, coming into' the world, enl gbtl eneth every man;' or. is " the Light of H'liT.?''^^ (ch. 9 6. "Coming info the world 'is a superfluous and quite unusual description of "evervman" h'nt u it "I „ii description of Y^eif man? i^nlTt is'of^[ of Cnrist amongst the most ^w'^wl ^^ «^'' ^^^'^^ *a.be the meaning. £iPi "®, V^ "'^ -^^^"'3 ^^ord, or. as He fs called in 1 J i i. 2. " the Word of Life." the f /l^,!>^/^\*/°^i"''"T^J* t^^^t i" men which is e> we /,<//( ^-knowledge, integrity, intelii- ffimrnH'?^*^"^^^^'^" ^'^ God. love to Mim and to. their fellow-creatures, wisdom. ^'Y^.^:*' ?°'y-',?^ rational happiness-all this or i-lf -"i ^f"- 'V^?./^^ ^"iPntain in the essential original life of theWord." (ij i 5-7- Ps 30 Ip'n^l^HH*^ "^ darkness. &c.-in this dark, fall len world, or m mankind sitting in dark- descriptions w. v.i.ii;m, an farniliar. especially n the writings of this evangelLst. (tlr 12 4(r 16. 28; 18.37; 1 J. 4. <J; 1 Th}]}^' "^^•' i^-^^-. ^^ ^^s in the world, *c.- thP fi,nf.,ii^P ^^A^ ^^ "^^'''y as wonderful as the thought. Observe its compact simpli- city.its sonorousness-" the world" resound- inl.n^nn'i^^*^^ "^- three members-and the enigmatic form m which it is couched I woJki^?to "^'l"'' T^,^ -'f ""S !}'« ingenuity a-^ofKing. to solve the stupendous enigma of Christ tf/nored in His mon worW. "^he ^Z^^" f^}'^ first two clauses, plain y meant the created world, " Into which he came '* ?i7? V 9; • w it he was, " says this verse. I!y His Incarnation. He became an Inhabitant of it, and bound up with it. Yet it was made by him. >' {v. 3, 4. 5.) Here SX'Vm,™^'?^^ ^""•*^^- *«• i° contra^ partly with His bemg in it, but still more with he recention He met with from TO ,-^ ^7orld•that" knew him not" (J iv^nni-i^H 01 course the intelligent world of mankind, (bee on ?;. 11, 12.) Taking the first two clauses as one statement, we try to ap- prehend it. by tJiinking of the Infant Christ conceived m the womb and borne in the arms of his own creature, and of the Man Christ Jesus breathing His own air, treadinjf ^hVhv-^^^'\^'^' supported by substances to w hich Himself gave being, and the CYeator of the very men whom He came to save. But th« most vivid commentary on this entire verse r^V- oe got by tracing in his matchless his- n?i \>,?"'? ^^ whom It speaks walking amidst ^\U^^ ^^T^."u*s. of,nature. the disea.ses of men and death itself, the secrets of the hu- nf /v,^.^'i^•l^.^*^ "the rulers of the darkness ot thi.s world in ali their number, subtietr ana malignity, not only with absolute easo as their conscious Lord, but, as we mieht Christ purgeth the temple. JOHN, III. Ee teacheth NicoJemtis. 2 And both Jesus was called, and his dis- ciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no irine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, " Woman, * what have I to do with theel "mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six water-pots of stone, <* after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three liikins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them. Fill the water- pots with water. And they Med them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the * water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, (but the servants which drew the water knew,) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him. Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in/Cana of Galilee, «'and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. 12 IT After this he went down to Caper- naum, he, and his mother, and f^ his brethren,' and his disciples: and they con- tinued there not many days. 13 ^ And » the Jews' passover was at hand ; and Jesus went up to Jenisaleni, 14 And J" found m the temple those thai sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge ol small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen ; and poured out the changers' money, and over- threw the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; *make not my father's house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it Wi\s written, * The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. 18 H Then answered the Jews and said unto him. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them. Destroy '" this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake ** of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, "his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesu: had said. 23 H ^iow when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feasi day, many be lieved in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 iiut Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any shoidd testify oimau: for ^he knew what wati in man. W CHAP. 2 ' ch. 19. 126. 2 Sa- le.lO. 2 Sft.l9. 22. Jiccl. 3. 1. ch. 7. 6. d Mark 7. 3. i. Vi. /Josh 19.28. (/ ch. 1. 14. h Alat. 12.4G i Ex. 12 H. Nu. 28. 1(5. Deu. IC. 1, 16. ch. 6. 1. ch. 6. 4. ch. 11. 55. ;• Mat. 21.12. Mar. 11 15. Lu. 19.45. * Ps. 93. 5. 1 Ti. 6. 9, K. I Ps. 69. 9. m JMat.26.61. Mat.27.40. War.U5t<. Marl5.29 n 1 Cor .3.113. 1 Cor.6.19. 2 Cor .6. 16. Col. 2 9. Ueb. 8.2. Lu. 24. 8, 25, 45 JohD 14 26. p 1 Sa. 16. 7. 1 Chr 28.9. Mat. 9. 4. Mark 2. 8. ch. . 64. ch. 16. 30. Acts 1.24 Kov. 2. 2o. 2 Cor. 5,17. Gal. 6. 15. Ei.1,.2 5,10, Tit. 3. 5. Jam. 1. 18, 1 Pet. 1.23, 1 John 3.9 1 Or, from d Alar. 16 16, Acta 2 38. Tit. 3. 5. 1 Pet. 3.21 2 Or, from e Eccl. il. 5. 1 Cor. 2 11. /ch. 6.62. g Pro. 31). 4, ch. 6. 33. ch. 16. 28. Acts 2. 34. 1 Cor. 15. 47. Eph. 4. 9. CHAPTER III. 1 Chriat teacheth A'ieodemus the neeessitv of re- flfneration. 18 Condemnatiim for unl-tlief. '^ The hupthm, witness, and doctrine of John cent' cerning Christ. T'HEllE was a man of the Pharisees, ■*■ named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by nii^ht, and said unto him. Rabbi, we know tliat thou art a teacher come from C4od : for " no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except * God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, ' Except a man be born i again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, <i Except a man be born of water and of the Sjniit, he cannot enter into the kh.gdomof God. G That which is bom of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born 2 again. 8 The * wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou heaiest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it conieth, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the 8liirit. y Mcodemus answered and said unto him, liow/can these things be? lU Jesus answered and said unto him. Art thou a master of Israel, and know est not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen: and ye receive not our witness. 12 If 1 have told you earthly things, and \e beUeve not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you 0/ heavenly things? 13 And "no man hath ascended ny to hea\en, but he that came down Iroin heaven, euen the toon of man which is in heaven. 14 And '' as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son ol man be lifted up; 15 That w hosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For » God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that w hosoever believeth in him should not perish, but ha\e everlasting lite. 17 For 3 God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him ^is not con- demned : but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, 'that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their Seeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth e\i\ hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be ^ reproved. 21 lint he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made mani- fest, that they are wrought m God. 22 ^ Alter these thiui^s came J esus and hia The Incarnation of the Word. soim, T. Bay. with full consciousness on their part, of the presence ot their Maker, whose will to one and all of them was law. And this is He of whom it is added, " the world knew him not!" his own— 'Hi sown property or pos- session)',for the word is in the iiewf 67- gender. It means His own land, city, temple. Mes- sianic rights and possessions, and Ms own— •His own (people):' for now the word is mas- ni'ine. It means the Jews, as the "peculiar people." Both they and their land with all that this included, were "his own," not so much as part of " the world which was ! made by him," but as "the hetr" of the in- ■ heritance, L. 20. 1-1. (See also on M. 22. 1.) received mm not— nafioiiaUv. as God's chosen witnesses, but as many— inaiuiduaZs, of the "disobedient and gainsaying people." gave he power— The word signifies both authority and ability, and both are certainly meant here, to become— Mark these words: Jesus IS the Son of God; He is never said to have BECOME such, the sons— or more simply * sons of God,' in name and in nature, be- lieve on his name— a phrase never used in Scripture of any mere creature, to express the credit given to human testimony, even of prophets or apostles, inasmuch it carries with it the idea of tbusx proper only towards God. In this sense of supreme faith, as due to Hun who " gives those that believe in Himaclf power to become sons of God," it is manifestly used here, which were born- a sonship tlierefore not of mere title and privilege, but of nature, the soul being made conscious of the vital capacities, percep- tions, and emotions of a. child of God, before imknown. not of blood, &c.— not of superior human descent, not of human generation at all," not of man in any manner of way. By this elaborate threefold denial of the human source of this sonship, immense force is given to what follows—'* but of God." Eight royal gift, which Who confers must be abso- lutely divine. For who would not worship Him who can bring him into the family, and evoke within him the very life, of the sons of God? 14. And the Word, fic.—To raise the reader to the altitude of this climax were the 13 foregoing verses tvritten. was made flesh— BECAME MAN, and in man's present frail, mortal condition, denoted by the word "flesh." (Is. 40. 6; 1 Pe. 1. 24.) It is directed probably against the Docetce, who held that Christ was not really but only apparently man; against whom this gentle spirit is vehement in his Epistles, 1 J. 4. 3; 2 J. 7, 10, 11. fLcKE., &c.] Nor could he be too much so, for with the verity of the Incarnation all substantial Christianity vanishes. Eut now, married to our nature, henceforth He is as Personally conscious of all that is strictly human ow of all that is properly divine: and our nature is in His Person redeemed and quickened, ennobled and transfigured, and dwelt—' tabernacled' or ' pitched his tent;' a word peculiar to John, who uses it 4 times, all in the sense of a permanent stay. (Ee. 7. 15 ; 21. .3; 12. 12; 13. 6.) For ever wedded to our ''flesh," He has entered this tabernacle to " go nO more out." The allusion is to that Tabernacle where dwelt the Shechinah (see on M. 23. 38, 301, or manifested "Glory OF THE Lord," and with reference to God's permanent dwelling amongst His people. iLe. 20. 11; Ps. 68. 18; 132. 13, 14; Ez. 37, 27.) This is put almost beyond doubt by what imme- 70 T7ie Testimony of John^ d iately follows. * ' And we beheld His glory.* [LcKE., Mey, De W., which last critic, rising higher than usual, says that thus were perfected all former partial manifestations of God in an essentially Personal and historically Human manifestation] full of grrace and truth — So it should read. "He dwelt among us full of grace and truth;" or, in O. T. phrase, " Mercy and truth," denoting the whole fruit of God's purposes of love towards sinners of mankind, w^hich untd now existed only in promise, and the futfih- ment at length of that promise in Christ : in one great word, the sure mercies of David." (Is. 55. 3 : A. 13. 34; cf. 2 Sa. 23. 5.) In His Person all that Grace and Truth which had been floating so long in shadowy forms, and darting into the souls of the poor and needy its broken beams, took everlasting posses- sion of human flesh and filled it fuU. By this Incarnation of Grace and Truth, the teaching of thousands of years was at once transcended and besgared, and the family of God sprang into Manhood. and we which saw in Him onl: HiS! nly " the carpenter. aUy discerned iCo. 2. glory was "spiritually ( 7-15 ; 2 Co. 3. 18; 4. 4, 6; 5. 16. —the glory of surpassing grace, love, tenderness, wisdom, purity, spirituality; majesty and meekness, richness and poverty, power and weakness, meeting together in unique contrast; ever attracting and at times ra.vishing the "babes" that followed and forsook all for Him. tho glory as of the onlf begotten of the Father- See on L. 1. 35— not fike, but such as ibelongs to),' such as became or was \)efitting the only • begotten of the Father. [Chrysost. in LcKE., Cal., &c. ], according to a weU- known use of the word "as." 15. A Saying of the Baptist Confir- matory OF THIS. After me— in official mani- festation, before me— in rank and dignity. for he was before me— in existence; " His goings forth being from of old, from everlasting." .;Mi, 5. 2.) (Anything lower than this his words cannot mean.) q.d., *My Successor is my Superior, for He was my Predecessor.' Tills enigmatic play upon the different sen- ses of the words "before" and "after "was doubtless employed by the Baptist to arrest attention, and rivet the thought; and the evangelist introduces it just to clinch his own statements. lc-18. Same Subject continued, of Ma fulness— of "grace and truth," resuming the thread of v. 14. grace for grace— i.e., grace upon grace, (as all the best interpreters , in successive communications and larger mea- sures, as each was able to take it in. Observe, the word " truth" is here dropt. Grace being the chosen N. T. word for the whole ful- ness of the new covenant, all that dwells in Christ for men. For, &c.— ' The Law elicits the consciousness of sin and the need of redemption;' it only typifies the reality. The Gospel, on the contrary, actually com- municates reality and power from above, 'of. Eo. 6. 14.) Hence Paul terms the O. T. "shadow," whUe he calls the N. T. "sub- stance." Co. 2. 17. [Olsh.] No man— 'No one,' in the widest sense, hath seen God— by immediate gaze, or direct intuition, in the bosom of the Father— A remarkable expression, here only used, presupposing the Son's coTb* sdous existence distinct from the Father, and expressing His immediate and most endeared The Testimony of John. JOHN, I. First Gathering of Disciples. access to and absolute arquain tanre '>ri ih Ilirti. He— emphatic; qd., 'he and He only hath declared him,' because He only can. 19-36. The Baptist's TEsTjuvioisiy to Christ. 19. record—' testimony.' the Jews— i.e., the heads of the nation, the members of the Sanhedrim. In this peculiar sense our evangeliot seems always to use the term. 20. confessed, &c.— o.d., ' While many were ready to hail him as tne Christ, he neither gave the slightest ground for such views, nor the least entertainment to them. 21. Elias?— in hi.s own proper person? that prophef?— announced inDeu. 18. 15, &;c., about whom they seem not to have been agreed whether he were the same with the Messiah or no. 25. Why bap- tizest thou, if not, &c.— Thinking he disclaimed any special connection with Messiah's king- dom; they demand his right to gather dis- cijiles by baptism. 26. there standeth— This must have been spoken after the Baptism of Christ, and possibly just after his Tempta- tion, (see on v. 29.) 28. Eethabara— rather 'Bethany.' (with nearly all the best and most ancient M.S.S.); not the Bethany of Lazarus, but another of the same name, and distin- guished from it as lying " beyond Jordan," on the E. 29. seeth Jesus — fresh, probably, from the scene of the temptation, coming to him— as to congenial company, (A. 4. 23,) and to receive from him His first greeting, and saitU — catching a sublime inspiration at the sight of Him approaching, the Lamb of God— the one God-ordained, God-gifted sacrificial offering, that taketh away— talcift. up and taketh auay. The word signifies both, as does the corresponding Hebrew word. Ap- plied to sin. it means to he chargeable vMh the guiU of it, (Ex. 28. 38; Le. 5. 1; Ez. 18. 20,) and to hear it avay (as often.) In the Levitical victims both ideas met, as they do in Christ. Uie people's guilt being viewed as transferred to them, avenged in their death, and so home away by them. (Le. 4. 15; 16. 15, 21, 22; and cf. Is. 53. 6-12; 2 Cor. 5. 21.) the sin— The sin- gular number being used to mark the collec- live burden and all-embracing efficacy, of the world— not of Israel only, for whom the typi- cal victims were exclusively offered. Wher- ever there shall live a sinner throughout the wide world, sinking under that burden too heavy for him to bear, he shall find in this "Lamb of God," a shoulder equal to the ■weight. Tlie riJit note was struck at the first— balm, doubtless, to Christ's own spirit; nor was ever after, or ever will be, a more glorious utterat^ce. 31-34. knew him not- Living mostly apart, the one at Nazareth, the other in the Judean desert— to prevent all appearance of collusion, John only knew that at a definite time after liis own call, his Master would show himself. As He drew near for baptism one day, the last of all the crowd, the .spirit of the Baptist heaving under a divine presentiment thatthe moment had at length arrived, and an air of unwonted sere- nity and dignity, not without traits, proba- cy, of the family fe.itures, appearing in this Stranger, the Spirit said to him as to Samuel of his youthful type, *' Arise, anoint Him, for this is He!" (1 ba. 16. 12.) But the sign which he was told to expect was the visible descent of the Spirit upon Him as He emerged out of the ba)>tisnial water. Then, catching up the voice from heaven, "he saw and bare record that this is the Son of God." 35, 36. John •tood— ' was standing,' at his accustomed . 70* place, locking—' having fixed his eyes,' with significant gaze, on Jesus, as he walked— but not now to him. To have done this once. (see on v. 29), was humility enough. [Beng.J Behold, <S:c.— The rejietition of that wonder- ful proclamation, m identical terms and without another word, could only have been meant as a gentle hint to go after Him— aa they did. 37-51. First Gathering of Disciples- John, Anpreav, Simon, Philip, Nath- ANAEL. 38. What seek ye T— gentle, winning question, remarkable as the Redeemer's first public utterance. (See on M. 12. 18-20.) Where dwellest thov.'i—q.d., 'That is a ques- tion we cannot an.swer in a moment; but had we thy company for a calm hour in pri- vate, gladly should we open our burden.' S9, Come and see— His second utterance, more winning still, tenth hour— not 10 a.m., (as some) according to Roman, but 4 p.m., ac- cording to Jc%cish reckoning, which J. fol- lows. The hour is mentioned to show why they stayed out the day with him— because little of it remained. 40. One . . . was Andrew —The other was doubtless our evangelist himself. ' His great sensitiveness is touch- ingly shown in his representation of this first contact with the Lord ; the circumstances are present to him in the minutest details; he still remembers the very hour.' But 'he reports no particulars of those discourses of the Lord by w hich he was botmd to Him for the whole of his fife; he allows every thing personal to retire.' [Olsh.] Peter's brother —and the elder of the two. 41. have found the Messias — The previous preparation of their simple hearts, under the Baptist's ministry, made quick work of this blessed conviction, while others hesitated till dqubt settled into obduracy. So it is still. 42. brought him to Jesus— Happy brothers that thus do to each other! beheld him— 'fixed his eyes on him,' with significant gaze (as V. 36.) Cephas . . . stone— See on M. 16. IS.) 43, 44. would go into Galilee— for from His Baptism he had sojourned in Judea (show- ing that the calling at the sea of Galilee ;M. 4. 18.) was a sub,-equent one; (see on L. 5. 1.) follow me— the first express call given, the for- mer three having come to Him spontaneously, the city of Andrew and PI ilip— of their birth probably.for they seem to have lived at Caper- naum. (Mk. 1. 29.) 45, 46. Nathanael— (Seo on M. 10. 3.) Moses— See ch. 6. 46.) son of Joseph- the current way of speaking. (Seo L. 3. 23.) any good out of Nazareth?— remem- bering Bethleliem, perhaps, as Messiah's predicted birth-place, and JSiazareth having no express prophetic place at all, besides being in no repute. Ihe question sprang from mere dread of mistake in a matter so vital. Come and see— Noble remedy against preconceived opinions. [Beng.] Philip, though he could not perhaps solve his diffi- culty, could show him how to get rid of it. (See on ch. 6. 68.) 47, 48. an Israelite indeed. . . no guile— not only no hypocrite, but, with a guileless simplicity not always found even in God's own people, ready to follow wherever truth might lead him, saying, Samuel-like, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.'* Whence knowest me?— conscious that his very heart had been read, and at this critical moment more than ever before. Before Philip called thee— showing He knew all that passed between Philip and him at a distance. Christ's First Miracle. JOHN. IT. First Cleansing of the Temple. when under the fig-tree, <fec.— where retire- at a marriage He v/rousht His first miracle— ment for meditation and prayer was not tiDcommon. [Lft.] Thither, probably — hearing that liis master's Master had at length appeared, and heaving with mingled eagerness to behold Him and dread of de ception— he had retired to pour out his guileless heart for light and guidance, ending with such a prayer as this, "Shew me a token for good!" (See on L. 2. 8 J Now he has it, 'Thou guileless one, that fig-tree scene, with all its heaving anxieties, deep pleadings and tremulous hopes— Isaw it all.' The first words of Jesua had astonished, but this quite overpowered and won him. 49. Son of God . . . King of Israel— the one de- notmg His Person, the other His Office. How much loftier this than anything Philip had said to him! But just as the earth's vital powers, the longer they are frost-bound, take the greater spring when at length set free, so souls, like JSathanael and Thomas (see on ch. 20. 28,) the outgoings of whose faith are hindered for a time, take the start of their more easy-going brethren when loosed and let go. 50. 51. Because I said, &c.—q.d., * So quickly convinced, and on this evidence only?— an expression of admiration. Hereafter, &c.— The key to this great saying is Jacob's vision (Ge. 28. 12, &c.,) to which the allusion plainly is. To show the patri- arch that though alone and friendless on earth his interests were busying all heaven, he was made to see "heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon a" mystic *' ladder reaching from heaven to earth." *By and by," says Jesus here, *ye shall see this communication be- tween heaven and earth thrown wide open, and the Son of Man the real Ladder of this intercourse.' CHAPTER n. ■Ver.1-12. FiKST Mikacle, Water ]\Iade Wine— Brief Visit to Capernaum. 1. third day— He would take two days to reach Galilee, and this was the third, mother there — it being probably some relative's marriage. John never names her. [Beng.] 3. no wine— evidently expecting some display of His glory, and hinting that now was His time. 4, 6. Woman— no term of disrespect in the language of that day. (ch. 19. 26.) what ... to do with thee— g.d., ' In my Father's business I have to do with Him only.' 'Twas a gentle rebuke for officious interference, entering a region from which aU creatures were excluded, (cf. A. 4. 19, 20.) mine hour, &c.— hinting that He would do something, but at his own time; and so she understood it [v. 6.). 6. firkins— about 7? gallons in Jewish, or 9 in Attic measure; each of these huge water-jars, therefore, holding some 2<i or more gallons, for washings at such feasts. (]\Ik. 7, 4.) 7, 8. Fill . . . draw . . . bear, &c. — directing aU, but Himself touching nothing, to pre- vent all appearance of collusion. 9, 10. well drunk- 'drunk abundantly (as Cant. 5. 1), speaking of the general practice, the good till now— thus testifying, while i^orant of the source of supply, not only that it was real Mine, but better than any at the feast. 11. manifested forth his glory— Nothing in the least like this is said of the miracles of pro- phet or apostle, nor could without manifest blasphemy be said of any mere creature. Observe, tl.) At a marriage Clirist madeHis first public appearance in any company, and 70t the noblest sanction that could be given to that God-given institution. (2.) As the miracle did not make had good, but good better, so Christianity onlv redeems, sanctifies and ennobles the beneficent but abused institution of marriage; and Christ's whole work only turns the water of earth into the wine of heaven. Thus " this beginning of miracles" exhibited the character and " ma- nifested forth the glory" of His entire Mission. (3.) As Christ countenanced our seasons of festivity, so also that greater fulness which befits such ; so far was He fi"om encouraging that asceticism which has since been so often put for all religion. (4.) The character and authority ascribed by Romanists to the Virgin is directly in the teeth of this and other scriptures. 12. Canernaum- on the Sea of Galilee. See on M. 9. 1./ his mother and brethren— See onL. 2. 51, and M. 13. 6i-56. 13-25. Christ's First Passover— First Cleansing of the Tejiple. 14-17. in the temple— not the temple itself, as v. 19-21, but the temple-court, sold oxen, &c. — for the convenience of those who had to offer them in sacrifice, changers of money— of Eoman into Jewish money, in which the temple- dues (see on M. 17. 24.) had to be paid, small cords— likely some of the rushes spread for bedding, and when twisted used to tie up the cattle there collected. ' Not by this slender whip but by divine majesty was the ejection accomplished, the whip being but a sign of the scourge of divine anger.^ [Grot.] poured out . . . overthrew, <fcc.— thus expressing the mingled indignation and authority of the impulse, my Father's house —How close the resemblance of these re- markable words to L. 2. 49 ; the same consciousness of intrinsic relation to the Temple— SiS the seat of His Father's most august worship, and so the symbol of aU that is due to Him on earth — dictating both speeches. Only, when but a youth vith no authority. He was simply "a Son in His own house; now He was "a Son over his own house" (He. 3. 6.), the proper flepresentative, and in flesh "the Heir," of his Fathei^s rights, house of merchandise — There was nothing wrong in the merchandise; but to bring it, for their own and others' convenience, into that most sacred place, was a high-handed profanation which the eye of Jesus could not endure, eaten me up — a glorious feature in the predicted character of the suff'er- ing Messiah (Ps. 69. 9.), and rising high even in some not worthy to loose the Tatchet of His shoes. (Ex. 32. 19, «fec.) 18-22. What sign, &c.— Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced; yet they were amxl, and though at His very next appearance at Jeru- salem they "sought to kiU him" for speaking of " His Father " just as He did now (ch. 5. IS,) they, at this early stage, only ask a sign. De- stroy this temple, <fec.— (See on Mk. 14. 58, 69.) 46 years— From the eighteenth year of Herod till then was just forty-six years. [.Joseph. Ant. XV. 11, 1.1 temple of his body— in which was enshrined the glory of the eternal Word. (See on ch. 1. 14.) By its resurrection the true Temple of God upon earth was reared up, of which the stone one was but a shadow; so that the allusion is not quite exclusively to Himself, but takes in that Temple of whicli John's testimonp of Christ. JOHN, IV. Of the tcoman of Samaria. disciples into the land olJudea; and there he tarried with them, *" and baptized. 23 And John also was baptizing in iEnon near to " Salun. because there was much water there : and they came, and were baptized. 24 For "John was not yet cast into prison. 25 II Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, lie that was with thee beyond Jordan, ^to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 27 John answered and said, 'A man can ♦ receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that 1 said, I am not the Christ, but *■ that 1 am Bent before him. 29 He • that hath the bride is the bride- groom: but ' the friend of the bridegioom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. 30 He " must increase, but " I mttst de- crease. 31 He ** that cometh from above ' is above all: " he tliat is of the earth is earthly, and Bpeaketh of the earth: *he that cometh from heaven is above all. 32 And " what he hath seen and heard, that he testitieth ; and no man receive th his testimony. 33 He ttat hath received his testimony hath * set to his seal that God is true. 34 For * he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit <^ by measure unto him. 35 The * Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He / that beiieveth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that beiieveth not the Son shall not see life ; but * the wrath of God abideth on him. CHAPTER IV. I Christ reveaUtk himsdf to a woman of Samaria : 31 his r.eal for God's glory. S'Ji Many Samari- tans believe on him. 43 He heaieth the ruier's son. "WHEN therefore the Lord knew how the '' Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Sa- maria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground "that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus oil the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria tmto him. How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for * the Jews have uo dealings with the Samaritans. n CHAP. 3. m ch. 4. 2. "G«n. 14 18. Gen.saiS. 1 Sa. 9. 4. Mat 14. 3. Lu.3.19,20. P ch. 1. 34. 9 Heb. 6. 4. Jam 1. 17. 4 Or, taUe unto hira- » Mat. 22. 2. 2 Cor. 11.2. Eph. 5. 25. Kev. 21. 9. t Song 5. 1. «* Is. 9. 7. V Phii. S.»,9. «• ch 8. 23. * Mat. 28 18. » ch. 6. 33. Eph. 1. 21. a ch. 15. 15. 6 2 Cor. 1.22. 1 John 6.10. e ch. 7. Iti. « Dan. 7. 14. Hcb. 2. 8. / Hab. 2. 4. Kom 1.17. A. D. 30. I 10 Jesus answered and said unto her. If thou kiiewest "the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thon wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee <* living water. 11 The woman saith unto him. Sir, thoa hast nothing to draw with, and the well ia deep : from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her. Whosoever diinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But * whosoever drinketh of the water that 1 shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him /shall be ill him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The ' woman saith unto him. Sir. give me this water, that I thust not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her. Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I hava no hu.sband. Jesus said unto her. Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands ; and he whom thou now hast is not thy hus- band: in that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, * I per- ceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in < this moun- tain; and ye say, that in > Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her. Woman, believe me.the hour cometh,* when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ' ye know not what: we know what we worship: for "'salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in "■spirit, "and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God * 15 a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spuit and ia truth. 25 The woman saith tmto him, I know that ' Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, •" I that speak unto thee am he. 27 IT And upon this came his disciples, and mai veiled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said. What seekest thou? or. Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31 IT In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying. Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another. Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, • My meat « to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, Theie are yet four months. Josh.24.32. 6 2 Ki. 17.24. Ezra 4. 3. Acts 10.28. c Is. 9. 6. Is. 42. 5. Rom. 8. 32. d Is. 12. 3. Is. 44. 3. Jer. 2. 13. Zech. 13.1. Zech. 14.8. e ch. 6. 35. /ch. 7.38. g Kom. 6 23. 20. h Lu. 7. 16 Lu. 24. 19. ch. 6. 14. ch. 7. 40. t Gen. 12. 6. Judg. 9. 7. ;■ Deu. 12. 6. 2 Clir.7.12. k Mai. 1. 11. 1 Tim. 2.8. I 2 Ki. 17.23. m Is. 2. 3. Lu 24 47. Ro. 9. 4,5. n Phil. 3. 3. Och. 1. 17. P 2 Cor .3.17. 9 Deu. 18.15. Dan. 9 24. r Mar. 14.61. ch. 9. 37. ch. 10. 36. < Job 23. 12. Kight-Tnterview of JOHN. m. NkocUmus with JesuS. He is the foundation and all believers are the Spirit— A twofold explanation of the "nevr "lively stones." (lPe.2.4,5.) believed the Scrip- ttires— on this subject, i.e., what was meant, which was hid from them till then. Mark 1.) the act by which Christ simialised His first pii b- birth." so startling to Nicodemiis. To a Jewish ecclesiastic, sofamUiarwith the S5Tn- bolical application of water, in every variety of way and form of expression, this language lie appearance in the Temple: Taking His was fitted to show that the thing intended fan in His hand. He purges His floor." not i was no other than a thorough spiritualimri- thoroughly indeed, but enough to foreshadow His last act towards that faitliless people— io siveep them out of Gods house. (2.) The sign of His authority to do this is the announce- ment, at this first outset of His ministry, of that comins death by their hands, and resur- rection by His own, which were to pave the way for their judicial ejection. 23-25. in the feast - day— the foregoing things occurring probably before the feast began, mauy be- lieved—superficially, struck merely by "the miracles He did." Of these we have no re- cord, did not commit—' entrust,' or let him- self down familiarly to them, as to His fenuine disciples, knew what was in man— t is impossible for language more clearly to assert of Christ what in Je. 17. 9, 10, and elsewhere, is denied of all mere creatures, CHAPTER III. Ver. 1-21. Kight-Intebview op Nico- DEMUS WITH Jesus. 1. 2. Nicodemus— In this member of the Sanhedrim sincerity and timidity are seen struggling together. , One of those superficial "believers mentioned in ch. 2. 23, 24, yet inwardly craving further satisfaction, he comes to Jesus in quest of it. but comes " by night;" (see ch. 19. 3S. 39; 12. 42;) he avows his conviction that He was "come from God"— a»i expression never ap- plied to a merely human messenger, and pro- bably meaning more here— but only as "a teacher," and in His miracles he sees a proof merely that " God is with him." Thus, while unable to repress his convictions he is afraid of committing him«elf too far. 3. Except. &c. This blunt and curt re)>ly was plainly meant to shake the whole edifice of the man's reli- gion, in order to lay a deeper and more enduring foundation. Nicodemus probably thought he had gone a long way, and ex> pected, perhaps, to be complimented on his candour. Instead of this, he is virtually told that he has raised a question which he is not in a capacity to solve, and that before approaching it, his spiritual vision required to oe rectified by an entire revolution on his inner man. Had the man been les.s sincere, this would certainly have repeDed him; but with persons in his mixed state of mind— to which Jesus was no stranger (ch. 2. 25.'— such methods speed better than more honeyed words and gradual approaches, a man— not a Jew merely; the necessity is a univer.-al one. born again— or, as it were, begin life anew, in relation to God; his manner of thinking, feeling, and acting, with reference to spiritual things, undergoing a fundamen- tal and permanent revolution, cannot see- can have no part in ijust as one is said to "see life." "see death." (fee), the Kingdom of God— whether in its beginnings here (L. 16. 16.) or its consummation hereafter. (M. 25. 34; Eph. 5. 5.) 4. How, &c.— The figure of the new birth, if it had been meant only of Gentile proselytes to the Jewish religion, •would have been intelligible enough to ISficodemus. being quite in keeping ^vith the language of that day; but that Jews them- selves should need a new birth was to him incomprehensible. 5. of water an& of the 71 fication by the operation of the Holy Gh . Indeed, this element of v;aier and operation of the Spirit are brought together in a glori- ous evangelical prediction of Ezekiel (36. 25-27), which Nicodemus might have been reminded of had such spiritualities not been almost lost in the reigning formalism. Al- ready had the symbol of water been embodied in an initiatory ordinance, in the baptism of the Jewish expectants of Messiah by the Bapti-st. not to speak of the baptism of Gen- tile proselytes before that; and in the Chris- tian Church it was soon to become the great visible door of entrance into " the kingdom of God." the reality being the sole tcork of the Holy Ghost. (Ti. 3. 5.) 6-8. That which is bom, &c.— A great universal proposition; 'That which is begotten carries within itself the nature of that which begat it.' [Olsh.] flesh " • ... ly but all comes into the world by birth, the entire man: —Not the mere material body, but all that yet not humanity simply.but in its corrupted, depraved condition, in complete suhjection to the law of the fall. (R. 8. 1-9.) So that though a man " could enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born," he v>'ould be no nearer this " new birth " than before. {Job, 14. 4; Ps. 51. 5.) is spirit— Partafces of and possesses His spiritual nature. Marvel not, &c.— If a spiritual nature only can see and enter the kingdom of God; if all we bring into the world with us be the reverse of spiritual; and if this spirituality be solely of the Holy Ghost, no wonder a new birth is in- dispensable, ye must—' Fe.says Jesus.not we.' [Bexg.] After those universal propositions, about what "a man" must be, to " enter the kingdom of God."— this is remarkable, show- ing that our Lord meant to hold himself forth as " separate from sinners." The wind. &c.— Ereath and spirit, (one word both in Hebrew and Greek), are constantly brought together in Scripture as analogous. (Job, 27. 3; 33. 4; Ez. 37. 9-14.) canst not tell, <fec.— The laws ,which govern the motion of the winds are 'even yet but partially discovered; but the ris- ings, fallings, and change in direction many times in a day. of those gentle breezes here re- ferred to will probably ever be a mystery to us: So of the operation of the Holy Ghost in the new birth. 9, 10. How, (fee- Though the subject still confounds him, the necessity and possibility of the new birth is no longer the point with him, but the nature of it and how it is brought about. [Lthi>t.J ' From this moment IS icodemussa 2/5 nothing more, but has sunk into a disciple who has found his true teacher. Therefore the Savi- our now graciously advances in his commu- nications of truth, and once more solemnly brings to the mind of this teacher in Israel, now become a learner, his own not guiltless ignorance, that He may then proceed to' utter, out of the fulness of His divine knowledge, such farther testimonies both of earthly and heavenly things as his docile scholar may to his own profit receive.* [Stieb.] master—' teacher. ' Tlie question clearly implies that the doctrine of regenero' tion w so far disclosed in the 0. T. that TheLcweofGod JOHN, in. trnmnhihe World. Kicodnnus was culiiablc in hcing ignorant of it. Kor is it merely as something: that should be exiterienced under the Gospel that the O. T. holds it forth— as many distin- guished critics allege, denying that there was any such thing as regeneration before Christ. For our Lord's proposition is universal, that no fallen man is or can be spiritual witliout a regenerating operation of the Holy Ghost, and the necessity of a spiritual dbedience, under whatever name, in opposition to mere mechanical services, is proclaimed through- out all the O. T. 11-13. We speak that we know, and. . .have seen— i.e., by absolute know- ledge and immediate vision of God, which "the onlv-ljegotten Son in the bosom of the Father" claims as exclusively His own, ch. 1. 18. Tlie "we" and "our" are here used, though Himself only is intended in emphatic contrast, probably, with the opening words of ivicodemus, "Rabbi, v:e know," &c. ye receive not, (fcc. — referring to the class to which Nicodemus belonged, but from which he v. as beginning to be separated in spirit, earthly thing/— such as rreieneration, the gate of entrance to the kingdom of God on earth, and which Nicodemus should have under- stood better, as a truth even of that more earthly economy to which he belonged, heavenly things— The things of the new and more heavenly evangelical economy, only to be fully understood after the effusion of the Spirit from heaven through the exalted Sa- viour, no man hath ascended. &c.— There is something iiaradoxical in this language— ' No one has gone up but he that came down, even he who is at once both up and down. Doubtless it was intended to startle and con strain his auditor to think that there must be my.sterious elements in His Person. The old Hocinians, to subvert the doctrine of the pre-cxistence of Clnist, seized upon this pas- sage as teaching that the man Jesus was secretly caught up to heaven to receive his instructions, and then "came down from heaven" to deliver them. But the sense mani- festly is this: 'The perfect knowledge of God is not obtained by any man's going up from earth to heaven to receive it,— no man hath so ascended— butHe \\ho?,e properhahitation, in his e.ssential and eternal nature, is heaven. Lath, by taking human flesh, descended as " the Son of Man" to disclose the Father* whom He knows by unmediate gaze alike in the flesh as before He assumed it, being essen- tially and unchangeably "in the bosom of the Father," ' (eh. 1. 18.) 14-16. And as Moses. itc. — Here now we have the "heavenly things," as before the " earthly," but under a veil, for the reason mentioned in v. 12. The crucifixion of Messiah is twice after this veUed under the same lively tenn— " u/jlift- ing," ch. 8. 28; 12. 32, 33. Here it is still far- ther veiled— though to us who know what it means, rendered vastly more instructive— by relerence to the brazen serpent. The venom of the fiery serpents, shooting through the veins of the rebeUious Israehtes, was spread- ing death through the camp — lively emblem of the perishing condition of men by reason of sin. In both cases the remedy was divinely provided. In both the way of cure strildngly resembled that of the disease. Stung l)y serpents, by a serpent they are healed. By "fiery serpents" bitten— serpents, probably, with skin spotted fiery-red [Kurtz,}— the instrument of cure is a serpent of brass or 7V copper, having at a distance the same appear- nnce. So in redemption, as by man came death, by Man also comes life— Man too, " in the likeness of sinfal flesh," differing in no- thing outicardand apparent from those who, pervaded by the poison of the seipent, were ready to perish. But as the iiplifted ser- pent had none of the venom of which the seri^ent-bitten people were dying, so while the whole human family were perishing of the deadly wound inflicted on it by the old serpent, " the Second Man," who arose over humanity with healing in his wings was without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. In both cases the remedy is conspicuoiisly displayed; in the one case on a pole, in the other on the cross, to " draw all men unto Him" (ch. 12. 32.). In both cases, it is by dii-ecting tlie eye to the uplifted Remedy that the cure is effected; in the one case the bodily eye, in the other the gaze of the .soul by "believing in Him," as in that glorious ancient proclamation— " ioofc unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth," &c. Is. 45. 22.) Both methods are stumbling to human reason. What, to any thinking Is- raelite, could seem more unlikely than that a deadly poison should be dried up in his body by simply looking on a reptile of brass? Such a stumbling-block to the Jews and to the Greeks foolishness was faith in the crucified Nazarene, as a way of deliverance from eternal perdition. Yet was the war- rant in both cases to expect a cure equally rational and well-grounded. As the serpent was God's ordinance for the cure of every bitten Israelite, so is Christ for the salvation of every perishing sinner— the one however a purely arbitrary ordinance, the other divinely adapted to man's complicated mal- adies. In both cases the efficacy is the same. As one sinii)le look at the serpent, however distant and however weak, brought an instantaneous cure, even so, real faith in the Lord Jesus, however tremulous, however distant — be it but reed faith — brings certain and instant healing to the perishing soul. In a word, the consequen- ces of disobedience are the same in both. Doubtless many bitten Israelites, galling as their case was, would reason rather than obey, would speculate on the absur- dity of expecting the bite of a Living ser- pent to be cured by looking at a piece of dead metal in the shape of one — speculate thus till they died. Alas ! is not salvation by a crucified Redeemer subjected to like treatment? Has "theoftence of the cross" yet ceased? (cf. 2 Ki. 6. 12.) For God so loved, <tc.— What proclamation of the Gos- j pel has been so oft on the lips of mis- sionaries and preachers in every age since it was first uttered? what has sent such thrilling sensations through millions of man- kind? what has been honoured to bring such multitudes to the feet of Christ ? what to i kindle in the cold and selfish breasts of mor- I ta!s the fires of self-sacrificing love to man- I kind, as these words of transparent simi)li- city, yet overpowering majesty? The picture embraces several distinct compartments : "The World"— in its widest sense— rmdy I to "perish;" the immense "Love of Goi>" \to that verishing world, measurable only, and conceivable only, by the gift which it diew forth from Him; the Gift itself— ♦' He 50 loved the world that He gave Jli» Covrrrmnnfwn for Unhclief. JOTTN, m. John's Teatmonyto Christ. only begotten Son," or, in the language ol Paul, "spared vot His o\vn i^on," (K. 8. 32,; or in that addressed to Abraham when ready to offer Isaac on the altar. "v:ith- held not His Son, His only Son, whom he loved;" (Ge. 22. 16,) the Fruit of this stupendous gift— not only daJiixrance from impending "perdition," but the bestowal of everlasting life; and the mode in which all takes eflect — by "believing" on the Son. How would Nicodemus's narrow Ju- daism become invisible in the blaze of this Sun of righteousness seen rising on "the world" with healing in his wings! 17-21. not to condemn, (fcc— a statement of vast importance. Though " condemnation" is to many the issue of Christ's mission, (v. 19,) it is not the object of His mis- sion, which is purely a saving one. is not condemned— Having, immediately on his believing, "passed from death unto life," ch. 5. 24. condemned already— Eejecting the one way of deliverance from that " condem- nation which God gave His Son to remove, and so wilfully nmaining condemned, this is the condemnatiou, &c.— Emphatically so, revealinqthe condemnation already existing, and sealing ^ip under it those who will not be delivered from it. light is come into the world— in the Person of Him to whom Nico- demus was listening, loved darkness, &c.— This can only be known by the deliberate rejection of Christ, but that does fearfully reveal it. reproved— by detection, doeth truth— whose only object in life is to be and do what will bear the light. Therefore he loves and " comes to the light," that all he is and does, being thus thoroughly tested, may be seen to have nothing in it but what is divinely wrought and divinely approved. This is the "Israelite, indeed, in whom is no guile." 22-30. Jesus in the Neighbourhood op THE Baptist— His Noble Testimony to His ISIaster. 22-24. land of Judea— The rural parts of that province, the foregoing conver- sation being held in the capital, baptized— in the sense explained in ch. 4. 2. .ffinon... Salim— on the W. of Jordan, (cf. v. 26, with ch. 1. 28. ) John not yet cast into prison— Hence it is plain that our Lord's ministry did not commence with the imprisonment of John, though, but for this, we should have drawn that mierence fi'om M. 4. 12, etc., and JMk. 1. 14. express statement. 25, 26. between some of — rather ' on the part of.' and the Jews— rather, (according to the best M.S.S.,)'and a Jew.' about purifying— -i.e., baptising, the symboli- cal meaning of washing with water, being put (as in ch. 2. 6,) for the act itself. As John and Jesus were the only teachers who bap- tised Jev's, discussions miiht easily arise be- tween the Baptist's disciples and such Jews as declined to submit to that rite. Rabbi, &c.— 'Master, this man teUs us that he to TFhom thou barest such generous witness be it is to point the burdened to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, to tell them there is balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. And shall I grudge to see them, in obedience to the calf, flying as a cloud, and as doves to their windows? Whose is the Bride but the Bridegroom's? Enough for me to be the Bridegroom.'s Friend, sent by him to negociate the match, privileged to bring together the Saviour and those he is come to seek and to save, and rejoicing with joy unspeakable if I may but ' stand and hear the Bridegroom's voice,' witnessing the blessed espousals. Sayye, then, they go from me to Him? Ye bring me glad tidings of great joy. He must increase, but I must de- crease; this, my joy, therefore is fulfilled.' A man can receive.Aic— 'can assume nothing.'i.e., lawfully and with any success; g.d., 'Every man has his work and sphere appointed him from above. Even Clirist himself came under this law, (He. 5. 4.) 31-34. He that, fee- Here is the reason why He must increase while all human teachers must decrease. The Master " cometh from above"— descend- ing from His proper element, the region of those " heavenly things " which He came to reveal, and so, although mingling with men and things on the earth, is not "of the earth," either in Person or Word: The ser- vants, on the contrary, springing of earth, are of the earth, and their testimony, even though divine in authority, partakes neces- sarily of their ow-n earthiness. {So strongly did the Baptist feel this contrast that the last clause just repeats the first.) It is impossible for a sharper line of distinction to be drawn between Christ and all hu- man teachers, even when divinely com- missioned and speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost. And who does not per- ceive it? The words of prophets and apos- tles are undeniable and most precious truth; but in the words of Christ we hear a voice as from the excellent Glory, the Eternal AYord making Himself heard in our own flesh, what he hath seen and heard— See on V. 11, and ch. 1. 18. no man receiveth, etc.— John's disciples had aaid," All come to Him," [V. 26) The Baptist here virtually says, Would it were so, but alas! they are next .to "none." [Beng.J They were far readier to receive himself, and obliged him to say, I am not the Christ, and he seems pained at this, hath set to His seal, &c.— gives glory to God whose words Christ speaks, not as prophets and apostles by a par- tial communication of the spirit to them, for God giveth not the Spiiit by measure— Here again, the sharpest conceivable line of dis- tinction is drawn between Christ and all human inspired teachers: 'Tliey have the Spirit in a limited degree; but God giveth not [to Him] the Spirit by measure.' It means ' the entire fulness of divine life and divine power. The present tense " giveth,' n is requiting thy generosity by very aptly points out the permanent com- the people away to himself. At '■ munication of the Spirit by the Father to yond Jordan drawing all tl . this rate, thou sTialt soon have no disciples the Son, so that a coh.stant flow and re-flow at all.' The reply to this is one of the noblest of living power is to be understood, (cf. 1. and most affecting utterances that ever came 51.1' [Olsh.] 35, 36. The Father loveth, <i:c. from the lips of man. 27-30. A man, fee.—' I —See on M. 11. 27, where we have the " deliv- do niy heaven-prescribed work, and that is ering over of aU things into the hands of the enough lor me. Would you have me mount Son," while here we have the deep spring or into my Master's place? Said I not unto you, that august act in the Father s inettable " love I am not the Chri.st? The Bride is not mine, oj theSon." hatheverlastmg life— already hath why shovdd the people stay with me? Mine it, fcee on v. 18, and ch. 6. 24. shall not sea 7ii Jestis healeth a ruler's son. JOHN, T. and then cometh han-est? behold, I say "nt«„ypu. Lift up your eyes, and look oh the fields; <for they are white ah-eady to han-est. 36 And "he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that soweth aud he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that sajing true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: "other men labom-ed, and ye are entered into their labours. 39 IT And "'many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saving of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So 'when the Samaritans were come nnto him, they besought him that he would taiTy with them: aud he abode there two days. 41 And " many more believed because of his own word ; 42 And said unto the woman. Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for * we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, « the Saviour of the world. 43 H Now after two davs he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 44 For b Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. 45 Then, when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans leceived him, * having seen all the thuigs that he did at Jerusalem at the least; ** for they also went unto the feast. 46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, "where he made the water wine. And there was a certain i nobleman, whose sou was sick at Capernaum, 47 When he heard that Jesus was come outof Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then said Jesus mito him, /Except ye Bee signs and wonders, ye wUl not believe. 49 The nobleman saith mito him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 60 Jesus saith unto him, "Go thy way thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 61 And as he was now going down, his senants met him, aud told him, saying. Thy son liveth. 62 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him. Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 63 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth; and" himself believed, and his whole house. 64 This itf again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea luto Gahlee. CHAPTER V. 1 Jesus, on the lubbatk doy. cureth an impotent niun at tlie fool of JJethesda: 16 The Jews p€r. secute him /or it: 17 he justifieth himself, and asferteth hts power, etc. A FTEU "this there was a feast of the "*■ J e ws ; and J esus went up to J erusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem, * by the Blifctp I market, a pool, wliich is called in 72 A. D. 30. CHAP. 4. t Mat. 9. 37. Luke 10 2. " Dan. 12. 3. V Acts 10.43. 1 Pet. 1.12. tv Gen.49.10. « Gen 32.26. V Is. 42.1. Kom. 15. 8-12. « ch 17. 8. 1 John 4. 14. « 1 John 2.2. 6 Mat. 13 67. Mark 6. 4. Lu. 4. 24. e eh. 2. i3. ch 3. 2. d Deu. 16.ie. e ch. 2. 1, It. 1 Or, courtier, or, ruler. / 1 Cor. 1.22. g Mat. 8. 13. A Acts ll).34. CHAP. 6 a Lev. 23. 2. Dcu. 16. 1. ch. 2. 13. 6 Neh. 3. 1. Neh. 12.39. 1 Or. gate. 2 That is. House of c Heb. i. 13. d Pa. 72. 13. Ps. il3 5,6. e Mat. 9. 6. iUrkS. 11. Lu. 5. 24. f ch. 9. 14. y Ex. 20. 10. Neh. 13 19. Jer. 17. 21. Mat. 12. 2. Mark 2. 24. Mark 3. 4. Lu. B 2. /( P». 103. 2. i Mat. 12. 45. ch. 8 11. j ch. 9. 4. ch. 14. 10. * ch. 7. 19. I Zech. 13. 7. ch. 10. 30. PhU. 2. 6. m ch. 8. 28. ch. ». 4. ch. 12. 49. ch. 14. rx 2Pet.!.17. Lu. 7. 14. Lu. 8 M. ch. 11. 25, 43. P Mat. 11.27. ch. 3. 35. ch. 17. 2. Acta 17.31. 1 Pet 4.5. 9 Blat, 28.19. 1 Johu 2. 23. lUr. 6. 8. ffe healeth a man at Bethesda. the Hebrew tongue 2 Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impo- tent folk, of bluid, halt, withered, wailing for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season uito the pool, and trouViled the water : whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and "knew that he had been now a long time in tluit case, he saith unto him, <iWilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him. Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while 1 am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, * Kise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on /the same day was the sabbath. 10 % The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured; It is the sabbath duv: *it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me. Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee. Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was; for Jesus had conveyed himself away, 3 a multitude being in that place. 14 Aiterward Jesus findeth him ''in the temple, and said unto him. Behold, thou art made whole: * sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jewj that it was Jesus which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecut* Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 IT But Jesus answered them, J My Fa« ther w-orketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Thpi-efoie the Jews* sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his F.ither, 'making himself equal with God. I'J C Then answered Jesus and said unto them. Vt;rily, verily, 1 say unto you, "'The Sou can do nothing of himsell, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For " the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may raanel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth thtm ; "even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath P committed all judgment unto the Son; 23 That all men should ? honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honom'eth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto yon. He that heareth my word, aud beUeveih on him that sent lae, hath cveiiastiiiii lile, and shall JOHN, IV. Woman of Samaria. ChrUt taTkdh vMh a life— The contrast here is strikins: The one <tc.l, and the thankfulness of the Samaritan has already a life that will endure for ever— leper. (L. 17. 16, 18 . If thou knewest, (fee— the other not only has it not now, but shall q.d., 'In me thou seest only a petitioner to never have it— never see it. abideth on him thee; but if thou knewest Who that PetL- — It was on Ilini before, and not beins re- tioner is, and the Gift that God is siving to moved in the only possible way, by "believ- men, thoi; wouldst have changed places with ing on the iSon," it necessarily remoineth on Him, glady suing of Him living water— nor him! N.B. How flatly does this contradict shouldst thou have sued in vain,' (gently the teaching of many in our day, that there reflecting on her for not immediately meet- neither was, nor is, any thing in God against ing his request.) Art thou greater, (fee— al- sinners which needed to be removed by ready perceiving in this Stranger a claim to Christ, but only in men against God. ; some mysterious greatness, cur father Jacob CHAPTER IV. I -for when it went well with the Jews they Ver. 1-42. Christ and the Woman of claimed kindred with them, as being de- Samaria— The Samaritans of Sychar. scended from Joseph, but when misfortunes 1-4. the Lord knew— not by report but in the befel the Jews they disowned all connexion sense of ch. 2. 2.5, for which reason He is here with them. [Joseph, ix. 14. 3.] 13, 14. styled " the Lord." Jesus baptized not— John thirst again ... never thirst, (fee— The con- being a servant baptized witn his own hand: trast here is fundamental and all-compre- Christ as the Master, "baptizing with the hen.sive. "This water" plainly means 'thi.s Holy Ghost," administered the outward natural water and all satisfactions of a like symbol only throut;h His disciples, left earthly and perishaJjle nature.' Coming to Judea— to avoid persecution, which at that us from n-ithout, and reaching only the early stage would have marred his work. s«pe):/jc(a7 parts of our nature, they are soon desarted into Galilee— by which time John spent, and need to be anew .supplied as hail been cast into prison. (Mk. 1. 14.) must much as if we had never experienced them needs go through Samaria — for a geographical before, while the deeper wants of our be- reason, no doubt, as it lay straight in his ing are not reached by them at all; where- way, but certainly not without a higher de- as the "water" that Christ gives— spinfi/aZ sign. 5. Cometh to— i.e., as far as : for He ^?/e— is struck out of the very depths of our remained at .some distance from it. Sychar being, making the soul not a cistern, for —the " Shechem" of the O. T., aboot 34 holding water ponred into it from v:itnoi(t, miles from Jerusalem, aftem ards called but a fountain !tlie word had been better *' Iseapolis," and now " Kablous." 6 - 8. so rendered, to distinguish it from the word wearied ... sat thus — i.e., 'as you might rendered "well" in i;. 11,) springing, gush- fancy a weary man would;' an instance of ing. bubbling up and flowing fortn from the graphic style of S. John. fw. (few] In within us, ever fresh, ever living. The in- fact, this is perhaps the mo%ihuman of ii^ dvelling of the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of the scenes of our Lord's earthly history. We ! Christ is the secret of this life with all its seem to be beside him, overhearing all that enduring energies and satisfactions, as is is here recorded, nor could any painting of expressly said, ,ch. 7. 37-.39.) " Never thirst- the scene on canvass, however perfect, do ! ing," then, means simply that such .souls other than lower the conception which this have the supplies at home, into everlasting exquisite narrative conveys to the devout Life— carrying the thoughts up from the eter- and intelligent reader. But with all that is nal freshness and vitality of these waters to human, how much also of the divine have ; the great ocean in which they have their we here, both blended in one glorious mani- 1 confluence. ' Thither may I arrive!' [Beng.] festation of the majesty, grace, pity, patience 1 15-18. give me this water, i:c.— Tliis is not with which "the Lord ' imparts hght and obtuseness— that is giving way— it expresses life to this unlikeliest of strangers, standing a wondering desire after she scarce knew midway between Jews and heathens, the what from this mysterious Stranger, call sixth hour— noonday, reckoning from 6 a.m. | thy husband— now proceeding to arouse her From Cai t. 1. 7. we know, as from other .slumbering con.science by laying bare the sources, that the very flocks " rested at guilty life she was leading, and by the mi- noon." But Jesus, whose maxim was. " I nute details which that life furnished not must work the works of Him that sent me only bringing her sin vividly up before her, while it is day," (ch. 9. 4, seems to have de-,but preparing her to receive in His true nied himself that repose, at least on this character that wonderful Stranger to whom occasion, probably that He might reach this her whole life, in its minutest particulars, well when He knew the woman w^ould be evidently lay open. 19, 20. Sir, I perceive, there Once there, however. He accepts the (fee— seeing herself all revealed, does she grateful ease of a seat on the patriarchal now break down and ask what hopes there stone. But what music is that which 1 hear might be for one so guilty? Nay, her con- from His lips, " Come unto Me all ye that victions have not reached that point yet. labour and are heavy laden and I will give She ingeniously shifts the subject from a yon rest?" (M. 11. 28.) Give me to drink— for personal to a public question. It is not, the heat of a noon-day sun had parched His 'Alas, what a wicked life am I leading!' but lips. But "in the last, that great day of the ' Lo, what a wonderful prophet I got into feast, ' Jesus stood and cried, saying. If any conver.«ation with: He will be able to settle man thirst let him con e unto me and that interminable dispute between us and drxnk." ch. 7. 37.: 9-12. How is it that thou the Jews; Sir, you must know all about such —not altogether refusing, yet wondering at matters— our fathers hold to this mountain so unusual a request from a Jew, as his here,' pointing to Gerizim in Samaria ' as dress and dialect would at once discover the divinely consecrated place of worship, him to be, to a Samaritan. For, (fee— It is but ye Jews say that Jeriisalem is the proper this national antipathy that gives point to place— which of us is ri^ht?' How slowly the parable of the good SamaritaaUi..^" "" i^.,-» *v,-. i — ,„_ i- — >. — i — .i. ^- ..r 1 72 10. 30, ' does the human heart subuiit to thorough Ciirtd d^chtnth. his zeal JOHX. IV. for God's glory.' humiliation I compare tlie prodioal; see on than plainly f(7//)!(7 them He was the Christ. L. 15. In.' Doubtless our Lord siw through Liit what would liot have been safe among the fetch: but does He say. 'Tliat ques- them was safe enough with her, whose ft-i'/n- tion is not the point just now, but H;ive you j'lirify at this stage of the conversation ap- Leen living in the way described, yea or i;>ears from the sequel to have become pei-- nay? Till this is di'^posed of I cannot be led. "What now will the woman say? \Ve di-awn into theological controversies?' Tlie listen, the scene has changed, a new party Prince of preachers takes another method: arrives, the disciples have been to Sychar, He humours the poor woman, letting her at some distance, to buy bread, and on t.ake her own way. allowing her to lead while their return are astonished at the corn- He follows— but thus only the more etfectu- pany their Lord has been holdin;: in their ally gaining his object. He answers her absence. 27. marvelled that he talked with question, pours light into her mind on the the woman— It never probably occurred to svirituaUtii of all true worship, as of its them to marvel that he talked with them- clorious Object, and so brings ner insensi- .^dves; j-et in His eye, as the sequel shows, i)lv to the i>oint at which He could disclose He was qi;ite as nobly emploved. How to" her wondering mind "Whom she was all poor, if not false, are many of our most the while speaking to. 21-24. Woman, <.tc.— ; plausible estimates! none said. What?. ..Wliyl Here are three weighty pieces of informa awed by the spectacle, and thinking there tion: (1. "Tlie point raised will very soon must be something imder it. 28-30. left her cease to be of any moment, for a total change water-pot — How exquisitely natural ! Tho of dispensjition is about to come over the presence of strangers made her feel that it Church.' (2.) 'The Samaritans are wrong, was time for her to withdraw, and He who not only as to the i>lace, but the whole knew what was in her heart, and what .she nwunds and natiire of their worship, while was going to the city to do, let her go without in all these respects the truth lies with the exchanging a word with her in the hearing Jews.' ^3.) 'As God is a Spirit, so He both ; of others. Tlieir interview was too sacred, invitex and demands a spiritual icors/Hji>, i and the effect on the woman too overpower- nnd alreatlj' all is in preparation for a spi- '\ ing not to speak of His own deep emotion,) ritual economii, more in narmony with tlie to allow of its being continued. But this true nature of acceptable service than the I one artless touch— that she "left her water- ceremonial worship by consecrated persons, ! pot"— speaks volumes. The li^-ing water was l^iaces and times, which God for a time has I already beginning to spring up within her; seen meet to keep up till fulness of the time I she found that man doth not live by bread shoidd come.' neither in this mountain nor at Jerusalem— I.e.. exdu^ive'u. Mai. l. ll; l Ti. 2. S worship the F.ither- She had talked simply of "worship;" our Lord brings up before her the great Object of all acceptable nor by wat,er only, and that there was a water of wondrous virtue that raised people above meat and drink, and the vessels that held them, and all human things. In short, she was tran.'sported, forgot every thing bu' one; worship —" THE F.vTiiEK." Ye worship ye 1 and her heart running over with the tale she know not what— without any rcreakd a idho- 1 had to tell, she hastens home and pours it out. rity, and so very ] ch in the dark. In this ] Is not this the Christ:— The /orm of the ques- sense. the Jews k)un' vhat theii irere about, tion in the Greek is a distant, modest way of But the most glorious thing here is the rea- only half insinuating what it seemed hardly son assigned: " For salvation' is of the fitting for her to a^inn; nor does she refer to Jews," intimating to her that Sah-ation was I what He said of Himself, but solely to His not a thing left to be reached by any one I disclosure to her of the particulars of her who might vaguely desire it of a God of j own life, they went out, Arc— How different mercy, but somethins that had been rfrfn?<(f, I from the Jews I and richly was their open- prc pa red, deposited icith a 2>(irticidar veoph,' ne^s to conviction rewarded. 31-38. mean- aud must be sought in connexion iritn, and time— i.e. wliile the woman wa^ away. Master, a.'t issuing from tJiem: and that people "the eat—F(iti(7ue and f/nr^f we saw He felt; here Jews." ioiu: cometh and now is— evidently is revealed another of our common inflrmi- meaning her to understand that this new ties to which the Lord was subject— /iioij/fr. economv was in some sense being set up meat ye know not of— What spirituality of while He was talking to her, a sense which mind! 'Ih.are been eating all this while, and would in a few He told her p] 26. I know Messias cometh . . . when He is been brought him in our absence? He knows come, &c.— K we take our Lord's immediate what they are Si\j-ing, though He hears it not. disclosure of Himself, in answer to this, as My meat is, itc— 'A Servant here to fulfil the proper kev to its meaning to His ear, we a prescribed work, to do and to.tini.<h that is can hanilj' doiibt that the woman was already "meat" to Me; and of this, while yon were all but preixired tor even this startlina an- awa.v, I have had my fill.' And of what does nouncayient, which indeed she seems from He speak thus? Of the condescension, pity. f. -20. to have already begim to suspect by patience, wisdom He had been laying out his revealing her to nerself. Thus quickly, upon one soul,— a, very humble woman, and under so matchless a Teacher, was she in some respects repiilsive tool But he had bnni-ht up from her sunken condition to a gained her, and through her was going to frame of mind and heart capable of the gain more, and lav perhaps the foundations noblest revelations, tell ns all thin^— an of a great work in the country of Samaria: expectation founded probablv on Deut. IS. and this filled His whole soul, and raised 15. I that speak. . . am he— He scarce ever Him above the sense of natural hunger. (M. 4. saidanything like this to His own people, the 4.' yet four months, and then harvest— y.(f.,' In Jews. He h.ad magnified them to the woman, current speech, ve say thus at this season; but end vet to themselves he is to the last far liit up your eyes .and look upon those fields in more reserved than to hei— proving rather, the lii^ht of a noyttr husbandry, for lo! intliat w minuses so far appear, when such food as ye dream not of.* What can that plainly He was the Christ. 25, be? they ask each other; have any supplies JOITN-IT. and TTenldh the CoMrticr's Son-i Christ cfcpartcth into Galilee, ____^ tense, they are even now white to harvest, rare instance of the Lord's ministry product ready for the sickle.' Tlie simple beauty of inj,' an analccninaon a. large scale. [Olsh.J this lan}Aiai;e is only surpassed by the glow abode two days— Two precious days, surely, of holy emotion in the Redeemer's own soul to the Redeemer Himself ! Unsought, lie ■which it expresses. It refers to the Hi>eness had come to His own, yel His own received of these Sycnarites for accession to Him, and Him not; now those who were not His cwu the joy of this great Lord of the reapers over had come to Him, been won by Him, and the anticipated ingathering. O. could we but invited Him to their town that others might so " lift up our eyes and look" upon many share with them in the benefit of His won- fields abroad and at home, which to dull derful ministry. Here, then, would He sense appear unpromising, as He beheld those solace His already wounded spirit, and have of Samaria, what movements, as yet scarce in this outfield village-triumph of His grace in embryo, and accessions to Christ, as yet a sublime foretaste of the inbringing of the seemingly far distant, might we not discern whole Gentile world into the Church, as quite near at hand, and thus, amidst diffi- i 43—54. Second Galilean JVIiracle, culties and discouragements too much for Healing of the Courtier's Son. 43. 44. nature to sustain, be cheered— rts aiir Lord After two days— //<. 'the two days' of His Himself was in circumstances far more over- stay at Sychar. For Jesus testified, (fee- Thia whelming— with "songs in the night!" he verse has occ;isioned much discussion. For thatreapeth, &c.— As our Lord could not mean it seems strange, if " His own coimtry," here that the reaper only, and not the sower, re- means Nazareth, which was in Galilee, that ceived " wages," in the sense of perso7iai re- it should be said He came to Galilee because ward for his work, the " wages" nere can be in one of its towns He expected no good no other than the joy of having such a harvest reception. But all will be simple and natu- to gather in— the. loy of "gatherinjc fruit unto ral if we fill up the statement thus: 'He life eternal." rejoice together— The blessed went into the region of Galilee, but not, as issue of the whole ingathering is the interest might have been expected, to that part of it alike of the sower as of the reaper; it is no called " His own country " Nazareth, (see more the fruit of the la.st operation than of Mk. 6. 4- L. 4. 24,) /or He acted on the maxim the first; and .just as there can be no reaping , which He oft repeated, that a prophet,' <!cc. without previous sowing, .so have tho.^e ser- , 45. received— 'welcomed' him. having seen vants of Christ, to whom is assigned the j ... at the feast— proud, perhaps, of their Eleasant task of merely reaping the spiritual Countrj-man's wonderful works at Jerusa- arvest. no work to do, and no joy to taste, lem, and possibly won by this circumstance that has not been prepared to their hand by to regard His claims as at least worthy of the toilsome and often thankless work of respectful investigation. Even this our Lord theirpredecessorsinthefield. The jou, there- did not despise, for .saving conversion often fore, of the great harvest Jestivity ivill be the begins in less than this soZaccheus, L. 19. a, common jay oj all v.iho have taken any part in (fcc. . for they also went— i.e., it was their the u-ork from the Jirst operation to the last, practice to go up to the least. 46, 47. noble- (See Deu. 16. ll, 14; Ps. 126. 6; Is. 9. 3.) What man— courtier. King's servant, or one con- encouragement is here for those " fishers of nected with a royal household ; such as men "who "have toiled all the night "of their Chuza L. 8. 3,' or Manaen (A. 13. l.\ heard official life and. to human appearance, " and that Jesus was come out of Judea— ' where he have taken nothing!" I sent you, &C.— The /is had doubtless seen or heard what things emphatic,— I, the Lord of the whole harvest: ' Jesus had done at Jerusalem {v. 45.i. [Beng.] " sent you," points to their i>a.-i app'ointment come down— for Capernaum was down on the to the apostleship, though it has reference N. W. shore of the sea ot Galilee. 48-54. only to their /M^jtre discharge of it, for they . Except ye see signs, &c.—Hedkl believe, both had notliing to do with the present ingather- ' as His coming and His urgent entreaty .show; ing of the Sycharites. ye bestowed no labour ! but how imperfectly we shall see; and our —meaning that much of their future success Lord would deepen His faith by such a would ari.se from the preparation already \ blunt and seemingly rough answer as He made for them. See on v. 42. others laboured made to Nicodemus. Come down ere my —referring to the O. T. labourers, the Bap- ' child die— '\Vh le we talk, the case is at its list, and by implication Himself, thou.:h j cri-sis, and if thou come not instantly, all is He studiously keeps this in the background, | over.' lliis was faith, but partial, and our that the line of distinction between HiTtiselfl'LoTd would perfect it. The man cannot and all his servants might not be lod .fight of. believe the cure could be wTought without •Christ represents Himself as the Husband- the Physician coming to the patient— the man [rather the Lord of the labourers] who thought of such a thing evidently never has the direction both of the sowing and of occurred to him. ButJesus will in a moment the harvest, who commissions all the agents bring him up to this. Gb thy way; thy soul liveth —those of the 0. T. as well as of the New— [ —Both effects in.stantaneously followed :— and therefore does not stand on a level with " the man believed the word," and the cure, either the sowers or the reapers.' FOlsh.] shooting quicker than lightning from Cana 39-42. many believed, kc— llie truth of v. to Capernaum, was felt by the dying youth. 35 begins to appear. These Samaritans were In token of faith, the father takes his leave the foundation of the Church afterwards of Christ— in the circumstances this evi- built up there. No miracle appears to have denced full faith. The servants hasten to been brought there [but unparalleled super- convey the joyful tidings to the anxious natural knowledge displayed : ] " ice have parent, whose faith now only wants one heard him ourtthes" sufficed to raise their confirmation, "ir/ie/i began he to amend?" faith to a point never attained by the Jews, "Yestciday, at the seventh hour, the fe- and hardly as yet by the disciples— that He ver left him"— the very hour in which ■was "the Saviour of the world." [Alf.] was uttered that great word, "Thy Son "iTiis iucideut is farther remarkable as a [liveth!" bo " himself believed and his whole Clirist declares himself to the Jews. JOHN, VI. Christ feeds Jive thousand. not come into condemnation ; •■ but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verilj, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when ' the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they th:it hear shall live. 20 For as the Father hath life in himself, 80 hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And « hath given him authority to exe- cute judgment also, "because he is the Son of man. 28 Alai-vel not at this: for the hour is com- ing, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 2!) And "shall come forth; ""they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30 1 can of mine own self do nothing: as 1 hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because '^ I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 31 If " I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me ; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. 33 Ye sent unto J ohn, ^ and he bare wit- ness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and " a shining light: and i>ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36 But ' I have greater witness than that of John: for <* the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, * hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor/ seen his shape, 38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search ^ the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and ''they are they wliich testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 41 I « receive not honour from men. 42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: it another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. 44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, ana seek not J the honour that cometh from God only? 45 Do not think that 1 wili accuse you to the Father: * there is cnie that accuseth you, even I,^ oses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: 'for he wrote of me. 47 But if'" ye believe not his writings, how Bhall ye believe my words? CHAPTER VI. 1 Christ fttdeth five thousand with five loaves and two fishes; 19 he tvalketh cm the sea: TJ the mul- titutle floeking unto him, he reproveth their earnal views, etc. A FTEll " these things Jesus went over ■^ the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him. W CHAP. 6. '•lJohn3.14, » Gal. 2. 21). £ph. 2.1,6. Eph. 6. 14. Col. 2. 13. Rev. 3. 1. t Jer. 10. 10. Acts 10 42. Acta 17.31. « Dan. 7. 13. » 1 Thesi. 4. 16. 1 Cor. 16. 52. W Dan. 12. 2. *Ut.25.32. X JIat. 28.39. ch. 4. 34. ch. 6. 38. V ch. 8. 14. Kov. 3. 14. » ch. 1. 15. a 2 Pet.1.19. b JIat. 13.20. Mat. 21 26. Mark 20. C 1 John 6. 9. d ch. 16. 24. « Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 17. 6. eh. 6. 27. ch. 8. 18. 2 Pet. 1.17. 1 John 5.6. f Deu. 4. 12. ch. 1. 18. 1 Ti. 1. 17. 1 John 4. 12. ffla.a. 20. Lu 16. 29. Acts 17.11. ft Deu. 18.15. Lu. 24. 27, 44. { 1 Thes 2.6. j Rom. 2. 29. * Horn. 2. 12. i Gen. 3.15. Gen. 12.3. Gen. 18. 18. Gen. 22. 18. Gen. 49. 10. Deu. 18. 15. Acta 26. 22. m Lu. 16.29, CHAP. 6. a Mat. 14.15. Mark 6 35. Lu. 9. II). 6 L6V.23.6,7. Nu. 28. 16. Deu. 16. 1. ch. 2. 13. ch. 6. 1. e Mat. 14.14. Mark 6. 35. Lu. 9. 12. d Nu. 11. 21, 22. • 2 Ki. 4. 43. / Ex. 23. ■-'5. ' Ti. 4. 6. g Gen. 49.10. Deu. 18.15, 18. Is. 7. 14. la. 9. 6. la. 35. 6. Mat. n. 3. ch.l. 21. ch. 4. 19,25. ch. 7. 40. A Mat. 14.23. Mark U.47. because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were disea.sed. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And * the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When "Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 (And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.) 7 Philip answered him, <i Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon. Peter's brother, saitli unto him, '' 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: * but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus said. Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had /given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples. Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost, 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14 H Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said. This is of a truth *'that prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. 16 IT And '^ when even was now come, hia disciples went down unto the sea, 17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 18 And the sea arose, by reason of a great wind that blew. It) So when they had rowed about five and twenty or tliuty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But he saith unto them. It is I; be not afraid. 21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. 22 IT The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereiuto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with ids disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone ; 23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) 24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not tutre, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. 25 And when they had found him on the Jesus healeth a man at Bethesdat JOHN. V. en tJie Sahhaih day. house." He had believed before this, first veiy imperfectly; then with assured confi- dence of Christ's word; but now with a faith cro^Tied by " sight." And the wave rolled from the head to the members of his house- hold. "To-day is salvation come to this liouse iL. 19. 9,i; and no mean house this ! second miracle Jesiis did— i.e., in (.'ana; done "after he came out of Judea," as the former before. CHAPTER V. Ver. 1-47. The IiMPotent Man Healed —Discourse occasioned by the perse- cution ARISING THEREUPON. 1. a fcast Of the Jews— TF/ia^ fyad? No question has more divided the Harmonists of the Gospels, and the duration of our Lord's ministry may be said to hinge on it. For if, as the ; to find His patient, and the whole pre- history of His case ich. i'. 25.!. Wilt thou where to find Hi? vious history of His case ich. i'. 25.!. Wilt thou be made whole? Could any one doubt that a sick man would like to be made whole, or that the patients came thither, and this man had returned again and again, just in hope of a cure? But our Lord asked the (luestion. l.j To fasten attention upon Himself; i2.) By making him detail his case, to deepen in him the feeling of entire helplessness; (3.) By so singular a question, to beget in his desponding heart the hope of a cure. (cf. Mk. 10. 51.) Sir, I have no man, <tc.— Instead of snyivg he wished to be cured, hejust tells with piteous simplicity how fruitless had been all his efforts to obtain it, and how Itclpless and all but hovekss he was. Yet not quite. For here he is at the pool, waiting on. majority have thought (until of late years) It seemed of no use; nay, only tant:il'zing it was a Pa-ssowr, His ministry lasted three- ""■•■"•' ^ • ...... and-a-half years; if not, probably a year Those who are dissatisfied with the Pass- over-view all differ among themselves what other feast it was, and some of the most acute think there are no grounds for deciding. In our .judgment the evidence is in favour of its being a Pasaover, but the veasons can- not be stated here. 2, 3. sheep [market J— The supplement should be (as in marg.} •sheep [gate],' mentioned Ne. 3. 1, 32. Beth- esda— i.e., 'house place) of mercy,' from the cures wrought there, five porches— for shel- ter to the patients, impotent — or infirm. 4. An angel, fcc— This miracle differed in two points from all other miracles recorded in Scripture: 1. It was not one but a .'Jucces- sion of miracles periodically wrought: (•^.] As it was only wroiisht " when the waters were troiibled," so only upon one patient at a time, and that the patient "who first stepped in alter the troubli)ig of the waters." But this only the more undeniably fixed its miraculous character. We have heard of many waters having a medicinal virtue; but what water was ever known to cure instanta- neously a single disease? And who ever heard of any water curing all, even the most diverse diseases— '"blind, halt, withered"— alike ? Above all, who ever heard of such a tiling being done only " at a certain season," and most singularly of all, doing it only to the first person who stepped in after the moving of the waters? Any of these pecu- liarities— mucli more all taken together- must have proclaimed the supernatural character of the cures vrroutiit. (If the text here be genuine, there can be no doubt of the miracle, as there were multitudes living when this gospel was published who, from their own. knowledge of Jerusalem, could have exposed the falsehood of the evangelist, if no such cure had been kno^-n there. The want of V. 4 and part of v. 3, in some good M S S- and the use of some unusual words in the passage, are more easily accounted for than the evidence in their favour if they were not originally in the text. Indeed v. 7 is unintelligible without v. 4. The internal evidence brought against it is merely the un- likelihood of such a miracle— a principle which wUl carry us a .great deal farther if we^Ilow it to weigh against positive evidence.) 5-9. 38 years— but not all that time at the pool. This was probably the most pitiable of all the cases, and therefore selected, saw him lie and knew, &c.— As He doubtless visited the . . . „ _._.. ...^ spot just to perform this cure, so He knows away— or 'slipped out' of the crowd that rs L While I am coming, another steppeth down J3efore me"— the fruit was snatched from his lips. Yet he wiU not go away. He may get no- thing by staying ; he may drop into his grave ere he get into the pool; but by going from the appointed, divine way of healing, he can t'et nothing. Wait therefore he Mill, wait he does, and when Christ comes to heal him, lo ! he is waiting his turn. What an attitude for a sinner at Mercj''s gate ! The man's hopes seen ed low enough ere Clirist came to liim. He might have said, just before "Jesus passed by that way," 'This is nc ' u.se; I'll never get in; let me die at home.' Then all had been lost. But he held mi, and his perseverance was rewarded with a glori- ous cure. Probably some rays of hope darted into his heart as he told his tale before those Eyes whose glance measured his whole case. But the word of command consummates his preparation to receive the cure, and instan- taneously works it. Rise, take up thy bed, (fee— "Immediately" he did .so. He spake and it was done." The slin.dng of his port- able couch over his shoulders was designed to show the perfection of the cure, the same day was the Sabbath— Beyond all doubt this was intentional, as in so many other heal- ings, in order that when opposition arose on this account men mltiht be compelled to lis- ten to His claims and His teaching. 10-16. The Jews— t.e., those in authority. See on ch. 1. 19. It is not lawful to carry thy bed— a glorious testimony to the cure, as instanta- neous and eomplete, from the lips of the most prejudiced ! And what a contrast does it, as all our Lord's miracles, present to the bungling miracles of the Church of Rome!) In ordinary circumstances, the rulers had the law on their side. iNe. 13. 15; Je. 17. -n.) But when the man referred them to "Him that had made him whole" as his authority, the argument was resistless. Yet they in- geniously parried the thrust, asking him, not who had "' made him whole"— that would have condemned themselves and defeated their purpose— but who had bidden him " take up his bed and walk," in other words, who had dared to order a breach of the Sab- bath? 'Tis time we were looking after him —thus hoping to shake the man's faith in his Healer, he that was healed wist not, (fee- That some one, with unparalleled genero- sity, tenderness and power, had done it, the man knew well enough; but as he had never heard of Him before, so He disappeared too quickly for any inquiries, conveyed Himself Christ Dedans JOHN', V. Eimselfto the JevfS. Father, doing is toilUng; it is only the Son wlio ads in Time.' [Alf.] Three thinss here are clear: (1.) The personal distinctions in the Godhead. (2.) Unity of action among the Persons results from unity of nature. [.'>.) Their oneness of interest is no uncon- scious or involuntary thing, but a thins of gloriousco?isc?owsn/'ss, v:ili, and love, of which the Persons themselves are the proper Ob- jects, show hira greater things, &c.— refer- ring to what He goes on to mention, (v. 21-0I,) comprised in two great words. Life and JuDQME.-JT, which Stier beautifully calls God's hcnalia. Yet these Christ says the Father and He do in common. 21-23. raiseth the dead and quickeneth them— one act in two stages. This is His absolute prerogative as God. so the Son quicken- eth— i«., raiseth up and quickeneth. whom He will— not only doing the same divine ad, but doing it as the result of His ovm %cill, even as the Father does it. This statement is of immense importance in relation to the miracles of Christ, distinguishing them from similar miracles of prophets and apostles, who as human, instruments were employ- ed to perform supernatural actions, wlule Christ did all as the Father's commissioned Servant indeed, but inthe exercise ofHisoivn absolute righ t of action. For the Father judg- eth no man, fee— rather, 'For neither doth the Father judge any man,' implying that the same thing was meant in the tormer verse of the "quickening of the dead"— both acts being done, not by the Father aHdthe Son, as though twice done, butbythe Father f/irottsr/i the Son as His voluntary Agent, all judg- ment—judgment in its most comprehensive sense, or as we should say, all cubninistror tion. honoiur the Sou as . . . the Father— As he who believes that Christ in the foregoing verses has given a true account of his rela- tion to the Father must of necessity hold Him entitled to the same honour as the Father, so He here adds that it was the Father's express intention in making over all judgment to the Son, that men should thus honour Him. hououreth not the Fa- ther, (fcc- does not do it in fact, whatever he may imagine, and will be held as not doing it by the Father Himself, who will accept no homage which is not accorded to His own Son. 24. believeth on him that sent me— i.e., believeth in him as having sent Me. q.d., I have spoken of the Son's right not only to heal the sick but to raise from the dead, and quicken whom He will : And now I say unto you, That life giving operation has alreadti passed upon all who receive my words as the Sent of the Father on the great errand of mercy, hath everlasting life— imme- diately on his believing, cf. ch. 3. 18; 1 J. 6. 12. 1.3.) is passed— 'hath passed over' " from death unto life." "What a transition! cf. 1 J. 3. 14. 25-29. the hour cometh— in its whole fulness, at Pentecost, and now is— in its beginnings, the dead — the spiritually dead, as is clear from v. 28. Here He rises from the calmer phrase "hearing his word" 11;. 24,1 to the grander expression, "hearing the voice oftJie Son of God, to signify that as it finds men in a dead condition, so it carries 18) whose interests are one; even as their I with it & resurrection-poicer. shall live— in nature, that the Father communicates to the sense of v. 24. given to the Sou, &c.^ tlie Son all His counsels, and what has been Does this refer to the essential life of the thus shown to the Son is by Him executed, Son before all time icli. I. 4, [as most of the iu Hia mediatorial character. 'With the iFatliers.andOujH.,!SiiEB..AiJr.,&c., among 7^* bad gathered to avoid both hasty popularity and precipitate hatred. (M. 12. l4-l'j.) find- ethhim iuthe temple— saying, perhaps,"! will go into thy house with burnt-ofterings, I will pay my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble." Ps. 6(5. 1.3, 14.! Jesus, there Him- self for His own ends, " findeth him there"— not all acciderdaJly, be assured. Sin no more, &c.— a glimpse this of the reckless life he had probably led before his thirty-eight years' infirmity had come upon him, and which not improbably had brought on, iu the just judg- ment of God, his chronic complaint. Fear- ful illustration this of "the severity oi God," but glorious manifestation ot our Lords insight into "what was in man." The man departed and told. &c.— little thinking how unwelcome his grateful and eager testimony would be. ' Tlie darkness received not the light which was ijouring its rays upon it,' J . 1. 5, 11. [Olsh.I because he had done these things on the Sabbath-day —What to these hvpocritical religionists was the doing of the most glorious and beneficent miracles, compared with the atrocity of doing them on the Sabbath-day! Having given them this handle, on purpose to raise the first public controversy with them, and thus open a fitting opportunity of laying His claims before them, He rises at once to the whole height of them, in a statement which for grandeur and terseness exceeds almost any thing that ever afterwards fell from Him, at least to His enemies. 17, 18. My Father worketh hitherto and I work. The *'/ " is em- phatic, a-d— 'The creative and conservative activity ot my Father has known no Sabbath- cessation from the beginning until now, and that is the law of My working.' Gcd was his Father— ^it. 'his own (or peculiar' Father,' as in R. 8. 32. The addition is their ow^n, but a very proper one. making himself equal with God— rigl'.tly gathering this to be His meaning, not from the mere words " my Father," but from His claim of right to act as His Father did in the like high sphere, and by the same law of ceaseless activity in that sphere. And as, instead of instantly dis- claiming any such meaning— as He must have done if it was false— He positively sets His seal to it in the following verses, merely explaining how consistent such claim was with the prerogatives of His Father, it is beyond all doubt that we have here an as- sumption of peculiar personal Son^hip, or participation in the Father's essential na- ture. 19, 20. the Son can do nothing of him- self- i.e., apart from and in rivalry of the Father, as they supposed. The meaning is, 'The Son can have no separate interest or action from the Father.' for what things, &c. —q.d., ' On the contrai-y, whatever the Father doeth that same doeth the Son.' likewise— *in the like manner.' A\ hat claim to abso- lute equality with the Father could exceed this; not only to do the same things, but to do them as the Father does them? Father loveth . . . and showeth hint all, (kc— As love has no concealments, so it results from the perfect fellowship and mutual endearment of the Father and the Son (.see on ch. l. l Chi-is^s Testimony JOHN, VL the moderns.] or to the purpose of God that this essential life should reside in the Person of the incarnate Son, and be manifested thus to the world? [Cal., Lcke., Lthdt., fcc] The question is as difficult as the subject is high. But as all that Christ says of His essential relation to the Father is intended to explain and exalt his mediatorial func- tions, so the one seems in our Lord's own mind and language mainly the starting-point of the other, because he is the Son of Man— This seems to confirm the last remark, that what Qirist had properly in view was the 'ndwelling of the Son's essential life in hu- manitu as the great tlieatre and medium of divine display, in both the great departments of His \:0Tk— life-giving and judgment. The appointment of a Judge in our own nature is one of the most beautiful arrangements of divine wisdom in redemption. Marvel not at tills— this committal of all judgment to the Son of Mom. for the hour is coming— He adds not in this case as in v. 25,) " and now is," because this was not to be till the close of the whole dispensation of mercy. : rection of life— i.e.. ' to life' everlasting, 25. 46.) of damnation— It would have been harsh to say 'the resurrection of death,' though that is meant, for sinners rise from death to death. [Beng.] The resurrection of both classes is an exercise of sovereign authority: but in the one case it is an act of grace, in the other of justice, (cf. Da, 12. 2, from which the language is taken.) How awfully grand are tfiese unfoldings of His dignity and authority from the mouth of Christ Hiniselr ! And they are all in the third person; in what follows H e resumes the first person. 30-32. of mine own self do no- thing— i. e., apart from the Father, or in any interest of my own. (See on v. 19.) as I hear — q.d., 'My judgments are aU anticipated in the bosom of my Father, to which I have immedJate access, and by me only res2)onded to and reflected, Tliey cannot therefore err, as 1 live for one end only, to carry into ef- fect the will of Him that sent me. If I wit- ness of myself— standing alone, and setting up any separate interest. There is another — i.e., the Father, as is plain from the connec- tion. How brightly the distinction of the Persons shines out here! and I know that the witness, <fec.— ' Tliis is the Son's testimony to the Father's truth, (see ch. 7. 28; 8. 26, 5.5.' It testifies to the full consciou.sness on :he part of the Son, even in the days of His humiliation of the righteousness ol the Father.' [Alf.] And thus He cheered His spirit und'ii the cloud of human o)i position which was already gathering' over His head. 33-35- Ye sent unto John— vSee ch. 1. 19, kc] receive not test... from men— i.e., depend not on human testimony, hut... that ye may be saved— 'I refer to him merely to aid your faith, in order to your salvation.' He was a burning and a shining light— ^i. 'the burning and shining lamp,' ;or 'torch;')— q.d., 'the great light of his day.' Christ is never called by the humble word here applied to John— a light-hcarer~iin^o\xs\y used to distinguish him from his IMaster, but ever tlie Ligid in the most absolute sense. See on ch. 1. 6. willing for a season— i.e., till they saw that it pointed whither they were not prepared to go. to rejoice in his light— There is a play of irony here, referring to the hollow de- light with which his testimony tickled them, 1^1 C oncern ing John. 36-38. I have greater witness— rather, 'The witness which i have is greater.' the works . . . bear witness of me— not simply as mirucUs nor even as miracles of m^'rcy, but these miracles as He did them, with a ^vill and a poicer, a mnjcst]/ and a grace manifestly His ov:n. The Father himself hath borne witness of me— not referring, probably, to the voice at His baptism, but as seems from what follows to the testimony of the O. T. Scrip- ture. [Cal., Lcke., Mey. Lthdt.. &c.1 neither heard his voice, &;c.— never recognised him in this character. The words are ' de- signedly mysterious, like many others which our Lord uttered.' [Stier.J not his word abiding in yon— passing now from the Witne.?n to the testimony borne by him in " the lively oracles:" both were ahke strangers to their breasts, as was evidenced by their reject- ing Him to whom all that witness was borne. 39-42. Search the Scriptures, izc.—qd., 'In the Scriptures ye find your charter of eternal life; go search them then, and you will find that I am the Great Burden of their testi- .._ mony; yet ye will not come to Me for that (M.. life eternal which you profess to find there and of which they tell you I am the appoint- ed Dispenser.' ^cf.A. 17. 11, 12.) How touch- ing and gracious are these last words! Ob- serve here i. The honour which Christ gives to the Scriptures, as a record which all have a right and are bound to search— the re- verse of which the Church of Eome teaches; (2. Tlie opposite extreme is, resting in the mere i'oofc, without the living Christ, to direct the soul to AVTiom is its main use and chief- est glory. I receive not honour from men — contrasting His own end with theirs, which was to obtain human applause, not the love of God in you— which would inspire you with a single desire to know His mind and will, and yield yourselves to it. in spite of prejudice and regardless of consequences. 42-47. if another shall come, (fcc— How strik- ingly has this been verified in the hi-story of the Jews! ' From the time of the true Christ to our time, sixty-four false Christs have been reckoned by whom they have been de- ceived.' [Bexg.] How can ye believe'? <fcc.— iSee on v. 40, 41.) The "^cill not" of v. 40, and " cannot" here are just difl'erent features of the same awful state of the human heart. Do not think I wUl accuse vou— q.d., 'My er- rand hither is not to collect evidence to condenm you at God's bar.' one that judgeth you, Moses, &.c.—q.d., 'Alas ! that will be too well done by another, and him the object of all your religious boastings — Moses;' here j)ut for "the Lau\" the basis of the 0. T. Scrip- tures, he wrote of me— 'an important testi- mony to the sul iject of the whole Pentateuch —"of Me."' [Ajlf.] if ye belitve not, &.c, (See on L. 16. 31.) bis writings ... my words — a remarkable contrast, not absolutely ex- alting O. T. Scripture above His own words, but pointing to the otfice of those venerable documents to prepare Christ's way, to the necessity imiver.sally felt for documentary testimony in revealed religion, and perhaps (as Stieb adds' to the relation which the comparative '' letter" of the 0. T. holds to the more flowing "words" of "spirit and life" which characterise the N. T. CHAPTEE, VI. Ver, 1-13. Five Thousand MrRACir- louslyFed. (See on ^ik. 6. m 44.) 3. amoun- taia— somewhere in that hilly range whiclj Christ declares Mmself to be JOITN, TIL Vie Iread of life to believers. other side of the sea, they said uuto him, KHbbi, when earnest thou hither? 26 Jesus auswered tliem and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye setk me, not be- cause ye saw the miracles, but because je did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 1 Labour not for the meat which perish- eth, but »for that meat which eudureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you:> for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall ViC do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This * is the work of God, that ye believe on hmi whom he hath sent. 30 They said therefore unto him, 'What Bign shcwest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our *" fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which Cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 3i Then said they unto him, Lord, ever- more give us this bread, 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of lile: "he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you. That ye also have Been me, and believe not. 37 AH that the Father giveth me shall come to me: and P him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, ' not to do mine own will,'' but the will of him that eent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, * that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that ' every one which seeth the Son, and be\jeveth on him, may have everlast- ing life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews then murmured at him, be- cause he said, 1 am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said. Is not this Jesus, the Bon of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them. Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It " is written in the Fropnets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 46 Not " that any man hath seen the Father, save "" he which is of God, he hath Been the Father. 47 Verily, verily. I say unto you, * He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 4« I am that bread ot life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 60 This is the bread which cometh down 71 CUAP. 6. 1 Or, Work not. i ch. 4. U. i;ora. 6. 23. ;■ Mat 3. 17. Mat. 17. 6. Mark 1. 11. Mark 9. 7. Lu. 3. 22. Lu. 9. 35. ch. 1. 33. ch. 6. 37. ch. 8. 18. Actj 2. 22. 2 Pet. 1.17. k 1 John 3. 23. I Mark 8. 11. 1 Cor. 1-22. m Ei. 16.15. Nu. 11. 7. Neh. 9.15. ICor.K) 3. n P.. 78. 24. "ch. 7.37. P 2 Ti. 2. 19. 1 John 2. 19. 8 Mat. 26. 39. ch. 6. 30. r ch. 4. 34. « ch. 10. 28. ch. 18. 9. Col. 3. 3. Jude 1. t ch. 4. 14. « 1«. 54. 13. Jer.31.34. Mic. 4. 2. Heb. 8. 10. Heb. 10.16. V ch. 1. 18. ch. 5. 37. fJIat. 11.27. Lu. 10. 22. ch. 1. 18. ch. 7. 29. ch. 8. 19. 2 Cor. 4. 6. ' ch. 3. 16. V Heb. 10. 6, 10. * ch. 7. 43. ch. 9. 16. ch. 10. 19. » ch. 3. 9. b Mat. 29. 26. e 1 Cor. 6.17. 1 John 3. 21. 1 John 4. 15, IB. d Mat. II. 6. • ch. 3. 13. Mar. 16.19. Acts 1. 9. Eph. 4. 8. /2 Cor. 3. 6. g P». 119. 50. Eph. 1, 17. 1 Tbeu. 2. 13. Heb. 4. 12. h ch. 2. 24. ch. 13. 11. Act« 15.18. i Lu. 9. 62. Heb. 6. 4-6. Heb. 10 38. 1 John 2.19. CHAP. 7. a ch 5. 16. b Lev. 23. 34. CMst 12.46. Mark 3. 31. Acti 1. 1«. from heaven, that a man may tat thereof, and not die. 51 1 am the li\ing bread which came down from heaven. It any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever: and ^ the bread tha» I will give is my flesh, which 1 will give for the lile of the world. 52 The Jews therefore * strove among themsehnes, saying, " How can this man give us his tltsh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except * ye eat tlie flesh of t)he Son of man, and mink his blood, ye have no life in yovL 51 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, " dwelleth in me, and 1 in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and 1 live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 68 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: ne that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many << therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an haid saving; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this ofliend you? 62 W'hat " and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It /is the Spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh protiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, tliey " are spirit, and they are life. 64 Hut there are some of you that believe net. For" Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 HFrom that time many of his disciples went » back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him. Lord, to whom shall we go i thou hast the worda of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70 Jesus answered them. Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: tor he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. CHAPTER VIL 1 Jesus, exhorted by his unbelieving kinsmen to show himself , 10 goeth secretly to the feast : 14 A« teacheth in the temple. 4U JJivers opinions con- eeming Christ. 46 The Pharisees are angry at their officers Jor not taking Christ. AFTER these things Jesus walked in ■"- Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, " because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 IT Now * the Jews' feast of tabemaclea was at hand. 3 His ' brethren therefore said unto him. Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy Christ wa Tk cih on the S ect JOHN. VI. fo His D i sciples. skirts the East side of the lake. 4. passover they in the midst of a raging sea, their little , . . was uigh— but, for the reason mentioned bark the sport of the elements, and with just ch. 7. 1. Jesus kept away from it, remaining enotigh of liyht to descry an object on the in GaUlee. ! waters which only aggravated their fears. 14-21. Jesus Walks ok the Sea. 14, 15. But Jesus deems it enough to dispel all ap- tkat prophet— See on ch. 1. 21.) 15. departed i-r hension to let them know that He iccts to a mountain himself alone— 1.) to rest, which 1 tJiere. From other lips that "I am" would He came to this "desert place" on purpose i have merely meant that the person speak- to do before the miracle of the loaves, but ing was such a one and not another person. could not for the multitude that followed llim (see on Mk. 6. 31, ; and (2.) "to pray," M. 14. 23; Mk. 6. 46. But from His moun- tain-top He kept watching the ship (see on V. 18,) and doubtless prayed both for them, and with a view to the new manifestation ■which He was to give them of His glory. 16, 17. when even was come— See on Mk. C. 35.) entered into a shiTp—" constrained" to do so by their Master, M. 14. 22; Mk. 6. 45,1 in order to put an end to the misdirected excitement in His favour, {v. 15,) into which the disciples themselves may have been somewhat drawn. The word " constrained" implies reluctance on their part, perhaps from unwillingness to part with their IMas- ter and embark at night, leaving Him alone on the mountain, went- rather, 'were pro- ceeding.' towards Capernaum— JNIk. says, (6. 45,) "unto Bethsaida, ' meaning " Bethsaida of Galilee'' (ch. 12. 21.) on the West side of the lake. The place they lelt was of the same That, surely, would not have been fitted to calm the fears of men expecting every minute, it may be, to go to the bottom. But spoken by One who at that moment was "treading upon the waves of the sea" and was about to hush the raging elements with His word, what is it but the Voice which cried of old in the ears of Israel, seek- ing to "gather them" in the days of Moses, "I am;" "I, even I, am He!" (cf. ch. 18.5, 6; 8. 58.) Only now that word is "made flesh and dwells among us," uttering itself from beside us in dear familiar tones—" It is the Voice of my Beloved !" Was this ap- prehended? There was one in the boat who outstripped all the rest in susceptibility to such sublime appeals: Not the deep-toned writer of this Gospel— who lived to soar be- yond all the apostles, but who as yet was too young for proLiinence and all unripe— it was Simon-Barjonas. iHere foUmcs an incident recorded by M. alone, ch. 14. 28-31.) " Peter name (see on Mk. 6. 31.). Jesus was not come ' Jvnsweied him and said. Lord, if it be to them— They probably lingered in hopes of His stUl joining them, and so let the dark- Tiess come on. 18, 19. sea arose, (kc— and they were "now in the midst of it." (M. 14. 24. J Mark adds tliis graphic and touching jiarticular, ** He saw them toiling in row- ing," 6. 48.) putting forth all their strength to buffet the waves and bear on against a head wind, but to little effect, " He tan: this from His mountain-top and through the darkness of the night, for His heart was aU •with them; yet would He not go to their re- lief till His own time came, they see Jesus— " about the fourth watch of the night," [M. 14. 25; Allc. 6. 48,1 or between three and six in the morning, walking on the sea— What Job (9. 8,) celebrates as the distinguishing prero- gative of God, "Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and teeadeth upon the Waves of the Sea"— what Agur challenges as God's unapproachable prerogative, to "gather the wind in His iists, and bind lUE AVATERS IN A GARMENT," Pr. 30. 4,— lo! this is here done in Jiah, by the Son OF :^LA.N." drawing nigh to the ship— yet as though He " would have passed by them," 3\lk. 6. 48, icf. L. 24. 28 ; Ge. 18. 3, 5 ; 32. 24-20.) they were afraid — " cried out for Thou answering his Lord's /) bid me come unto thee on the water"— not 'let me,' but give me the word of command. "And he said, Come!" (M. 14. 29. i Sublime word, issuing from a spirit conscious of power over the water, to bid it serve both Him- self and whom else He pleased! "And wlien Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to come to Jesus. 'It was a bold spirit that could wish it; more bold that could act it— not fearing either the softness or the roughness of that uncouth passage.' [Bp. Hall.] "But when he saw the wind boisterous, ne was afraid, and be- ginning to sink he cried, saying. Lord, save me." Tlie wind was as boisterous before, but Peter ''saw" it not; seeing only the power 01 Christ, in the lively exercise of faith. Now he "sees" the fury of the ele- ments, then the power of Christ to bear him up fades before his view, and this makes him "afraid"— as how could he be otherwise without any .n'f power to keep him up? — then he "begins to sink," and finally, conscious that his experiment had failed, he casts liimself. in a sort of desperate confidence, upon his "Lord" for deiiver- - .„. _. ance! "And .-mediately Jesus stretched fear," (M. 14. 26,) ".supposing it had been forth his hand and caught him, and said unto spirit." (Mk. 6. 49.) He would appear to them at first like a dark moving speck upon the waters; then as a human figure, but— in the dark tempestuous sky, and not <lreaniing that it could be their Lord— they take it for a spirit. (How often thus we mis- call our chief e.'^t mercies— not only thinking them distant when they are near, but think- ing the best the worst!) 20. It is I: be not afraid — M. and Mk. give, before these exhilarating %vords, that to them well-known one, "Be of good cheer!" There is something in those two little words, " 'Tis I," \Gr. ' I a_m,'j which from the mouth that spake it and the cir- cumstances in which it was uttered passes him, O thou of little iaith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" I'his rebuke was not adminis- tered tvhile Peter icas sinking— not till Christ had him by the Jiand, both re-invigoratine his faith and with it enabling him again to walk upon the crested wave. Bootless else had been this loving reproof, which owns the faith that ventured on the deep upon the bare word of Christ, but asks why tliat di'trust which so quickly marred it. How rich in lessons is this little episode! 21. willingly received him into the ship— their first fears being now con-(-erted into wonder and delight, and immediately the siiip was at the laud— This additional miracle, for as the power oflauguage to express. Here were such it is luamle^itly related, is recorded "4 JOITN-, VL Eis Carnal Followers. Christ Iteproveih here alone. Yet all tliat is meant seems to ' how he could have arrived before them- be that as the storm was suddenly cahned, i selves. 26. Ye seek me. «fcc.— Jesus does not so the little bark— propelled by the secret put them through their difticidty, says no- power of the Lord of nature now sailing in I thing of His treading on the waves of the xt— glided through the now unruffled waters, I sea, nor even notices their question, but and, while they were wrapt in wonder at takes advantage of the favourable moment what had happened, not heeding their rapid for pointing out to them how forward, motion, was found at port, to their still j flippant, and superficial were their views, further surprise. M. says, "Then they that and how low their desires. "Ye seek me were in the ship came .ere they got to land) not because ye saw the miracles"— /ii. ' the and worshipped lii)n, saying. Of Thou art the Son of God," (14. 33.) very striking: "They were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered; for tliey cmisickrcd not the miracle of the loaves, for their hearts were liardened" t6. 61, 62.) Tlieir .astonishment to so great an extent was the effect, he says, of a culpable want of reflection on the miracle they had just be- fore witnessed; for if they had but consid- ered the miracle of the loaves " they would not have wondered at anything He mighc do in the whole circle of power and grace. 22-71. Jesus, Followed by the Mul- titudes TO Capeunaum, Discourses to truth I signs' i.e., supernatural tokens of a higher Mk. is I presence, and a divine commission, "but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled." From this He proceeds at once to that other Bread, just as, with the woman of Samaria, to that other Water (ch. 4.) We should have supposed all that follows to have been delivered by the way-side, or wher- ever they happened first to meet. But from V. 69 we gather that they had probably met about tlie door of the synagogue— 'for that was the day in which they assembled in their synagogues,' rLrx.!— and that on being ask- ed, at the close of the service, if He had any word of exhortation to the people. He THEM IN THE Synagugue OF THE Bread [ had taken the two breads, the perishing OF Life— Effect of this on Two Classes I and the living bread, for the subject of OF THE Disciples. 22 24. These verses are i His profound and extraordinary discourse, a little involved, from the Evangelist's de-sire 1 27. which the Son of Mau— taking that title to mention every circumstance however j of Himself which denoted His incarnate minute that might call up the scene as vi- vidly to the reader as it stood before his own ! life. shall give unto you— in the sense of Him hath God the Father sealed- view. The day lollowing— the miracle of the ] marked out and authenticated for that trans- loaves, and the stormy night; the day on I cendant office, to impart to the world the which they landed at Capernaum, the people j bread of an everlasting life, and this in the which stood on the other side of the sea— not I character of " the Son of Ma?i." 28-31. What the whole multitude that had been fed, but | shall we do . . . the works of.God- such works only such of them as remained over night about the shore, i.e., on the east side of the lake; for we are supposed to have come, with Jesus and his disciples in the ship, to the uxd side, to Capernaum, saw that there was none other boat there, &;c.— The meaning is, the people had observed that there had been only one boat on the East side where they were, namely, the one in which the dis- ciples had crossed at night to the other, the "West side, and they had also observed that Jesus had not gone on board that boat, but his disciples liad pvit off without Him : "Howbeit," adds the Evangelist, in a lively ?arenthesis, "there came other boats from Iberias" (which lay near the S.W. coast as God wiU approve. Different answers may be given to such a question, according to the spirit which prompts the inquiry. (See Ho. 6. 6-8; L. 3. 12-14.) Hera our Lord, knowing whom he had to deal with, shapes His reply accordingly. This is the work of God, &c. — That lies at the threshhold of all acceptable obedience, being not only the prerequisite to it, but the proper spring of it— in that sense, the work of works, emphatically *'the work of God." What sign showest thou, &c. — « But how could they ask "a sign," whea many of them scarce a day before had wit- nessed such a " sign" as had never till theu been vouchsafed to men; when after wit- , , _ nessing it they could hardly be restrained the lake , whose passengers wore part of tlie j from making Him a king; when they fol- multitude that had followed Jesus to the lowed Him from the one side of the lake to East side, and been miraculously led: these boats were fastened somewhere (says the Evangelist nigh uuto tlie place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks"— thus he refers to the glorious " mir- acle of the loaves '—and now they were put in requisition to convey the people back again to the West side. For when "the people saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took .shipping (in these boats and came to Capernaum, seek- ing for Jesus." 25. when they found him on the other side (at Capernaum they said, (fee- astonished at His being there, and wonder- ing ho'w he could have accomplished it, whether by land or water, and wii^n He came; for being quite unaware of His hav- ing walked upon the sea and landed with the disciples in the ship, they could not see how, unless He had travelled all night round the head of the lake alone, he could have reached Capernaum, and even then. the other; and when, in the opening words of this very discourse. He had chid for seek- ing Him, "not because they saio the signs," but for the loaves? The truth seems to be, that they were confounded by the novelclaims which our Lord had just advanced. In pro- posing to make Him a king, it was for far other purposes than dispensing to the world the breadof an everlasting life; and when He seemed to raise His claims even higher still, by representing it as the grand " work of God." that they .should believe on Himseif&a his Sent One, they saw very clearly that He was making a demand upon them beyond any thing they were i>repared to accord to Him, and bevond all that man had ever before made. Hence their question, " What dost thou work:' Our fathers did eat manna, (fee- insinuating the inferiority of Christ's miracla of the loaves to those of Moses: q.d., ' Wlien Moses claimed the confidence of the fixthers^ " he gave them bread from heaven to eat"— Christ Declarefh Himself to be JOHN, VL the Bread of Life to Believerg. not for a few thousands, but for millions, i for the word here employed usually denotes and not once only, but daily throughout their w ilderness journey.' 32. 33. Moses gave you not, <kc.— q.rf., ' It was not Moses that srave you the manna, and even it w;is but from the arrival, as distinguished from the ordinary word, which rather expresses the oxt of com- ing: see ch. 8. 42. Gr. [w. &. w.] "In no ■— """ is an emphatic negative, to meet the ower heavens; "but My Father giveth you) fears of the timid, asm Kev 21. 27, to meet " " " ' " "' the presumption of the hardened). Ihese, then, being the two members of the general opening statement, what follows is meant to take in l.>oth, " For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will"— to play an inde- pendent part— "but, in respect to both the foregoing thing=, the divine and the human side cf salvation,; the will of him that sent me." What this two-fold \vill of him that sent Him is, we are next sublimely told, {v. 39, 40': "And this"— in th^ first place— " is the will of him that sent me, that of all ;' every thin.''') which he hath given me, taking up tne identical words of v. 37.) I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." Tlie meaning is not, of course, that He is charged to keep the ob- jects entrusted to Him as He received them, so as they should merely suffer nothing in His hands. For as they were just "perishing" sinners of Adam's family, to let "nothing of such "be lost." but " raise them up at the last day," must involve, first, "giving his flesh for them." [v. 61.) that they "might not perish but have everlasting life;" and then, after " keeping them from falling," raising their sleeping dust in inoorruption and glory, and presenting them, body and soul, perfect and entire, wanting nothing, to Him who gave them to Him. saying. " Be- hold I and the children wliich God hath given me." So much for the first will of Him that sent Him, the divine side of man's salvation, whose every stage and movement is inscrutable to us but infal- libly certain. " And tliis ''— in the second place—" is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and beUeveth or ' seeing the Son, believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day." Tliis is the human side of the same thing as in the foregoing verse, and answering to "Hitn tJuit ccrmeth unto me I v:ill in no vise cast out." q,d. ' I have it trust. So, ch. 17. 2, "that he should give [ expressly in charge that every one that so iclt ich thou hast given ' * beholdeth" t* so vieweth' - the Son as to be- you the ti-U€ bread,"' and that ''from heaven," The Bread of God is He, <ta— This verse is perhaps best left in its own transparent grandeur- holding up the Bread Itself as divine, spi- ritual, and eternal; its ordained Fountain and essential Substance, ''Him who came down from heaven to give it," (that Eternal Life which was with the Father and was mani- fested unto us." IJ. L 2i ; and its designed ob- jects, " the icorld." 34. Lord evermore give us this bread— speaking now with a certain rever- ence as at V. ■^■j,] , the perpetuity of the manna floating perhaps in their minds, and much like the Samaritan woman, when her eyes were but half opened, "Sir, give me this water "&c. ich. 4. 15.) 35. 1 am the Bread of Life— Henceforth the discourse is all in the first person. "I," "Me," which occurs in one form or other, as Stier reckons. 35 times. He that cometh to me— to obtain what the soul craves, and as the only all-sutficient and or- dained source of suijply. hunger... thirst— Bhall have conscious and abiding satisfaction. 36. But ye have seen me and believe not — seen Him not in his mere bodily presence, but in all the majesty of His life. His teach- ing. His work.s. 37-40. AH that, &;c.— 'liiis comprehensive and very grand passage is expressed with a peculiar artistic precision. Ihe opening general statement, \v. 37,) con- sists of two members: il.) "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me"— g.d., "Itough ye. as I told you, have no faith in me, my eiTand into the world shaU in no wise be defeated; for all that the Father giveth me shall infallibly come to me.' Ob- fierve, what is given Him by the Father is expressed in the singular xiumheT andneufer gender— /(t. 'every thing;' while those who cmne to Him are put in the masculine gender and singular number —' every one,' The whole mas, so to speak, is .gifted by the Father to the Son as a unity, which the Son evolves, one by one, in the execution ol His eternal life to all that him,") [Beng.] This " shall giv expresses the j lieve on Him shall have everlasting life; and, glorious certainty of it. the Father being that none of him be lost, " 1 will raise hini pledged to see to it that the gift be no empty up at the last day." Seeonw. 54. 41-46. Jews mockery. (2.) " And him that cometh to I murmured— or 'muttered.' not in our Lord's WE I w^iLL IN so WISE CAJST OUT." As tliB hearing, but He knew it. v. 43, (ch. 2. 25.) former was the o'/rwie, this is just the /m?«au he said, I am the bread, etc.— Missing the side of the same thing. Time, the " coining ones of the second clause are just the " given ones of the first. But had our Lord merely sense and glory of this, and having no relish for such sublimities, they harp upon the Bread from heaven." ' What can this said, ' When those that have beeii given me mean? Do we not know all about him- of my Father shall come to me, I wiU receive where, when, and of whom he was born? them,'— besides being veiy flat, the impres- And yet he says he came down from heaven.^ eion conveyed would have been Quite ditl'er- Murmur not . . . No man— <j.d. ' Be not either ent, sounding as if there were no oth*:r laws startled or stumbled at these sajings; for it in operation, in the movement of sinners to needs divine teaching to understand them, Christ, but such as are wholly divine and divine drawing to submit to them.' can inscrutable to us; whereas, though He does come to me— in the sense of v. 35. except the speak of it as a sublime certainty which Father which hath sent me— i.e., the Father nien's refusals cannot frustrate, he speaks of as the Sender of Me and to carry out the de- that certainty as taking effect only by men's sign of my mission, draw him— by an iriter- voluntary advances to Him and acceptance nal and efficacious operation; though by all of Him— "Him that cometh to me." "whoso- the means of rational conviction, and in a ever will." throwing the door wide open. ' way altogether consonant to their moral na- Only it is not the simply willing, but the tuve. iCant. 1.4; Je. 31.3; Ho.ll. 3,4.) raisehim actually coming, whom He wiU not cast out; i ud, &c.— See on v. 64. written in the propliets 74t Christ DccJardh Ehn^dfto he JOHN, VT. tTic "Ertod of Life to Believers.' —in Is. 54. 13; Je. 31. 33, .34; other similar to be something very different^ from a wart*- passapes may also have been in view. Our Lord thus falls back upon Scripture author- ity for this seemingly hard saying, all taught of God— not by external revelation merely, but by internal iUnmination, cor- responding to the "drawing" olv. 44. every man therefore, <fec. — i.e., who hath been thus efficaciously taught of him. cometh unto me —with ah.-olute certainty, yet in the sen.se above given of "drawing." q.d. *As none can come to me but as divinely drawn, so none thus drawn shall fail to come.' Not that any man hath seen, &c.— Lest they should confound that " hearing and learning of the rather," to which believers are admitted by divine teaching, viiih. His own immediate access to Him, He here throws in a paren- thetical explanation; stating, as explicitly as ■words could do it, how totally different the two cases were, and that only He who is *'from God" hath this naked, immediate access to the Father. (See ch. l. 18.) 47-61. He that believeth, &c.— See on ch. 3. 36; 5. 24. I am the bread of life— As he that believeth . in Me hath everlasting life, so I am Myself i profound truths which are here expressed. ral death, saying, " My flesh I will give lor the life of the world, [v. 61,^ it must have been pretty plain to candid hearers that He meant something above the gross idea which the bare terms expres.sed. And farther, when He added that they "had no life in them imless they thus ate and drank," it was impossible they should think He meant that the temporal life they were then liv- ing was dependent on their eating and drinking, in this gross sense. His flesh and blood. Yet the whole statement was cer- tainly confounding, and beyond doubt waa meant to be so. Our Lord had told them that in spite of all they had " seen" in Hira they " did not believe," (v. 36.) For their conviction therefore He does not here lay Himself out; but having the ear not only of them but of the more candid and thougJitful in the crowded synagogue, and the miracle of the loaves having led up to the most exalted of all views of His Person and Office, He takes advantage of their very difficulties and ob- jections to announce, for all time, those most the everlasting Sudenaiice of that life. iRe peated from v. 35.) Your fathers— of whom ye spake [v. 31); not 'ours,' by which He •would hint that He had a higher descent, of •which they dreamt not. [Eeng.] did eat manna . . . and are dead— recurring to their own point about the manna, as one of the noblest of the ordained preparatory illustrations of His own office : ' Your fa- regardless ol the disgust of the unteach- able, and the prejudices even of the most sincere, which His language would seem only designed to deepen. The tr^lth really conveyed here is no other than that expres- sed in V. 51, though in more emphatic tenns —that Himself, in the virtue of His sacrifi- cial death, is the spiritual and eternal life of men ; and that unless men voluntarily appropriate to themselves this death, in its sacrificial virtue, so as to become the very life and nourishment of their inner man, they have no spiritual and eternal life at all. Not as if His death were the only thing of vahie, but it is what gives all else in Christ's Incarnate Person, Life and Office their whole value to us sinners. Whoso eateth . . . hath, &c.— The former verse said ther.s, ye say, ate manna in the wilder- ness, and ye say well, for so they did, but they are dead— even they whose carcases fell in the wilderness did eat of that bread ; the Bread whereof I speak cometh down from heaven, which the manna never did, that men, eating of it, may live for ever.' I am, &c.— Understand, it is of Myself I now speak as the Bread from heaven; of Me , .^ — ^.,- . ^ if a man eat he shall live for ever- and " the that imless they partook of Him they had no Bread which I will give is My flesh i life; this adds, that tcJtoever does so "hath WHICH I WILL GIVE FOR THE LIFE OF THE I eternal life." And I will raise liim np at the WOBLD." Here, for the first time in this high i last day— For the fourtJi. time this is repeated discourse, our Lord explicitly introduces I (see v. 39, 40, 44,'— showing most clearly that His sacrificial death— for only rationalists the " eternal life " which such a man " Imth" can doubt this— not only as that which con-j cannot be the same with the future resur- stitutes Him the Bread of life to men, but rection-life, from which it is carefully distin- as THAT very element in Him which \ guished each time, but a life communicated POSSESSES THE LIFE-GIVING viKTUE.— ne?-e fet'iow immediately on believing (ch. 3. •From this time we hear no more (in this I 36; 5. 24. 25,); and giving to the rei,v.rrection discourse! of "Bread;" this figure is drop- of the body, as that which consummates the " redemption of the entire man, a promin- ence which in the current theology, it is to ■with the words of institution at the Supper, be feared, it has seldom had See R. 8, "TTiis is my body which is qiven for you, 23; 1 Cor. 15. throughout.) He tnat eateth (L. 22. 19.) or, in Paul's report of it. ''broken . . . dwelleth in me and T in him— As our for you." (1 Co. 11. 24.) 52. Jews strove food becomes incorporated with ourselves, among themselves — arguing the point to- So Christ and those who eat His flesh eether. How can, &c.—q. d. ' Give us his and drink His blood become spiritually flcditoeat? Absurd.' 53-58. Except ye eat one life, though personally distinct. As the flesh . . . and drink the blood ... no life, the living Father hath sent me— to commu- &c.— the harshest word He had yet uttered nicate His own life, and I live bv the Fatner in their ears. They asked how it was pos lit. 'because of the Father; My lite and sible to eat his flesh. He answers, with his being one, but Mine that of a, Sow, whose great solemnity, 'It is indispensable.' Yet it is to be "o/ the Father.'' (Seech. 1. 18; 5. even here a thoughtful hearer might find 20.) he that eateth me shall live by me--('tt. be- gomething to temper the harshness. He causeof me;' Sothatthough o?!e .s;pir/fi/an)/lf says they must not only " eat His Jlcsh" but with Him," the Head of every man is Christ, "drink His blood," which could not but as the head of ClirLst is God.' (iCo. 11. 3;3. suggest the idea of His Jcayt— implied in the 23.) Tliis is t"at bread, Arc —a sort of summing separation of one's flesh from his blood, up of the whole discourse, on which let this And as He had already luuted that it was onelurtherremarksuffice— that as our Lord, 7U* ped, and the reality takes its place.' [Stier.1 Ohe words "I will give" may be compared Many Disciples depart from C hrist. JOH N. Vn. Peter's Confession oj Him, \ instead of softening down His fiTuratire | in this case was noble, and to the woimd'^d subhmities, or even putting them in naked i spirit of His Lord doubtless very grateful, phraseology, leaves the great truths of His \ Lord, to whom, &c.—q.d. ' We cannot deny Person and Office, and our participation of { that tee have been staggered as well as they. Him and it. enshrined for all time in those and seeins so many go away who. as we glorious forms of speech, so when we at- tempt to strip the truth of these figures, figures though they be. it goes av:ay from us, like water when the vessel is broken, and our wisdom lies in raising our o.vn spirit, and attuning our own ear, to our Lord's chosen modes of expression. (It should be added that although this dis- course has nothing to do with the Sacrament of the Supper, the Sacrament has every thing to do with it, as tfie visible emhodimcnt of these figures and, to the believing partaker, a real, yea. and the most lively and affect- ing participation of His flesh and blood, and nourishment thereby of the spiritual and eternal life, here below, j 59. These things said he in the synagogue— which seems to imply that what follows took place after the congregation had broken up. 60-65. Many of his disciples— his pretty constant followers, though an outer circle of them. hard saying — not merely harsh, but insuffer- able, as the word often means in the O. T. who can hear— submit to listen to it. Doth this offend . . . What and if, &c.— g.d. ' K ye are stumbled at what I have said, how will j-e bear what I novj say? Not that His ascension itself would stumble them more than His death, but that after recoiling from the mention of the one they would not be in a state of mind to take in the other, the flesh profiteth nottiing— ]\Iuch of his dis- course was about "flesh;" but flesh as such, mere flesh, could profit nothing, much less impart that lije which the Holy Spirit alone communicates to the soul, the words I speak are spirit and life— the whole burden of the discourse is "spirit," not mere flesh, and " life" in its highest, not its lower sense; and the words I have employed are to be in- terpreted solely in that sense. But there are some, (fcc. — q.d. ' But it matters little to some of you in what sense I speak, for ye believe not.' This was said, adds the Evangelist. not merely of the outer but of the inner circle of his disciples ; for He knew the traitor, though it was not yet time to expose him. Therefore said I, &,c.—q. d. ' That was why I spoke to you of the necessity of divine teaching, which some of you are strangers to. except it were given him— plainly show- ing that by the Father's "drawing ^i;. 44,) was meant an internal and efficacious opera- tion, for in recalling the statement here He says, it must be "aiven to a man to come" to Christ. 66-71. From that time. <fec.— or, in consequence of this. Those last words of our Lord seem to have given them the finishing stroke— they could stand it no longer, walked no more— Many a journey, it may be. they had taken with Him. but now they gave Him finally up! the Twelve— the first time they are thus mentioned in this gospel. Will ye also go away ?— AiTectini appeal! Evidently (_ hri st felt the desertion of Him even by those mis- erable men who could not abide His state- ments ; and seeing a disturbance even of the wheat by the violence of the wind which blew away the chajf' inot yet visibly showing itself, but open to His eyes of fire). He would nip it in th^ bud by this home ques- ' tiou. Theu Simon Pet^r— whose forwardness thought, might have been retained by teach- ing a little less hard to take in. our own en- durance has been severely tried, nor have we been able to stop short of the question. Shall ive follow the rest, and give it up ? But when it came to this, our light returned and our hearts were re-assured. Eor as soon as we thought of going away, there rose upon us that awful question, "To whom shall we go V " To the lifeless formalism and wretched traditions of the elders? to the gods many and lords many of the heathen around us? or to blank unbelief ? Nay, Lord, we are shut up. They have none of that "etee-nal life" to offer us whereof Thou hast been discoursing, in words rich and ravishing as well as in words staggering to human wis- dom. Tliat life we cannot want; that life we have learnt to crave as a necessity of the deeper nature which Thou hast awak- ened; "the loorcU of that eternal life" (the authority to reveal it and the power to con- fer it) Thou hast: Therefore will we stay with Thee—' we must.' And we believe, <fcc. — (See on M. 16. 16.) Peter seems to have ad- ded this not merely — probably not so much— as an assurance to His Lord of his heart's belief in Him. as for the pui-pose of fortifying himselj and his faithful ore- thren against that recoil from His Lord's harsh statements which he was probably struggling against with difiiculty at that, moment, n. b. There are seasons when one's faith is tried to the utmost, particu- larly by speculative difticidties; the spiritual eye then swims, and all truth seems ready to depart from us. At such seasons, a clear peiception that to abandon the faith of Christ is to face blank desolation, ruin and death; and, on recoiling from this, to be able to fall back, not merely on Jirst principles and immoveable foundations, but on personal experience of a Living Lord, imchom all truth is wrapt up and. made Jtcsh for our very benefit — this is a relief unspeakable. Under that blessed Wing taking shelter, until we are again fit to grapple with the questions that have staggered us, we at length either find our way through them, or attain to a calm satisfaction in the discovery that they lie beyond the limits of present apprehension. Have not I chosen . . . and one of you is a devil : —q.d. ' Well said, Simon-Barjonas, but that " we" embraces not so wide a circle as in the simplicity of thine heart thou thinkest; for though I have chosen you but twelve, one even <3f these is a 'devil' (the temple, the tool of that wicked one*. CHAFiEE VU. Ver. 1-53. ChPvIst at the Feast of Ta- bernacles. 1, 2. After these things— i.e., all that is recorded after ch. 5. 18. walked iu Galilee— continuing His labours there, in- stead of goiu^ to Judea, as might have been expected, sought to kill him, A:c.— referring back to ch. 5. 18. Hence it appears that our Lord did not attend the Passover mentioned at ch. 6. 4 — being the third since His ministry began, if the feast mentioned in ch. 5. l, was a Passover, feast of tabernacles at hand— This was the last of the three annual festivals, celebrated oa the 15th, of the Uh iaouc]i,i testis attends the feast of tnhervflrles, JOTTN, TTTI. and teaeheth in the temple. disciples also may Bee the works that thou doest. _ 4 For tJiere is no man that docth any thin? in secret, and he himseli' secketh " to be know-n openly. If thou do these things, ehow thyself to the world. 5 For << neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, * My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The /world cannot hate you; but me it bateth, " because I testify of it, that the works thereof are e^il. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I_go not up yet nnto this feast; '^ for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words nnto them, he abode still in Galilee. 10 IT But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then » the Jews sought him at the feast, and said. Where is he? 12 And > there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for Bome * said. He is a good man: others said. Nay; but he deceiveth the people. 13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews. 14 H Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And 'the Jews maiTelled, saying, llow knoweth this man i letters, having never learned? 16 Jesus answered them, and said, "'My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent jpe. 17 If* any man will do his will, he shali know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 13 He " that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and jio imrighteousness is in him. 19 Did P not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? 2 Why go ye about to Kill me? 20 The people answered and said, ^ Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? 21 Jesus answered and said imto them, I have done one work, and ye aU marvel. 22 Moses * therefore gave unto you cir- cumcision ; (not because it is of Moses, but * of the fathers ;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. 23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, 2 that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because 1 " have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? 24 Judge " not according to the appear- ance, but judge righteous judgment. 26 Then said some of them of Jerasalem, Is not this he whom they seek to kill? 26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they Bay nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? 27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knowfith whence he is. '26 Then cried Jesus in the temple, as he taught, sa\ii)g, *" Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and 'I am not come of myself, but he that sent me " is true, whom * ye know not. 29 But " I know liim: for I am from him, and he hath sent mo. 30 Then they bought to take him: but no 75 A. D,32. CHAP. 7- dMjirk3.21, « ch. 2. 4. / ch. 15 19. tb. 3. 19. A ch. 8. 21). i ch. 11. 56. j ch. 9. 16. ch. 10. 19. t Mat. ::i.46. Lu. 7. 16. n Hob. 6.2,3. ch. 8. 43. ch. 5. 41. ch. 8. 60. P Acts 7. S « Mat. 12 14. Mark 3. 6. ch. 5. IB. »■ ch. 8. 48. 8 Lev. 12. 3. t Gen. 17. 10. 2 Or, without breakJDg the law of « ch. 5. 8. V Deu. 1. 16. Pro. 24. 23. ch. 8. 1&. Jam. 2. 1. «- ch. 8. 14. * ch 5. 43. ch. 8. 42. y ch. 6. 32. ch. 8. 26. Kom. 3. 4, Scb. 1.18. ch. 8. 55. a ilat. 11.27. ch. 10. 15. 6 ch. 13. 33. e Hos. 5. 6. ch. 8. 21. eh. 1.3. 33. d U. 11. 12. Jam. 1. 1. 1 Pet. 1. 1. 3 Or, Greeks. e Is. 55. 1. Kev. 3. 20. Kev. 22.17. /Deu. 18.16. n la. 12. 3. % U 44. 3. Joel 2. 28. eh. 16. 7. Acts 2. 17. t ch 12. 16. j Deu. 18.15. ch. 1. 21. ch. 6. 14. k ch. 4. 42. ch. 6. C9. 1 ch. 1. 46. »» Pa. 132.11. Mat. 2. 5. Luke 2. 4. n 1 Sa. 16. I. ch. 12. 42. Acta 6 7. 1 Cor. 1.20. P ch. 3. 2. 4 to him. Deu. 1. 17. ?1 Ki. 17 1. ; Ki. 14.26. man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed on him, and said. When Chn.'st cometh, wiU he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? 32 H The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. 3-j Then said Jesus unto them, *Yet a little while am 1 with you, and tlien I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye " shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. ;a Then said the Jews among themselves. Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto ''the dispersed among the 3 Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? 36 What manner o/ saying is this that he said. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? 37 f In the last day, that great dai/ of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If ariy man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He /that believeth on me, as the Scrip- tm-e hath said, " out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But '' this spake he of the Spuit, which they that believe on him shoiild receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet »glori. fied.) 40 Alany of the people therefore, when they heard tliis saying, said, Uf a truth this is } the Prophet. 41 Others said, * This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Chiist come *out of GalUee? 42 Hath "* not the Scripture said. That Chiist cometh of the seed of Da\id, and out of the town of Bethlehem, " where David was? 43 So there was a division among the people because of him. 44 And some of them would have taken him ; but no man laid hands on him. 45 IT Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees ; and they said unto them. Why have ye not brought him? 46 The ofiicers answered, Never man spake hke this man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have " any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. 50 Nicodemus saith tmto them, (^he that came * to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth 9 our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth? 52 They answered and said unto him. Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out *■ of Gahlee ariseth no prophet. 53 And every man went unto his own house. CHAPTER VIII. 1 ChrUt reltaseth a woman tuktn in adultery: 12 he preacheth himself the light of the world, ami justijieth his doctrine; 33 Miswereth the Jews. TESUS went unfo the mount of Olives. 2 Atid e;uly in the nioniing he came again into the temple, ana iUi the people Christ teacheth in the Temple JOHN, vn. at tJie Feast of Tabernacles. (September.; See Le. 23. 33. (Src; Deu. 16. 13, &c. ; Ne. 8. 14-18. 3-5. His brethren said— See on M. 13. 54-56. Depart... into Judea, &c.— In V. 5 this speech is ascribed to their unbelief. But as they were in the " up) >er room" among the 120 disciples who waited for the de.scent of the Spirit after the Lord's ascension, A. 1. 14,! they seem to have had their prejudices removed, perhaps after His resurrection. Lideed here their lancrua;:e is more that of strong prejudice and suspicion, .such as near relatives, even, the best, too frequently shovj in such causes,) than formed unbelief. Tliere was also, probably, a tincture of vanity in it. *Thou hast many disciples in Judea; here in Galilee they are fast dropping off; it is not like one who advances the claims thou dost to linger so long here, away from the city of our solemnities, where surely "the kingdom of our father David" is to be set up: " seek- ing," as thou dost, " to be known openly," tJiose miracles of thine ought not to be con- fined to this distant corner, but submitted at head-quarters to the inspection of " the world."' (See Ps. 69. 8, "I am become a stranger to my brethren, an alien unto my mother's children!") 6-10. My time not yet come— i.e., for " showing Himself to the world." your time always ready, &c.—q.d., * It matters little when ye go up. for ye have no great plans in life, and nothing hangs upon your movements: With Me it is other- wise ; on every movement of Mine there hangs what ye know not: Tlie world has no quarrel with you, for ye bear no testimony against it, and so draw down upon yourselves none of its wrath ; but I am here to lift up my voice against its hypocrisy, and denounce its abominations ; therefore it cannot endure Me, and one false step might precipitate its fury on its Victim's head before the time: Away, therefore, to the feast as soon as it suits you; I follow at the fitting moment, but "my time is not yet full come.'" then went he... not openly— not "in the vcaravanl company." [Mey.] (See on L. 2. 41.) as it were in secret— rather, ' in a manner secretly;' perhaps by some other route, and in a way not to attract notice. 11-13. Jews the rulers! sought him— for no good end. Where is he?— He nad not been at Jerusalem for probably a year and a ho'j^ much murmiuing— ' buz- zing.' among the people—' the multitudes;' '■the natural expression of a Jewish writer, indicating; without design the crowded state of Jerusalem at this festival.' [w. 6c w.] a good man . . .Nay . . .deceiveth, &:c.— the two opposite views of His claims, that they were honed, and that they were an imposture, none spake op nly of him— i.e., in his favour, " for fear of the {rulinc) Jews. 14, 15. about the midst of the feast— the 4th or 5th day of the 8, during which it lasted, went up into the temple and taught— The word denotes formal and con- tinuous teaching, as distinguished from mere casual sayings. This was probably the first time that He did so thus openly in Jerusa human teacher— an important admission agamst ancient and modern attempts to trace our Lord's wisdom to human sources. [Mey.J Probably His teaching on this occa- sion was expository, manifesting that un- nvaUed faculty and depth which in the Sermon on the mount had excited the as- tonishment of all. 16-18. doctrine . . .not mine &c.— 1.€,. from Myself, unauthorized; I am here by commission. If any will do the will, <fcc.— ' is willing,' or ' wishes to do.' whether of God or... of myself— from above or from beneath; is divine or an imposture of mine. A principle of immense importance; show- ing, on the one hand, that singleness of desire to please God is the grand inlet to light on all questions vitally affecting one's eternal in- terests, and, on the other, that the tcant of this, whether perceived or not, is the chief cause of infidelity amidst the lu/ht of revealed religion, seeketh his own glory, &;c.— see oa ch. 5. 41-44. 19, 20. Did not Moses, &:c.—q.d., ' In opposing Me ye pretend zeal for Moses, but to the spirit and end of that law which he gave ye are total strangers, and in " going about to kill Me," ye are its greatest uut- niies. ' The people answered, Tnou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?— This was said by ' ihe multitude,' who as yet had no bad feeling to Jesus, and were not in llie secret of the plot hatching, as our Lord knew, against Him. 21-24. I have done one work, &c.— Taking no notice of the popu- lar appeal, as there were those there who knew well enough what He meant. He recalls His cure of the impotent man, and the mur- derous rage it had kindled, ;ch. 6. 9. 10, 18.) It may seem strange that He should refer to an event a year and a half old, a.'^ if but newly done. But their present attempt " to kUl Him" brought the past scene all fresh up. not only to Him, but %vithout doubt to them too, if indeed they had ever forgotten it; and by this fearless reference to it, exposing their hj'poci'isy and dark designs, He gave His position great moral strength. Moses gave you circumcision, «tc.— Though servile work was forbidden on the sabbath, the cir- cumcision of males on that day iwhich cer- tainly was a servile work) was counted no infringement of the law: How much less ought fault to be found with One who had made a man "every whit whole"— or rather, 'a man's entire body whole'— on the sabljath day ? ^S'hat a testimony to the reality of the miracle, none daring to meet the bold appeal! judge not, drc— g.d., "Bise above the letter into the sinrit of the law.' 25-27. some of themof Jerusalem— the citizens, who, knowing the long formed purpose of the rulers to put Jesus to death, wondered they were now letting him teach openly. Do the rulers know, &c.— Have they got some new light in favour of His claims? Howbeit we know this man. &c.— This seems to refer to some current opinion that Messiah's origin would be mysterious, (nut altogether wTong.i from lem. He had kept back till the feast was which they concluded that Jesus could not half through, to let the stir about Him sub- ' be he, since they knew all about his family side, and entering the city unexpectedly, had at Nazareth. 28, 29. Jesus cried— in a louder begun his "teaching" at tl.e temple, and tone, and more solemn, witnessing style than created a certain awe, before the wrath of usual. Yeboth, &c.— o.a., ' Yes, ye know both the rulers had time to break it. How kuoweth myself and my local parentage, "and yet) letters— learning. (A. 26. 24.) having never 1 am not come of myself.'" he that sent mo learned— at any rabbinical school, as Paul! is true, &c.— Probably the meaning is, 'He under Gamaliel. These rulers knew well : that sent me is the only real Sender of any enougli that He had not studied luider any i one. 30-33. sought to take... none laid hauds— 75 S' Christ Teachefh JOHN, vn. in tJie Temple. their impotence being equal to their malig- nity. When Christ cometh, will he, <foc.— '/.rf., * it' this be not the Chnst, what can the Christ do, when he does come, which has not been anticipated and eclipsed by this man/ This ■was evidently the language of friendly per- sons, overborne by their spiteful superiors, but unable to keep quite silent, heard tliat they murmured— that mutterings to this etfect were going a'bout, and thought it high time to stop him if he was not to be allowed to carry away the people. 33, 34. Yet a little while, &c. — g.d.' Your desire to be rid of Me will be for you all too soon fulfilled: Yet a little while and we part company— for ever ; for I go whither ye cannot come, nor, even when ye at length seek to Him whom now ye despise, shall ye be able to find Him,'— referring not to any penitential, but to purely selti.sh cries in their time of desperation. 35, 36. Whither will he go, <S;c.— Theycannot comprehend him, but seem awed by the solemn grandeur of His warning. He takes no notice, however, of their questions. 37-39. the last, the great day of the feast— the 8th, (Le. 23. 39'. It was a Sabbath, the last feast-day of the year, and distinguished by very remarkable cere- monies. ' The generally joyous character of this feast broke out on this day into loud jubilation, particularly at the solemn mo- ment when the priest, as was done on every day of this festival, brought forth, in golden vessels, water from the stream of biloah, •which flowed under the temple-mountain, and solemnly poured it upon the altar. Then the words of Is. 12. 3, were sung, " With joy shall ye draio water out of the wells ofSalva- tian," and thus the symbolical reference of this act, intimated in v. 39, was expressed.' [Olsh.I So ecstatic was the joy with which this ceremony was performed— accomiianied ■with sound of trumpets— that it used to be said, 'Whoever had not witnessed it Jiad high occasion, then. He who had already never seen rejoicing at all.' [Lft.] On this high occasion, then. He who had alreadj drawn all eyes upon Him by His supernatu ral power and unrivalled teaching—" Jesus stood," probably in some elevated position, " and cried," as if making proclamation in the audience of all the people, " If any MAN THIRST LET HIM COME UNTO Me AND brink!" >Vhat an offer! The deepest crav- ings of the human spirit are here, as in the O. T., expressed by the figure of " thirst," and the eternal satisfaction of them by " drinking." To the woman of Samaria He had said almost the same thing, and in the same terms, J. 4. 13, 14. But what to her was simply affirmed to her as a fact is here turned into a world-wide proclamation; and whereas there, the gift by Him of the li-vriug ■water is the most prominent idea— in con- trast with her hesitation to give Him the perishable water of Jacob's well— here, the prominence is given to Himself as the WeU- spring of all satisfaction. He had in Galilee invited all the weary and heavy-laden of the human family to come under His wing and they should find rest, (M. 11. 2s,j which is just the same deep want, and the same profound relief of it, under another and equally grateful figure. He had in the syna- f;ogue of Capernaum ch.G.) announced Him- eelf, in every variety of form, as " the Bread of Life," and as both alile and authorized to appease the " iiunger," and quench the '•THiRax." of all that apply to Him. There is, 75*- and there can be, nothing beyond that here. But what was on all those occasions uttered in private,o;addressed to a provincial audience, is here sounded forth in the streets of the great religious metropohs, and in language of surpassing majesty, simplicity, and grace. It i<just Jehovah's ancient proclamation now sounding forth through human flesh, "Ho, EVERY ONE THAT THIRSTETH, COME YB TO THE WATERS, AND HE THAT HATH NO money!" (Is. 55. 1.) In this light, we have but two alternatives ; either to say with Caiaphaa of Him that uttered such words, "ife is guilty 0/ death" or falling down before Him to exclaim with Thomas, " My Lord and my God!" as the Scripture hath said— These words belong to what follows, "Out of his beUy, as the Scripture hath said, shall flow," <S:c., referring not to any particular passage, but to such as Is. 58. 11; Joel, 3. 18; Ze. 14. 8; Ez. 47. 1-12; in most of which the idea is that of waters issuing from beneath the Temple, to which our Lord compares Himself and those who believe in Him. out of his belly— ^ i.e., his inner man, his soul, as in Pro v. 20. 27. rivers ol living water— See on ch. 4. 13, 14. It refers primarily to the copiousness, but indi- rectly also to the diffusiveness, of this living water to the good of others. This spake ho of the Spirit— Who, by His direct personal agency, opens up this spring of living waters in the human spirit, (ch. 3. 6,) and by His indwelling in the renewed soul ensures their unfailing floto. they that believe, <fec.— As the Holy Ghost is, in the redemption of man, entirely at the service of Christ, as His Agent, so it is only inhelieving connexionwith Christ that any one "receives" the Spirit, for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]— Beyond aU doubt the word "given," or some similar word, is the right supplement. In ch. 16. 7, the Holy Ghost is represented not only as t)ie Gift of Christ, but a Gift the communica- tion of which was dependent %ii)on His own di:jiarture to the Father. Now as Christ was not yet gone, so the Holy Ghost was not yet given. Jesus not yet glorified — The word "glorified" is here used advisedly, to teach the re"ader not only that the departure of Christ to the Father was indispensable to the giving of the Spirit, but that this illustrious Gift, direct from the hands of the ascended Saviour, was God's intimation to the world that He whom it had cast out, crucified and slain, was " His Elect, in whom His soul delighted." and that it was through the smiting of that Eock that the waters of the Spirit— for which the Church was waiting and with pomp at the feast of Tabernacles proclaiming its expectation — had gushed forth upon a thirsty world. 40-43. Many . . . when they heard this . . . said. Of a truth, &c.— The only wonder is they did not all say it. " But their minds were blinded." others. This is the Christ— See on ch. 1. 21. Shall Christ come out of Galilee . . . Scriptuie said. . . of the seed of David and out of Bethlehem, &c. —We accept this spontaneous testimony to our David-descended, Betldehem-born Sa- ■viour. Had those Who gave it made the inquiry which the case demanded, they would have found that Jesus "came out of Galilee " and " out of Bethlehem" both, alike in fulfilment of proi)hecy as in point of fact. (M. 2. 23; 4. 13-16.) 44-49. would have taken him, but, (to. — See on v, 30. Then came the officers— "sent to ta e Chriit DeKwrc'h the JOHN-, VJIT. Woman tal-en in Advtfenj. him," V. 32. Why not brought him?— already thirsting for their Victim, and thinking it an easy matter to seize and bring Him. Never man spake like this man— Noble testimony of unsophisticated men ! Doubtless they were strangers to the profoimd intent of Christ's teaching, but there was that in it which by its mysterious grandeur and transparent purity and grace, held them spell-bound. Ko doubt it was of God that they should so feel, that their arm might be paralysed, as Christ's "hour was not come;" but even in human teacliing there has sometimes been felt such a divine power, that men who came to kill them e.g. Rowland Hill) have con- fessed to all that they were unmanned. ye also deceived?— In their own servants this seemed intolerable, any of the rulers and Pharisees believed 1 —" Many of them" did, including IS'icodemus and Joseph, but not one of these had openly "confessed him," (ch. 12. 42, and this appeal must have stung such as of them as heard it to the (luick. But this people— Zii. ' multitude,' meaning the ig- norant rabble. Pity these important dis- tinctions, so marked in the original of this eospel, should not be also in our version.) knoweth not the law— -i.e., by school learning, v hich only subverted it by human traditions, are cursed— a cursed set a kind of swearing at them, out of mingled rage and .scorn). 50-53. Nicodemus— re-appearing to us after nearly three years' absence from the history, as a member of the council, probably then sit- ting. Doth our law, (fee— a very proper, but all too tame rejoinder, and evidently more from pressure of conscience than any design to pronounce positively in the case. 'The feebleness of his defence ot Jesus has a strong contrast in the fierceness of the rejoinders of the Pharisees.' [w. & w.] Thou of Galilee ?— in this taunt expressing their scorn of the party. Even a word of caution, or the gen- tlest proposal to enquire before condemning, ■was with them equivalent to an espousal of the hated One. Search. ..out of Galilee. ..no prophet— Strange ! For had not Jonah :of Gathhepher and even Elijah of Thisbe/ arisen out of Galilee ? and it may be more, of whom we have no record. But rage is blind, and deep prejudice distorts all facts. Yet it looks as if they were afraid of losing Kicodemus, when they take the trouble to reason the point at aD. It was just because he had " searched," as they advised him, that he went the length even that he did. eveij man went to his own tiome— finding their filot could not at that time be carried into ejf'ect Is your rage thus impotent, ye chief priests 2 , CHAPTER Vni. ' Ver. 1-11. The Woman Taken in Adjtl- TPRY. 1, 2. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives — Iliis should have formed the last verse of the foregoing chapter. ' The return of the people to the inert quiet and security of their dicellings ich. 7. 63,) at the close of the feast, is designedly contrasted with our Lord's homeless way, so to speak, of spending the short night, who is early in the morning on the scene again. One cannot well see why what is recorded in L. 21. 37, 38, may not even thus early have taken place; it might have been the Lord's ordinary custom from the beginning to leave the brilliant misery of the city every night, that so He might compose His sorrowful and interceding heart, and col- 1 7ot 1ect His energits for new labours of love; pre- ferring for His resting-place Bethany, and the Mount of Olive'', the scene thus consecrated by many preparatory prayers for His final humiliation and exaltation.' [!Stieb.] 3-6. Scribes and Pharisees— foiled in their yester- day's attempt, and hoping to succeed better in this, woman... in adultery... Moses com- manded... should be stoned— simply put to death, Deut. 22. 22,) but in aggravated cases, at least in later times this was probably by stoning. (Ez. 16. 40J but what sayest thou— hoping, whatever He might answer, to put Him in the wrong:— if He said. Stone her, that would seem a stepping out of His pro- vince; if He forbade it, that would hold Him up as a relaxer of the public morals. But these cunning hypocrites were overmatched, stooped down — It wiU be observ^ed He was 'sitting" when they came to Him. wrote with his finger on the ground— Tlie words of our tran.sIators in Italics ("as though he heard, them not"; have hardly improved the sense, for it is scarcely probable He could wish that to be thought. Eather He wLshed to show them His aversion to enter on the subject. But as this did not suit them, they " con- tinue asking him," pressing for an answer. At last, raising Himself He said,— He that is without sin— not meaning, sinless altogether; nor yet, guiltless of a literal breach of the Seventh Commandment; but probably, he whose conscience acquits him of any S2i.ch sin. cast a stone— 'the stone,' meaning the first one. (Deut. 17. 7.) again stooped down and wrote— The design of this second stoop- ing and writing on the ground was evidently to give her accusers an opportunity to slink away unobserved by Him. and so avoid an exposure to His eye which they could ill have stood. Accordingly it is added,— they ...convicted... went out one by one... Jesus left alone — i.e.. without one of her accusers re- maining; for it is added,— the woman in the midst— I.e., of the remaining audience. AVhile the trap failed to catch Him for whom it was laid, it caught those who laid it. Stun- ned by the unexpected home-thrust they immediately made off— which makes the impudence of those impure hypocrites in dragging such a case before the public eye the more disgusting. Woman, (fee. —What inimitable tenderness and grace ! Conscious of her own guilt, and till now in the hands of men who had talked of stoning her, won- dering at the skill with which her accusers had been dispersed and the grace of the few words addressed to herself, she would be disposed to listen, with a reverence and teachableness before unknown, to our Lord's admonition, " And Jesus said unto her. Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more." He pronounces no pardon upon the woman, bke " Thy sins are forgiven thee"— " Go in peace," much less does He say that she had done nothing condemnable ;He sim- ply leaves the matter where it was. He meddles not with the magistrate's office, nor acts the Judge in any sense, (ch. 12. 47.1 But in saying " Go and sin no more," which had been before said to one who undoubtedly believed ch. 6. 14, i more is probably im- plied than expressed. If brought suddenly to conviction of sin, admiration of her De- liverer, and a willingness to be admonished and giiided by Him, this call to begin a new me may kave canied with it what Tin woman taken in adultery. came unto him; and he sat Uown, and taught them. a And the scribes and Pharisees brought niito him a woman taken in adaltery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Mast^'r, this woman was talven m adultery, in the very act. 5 Now " Moses in tlie law commanded ns, that such should be stoned : but what saypst thou? 6 This they said, tempting: him. that they mii,'ht have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when thev continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, * He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, ' being con- victed by their oivn conscience, went out one by one. beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman suinding in the midst. 10 When J esus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her. Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, <* Neither do I condemn thee: go. and sin no more. 1211 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 1 am the light of the world: he that foUoweth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the lii^ht of life. 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou * bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them. Though 1 bear record of myself, yet my record is tnie: for 1 know whence 1 came, and whither I go; but / ye cannot tell whence 1 lome, and whither I go. 15 Ye '^ judge after the tiesh; '>* 1 judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is tme ; for 'I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It / is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 1 am one that bear witness of myself, and * the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, ' Ye neither know me, nor my Father: ""if ye hiid known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus in " the treas- ury, as he taught in the temnle: and "no man laid hands on him; for ^ nis hour was not yet come. 21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go niy way, and «ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye caimot come. 22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith. Whither 1 go, ye cannot come. 2a And he said unto them, •■ Ye are from beneath; I am from above: * ye are of this World; i am not of this world. 24 1 said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: 'for it ye believe not that 1 am he, ye sliail die in your sins. 2^ Then said they uuto him. Who art 76 CHAP. 8. o Lev. 20. 10. Deu. !i*2.22. 6 Deu. 17. 7 Job 6. 12. Bom. 2. 1. e Horn. 2. 23. d Lu 9. 56. Lu. 12. 11. ch. 3. 17. ■eh. .31. JOHN, VUL TTie unbelieving Jews reproved. thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the be- ginning. 2(j I have many thmgs to say and to judge of you: but "he that sent me is true; and I " speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Then said Jesus unto them. When ve have "' lifted up the Son of man, * then shall ye know that 1 am he, and *' that 1 do no- thing of myself; but 'as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29 And " he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone: *fur I do always those things that please nim. 30 As he spake these words many believed on him. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and *the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, <* We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou. Ye shall be made tree? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, * Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And /the serAant abidcth not in the house for ever: Init the Son abideth ever. 36 If ^ the Son therefore shall make you IVee, ye shall be free indeed. 37 1 know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye ''seek to kill me, because my woid hath no place in you. 38 1 speak that which 1 have seen with my Father; and ye do that which ye have seen with vom- father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham »is our father. Jesus saith uuto them, 3 If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said thev to him. We be not born of foiTU- cation; * we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesns said unto them, ' If God were your Father, ye would love me: "» for 1 pro- ceeded forth and came from God; "neither came 1 of myself, but he sent me, 43 Why " do ye not understand my speech? eve7i because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye Pare of yotir father the devil, and the lusts of yom- father ye will do. lie was a nmnlerer from the beginning, and ' abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speak- fcth of his own: for he is a liar, and the father otit. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 4(i Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if 1 say the truth, why do ye not be- lieve me? 47 He ''that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 1 hen answered the Jews, and said unto him. Say we not well thai thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, 1 have not a devil; but 1 honour mj Father, aud ye do dishonour me. g 1 Sa. iti. 7. ch. 7. 24. A ch. 18. o6. t ch. 16. 32. ;■ Deu. 17. 6. Deu. 19 15. Mat 13.16. 2 Cor. 13.1. Heb. 10.28. It ch. 6. 37. 2 Pet. 1.17. J ch. 16. 3. m ch. 14. 7. n Mar. 12.41. ch. 7. 30. P ch. 7. 8. 9 ch. 13. 33. r ch. 3. 31. » ch. 16. 19. ch. 17 16, 1 John 4.6. ( ^Urk 16.16. « ch. 7. 28. f ch. 3. 32. ch. 16. 15. «" ch. 3. 14. ch. 12. 32. « Kom. 1. 4. y ch. 6. 19, 30. 2 ch. 3. 11. « ch. 14. 10. b ch. 4. 34. ch. 6. 38. c Kom. 6.14, 18. 22. Rom. 8. 2. Jam. 1 25. Jam. 2. 12. (i Lev. 25.42. Mat. 3. 9. « 2 Pet. 2.19. / Gal. 4. 30. i/ la. 48. 24. Kom. 8. 2. 2 Cor. 3.17. Gal. 5. 1. Ke* 1. 5. Bev. 2.7,10, Key. 6. 9. h ch. 7. 19. i Mat. 3. 9. } Kom. 2. 28. Kom. 9 7. Gal. 3. 7, k la. 63. 16. la. t4. 8. >lal. 1. 6. I 1 John 4. 19. 1 John 5.1. "» ch. 1. 14. ch. 3. 10. ch. 16. 27, eh. 17. 8, 25. Gal. 4 4. n ch. 5. 43. »ch. 7 17. P .Mat. 13.38. (/ Gin. 3. 1. 2C..r. U.3. FurtJier Biscmirses of Jesus, JOHN. VLU. Attempt to Stone Him. vould ensure and naturally bring about a permanent change. iThis whole narra- tive is wanting in some of the earliest and most valuable MSS. of the gospels, and tho^e which have it vary to some extent in the text of it. But the reason is not far to seek. Tlie notions of the early Gmrch on such subjects were of the mo.st ascetic de- scription, and to them the whole narrative must have been most confounding. Augus- tin and others among the fathers ascribe the omission to this cause. Tlie internal evid- ence in its favour is almost overpowering. It is easy to account for its omission, though genuine; but if not so, it is next to impos- sible to account for its hisertion.) 12-59. Further Discourses of Jesus— Attejipt to Stone Him. 12. 1 am the light of the world— As the former references to vmter ch. 4. and 7.) and to bread ch. 6.) were occasioned by outward occurrences, so this one to light. In " the Treasury " where it was spoken (see on v. 20,) stood two colossal gold- en lamp-stands, on which hung a multitude of lamps, lighted after the evening sacrifice (probably every evening) during the feast of vLabemacles, diffusing their brilliancy, it is said, over all the city. Around these the people danced with great rejoicing. Now as amidst the festivities of the ivater from Si- loam Jesus cried, saying, " If any man thirst let him come unto me and drmk," so now amidst the bla^e and the joyousness of this illumination, ne proclaims, " I am the Lightoftheworld"— plainly in the most absolute sense. For though He gives his dis- ciples the same title, they are only "light in the Lord" lEph. 5. 8); and though He calls the Baptist " the burning and shining light " (or 'lamp' of his day, ch. 5. 35,) yet " he was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light: Tliat was the true light which, coming into the world, lighteth every wan," ich. 1. 8, 9.) Under this magnificent title Messiah was promised of old. Is. 42. 6; Mai. 4. 2, &c. followeth me— as one does a light going before him, and as the Israelites did the pillar of bri-^ht cloud in the wilder- ness, the light of life— the light, as of a new •world, a newly awakened spiritual and eter- nal life. 13-19. bearest record of thyself... not tnie— How does He meet this specious cavil? Not by disputing the wholesome human maxim that ' self praise is no praise,' but by affirming that He was an exception to the rule, or rather, that it had no application to Him. for I know whence... and whither, &c.— See on ch. 7. 28, 29. Ye judge after the flesh— with no spiritual apprehension. I judge no man... yet if I judge, &c.— g.cZ. 'Ye not only form your carnal and warped judg- ments of Me, but are bent on carrying them into effect; I, though I form and utter my judgment of you, am not here to carry this into execution— that is reserved to a future day; yet the judgment I now pronounce and the witness I now bear is not mine only, as ye suppose, but His also that sent me. (See on ch. 5. 31, 32.) And these are the two wit- nesses to any fact which your law reauires.' 20. in the treasury— a flivision.so called,of the fore-court of the temple, part of the court of the women (Joseph. Ant., xix. 6. 2, <fec.), which mayconfli-m the genuinenessof v. 2-11, as the place where the woman was brought. no man laid hands, ire— See on ch. 7. 30. In the dialogue that foUows, the conflict waxes ?S sharper on both sides, till rising to its climax. they take up stones to stone him. 21-25. I go my way, &c.— See on ch. 7. 34. WUl he kill himself ?— seeing something more in his words than before, (ch. 7. 35,) but their question more malignant and sconiful. Ye are from beneath. . .1 from above— contrasting Himself, not as in ch. 3. 31, simply with earth-bom messengers of God, but with men sprung from and breathing an opposite element from His, which rendered it impossible that He and they should have any present fellowship, or dwell eternally together. See again on ch. 7. 34; also v. 44. If ye believe not that I am he^ Tliey knew well enough what He meant. (Mk. 13. 6. Gr. cf. M. 24. 5.) But He would not, by speaking it out, give them the ma- terials for a charge for which they were watching. At the same time, one is irresis- tibly reminded by such language, so far transcending what is becoming in men, of those ancient declarations of the God of Israel, "I am He," &c. iDeu. 32. 39; Is. 43. 10, 13; 46. 4; 48. 12.) See on ch. 6. 20. Who art thoul— hoping thus to extort an explicit answer; but they are disappointed. 26, 27. I have many things to say, <!zc.—q.d., I could, and at the fitting time, wiU say and judge many things of you, referring perhaps to the work of the Spirit, which is for judg- ment as well as salvation, ch. 16. 8,^ but what I do say is just the message my Father hath given me to deliver.' 28-30. When ye have lifted up— The plainest intimation He had yet given in public of the manner and the autlwrs of His death, ye shall know that I am, 6cc.—i.e., find out, or have sufficient evidence, how true was all He said, though they would be far from owning it. the Father hath not left me alone, &:c.—q.d.. To you, who gnash upon me with your teeth, and frown down all open appearance for me, I seem to stand uncountenanced and alone; but I have a sympathy and support trans- cending all himian applause; I came hither to do my Father's will, and in the doing of it have not ceased to please Him; therefore is He ever by Me with His approving smile. His cheering words. His supporting arm.* As he spake these words, many believed on him —Instead of wondering at tnis, the wonder would be if words of such unearth ly, surpass- ing grandeur coidd be uttered without capti- vating some that heard them. And just as "all that sat in the coimcil" to try Stephen "salt' 7i,*s /ace "—though expecting nothing but death—" as it had been the face of an angel," lA. 6. 15,) so may we suppose that, full of the sweet supporting sense of His Father's presence, amidst the rage and scorn of the rulers, a divine benignity beamed from His countenance, irradiated the words that fell from Him, and won over the candid " many " of His audience. 31-33. said to those who believed. If ye contiuue, &c.— The impres- sion produced by the last words of our Lord may have become visible by some decisive movement, and here He takes advantage of it to press on them "continuance" in the faith, since then only were they "his real disciples," cf. ch. 15. 3-8,) and then should they experimentally " know the truth," and " by the truth be made (sviritufdly free." They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, &c. —Who said this? Not surely the very class just spoken of as won over by His divine words, and exhorted to continue in them. A Hind man restored to sigU. JOHN, IX. The Pharisees cavil at the miracle. 50 And « 1 seek not mine own (:;loiy: there is one that seeketh and.jutlgcth. 61 Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, « If a man keep my Baying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him. Now we know that thou hast a devil. "Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou gi-eater than our father Abra- ham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesas answered, If I honour myself, my honour is notliinsj: " it is my Father that honourethme; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet "" j'e have not known him ; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but 1 know hnn. and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham * rejoiced to see my day; "and he saw it, and was fclad. 67 Then said the Jews unto him. Thou art not yet fifty yeais old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, * 1 am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, gointj through the midst of them, and so passed by. ClIAPTEU IX. 1 A nan that was born Mind is restored to si<jht: 13 he is brought to the Fnarisees: 34 they eicom- munieate hnn: ;t5 Chriit receiveth him. i.9 He chargeth the I'harisees wit/i spiritual biind- ness. A ND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man ■"■ which was blijidfrom his birth. 2 And his disciples asked liim, sayinp, Master, wno did "sin, this man, or his parents, that he was bom bUnd? 3 Jesus answered, Neither liath this man Binned, nor his parents: * but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 1' must work the works of him that Bent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As 1< ing as I am in the world, <* I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, 'he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he i anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him. Go, wash /in the pool ot Siloam, (which is, by interpretation. Sent.) ^He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. 8 H The neighboms therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said. Is not thia he that sat and begged? 9 Some said. This is he; others said. He is like him: but he said, I am /le. 10 Therefore said ihey unto him. How were thine eyes opened? 11 lie answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me. Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and 1 went and washed, ftiid 1 received sight. 12 Then said they unto him. Where is he? He said, 1 know not. 13 II They brought to the Pharisees hipi that al'uretimu wa£ blind. , 11 ch. 7. 18. t ch. 5. 24. ch. n. 26. « Zech. 1. 6, IIeb.U.13 Wch. 11). 1*. ch. 17. I. Acts S. 13. V ch 7. 28. ' Gen. 22.18. Lu. 10. 24. Gal. 3. 8, lb. V Hob. 11.13 » Ex. 3. 14. Is. 9. 6. Is. 43. 13. Mic. 5. 2. Col. 1. 17. Heb. 13. 8. Kev. 1. 8. CHAP. 9. a Acts 28. 4, J>ch. 11. 4. c ch. 4. 34. ch. 6. 19, 36. ch. 11. 9. eves of the blind man. / Neh. 3. 15. Is. 8. 6. ff 2 Ki. 6. 14. h ch. 3. 2. i ch. 7. 12, 43. ch. 10. 19 ;• Deu. 18.16. ch. 4. 19. ch. 6. 14. k ch. 7. 13. ch. 12. 42. ch. 19. 38. Acts 6. 13. 1 ch. 16. 2. m Josh. 7.19. 1 Sa. 6. a. " ch. 8. 14. o ch. 3. 10. P Job 27. 9. Job 36. 12. P.. 18. 41. Pa. 34 15. Pb. 66. 18. Pro. 1 28. Pro. 15 29. Pro. 28. 9. I». 1. 15. Jer 11.11. Jer.l4. 12. Eie. 8. 18. ilic. 3. 4. Zoch. 7.13. 2 Or. excni. muuioiUMl q Mat. 14.33. Wat. 15 lb. AUrk 1.1. ch. 10. 36. 1 John 5. 13. ret. 4. 26. 14 And Jt was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Then again the Pharisees also asked hinr how he had received his sight, lie said unto them. He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. 16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, '' How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And » there was a division among them. 17 They say unto the blind man again. What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, /He is a pro- phet. 18 But the Jews did not believe concern- ing him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying. Is thia yoiu- son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? '20 His pai'ents a.nswered them, and said. We know that this is oui* son, and that he was born blind: 21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. 'J2 These ivords spake his parents, because they * feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, < he should be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore said his parents. He is of age; ask him. 24 Then agahi called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, "' Give God the praise: we know that tliis man is a sinner. 25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, 1 know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now 1 see. 26 Then said they to him agnin. What did he to thee? liow opened he thine eyes? 27 He answered them, I have told you ah'eady, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? 28 Then they reviled him, and said. Thou art his disciple ; but we are Moses' disciples. 29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, "we know not from whence he is. 30 The man answered and said unto them, Why " herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. 31 Now we know that P God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. 32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened tne eyes of one that was born blind. 33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothhig. 34 They answered and said unto him. Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they 2 cast him out. 35 H Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him. Host thou believe on * the Son of God? 36 He answered and said. Who is he. Lord, that 1 might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him. Thou hast both seen him, and ''it is he that talketh with thee. ' Christ Beproveth JOHN, vni. the TJnbeliemng Jews. Most interpieters seem to think so; \mi it is but were descended from his own chosen hard to ascribe such a petulant speech to Abraham. 42. 43. If God were your father— newly-gained disciples, even in the lowe.st g.d., ' If ye had any thing of his moral image, sense, much less persons so gained as they as children have their father's likeness ye were. It came, prooably, from persons mixed would love me, for 1 am immediately of him tip with them in the same part of the crowd, [ and directly from him. But "my speech," but of a very different spirit. The pride of i (meaning his peculiar style of expres.sing the Jewish nation, even now after centuries ! himself on these subjects,) is unintelligible of humiliation, is the most striking feature i to you because ye cannot take in the truth of their character. ' Talk of freedom to tis? which it conveys.' 44. Ye are of your father Pray when or to whom were we ever in ! the devil—' This is one of the most decisive bondage?' This bluster sounds almost ludic- testimonies to the ohjcdive outward) persoti- rous from such a nation. Had they forgotten ! ality of the devil. It is quite impossible to their long and bitter bondage in Egypt? their | suppose an accommodation to Jewish views, dreary captivity in Babylon? their present or a metaphorical form of speech, in so bondage to the Roman yoke, and their rest- solemn an assertion as this.' [Alf.] the less eagerness to throw it off? But probably lusts of your father— his impure, malignant, theysawthat our Lord pointed to something I ungodly propensities, inclinations, desires, else— freedom, perhaps, from the leaders of j ye will do—' are willing to do,' i.e., ' willingly sects or parties— and were not willing to allow I do;' not of any bliml necessity of nature, but their subjection even to these. Our iMrd, \ of pure naturalinclination. a murderer from therefore, though He knew what slaves they ! the beginning— The reference is not to Cain, were in this sense, drives the ploughshare ; [as Lcke., De W., Alf., <fec.,l but to Adam. somewhat deeper than this, to a bondage [Gr., Calv., Mey., Lthdt., &;c.] The death they little dreamt of. 34, 35. Whosoever com- j of the human race, in its widest sense, is as- mitteth sin— i.e., liveth in Vie commission of i cribed to the murderous seducer of our race, it. (cf. 1 J. 3. 8; M. 7. 23.) is the servant of ; and abode not in the truth— As, strictly speak- sm— i.e., the bomi-servant, or slave of it; for ling, the vvord means ' abideth,' it has been the question is not about free-service, but denied that the fall of Satan from a former ^\ho Are in bondage^ (cf. 2 Pe. 2. 19; E. 6. i ' • • - - — - - 16.) The great truth here expressed was not • unknown to heathen moralists; but it was applied only to vice, for they were total stran- gers to what in revealed religion is called sin. The thought of slaves and freemen in the house suggests to our Lord a wider idea. And the servant abideth not, &c.—q.d., 'And if your connexion with the family of God be that of BOND-SERVANTS, ye have no natural j statement itself, properly interpreted and <i€ to the house; your tie is essentially un- brought out. no truth in him— void of all that certain and precarious. But the Son's re- ' holy, transparent rectitude which, as his lationship to the Father is a natural and '• creature, he originally possessed, speaketh essential one; it is an indefeasible tie; His of his own— perhaiis his own resources, trea- Sihoie in it is perpetual a.nd of right: Tha.t is sures. M. 12. ,35. [Alf.J (The word is p/wra^.) My relationsliip. My tie: If, then, ye would It means that lie has no temptation to it have your connection with Gods {a.mily from ivithout; it ispureiy self-beyotten,swms- niade real, rightful, permanent, ye must by ing from a nature which is nothing but obli- the Son be manumitted and adopted as sons quity. the father of it— i.e., of lying: all the and daughters of the Lord Ahnighty. In falsehood in the world owes its existence to this sublime statement there is no doubt a ; Him. What a verse is this! It holds up the subordinate allusion to Ge. 21. 10, " Cast out \ devil, (1. ) as the murderer of the human race; holy state is here expressed, [Lcke., &c.,] and some superior interpreters think it only implied. [Olsh., &c.] But though the /orm. of the thought is present— not past— this is to express the important idea, that his whole character and acti^dty are just a continual aberration from his oivn original truth or rectitude; and t-hus his fall is not only the implied basis of the thought, but part of the this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman sluill not be heir with my son, with Isaac." (cf. Gal. 4. 22-30.) 37-41. seek to kill me— He had said this to their face before; He now repeats it, and they do not but as this is meant here in the more pro- found sense of spiritual death, it holds liim up 2.) as the parent of this fallen human family, communicating to his offspring his own evil passions and universal obliquity. yd deny it: yet are they held back, as by some and stimulating these into active exercise, marvellous spell— it was the awe which His But as there is " a stronger than he," who combined dignity, courage, and benignity - conies upon him and overcomes him, L. 11. struck into them, because my word hath no ; 21, 22,1 it is only such as " love the darkness" place in you — When did ever hunutn prophet who are addressed as children of the devil, so speak of his words? They tell us of " the (M. 13. 38; 1 J. 3. 8-10.) 45-47. And because I word of the Lord "coming to them. But tell you the truth, &c.— not a/i/iowfifft, but just here is One who holds up " His word" as that because He did so, for the reason given in which ought to find entrance and abiding the former verse. Had He been less tnie room for itself in the souls of all who hear they would have hailed Him more readily, it. my father .. .your father— See on r. 23. If convinceth me of sin— ' Convicteth,' bringetli ye were Abraham's children— He had just said home a charge of sin. Glorious dilemma! He "knew they were Abraham's children," ! 'Convict me of sin, and reject me: If not, i.e., according to the flesh; but the children why stand ye out against my claims f Of of his faith and holiness they were not, but course, they could only be supposed to im- the reverse, this did not Abraham— In so do- peach his life; but in One who had already ing ye act in direct opposition to him. we passed through unparalied complications, be not born of fornication . . . we have one father, and had continually to deal with friends ana God— meaning, as is generally allowed, that foes of every sort and degree, such a chal- they vvere nut an illegitimate race in point of , lenge thrown wide amongst his bitterest rdi-ijioit, preteudiug only to be God's people, I enemies, can amount to nothing short of a 77 M Girist Judifidh His Doctrine. JOHN, IX. The Tlind Receiveth. Sighi. claim to absolute sinkifsnesx. 48-51. Say we not well... Samaritan... devil?— What intense and virulent scorn! i^ee He. 12. 3.) The "say we not well" refei-s to ch. 7. 20. "A Samaritan" means more than 'no Israelite at all;' it means one who pretended, but had no munner of cluim to the title— retorting, perhaps, this denial of their true descent from Abraham. I have not a devil— What calm dignity is here! Verily, "when reviled, he reviled not again." (1 Pe. 2. 23;) cf. Paul, A. 26. 25, "I am not mad," fcc. He adds not, ' Nor am I a Samaritan,' that He might not even seem to partake of their contempt for a race tliat had already welcomed Him as the Christ, and begun to be blessed by Him. I honour . . .dishonour me— the language of Viounded feehnrj. But the interior of His soul at such moments is only to be seen in such prophetic utterances as these, "For thy sake I have borne reproach ; shame hath covered my face: I am become a stranoer unto my brethren, an aZie?i unto my mother's children. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up, and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon mc." (Ps. 69. 7-9.) I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh — i.e., ' that secketh my glory:' requiring " aU men to honour the Son even as they honour the Father;" judi- cially treating him " who honoureth not the Son as honouring not the Father that hath sent him," ch. 5. 23; and cf. M. 17. 6;' but giving to Him (ch. 6. 37,) such as will yet cast their crowns before His throne, in whom He " shaU see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. " (Is. 53. 11.) 51. If a man Jieep my saying, he shall never taste of death— Partly thus vindicating His lofty claims, as Lord of the kingdom of life everlasting, and, at the same time, holding out even to His revilers the sceptre of grace. The word '"keep" is in harmony with v. 31, "If ye continue in my word," expressing the permanency, as a living and paramount principle, of that faith to which He referred. '"Never see death," though virtually uttered before, (ch. 5. 24; 6. 40, 47, 51,) is the strongest and most naked state- ment of a very glorious truth yet given. (In ch. 11. 2C, it is repeated in nearly identical terms.) 52, 53. Now we know &c.— 'Thou art now self-convicted; only a demoniac could speak so; the mo.st illustrious of our fathers are dead, and thou promisest exempiion from death to anyone wlio will keep tliy say- ing! pray, who art thour" 54-56. If I honour myself. &c.— See on ch. 5. 31, &c. I should be a liar like unto you— now rising to the summit of holy, naked severity, thereby to draw this long dialo-ue to a head. Abraham rejoiced to see my day, &c.— 'exulted,' or 'exceedingly rejoiced that he should see,' he 'exulted to see' it. i.e., by anticipation. Nay, he saw it and was ^lad— he adually beheld it, to his joy. If this mean no more than that he had a prophetic foresight of the gospel day— the second clause just repealing the first— how could the Jews understand our Lord to mean that He "had seen Abraham'/" And if it mean that Abraham was then beholding, in his disembodied spirit, the incarnate 5les- siah, IStier, Alf., &c.,] the words seem very unsuitable to express it. It expresses some- thing past—" he saiv my day, and was glad," i.e.. surely i''/ute he lived. He seems to refer to the familiar intercourse which Abraham had with God, who is once and again iu the W li] history called "tlie Angel of the Lord," and whom Christ here identifies with Himself. On those occasions, Abraham " saw Me." [Olsh., though he thinks the reference is to some unrecorded scene.] If this be the meaning, aU that follows is quite natural. 67-59. not yet 50 years old—' No inference can be drawn from this as to the age of our Lord at tlie time as man. Fifty years was with the Jews the completion of manhood.' [Alf.] thou seen Abraham?— He had said Abraham saw Hi7n, as being his peculiar privilege. They give the opposite turn to it—" Hast thou seen Abraham^"' as an honour too great for Him to pretend to. Before Abraham was, I am— The words rendered " was" and "am" are quite different. The one clause means, 'Abraham was brought into being;' the other, ' I exist.' The statement therefore is not that Chrit came into existence before Abraham did, (as Arians affirm is the mean- ing) but that He never came into being at all, but existed before Abraham had a being; in other words, existed before creation, or eternally, as ch. 1. 1. In that sense the Jeivs plainly understood him, since "then took they up stones to cast at him," jxist as they had before done vjhen they saw that He made Himself equal with God, ch. 5. 18. hid him- self—See on L. 4. 30. CHAPTEE IX. Ver. 1-41. The Opening of the Etes of OxVE BoKN Bund, and what Followed on it. 1-5. blind from his birth— and who " sat begging," v. 8. who did sin, this man, (fee, —not in a former .state of existence, in which, as respects the wicked, the Jews did not be- lieve; but, perhaps, expressing loosely that sin somewhere had surely been the cause of Ifc's calamity. Neither this man, &c.—q.il., ' The cause was neither in himself nor his parents, but, in order to the manifestation of "the works of God," in his cure.' I must v;ork, &c.— amost interesting statement from the mouth of Christ; intimating, (1.) that Pie had a precise work to do upon earth, with every particular of it arranged and laid out to Him; (2.) that all He did upon earth was just " the works of God"— particularly " go- ing about doing good,," though not ex- clusively by miracles; (3.) that each work had its precise time and place in His progi-amme of instructions, so to speak; hence, (4. that as His period for work had a definite termi- nation, so by letting any one service pass by it? allotted time, the whole would be dis- arranged, marred, and driven beyond its des- tined period for comitletion; (5.) that He acted ever under the impulse of these con- siderations, as man—" the night cometh when no man or no onei can work." \\ hat lessons are here for others, and what en- couragement from such Example! As Ions as I am in the world, &c.— not as if He would cease, after that, to be so; but that He must make full proof of His fidelity, while His earthly career lasted, by displaying His glory. ' As before the raising of Lazarus, (ch. 11. 25,) He announces Himself as the Resui-rection and the Life, so now He sets Himself forth as the source of the archetypal spiritual light, of which the natural, now about to be conferred, is only a derivation and symtiol.' [Alf.] 6,7. spat... made clay... and anointed the eyes, &c.— Tnese operations were not so incongruous in their nature as might appear, thouyh it were absurd to imagine that they Christ Giveth Sighl JOHN. IX. to a Man Bom EUnd. contributed in the least degree to the effect the people in the things of God? Out upon which followed. (See on JVIk. 6. 13; and 7.\ thee.' tliey cast Mm out— judicially, no doubt 33, 34.) Go, wash in Siloam. ..which is. Sent, as well as in fact. The allusion to his being &c.— vSee 2 Ki. 5. 10, 14.) As the prescribed i '" born in sins" seems a tacit admission of his action was purely symbolical in its design, being blind from birth— the very thing they so in connection with it the evangelist had been so unwilling to own. But rage and notices the symbolical name of the pool, as enmity to truth are seldom consistent in in this case bearing testimony to Him who their outbreaks. The friends of this ex- was sent to do wJiat it only symbolized. (See communicated youth, crowding around him Is. 8. 6, where this same pool is used figur- with their sympathy, would probably ex- atively to denote "the streams that made press surprise that one who could work such glad the city of God," and which, humble a cure should be unable to protect liis patient though they be, betoken a present God of from the persecution it had raised against Israel.) 8-15. Tiie neighbours, &c.— Here are ■ him, or should possess the power without _ _^ j_i..-,- ._ :j-_i:^.. i.,_ ,_. ugjjjgjt^ Kor would it be wonderful if such thoughts should arise in the youth's own mind. But if they did, it is certain, from what follows, that they made no lodgment there, conscious as he was that "whereas he was blind, now he saw," and satisfied that if his Benefactor "were not of God he could do nothing," [v. 33.) There was a word for a number of details to identify the newly seeing with the long-known blind beggar, brought to the Pharisees— sitting probably in council, and chiefly of that sect, ;ch. 7. 47, 48.) 16, 17. not of God, fcc— t?ee on ch. 5. 9, 16. Others said, &c.— as Nicodemus, and Joseph. He is a prophet— rightly viewing the miracle as but a " sign" of his prophetic commission. 18-23. did not believe he had been bora blind. . . till, &c.— Foiled by the testimony of the young man himself, they hope to throw doubt on the fact by close-questioning his parents, who, perceiving the snare laid for them, in- geniously escape it by testifying simply to the identity of their son, and his birth-blind- ness, leaving it to hiuiself, as a competent witness, to speak to the cure. They pre- varicated, however, in saying they "knew not who had opened his eyes," for "they feared the Jews. ' who had come to an under- standing, I probably alter what is recorded, ch. 7. 50, (tc, but by this time pretty well known.) that whoever owned him as the Christ should be put out of the synagogue— i.e., not simply excluded, but excommuni- cated. 24-34. Give God the praise, <S:c.— not wishing him to own, even to the praise of God, that a miracle had been WTOught upon him, but to show more regard to the honour of God than ascribe any such act to one who was a sinner. Whether a sinner or no, <S:c.— Kot that the man meant to insinuate any doubt in his own mind on the point of his being "a sinner," but as his opinion on such a point would be of no consequence to others, he would speak only to what he knew us fact in his own case, said they again, etc.- hoping by repeated questions to ensnare him, but the youth is more than a match for them. I have told you already. ..will ye also be his disciples?— In a vein of keen irony he treats their questions as those of anxious enquirers, almost ready for discipleship ! fetuug by this, they retort upon him as the disciple, (and here they plainly were not wrong;) for themselves, they tell back upon Moses; about him there could be no doubt; but who knew about this upstart? The man answered, dtc. —He had no need to say another word; but waxing bolder in defence of his Benefactor, and his views brightening by the very courage wliich it demanded, he puts it to them how they could pretend inability to teU whether one who opened the eyes of a man born blind was " of God" or " a sinner"— from above or from beneath— and proceeds to argue the case with remarkable power. So irresi-stible was his argument, that their xage burst forth in a speech of intense Phar- isaism, " Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach usi"— ' tfwu, a base-born, uneducated, impudent youth, teach us, the trained, constituted, recognised guides of 77 [2] uu uoimug, {V. ii;i.i xiiere was a wuru lur him too, w-hich, if whispered in his ear from the oracles of God, would seem expressly designed to describe his case, and prepare him for the coming interview with his gra- cious Friend. " Hear the word of the Lord ye that tremble at His word. Your brethren thathatedyou, that cast you ont for my name' sake, said. Let the Lord be glorified; but Hb SHALL APPEAR TO YOUR JOY, and they shall be ashamed" (Is. 63. 5.) But how was He engaged to whom such noble testimony had been given, and for whom such persecution had been borne? Uttering, perhaps, in secret, "with strong crying and tears," the words of the prophetic psalm, " Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake; let none that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel; because for thy sake I have borne re- proach . . . and the reproaches of them that reproached ihee are fallen upon me," (Ps. 69. 6,7,9.) 35-38. Jesus heard— i.e., by intelligence brought Him. that they had cast out the youth ; and when He had found bim— by ac- cident? Kot very likely. Sympathy in that breast could not long keep aloof from its object. Dost thou believe in the Sou of God?— A question stretching purposely beyond his present attainments, in order the more quickly to lead him— in his present teach- able fiame— into the highest truth. Who is He, Lord, that I may beUeve on Him ?— ' His reply is affirm.ative, and believing by antici- pation, promising faith as soon as Jesus shall say who He is.' [Stier.] Thou hast both seen Him— the new sense of sight having at that moment its highest exercise, in gazing upon " the Liyht of the world." Lord, I be- lieve: and he worshipped Him— a faith and a worship, beyond doubt, meant to express far more than he would think proper to any human "prophet" [v. I7,i— the unstucUtd. resistless expression, probably of supreme faith and adoration, though without the lull understanding of what that impUed. 39-41. Jesus said— perhaps at the san^e time, but after a crowd, including some of the sceptical and scornful rulers, had, on seeing Jesus talking with the healed youth, hastened to the spot, that they which see not might see. Arc— Pdsing to that sight of which the natu- ral vision communicated to the youth was but the symbol. (See on v. 5, and cf. L. 4. 18.) they wliich see be made blind— judicially in- capable of apprehending and receiving the Christ the good i^hepherd. JOHN. X. XT. Bis unity mth the Father. 38 And he said, Lord, I beliere. And he worshipped him. 3y 'i And Jesus said, •For judgment I am come into this world, ' that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind. 40 And some of the Pliarisees which were with him heard these words, " and said unto him. Are we blind also? 41 Jesus said mito them," If j'e were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say. We Bee ; therefore your sin remaineth. CHAPTER X. 1 Christ is the door, and the good shepherd. 19 Divers opinions of him. '£i He proveth bti his works that he is Christ, and asserteth his unitt/ with the father. ■yERILY, verily, I say nnto you, " He that ' entereth not by the door into the Bheep-fold, but climbeth up some other way , the same is a thief and a robber. 2 13ut he that entereth in by * the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him "the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own eheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 6 And'' a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them : but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again. Verily, Terily, I say unto you, 1 am • the door of the sheep. 8 All /that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and hud pasture. 10 The ^ thief Cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 1 A am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 ikit he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and « leaveth the slieep, and tieeth: and the wolf catcheth ttieni, and scattereth the sheep. 16 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 1 am the good shepherd, aud> know my sheep, and * am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know 1 the Father: and 1 lay down my life tor the sheen. 16 And ' otuer sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also 1 must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; "* and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, " be- cause 1 lay down my lil'e, that 1 might take It again. 18 iSo man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. 1 have power to lay it down, and 1 have power to take it again. 1 his commandment have 1 received of my i'ather. ly 'i There was a division therefore again among the Jews for tiitse sayings. liO And many of tliem said. He hath a dc\il, and is mad; wliy hear ye him? la CHAP. 8. » ch. 5. 22. ch. 3. 17. ch. 12.47. t Mat. 13.1S. Lu. 2. 34. 2 Cor. 2.16. « Rom 2 19. f ch. 16. 2a. CHAP. 10. a U. 66. 10. c 1 Pet. 1.12. 1 Cor. 16.9. d Pro. 19.27. <Jal. 1. 8. Egh. 4. 14. Col. 2. 8. « £ph. 2. 18. Heb. 10.19. / Jer. 23. 1. Jer. 50. 6. Act! & 36, 37. a ActH 20.29. 2 Pet. 2. 1. h Is. 40. U. Eze. 34.-J3. Ezo. 37 ■.;4. Heb. 13.'.0. 1 Pet. 2 !i5. 1 Pet. 6 4. i Zech.11.16. j 2 Ti. 2. 19. k EpK 1. 17. Phil. 3. 10. I Is. 56. 8. m Em. 3722. hyh. 2. 14. n Is 53. 7. Hob. 2. 9. Acts 2. 24. P Ex. 4. 11. Ps. 94. 9. Pa. 146. 8. q Acts 3. 11. Acts 5. 12. 1 Or, hoU r ch. 8. 47. 1 John 4. 6. » ch. 14 28. t ch. 17. 2, 6. u eh. 17. 11. 1 John 5.7. V ch. 5. 18. «- Pi. 82 6. X Rom. 13. 1. V ch. 6 27. » ch. 3. 17. ch. 6. 36. ch. 8. 42. a Lu. 1. 35. ch. 9. 35. 6 ch. 15. 24. c ch. 14. 10. fb. 17. 21. d ch. 1. 28. e ch. 3. aO. /ch 8.30. ch. 11. 45. CHAP. 11. a Lu. 10. 38. 6 Milt. 26. 7. 21 Others saVd, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. P Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 22 H And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, 'in Solomon's porch. 24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said nnto him. How long dost thou imake ns to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the woi-ks that I do in my Father's name, they bear w itness of me. 26 liut •" ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as 1 said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And 1 give unto them eternal life: and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand, 29 My • Father, * which gave them me, i8 greater than all* and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 1 ** and my Father are one. 31 H Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them. Many good works have I showed you fiom my Father; for which of those woiks do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy ; and because that thou, being a man, makest " thyself (jod. 34 Jesus answered them, "" Is it not written in your law, 1 said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods * mito whom the word of God came, and the Scripture can- not be broken ; 36 Say ye of him, " whom the Father hath sanctitied, and * sent into the world. Thou blaspheniest; because I said, I am " the Son of God? 37 If i I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 liut if 1 do. though ye believe not me, believe the works ; that ye may know and believe "that the Father is in me, and I in him. 39 H Therefore they sought again to take him : but he escaped out of their hand, 40 And went away again beyond Jordan, into the place <* where John at ftrst bap- tized; and there he abode. 41 And many resorted unto him, and said, Jolin did no miracle: * but all things that John spake of this man were tme. 42 And /many believed on him there. CHAFTEU XI. 1 Christ raiseth Lazarus to Hie. 45 Many Jewi btiieve. 49 Caiaphas propheiieth, 64 Jesut hid himself. NJOW a certain man was sick, named ^^ Lazarus.of Bethany, the town of" Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It ^Wiis that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore bis sisters sent unto him, say- ing. Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said. This sickness is not unto death, * but lor the glory of God, that the Si.n of God might be glorified tliereby. 5 iNow Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and La^ai'us. Christ the. Door, JOHN, X. and the Good Shepherd. truth, to which they have wilfully shut their eyes, we blind also 1— We, the constituted, recognised guides of the people in spiritual things ? pride and rage prompting the ques- tion. If ye were blind— wanted light to dis- cern My claims, and only waited to receive it. ye should have no sin — none of the guilt of shutting out the light, ye say. We see; therefore your sin remaineth— Your claim to possess light, while rejectiug Me, is that which seals you up in the guilt of unbelief. CHAPTER X. Ver. 1-21. The Goer) Shepherd.— This discourse seems plainly to be a continuation of the closing verses of ch. 9. The figure was familiar to the Jewish ear, from Je. 23; Ez. 34; Ze. 11, <fcc. 'This simple creature (the sheep) has this special note among all ani- mals, that it quickly hears the voice of the shepherd, follows no one else, de- pends entirely on him. and seeks help from nim alone, cannot help itself, but is shut up to another's aid. ' [Luther in Stier.] 1, 2. entereth not in by the door— the legitimate way (without saying what that was, as yet. into the sheep-fold— the sacred enclosure of God's true people, some other way— not re- ferring to the assumption of ecclesiastical office without an external caU, for those Jewish rulers, specially aimed at, had this (M. 23. 2.), but to the want of a true call, a spiritual commission, the seal of heaven going along with the outward authority: it is the assumption of the spiritual guidance of the people without this that is meant, is the shepherd of the sheep— a true, divinely-re- cognised she)iherd. 3. to him the porter openeth — i.e., right of free access is given, by order of Him to whom the sheep belong; for it is better not to give the allusion a more specific interpretation. [Cal., Mey., Lthdt.J only an echo of aU His teaching ; and He who uttered these and like words must be either a blasphemer, all worthy of the death He died, or "Gk)d with us:"— there can be no middle course. I am the good SteDherd— emphatically, and, in the sense intended, exclusively so. (Is. 40. 11; Ez. 34. 23 ; 37. 24; Ze. 13. 7.) the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep — Though this maybe said of literal shepherds who, even for their brute flock have, like Da\id, encountered " the lion aud the bear* at the risk of their own lives, and still more of faithful pastors who, like the early bishops of Eome.have been the foremost to brave tne fury of their enemies against the flock committedto their care; yet here, beyond doubt, it points to the struggle which was to issue in the willing surrender ol the Eedeemei-'s o\vn life, to save His sheep from destruction, anhireling . . whose own the sheep are not— who has no property in them. By this He points to His own peculiar relation to the sheep, the same as His Father's, the great Proprietor and Lord of the flock, who styles Him " My Shepherd, the Man that is my Fellow" (Ze. 13. 7.;; and though faithful under-shepherds are so in their Master's inte- rest, that they feel a measure of His own con- cern for their charge, the language is strictly applicable only to "the Son over His owu house." I He. 3. 6.) seeth the wolf coming— not the devil distinctively, as some take it [Stier, " but generally whoever comes upoa going along with the outward authority: it ALF.,<fec_ is the assumption of the spiritual guidance the flock with hostile intent, in whatever fomi; though the wicked one, no doubt, is at the bottom of such movements. [Lthdt.] know my sheep— in the peculi ar sense of 2 Ti. 2. 19. am known of mine— the soul's response to the voice that has inwardly and efficaciously called it; for of this mutual loving acquaint- ance ours is the effect of His. 'The Re- the sheep hear his voice— Tliis and all that deemer's knowledge of us is the active ele- follows, though it admits of important ment, penetrating us with His power and application to every faithful shepherd of life; that of believers is the pcwsf I'e principle, God's flock, is in its direct and highest sense the reception of His life and light. In this true only of " the great Shepherd of the reception, however, an assimilation of the sheep," who in the first five verses seems soul to the subUme Object of its knowledge plainly, under the simple character of a true and love takes place; and thus an activity, shepherd, to be drawing His own portrait, though a derived one, is unfolded, which [Lmpe., Stier, <fcc.] 7-14. I am the door of shows itself in obedience to His commands.' the sheep— i. e.. the way in to the fold, with [Olsh.] From this mutual knowledge Jesus all its blessed privileges, both for shepherds rises to another and loftier reciprocity of and sheep, (cf. ch. 14. 6; Eph. 2. 18.) All knowledge. 15-18. As my Father knoweth that ever came before me— the false prophets; me, even so know I the Father— What claim aot, as claiming the prerogatives of Messiah, to absolute equality -with the Father could but as perverters of the people from the exceed this? ;See on M. 11. 27.) and I lay way of life, all pointing to Him. [Olsh.] down my life for the sheep— How sublime this, the sheep did not hear them— the instinct of .immediately following the lofty claim of the their divinely-taught hearts preserving them preceding clause ! 'Tis the riches and the from seducers, and attaching them to the poverty of "the Word made flesh"— one heaven-sent prophets, of whom it is said glorious Person reaching at once up to the that " the Spirit of Christ was in them." (1 Tlirone and down even to the dust of death, Pe. 1. 11.) by me if any man enter in— whether " that we might live through Him." A can- shepherd or sheep, shall be saved— the great ' did interpretation of the words, " for th& object of the pastoral oflJce, as of all the s/ieep." ought to go far to establish the special divine arrangements towards mankind, and relation of the vicarious death of Christ to shall go in and out and find pasture— iii, as to the Church, other sheep I have, not of this a place of sa/e^y and repose; owi, as to "green fold: them also I must bring— He means the pastures and still waters," (Ps. 23. 2.) for perishing Gentile.s, already His " sheep" in nourishment and refreshing, and all this the love of His heart and the purpose of His only transferred to another clime, and en- grace to " brina them " in due time. th(iy joyed in another manner, at the close of shall hear my voice— T/u's is rio< </ie language this earthly scene. (Ee. 7. 17.) that they of mere foresight that they would believe, Init might have life, and more abundantly — not the expression of a purpose to draw them to merely to preserve but impart life, and Himself by an inward and efficacious call, communicate it in rich and unfailing ivhich loould infallibhj issue m their spori' exuberance. What a claim 1 Yet it is , taneous accession to Him. aM tJxere shall i)9 Discourse at the JOHN, X. Feast of Bed'ca'fon. onefold— rather 'one flock' (for the word for plainly— But when the plainest evidence of * fold,' as in the foregoing verses, is quite ir was resisted, what weight could a mere different'. Therefore dotli my Father love me, assertion of it have? 25, 26. I told you— ^.c, because I lay down, ic— As the luKhest act of in substance, what I am, (e.g. ch, 7. 37, 38; 8. 12, the Son's love to the Father was tiie laying 35, 36, 58. ) ye believe i.ot, because not of down of fiis lire for the sheep at His " com- my sheep, as I said— referring to the whole niandment," so the Father's love to Him as strain o: the parable of the sheep, v. 1, <S:c. Hisi?icarHa<eSonreacheditsconsummatiou, 27-30. My sheep hear my voice, <fec. — (See on and finds its highest justification, in that v. ?.) I give unto them eternal lif 3— not *' will sublimest and most afiecting of all acts, give them;" for it is a present gift. (See on that I might take it again— li is resurrection- life being indispensable to the accomplish- ment of the fruit of His death. ch. 3. 36; 5. 24.) It is a very grand utterance, couched in the language of majestic autho- ■fy. My Father, wiiich gave them me— See taketh my lii'e from me, but I lay it down myself : on ch. 6. 37-39.) greater than all— with whom I have power to lay it down, and I have power no adverse power can contend. It is a gene- to takeit again— It is impossible for language ral expression of an admitted truth, and more plainly and emphatically to express i what follows shows for what purjiose it was the absolute voluntariness of Christ's death, uttered, " and none is able to pluck them Burh a voluntariness as it would be manifest ' out of ray Father's hand." " The impossi- presumption in any mere cieature to afiirm I bility of true believers being lost, in the of his own death. It is beyond all doubt 'midst of all the temptations which they m.ty encounter, does not consist in their fidelity and decision, but is founded upon the power of God. Here the doctrine of predestina- tion is presented in its sublime and sacred aspect; there is a predestination of the holy, which is taught from one end of the Scrip- _ tures to the other: not, indeed, of such a ascribed to the Father, m the sense we shall j nature that an "irresistible grace" compels presently see, was i_ ; vertheless His ou;?i- the opposing will of man (of course not), but the language of One who was conscious that His life tens His own (which no creature's is , and, therefore. His to surrender or retain at will. Here lay the glory of His sacrifice, that it was purely voluntarily. The claim of " power.to take it .again" is no less important, as showing that His rpsurrection, though assertion of His oivn right to life as soon as so that that will of man which receives and the purposes of His voluntary death were accomplished. This commandment— to "lay downHis life, that He might take it again." have I received of my Father— So that Christ died at once by " command" of His Father, and by such a voluntary obedience to that command as has made Him so to speak' in- finitely dear to the Father. The necessity of Christ's death, in the light of these profound sayings must be manifest to all but the su- perficial student. 19-21. a division again for these sayings— the light and the darkness re- vealing themselves with increasing clearness in the separation of the teachable from the obstinately prejudiced. The one saw in Him only '■ a devil and a madman;" the other re- volted at the thought that such words could come from one possessed, and sight be given to the blind by a demoniac; showing clearly thatadeeper impression had been made upon them than their words expressed. 22-42. Discourse at the Feast op Dedi- cation— From THE Fury of his Enemies Jesus escapes beyond Jordan, where Many believe on Him. 22, 23. It was . . . the Feast of Dedication— Celebrated rather more than two montlis after the feast of tabernacles, during which intermediate period our Lord seems to have remained in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. It was instituted by Judas Maccabeus, to com- memorate the purification of the temple from the profanations to which it had been subjected by Antiochus Epiphanes B.C. I65i, and kept for eight days, from the 2r.th Chisleu (December , the day on which Judas began the first joyous celebration of it, (l Mace. 4. 62, 56, 59; and Joseph. Antiq. xii. 7. 7.) it was winter— implying some incleinency. Therefore, Jesus walked in Solomon's porch— for shelter. This portico was on the east side of the temiile, and Josephus says it was part of the original structure of Solomon. (Antici. XX. 9. 7.) came the Jews— i/ie rulers, (See on ch. 1. 19.) make us to doubt— "hold us in fiuspeuse." imarg.) If the Christ, tell us 78 [1] loves the commands of God is produced only by God's grace." [Olsh.— a testimony all the more valuable, being given in spite of Lutheran prejudice.] I and my Father are one— Our language admits not of the pre- cision of the original in this great saying. "Are" is in the masculine gender— "we (two persons) are;" while "one is neuter— "one thing." Perhaps "one interest" expresses, as nearly as may be, the purport of the saying. There seemed to be some contradiction be- tween His saying they had been given by His Father into His own hands, out of which they could not be plucked, and then saying that none could pluck them out of His Father's hands, as if they had not been given out of them. 'Neither they have,' says He; ' Though He has given them to me, they are as much in His own almighty hands as ever —they caniiot be. and when given to me they are not, given away from Himself; for He and I have all iNcoaiMON.' Thus it will be seen, that, though 07ieness of essence is not the precise thing here affirmed, that truth is the basis oj what is affirmed, without which it would not be true. And Augustin was right in saying the " We are" condemns the Sabellians iwho denied the distinction of Persons in the Godiiead), while the "one" (as explained) condemns the Arians (who denied the unity of their essence'. 31-33. took up stones again to stone Him— and for precisely the same thing as before, (ch. 8. 58, 59.) Many good works— i.e., works of pure benevolence (as A. 10. 38, " ^Vlio went about doing good," &c.; see Alark 7 37.) from my Father- not so much by His power, but as directly com- missioned by Him to do them. This He says to meet the imputation of unwarrantable assumption of the divine prerogatives. [Lthdt.] do ye stone me?— "are ve stoning [i.e., going to stone) me?" for blasphemy — whose legal punishment was stoning (Le. 24. 11-16.) thou, being a man— i.e., a man only. makest thyself God— Twice before they under- stood Hi in to advance the same claim, and ChrisPs Unity with the Father. both times they prepared themselves to avenge what they took to be the insulted | honour of God, as here, in the way directed by their law, ,ch. 5. 18; 8. 69.) 34-33. written in your law— in Ps. 82. 6, respecting judges or i magistrates, ye are gods— being the official re- f<resentatives and commUnoned agents of ( jod. f he called them gods to whom the word of God ! came, say ye of Him whom the Father hath sauc- 1 titled and sent into the world— The whole force of this reasoning, which has been but in part I seized by the commentators, lies in what is ' said of the two parties compared. The com- i parison of Himself with mere men, divinely commissioned, is intended to show, [as Neander well expresses it,] that the idea of a communication of the Divine Majesty to human nature was by no means foreign to the revelations of the O. T. ; but there is also a contrast betsveen Himself and all merely human representatives of God— the one *' sanctified by the Father and sent into tlie , world:" the other, " to whom the v;ordofGod (merely) came" which is expressly designed to prevent His being massed up with them as only one of manyhuman ofhcials of God. It is never said of Christ that '"the word of the Lord came to Him;" whereas this is the well- known formula by which the divine com- mission even to the highest of mere m^n, is expressed, as John the Baptist, (L. 3. 2.) Tire reason is that given by the Baptist himself, (See on ch. 3. Slj. Tlie contrast is between those "to whom the word of God came"— men ot the earth, earthy, who were merely privi- leged to get a divine message to utter ^if pro- phets , or a divine office to discharge (if judges;— and *' Him whom (not being of the earth at all), tlie Father sandijicd (or set apart), And sent into the ivorld" an expression never used of any merely human messenger of God, and used only of Himself, because I said, I am the Son of God— It is worthy of special notice that our Lord had not said, in so many words that He was the Son of God, on this occasion. But He had said what be- yond doubt amounted to it— namely, that He gave His sheep eternal life, and none could pluck them out, of His hand; that He had got them froniHis Father, in whose hands,though given to Him, they still remained, and out of whose hand none could pluck them; and that they were the iiulefeasible property of both, inasmuch as "He and His Father were one." Our Lord considers all this as just saying of Himself, "lam the Son of God"— 07ie nature with Him, yet mysteri- ously of Rim. The parenthesis xV. Soj. " and the Scripture cannot be broken," referring to the terms used of magistrates in the S2nd Psabn, has an important bearing on tlie authority of the living oracles. ' The Scrip- ture, as the expressed will of the unchange- able God, is itself unchangeable and indis- soluble.' [Olsh.J (ci. M. 5. 17.) 37-39. Taough ye beueve not me, believe the works- There was in Chnst's words, independently of any miracles, a self-evidencing truth, majesty, and grace, which those who had any spiritual susceptibility were unable to re- sist, (ch. 7. 40; 8. 30.J But, for those who wanted this, "the works" were a mighty help. When these failed, the case was des- perate indeed, that ye may know and believe tliat the Father is in me, and I in Him— thus reiterating His claim to essential oneness ViiLh. Ui6 Fatiier, which He h^d only seemadi JOHX. XI. Sickness ofLazarnx to soften down, that He might calm their rage and get their ear again for a moment, therefore they sought again to take Him— true to their original understanding of His wor. is, for they saw perfectly well that He meant to "make Himself God" throughout all this dialogue, escaped out of their hand— See on L. 4. 30- ch. 8. 59.) 40-42. went away agaia beyond Jordan ... the place where John at first baptized— See on ch. l. 2S. many resorted to him— on whom the ministry of the Baptist had left permanent impressions. John did no miracle, but ail things John spake of this man were true— what they now heard and saw in Jesus only confirming in their minds the divinity of His torerunnei-'s mission, though unaccompanied by any of His Master's miracles. And thus, " many believed on him there." CHAPTER XI. Ver. 1-46. Lazakus Kaisbd from the Dead— The Consequences of this. 1, 2. Of Bethany— at the east side of mount Olivet, the town of Mary and her sister Martha— thug distinguishing it from the other Bethany " beyond Jordan." iSee on ch. l. 28; 10. 40.) it was chat Mary who anointed, (fec.--This, though not recorded by our evangelist till ch. 12. 3, &c., was so well knowTi in the teach- ing of all the churches, according to our Lord's prediction (M. 26. 13. , that it is here alluded to by anticipation, as the most na- tural way of identifying her; and she is first named, though the younger, as the more distiiiguished of the two. She " anointed THE Lord," says the evangelist— led doubt- less to the use of this term here, as he was about to exhibit Him illustriously as tlie Lord of Life. 3-6. He whom thou lovest is sick— a most womanly appeal, yet how rever- ential, to the known affection ot her Lord for the patient. (See v. 5, 11.) 'Those whom Christ loves are no more exempt than others from their share of earthly trouble and an- guish; rather are they bound over to it more surely.' [Trench.] this sickness is not imto death— to residt in death, but for the glory of God, that the Sou of God may be glorified there- by— i.e., by this glory of God. iSee (??•.) Ee- markable language this, which from creature lips would have been intolerable. It means that the glory of God manifested in the re- surrection of dead Lazarus would be shown to be the glory, personcdly and immediately, of the Son. Jesus loved Martha and lier sister and Lazarus— What a picture! one that in every age has attracted the admiration of the whole Christian Church. No wonder that those miserable sceptics who have carped at the ethical system of the Gospel, as not embracing private friendships in the list of its virtues, have been referred to the Saviour's peculiar regard for this family as a triumphant retutation, if such were needed, when he heard he was sick, he abode two days still where he was— at least 25 miles off. Be- yond all doubt this was just to let things come to their worst, in order to the display of His glory. But how trjing, meantime, to the faith of his friends, and how unlike the way in which love to a dying friend usually shows itself, on which it is plain that Mary reckoned. But the ways of divine are not as the ways of human, love. Often they are the reverse. When His people are sick, in body or spirit; when their case is waxing more and more desperate every day; when SicTaness and death of Lazarus. JOHN, XT. Christ rafseth Mm to life. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, ^ he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into J udea a^ain. 8 His disciples say unto him. Master, ' the Jews of late sought to stone thee ; and goest thou thither again? 9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? /If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the Hght of this world. 10 But » if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11 These things said he: and after that he Baith unto them. Our friend Lazarus '^ sleep- eth: but 1 go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples. Lord, if he Bleep, he shall do well. 13 liowbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest ill sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Then said Thomas, which is called DidjTnus, unto his feUow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. 17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four da.vs already. 18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, 1 about fifteen furlongs off. 19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort thera concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, « what- soever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 J esus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise J again. 24 Martha saith unto him, *I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am ' the resur- rection, and the "* life: he "that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: " 1 be- lieve that thou art the Chiist, the Son of God, which should come into the world, 28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying. The Master is come, and calleth lor thee. 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and conit'oited her, when they saw Mary, that slie rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saving, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32 Then wlien Mfuy was come where Jesui* was, and saw him, she fell down at A. D. 33. CHAP. 11. d ch. ID. 40. e ch. 10. 31. /ch. 9. 4. ch. 12. 35. ft Deu. 31.16. Dan. 12. 2. Mat. 9. 24. Acts 7. 60. 1 Cor. 15. V. 51. I That is, about two miles. i ch. 9. 31. ;" Dan. 12. 2. 1 Thes. 4. 14. Phil. 3. 21. k Lu. 14. 14. ch 5. 29. I ch. 5. 21. ch. 6. 39, 40,44. 1 John 1. 1,2. 1 John 5. 10. o Mat. 16.16. ch. 4. 42. ch. 6,14,09. 2 he troubled himself P Is. 53. 3. Lu. 19 41. Ro. 12. 15. Heb. 2. 17, 18. Heb. 4. 15. <2 ch. n. 6. r ch. 12. 30. « Deu. 32.o9. 1 Sam. 2.6. Ps. m. 9. Lu. 7. 14. Lu. .64. Acts 3. 15. Acts 9. 40. Rom. 4. 17. t ch. 20. 7. » ch. 2. 23. ch. 10. 42. ch. 12. 11, 18. V Ps. 2. 2. Mat. 26. 3. Mar. 14. 1. Lu. 22. 2. V ch 12. 19. Acts 4 16. X Dan. 9. 26, V Lu. 3. 2. ch. 18. 14. Acts 4. 6. » ch. 18. 14. ch. 19. 12. a Is. 49. 6. 1 John 2.2 6 ch. 10. 16. Acts 13.47 Gal. 3. 23. Eph 3. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 9. e ch. 4. 1. 3. d 2 Cbr. 13. 19. « ch. 2. 13. ch. 6. 1. ch. 6. 4. / Ex. 19. 10. a ch. 7. U. his feet, saying unto him. Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not d'ed. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which f^uie with her, he groaned in the spirit, and 2 was troubled, 34 And said. Where have ye laid him? They said unto him. Lord, come and see. 35 J esus ^ wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said. Could not this man, « which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore, again groaning in him- : self, Cometh to the grave. It was a cave, I and a stone lay upon it. 39 Jesus said. Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him. Lord, by this time he stiuketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40 Jesus saith unto her. Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thoa shouldest see the glory of God? 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up Ids eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but ''because of the people which stand by 1 said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, ' come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes; and 'his face was bound about with a nap- kin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, " and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the rharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 H Then " gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, "* What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and * the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And one of them, vamed v Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them. Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor* consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die lor that nation; 52 And " not for that nation only, * but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put hiin to death. 54 J esus ' tlierefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called <* Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. 55 H And « the Jews' passover was nigh at hand : and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to Jesus, and spake purify/ themselves. 56 Then " sought they for Sickness and Death JOHN. XL of Lamms, all hope of recovery is about to expire— just said to have died.' [Beng.J that ye may be- then and therefore it is that " He ahiiks tico lieve— This is added to explain His " glad- diiys stillin the same place where He is." Can uess" at not having been present. His they still hope aga'nst hope ? Often they do friend's death, as such, could not have been not; but '■ this is their intirmity." For it is to Him '"joyous;" the sequel shows it was His chosen style of acting. We have been : "gi'ievous;" but "for them it was safe." (Ph. •well taught it, and should not now have the 3. l.; Tliomas, called Didymus— or ' the twin ' lesson to learn. From the days of Moses let us also go, that we may die with him— lovely •was it^dven sublimely forth as the character spirit, though tinsed with some sadness, such of His grandest interpositions, that '" the ! as re-appears at ch. 14. 5, showing the tend- Lord will judge his people and repent him- 1 ency of this disciple to take the dark view of self for his servants— i/;/ien he seeth that their things. On a memorable occasion this tend- pov-er is gone. (Deu. 32. 36.) 7-10. Let us ency opened the door to downright, though go into Judea again— He was now in Perea, j but momentary, unbelief, icb. 20. 25.) Here, '* beyond Jordan." the Jews of late sought, ! however, though alleged by many interpre- &c.—lit., 'were just) now .seeking' "to stone ters, there is nothing of the sort. He per- thee." (ch. 10. 31.) goest thou thither again? I ceives clearly how this journey to Judea will — to certoiwcfcaf/t., as I'. 16 shows they thought, lend, as respects His Master, and not only Are there not twelve hours in the day?— See on sees in it peril to themselves, as they all did, ' but feels as if he could not and cared not to survive His Master's sacrifice to the fury of His enemies. It was that kind of affection which, living only in the light of its Object, cannot contemplate, or has no heart for, life without it. 17-19. had lain in the grave four days— If he died on the day the tidings came of his illness— and was, according to the Jewish custom, bm-ied the same day (see Ja/; ?i'sArch?col. and v. 39; A. 5. 5, 6,10.^— and if Jesus, after two days' farther stay in Perea, set out on the day following for Bethany, some ten hours' journey), that would make out the 4 days; tlie first and last being in- complete. [Mey.] Bethany was nigh Jerusa- lem, about fifteen furlongs- rather less than 2 miles; mentioned to explain the visits of sym- pathy, noticed in the following words, which ch. 9. 4. Our Lord's day had now reached its 11th hour, and having till now " walked in the day," He would not mistime the re- maining and more critical part of His work, which would be as fatal, He says, as omitting it altogether; for '"if a man iso He speaks, putting Himself under the same great law of duty as all other men— if a man; walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him." 11-16. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of Bleep— Illustrious title, '" Oiir friend Laza,- rus.^' To Abraham only is it accorded in the O. T., and not till after his death, 2 Chr. 20. 7; Is. 41. 8. to which our attention is called in the N. T. (Ja. 2. 23.) AVhen Jesus came in the flesh. His forerunner applied this name, in a certain sense, to himself, ch. 3. 29, and into the same fellowship the Lord's cliosen disciples are declared to have come, ch. 15. 13-15. ' The phrase here employed, "our friend Lazarus," means more than "he whom thou lovest" in v. 3, for it implies that Clirist's affection was reciprocated by Laza- rus.' [Lmpe.] Our Lord had been told only that Lazarus was " sick." But the change which his tw-o days' delay had produced is here tenderly alluded to. Doubtless, His sinrit was all the while with His dying, and now dead " friend." The symbol of " sleep" for death is common to all languages, and familiar to us in the O. T. In the N. T., however, a higher meaning is put into it, in relation to believers in Jesus, (see on 1 Th. 4. 14,) a sense hinted at, and pretty clearly, in Ps. 17. 15. [Lthdt.]; and the " awaking out of sleep" acquires a corresponding sense far transcending bare resuscitation, if he sleep he shall do well— ?ii., *be preserved;' i.e., 're- cover.' q.d., ' Why then go to Judea ? ' said plainly, Lazarus is dead—' Sleep [says Bexg. beautifully] is the death of the saints, in the language of heaven; but this language the disciples here understood not: incomparable is the generosity of the Divine manner of discoursing, but such is the slo-miess of men's apprehension that Scripture often has to descend to the more miserable style of hu- man discourse; cf. M. 16. 11,' k.c. I am glad for your sakcs I was net there— Tliis certainly implies that if He had been present, Lazarus would not have died; not bee:., se He could not have resisted the importunities of the sisters, but because, in presence of the per- sonal Life, death could not have reached His friend. [Lthut.] 'It is beautifully congruous to the divine decorum that in presence of the Piince of Life no one is ever 79 the proximity of the two places facilitated, many of the Jews came ... to comfort them— Thus were provided, in a most natural way. so many witnesses of the glorious miracle that was to follow, as to put the fact beyond possible question. 20-2,^. Martha, as soon as she heard . . . went and met him— true to the energy and activity of her character, as seen in L. 10. 38-42. (See notes there.) but Mary sat in the house— equally true to ];er placid character. These undesigned touches not only charmingly illustrate the minute his- toric fidelity of both narratives, but their in7ier harmony. Lorfi, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died— As Mary afterwards said the same thing (v. 32. , it is plain they had made this very natural remark to each other, perhaps many times during these 4 sad days, and not without having their con- fidence in His love at times overclouded. Such trials of faith, however, are not pecu- liar to them, but I know that even now, &c. —Energetic characters are usually sanguine, the rainbow of hope peering through the drenching cloud, whatever thou wilt ask of God, God wiU give it thee— i.e., 'even to the re- storation of my dead brother to life,' for that plainly is her meaning, as the sequel shows. 23-27. Thy brother shall rise again— purposely expressingHimself in general terms, to draw her out. 1 know that he shall ... at the last day— o. d, 'But are we never to see him in life till then? I am the Resurrection and the Lite— q.d. , 'The uhole power to restore, impart, and maintain life, resides in Me.' (See on ch. 1. 4; 5. 21.) What higher claim to su- preme divinity than this grand saying can be conceived? though dead . . . shall live— q.d., ' The believer's death shall be swallowed up in life, and liis life shall never sink into John. XL Lazarus Raised to Life. Jtcsurredion of Lazarus. _^____ . tlcath.' As death comes by sin, it is His to of tlie blind have caused that this man should dissolve it; and as life flows through His | not have died?— Tlie former exclamation came righteousness, it is His to connnunicate and from the better-feeling portion of the spec- eternally maintain it. (R. 5. 21.) The tem- porary separation of soul and body is here regarded as not even interrupting, much less impairing, the new and everlasting life im- parted by Jesus to His believing people. Be- lievest thou this ?— Canst thou take this in ? Yea, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, (fee— g. fi.. And having s«c/i faith in Thee, I can believe all which that compre- hends. While she had a glimmering percep- tion that Eesurrection, in every sense of the word, belonged to the Messianic oliice and Sonship of Jesus, she means, by this way of expressing herself, to cover much that she felt her ignorance of— as no doubt belonging to Him. 28-32. The Master . . . caUeth for thee— The narrative does not give us this in- teresting detail, but Martha's words do. arose quickly— affection for her Lord, assur- ance of His sympathy, and hope of His interposition, putting a spring into her de- pressed spirit. The Jews followed ... to the grave — Thus casually were provided wit- nesses of the glorious miracle that followed, not prejudiced, certainly, in favour of Him who wrought it. to weep there— according to Jewish practice, for some days after burial, fell at his feet— more impassioned than her sister, though her words were fewer. (See on V. 21.) 33-38. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping, he groaned in spirit— the tears of Mary and her friends acting sym- pathetically upon Jesus, and drawing forth tators; this betokens a measure of suspicion. It hardly goes the length of attesting the miracle on the blind man; but ' if (as every- body says) He did that, why could He not also have kept Lazarus alive? As to the restoration of the dead man to life, they never so mnch as thought of it. But this disposition to dictate to Divine pcncer, and almost to peril cnir confidence in ituponits doing our bidding, is not confined to men of no faith, again groaning in himself— i.e., as at V. 33, checked or repressed His rising feel- ings, in the former instance, of .sorrow, here of righteous indignation at their unreason- able unbelief, (cf. Mk. 3. 5.1 [w. & w. ] But here, too, struggling emotion was deeper, now that His eye was about to rest on the spot where lay, in the still horrors of death. His fnend. a cave— the cavity, natural or artificial, of a rock. This, with the number of condoling visitors from Jerusalem, and the costly ointment with which Mary after- wards anointed Jesus at Bethany, all go to show that the family were in good circum- stances. 39-44. Take ye away the stone — spoken to the attendants of Martha and Mary; for it was a work of no little labour. [Grot.] According to the Talmudists, it was forbidden to open a grave after the stone was placed upon it. Besides other dangers, they were apprehensive of legal impurity by con- tact with the dead. Hence they avoided coming nearer a grave than 4 cubits. [Mai- His emotions." AVhat a vivid and beautiful ! monides in Lmpe.] But He who touched outcoming of His real humanity! The word | the leper, and the bier of the widow of Nain's here rendered " groaned " does not mean "sighed" or "grieved," but rather 'power- fully checked his emotion'— made a visible effort to restrain those tears which were ready to gush from His e.yes. and was troubled —rather, 'troubled himself imarg. ; referring prol)ably to tliis visible difficulty of repress- ing His emotions. Where have ye laid him ? Lord, come and see— Perhai>s it was to retain composure enough to ask this question, and on receiving the answer to proceed with them to the spot, that He checlced Himself. Jesus wept— This beautifully conveys the su- blime brevity of the two original words: else son, rises here also above these .Judaic me- morials of evils, every one of which He had come to roll away. Observe here ivhcd our Lord did Himself, and %rhat He made others do. As Elijah hunself repaired the altar on Carmel, arranged the wood, cut the victim, and placed the pieces on the fuel, but made the bystanders fill the surrounding trench with water, that no suspicion might arise of fire having been secretly apiJied to the pile (1 Ki. 18. 30-35 ; so our Lord would let the most sceptical see that, without laying a hand on the stone that covered His friend. He could recal liim to life. But what could sAcd<ears' might have better conveyed the be done by human hand He orders to be difference between the word here used and done, reserving only to Himself what trau- that t\vice employed in v. 33, and there pro- scended the ability of all creatures. Martha, perly rendered "weeping," denoting the loud sister of the dead— and as such the proper wail for the dead, while that of Jesus con- guardian of the precious remains; the rela- sisted of silent tears. Is it for nothing that , tionship being here mentioned to account the evangelist, some .■'Mv 1/ears after it oc- for her venturing gently to remonstrate curred, holds up to all ages with such touch- against their exposure, in a state of decern- ing brevity the sublime spectacle of the Son position, to eyes that had l9ved him so oj God in tears ? AVliat a seal of His perfect i tenderly in life. Lord, by this time he stmk- oneness with us in the most redeeming fea- i eth, for he hath been dead four days— (bee on v. ture of our stricken humanity! But was 17.) It is wrong to suppose from this [as there nothing in those tears beyond sorrow Lmpe. and others do] that, like the bystand- for human suffering and death? Could these ers, she had not thought of hi.s restoration to effects move Him without suggesting the life. But the glimmerings of hope which she cause? Whocandoubt that in His ear every cherished from the first {v. 2.1\. and which feature of the scene proclaimed that stem had been brightened by what Jesus said to law of the Kingdom, " The wages of sin is her [v. 23-27i, had suffered a momentary dmth," and that this element in his visible eclipse on the proposal to expose the now emotion underlay all the rest? said the Jews, sightless corpse. To such fluctuations all reai Behold how he loved him I— We thank you, O faith is subject in dark hours.^ See. lor ex- ye visitors from Jerusalem, for this spon- ample, the case of Jo?>.! Said i not unto thee, taneous testimony to the human softness of that if thou wouldest believe, thou sliouldest see the 8on of God. Aud-rather 'But.' some the glory of God?-He had not said thr)se very said. Could not this man which opened the eyea i words, but this was the scope of all that He T'J (ij Lazarus Raised from tTie Bead. JOHN. xn. TliA Anointing at Bethany. had uttered to her about His life giving (cure of the man born blind) is distinguished power v. 23, 25, 26.1; a gentle yet emphatic from all others by the open and formal in- and most instruciive rebuke : 'Why doth vestigation of its facts. And both these the restoration of life, even to a decomposing miracles, the most public and best attested corpse, seem hopeless in presence of the i^e-, of the whole, are related by St. John, who surrection and the Life? Hast thou yet to wrote long after the other Evangelists.' learn that "if thou canst believe ail things [w. (few.] 47-54. What do we? fcc—g-.d., "Whilo are possible to him that believeth?" (JNlk. i). we trifle. " this man," by his " many mir- 23.) lifted up Ms eyes— an expression mark- acles," will carry ail before him; the popular ing His calm solemnity, cf. c pres.sic •h. 17. 1 Father, enthusiasm wUl bring on a revolution, which I thank tliee that thou hast heard me— rather, will precipitate the Hr.mans upon us, and * heardest me,' relerring to a specific prayer ' fiur all will go down in one common ruin.' offered by Him, probably on intelligence of "What a testimony to the reality of oui Lord's the case reaching Him :v. 3, 4.); for His living miracles, and their resistless eifect.from His and loving oneness with the Father was bitterest enemies .' Ciiiaphas . , . prophesied maintained and manifested in the flesh, not that Jesus should die, &c.— He meant notJiing merelyby the spontaneous and uninterrupted more than that the way to prevent the ap- outgoing of Each to Each in spirit, but by prehended ruin of the nation was to make a specific actings of faith and exercises of sacrifice of the Disturber of their peace, prayer about each successive case as it [ But in giving utterance to this suggestion of emerged. He prayed [says Lthdt. well] not ' political expediency, he was so guided as to for what He wanted, but for the manilesta- ! give forth a Divine prediction of deep signi- tion of v/hat He had; and having the bright ficance; and God so ordered it that it should come from the lips of the high priest for that memorable year, the recognised head of God's visible people, whose ancient office, symbolised by the Urim andThimimim, was to decide in the last resort, all vital ques- tions as the oracle of the Divine will, and not for that nation only, &c.— These are the Evangelist's words, not Caiaphas's. to put him to death— Caiaphas but expressed what the party were secretly wishing, but afraid to propose. Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews— How could He, unless He had wished to die before His time? near the wilderness— of Judea. a city called Ephraim— between Jerusalem and Jericho. 55-57. Passover at hand . . . many went up before to purify themselves— from any legal unclean- ness which would have disqualified them from keeping the feast. This is mentioned to introduce the graphic statement whicli fnllowsi Rniicrhf-. fnr .Tp«iia consciousness of the answer in the felt liberty to ask it, and the assurance that it was at hand. He gives thanks for this with a grand simplicity beiore performing the act. And— rather 'Yet.' I knew that thou h'jarest me always, hut because of the people that stand by I said it, that they might beUeve that thou hast sent me— Instead of praying now. He simply fives thanks for answer to prayer offered ere £e left Perea, and adds that His doing even this, in the audience of the people, was not from any doubt of the prevalency of His prayers in any case, but to show the people that He did nothing without His Father, but all by direct communication with Him. 43, 44. Cried with a loud voice— On one other oc- casion only did He this— on the cross. His last utterance was a "loud cry." (M. fl. 50.) ** He shall not cry," said the prophet, nor, in His ministry, did He. What a subhme con- trast is this "loud cry" to the magical "whisperings "and "mutterings" of which we read in Is. 8. 19; 29. 4. [as Grot, remarks.] It is second only to the grandeur of that voice which shall raise all the dead, ch. 6. 28, 29; 1 Th. 4. 16. loose him and let him go— Jesus will no more do this Himself than roll away the stone. The one was the necessary prepa- ration for resurrection, the other the neces- sary seqweZ to it. THELlFE-GlVlNGt ACT ALONE He reserves to Himself. So in the quicken- ing of the dead to spiritual life, human indni- meniality is emiJloyed first to prepare the v:ay, and then to turn it to account. 45, 46. Many . . . which had seen . . . believed, but some went to the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done— The two classes which continually re-appear in the Gospel history; nor is there ever any great work of God which does not produce both. ' It is remarkable that on each of the three occasions on which our Lord raised the dead, a large number of persons was assembled. In two instances, the resurrec- tion of the widow's son and of Lazarus, these were all witnesses of the miracle; in the third (of Jairus'daughter) they were necessarily cog- nisant of it. Yet this important circumstance is in each case only incidentally noticed by the historians, not put forward or appealed to as a proof of their veracity. In regard to this miracle, we observe a greater degree of pre- paration, both in the provident arrangement of events, and in our Lord's actions and words than in any other The preceding miracle follows, sought for Jesus, and spake among themselves as they stood in the temple— giving forth their various conjectures and specu- lations about the probability of His coming to the feast, tiiat he will not come?— The form of this question implies the opinion that He rather would come, chief priests and Phari- sees had given comnxandment that if any knew where he were, they should show it, that they might take him— This is mentioned to ac- count for the conjectures whether He would come, in spite of this determination to seize Him, CHAPTER xn. ver. 1-11. The Ajs'ointing at Bethany. See on M. 26. 6-13. 1-8. Six days before the passover— f.e., on the 6tti day before it; pro- bably after sunset on Friday evening, or the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath pre- cedmg the Passover. Martha served— This, with what is afterwards said of Mary's way of honouring her Lord, is so true to the character in which those two women appear in L. 10. 33-42, as to constitute one of the strongest and most delit;htfiil confirmations of the truth of both narratives. See also on ch. 11. 20. Lazarus sat at the table— Between the raised Lazarus and the healed Leper Simon, IVlk. 14. 3.) the Lord probably sits as betiveen tv:o trophies of His glory.' [Stier.J spikenard— or pure 7iard, a celebrated aro- matic. (Cant. 1. 12.1 anointed the feet of Jesus— and "poured it on his head," M. 26. 7; JVLk. 14. 3. The only use of this was to Christ rldeth into Jerusalem. joim. xn. He foretelleth hia deatK among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not cometo the least? 67 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should ehow it, that they miirht take him. CHAPTER XII. 1 Jesus exeuselh Mary anointing his feet. 10 The chief priests consult to kill Lazarus. 12 Christ rideth into Jerusalem with triumph. 23 Me foretelleth his death. T'HEN Jesus, si.x days before the passover, ■^ came to Bethany, " where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2 There ^they made him a supper; and Martha ser^'ed: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at tlie table with him. 3 Then took * Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three houdi-ed pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and <* had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8 For * the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. 9 IT Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 But /the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazai us also to death ; 11 Because » that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. 12 IT On ft the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, «llosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh m the name of the Lord. 14 And Jesus, when he had foimd a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15 Fear /not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy lung cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. 16 These things « understood not his disci- ples at the first: ' but when Jesus was glorified, "* then remembered they that these thmgs were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. 17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. 18 For this cause the people also met him. for that they heard that he had done this miracle. iy The Pharisees therefore said among themselves. Perceive ye how ye prevail nothmg? behold, the world is gone after hmi. 20 U Ajid there "were certain Greeks among them " that came up to worsliin at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, Which was of Betbsaida of Galilee, aud CHAP. 12. a ch. n.1,43, 6 Mat. 2ti. e. Mark 14 3. e Lu. 10. 38, 39. ch.11.2. d Pro. 20. 25. ch. 13. 29. •Deu. 15.11. Mat. 20.11. Mark 14. 7. f Fro. 1. 16. Pro. 4. 16. Lu. IB. 31. g Mar. 16.10. ch. 11. 46. Act. 13.45. h Lu. 19. 35. i P». 72. 17- J9. P.. 118. 25. 1 Ti. 1. 17. } U. 62. 11. Zech. 9. 9. k Lu. 18. 34. { ch. 7. 39. Heb. 1. 3. m ch. U. 26. n Act» 17. 4. 1 Ki. 8. 41. Act* 8. 27. p ch. 13. 32. ch. 17. 1. q 1 Ccr. 15. 36. Heb. 2. 10. 1 John4.14. llev. 5. 9. r Lu. 9. 24. Lu. 17. 33. • lThes.4.17. t Lu. 12. 50. ch. 13. 21. w Lu. 22. 63. V 2 Pet. 1.17. tc ch. 11. 42. « Lu. 10. 18. ch. 14. 30. ch. 16. 11. Act>'J6.18. 2 Cor. 4.4. E(.h. 2. 2. £l.h. 6. 12. 1 John 3.8. V Kom. 5. IS. Het*. 2. 9. * 2 Sa. 7. 13. Ps. 89. 36. P». no. 4. i». 9. 7. Is. 53. 8. £z6. 37. 25. I>an. 2. 44. Mic. 4. 7. a U. 42. a. ch. 1. 9. ch. 8. 12. ch. 9. 5. b Jor. 13. IG. £ph. 6. 8. e ch. 11. 10. 1 John 2. 11. d Lu. 16. 8. Epli. 5. 8. 1 Th03.5.6. 1 John 2. 9-11. « l9, 63. 1. Kom.10.16. / Is. 6. 9. Mat. 13.14. g Is. 6. 1. Heb. 11.13. h ch. 6. 44. i Mar. 9. 37. 1 ret. i.n. desired him, saying, Sir, we would see JfSU.S. 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23 TT And Jesus answered them, saying, The^ hour is come, that the Son of maa should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, « Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bring- eth forth much fiaiit. 25 He ''that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and * where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27 Now 'is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? lather, save me from this hour: " but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify thy name. * Then came there a voice from heaven, sai/inp, 1 have both glorified it, and will glorffy it again. 29 The people therefore that stood by, and heard it, said that it thmidered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30 Jesus answered and said, ""This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall * the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And 1, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ^ all men unto me. 33 (This he said, signifjiiig what death he should die.) 34 The people answered him, *We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou. The Son of man must be lifted apt who is this Son of man? 35 Then Jesus said unto them. Yet a little while " is the light with you. * Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for " he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light.believe in the light, that ye may be <* the children of light. These things spake Jesus, aud departed, and did hide himself from them. 37 H But though he had done so many .miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, * Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been re- vealed? 39 Therefore they could not believe, be- cause that Esaias said again, 40 He / hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart ; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and 1 should heal them. 41 These things said Esaias, when ^ he saw his glory, and spake of him. 42 ^ Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the syna- gogue: 43 For ft they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44 IT Jesus cried and said, <He that be- Heveth on me, believeth not on me, but ou him tliat sent me. ChnsPs Feet Anoinied. JOHN. xn. His Entry into Jerusalem. refresh and exhilarate— a grateful compli- ment in the East, amidst the closeness of a heated atmosphere, with many guests at a feast. Such was the form in which Mary's love to Christ, at so much cost to herself, poured itself out. Judas . . . who should be- tray him— For the reason why this is here mentioned, see on M. 26. 6. three hundred peuce— between 9 and 10 pounds sterling, had the bag— the purse or treasure-chest, bare what was put there— not, bare it off by theft, though tliat he did; but simply, had charge of its contents, was treasurer to Jesus and the 12. How worthy of notice is this arrangement, by which an avaricious and dishonest person was not only taken into the number of the 12, but entrusted with the custody of their little property. The pur- poses which this served ai-e obvious enough; but it is farther noticeable, that the remotest hint was never given to the 11 of his true character, nor did the disciples most favour- ed with the intimacy of Jesus ever suspect Lim, till a few minutes before he voluntarily separated himself from their company— for ever! against the day of my burying hath she done this— not that she thought of His burial, much less reserved any of her nard to anoint her dead Lord. But as the time was so near at hand when that office would have to be performed, and she was not to have that pri- vilege even after the spices were hr ought Jor the purpose (Alk. 16. 1.), He lovingly regards it as done no^o. the poor always with yoa— referring to Deu. 15. 11. but me not always— a gentle hint of His approaching departure. He adds, Mk. 14. 8—" .S7(e hath done what she could," a noble testimony, embodying a principle of immense importance. " Verily 1 say unto you. Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." iM. 26. 13; Mk. 14. 0.) 'In the act of love done to Him she had erected to herself an eternal monument, as lasting as the Gospel, the eternal word of God. From generation to generation this remarkable prophecy of the Lord has been fulfilled ; and even we. in explaining this saying of the Redeemer, of necessity contri- bute to its accomplishment.' [Olsh.] 'Who but Him.self had the power to ensure to any work of man, even if resounding in his own time through the whole earth, an imperi.sh- able remembrance in the stream of history? Behold once more here, the majesty of His royal judicial supremacy in the government of the world, in this "Verily I say unto you." ' fSTiEK..] Beautiful are the lessons here. (1.) Love to Christ tram^figxires the humblest services. All, indeed, who have themselves a heart value its least outgoings beyond the most costly mechanical performances; but bow does it endear the Saviour to us to find Him endorsing the principle as His own standard in judging of character and deeds! " What though in poor and humble guise Thou here didst sojourn cottage-born? Tet from thy glory in the skies Our earthly gold thou didst not scorn. For Love delights to bring her best, And where Love is, that ofl'ering evermore is blest. Iiove on the Saviour's dying head Her spikenard drops unlilam'd may pour. May mount his cross, and wrap him dead la spices from the golden shore," etc.— [Keble.] (2.1 Works of utility should never be set in opposition to the promptings of self-sacri- ficing love, and the sincerity of those who do so is to be suspected. Under the mask of concern for the poor at home, how many ex- cuse themselves from aU care of the perishing heathen abroad. (3.) Amidst conflicting duties, that which our " hand [presently} findeth to do " is to be preferred, and even a less duty oidy to he done now to a greater that can he done at any time. (4.) "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not" !2 Co. 8. 12.1— "She hath done what she could." (.5.) As Jesus beheld in spirit the universal diffusion of His Gos- pel, while His lowest depth of humiliation was only approaching, so He regards the facts of His earthly History as constituting the substance of th is Gospel, and the relation of th^m as just the " preaching of this Gospel." Not that preachers are to confine themselves to a bare narration of these facts, but that they are to make their whole preaching turn upon them as its grand centre, and derive from them its proper vitality; all that goes before this in the Biblebeing but the prepara- tion for them, and all that follows but the sequel. 9-11. Crowds of the Jerusalem Jews hastened to Bethany, not so much to see Jesus, whom they knew to be there, as to see dead Lazarus alive; and this, issuing in their accession to Clirist, led to a plot against the life of Lazarus also, as the only means of arresting the triumphs of Jesus see v. 19.)— to such a pitch had these chief priests come of diabolical determination to .sluit out the light from themselves, and quench it from, the earth! 12-19. Christ's TRitTMPH.\L Entry into Jerusalem. See on M. 21. 1. <fcc. ; and I/. 19. 29, &c. 12. On the next day— the Lord's day, or Sunday (see on v. 1.); the loth day of the Jewish month Nisan, on which the Paschal Lamb was set apart, to be " kept up until the 14th day of the same month, when the whole assemblj'of the congregation of Israel were to kill it in the evening." (Ex. 12. 3, 6.) Even so, from the day of this solemn entry into Jerusalem, " Christ our Passover" was virtually set apart to be " sacrificed for us." 1 Co. 5. 7.) 16. When Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, &c.— The Spirit, descending un them from the glorified Sa\iour at Pentecost, opened their eyes suddenly to the true .^ense of the O. T., brought vividly to their recol- lection this and other Messianic prediction.^, and to their unspeakable astonishment showed them that they, and all the actor> in these scenes had been unconsciously fulfill- ing those predictions. 20-36. Some Greeks Desire to See Jesus— The Discourse and Scene thei;e- UPON. 20-22. Greeks— Not Grecian J ews, but Greek proselytes to the Jewish faith, who were wont to attend the annual festivals, particulai-ly this primary one, the passover. to Philip of Bethsaida— possibly as being from the same Ciuarter. we would see Jesus— cer- tainly in a far better sense than Zaccheus. (L. 19. 3.) Perhaps He was then in that part of the temple-court to which Gentile prose- lytes had no access. 'These men from the west represent, at the end of Christ's life, what the wise men from the east represented at its beginning; but those come to tlie cross Christ Foretelleth JOHN. XU. His DeatTi, of the King, even as these to His Manger.' [Stieb.] Philip telleth Andrew— As fellow- townsmen ofEethsaida, (ch. 1. 44.) these two seem to haVe drawn to each other. Andrew and Philip tell Jesus— Tlie minuteness of these details, while they add to the gi-aphic force of the narrative, serve to prepare us for something important to come out of this in- troduction. 23-26. The hour is come that the Sou of Man should be glorified— q.ct., 'Tliey would see Jesus, would they? Yet a little mo- ment, and they shall see Him so as now they dream not of. The middle wall of partition that keeps them out from the commonwealth of Israel is on the eve of breaking down, " and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, shall draw all men unto Me:' I see them "fly- ing as a cloud, and as doves to their cots "—a glorious event that will be for the Son of Man, by which this is to be brought about." It is His death He thus sublimely and delicately al- ludes to. Lost in the scenes of triumph which this desire of the Greeks to see Him called up before His view. He gives no direct answer to their petition for an interview, but sees the cross which was to bring them gilded with glory. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit— The neces- sity of His death is here brightly expressed, and its proper operation and fruit— Z(/e springing forth out of death — imaged forth by a beautiful and deeply significant law of the vegetable kingdom. For a double reason, no doubt, this was uttered— to explain what He had said of His death, as the hour of His own glorification, and to sustain His own Spirit under the agitation which was mysteriously coming over it in the view of that death. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal— See on L. 9. 24. Did our Lord mean to exclude Himself from the operation of the great principle here expressed— £e//- renunciation the law of self -preservation', and its converse, self-irreservation the law of self- destruction? L'n the contrary, as He became Man to exemplify this fundamental law of the Kingdom of God in its most sublime form, so the very utterance of it on this occa- sion served to sustain His own Spirit in the double prospect to which He had just al- luded. If any man serve me, let him follow me ; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: If any man serve m=, him will my Father hon- our—Jesus here claims the same absolute sub- jection to Himself as the lav) of nun's exalta- tion to honour, as He yielded to tJie Father. 27, 28. Now is my soul troubled— He means at the prospect of His death, ju.st alluded to. Strange view of the Cross this, immediately after representing it as the hour of His glory! (v. 23. ) But the two views naturally meet, and blend into one. It was the Greeks, one might say, that troubled Him. 'All! they shall see Jesus, but foifim it shall be a costly sight.' and what shall I say?— He is in a strait betwixt two. The death of the Cross was, and could not but be, appalling to His spirit. But to shrink from absolute subjection to the Father, was worse still. In asking Him- self. " What shall I say?" He seems as if thinking aloud, feeling His way between two dread alternivtives, looking both of them sternly in tho face, measuring, weiuhiig them, in order that the choice actually made mighc be seen, and even by HimseU'tlle more vividly felt, to be a profound, deliberate, spontaneous election. Father, save me from this hour— To take this as a question, 'Sliall I say, Father, save me,'(fcc.— as some eminent editors and interpreters do, is unnatural and jejune. It is a real petition, like that in Gethsemane, "Let this cup pass from me;" only whereas there He prefaces the prayer with an "If it be possible," tiere He follows it up with what is tantamount to that— "Nevertheless for this caitse came I unto this hour." The sentiment conveyed, then, by the prayer, in both cases, is twofold: a.) that only one thing could reconcile Him to the death of the Cross— its being His Father's will He should endure it— and (2.) that in this view of it He yielded Himself freely to it. What He recoils from is not subjection to His Father's will; but to shoio how tremendous a self-sacrifice that obedience involved. He first asks the Father to save Him from it, and then signifies how perfectly He knows that He is there for the very purpose of enduring it. Only by letting these mysterious words speak their fuU meaning do they become in- telligible and consistent. As for those who see no bitter elements in the death of Chnst— nothing beyond mere dying— what can they make of stich a scene ? and when they place it over against the feelings with which thou- sands of His adoring followers have welcomed death for His sake, how can they hold Him up to the admiration of men? Father, glorily thy name— by a present testimony. I have botn glorified it— referring specially to the voice from heaven at His baptism, and again at His transfiguration, and will glorify it again— i.e., in the yet future scenes of His still deeper necessity; although this promise was a pre- sent and sublime testimony, which would irradiate the clouded spirit of the Son of Man. 29-33. people said, It thundered; others, an angel spake to him— some hearing only a sound, others an articulate, but to them un- intelligible voice. This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes— i.e., probably, to correct the unfavourable impressions which his momentary agitation and mysterious prayer for deliverance may have produced on the bystanders. N.w is the judgment of this world— the world that "crucified the Lord of glory," (1 Co. 2. 8.), considered as a vast and complicated kingdom of Satan, breathing his spirit, doing his work, and in- volved in his doom, which Christ's death by its hands irrevocably sealed. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out— How differ- ently is that fast-approaching "hour" re- garded in the kingdoms of darkness and of light! 'The hour of relief from the dread Troubler of our peace— how near it is! Yet a little moment, and the day is ours!' So it was calculated and felt in the one region. "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out," is a somewhat different view of the same event. We know who was right- Though yet under a veil. He sees the triumphs of the Cross in unclouded and transiiorting light. And I, if I be bfttd up from the eartli, will draw all meu unto me— The "I" here is em- phatic— I, taking the place of the world's ejected prince. "If lifted up," means not only after that I have been lifted up, but, through the virtue of that uplifting. And truly, the death of the Cross, in all its signifl- ! cance, revealed in the light, and borne in upon the heart, by the power of the Holy Vithelief of the Jews. JOHN. XnL Jem s Washes the Disdple^ Feet. Ghost, possesses an attraction over the wide sible Minister of the Son, is the Director of wnrld— to civilized and savage, learned and i the Church and the Eevealer in the sane- illiterate, alike— which breaks down all op- tuary of the heart.' [Olsb. ] 42, 43 amou? position, assimilates all to itself, and forms the chief nilers also — rather, 'even of the out of the most heterogeneous and discord- j rulers;' such as Nicodemus and Joseph, ant materials a kingdom of surpassing glory, because of the Pharisees— i e the leaders whose uniting principle is adoring subjection I of the sects; for they were of 'i't themselves, "to Him that loved them."— "Will draw all put out of the synagogue— See on ch 9. 22. men 'UNTO Me,'" says Be. "Wliat lips could 34. loved the praise of men more,&c— 'a venture to utter such a word but His, which severe remark, considering that several at *' dropt as an honeycomb," whose manner of least of these persons afterwards boldly speaking was evermore in the same spirit of confessed Christ. It indicates the displea- ;„.., 1.-*„ ™.u *u„ i-„.u„_.. ft,,.:, v.- g^.^ ^^,^^^ wMch God regarded their conduct at tills time, and with which He continues conscious equality with the Father? This said, signifying what death he should die by being lifted up from the earth" on to regard similar conduct.' [w. .fcw.J 44-50. '* '■—" -"- " •■■■ " '"" ' 34. 1 Jesus cried— in a loud tone, and with peculiar solemnity. ;cf. ch. 7. 37.) and said. He that believeth, &:c.— This seems to be a supplemen- tary record of some weighty proclamations, for which there had been found no natural place before, and introduced here as a sort of sumviary and mhiding up of His whole tes- timony. ^ CHAPTEE Xm. ATer. 1-20. At the Last Supper, Jesu3 Washes the Disciples' Feet— the Dis- _ COURSE ARISING THEREUPON. L that he altitude. 35-36. Yet a little while is the light I shoxild depart out of this world unto the Father with you. (fcc— Instead of answering their \ —On these beautiful euphemisms see on L. I.e., "the accursed tree," ch. 3. 14; 8. 28.) We have heard out of the law — the scrip tures of the O. T., referring to such places as Ps. 89. 28, 29; 110. 4; Da. 2, 44; 7. 13, 14. tlat Christ— the Christ "endureth for ever." and i.oW, (fee- How can that consist with this "uplifting?" They saw very well both that He was holding Himself up as the Christ, and aClirid to die a violent death; and as that ran counter to aU their ideas of the Mes- sianic prophecies, they were glad to get this seeming advantage toju.etify their unyieldiu: question. He warns them, with min; majesty and tenderness, against trifling with their last brief opportunity, and en- t-cats them to let in the light while they had it in the midst of them, that themselves might be " light in the Lord." In tliis case, all the clouds which hung around His Person and Mission would speedQy be dispelled, while if they continued to hate the light.boot- less were all His answers to their merely sijec- ulative or captious questions. (See on L. 13. 23.) departed, and did hide himself from them— He who spake as never man spake, and immediately after words fraught with un- f eakable dignity and love, had to "hide Kimself from His auditors! What then must they have been? He retired, probably to Bethany. {The parallels are, M. 21. 17; L. 21. 37.) 37-41. It is the manner of this evan- gelist alone to record his own reflections on the scenes he describes; but here, having ar- rived at what was virtually the close of our Lord's public ministry, he casts an affecting glance over the fruitlessness of His whole ministry on the bulk of the now doomed people, so many miracles — The word used suggests iheir nature S.S, well as number, that the saying of Esaias might be fulfilled— Q.d 1'his unbelief did not at aU set aside the purposes of God, but, on the contrary fulfUled them.' could not believe, because Esaias said again. He hath blinded . . that they should not see, &c. — That this ex- presses a positive divine act, by which those who wUfuUy close their eyes and harden their hearts against the truth are judicially shut up in their unbelief and impenitence, is admitted by all candid critics [as Olsh.], though many of them think it necessary to contend that this is no way inconsistent with the liberty of the human wiU. which of cuurse it is not. These things said Esaias. when he saw his glory, and spake of him— a key of im- men.se importance to the opening of Isaiah's vision, ;Is. 6. and all similar (.). T. represen- tations. 'The Son is "the King Jehovah" who rules in the O. T. and appears to the elect, as in the N. T. the Spirit, the invi- 80 [2] 9. 31. 61. having loved his own which were in the worldj he loved them unto the end— The meaning is, that on the very edge of His last sufierings.when it might have been supposed that He would be absorbed in His own awful prospects. He was so far from forgetting ' His own," who were to be left struggling " in the world" after He had '" departed out of it to the Father," (cli. 17. 11.) that in His care for them. He seemed scarce to think of Himself save in connexion with them : "Herein is love." not only " enduring to the end," but most affectiugly manifested when, judging by a human standard, least to be expected. 2. supper being ended— rather 'beiu^ prepared,' 'being served,' or 'going on; for that it was not "ended" is plain from V. 26. the devil having now— or, ' already ' —put into the heart of Judas to betray Mm— re- ferring to the agreement he had already made with the chief priests, (L. 22. 3-6.) 3. Jesus knowing, <kc.— This verse is very sub- lime, and as a preface to what follows, were we not famUiar with it, would fill us with in- expressible surprise. An unclouded percep- tion of His relation to the Father, the commis- sion He held from Him, and His approai^hlng Eeturn to Him.possessed His soul. 4, 6. riseth. . . . laid aside his outer, garments— which would have impeded the operation of wash- ing—and took a towel and girded himself— as- suming a .servant's dress, began to wash— ' proceeded to wash.' Beyond all doubt the feet oj Judas were v:ashed, as of all the rest. 6-11. Peter saith. Lord, dost thou wash my feet?- Our language cannot bring out the in- tensely vivid contrast between the "thou" and the "my," which, by bringing them to- gether the original expresses, for it is not English to say. 'Lord, Thou my feet dost wash? ' But every word of this question is emphatic. Thusfar,and in the question itself, there was nothing but the most profound and beautiful astonishment at a condescension, to him quite incomprehensible. Accordingly, though there can be no doubt that already Peter's hearr rebelled against it as a thing not to be tolerated, Jesus ministers no re- Jems wasTieth his discipUs* feet. JOHN. XIII, XIV. He foreteUetJi Ms betrayal. 45 And }' he that seeth me seeth him that Bent me. 46 I * am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not. ' I judge him not: for "• I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He " that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the "word that 1 have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 ForP I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is Jife everlasting: whatsoever I speak there- fore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. CHAPTER XIII. 1 Jesus washeth his disciples' fttt, 14 and exhort- eth them to humility and charity; \Sforetelleth his betrayal; 36 /orewarneth Feter of his denial. "KTOW before the feast of the passover, ■^^ when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2 And supper being ended, (the " devVL having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's s(m, to betray him,) 3 Jesus knowing ' that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God ; 4 He * riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and guded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter; and 1 Peter saith unto him. Lord, <*dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, *lf I wash thee not, thou hast no pait with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him. Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and mi/ head. 10 Jesus saith to him, / He that is washed iieedeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and " ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he. Ye are not all clean. 12 So after he had washed then- feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what 1 have done to you? 13 Ye '' call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 lt»l then, i/our Lord and Master, have washed your teet, ) ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For * 1 have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. l(i Verily, 'verily, I say unto you. The servant is not greater than his ford; nei- ther he thai u sent greater than he that teat him. 8L CHAP. 12. I ch. 14. 9. * ch. 3. 19. ch. 8. 12. eh. 9. 5, 39. I ch. 5. 43. ch. 8. 15. » ch. 3. 17. Lu. ID. 15. Deu.18 19. Mar. 16 16. Pch. 8.38. ch. 14. 10. CHAP. 13. a Lu. 22. 3. 6 ch. 3. 35. ch. 17. 2. Acts 2.36. 1 Cor. 15. 27. Heb. 2. 8. e Lu 22.27. PhU. 2.7,8. I he. d Mat. 3. 14. « Bee. 36. 25. .3.5. Heb. 10.22. ^1 TheM. 6. 23. g ch. 15. 8. h Lu. 5. 46. 1 Cor. 8.6. 1 Cor. 12.3. Phil 2. n. i Lu. 2-'. 87. ;■ »o. 12. 10. Gal. 6. 1. 1 I'et. 5. S. * Phil. 2. 5. 1 Pet. 2.21. 1 Lu. 6 40. ch. 15. 20. m Jam. I.2.J. n 2 Ti. 2. 19. o Pa. 41. 9. 2 Hence- forth. ch 14. 89. ch. 16. 4. P Lu. 10. 16. ar Lu 22. 21. rch. 12.27 » Acts 1. 17. 1 John 2.19. t eh. 19. 26. ch. 20. 2. ch. 21. 7. 3 Or, Ex. 12! 8. « Ps. 109. 6. Lu. 22. 3. ch. 6. 7U. " ch. 12. e w ch. 14. 13. 1 Pet. 4.11. *eh. 17. 1. V Lev. 19.18. Eyb. 6. 2. 1 Thes. 4 9. 1 Pot. i.22. lJohn2.7. 1 John 3. 11. 1 John 4. 21. » Actt 2. 46. a eh. 21. 18. 2 Pet. 1.14. 6 La. 22. 33. 17 If "* ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 18 f I speak not of you all: " I know whom 1 have chosen: but, that the scrip- ture may be fulfilled, " He that eateth br^ad with me hath lifted up his heel against me. 19 2 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe til at I am he. 20 Verily, P verily, I say unto you. He that receiveth whomsoever 1 send receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 21 When 9 Jesus had thus said, ""hewas 'roubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, 1 say unto you. That * one of you shall betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one OB another, doubting of whom he spake. 23 Now * there was leaning on Jesns' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be or whom he spake. 25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him. Lord, who is it? 26 Jesus answered. He it is to whom I shall give a 3 sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And " after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus mito him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. 29 For some of them thought, "because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him. Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. 31 H Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said. Now is the Son of man gloiilied, and *" God is glorified in him. 32 If * God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as 1 said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye caJinot come ; so now I say to you. 34 A " new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another; as 1 have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By tins shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have * love one to another. 36 U Simon Peter said imto him. Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him. Whither I go,thou canst not follow me noy ; but " thou shalt follow me afterwards. 37 Peter said unto him. Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? 1 will * lay down my Ufa for thy sake. as Jesus answered him. Wilt thou lay down thy hfe for my sake? Verily, verily, 1 say unto thee. The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. CHAPTER XIV. 1 Christ eomfortuh his diseipha; 6 professeth himself the wav. the truth, and the life, 9 and that lit is one w'ith the rather: 21 he Uaveth his peace with them. T ET not your heart be troubled: ye be- ^ lieve in God, believe also in me. Cfhrist Teacheth ITumiHty. JOHN, xin. He Foretelleth His Betrayal. buke as yet, but only bids him wait a little, and he should understand it all What I 0.0 thou knowest not novf—q.d. Such condescen- sion docs need explanation; it in fitted to astonish, but thou shalt know hereafter— * afterwards,' meaning presently ; though m the spirit of adoption we sav, " Our Father which art in heaven— /orfyire us our debts ; " and, when burdened with the sense of mani- fold shortcominp-s, as what tender spirit of a Christian is not.' is it not a relief to be per- mitted thus to wash our feet after a day's ■viewed as a general maxihi, applicable to all | contact with the earth? Tliis is not to call dark .sayings in God's word, and dark doings in question the comideteness of our past in God's providence, these words are full of justiflcation. Our Lord, while graciously consolation. Thou shalt never wash— more insisting on washing Peters feet, refuses to emphatically. 'Never shalt thou wash' my extend the cleansing farther, that the symbo- feet. g.d. 'That is an incongruity to which ; Ileal instruction intended to be conveyed I can never submit.' How like the man! If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me— What Peter could not submit to was, that the Master should serve His servant. But the lohole saving work oj Christ rcas one con- tmtied scrks of such services, endiiig with and consummated by the most self-sacrificing and transcendent of all sendees: The Son OF Man came iMt to be ministered unto, but TO MINISTER, AND TO GIVE HiS LIFE A RAN- i soM FOR MANY." iSce ou Mk. 10. 45.) If {attention to His own answer. Ye call me Peter then could not submit to let his Mas- 1 Master, (Teacher;— and Lord — learning of ter go down so low as to wash his feet, how Him in the one capacity, obeying Him ia should he suffer himself to be served by Him I the other, and ye say well, for so 1 am— The at all? This is couched under the one pre^- conscious dignity with which this claim is nant word " wash," which though applicable I made is remarkable, following immediately to the ?oioer operation which Peter resisted. is on His laying a.side the towel of service. Yet the familiar scriptural .symlool of that higher what is this whole history but a succes.sion cleansing, which Peter little thought he was I of such astonishing contrasts from first to at the same time virtually putting from ! last? If I then- the Lord— have washed your him. It is not humility to. refu-^e v:hat the [ feet— the servants'— ye— but fellow-servants. Lord deigns to do for us, or to deny what ; ought to wash one another's feet— not in the might not be marred, and ye are ciean— in the first and whole sense, but not all— im- portant, as showing that Judas, instead of being as true-hearted a disciple as the rest at first, and merely falling away afterwards —as many represent it— never experiencid tluit cleansing at all which made the others what tlicy were. 12-15. Know ye what I have donel— i. e., its intent. The question, I however, was put merely to summon their If I attention to His own answer. He has done, but it is self-willed presump Hon — not rare, hoicever, in tho^e inner circles of lofty religious profession and traditional spirituality, which are found wherever Chnsiian truth has enjoyed long and undisturbed possession. The truest humili ty is to receive reverentially, and thankfully to own. the gifts of grace. Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head— g.d. 'To be severed from Thee. Lord, is leath to me: If that be the meaning of my narrow sense of a literal washing, profanely caricatured by Popes and Emperors, but by the very humblest real services one to an- other. 16, 17. The servant, &c.— an oft- re- peated .saying. (M. 10. 24. &c.) If ye know . . happy are ye if .ye do them— a hint that even among real Christians the doing of such things would come lamentably short of the knoi'-ing. 18, 19. I speak not of you aU— the '■ happy are ye," of v. 17, being on no suppo- sition applicable to Judas. I know whom I speech, I tread upon it; and if to be washed i have chosen— in the higher sense. But that of Thee have such significance, then not my the Scripture might be fui fill ed— i.e., one has feet only, but hands, head, and all, be I been added to your nmnber, by no acci- washed! This artless expression of clinging. | dent or mistake, who is none of "Mine, but life-and-death attachment to Jesus, and felt i just that he might fulfil his predicted des- dependence upon Him for his whole spiritual: tiny. He that eateth bread with me— " did eat •well-being, compared with the similar saying j of my bread," Ps. 41. 9. . as one of my family; in ch. 6. 6S, 69. on which see notes.) furnishes j admitted to the nearest familiarity of dis- such evidence of historic verity as no ! cipleship and of social life, hath lifted up hia thoroughly honest mind can resist. He that ] heel against me— turned upon me, adding in- iswashed— in this f/iorowg/t sense, to express I sit/( to injury. !cf. Hsb. 10. 29.) In the which the word is carefully changed to one Psalm the immediate reference is to Ahitho- meaning to v,a,sh as in a bath, needeth not— to be so washed any more, save to wash his feet— needeth to do no more than wash his feet, and here the former word is resumed, meaning to wash the hands or feet.) but is clean every whit— or, ' as a whole.' This sen- tence is singularly instructive. Of the tico cleansings, the one points to that which takes phel's treachery against David, (2 Sa. 17.) one of those scenes in which the parallel of his story with that of his great Antitype ia exceedingly striking. ' The eating bread de- rives a fearful meaning from the participa- tion in the sacramental supper, a meaning which must be applied for ever to all un- ... worthy communicants, as well as to all place at the commencement of the Christian ' betrayers of Christ who eat the bread of Hiij life, embracing complete absolution from sin i thnrch.' — [iiTi'Eii, with whom, and others, asaguUty state, a,na entire deliverance from \v,-e a.gree in thinking that Judas partook itasa polluted life, <Jiev.l. 5; \ Cot. G. 11.)— lot the Lord's supper,] I teil you bctore, or, in the language of theology. Jztsfi/fcaf ?o?i I that when it comes to pass ye may believe and Regeneration. This clean.sing is effected j —and it came to pass when they deeply o«ce/oraW, and is never repeated. The other needed such confirmation. 20. He that cleansing, described as that of " the feet," is i receiveth, &c.— See on M. 10. 40. The con- such as mtewalkingfromabath quite cleansed nexioTi here seems to be that despite the still needs, in conseqxience of his contact with \ dishonour done to Him by Judas, and the earth, (cf. Ex. 30. 18, 19.) It is the daily similar treatment awaiting themselves, cleansing which we are taught to seek, when . they were to be cheered by the assuiujaca &1 I^ Tfie Traitor Indicated. that their office, even as His own, was , divine. I 21-30. The Traitor Indicated — He | Leaves the Supper Eoom.— 21. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said. Verily, verily, I say unto you.One of you shall betray me— The announce- ! ment of t'. IS. seems not to have been plain enough to be quite apprehended, save by the traitor himself. He will therefore speak it out in terms not to be misunderstood. But liow much it cost Him to do this, appears from the "trouble" that came over His *' spirit"— visible emotion, no doubt— before He got it uttered. "What wounded suscepti- bility does this disclose, and what exquisite delicacy in His social intercourse with the Twelve, to whom He cannot, without an ef- fort, break the subject ! 22. disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake— Further intensely interesting particulars are given in the other Gospels, (l.) " They were exceeding sorrowful," iM. 26. 22.) (2.) "They began to enquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing." (L. 22. 23.) (3.)" They began to say unto Him one by one. Is it I, and another. Is it I ?' 1 Generous, simple hearts! Tliey abhorred the thought, but, instead of putting it on others, each was only anxious to purge himself, and know if he could be the wretch. Their put- ting it at once to Jesus Himself, as knowing doubtless who was to do it, was the best, as it certainly was the most spontaneous and artless evidence of their innocence. ;4. ) Jesus, apparently while this questioning was going on, added, "The Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. (M. 26. 24.) {5.} " J ndFiS," last of all, *' answered and said. Lord, Is it I ?" evidently feeling that when all were saying this, if he j held his peace.that of itself would draw suspi- j cion upon him. To prevent this the question is wrung out of him, but perhaps , amidst the stir and excitement at the table, in a half- suppressed tone— as we are inclined to think the answer also was— " Thou hast said," M. 26. 25. 1, or possibly by little more than a sign; ' for from J. 13. 28., it is evident that tiU the moment when he went out he was not openly discovered. 23-26. leaning on Jesus' bosom one . . whom Jesus loved— Thus modestly does our evangelist denote himself, as reclining next to Jesus at the table. Peter beckoned to him to ask who it should be— reclining proba- bly at the corresponding place on the other side of Jesus. He then lying— rather ' lean- ing over' on Jesus' bosom, saith— iw a whis- yer, " Lord, who is it'r" Jesus answered— a?so xnaudihly, the answer being communicated , to Peter perhaps from behind. He to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it— a piece | of the bread soaked in the wine or the sauce I of the dish; one of the ancient ways of! testifying peculiar regard: cf. v. 18, "/le that eateth bread with me." And when he had dipped, he gave it to Judas, (fee- Tlius the sign of Judas' treacherj' vvas an affect- ing exiiression, and the last, of the Savi- our's wounded love! 27-30. after the sop Satan entered into him— Verj' solemn are these brief hints of the successive steps by which Judas reached the climax of his ciiilt. " The devil had alrea'ly put it into his heart to betray his Lord " Yel who can tell SI .) JOHN^Xm. Se Leaves the Supper-Jioom, what struggles he went through ere he brought himself to carry that suggestion into effect ? Even after this, however, his compunctions were not at an end. With the 30 pieces of silver already in his pos.session, he seems still to have qu.ailed— and can we wonder? Wlieu Jesus stooped to wash his feet, it may be the last struggle was reaching its crisis. But that word of the Psalm, about " one that ate of his bread who would lift up his heel against Him," probably all but turned the dread scale, and the still more explicit an- nouncement, that one of those sitting with Him at the table should betray Him, would beget the thought, ' 1 am detected; it is now too late to draw back.' At that moment the sop is given; offer of friendship is once more made— and how affectingly i But already " Sa- tan has entered into him,' and though the Sa- viour's act might seem enough to recall him even yet, hell is now in his bosom, and he says within himself, ' The die is cast; now let me go through with it: fear, begone!' (See on M. 12. 43-45.) That thou doest, do quickly— q.d., 'Why linger here? Thy presence is a restraint, and thy work stands stiU; thou hast the wages of iniquity, go work for it!' none knew for what intent . . . some thought Jesus said, Buy what we need . . or, give to tiie poor— a very important statement, as show- ing how carefully Jesus had kept the secret, and Judas his hypocrisy, to the last. He then, having received the sop went immediately out- severing himself ,/br ever from that holy so- ciety with which he never had any spiritual sympathy, and it was night— but far blacker night in the soul of Judas than in the sky over his head. 31-38. Discourse after the Traitor s Departure— Peter's Self-Confidence— His Fall Predicted. 31. When he was gone out, Jesus said. Now is the Sou of Man glorified— These remarkable words plainly imply that up to this moment our Lord had spoken under a painful restraint, the pre- sence of a traitor within the little circle of His holiest fellowship on earth preventing the free and full outpouring of His heart; as is evident, indeed, from those oft-recurrin? clauses, " Ye are not all clean." " I speak not of you all." (fcc. "Now" the restraint is re- moved, and the embankment which kept in the mighty volume of living waters having broken down, they burst forth in a torrent which only ceases on His leaving the supper- room and entering on the next stage of His great work— the scene in the Garden. But with what words is the silence first broken on the departure of Judas ? By no reflections on the traitor, and. what is stiU more won- derful, by no reference to the dread character of His own approaching sufferings. He dees not even name them, save by announcing, as with a burst of triumph, that the hour of His glory has arrived! And what is very remarkable, in five brief clauses He repeats this word " glorify" .riue times, as if to His view a coruscation of glories played at that moment about the CYoss. (See on ch. 12. 2a i God is glorified in him— the glory of EacJi reaching its zenith in the Death of the CrossI If God be glorified in Him, God shall also-m return and reward of this highest of all ser- vices ever rendered: to Him, or capable of being rendered, glorify him in Himself, and straightway glorify Him— referring now to the Kesurrection and Exaltation of Christ Peter's Fall Predicted. JOHN. XIV. Discourse at the Table, da. after this service was over, including all the chapters, that they treat almost exclusively lonour and glory tlien put upon Him, and of the most prolound relations— as that of that will i or ever encircle Him as Head of the Son to the Father, and of both to tho the new creation. 33-35. Little children— ,>pirit, that of Lhrist to the Church, of the i'rom the height of His own gloiy He now Church to ihe world, and so forth. JNioreover, des'ends, with sweet pity, to His "little a conisiderable portion oi these subLnie com- cliildren," all now His oicn. This term of '■ munications surpassed the point of view to endearment, no where else used in the Gos- 1 which the disciples had at that time atta.ned; pels, and once only employed by Paul Ga, 4. hence the Eedeemer frequently repeats tne 19,), is appropriated by the beloved disciple ; same sentiments in order to in". press them himself, who no fewer ti;an seven times em- ( more deeply upon their minds, and. becatise ploys it in his first Epistle, ye sh dl seek me I of what they siill did not understand, po n -feel the want of Me. as I said to the Jews- ch. 7. Si; 8. 21. But, O, in what a different sense! a new commandment . . . that ye love one anotler; as I have loved you, that ye, <fcc.— This was the new feature of it. Christ's love to His people ingivin;,' His life a ransom for them was altogetlier new, and consequently as a Model and Standai-d for their's to one them to the Holy Spirit, who would remind them of all His sayin'^s, and lead them into all truth il4. 26.).' [Ulsh.J 1. Let not your hearc, &c.— What myriads of souls have not these opening words cheered, in deepest gloom, since first they were uttered! ye be- lieve ia God -absolutely, beaeve also in me — q.d., 'Have the same tnist in Me.' What less. another. It is not, however, something I and what else, can these words mean? And if transcending the great moral law, which is so, what a demand to make by one sitting "theoW coimnandment" d J. 2. 7, and see | familiarly with them at the supper table! on Mk. 12. 28-33.), but that law in a new and peculiar form. Hence it is said to be both new and old a Jo. 2. 7, 8.). by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples— the dis- ciples of Him who laid down His life for those He loved, if ye have love, (tc— for My Bake, and as one in Me; for to such love men outside the circle of believers know right well they are entire strangers. Alas, how little of it there is even within this circle! 36-38. Peter said— .seeing plainly in these di- rections how to behave themsel ves, that He was indeed going from them. Lord, whither goest thou?— havmg hardly a glimmering of the real truth. Jesus answered, Thou canst not follow me now, but . . . altei wards— How different from what He said to the Jews, " Whither I go ye cannot come." ich. 8. 21.) Why not now? I will lay down my li;e, &c.— He seems now to see that it was death Christ referred to as what would sever Him irom them, but is not staggered at following Him thither. Wilt taou, A;c — In this repetition of Peter's words there is deep thotigh affection- ate irony, and this Peter him.self would leel for many a day after his recovery, as he re- traced tne paimul particulars. Verily . . . 1'fl.e cock, (Sic— See on L. 22. 31 34. CHAFIEU XIV. Ver. 1-31. Discourse at thb Table, AFiEB Supper. 'We now come to that por- tion of the evangelical history which we may with propriety call its Holy of Holies. Our Evangelist, like a consecrated priest, alone opens up to us the view into this sanctuary. It is the record of the last moments spent by the Lord in the mid.st of His disciples before His passion, when words full of heavenly thought flowed from His sacred lips. All that His heart, glowing with love, had still to say to His friends, was compressed into this short season. At first from ch. 13. 31.) the intercourse took the form of conversa- tion; sitting at table, they talked familiarly together. But when 14. 31.) the repast was finished, the language of Christ assumed a loftier strain : the disciples, assembled around their Master, listened to the words of file, and seldom spoke a word (only ch. 16. 17, 29.). At length, in the P^deemer's tublime interce.«sory prayer, His full soul cf. the saying, ch. 6. 17. for which the Jews took up stones to stone Him. as " making himself equal with God" {v. 18.). But it is no transfer of our tr lift from its proper Object; it is but Vie concentnition of our trust in the Unseen and Impalpable One upon Hi^ Oicn Incarnate Son, by which that trust, instead of the distant, unsteady and too often cold and scarce real thing it otherwise is, acquires a couiscious reality, warmth, and power, which makes all things new. This is Christi- anity in brief. 2, 3. many mansions— and so room lor all. and a place for each, if not I would haveto.a you— g.d., '1 would teU you so at once, I would not deceive you.' I go to pre- pare a placefor you— to obtain for you a right to be there, and to pos.sess your " place." I will come again and receive you unto myself— sirictly, at His Personal appearing; but in a sec mdary and comforting sense, to each in- dividually. Mark again the claim made;— to come again to receive His people " to Him- self, that where He is there they may be also." He thinks it ought to be enough to be assured that thty ahaU be where He is and in His keeping. 4-7. whituer I go ye know . . Lord, we know not . . 1 am tne wa.v, <tc.— By say- ing this. He meant rather to draw out their enquiries and reply to them. Christ is 'the Way" to the Father- "no man conieth unto the Father but by Me-" He is "the TxiurH" of all we lind in the Father when w^e get to Him, "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godliead boddy." Co. 2. 9.), and He is ail " THE life" that shall ever flowto us and bless us from the Godhead thus approached and thus manifested in Him— "this is the true God and eternal lite." (l J. 5. 20.) from henceforth— now, or from this time, under- stand. 8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough ; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them, (see on ch. 10. 37. 38.); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded by His disciples, in virtue of the power He would confer on them alter His departure. His miracles tlie apostles wrought, though wholly in His name Was poured iprth in express petitions to His and by His power: and the " greater " works fceavenlyiatheronbehalf of those who were —not in degree but in kind— were the con- las owa. It is a peculiarity of these last j version of thousands in a day, by His Siiiiit 6i L-j Chrisfedtnforfs his discipUg. 2 In " my Father's house are many maii- Bions: if it were not so, 1 would have told you. * I go to prepare a place for yon. 3 And it I go and prepare a place for you, I * will come again, and receive you unto myself; that <* where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 f Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am*theway, and /the truth, and " the life: " no man Cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ' ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from hence- forth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 H Philip saith unto him. Lord, show us the Father, and it sutficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him. Have I been so long time with yon, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? ^he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that * I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you ' I speak not of my- self: but the Father, that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in "* my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 15 If If " ye love me, keep my command- ments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and "he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever: 17 Jiven P the Spirit of truth; ' whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, •■ and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you i comfortless: 1 will come to yon. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but 'ye see me: * because 1 live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that " I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21 He ' that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be lovtd of my Father, and 1 will love him, and will mam- ffst myself to him. !W Judas saith imto him, (not Iscariot,) Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy- Bfclt unto us, and not unto the world? XH Jesus answered and said unto him. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, "* and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and * the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 26 These things have 1 spokeu unto you, being yet present with you. JOHN, rv A. D. <» CHAP. 14. • 2 Cor. 5. 1. 6 ch. 13. 33. e Acts 1. 11. d 1 Ttieaa. 4. 17. « Heb. 9. 8. /ch. 1. 17. ch. 8. 32. S ch. 1. 4. h ch. 10. 9. i ch. 8. 19. j Col. 1. 15. Heb. 1. 3. * ch. 10. 38. ch. 17. 21. 1 John 6.7. ; eh. 6. 19. »» Jam. 1. 5. 1 John 3. 22. 1 John 5. 14. "1 John 5.3. Rom. 8. 15. PI John2.7. 1 John 4.6. q Kom. 8 7. 1 Cor. 2.14. »• 1 John2.27. 1 Or, orphans. « ch. 16. 16. t 1 Cor. 15. 20. w ch. 10. 38. 1 John 2.5. 1 John 5.3. i> P». 91. 1. 1 John 2. RcT. 21.3. « ch. 7. 16. *■ Lu. 24. 49. » 1 John 2. 27. o Phil. 4. 7. Col. 3. 15. 6 U. 9. 6. I». 42. 1. I«. 49. 1-6. cb. 6. 18. ch. 10. 30. 1 Cor.11.3. Gal. 4. 4. Phil. 2.6-8. 1 John 5 7. e ch. 12. 31. d 2 Cor.5.21. 1 Joljn3.5. e Phil. 2. 8. Heb. 6. 8. CHAP. 15. a Heb. 6. 8. 6 Eph. 6. 26. 1 Pet. 1.-J2. c Col. 1. ^'3. 1 John 2.6. d Ho». 14. 8. Phil. 4. 13. 1 Or, severed Acts 4 12. eileb.6.4-6. /hh.l. 1. 11 g 1 John 1.4. A 1 Pet. 4. ». i Rom. 6. 7. Eph. 6. 2. i Act» 20. 27. *1 John 4.10. I Mar. 16.16. Col. 1. 6. T he union of C/irist and hit church. 26 But y the Comforter, which is the Ilofy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, ' he shall teach yon all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27 Peace " I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 Ye have heard how 1 said unto yon, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for ^my Father is gi-eater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. 30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: " for the prince of this world cometh, and <i hath nothing in me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and * as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. CHAPTER XV. 1 The union bettveen Christ and his church, undtr T AM the true Aone, and my Father is the ■*■ husbandman. 2 Every " branch in me that beareth not fmit he taketh away; and every bra^wh that beareth fniit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fmit. 3 Isow *ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide ' in me, and I m you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much <* fruit: for l without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a * man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the tire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein /is my Father glorified, that je bear much fruit; so shall ye be my dis- ciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep ray commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as 1 have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and* that your Joy mi.ght be full. 12 Tlus >> is my commandment. That ye love one another, as 1 have loved you. 13 Greater "love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life lor his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants: for the senaiit knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; J for all things that 1 have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye * h ive not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and * ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your tnut should remain; tliat what8oe\ei Promise of the Holy Gho't. JOHN, XIV. Chrid Comforts His Disciples, accompanying them. 13-14. whatsoever ye ask in my name— as Mediator, that wUl I do— as Head and Lord of the Kingdom of God. • Giis comprehensive promise is emphatically repeated in i'. 14. 15-17. If ye love me keep my commandments. And I wiU pray, &c.— ' This connexion seems designed to teach that , the proper temple for the indwelling Spirit , of Jesus is a heart filled with that love to , Him which lives actively for Him, and so t this was the fitting preparation for the pro- ! mised gift, another Comforter— a word used | only by John ; in his Gospel with reference to the Holy Spirit, in his First Ep. (2. 1.), with ! reference to Christ Himself. Its proper sense i is an "advocate," "patron," "helper." In' this sense it is plainly meant of Christ, (l J, 2. 1.), and in this sense it comprehends all the f comfort as weU as aid of the Spirit's work. \ The Spirit is here promised as One who would supply Chrisfs own place in His absence, abide with you for ever— never go away, as Jesus was going to do in the body, cannot receive, fcc— See 1 Co. 2. 14. dwelleth with you and shall be in you— Though the proper ful- : ness of both these was yet future, our Lord, j by using both the present and the future, seems plainly to say that they already had the germ of this great blessing. 18-20. com- fortless— in a bereaved and desolate condition i —or as Marg.j ' orphans.' I will come to yoo — ' I come ' or ' am coming ' to you, i.e., plainly by the Spirit, since it was to make His de- parture to be 710 bereavement, world seetb {' beholdeth'i me no more, but ye see i' behold') me— His bodily presence, being all the sight of Him which " the world" ever had, or was capable of. it "beheld Him no more" after His departure to the Father ; but by the I coming of the Spirit, the presence of I Christ was not only contk.ued to His spi- ritually enlightened disciples, but render- 1 ed for more efficacious and blissfid than I His bodily presence had been before the Spirits coming, because I live— not 'shall' live,' only when raised from the dead;! for it is His unextinguishable, divine life of which He speaks, in view of which His death and resurrection were but as i shadows passing over the sun's glorious disc, t cf. L. 24. 5; Re. 1. 18. "the Living One." And this grand saying Jesus uttered with death immediately in vieio. What a brightness does ' this throw over the next clause, " Ye shall live also!" * Knowest thou not,' said Luther \ to the King of terrors, ' that thou didst de- vour the Lord Christ, but wert obliged to i give Him back, and wert devoured of Him? ' So thou must leave me undevoured because I abide in Him, and live and suffer for His name's sake. Men may hunt me out of the world— that I care not for— but I shall not on that account abide in death, I shall live with my Lord Qirist, since I know and believe that He Uveth!' [quoted in Stier.] At that day— of the Spirit's coming. I in my j Father, ye in me, I iu you— See on ch. 17. 22, 1 23. 21-24. He that hath, <fec.— See on v. 15, 16. i my Father wHl love him, and I— Mark the sharp line of distinction here, not only be- tween the divine Persons, but the actings of love in Each respectively, towards true dis- '. ciples. J^idas saith, not Iscariot — Beautiful : parenthesis thisi The traitor being no lonoer : present, we needed not to be told that this question came not from him. But it is as if the \ evangelist had said, * A very different Judas ; 83 from the traitor, and a very different ques- tion from any that he would have put. In- deed [as one in Stieb says], we never read of Iscariot that he entered in any way into his Master's words, or ever piit a ques- tion even of rash curiosity ithough it may be he did, but that nothing from him was deemed fit for immortality in the Gospels but his name and treason), how manifest thyself to us, and not to the world?— a most natural and proper question, founded on v. 19, though interpreters speak against it as Jeivish. we will come and make our abode with him— Astonishing statement! In the Father's "coming" He 'refers to the revelation of Him as.a Father to the soul, which does not take place till the Spirit comes into the heart, teaching it to cry, Abba, Father.' [Olsh.1 The "abode" means apermanent, eternal stay! (cf. Le. 26. 11, 12; Ez. 37. 26, 27; 2 Co. 6. 16; and contrast Je. 14. 8.) 25, 26. teach you all things, and bring all to remembrance, &c.— See on v. 16, 17. As the Son came in the lather's name, so the Father shall send the Spirit "in my name," says Jesus, i.e., with like divine power and aiUhority to reproduce in their souls what Christ taught them, 'bringing to living consciousness what lay like slumbering gems in their minds.' [Olsh.J On this rests th£ credibility and tiltimate di- vine authority q/ the Gospel History. The whole of what is here said of the Spirit is decisive of His divine personality, 'he who can regard all the vcrsonal expressions, ap- plied to the Spirit in these three chapters, ("teaching," "reminding," "testifying,'* " coming, convincing," " guiding," "speak- ing," "hearing," " prophecying," "taking,") as bein| no other than a long drawn out figure, deserves not to be recognized even as an interpreter of intelligible words, much less an exposition of Holy Scripture.' [Stier.] 27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you— If the two preceding verses sounded like a note of preparation for drawing the discourse to a close, this would sound like a farewell. But O how different from ordin- ary adieus! It is a parting word, but of richest import, the customary " peace " of a parting friend sublimed and transfigured. As " the Prince of Peace" (Is. 9. 6.) He brought it into flesh, carried it about in His Own Person (" My peace"), died to make it ours, left it as the heritage of His disciples upon earth, un- Elants and maintains it hy His Spirit in their earts. Manv a legacy is "left" that is never "given" to the legatee, many a gift destined that never reaches its proper object. But Christ is the Executor of His own Testament: the peace He " leaves" He " gives-" Thus all is secure, not as the world giveth— in contrast with the world. He gives sincerely, substanr- tially, eternally. 28, 29. If ye loved me ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Fa- ther, for my Father is greater than I— Tliese words, which Arians and Socinians per- petually quote as triumphant evidence against the proper divinity of Christ, really yield no intelligible sense on their prin- ciples. Were a holy man on his death- bed, beholding his friends in tears at the prospect of loosing him, to say, ' Ye ought rather to joy than weep for me, and would if ye really loved me,' the speech would be quite natural. But If they should ask him, why joy at his departure was more suitable than sorrow, would they not start back with The Union of Christ JOHN, XV", mid His Church. astonishment, if not horror, were he to re- ply, "Because my Father is greater than 11 Does not this strange speech from Christ's lips, then, presuppose intch teach- iny on His part as would make it ex- tremely difficult for them to think He could gain anything by departing to the Father, and make it necessary lor Him to say expressly that there was a sense m which He could do so? Thus, this startling explanation seems plainly intended to cor- rect such misapprehensions as might arise from the emphatic and reiterated teaching of his proper equality with the Father— as if so Exalted a Person were incapable of any accession by transition from this dismal scene to a cloudless heaven and the very bo^^om of the Father— and by assuring them that this was not the case, to make them forget their own sorrow in His approaching joy. cO, 31. Hereafter I will not talk much with yen—' I have a little more to say, but my work hastens apace, and the approach of the adversary will cut it short.' for the Prince of tliis world— See on ch. 12. 31. cometh —with hostile intent, for a last grand attack, havmg failed in his first formidable assault, L. 4, from which he 'departed (only) /or a season," {v. 13. ). and hath nothing in me —nothing of His ovm— nothing to fasten, on. Glorious saying ! The trnlh of it is, that which makes the Person and Work of Christ the life of the world. (He. 9. 14; 1 J. 3. 6; 2 to. 6. 21.) But that, &c.— The sense must be completed thus: ' But to the Prince of the world, though he has nothing in me, I shall yield myself up even unto death, that the world may know that 1 love and obey the Father, whose commandment it is that I give my life a ransom for many.' Arise, let us go hence— Did they then, at this stage of the discourse, leave the supper-i-oom, as some able interpreters conclude? If so, we think our evangelist would have mentioned it: see ch. 18. l, which seems clearly to inti- mate that they then only left the upper- room. But what do the words mean it' not this? We think it was the dictate of that saying or earlier date, " I have a baptism to be baptized with, and hoio am I straitened unit he accomjylished!"—Si spontaneous and irrepressible expression of the deep eagerness of His spirit to get into the conflict, and that if, as is likely, it was responded to somewhat too literally by the guests who hung on His lips, in the way of a movement to depart, a wave ot His hand would be enough to show that He had yet more to say ere they broke up; and that disciple, whose pen was dipt in a love to his Master which made their move- ments of sn all consequence save when es- sential to the illustration of His words, would record this little outburst of the Lamb hastening to the slaughter, in the very midst of His lofty di.scour.se; while the effect of it, if any, ■ on His hearers, as of no conse- quence, would naturally enough be passed over. CHAPTER XV. Ver. 1-27. Discourse at the Supper- Table Continued. 1-8. The spiritual one- ness of Christ and His people, and His rela- tion to them as the Source oj alWicir spiritval life and Jruit fulness, are here beautifully set forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears. (Js. 5. 1. &c.) I am the true Vine— of Whom the vine ot nature is but a shadow, my 62 [IJ Father the husbandman— the great Proprietoi of the Vineyard, the Lord of the Spiritual kin.-dom. (It is surely unnecessary to point out the claim to supreme divinity involved in this.) every branch in me that beareth not fruit ... eve I y branch that beareth fruit— As in a fruit-tree, some branches may be/ntit- ful, others quite barren, according as there is a vital connexion between the branch and the stock, or no vital connexion; so the dis- ciples of Christ may be spiritually fruitful or the reverse, according as they are vitally and spiritually connected with Christ, or but extcmaUy and mechanically attached to Him. The fruitless He "taketh away" (see on V. 6.); the fruitful He "purgeth" (" clean- seth' 'pruneth' — stripping it, as the hus- bandman does, of what is rankarul luxiiriant (JMk. 4. 19.), "that it may bring forth more fruit:" a process often painful, but no less needful and beneficial than in the natural husbandly. Now— rather, 'Already.' ye are clean through ('by reason of) the word I have spoken to you— already in a purified, fruitful condition, in consequence of the long action upon them of that searching " word" which was "as a refiner's fire." (MaT.3. 2, 3.) abide in me and I in you, &c.— As all spiritual fruitful- ness had been ascribed to the mutual inhabi- tation, and living, active interprenetatimi (so to speak) of Christ and His disciples, so here the keeping up of this vital connexion is made essential to continued fruiliulness. without me—' apart.' or 'vitally disconnected from, Me.' ye can do nothing— spiritually, acceptably, cast forth as a branch . . .withered ...cast into the fire... burned— The one proper use of the vine is to hear fruit; failing this, it is good for one other thing— ywei. (See Ez. 15. 1-5.! How awfidly striking the figure, in this view of it! if ye abide in me and my words in you— Mark the change from the in- habitation of Himself to that of His words, paving the way for tlie subsequent exhorta- tions {V. 9, 10.). ask what ye will— because this indwelling of His words in them would secure the harmony of their askings with the Divine will, glorified that ye bear much fruit —not only from His delight in it for its own sake, but as from ' the juices of the Living Vine." so shall ye be my discipies-cv idenA^e your discipleship. 9-11. continue ye in my love— not, ■ Continue to love me,' but, ' Con- tinue in the possession and enjoyment of My love to you; as is evident Irom the next words. It ye keep my commandments, ye shall a bide in my love— the obedient spirit of true discipleship cherishing and attracting the continuance and increase of Christ's love: and this. He adds, was the secret even of His own "abiding in His Fathei-'s love!" 12-16. That ye love one another, <S:c.— See on ch. 13, 34, 35. greater love haih no man. .. lay down his life tor his friends— The emphasis lies not on "friends," but on "laying dovsn his life" for them, q.d., ' One can snow no greater regard for those dear to him than to give his life for them, and this is the love ye shall find in Me.' if ye do whatsoever I com- mand you—' hold yourself in absolute sub- jection to Me.' Henceforth I call you net ser- vants— i. e.. in tlie sense explained in the next words; for .servants He still calls them iv. 20>, and they delight to call themselves, in the sen.se of being " under law to Christ " (1 Co. 9. 20.). the servant knoweth not what his lord do eth— knows nothing of his master's plans Persecution of the Disciples Foretold. JOHN, XVL The Promise of the Holy Ghost. and reasons, but simply receives and exe- 1 cutes his orders, but friends, for all things j that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you— admitted you to free, unre- ! strained fellowship, keeping back nothing i from you which I have leceived to commu- i nicate. (cf. Ge. 18. 17; Ps. 25. 14; Is. 50. 4.) Ye have not chosen me, but I j;ou— a wholesome ; memento after the lofty things He had just I said about their mutual indwelling, and the j unreservedness of the friendship they had been admitted to. ordained ('appointed 'you { that ye should go and bring forth fruit— i.e., give yourselves to it. and that your fruit should remain— showing itself to be an im- perishable and ever-growing principle, (cf. Pr. 4. 18; 2 J. 8.) that whatsoever ye snail ask, &c.— See on v. 7. 17-21. The substance of these important verses has occurred more than once before. §ee on M. 10. 34-36; L. 12. 49-53, &c.) 22-25.— See on ch. 9. 39-41. Had not had eia— comparatively none; all other sins being light compared with tho rejection of the Son of God. now no cloak for their sin —rather, ' pretext.' If I had not done the works whicn none other did— See on ch. 12. 37. that the word might be fulfilled, They hated me without a cause— quoted from the Messi- anic Psalm 69. 4, applied also in the same sense ch. 2. 17: A. 1. 20; E. 11. 9, 10; 15. 3. 26, 27.— See on ch. 14. 16, 17. ye also shall bear witness— rather, 'are witnesses;' with refer- ence indeed to their future witness-bearing, but putting the emphasis upon their present fi.mple opportunities for acquiring their qua- hlications for that great office, inasmuch as they had been "with Him from the be- ' inning." (See on L. l. 2.) CHAPTEEXVI. Ver. 1-33.— DiscouKSE at the StrppER- Table Concltjdejj. 1-5. These things have I spoken, <S:c.— both the v:arnings and the en- couragements just given, put you out of the lynagogues— ^ch. 9. 22; 12. 42-J that he doeth God service— The words mean religious service — ' that he is ottering a service to God.' (So Saul of Tarsus, Ga. 1. 13, 14 ; Ph. 3. 6.) said not at ('from') the beginning— He had said it pretty early (L. 6. 22. ), but not quite as in v. 2. because I was with you. But now I go, <fcc. —While He was with them, the world's hatred was directed chiefly against Himself; but His departure would bring it down upon them as His representatives, and none of yon asketh me. Whither goest thou?— They had done so in a sort. ch. 13. 36; 14. 5 ; but He wished more intelligent and eager inquiry on the subject. 6, 7. But because I have said these things, sorrow hath filled your heart- Sorrow had too much paralyzed them, and He would rouse their energies. It is expe- dient for you that I go away— My Saviour, can i ever be r^ « -i That I should gain by losing thee?-[yet»te.l Yes. for if I go not a way, the Spirit will not come unto you, but if I go I will send Hun unto you— Seeonch.7.39;l .16. And when he is come, he will, &c.— 'This is one of the passages most pret-Tiant with thought in the profound discourses of Christ; with a few gi-eat strokes depicting all and every part of the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the world-His opera- tion with reference to individuals as well as the mass, on believers and unbelievers alike. _[Olsh.] he will reprove— This is too weak a word to express what is meant. Reproof is indeed implied in the term employed, and 6:! L21 doubtless the work begins with it. But ' convict' or ' convince ' is the thing intended; and as the one expresses the work of the Spirit on the unbelieving portion of man- kind, and the other on the believing, it is better not to restrict it to either, of sin, be- cause they believed not on me— As aU sin has its root in unbelief, so the most aggravated form of unbelief is the rejection of Christ. The Spirit, however, in fastening this truth upon the conscience, does not extinguish, but, on the contrarv, consummate and in- tensify, the sense of all other sins, of righteous- ness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more— Beyond doubt, it is Christ's personal righteovisvxss which the Spirit was to bring home to the sinner's heart. The evidence of this was to Ue in the great historical fact, that He had " gone to His Father and was no more visible to men:" for if His claim to be the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, had been a lie, how should the Father, who is "a jealous God," have raised such a blas- phemer from the dead and exalted him to His right liand? But if He was the "Faithful and True Witness," the Father's "Righteous Servant," " His Elect^in whom His soul de- lighted," then was His departure to the Father, and consequent disappearance from the view of men, but the fitting consumma- tion, the august reward, of aU that He did here below, the seal of His mission, the glo- rification of the testimony wliich He bore on earth, by the reception of its Bearer to the Father's bosom. This triumphant vindica- tion of Christ's rectitude is to us divine evi- dence, bright as heaven, that He is indeed the Saviour of the world, God's Eighteous Servant to justify many, because He bare their iniquities. (Is. 63. 11.) Thus the Spirit, in this clause, is seen convmcing men that there is in Christ perfect relief under the sense of sin of which he had before con- vinced them; andso far from mourningovef His absence from us, as an irreparable loss, we learn to glory in it, as the evidence of His perfect acceptance on our behalf, exclaiming with one who understood this point, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died ; yea, rather, that is risen again, u:ho is even at the right hand of God," &c. (E. 8. 33. 34.) of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged— By supposing tha^tthe final judgment is here meant, the point of this clause is, even by good interpreters, quite missed. The statement, "The prince of this world is judged." means, beyond all reasonable doubt, the same as that in ch. 12. 31, " Now shall the prince of this world be cast out; " and both mean that his dominion over men, or his power to enslave and so to ruin them, is destroyed. The death of Christ "judged" or judicially overthrew him, and he was thereupon "cast out" or expelled from his usurped dominion. (He. 2. 14; i J. 3. 8; Co. 2. 15. 1 Thus, then, the Spirit shall bring home to men's conscience a. the sense of sin, con- summated in the rejection of Him who came to "take away the s;n of the world;" 2.) the sense of perfect relief in the righteousness of the Father's Servant, now fetched from the earth that spumed Him to that bosom where from everlasting He had dwelt; and (3.) the sense of emancipation from the fet- ters of Satan, whose judgment brings to .mea The promise of the Holy Ghost. JOHN, XTl. Jems comforts his dlsdpUs. ye shall ask of the Father iu my name, he naygive it you. 17 Tnese things I command you, that ye love one another. 18 IT If "* the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 1 19 It " ye were of the world, the world l^vould love his own: but 'because ye are not of the world, but 1 ha\e chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto vou. The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; ^if they have kept my sapng, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these thinc^ will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If 9 1 had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: •■ but now they have no 2 cloak for their sin. 23 He • that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and ray Fatner. 25 But this comHh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, < They hated me without a cause. 26 But "when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Fatner, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, "he shall testify of me: ■ 27 And *" ye also shall bear witness, be- cause "^ye have been with me Irom the beginning. CHAPTER XVI. 1 Christ wameth his disciples of their sufferings ; 7 office of the Comforter. 29 Then profess their faith in Christ. 33 i'eace in Christ, and in the world affliction. fpHESE things have I spoken unto you, -^ that ye should not be otteuded. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, " that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God Benice. 3 And * these things will they do unto yon, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that, when the time shall come, ye may re- member that I told you of them. And these things 1 said not unto you at the be- ginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you. sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but * if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will i reprove the world of sin, and of nghteousuess, and of judgment: 9 Of "^ sin. because they believe not on me ; 10 Of • righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of/ judgment, because "the prince of this world is judged. 12 1 have yet many things to say onto you, but ye cannot bear therp now. 13 ilowbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is m CHAP. 15. n* 1 John 3. ' 1,13 n 1 John 4. 6. och. 17. H. P Eze. 3. 7. 1 ch. 9. 41. r Eom. 1 •_'0. Jam. 4. 17. 2 Or.eicuae. « 1 John a. 23. 2 John 9. t Ps. 35. 19. Ps. 69. 4. « AcU 2. 33. » 1 John 5.6. «> Acts 1. 8. Acts 2. 32. Acts 4. 33. 1 Pet. 5. 1. 2 Pet. 1.16. a; Luke 1. 2. lJohnl.1,2. CHAP. 16. « Acts 8. 1. Acts 9. 1. Acts 26. 9. 6 Kom. 10. 2. 1 Cor. 2. 8. 1 Ti. 1. 13. c Acts 2. 33. Eph. 4. b. 1 Or, con\ince. d Acts 2. 22. « Acts 2. 32. / Acts 26. 18. g Lu. 10. 18. ch. 12. 31. Eph. 2. 2. Col. 2. 15. Heb. 2. 14. h ch. 14. 26. 1 John 2. 20,27. i 1 Tim. 4. 1. Col. 19. k Lu. 24 41. ch. 14. 1,27. ch. 2<J. 20. Acts 2. 46. Acts 13. 52. 1 Pet. 1. 8. { ch. 14. 13. ch. 15. 16. 2 Or, parablei. 3 Or, parable*. m ch. 14. 21. n ch. 3. 13. ch. 17. 8. o ch. 13. 3. 4 Or, parable. P ch. 21. 17. 9 ch. 17. 8. 6 Or, bit r Is 9. 6. ch. 14. 27. Bom. 5. 1. Eph. 2. 14. Col 1. 21). • Act. 14. 22. 2 Tim. 3.12. Heb. 12. 6. llev. 3. 19. t U. 49. 24, 25. Kom. 8. 37. 1 Cor. 15. 27. Gal. 6. 14. I John 4.4. IJciliod. 4. come, '» he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself- but wlnitso- ever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will ' show you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15 All > things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. 16 A little while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me; because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves. What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and. Because I go to the Father? 18 They said theretore. What is this that he saith, A little while ? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were de- sirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do .ve enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is iu travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but aa soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but 1 will see you again, and * your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. ' Verily, verily, I say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in 2 proverbs: but the time cometh. when I shall no mor6 sneak unto you in 3 pro- verbs, but 1 shall show you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that 1 will pray the Father for you; 27 For "* the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and " have be- lieved that I came out from God. 28 I " came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Fatner. 29 1i His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no * proverb. 30 Now are we sure that ^ thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this 'we believe that thou camest forth from God. 31 Jesus answered them. Do ye now be- lieve? 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to 5 his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father ia with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that *■ in me ye might have peace. * In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be ut good clieer; *1 have overcome the world. Ch'rist Comforts His Bisnples, JOHN, xvn. The Intercessory Prayer, liberty to be holy, and transfonnation out of servants of the devil into sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. To one class of men. however, all this will carry convictiori, only ; they " wiU not come to Christ "—revealed though He be to them as the life-giving One— that they may have life. Such, abiding voluntarily under the do- minion of the prince of this world, are judged in his jiidgment, the visible consummation of which will be at the great day. To another class, however, this blessed teaching will have another issue— translating them out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. 12-15. not speak of him- sell— i. c, from. Himself, but, like Christ Himself, "what He hears," what is gaven Him to communicate, show you things to come— referring specially to those revelations which, in the Epistles partially, but most tully in the Apocalypse, open up a vista into the Future of the Kingdom of God, whose horizon is the everlasting hills. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive ot mine and show it unto you— Thus the whole design of the Spirit's office is to glorify Christ— not in His own Person, for this was done by the Father when He exalted Him to his own right hand —but in the view and estimation of men. For this purpose He was to "rective of Christ' — all the truth relating to Christ—" and show it unto them," or make them to discern it in its own light. The subjective nature of the Spirit's teaching— the discovery to ihe souls of men of what is Christ outwardly— is here very clearly expressed; and, at the ^a me time, the vanity of lookmg for reveljtions of the Spirit wJuch shall do anything beyond throwing hglit in the soul upon what Christ Himself is, and taught, and did upon earth. all tluDgs that the father hath are mijie- a plainer expression than this of absolute com- munity with the Father in all things, cannot be conceived, though the "all things" here have relerence to the things of the Kingdom of Grace, which the iSpirit was to receive that He might show it to us. We have hei e a wonderlul glimpse into the inner relations of the Godhead. 16-22. A little while and ye shall not see me, and again a little while and ye shall see me, because 1 go to the Father— The •joy of the world' at their 'not seeing him' seems to show that His removal from them by death was what He meant; and in that case, their 'joy at again seeing Him' points to their transport at His re-appearance amongst them on His resurrection, when they could no longer doubt his identity. At the same time the sorrow of the widowed Church in the absence of her Lord in the heavens, and her transport at His personal return, are certainly here expressed. 24-28. At tiiat day— of the dispensation of the Spirit, as ch. 14. 20. ye shall ask ('enquire of; me nothing- by reason of the fulness of the Spirit's teaching, ich, 14. 26; 16. 13; and cf. 1 J. 2. 27.) hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name— for ' prayer in the name of Christ, and prayer to Christ, presuppose His glorifica- tion.' [Olsh.] ask — when 1 am gone, "in my name. in proverbs— in obscure language, opposed to "showing plainly"— i.e., by the Spirit's teaching. I say not I will pray the F.'ither for you— as if He were not of Himself disposed to aid you : Christ does pray the Father for his people, but not for the purpose of inclining an unwilling ear. tor the Father bi himself loveth you, because ye have loved me— This love of theirs is that which is called forth by God's eternal love in the gift of his Son mirrored in the hearts ot those who be- lieve, and resting on His dear ISon. I came Itrth, &c.—qM., 'And ye are right, for I have indeed so come forth, and shall soon return whence I came.' This echo of the truth, al- luded to in the preceding verse, seems like thinking aloud, as if it were gratelul to Hig own spirit on such a subject and at such au hour. 29, SO. Now speakest thou plainly, &c. —hardly more so than before; the tiuie for perfect plainness was yet to come; but having caught a glimpse of His meaning (it was nothing more;, they eagerly express their satisfaction, as if glad to make anything of His words. How touchingly does this show both the simplicity of their hearts and the miantile character of their faith! 31-33. Do ye now beUevel— g.d., ' It is well ye do, for it is soon to be tested, and in a way ye little ex- pect.' leave me alone; and yet I am not alone —A deep and awful sense of wrong experi- enced is certainly expressed here, but how lovingly! Ihat He was not to be utterly deserted, that there was One who would not forsake Him, was to Him matter of ineflable support and consolation; but that He should be without all human countenance and cheer, who as Man was exquisitely sensitive to the law of sympathy, would fill themselve<» with as much shame, when they atterwarda recurred to it, as the Redeemer's heart in his hour ol need with pungent sorrow. "I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I lound none." (Fs. 69. 20. J because theFather is with me— how near, and with what sustaining power, who can express? These things I have spoken unto you— not the immediately preceding words, but this whole discourse, of which these were the very last words, and which He thus winds ud. that in me ye might have peace— in the sublinie sense before explained. ,See on ch. 14. 27.) in the worldye shall have tribulation— specially arising from its deadly opposition to those who "are not of the world, but chosen out ot the world." So that the "peace" promised was tar from an unruffled one. I have over- come the world— not only before you, but Jor you, that ye may be able to do the same, (l J. 5. 4. 5.) CHAPTER xvn. Ver. 1-26. The Lntercessory Prater. See on ch. 14. I. Had this prayer not been recorded, what reverential reader would not have exclaimed, Oto have lieen within hear- ing of such a prayer as that must have been, which wound up the whole of His past ministry and formed the point of transition to the dark scenes which immediately fol- lowed! But here it is, and with such signa- ture of the Lips that uttered it that we seem rather to hear it from Himself than read it from the pen of His faithlul reporter. 1-3 Lifted up his eyes—* John very seldom depicts the gestures or looks of our Lord, as here But this was an occasion of which the im- pression was indelible, and the upward look could not be passed over.' [Alf.] Father, the hour is come— See on ch. 13. ol, 32. glorify thy Son— Put honour upon thy Son. by counte- nancing, sustaining, and carrying Him through that "hour, given ('gavest') him power over all flesh— See on M. 11. 27; 28. 18-20. give eternal life to as many as, &ic.—lit., ' to all Christ Praijeth JOHN, xvn. for His Apostles. that which thou hast given him.' (See on ch, 6. S7-40.) This is (that) life eternal, that they mipht (may know, <tc.— This life eternal, then, is not mere conscious and unending existence, but a life of acquaintance with God in Christ, i (Job. 22. 21.) thee, the only true God— the sole personal living God; in glorious contrast equally with heathen polytheism, philosophic rtnturalism, and mystic vantheism. and Jesus Christ whom thou hast seut— This is the only place where our Lord gives himself this compound name, afterwards so current in apostolic preaching and writing. Here the terms are used in their strict signification— *■ Jesus," because He "saves his people from their sinsf "Christ," as anoiided with the measureless fulness of the Holy Ghost for the exercise of His saving ofiices (see on M. J. 16.); "Whom thou hast sent," in the plenitude of Divine Authority and Power, to save. ' The very juxtaposition here of Jesus Christ with the Father is a proof, by implication, of our Lord's Godhead. The inowledge of God and a creature could not be eternal life, and such an association of the ■one with the other would be inconceivable.' [Alf.] 4, 6. 1 have glorified thee on the earth ^rather, '1 glorified' (for the thing is con- ceived as now past). I have finished (' I fin- ished ' the work which thou gavest me to do- lt is very important to preserve in the translation the past tense, used in the criginal, otherwise it might be thought that the work already "finished " was only what He had done before uttering that prayer; "Whereas it will be observed that our Lord speaks throughout as already beyond this present scene (v. 12, &c.), and so must be supposed to include in His "finished work" the "decease which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem." And now— in return, glorify thou me— The "7 thee" and "Thou me" are so placed in the original, each beside its fel- low, as to show that a perfect rectprocity OF SERVICES of the Son to the Father first, and then of the Father to the Hon in return, is what our Lord means here to express, with the g.ory which I had with thee before the world was— when "in the beginning theWord was with God" (ch. 1. 1.), " the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father" (ch. l. I8.l. With this pre-exi stent glory, which He veiled on earth. He asks to be reinvested, the de- sign of the veiling being accomplished— not, however, simply as before, but now in our nature. 6-8. From praying for Himself He now comes to pray for His disciples. I have manifested (' I manifested 'i thy name— His whole character towards mankind, to the men thou gavest me, &c.— See on ch. 6. 37-40, they have known surely, &c.— See on ch. 16. 30, 31. 9-14. I pray for them— not as individuals merely, but as representatives of aU such in every succeeding age (see on v. 20.1. not for the world— for they had been given Him "out of the world" [v. 6.), and had been already transformed into the very opposite of it. The things sought for them, indeed, are ap- plicable only to such, all mine are thine and thine are mme— lit., ' All ray things are thine and thy things are mine.' (On this use of the neuter gender, see on ch. 6. 37-40.) Absolute co.MMUNiTY OF PROPERTY between the Father and the Son is here expressed as nakedly as words can do it. (See on v. 5.) I Riu no m ire in the world see on v. 4.), but these are ia the world— q.cJ., Tliough My etrugglea 83 LU are at an end, their's are not ; though 1 have gotten beyond the scene of strife, I cannot sever myself in spirit from them, left behind and only jiist entering on their geat conflict.' Holy Father— an expression e nowhere else uses. "Father" is His wonted appellation, but "holy' is here pre- fixed, because His appeal was to that per- fection of the Father's nature, to " keep " or preserve them from being tainted by the unholy atmosphere of " the world " they were still in. keep through thine own name— raJier, 'in thy name;' in the exercise of that gracious and holy character for which He was known, that they may be one— See on V. 21. I kept guarded) them in thy name — acting as thy Kepresentative on earth, none of them lost but the s-n of perdition-' It is not implied here that the son of perdition was one of those whom the Father had given to the Son. but rather the contrary, ch. 13. 18.' [w. & W.J It is just as in L. 4. 26, 27, where we are not to suppose that the woman of Sarepta (in Sidon) was one of the widows of Israel, nor Naaman the Syrian one of the lepers in Israel, though the language— the same as here— might seem to express that. son of perdition—doomed to it. (2 Th. 2. 3; Mk. 14. 21.) I speak in the world that they might have my joy, &c.—q.d., 'Such a strain befits rather the upper sanctuary than the scene of conflict; but I speak so "in the world, ' that My joy, the joy 1 experience in knowing that such intercessions are to be made for them by their absent Lord, may be tastefl by those who now hear them, and by all who shall hereafter read the record of them. 15-19. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world— for that, though it would secure their own satety, would leave the world unblessed by their testimony, but k-iep them from the evU— all evil in and of the world. They are not of the world, even as I, &c.— See on ch. 15. 18, 19. This is reiterated here, to pave the way for the prayer which follows. Sanctify them — As the former prayer, "Keep them." was negative, asking protection for them from the poisonous ele- ment which surrounded and pressed upon their renewed nature, so this prayer, "Saiic- tijy them," is positive asking the advance^ ment and completion of their begun sanctifi- cation. through (or ' in ') thy truth— God's revealed truth, as the medium or element of sanctifi cation; a statement thi> of immense importance, thy word is truth— cf. ch. 15. 3; Co. 1. 5; Eph. 1. 13. As thou hast sent (' sent- est') me into the world, even so have I also sent {'sent I also') them into the world— As their mission was to carry into eflect the purposes of their Master's mi-sion. so our Lord speaks of the authority in both cases as co-ordinate. and for their sakes I sanctily consecrate) my- self, that they also might ('may'j be sanctified (consecrated)— 'The only difterence between the application of the same term to Christ and the disciples is, as applied to Christ, that it means only to ' consecrate;' whereas, in application to the disciples, it means to ' consecrate ' with the additional idea of pre- vious sanctification, since nothing but what is holy can be presented as an offering. Tlie whole self-sacrificing work of the disciples. appears here as a mere rcsxdt of the otferingr f Christ.' [Olsh.] through (or * in ') th& truth— Though the article is wanting in the original here, we are not to translate, as lit Christ Prayeth JOHN. xvnL for TTi3 Apostks, the margin, 'tru'y sanctified;' for the refer- ence seems plainly to be to "the trnth"! mentioned 1^, 17. (see there). 20-23. Neither pray I for these alone— Tliis very important explanation, uttered in condescension to the ' hearers and readers of this prayer in all time, is meant not merely of what follows, but of the whole prayer, them also which Bhall believe— The majority of the best IVISS. read 'which believe,' all future time being viewed as present, while the present is view- ed as past and gone, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us— T/ie indv:eUing Spirit of the Father and the Son is the one perfect bond of union, knitting up into a living unity, first, all believers amongst themselves; next, this unity into one still higher, with the Father and the Son. (Observe, that Christ never mms Himself up with His disciples as He associates Himself with the Father, but says I in them and they in us.) that the world may believe that thou hast sent ('sentest') me- So the grand impression upon the world at large, that the INIission of Christ is Divine, is to be made hy the unity of His disciples. Of course, then, it must be sometliing that shall be visible or perceptible to the world. What is it, then? Not certainly a merely formal, mechanical uijity of ecclesiastical machinery. For as thai; mav, an'd to a large extent does exist, in both the Western and Eastern Churches, with little of the Spirit of Christ, yea much, much with which the Spirit of Christ cannot dwell, so instead of convincing the world beyond its own pale of the divinity of the Gospel, it generates infi- delity to a large extent within its own bosom. Jjut the Spirit of Christ, illuminating, trans- forming, and reigning in the hearts of the genuine disciples of Christ, drawing them to each other as members of one family, and prompting them to loving co-operation for the good of the world— tliis is what, when sufiiciently glowing and extended, shall force conviction upon the world that Christi- anity is divine. Doubtless, the more that differences among Christians disappear— the more they can agree even in minor matters —the impression upon the world may be ex- pected to be greater. But it is not dependent upon this; for living and loving oneness in Christ is sometimes more touchingly se«in even amidst and in spite of minor differences, than where no.such differences exist to try the strength of their deeper unity. Yet till this living brotherhood in Christ shall show it- 1 self strong enough to destroy the sectarian- 1 ism, selfishness, carnality, and apathy that j eat out the heart of Christianity in all the i visible sections of it, in vain shall we expect the world to be overawed by it. It is when *' the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on high," as a Spirit of truth and love, and upon ail parts of the Christian territory alike, melting down differenres and heart-burnings, kindling astonishment and shame at past unfruitfulness, drawing forth longings of ca- tholic affection, and yearnings over a world lymg in wickedness, embodying themselves in palpable forms and active measures— it is then that we may expect the effect here an- nounced to be iJroduced, and then it will be irresistible. Should not Christians ponder ttiese things ? " should not the same mind he in them which was also in Christ Jesus" filout tiiis liuxtter? should not His prayer he 83 [2]- tfi eir's? and the glory which thou gavest 'hast given') me I have given them that they may be one, even as we are one— The last clause shows the meaning of the first. It is not the future glory of the heavenly state, but the secret of that present unity just before spoken of; the glory, therefore, of the indwell- ing Spirit of Christ; the glory of an accepted state, of a holy character, of every grace. I in them, &c.— See on v. 21. 24-26. Father, I will— The majesty of this style of speaking is quite transparent. No petty criticism will be allowed to fritter it away in any but su- perficial or perverted readers, be with me where I am— See on ch. 14. 3. that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me— See on v. 5. Christ regards it as glory enough for us to be admitted to see and gaze for ever upon His glory! Tliis is 'the beatific vision^ but it shall be no mere vision, for "we shall be like liim, because we shall see him as he is," I J. 3. 2. righteous Father, the world hath not known thee /knew thee not'), but I have known ('knew' thee, and these have known ('knew') that thou hast sent ('sentest') me— As before He said " HolyFa.th.eT," wheu desiring the display o£ that perfection on His disciples .v. 11. "so here He styles him "Righteous Father," because He is ap- pealing to his righteousness or justice, to make a distinction between those two dia- metrically opposite classes— " tTie world," on the one hand, which would not " know the Father, though brought so nigh to it in the Son of his love, and, on the other, Himse'f, who recognised and owned Him, and even His dimples, who owned His mission from the Father. And I have declared ('I made known' or 'communicated' thy name— in His past ministry, and will declare it— in yet larger measure, by the gift of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost and through all succeeding ages, that the love wherewith thou hast loved i ' lovedst ') me may be in them and I in them— Thi> eternal love of the Father, resting first on Christ, is by His Spirit imparted to and takes up its permanent abode in all that be- lieve in Him; and " He abiding in them and they in Him" ich. 15. 5., they are "one SfArit." 'With this lofty thought the Re- deemer closes His prayer for His disciples, and in them for His Church through all ages. He ha'; compressed into the last moments given Him for conversation with His own the most sublime and glorious sentiments ever uttered by mortal lips. But hardly has the sound of the last word died away, when He passes with the disciples over the brook Kedron to Gethseniane— and the bitter con- flict draws on. The seed of the new world must be sown in Death, that thence lite may spring up.' [Olsh.] chafii-:r x\tii. Ver. 1-13. Betkayal and Apprehen- sion OF Jesus. 1-3. Over the brook Kedron— a deep, dark ravine, to the N.E. of Jerusa- lem, through which flowed this small 'storm- brook' or 'winter-torrent,' and wliich in summer is dried up. where was a garden— at the foot of the mount of Olives, "called Gethsemane" i' olive-press '), M. '26. 30, 36. Judas knew the place, for Jesus ofttimes .'see ch. 8. 1; L. '21. 37 ;i resorted thither with his disciples — Tlie baseness of this abuse of knowledge in Judas, derived from adml.?- sion to the closest privacies of his Master, is most touchingly couveyed here, though Christ prayeih for his apoitlei. JOHN. XVII. XYIII. Judas hetrayeth ClirisU CHAPTER XVII. J Christ prayeth to his Father to glorify him, 6 to preserve his apostles, U in unity, 17 and truth, 20 to glorify them, and all other believers with him in heaven. TTHESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up -*• his eyes to heaven, and said. Father, the hour "is come; glorify thy Son, that thy ^on also may glorify thee: 2 As " thou hast given him power over all •flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many * as thou hast given him. 3 And " this is life eterual, that they might know thee <* the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have ■finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, gloiify thou me "With thine own self with the glory * which 1 had with thee before the world was. 6 I /have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me: and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast ^ven me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me ; and they have re- ceived them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have be- lieved that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: » I pray not for the ■world, but for them which thou hast given me : for they are thine. 10 And '» all mine are thine, and thiue are mine ; and I am gloiiiied in them. 11 And MOW I am no more in the world, l3Ut these are in the world, and 1 come to thee. Holy Father, » keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, > as we are. . 12 While I was with them in the world, I* kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and ' none of them IS lost, "'but the son of perdition; "that the Sciipture might be fultilled. I'i And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fultilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word ; " and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as 1 am not of the world. 15 1 pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but ^that thou filiouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify « them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the ivfirld. 19 And ^ for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be i sauctihed through tlie tuith. I'O Neither pray I for these alone, but for them* also wliich shall believe on me through their wurd; 'Jl That « they all may be one; as "thom, Father, art in me, and 1 in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may telieve that thou hast sent me. '/J And the glory which thou g.ivest me I have given them; "that they may be one, even as we are one: . 23 1 iu them, and thou in me, *" (bat they p Gal. 1. 4. 2 Thea. 3.3. 1 John 5. 18. q Acta 15. 9. Eph. 5. 26. 1 Fet. 1 22. r 1 Cor. 1.30. 1 The*. 47. Heb. 10. 10. 1 Or, truly aanctitied. » Acta 2. 41. Acts 4. 4. t £om. 12. 6. 1 Cor. 1.10. Gal. 3. 28. « ch. 10. 38. ch. 14 11. Phil. 2. 6. 1 JohD a. 7. "IJohnl.S. 1 John 3.24. «> Col. 3. 14. » Heb. 12 23. V 1 Theas. 4. CHAP. 18. a Lu. 22. 39. 6 2 Sa. 15 2;f. c Lu. 21. 37. d Acta 1. IS. • 1 Pet. 5. 7. / ch. 17. 12. Acta i. 6. 1 And .Annaa aent Chriat bound uuto Caia).haa, the high ver. 24. k ch. 11. 60. may be made '^ perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. •2-t Father, v I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am ; that they may ^behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and " I in them. CHAPTER XVIII. 1 Judas betray eth Jesus; 6 the band and officer t at Christ's word fall to the ground. 10 I'eter smiteth off JUalehus's ear. 12 Jesus is tulan, and led to Annas and Caiaphas. 16 Jeter's denial. \9 Jesus examined before Caiaphas, 23 arraigned before Filate: 36 his kingdotn, etc. VyHEN Jesus had spoken these words, ' ' he " went forth with his disciples over the 6 brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disci- ples. 2 Ajjd Judas also, which betrayed him, kne-irthe place; 'for Jesus olttimes re- sorted thither w'*.h his disciples. 3 Judas ''then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them. Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And J udas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell tc the ground. 7 Then asked he them again, "Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 8 Jesus answered, 1 have told you that I am he. If therefore ye seek me, * let these go their way: 9 That the saying might be fulfilled which he spake, /Of them which thou gavest me have 1 lost none. 10 Then " Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut otf his right ear. The servant's navie was Alalchus. 11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: 'i the cup which my Father hath given me, shall 1 not diiiik it? 12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, 13 And « led him away to J Annas first: for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the hii,'h priest that same year, i 14 Now * Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people 15 IT And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known uuto the liig-h priest, and went in with Jesua into the palace of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, wnub was known uuto the high priest, aud .sp Jid Judas Bdraydh Christ. JOHN, xvm. Peter Smiteth offMakhu's Ear. Eothiug beyond bare narrative is expressed. Jesus, however, knowing that in this spot Judas would expect to find Him. instead of avoiding it, hies Him thitlier, as a Lamb to the slaughter. "No man taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of myself." (ch. 10. 18.) Besides, the scene which was to fill up the little breathing time, the awful inter- val, between the Supper and the Apprehen- sion—like the "silence in heaven for about the space of hali-an-hour" between the break- ing of the Apocalyptic Seals and the peal of the Trumpets of war Ee. 8. l.J— the Agony— would have been too terrible for the upper- room ; nor Vould He cloud the delightful associations of the last Passover and the first Supper by pouring out the anguish of His soul there. The garden, however, with its amplitude, its shady olives, its endeared as- sociations, would be congenial to his heart. Here He had room enough to retire— first, from eight of them, and then from the more favoured three ; and here, when that myste- rious scene was over, the stillness would only l)e broken by the tread of the traitor. J\idas then— "He that was called Judas, one ol the twelve," says L. ,in language which brands him with peculiar infamy, as in the sacred circle ■while in no sense of it. the band of meu— •the cktachinent of the Roman cohort, on duty at the festival, for the purpose of main- taining order.' [W. & w.] officers from the chief priests, &c. — Captains of the Temple and armed Levites. lanterns and torches— It was full moon, but in case He should have secreted Himself somewhere in the dark ravine, they bring the means of exploring its hiding-places— little knowing whom they had to do with. " Now he that betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying. Whomsoever I sliall kiss, that same is He, hold Him fast." (M. 26. 48.) Tlie cold-bloodedness of this Speech was only exceeded by the deed itself. "And Judas went before them, iL. 22. 47.) and forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master, and kissed Him." (M. 26. 49. cf. Ex. 4. 27 ; 18. 7 ; L. 7. 45.) The impudence of this atrocious deed shows how thoroughly he had by this time mastered all his scruples. If the dialogue between our Lord and His captors was oe/oj-e this, as some interpreters think it was, the kiss of Judas was purely gratuitous, and probably to make good his right to the money ; our Lord having presented Himselt unexpectedly before them, and ren- dered it unnecessary for any one to point Him out. But a comparison of the narratives seems to show that our Lord's "coming forth" to the band was svbsemicnt to the in- terview of Judas. "And Jesus .said unto him. Friend" — not the endearing term "friend" in ch. 15. 15, but 'companion,' a word used on occasions of remonstrance or lebuke (as M. 20. 13 ; 22. 12.)—" Wherefore art thou come? (M. 26. 50.) Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kissT- imprinting upon the fotilest act the mark of tenderest affection? "What wounchd feeling does this express ! Of this Jesus showed Himself on various occasions keenly susceptible— as all generous and beautilul natures do. 4-9. Jesus, know- ing all things that should come ''were coming") upon Him, went forth— from the shade of the trees, jjrobably, into open view, indicating His sublime preparedness to meet His cap- tors. Whom seek ye ?— Partly to prevent a rush Of the soldiery upon the disciples [B£^a.]; and see Mk. 14. 51, 62, as showing a tendency to this: but still more as part of that courai^e and majesty which so overawed them. Ha would not wait to be taken. They answered. Jesus of Nazareth— Just the sort of blunt, straightforward reply one expects from mili- tary men, simj'ly acting on their instruc- tions. I am tHej— See on ch. 6. 20. Judas stood with them— Xo more is recorded here of his part of the scene, but we have found the gap painluUy supplied by all the other Evangelists. As soon then as He said unto thein, I am [He], they went backward— recoiled, and fell to the ground— struck down by a power such as that w^hich smote Saul of Tarsus and his companions to the earth. (A. -^6. 14.) It was the glorious effulgence of the majesty of Christ which overpowered them. * This, oc- curring before His surrender, would show His power over His enemies, and so the freedom with which He gave Himself up. [Mey.] Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye 1— Giving them a door of escape from the guilt of a deed which 7ioiv they were able in some measure to understand. Jesus of Nazareth— The stunning effect of His first answer wear- ing off. they think only of the necessity of executing their orders. I have told you that I am [He] : if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way— Wonder! Ill self-possession, and consideration for others, in such circum- stances ! that the saying might be fulfillf d wliich He spake, Of them which Thou gavest Me have I lost none— The reference is to such sayings as ch. 6. 39 : 17. 12 ; showing how con- scious the Evangelist was, that in reporting his Lord's former sayings, he was giving them not in substance merely, but in foi^ti also. Observe, also, how the preservation of the disciples on this occasion is viewed as part of tha.t deeper preservation undoubtedly intended in the saying quoted. 10, 11. Tiiea Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the High Priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus— None of the other Evangelists mention the name either of the ardent disciple orof his victi' i. John, being "known to the High Priest," (V. 15.) the mention of the servant's name by him is quite natural, and an interesting mark of truth in a small matter. As to the riyht ear, specified both here and in L., the man was ' likely foremost of those who advanced to seize Jesus, and presented himself in the attitude of a combatant ; hence his ri;.'ht side would be exposed to attack. The blow of Peter was evidently aimed vertically at his head.' [w. & w.j Then said Jesus— " Suffer ye thus far" (L. 22. 51). Put up thy sword into the sheath : the cup wliich my Fa- ther hath given me, shall I not drink it?— This expresses oo</i. the feelings which struggled in the Lord's breast during the agony in the ga,vden— aversion to the cup viewed in itsdf. but, in the light of the Father's v:ill, perfect preparediiess to drink it up. (See on L. 22. 30-46.) M. adds to the address to Peter the following :— "For all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword" M. 26. 62 — q.d., 'Those who take the sword must run all the risks of human warfare ; but INIine is a warfare whose weapons, as they are not car- nal, are attended with no such hazards, but carry certain victory. " Thickest thou that I cannot now"— even after things have pro- ceeded so far"—" pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me"— rather. ' place a t my Jesiis Before Annas, JOHN, XTin. Peter Denidh His Master, disposal'—'* more than twelve legions of an- gels ;" with allusion, possibly, to the one an- gel who had, in His asony, " appeared to Him trom Heaven strengthening Him' (L. 22. 43 ; and in the precise number, alluding to the twelve who needed the help. Himself and His eleven disciples. (The full complement of a legion ot Roman soldiers was six thou- sand.) "But how then shall the Scrip- ture be fulfilled that thus it must beV" (AI. 26. 53, 51.) He could not sutler, ac- cording to the Scripture, if He allowed Himself to be delivered from the predicted death. " And He touched his ear and healed him ;L. 22. 51) ; for "The Son of Man came not to destroy men's lives but to save them" (L. 9. 56 , and, even while they were destroying His, to save theirs. 12. Then the hand... took Jesus— but not till He had made them feel tliat "no man took His life from Him, but that He laid it down of Himself." 13. and led Him away— "In that hour," says M. (26. 55, 56), and probably now, on the way to judc'raent, when the crowds were pressing upon Him, said Jesus to the multitudes. Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves, for to take me' —ex- pressive of the indignity which he felt to be thus done to Him — " I sat daily with you in the Temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But this" (adds L. 22. 53,) "is your hour and the power of darkness." M. con- tinues—" But all this was done that the ScrijH tures of the prophets nii^;ht be fulfilled. Tuen aU the disciples forsook Him and fled" (M. 26. 56,)— thus fulfilling His prediction, Iklk. 14. 27 ; ch. 16. 32. 13-2r. JasUS BEFORE ANNAS AND CaIA- PHAS— Fall of Peter. 13, 14. And led Him away to Annas first— See on L.3. 2, and on M. 26. 67. 15-18. Simon teter followed Jesus- Natural though this was. and safe enough, had he only "watched and prayed that he enter not into temptation," as his Master bade him (M. 26. 41 , it was, in his case, a fatal step, and another disciple— Rather, ' the other disciple'— our Evangelist himself, no doubt, known unto the High Priest— See on v. 10. Went m with Jesus into the palace of the High Priest. But Peter stood at the door without— by preconcerted arrangement with his friend till he should get access for him. Then went out that other.. and spake to her that kept the door, and brought in Peter— The naturabiess of these small details is not unworthy of notice. This other disciple first made good his own entrance, on the score of acquaintance with the High Priest ; this se- cured, he goes forth again, now as a privi- leged person, to make interest for Peter's admission. But thus our poor disciple is in the coils of the serpent. The next steps will best be seen by inverting verses 17 and 18. And the servants and officers — Tlie menials and some of the " band" that " took Jesus." 8tood there, who had made (' having made') a fire of coals, for it was cold, and they wanned themselves—' John alone notices the material ('charcoal') of which the fire was made, and the reason for a fire— the coldness of the ^ Bight.' [w. (fe-w.] "Peter went in and sat ^ with the serv'ants to see the end iM. 26. 68), and warmed himself at the fire" (Mk. 14. .54). These two statements are extremely inter- esting. His wishing to "see the end," or issue of these proceedings, was what led him into the palace, for he evidently feared the 64 .... worst. But once in, the sei-pent-coU is drawn closer ; it is a cold night, and why should not he take advantage ol the fire as well as others? Besides, in the talk of the crowd about the aU-engrossing topic he may pick up something which he would like to near. "And as I'eter was beneath in the palace" (Mk. 14. C6 . M. (26. 69., says, "sat without in the palace." According to orien- tal architecture, and e.'-pecially in large buildings, as here, the street-door, or heavy folding-gate— through which single persons entered by a wicket kept by a porter — opened by a passage or "porch" (Mk. 14. 68) into a quadrangular court, here called the "palace" or hall, which was open above, and is fre- quently paved with flaj^stones. In the centre of this court the "fire" would be kindled in a brazier). At the upper end of it, probably, was the chamber in which the trial was held, open to the court and not farjrom the fire It. 22. 61), but on a higher level; for Mk. says the court was " beneath" it. The ascent was, per- haps, by a short flight of steps. This expla- nation will make the intensely interesting details more intelligible. Then saith the damsel that kept the door — " one of the maids of the High Piiest," says Mk. (14. 66). " When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him and said" (Mk. 14. 67). L. is more graphic 22. 56 —.She " beheld him as he sat by the fire ilit., 'the light'), and earnestly lookt d on him (* fixed her gaze upon him' , and said." ' His demeanour and tunidity, which must have vividly showed themselves, as it so ge- nerally happens, leading to the recognition I of him.' [Olsh.] Art not thou also one cf this I man's disciples?— i.e., thou as well as "that other disciple," whom she knew to be one, but did not challenge, perceiving that he was a privileged person. He saith, I am not— "fie denied before them all, sasdng, I know not what thou sayest," M. 26. 70— a com- mon form of point-blank denial ; " I know (supply 'Him') not, neither understand I what thou sayest," Mk. 14. 68- "AVoman, I know Him not," L. 22. 57. This was the FIRST DENIAL. "And he went out into the porch (thinking, perhaps, to steal away,)a.?u< the cock creio" Mk. 14. 68. 19-21. The High Priest asked Jesus of His disciples, and of His doctrine— Probably to entrap Him into some statements which might be used against Him at the trial. From our Lord's answer it would seem that " His disciples" were understood to be some secret party. I spake t' have spo- ken') openly to the world— See* ch. 7. 4. I ever taught* in the synagogues and in the Temple, whither the Jews always resort— Courting pub- licity, though with sublime noiselessness. In secret have I said (' spake D nothing— i.e., nothing of any different nature ; all His pri- vate communications with the twelve being but explanations and developments of His public teaching— cf. Is. 45. 19 ; 48. 16. Why askest me ? ask them which heard me . . . tliey know what I said— This seems to imply that He saw the attempt to draw Him into self-crimination, and resented it by falling back upon the right of every accused party to have some charge laid against Him by com- petent witnesses. Struck Jesus with the palms. . Answerest the High Priest so— See Is. 60. 6 ; and cf. A. 23. 2. If I have spoken— 'If I spoke' evil, in reply to the High Priest. If well —He does not say " If not" evil, as if His reply w ere merely unobjectionable : " Well" seems Peter Denieth Chi'ist. JOHN, xvm. Examination of Jesvf, to challenge more than this as due to His rfcmouscrance. [Be.vg.] This shows that M. 5. 39. is not to be taken to the letter. 24- 27. Now Anaas had sent Him b^uud umo Caia- phas— Our translators so render the words, understanding that the foregoing interview took place before Calapkas; Annas, declining to meddle with the case, having .sent Him to Caiaphas at once. But the words here, liter- ally are, 'Annas sent Him not "had sent Him'; to Caiaphas'— and the " now" being of doubtful autlioricy. Thus read, the verse affords no evidence that He was sent to Caia- phas before the interview just recorded, but implies rather the contrary. "\Ve take this interview, then, with some of the ablest in- terpreters, to be a preliminary and non-offi- cial one with Annas, at an hour of the night when Caiaphas's Council could not convene; and one that ought not to be confounded with that solemn one recorded by the other Evangelists, when all were assembled and witnesses called. But the buildimj in which both met with Jesus appears to have been the same, the room only being different, and the court, of course, in tlmt case, one. And Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore, Art thou not also one, &c. — In M. 26. 71. the second charge was made by " another maid, when he was gone out into the porch," who "saw him, and said unto them that were there. This [fellow] was also with Jesus of Nazareth." So also iNIk. 14. 69. But in L. 22. 5S. it is said. "After a little while " (from the time of the first denialr, another [man] saw him, and said, Tliou art also of them.' Possibly it was thrown at him by more than one : but these circum- stantial varieties only confirm the truth of the narrative. He denied it, and said, I am not— in M. 26. 72 " He denied with an oath, 1 do not know the man." This was the se- cond DENIAL. One of the servants of the High Priest, kinsman of him wnose ear Peter cut off, saitii, Did not I see thee in the Gard:n with Him— No doubt his relationship to Malchus drew attention to the man who smote him, and this enabled him to identify Peter. ' Sad reprisals !' [Beng.] The other evangelist make his detection to turn upon hi.5 dialect. "After a whUe ("about the space of one hour after," L. 22. .59.) came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter, " Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee," M. 26. 73. {"Thoa art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto," Mk. 14. 7o; and so L. 22. 59.) The Galilean dialect had a more Syriayi cast than that of Judea. // Peter had held his peace, this peculiarity had not been ob- served; but hoping, probably, to put them off the scent by joining in the fire-side talk, he only thus discovered himself. Peter then denied again— But, if the challenge of Mal- chus' kinsman was made simultaneously with this on account of his Galilean dialect, it was no simple denial ; for M. 26. 74. says, "Then began he to curse and to swear, say- ing, I know not the man." So Mk. 14. 71. This was the third denial. And imme- diately i" whde he yet spake," L. 22. 60.) the cock crew— As JNIk. is the only evangelist who tells us that our Lord predicted that the cock should crow twice ,ch. 14. 30. i so he only mentions that it did crow twice (v. 72. . The other evangelists, who tell us merely that our Iiord predicted that "before the cock should 64 M crow he would deny Him thrice," (M. 26. 34: L. 22. 34; J. 13. 38;) mention only one actucit crowing, which was Mark's last. There is something affecting in this evangelist— who, according to the earliest tradition con- firmed by internal evidence,, derived his materials so largely from Peter, as to have been styled his " interpreter," being the only one who gives both the sad predic- tion and its still sadder fulfilment in full. It seems to show that Peter himself not only retained through all his affer-life the most vivid recollection of the circumstances of his fall, but that he was willing that others should know thein too. The immediately subsequent acts are given full only in Luke ;22. 61, 62.); "And the Lord turned and look- ed upon, Peter," from the hall of judgment to the court, in the way already explained. But who can tell what lightning-flashes of wounded love and piercing reproach shot from that "look" through the eye of Peter into his heart! "And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bit- terly." How different from the sequel of ' Judas' act! Doubtless the hearts of the two men towards the Saviour were perfectly different from the first; and the treason. of Judas was but the consummation of the wretched man's resistance of the blaze of light in the midst of which he had lived for three years, while Peter's denial was but a momentary obscuration of the heavenly light and love to his Master which ruled his life. But the immediate cause of the blessed revulsion, which made Peter "weep bitterly" was, beyond all doubt, this heart-piercing " look " which his Lord gave him. . And re- membering the Saviour's own words at the table, "Siinrn, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed (rather 'I prayed'; for thee that thy faith fail not" (see on L. 22. 31, 32), maj fra_ "looJc" to pierce and we not say that this prayer fetched down at break the heart of Peter, to keep it from despair, to work in it " repentance unto sal- vation not to be repented of," and at length, under other healing touches, to "restore his souli" (See on Mk. 16. 7.) 2S-40. JE3CJS BEFORE PlLATE. N.B. OUT Evangelist, luimng given the interview vnth A7inas omitted by the other Evangelists, here- omits the trial aiul condemnation before Caio/^ phas, w-hich the others had recorded. See ou Mk. 14. 63 65. fTbe notes, broken olf there at V. 61, are here concluded. (Mark 14.) 61. "The high priest asked him.Art thou the Christ.the Son of the blessed'r"— M. says the high priest put him upon solemn oath, saying, "1 adjura thee by the living God that thou tell us whe- ther thou be the Christ.the Son of God" ,26.63.). This rendered an answer by our Lord legally necessary, Le. 5. l. Accordingly, S2. "Jesus said, I am" ("Thou hast said," M. 26. 64.). In L. 22. 67, 68, some other words are given, "If I teU you, ye will not believe; and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go." This seems to have been uttered before giving His direct answer, as a calm remonstrance and dignified protest against the prejudgment of His case and the unfair- ness of their mode of procedure, "and ye shaU^ see." (fee— This concludimr part of our Lord's answer is given somewhat more fully S'eter denieth his Master. JOHN, XIX. Jesus accused be/ore PihU. xmto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. 17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith. I am not. 18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals ; for it was cold: and thej warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and wanned himself. 19 IT The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, ' I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple.'whither the Jews al- ways resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 21 AVhy askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what 1 have said unto them: be- hold, they know what I said. 22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by "'stnick Jesus 2 with the palm of his hand, saying, An- Bwerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, " If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil ; but it well, why smitest thou me? 24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. 2o 1i And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. 26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith. Did not 1 see thee in the garden with him? 27 Peter then denied again: and ^imme- diately the cock crew. 28 ^ Then «led they Jesus from Caiaphas Unto 3 the hall of judgment: and it was early; and '' they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat * the pass- over. 29 PUate then went out tmto them, and Baid, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him. If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. 31 Then said Pilate unto them. Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him. It * is not la>vful for us to put any man to death: 32 That " the saymg of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, siguifj-ing what death he should die. 33 Then Pilat« entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him. Art thou the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered him. Say est thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee olme? 35 Pilate answered. Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have de- hvered thee unto me: what hast thou done? 3(j Jesus "answered, «- My kingdom is not ot this worid. If my kingdom were of this worid then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered. Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was 1 bom and for thiu cause came 1 into the Hi CHAP. 18. 1 Lu. 4. 15. ch, 7. 14, 26,28. ch. 8. 2. m U 6<l. 6. Jer. 20. 2. Mic. 6. 1. Act* 23 2. 2 Or, with a " 1 Pet. 2.23. Lu. 22. 58. p ch. 13. 38. q Mat. 27. 2. Mark 15. 1. I.u. 23. 1. Acts 3. 13. 3 Or, PUate '» house. r Acts 10.28. Acts 11. 3. « Den. 16. 2. t Gen. 49.10. £26. 21. 26, 33. 1 Ti. 6. 13. Kev. 1. 3. Kev. 3. 14. ' Is. 9. 6. Dan 2 44. Dan. 7 14. Lu. 12. 14. Ln. 17, 20, 21. ch. 6. 15. ch. 8. 15. 2Cor. 10.4. « Is 55. 4. Rev. 1. 5. Kev. 3. 14, V ch. 8. 47. 1 Pet. 1.23. 1 John 3. 19. 1 John 4.6. «ch 19.4,6. a Acts 3. 14. 6 Lu. 23. 19. world, that I should * bear witness unto the truth. Every one that I'is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him. What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, 1 * find in him no fault at all. 39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the Kins of the Jews? 40 Then " cried they all again, sajing. Not this man, but Barabbas. » Now iJaiabbaa was a robber. CHAPTER XIX. I Christ is scourged, crowned with tfu>rn», and. beaten. 6 Pilate delivers him to bt eniei/ied. JS Me commnuieth l,is mother to John. 23 lit dieth. 38 He is buried. fpHEN » Pilate therefore took Jesns, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a erown of thorns, and put it on his head, aad they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said. Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Pehold, I bring him forth to you, * that ye may know that 1 find no faidt in him. 5 Then came Jesns forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pihjte saith unto them, Behold the man! When 'the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying. Crucify him, cnicify him. Pilate saith uiuo them. Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, <iWe hare a law, and by our law he ought to die, be- cause he * made himself the Son of God. 8 1[ When PUate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid* 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But/ Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakesfe thou not unto me? knowest thou not thab 1 have power to cnicify thee, and have power to release thee? II Jesus answered, » Thon couldest have no power at all against me, except it were- given thee from above: therefore he th:i6 delivered me unto thee bath the greater sin. 12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him : but the Jews cried out, saying, " If thou let this man go, thou ait not Cesar's friend : » whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cesar. 13 % When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he. brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, 1 Gabbatha. 14 And ) it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with Aim, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, * We have no king but Cesar. ■ 15 IB. 1^ Then ' delivered he him therefore unto Lu. '23.'24. 1 them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, » Nn. 16.36. 1 and led him away. Uei,.i3.i:i. I 17 And he bearing his cross ^weat forbb CHAP. 19. o I«. 50. 6. Mat. 20 19. Mat. 27.26. Mar. 15.15. Lu. 18. a3. b ch. 18. 36. 2 Cor. 5.21. e Acts 3. 13. d Lev. 24.16. « Mat 26.65. ch. 5. 18. ch. 10. 33. / Is. 53. 7. Mat. 27.12, 14. Acts 8. 32. Lu. 22. 53. ch. 7. 30. Acts 2 23. ;» Lu. 23 2. t Acts 17. 7. 1 That is, elevated. i Mat. 27 62. * Gen. 49.10. Eze. 21.26, Clirlst ShamefuUy Treated. JOHN-, xvm Jems Before PilaU. by M. and L. "Nevertheless I say unto you. Hereafter (rather, 'From henceforth'} shall ye see the Son of Man sittinsf on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (M. 26. 64; L. 22. C9.) q.cl. 'I know the scorn with wliich ye are ready to meet such an avowal: To your eyes, which are but eyes of flesh, there stands at this bar only a mortal like yourselves, and He at the mercy of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities: ^'Nevertheless" a day is coming when ye shall see another sight : Those eyes, which now gaze on me with proud disdain, shall see this very prisoner at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and coming in the clouds of heaven. * Then shall the Judged One be revealed as the Judge, and His judges in this cham- ber appear at His august tribunal; then shall the unrighteous judges be impar- tially judged; and while they are wishing that they had never been born. He for whom they now watch as their Victim shall oe greeted with the hallelujahs of heaven, and the welcome of Him tliat sitteth upon the throne ! ' 63, 64. ' 'Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, \\liat need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy"— *'of his own mouth," L. 22. 71; an affectation of religious horror. "Wliat think ye? "—'Say, what verdict you would pronounce.' ''Tliey all condemned him to be guiltyof death"— of a capital crime. SeeLe. 24. 16. 65."And.some began to spit on him" ("Then did they spit in his lace," M. 26. 67.) See Is. 50. 6. " And :o cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him. Prophesy"— or ' divine' " unto us, thou Christ.Who is he that smote thee? " The sarcasm in styling Him "the Christ," and as such demanding of Him the perpetrator of the blows inflicted upon Him, was in them as infamous as to Him it was stinging, and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands- "And many other things blasphem- ously spake they against him, " L. 22. 65. This general statement is important, as showing that virulent and varied as were the recorded affronts put upon Him. they are but a small specimen of what He endured on that black occasion.] 28. Then led they Jesus from Caiaghas to the hall of judgment— but ; not till " m the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council against him to put him to death, and bound him." (M. | 27. 1; and see on Mk. 15. 1.) The word here , rendered "hall of judgment" is from the Latin, and denotes ' the palace of the gover- nor of a Eoman province.' they themselves i went not into the palace lest they should be de- j filed— by contact with ceremonially unclean ; Gentiles, but that they might eat the Pass- ! over— If this refer to the principal part of; the festival, the eating of the lamb, the question is, how our Lord and his disciples came to eat it the night before; and, as it was an evening meal, how ceremonial defile- ment contracted in the morning would unfit them for partaking of it, as after 6 o'clock it wa.s reckoned a new day. These are ques- tions which have occasioned immense re- search and learned treatises. But as the usages of the Jews appear to have somewhat varied at different times, and our present knowledge of them is not sufficient to clear up aU difficulties, they are among the not very impoi-tant questions which probably I will never be entirely solved. 29-32. Pilate I £5 went out to them, and said, What accusnti'-n bring ye against this man'?— State your char;.e. If he were not a malefactor, we should not have delivered him up unto thee — They were conscious they had no case, of which Rlate could take cognizance, and therefore insinuate that they had already found him worthy of death by their own law; but not having the power, under the Roman govern- ment, to carry their sentence into execution, they had come merely for his sanction, that the saying might be fulfilled wiuch he spake, signifying what death he should die— i.e., by crucifixion ch. 12. 32, 33- M. 20. 19;', which being a Roman mode of execution, could only be carried into effect by order of the governor. The Jewish mode in such cases as this, was by stoning. 33-38. Pilate called Jesus, and said, Art thou the king of the Jews? —In L. 23. 2, they charge our Lord before Pilate with "perverting the nation, and for- bidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying that he himself is Christ a king." Perhaps this was what occasi oned Pilate s question. Jesus answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it of me ?— an important question for our Lord's case, to bring out whether the word "king" were meant in a, political sense, with which Pilate had a right to deal, or whether he were merely 7)ut up to it by His accusers, who had nothing to charge him with but such as was of a purely religious nature, with which Pilate had nothing to do. Pilate answered. Am I a Jew'? Thine own nation . . . delivered thee to me : What hast thou done 1— q.d. ' Je\vish questions I neither understand nor meddle with; but thou art here on a charge which, though it seems only Jewish, nuiy yet involve treasonable matter: As they state it, 1 cannot decide the point; tell me. then, what procedure of thine has brought thee into this position. ' In modern phrase, Pilate's object in this question was merely to determine the relevancy of the charge. My kingdom is not of this world— He does not say 'not over,' but 'not of this world'— i.e., in its origin and nature; there- fore ' no such kingdom as need give thee or thy master the least alarm.' If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews —'A very convincing argument; for if his servants did not fight to prevent their king from being delivered up to his enemies, much less would they use force for the esta- blishment of his kingdom.' [w. & w.] but now— but the fact is. is my kingdom not from hence— Our Lord only says whence His king- dom is 7io( -first simply affirming it, next giving proof of it. then re-affirming it. Tliis was all that Pilate had to do with. The positive nature of His kingdom He would not obtrude upon one who was as little able to compre- hend it, as entitled officially to information about it. (It is worthy of notice that the " MY," which occurs four times in this one vevse— thrice of His kingdom, and once of His servants— \s put in the emphatic form. Art thou a king, then?- There was no sarcasm or disdain in this question [as Tholuck AXF., &c., allegel, else our Lord's answer would have been different. Putting em- phasis upon " thou, " his question betrays a mixture of stirpri.se and uneasiness, partly ■ ■' - ■' ' • . after ail, ng dangerous under the claim, and partly from a certain awe which at the possibility of there being, something dangerous under the claiio. Of Chris€s Kingdom, d'C. JOHN, XIX. He is Accused before Pilafe. our lx)rd's demeanour probably struck into him. Thou sayest that I am a king— It is even BO. To this end was I ('have I been') born, aud to this end came I i' am I come'j into the world, that I may bear witness to the truth— His birth expresses His manhood ; His com- ing into the world. His existence before assuminEhumanity : The truth, then, here affirmed, though Pilate would catch little of it, was, that His Incarnation was expressly in order to the assuinvtion of Royalty in our nature. Yet, instead of saying. He came to be a king, which is His meaning. He says He came to testify to the truth. Why this ? Because, in such circumstances, it required a noble courage not to flinch from His royal claims; and our Lord, conscious tfuit He was putting forth that courage, gives a turn to His confession expressive of it. It is to this that Paul alludes, in those remarkable words to Timothy : " I charge thee before God, who quickeueth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who, in the presence of Pontius Pilate, witnessed the good confession. (1 Ti. 6, 13. ) This one act of our Lord's life, His cour- ageous witness-bearing before the Gover- nor is selected as an encouraging example of the fidelity which l"imotliy ought to display. As the Lord [says Olsh. beautifully] owned Himself the Son of God before the most ex- alted theocratic council, so He confessed His regal dignity in presence of the representa- tive of the liighest political authority on earth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice — Our Lord here not only affirms that His word had in it a self-evidencing, self-recommending power, but gently insinu- ated the true secret of the growth and gran- deur of His kingdom— as A Kingdom of TiiuTH, in its highest sense, into which all souls who have learnt to live and count all things but loss for the truth are, by a most heavenly attraction, drawn as into their proper element ; the ELino of whom Jesus IS, fetching them in and ruling them by His captivating power over their near ts. Pilate saith unto Ilim, What is truth?— gf-d 'Thou stirrest the question of questions, which the thoughtful of every age have asked, but never man yet answered.' And when he had said this— as if, by putting such a question, he was getting into interminable and unsea- sonable inqviiries, when this business de- manded rather prompt action, he went again unto the Jews— thus missing a noble oppor- tunity for himself, and giving utterance to that consciousness of the want of all intel- lectual and moral certainty, which was the feeling of every thoughtful mind at that time. ' The only certainty,' says the elder Pliny, * is that nothing is certain, nor more miserable than man, nor more proud, Tlie fearful laxity of morals at that time must doubtless be traced in a great degree to this Bcepticism. The revelation of the eternal truth alone was able to breathe new life into ruined human nature, and that in the appre- hension of complete redemption.' [Olsh.] and saith unto them— in the hearing of our Lord, who had been bK)uglit forth— I find no fault in him— no crime. This so exasperated "the chief priests and elders" that, afraid of losing their prey, they poured forth a volley of charges against him, as appears from L. '2.i. 4, : on Pilate's affirming his innocence, "they were the more fierce, saying. He stirreth up the people, teaching thrnughoutall Jewry, ^[11 beginning from Galilee to this place." They see no hope of getting Pilate's sanction to Hia death unless they can fasten upon Him a charge of conspiracy against the government; and as Galilee was noted for its turbulence, L. 13. 1 ; A. 6. 37 ;) and our Lord's ministry lay chiefly there, they artfuUy introduce it to give colour to their charge. "And the chief priests accused him of many things, but he answered nothing (Mk. 15. 3). Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee ? And he answered him to never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly" [M. 27. 13, 14). See on Mk. 16. 3-5. In his perplexity, Pilate, hearing of GaUlee, bethuiKS himself of the expedient of sending Him to Herod, in the hope of thereby farther shaking off responsibility in the case. See on Mk. 15. 6; and on L. 23. 6-12. The return of the prisoner only deepened the perplexity of Pilate, who, "calling together the chief priests, rulers, and people," teUs them plainly that not one of their charges against " this man" had been made good, while even Herod, to whose juris- diction he more naturally belonged, had done nothing to him : He " will therefore chastise and release him" (L. 23. 13-16). But ye have a custom that I should release one, (to. —See on JSIk. 15. 7-11. ' On the typical im- port of the choice of Christ to suffer, by which Barabbas was set free, see Le. 16. particularly v. 5-10, where the subject is the sin offering on the great day of atonement.'— [KiiAFri in Lthdt.1 CHAPTEE XTX. Ver. 1-16. Jesus before Fixate — Scourged— Treated with other Sever- ities AND Insults— Delivered Up, and Led away to be Crucified. 1-3. Pilate took Jesus and scourged him— in hope of appeasing them. See on Mk. 15. 15. "And the soldiers led him away into the palace, and they call the whole band" (Mk. 15. 16 — the body of the military cohort stationed there, to take part in the mock coronation now to be enacted, soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head— in mockery of a regal crovm. and clothed him with a pur- ple robe— in mockery of the imperial purple; first " stripping , him" (M. 27. 28,) of His own outer garment. The robe may have been the "gorgeous" one in which Herod arrayed and sent Him back to Pilate (L. 23. 11.). "And they put a reed into his right hand" (M. 27. 29)- in mockery of the regal sceptre. " And they bowed the knee before him" iM. 27. 29.) aud said. Hail, King of the Jews !— doing Him derisive homage, in the form used on ap- proaching the emperor.s. "And they spit upon him. and took the reed and smote him on the head" iM. 27. 30). Tliebest comment on these affecting details is to cover the face, 4, 5. Pilate went forth again, and saith. Be- hold, I bring (' am bringing,' i.e., going to bring) him forth to you, that ye may know I find no fault in him— and, by scourging him and allowing the soldiers to make sport of him, have gone as far to meet your exas- peration as can be expected from a judge. Jesus therefore came forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And he saith to them, Behold the man !— Tliere is no reason to think that contempt dictated this speech. There was clearly a struggle in the brea>t of this wretched man. Not only was he reluc- tant to smrender to mere clamour an inno* Pilate DeHvers Christ to he Cnicified. JOHN, XTX. His Crucifixion, d-e^ cent man, but a feeling of anxiety about His mysterious claims, as is plain from what follows, was beginning to rack his breast, and the object of his exclamation seems to have been to move thnr pity. But, be his meaning what it may, those three words have been eagerly appropriated by all Christen- dom, and enshrined for ever in its heart, as a subhme expression of its calm, rapt admira- tion of its suffering Lord. 6, 7. When the chief priests saw him, they cried out— their fiendish ra.^e kindling afresh at the sight of Him. crucify Mm, crucify him —See on IMk. 15. 14. Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him— a^ if this would re- lieve him of the responsibility of the deed, who, by surrendering Him, incurred it all ! We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God— Their criminal charges having come to nothing, they give up that point, and as Pilate was throwing the whole responsibility upon them, they retreat into their own Jewish law, by which, as claiming equality with God, (see on ch. 5. 18, and 8. 5S).) He ought to die; insinuating that it was Pilate's duty, even as civil governor, to protect their law from such insult. 8-11. When Pilate heard this saying, he was the more airaid— the name " Hon op God," the lofty senile evidently attached to it by His Jewish accusers, the dialogue he liad already held with Him, and the dream of his wife (M. 27. 19.), all worlcing together in the breast of the wretched man. and went again into the palace, and saith to Jesus, Whence art thou T— beyond all doubt a ques- tion relating not to His mission but to His per.^onal origin. Jesus gave him no answer- He had said enough ; the time for answering such a question was past ; the weak and •wavering governor is already on the point of giving way. Speakest thou not to me?— The ^' me is the emphatic word in the question. He falls back upon the pride of office, which doubtless tended to blunt the workings of his conscience, knowest thou not that I have power to crucify . . . and . . . power to release thee?— said to work urion him at once by fear and by hope. Thou couldst rather * shouldst ') have no power at all against me— neither to crucify, nor to release, nor to do any thing whatever against me. [Beng.] ex- cept it were (' unless it had been'j given thee from above.— q.d. Tliou thinkest too much of thy power, Pilate : against Me that power is none, save what is meted out to thee by spe- cial divine appointment, for a special end.' therefore he that delivered me unto thee (Caia- phas, to wit — but he only as representing the Jewish authorities as a body hath the greater sin— as having better opportunities and more knowledge of such matters. 12- 16. And from henceforth— particularly this siieech, which seems to nave filled him with awe, and redoubled his anxiety. Pilate sought to release him— i.e., to gain their con- sent to it, for he could have done it at once on his o\vn authority, but the Jews cried— see- ing their advantage, and not slow to profit by it. If thou let this man go, thou art not Cesar's friend, &c. * This was equivalent to a threat of imveachment, which we know was much dreaded by such officers as the procu- rators, especially of the character of PUate or Felix. It also consummates the treachery and disgrace of the Jewish rulers, who were willing, for the purpose of destroying Jesus, to affect a zeal for the supremacy of -a foreign prince.' See v. 15. [w. & av.] When Pilate heard that, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in ('upon'] the judgment-seat— that he might pronounce sentence against the Prisoner, on this charge, the more solemnly —in a place called the pavement, (a tesselated pavement, much used by the Romans), in the Hebrew, Gabbatha— from its being raised. It was the preparation— i.*^., the day before the Jewish Saobalh. and about the sixth hour. The true reading here is probably, 'the third hour'— or 9 a.m.— which agrees best with the whole series of events, as well as with the other evangelists, he saith to the Jews, Behold your King! Having now made up his mind to yield to them, betakes a sort of quiet revenge on them by this irony, which he knew would sting them. TTiis only re-awakens their cry to despatch him. Crucify your king? We have no king but Cesar. Some of those who thus cried died miserably in rebellion against Cesar forty years afterwards. But it suited their present purpose.' [Alf.] Then delivered he, (Sic— See on IVIk. 15. 15. 16-30. CrUCIPIXIOK AND DEATH OF THE Lord Jesus. 17. And he bearing his cross— See on L. 23. 26. went forth— cf. He. 13. 11-13, "without the camp;" "without the gate.'' On arriving at the place, '"tliey gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall (wine mingled with myrrh, (Mk. 15. 23.), and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink," M. 27. 34. This potion was stupefying, and given to criminals just before execution, to deaden the sense of pain. " Fill high the bowl, and spice it well, and pour The dews oblivious: for the Cross is sharp. The Cross is sharp, and He Is tenderer than a lamb."— [A^eftfe.] But our Lord tvould die vnth every facult-^ clear, and in full sensibility to all His svjfer- ings. Thou wilt feel all, that thou may'st pity all; And rather wotild'st Thou wrestle with strong pain. Than overcloud Thy soul. So clear in agony. Or lose one glimpse of Heaven before the time. most entire and perfect sacrifice, Renewed in every pulse, &c,~[KebU.'\ 18. crucified Mm, and two others with him— "malefactors" (L. 23. 33.), "thieves" (rather 'robbers,' M. 27. 38 ; Mk. 15. 27.'. Jesus in the midst— a hellish expedient, to hold Him up as the worst of the three. But in tMs, as in manv other of their doings " the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith (is. 53. 12), And he was numbered with the transgressors"— M^. 15. 28.)— though the prediction reaches deep- er. " Then said Jesus—' probably whUe be- ing nailed to the Cross' [Olsh.], Father, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY do" iL. 23. 34. i— and again the Scrip- ture was fulfilled which said, "And he made intercession for the transgressors' (Is. 53.12.), though tMs also reaches deeper. See A. 3. 17; 13. 27; and cf. 1 Ti. 1. 13. Often have we occasion to observe how our Lord is the first to fulfil His own precepts— thus furnishing the right interpretation and the perfect Model of them. (See on M. 5. 44.) How quickly was it seen in "His martyr Stephen," that though He had left the earth in Person, His Spirit remained behind, and Himself could, ill some of His brightest lineaments. TJie cru/dfxion of Christ. JOHN, XX. Sis resurrection. Into a place called the pi which is called in the Hebrew. Gol:,'(>tha 18 Where "they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19 IT And rUate wote a title, and put it on the cross. Aiid the writins was, .) ESUS OF NAZAKETH THE KING Of" THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews; for the place where Jesus was crucified was Dish to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. 21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not. The Kins; of the Jews; but that he said, I am Xing of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered. What I have written 1 have wTitten. 23 IT Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a pait; and also his coat: now the coat was with- out seam, 2 woven from the top through- out. 2-1 They said therefore among themselves, Let U3 not rend it, but cast lota for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, "They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lota. These things therefore the soldiers did. 25 IT Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of acieophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and P the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, ' Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple. Behold thy mother! And from that hour that dis- ciple took her ""unto his own home. 28 ^ After this, Jesus knowing that • all things were now accomplished, < that the Scripture might be fulhlled, saith, 1 thirst. 2y Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with ^•inega^, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received thevmegar, he said, "It is finished: and he bowed his head, and " gave up the ghost. 31 II The Jews therefore, "" becanse it was the preparation, *that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was " an hiu'h day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was ciTicitied with him. 33 liut when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead akeady, they brake not bis legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith * came thereout blood and water. 35 And " he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he Baith tme, that ye nii^'ht believe. 36 For these things were done, » that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And agaia another scripture saith. n Is. 53. 12. l>an. 9. '.'8. Gal. 3. 13. S Or, wrought. Pa. 22. 18. 3 Or, Clopas. Lu. 21. 18. P ch. 13. 23. ch. 20. 2. ch. 21. 7, 20, 24. q ch. 2. 4. r Gen. 47.12. ch. 1. 11. ch. 16. 32. » Gen. 3. 16. Ps. 2. 1-3. Ps.22.1-21. Is 50 6. Is. 53. t P». C9. 21. " Is. 42. 21. Dan. 9. 24. ch. 17. 4. Kom. 10.4. Heb. 10. 1-14. V 1 Thess. 5. 10. to Mar .15.42 «Dcu. 21.23. V Ei. 12. IS. Nu. 28. 17, 1 John 6. 6,8. 1 ch. 17. 21, 23. ch. 20. 31. ch. 21. 24. Zech. 12. 10. Kev. 1. 7. d Mat. 27.57. Mar. lb 42. Lu. 23. 5(1. e Pro. 29. 25. eh. 9 22. ch. 12. 42. /ch. 3. 1,2. ■ , 7. 60. a 2 Chr. 16. 14. Lu. 23. 56. h Acts 5. 6. i Lu. 23. 53. i Is. 63. 9. CHAP. 20. a Mat. 28. 1. Mark 16.1. X-uke 24.1. 6 ch. 13. 23. ch. 19. 20. ch. 21. 7, 20, 24. e Lu. 24. 12. d ch. 19. 40. • ch. 11. 44. f P». 16. 10. fiut. le 21. Acts 13 3i. g Mark 16. 5. A Song 3.3,4. Mat. 28. 9. >Urk 16.9. i Lu. 24. 16, 31. tb.Zl.i. They " shall look on him whom they pierced. 38 H And <* after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, out secretly "for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and I'ilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. cQ And there came also / Nicodemns, (which at the first came to Jesus by night,) and brought *' a mixture of myiTh and aloes, about an hundred pound iveight. 40 Then took they the body of J esus, and wound '» it in linen clothes with the spices, as the maimer of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was cruci- fied there was a garden ; and in the garden a ♦ new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There ;laid they Jesus therefore, be- cause of the Jews' preparation dai/; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. CHAPTER XX. 1 Mary MagdiUne comet h. to the sepiUehre: 11 sh« seetfi two angels t Jesus Kinisel/ appeareth to her. 19 and to Ais disciples. 24 The incredulity of Thomas. 'pHE " first (fay of the week cometh Mary ■*■ Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she ninneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the * other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them. They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulclire, and we know not where they haAe laid him. 3 Peter ''therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping do^Ti, and looking in, saw <* the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And * the napkm, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the /scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto then- own home. 11 T But "Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepul- chre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her. Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them. Be- cause they have t^iken away my Lord, and . I know not where they have laid him. 14 And '^ when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus stand- ing, and *knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her. Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him. Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and 1 will take him away. The S'->Tdiers Cad Lots JOHN, XIX. for Chrisfs Garmenta. be reproduced in ilis disciples ! (A. 7. 60.) a ransom for many." No doubt this added And what does the world in every age owe an unknown stiny to the reproach. "K ho to these few words, spoken ichere and as be the king of Israel, let him now cume down they were spoken! 19-22. Pilate wrote a title, from the cross, and we will beUeve him." No, aud put it on the cross, Jesus of Nazareth, the they icould not; for those who resisted the King of the Jews . . . written in Hebrew, or evidence from the resurrection of Lazarus, Syro-Chaldaic, the language of the country; and from His own resurrection, were beyond, and Greek, the current language; aud Latin, the reach of any amount of merely external the official language. These were the chief evidence. "He trusted in God that he would languages of the earth, and this secured that deliver him; let him deliver him now if he all spectators should be able to read it. Stung will have him (or * delight in him,' cf. Ps. 18. by this, the Jewish ecclesiastics entreat that 19; Deu. 21. 14. ; for he said, I am the Son of it may be so altered as to express, not His God," M. 27. 41-43. We thank you, O ye regal dignity, but His false claim to it. But chief priests, scribes, and elders, for this Pilate thought he had yielded quite enough triple testimony, unconsciously borne by to them; and having intended expressly to you, to our Christ: first to His habitual trust spite and insult them by this title, for having in God, as a feature in His character so got him to act against his own sense of justice, t marked and palpable that even ye found he peremptorily refused them. And thus, j upon it your impotent taunt; next, to His amidst the conflicting passions of men, was , identity with the Sufferer of the 22nd Psalm, proclaimed, in. the chief tongues of mankind, 'whose very words (v.8.) ye unwittingly ap- from the Cross itself and in circumstances propriate, thus serving yourselves heirs to which threw upon it a lurid yet grand light, 1 the dark office and impotent malignity of the truth which drew the Magi to His man- t Messiah's enemies ; and again, to the true ger. and will yet be owned by all the world ! sense of that august title which He took to 23, 24. soldiers took his garments, and made j Himself, "The Son of God," which ye four parts; to every soldier— of the four who j rightly interpreted at the very first, (see nailed Him to the cross, and whose perqui- 1 on ch. 5. IS.j as a claim to that oneness site they were, a part, and also his coat— the of nature with Him, and dearness to Him, Roman tunic, or close-fitting vest, without j which a son has to his father. i3.) "And seam,: Woven from the top throughout—' per- ' the aoldiers also mocked him, coming to haps denoting considerable skill and labour him and offering him vinegar, and saying, as necessary to produce such a garment, the If thou be the king of the Jew^s, save thy- work probably of one or more of the women who ministered in such things unto him, L. 8. 3.' Lw. & w.l Let us not rend it, but cast lots . . . that the Scripture, &c.— Ps. 22. 18. That a prediction so exceedingly specific —distinguishing one piece of dress from others, and annoimcing that while those should be parted amongst several, that should be given by lot to one person— that such a prediction should not only be lul- filled to the letter, but by a party of hea- then military, without interference from either the Iriends or the enemies of the Crucified One, is surely worthy to be ranked among the wonders of tliis all-won- derful scene. Now come the mockeries, and from tour different quarters:— il.) "And they that parsed by reviled him, wagging their heads" in ridicule, Ps. 22. 7; 109. 25; cf. Je. 18. 16; La. 2. 15. "Ah.P' 'Ha;' an exclamation here of derision. "Thou that destroyest the temple, and buddest it in three days, save thyself and come down from the cross," M. 27. 39, 40: Mk. 15. 29, 30. ' It is evident that our Lord's saying, or rather this perversion of it (for He claimed not to destroy but to rebuild the temple destroyed by them) had greatly exasperated the feeling which the priests and Pharisees had contrived to excite against Him. It is referred to as the princi- pal fact brought out in evidence against Him on the trial, icf. A. 6. 13, 14. , as an offence for which He deserved to suffer. And it is very remarkable that now, ivhil.e it icas re- ceiving its real fulfilriient, it shoidd be made more public and more impressive by the in- sulting proclamation of His enemies. Hence the importance attached to it after the re- surrection, ch. 2. 22.' [w. &w.] 2.) "Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said. He saved others, himself he cannot save." There was a deep truth in this, as in other taimts; for both He could not do, having " come to give His life self," L. 23. 36, 37. They insultingly offer to share with Him their ovra. vinegar, or sour wine, the usual drink of Eoman soldiers, it being about the time of their midday meal. In the taunt of the soldiers we have one of those undesigned coincidences w^hich so strikingly verify these historical records. WhUe the ecclesiastics deride Him for call- ing Himself " the Christ, the King of Israel, the Chosen, the Son of God," the soldiers, to whom all such phraseology was mere Jewish jargon, make sport of Him as a pretender to royalty ("king of the Jews"), an office and dignity which it belonged to them to com- prehend. 4." The thieves also, which were cru- cified with him, cast the same in his teeth," M. 27. 44; Mk. 15. 32. Not both of them, how- ever, as some commentators unnaturally think we must understand these words; as if some sudden change came over the penitevt one, which turned him from an unfeeling railer into a trembling petitioner. The plural "thieves" need not denote more than the quarter or class whence came this last and crudest taunt— Q.d. 'Not only did scoffs proceed from the passers by, the ecclesiastics, the soldiery, but even from His fellow-sufferers, ' a mode of speaking which no one woxild think necessarily meant both of them. Cf. M. 2. 20, " They are dead which sought the child's life, " meaning Herod: and Mk. 9. 1, "There be some stand- ing here," where it is next to certain that only John, the youngest and last survivor of the apostles, is meant. And is it conceivable that this penitent thief should have first himself reviled the Saviour, and then, on his views of Christ suddenly changing, he should have turned upon his f eUow-suft'erer and feUow-re- vUer, and rebuked him not only with digni- fied sharpness, but in the language of aston^ ishment that he should be capable of such conduct? Besides, there is a deep calnmess in ail that he utters, extremely unlike what w© Christ Commendcth His Moifier to John. JOHN, XIX. Ee Dicth, dkc. should expect from one who was the sub- ject of a mental revolution so sudden and total. On the scene itself, see on L. 23. 29-43. 25-27. Mary, wife of Cleophas - This should be read, as in inarg. '" Clopas," the same as "Aipheus," M. lu. 3. The "Cleopas" of L. 24. 18. was a different person. When Jesus saw his mother, and the aisciple whom he loved, Etmding by, he said to his mother, Woman, liiiHOLD THY SOX ! . . . to the disciple. Behold THY mother!— What forgeifulness of seJf, what filial love, and to the "motlier" and " son" what parting words I from that hour , . . took her to his owu home— or, home with him ; for his father Zebedee and his mother fcalome were botli alive, and the latter here present (Mk. 15. 40.). See on M. 13. 55. ]Siow occurred the supernatural darkness, recorded by all the other evangelists, but not here. •'Now from the 6th hour (12 noon) there was darkness over all the land unto the 9th hour," M. 27. 45. No ordinary eclipse of the sun could have occurred at this time, it being then fuU moon, and this obscuration lasted about twelve times the length of any ordinary eclipse, of. Ex. 10. 21-23. Beyond d ubt, the tuvine intention of the portent was to invest this darkest of all tragedies with a gloom expressive of its real character. " And about the ninth hotir Jesus cried, Eli, Eli,- lama sabacthani . . . My God, ??iy God, why hast thou JorsaJxn me?" M. 27. 46. As the darkness commenced at the 6th hour, the second of the Jewish hours of prayer, so it continued till the 9th hour, the hour of the evening sacrifice, increasing pro- bably in depth, and reaching its deepest gloom at the moment of this mysterious cry, when the flame of the one great "Evening Sacrifice" was burning fiercest. The words were made to His hand. They are the open- ing words of a Psahn (the 22nd) fuU of the last " sufferings of Christ and the following glories" i Pe. l. il . " Father," was the cry in the first prayer which He uttered on the cross, for matters had not then come to their worst; "Father" was the cry of His last prayer, for matters had then passed their worst. But at this crisis of His sufferings, "Father" does not issue from his lips, for the that invested his own spirit. There wcw indeed a cause for it, and He knew it too— the " why" must not be pressed so far as to exclude this. He must taste this bitterest of the ivages of sin " Who did no sin." But that is not tlie point now. In Him there w as no cause at all (ch. 14. 30,) and He takes refuge in the glorious fact. When no ray from above shines in upon Him, He strikes a hght out of His own breast. If God will not owu Him, He shall own Hmiself. On the rock of 1:1 is unsulhed allec;iance to Heaven He will stand, till the tight of Heaven return to His spirit. And it is near to come. Vv hilst He is yet speaking, the fierceness of the tiameis begiiming to abate. One incident and insult more.and the experience of one other predict- ed element of suffering, andthe victory is His. TTie incident, and the insult springing out of it, is the misunderstanding of the cry, for we can hardly suppose that it was any thing else. "Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said. This man caUeth for Elias." M. 27. 47. 28-30. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accompUshed — i. e., the moment tor the fulfilment of the last of them; for there was one other small particular, and the time was come for that too, in consequence of the burning thirst which the fevered state of His frame occa- sioned (Ps. 22. 15.). that the Scriptture ;Ps. 69. 21), might be fulfilled, saith, I, thirst— Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar (see on the ofter of the soldiers' vinegar, above) ; and they— "one of them," M. 27. 48 — filled a sponge with vinegar, and jiut it upon [a stalk of ] hyssop, and put it to ais mouth— Though a stalk of this plant does not exceed eit;hteen inches in length, it would suffice, as the feet of crucified persons were not raised higher. " The rest said. Let be"— i.e., as would seem, 'Stop that officious service '— " let us see whe- ther EUas wUl come to save him," M. 27. 49. This was the last cruelty He was to suffer, but it was one of the most unfeehng. "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice," L. 23. 46. Tills "'loud voice," noticed by three of the Evangelists, does not imply, as some able interpreters contend, that our Lord's strength was so far from being exhausted. light of a Father's countenance was then mys- that He needed not to die then, and surren teriously eclipsed. He falls back, however on a title expressive of His official relation which, though lower and more distant in it- self, yet when grasped in pure and naked faith was mighty in its claims, and rich in psal- modic associations. And what deep earnest- ness is conveyed by the redoubling of this dered upHis life sooner than nature required, merely because it was the appointed time. It was indeed the appointed time, but time that He should be crucified through weak- ness" (2 Co. 13. 4,), and nature was now reaching its utmost exhaustion. But just as even His own dying saints, particu- title! But as for the cry itself, it will never larly the martyrs of Jesus, have be fully comprehended. An absolute deser lion is not indeed to be thought of ■ but a total eclipse of the felt sense of God's pre- sence it certainly expresses. It expresses surprise, as under the experience of some- thing not only never before known but inex- plicable on the footing which had till then subsisted between Him and God, It is a Question which the lost cannotutter. They are forsaken, hut they knoio why. Jesus is for- saken, but does not kno^v and demands to Jaww why. It is thus the cry of conscious in- nocence, but of innocence unavaUing to draw down, at that moment, the least token of approval from the unseen Judge— inno- cence whose only recognition at that moment lay in the thick surrounding gloom which but reflected the horror of great darkness 80 [1] times had such gleams of coming glory immediately before breathing their last, as to impart to them a strength to utter their feelings which has amazed the by- standers, so this mighty voice of the ex- piring Hedeemer was nothing else but the exultant spirit of the Dying Victor, perceiv- ing the fruit of His travaU just about to be embraced, and nerving the organs of utter- ance to an ecstatic expression of its sublime feehngs not so much in theMHmedi'aie/i/lol- lowing words of tranquil surrender, in Luke, asinthe./intti shout, recorded only by John). " Father, INTO thy hands I commend my spirit!" L. 23. 46. Yes, the darkness ia past, and the true light now shineih. His soul has emerged Irom its mysterious horrors; "My God" is heard no more, TJie Death of Christ. JOHN. XIX. Eis Side is Pierced. but in unclouded light He yields sub- lime into His Father's hands the infinitely precious spirit— using here also the words of those matcliless Psalms 31. 5,1 which were ever on his lips. * As the Father receives the spirit of Jesus, so Jesus receives those of the faithful,' A. r. 69. [Bexo.] And now comes the expiring mighty shout, "It is fin- ished ! and He bowedHis head and gave up the ghost " V. 30. What is finishedY The Law is fulfilled as never before, nor since, in His "obedience unto death, even the death of the cross;" Messianic prophecy is accomplished; Redemption is completed : "He hath finished the transgression, and made an end of sin, and made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness, and sealed up the vision and prophecy, and anointed a holy of holies .•" He has inaugu- rated the kingdom of God and given birth to a new world. 31-42. Burial or Christ. 31-37. The preparation— Sabbath eve. that the bodies should not remain— over night, against the Mosaic law. Deu. 21. 22, 23. on the Sabbatli- day, for that day was an high (or ' great') day— the first day of unleavened bread, and, as concurring with an ordinary Sabbath, the most solemn season of the ecclesiastical year. Hence their peculiar jealousy le<t the law should be infringed, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken— to hasten their death, which was done in such cases with clubs. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already— there being in Hii case elements of suffering, unknown to the malefactors, which might naturally hasten His death, lingering though it al- ways was in such cases, not to speak ofj His previous sufferings, they brake not his 1 gs— a fact of vast importance, as showing that the reality of His death was visible to tho.se whose business it was to see to it. The other divine purpose served by it will appear ; presently. But one of the soldiers— to make I assurance of the fact doubly sure, with a spear | pierced his side— making a wound deep and j wide, as indeed is plain from ch. 2u. 27, 29. Had lite still remained, it must have fled j now. and forthwith came thereout blood and , water— 'It is now well known that the effect I of long-continued and intense agony is fre- quently to produce a secretion of a colourless lymph within the pericardium ithe mem- brane enveloping the heart , amounting in many cases to a very considerable quantity.' [w. & w.] And he that saw it bare record ('hath borne witness'), and his witness is true, and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe— This solemn way of refer- ring to his own testimony in this matter has no reference to what he says in his l.pistle about Christ's "coming by water and blood," (see on 1 J. 5. 6,) but is intended to call attention both to the fulfilment of ! Scripture in these particulars, and to the j undeniable evidence he was thus furnishing | of the reality of Christ's death, and conse- quently of His resurrection ; perhaps also to meet the growing tendency, in the Asiatic churches, to deny the reality of our Lord's body, or that " Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." (I J. 4. 1-3.) that the Scripiure .... a bone of him shall not be broken — The refer- ence is to the paschal lamb, as to which this ordinance was stringent, Ex. 12. 46 ; Nu. 9. iz, tci. 1 Co. 6. 7.)— Bat though we are to see I 66 [2] here the fulfilment of a very definite typical ordinance, we shall, on searching deeper, see in it a remarkable divine interposition to protect Vie sacred body of Christ from the least mdignvy after He had finished the work given Him to do. Every imaginable indig- nityhad been permitted before that, up to the moment of his death. But no sooner is that over, than an Unseen hand is found to have provided against the clubs of the rude sol- diers coming in contact with that Temple of the Godhead. Very different from such vio- lence was that spear-thrust, for which not only doubting Thomas vvould thank the sol- dier, but intelligent believers in every age, to whom the certainty of their Lord's death and resurrection is the life of their whole Christianity, another Scripture . . .They shall look on him whom they pierced— The quota- tion is from Ze. 12. 10; not taken as usual from the Septuagint (the current Greek ver- sion), which here is all wrong, but direct from the Hebrew. And there is a remark- able nicety in the choice of the words em- ployed both by the prophet and the evan- gelist for "piercing." ihe word in Zech. means to thrust through with spear, javelin, sword, or any such weapon. In that sense it is used in all the "ten places, besides this, where it is found. How suitable this was to express the action of the Eoman soldier, is manifest ; and our evangelist uses the ex- actly corresponding word, which the Sept. certainly does not. Very diiferent is the other word for "pierce" in Ps. 22. 16, "They pierced my hands and my feet." The word there used is one signifying to bore as with an awl or hammer. How striking are these small niceties ! 38-40. Josephof Arimathea— "a rich man" (M. 27. 57,) thus fulfilling Is. 53. 9; "an honourable coun- sellor, la member of the Sauhedrim, and of good condition, which also waited tor the kingdom of God (Mk. 15. 43,), a devout expec- tant of Messiah's kingdom; "a good maa and a just, the same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them " iL. 23. 50, 51, —he had gone the length, perhaps, of dissent- ing and protesting in open council against the condemnation of our Lord) ; " who also himself was Jesus' disciple" (M. 27. 57.). but secretly, for fear of the Jews— "He went in boldly unto Pilate" (Mk. 15. i3,]— lit., 'having taken courage went in,' or 'had the boldJie.s3 to go in.' Mark alone, as his manner is, Jio- tices the boldness which this required. The act would without doubt identify him for the first time with the disciples of Christ. Mar- vellous it certainly is, that one who while Jesus was yet alive merely retrained from condemning Him, not having the courage to espouse his cause by one positive act, should, now that He was de.id, and His cause appa- rently dead with Him, summon up courage to go in personally to the Eoman Governor and ask permission to take down and Liter the body. But if this be the first instance, it is not the last, that a seemiaqly dead Christ has tvakened a sympathy lohich a living one had faiUd to evoke, Tlie heroism of faith is usually kimlled by desperate circumstances, and is not seldom displayed by those who before were the most timid, and scarce knovm as dis- ciples at all. " And Pilate marvelled if h& were " —rather ' wondered that he was' " al- ready dead." "And calliu'r the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any whiio Christ appeareth to his diseiplea. JOITN. XXI. Sis charge to Peter. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary! She turned herself, and saith unto him, /Rabboui! which is to say. Master! 17 Jesus saith unto her. Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my * brethren, and say unto them, * I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and (0 '" my God, and your God. 18 Alary ^ Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. 19 IT Then " the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were as- sembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them. Peace be unto you. I'O And when he had so said, he P showed unto them his hands and his side. i Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you: '"as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 2-2 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose * soever sins yj remit, they are remitted imto them; and whose soever si)is ye retain, they are retained. 24 H But Thomas, one of the twelve, ' called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, 'We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except 1 shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, 1 will not believe. 26 H And after eight days, again his dis- ciples were within, and Thomas with them. Tutn came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood iu the midst, and said, " Peace le unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; "and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believ- ing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, ""My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast btlieved: blessed * are they that have not seen, and yet liave believed. '30% And *' many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which aie not written in this book: 31 But * these are written, that ye might believe that J esus is the Christ, the Son of God; and "that believing ye might have lile thi-ough his name. CHAPTER XXL J Christ appeareth to his discipUs, and is dis- covered u-.«o them by a miriuulous draught of fishes, ij He dineth with them: 16 Aw charge to I'cter, \S> foreteUeth his death. A FTER these things Jesus showed him- ;*; sell agani to the disciples at the sea of liberias: and on this wise showed he him- Self. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didyinus,and " Mathanael of (Jaiia m Galilee, and * the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Siuion l'et<;i- saiUi ULto them, I go a t>7 CHAP. 20. j Son? 2. 8. * P». 22. 22. JIat. 28.10. Rom. 8. 29. Heb. 2. 11. I ch. 16. 28. 1 Pet. 1. 3. m Eph. 1.17. » Mat. 28.10. Lu. 24. 10. Mar. 15.14. Lu. 24. 36. 1 Cor. 15.5. PI John 1.1. 1 ch. 16. 22. r Isa. 61. 1. Isa. 11. 2. Mat. 28.18. eh. 17. 18, 19. Heb 3. 1. 2 Tim. 2.2. « Mat. 16.19. Mat. 18.18. t ch. 11. 16. w Isa. 9. 7. Mic. 6. 5. Col. 1.20. V Ps. 103. 13, Pa. 91.2. Ps. 118.28. Lu. 1. 46, 47. V ch. 21. 25. z Luke 1. 4. Kom. 15. 4 a ch. 3. 15, CHAP. 21. a ch. 1. 45. b Mat. 4. 21. « ch. 20. 14. d Lu. 24. 41. « Lu.' 6.4,6,7. /ch. 13. 23. ch 20. 2. g Song 8. 7. rtlKi. 19.6. i Acts 10.41. ;■ ch. 20. 19, k JIat. 20.33. J 2 Ki. 20. 3. m Acts 20. 28. Eph. 4.11. n Heb.13.20. 1 Pet 2.25. 1 Pet.D.2,4. o ch. 13. 38. p ch. 2. 24, 25. ch. 16 30. Acts 1.24. 1 Thes.2.4. Re?. 2. 23. q ch. 13. 36. Actsl2 3,4. r Phil. 1. 20. 2 Pel. 1.14. « ch. 13. 23, fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood ou the shore: but the disciples knew " not that it was Jesus. 5 Then <* J esus saith unto them, i Children, have ye any meat? They answered him. No. 6 And he said unto them, • Cast the net oa the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore; and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore /that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Novr when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and c did cast hunself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship ; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw '» a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them. Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of gi-eat fishes, an hundi-ed and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 J esus saith unto them, « Come and dine. And none of the disciples dm'st ask him. Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now J the third lime that Jesus showed himself to his disciples alter that he was risen from the dead. 15 IT So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me *more than these? He saith unto hini, Yea, Lord; ' thou knowest that 1 love thee. He saith unto him, *" Feed my lambs. IG He saith to him again the second time, Simun, soH of Jonas, lOvest thou me? He saith unto him. Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that 1 love thee. He "saith unto him. Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him "the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the tliircl time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto liini, Lord, ^ thou knowest all things; thuu knowest that 1 love thee. Jesus saiiU unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, « verily. I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thj self, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he.signifyiug *■ by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spokeu this, he saith luito him. Follow me. 20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple • whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned ou his breast at sui)per, and said, Lord, which is he that betiayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and ' what shad this man dof The Burial o/airist. JOHN, XX. dead"— Pilate could hardly credit what Jo- seph had told him, that He had been dead "some time," and before giving up the body to His friends, would learn how the fact stood from the centurion, whose business it was to oversee the execution. " And when he knew it of tlie ceniunon," that it was as Joseph had said, " he iiave"— rather ' made a gift of " the body to Joseph;" struck, pos- sibly, with the rank of the petitioner and the dignitied boldness of the petition, in con- trast with the spirit of the other party and the low rank to which he had been led to believe all the followers of Christ belonged. Nor would he be unwilling to show that he was not going to carry this black afifair any further. But whatever were Pilate's mo- tives, two most blessed objects were thus secured: (1.) The reality of our Lord's death was attested by the party of all others most competent to decide on it, and certainly free from all bias— the oflicer in attendance— in full reliance on whose testimony Pilate sur- rendered the body: (2.) The dead Eedeemer, thus delivered out of the hands of His ene- mies and committed by the supreme pohti- C-il authority to the care of His friends, was thereby protected from all further indigni- ties; a thing most befitting indeed, now that His work was done, but impossible, so far as •we can see, if His enemies had been at liberty to do with Him as they pleased. How won- derful are even the minutest features of this matchless History! also Nicodemus wliich at the first came to Jesus by uight— 'This remark corresponds to the secrecy of Joseph's dis- cipleship, just noticed, and calls attention to the similarity of their previous character and conduct, and the remarkable change which had now taken place,' [w.&w.] brought mvrrh and aloes . . . 100 pouu{ls weight— an immense quantity, betukening the greatness of their love, but part of it probably intended as a layer for the spot on which the body was to lie. iSee 2 Chr. 16. 14.) [Meyer.] took the body . . . and wound it in liuen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury- the mixed and pulverised myrrh and aloes shaken into the folds, and the entire body, thus swathed, wrapt in an outer cuvering of "clean linen cloth" (M. 27. 59.1. Had the Lord's own friends had the least reason to think that the spark of lile was stiU in Him, would they have done this? But even if one could con- ceive them mistaken, could any one have lain thus enveloped for the period during which He was in the grave, and life still remained? Impossible. vVlien, therefore, He walked forth from the tomb, we can say with the most absolute certainty, "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept!" {1 Co. 15. 20.) No wonder that the learned and the barbarians alike were prepared to die for the name of the Lord Jesus; for such evi- dence was to the imsophisticated resistless, (IVo mention is made of anointing in this operation. No doubt it was a hurried pro- ceeding, for fear of interruption, and be- cause it was close on the Sabbath, the w^o- men seem to have set this as their proper task "as soon as the babbath .should be past " (Mk. 16. 1.). But as the Lord graciously held it as undesignedly anticipated by Mary at Bethany (Mk. li. 8.), so this was probably aU the anointing, in the strict sense of it, Vh^<ih He received.) 41, 42. Now in the place Mart/s VUit to the Sepulchre. where he was crucified there was a garden, ai.d in the gnrden a new seDuichre- The choice of this tomb was, on their part, dictated by the double circumstance that it was so near at hand, and by its belonging to a friend of the Lord; and as there was need of haste, even they would be struck with the providence which thus supplied it. " There laid they Jesus therefore, because of the Jews' prepar- ation day, for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." But there was one recommendation of It \yhich probably would not strike them; but God had it in view. Not its being "hewn out of a rock" iMk. 15. 46.', accessible only at the entrance, which doubtless would im- press them with its security and suitable- ness. But it was "a 7i€iy sepulchre" {v. 41,) "'wherein never man before was laid" (L. 23. 53.) ; and M. (27. 60.) says that Joseph laid Him "in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock "—doubtless for his own use, thouuh the Lord had higher tise for it. Thus as He rode into Jerusalem on an ass, "whereon never man before had sat," so now He shall lie in a tomb tcherein never man before had lain, that from these specimens it may be seen that in all things He was " SEPARATE FROM SINNERS." CHAPTER XX Ver. 1-18. IMary's Visit to the Sepul- chre, AND Return to it with Peter and John— Her Kjsen Lord Appears to Her. 1, 2. The first diy, &c.— See on INIk. 16. 1-4; and M. 28. 1, 2. Ti.ey have taken away the Loid out of the sepulchre— Dear discii)le! thy dead Lord is to thee "The Lord" still. 3-10. Peter therefore went forth, &c.— These particulars have a singular air of artless truth about them. Mary, in her grief, runs to the two apostles who were soon to be so closely asso- ciated in proclaiming the Saviours resurrec- tion, and they, followed by Mary, hasten to see witli their own eyes. The younger dis- ciple outruns the elder; love haply supplying swifter wings. He stoops, he gazes in, but enters not the open sepulchre, held back probably by a reverential fear. The bolder Peter, coming up, goes in at once, and is re- warded with bright evidence of what had happened, seeth the linen clothes lie (' lyin.j;') and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the iiuen clothes— loosely, as if has- tily thrown down, and indicative of a hurried and disorderly removal, but wrapped (or 'folded'] together in a place by itsea— show- ing with what grand tranquillity "the Living One" had walked forth from "the dead (L. 24. 5.). 'Doubtless the two attendant angels [v. 12,) did this service for the Rising One, the one disposing of the Imen clothes, the other of the nai-kin." [Beng.] Tlien went in tnat other disciple wiiich came first to the se-oulchre— The repetition of this, in connection with his not having gone in till after Peter, seems to show that at the mo- ment of penning these words the advantage which each of these loving disciples had ot the other was present to his mind, and he saw and believed— Probably he means, though he does not say, that He believed in His Lord's resurrection more immediately and certainly than Peter. For as yet they knew (I.e., understood) not the Scripture that he must rise, iic— In other words, they believed in His resurrection at first, not because they were prepared by Scriptura to expect it : but jacts carried ic3i^Ueia C hrist Appeareth to Ma ry Magdalene JOHN, XX, conviction of it in the first instance to their minds, and furnished a key to the Scripture predictions of it. 11-15. But Mary, &c.— Brief was the stay of those two men. But Mary, arriving perhaps by another direction after and to the. Assemilfi''' Disciples. they lett, hngers at the spot, weeping; for her missing Lord. As she gazes through her tears on the open tomb, she also ventures to stoop dowTtt and look into it, when lo! "two angels in white" (as from the world of light, and see on M. 28. 3,) appear to her, in a ■' sitting" posture, ' as having finished some business, and awaiting some one to impart tidings to.' [Beng.] one at the head, and the other at the feet where . . . Jesus had lain—not merely proclaiming silently the eidire charge they had had of the body of Christ [quoted in Lthdt.], but rather, possibly, calling mute attention to the narrow space within which the Lord of glory had contracted Him- self; as if they would say. Come, see within what limits, marked off by the interval here between us two, the Lord lay! But she is in tears, and these suit not the scene of so glo- rious an Exit. They are going to point out to her the incongruity. Woman, why weepest thou?— You would think tjie vision too much for a lone woman. But absorbed in the one Object of her affection and pursuit, she speaks out her grief without fear. Because, 6zc.—q.d., 'Can I choose but weep, when "they have taken away," <bc., repeating her very words to Peter and John. On this she turned herself and saw Jesus Himself stand- ing beside her, but took Him for the gar- dener. Clad therefore in some such style He must have been. But if any ask, as too curious interpreters do, whence He got those habiliments, we answer, [with Olsh. and Lthdt.,) where the two angels got theirs. Nor did the voice of His first words discover Him— "Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thour" He will try her ere he tell her. She answers not the stranticr's question, but comes straight to her point w ith him. Sir, if thou have borne him hence — borne v:hom ? She says not. She can think only of One, and thinks others must under- stand her. It reminds one of the question of the spouse, " Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? (So. 3. 3.) tell me where . . , and I will take him away— AViJt thou, dear fragile woman? But it is the language of sublime affection, that thinks itself fit for anything if once in possession of its Object. It is enough. Like Joseph, He can no longer restrain Him- self. Hie. 45. 1.1 16, 17. Jesus sailh unto her, Mary !" It is not now the distant, though respectful, •" Woman." It is the oft-repeated name, uttered, no doubt, with aU the wonted manner, and bringing a rush of unutterable 28. 10; He. 2. 11, 17.1 That he had still our Humanity, and therefore "'is not ashamed to call us brethren," is indeed grandly evi- denced by these words. But it is worthy of most revereniial notice, that ve no where read of any one who presumed to call Him Brother. "My brethren:" Blessed Jesus, who ai-e these? Were thev not thy fol- lowers? yea, thy forsakers? . . . How do^t raise these titles with thyself! At first they were thy servants; then disciples; p little before thy death, they were thyjriende, now after thy resurrection, they were thj brethren. But O, mercy without measure ! how wilt thou, how canst thou caU them brethren whom, in thy last parting, thou foundest fugitives ? Did they not run from thee ? Did not one of them rather leave hi.= inmost coat behind him than not be quit of tliee? And yet thou saycst, "Go, tell my brethren 1' It is not in the power of the sin.s of our infirmity to unbrother us.' [Bp. Hall.] I ascend unto my i ..iher and your Father, and [to] my God and your God— words of incomparable kIoit ! Jesus had called God habitually His Father, and on one oc- casion, in His darkest moment. His God. But both are here united, expressing that full-orbed relationship which embraces in its vast sweep at once Himself and His re- deemed. Yet, note well. He says not, Our Father and our God. All the deepest of the church fathers were wont to call attention to this, as expressly designed to distinguish between what God is to Him and to us —His Father essentially, our's not so ; our God essentially. His not so : His God oidy in connexion with us: our God only in con- nexion tcith Him. 18. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and He had said these things unto her— To a woman ivas this honour given to be the first that saw the risen Redeemer, and that woman, was not His mother. (See on Mk. IG. 9.) 19-23. Jesus APPEARS to the assembled DISCIPLES. 19-23. The same day at eveuiag, the first day of the week, the doors being shut ...for fear of the Jews, came Jesus — plainly not by the ordinary way of entrance, and saith, Peace be unto you — not the mere wish that even His own exalted peace might be theirs ch. 14. 27,) but conveying it into their hearts, even as He " opened their understandings to understand the Scriptures" iL. 24. 45.). And Wiien he hr.d so said, he showed them his hands and his side— not only as ocular and tangible evi- dence of the reality of His resurrection Isee on L. 24. o7-43, but as through 'the power of that resurrection" dispensing all His peace and overpowering associations with it. She ' to men. Tiien were the disciples glad , turued herself, and saith to him, Rabboni! But Then said Jesus— pi'epared now to listen to that single word of transported recognition Him in a new character. Peace ... As my was not enough for woman's full heart. Not Father hath sent me, &c.— See on ch. 17. 18. he knowing the change which had passed upon breathed on them— a symbolical conveyance Him, she hasrens to expre.ss by her actions to them of the Spirit, and saith, Receive ye the what words failed to clothe ; but she is , Holy Gnost— an earnesc and first-lruits of checked. Jesus saith unto her. Touch me not. the more copious Pentecostal elfu.sion. whc- lor I am not yet ascended to my Father— Old soever sins ye remit, &c.— In any literal and familiarities must now give place to new ' aidhoritative sense this power was never and more awful, yet sweeter approaches; but exercised by one of the apostles, and plainly for these the time has not come yet. This luas never understood by iliem»elvcs as pos' seems the spirit, at least, of these mysterious by them or conveyed to them. (See on words, on wliich much difference or opinion M. 16. 9.) The power to intrude upon the has obtained, and not much that is satis- relation between men and God cannot have factory said. But go lo my brethren, (cf. M. ] been given by Chiist to His mmisters in any Jesus again Appears to the Disciples. JOHN, XXI. Supplementary Parti.(nil^rs. but a ministerial or declarative sense— as the authorised intei-preters of His word, while in the actings of His ministers, the real nature of tlie lower committed to them is seen in the exercise of church cHsciiiline. 24-29. Je^us again Appears to the Assembled Disciples. 24,25. But Thomas (see on ch. 11. 16, was not with them when Jesus came— why, we know not; though we are loath to think [with bTiER. Alf., Lthdt.J ii was intentional, from sullen despondency. The fact merely is here stated, as a lovin^ apology for his slowness of belief. We have seen the Lord— This wayof speaking of Jesus as ■U.20 and 21.7,1 so suited to tlis resurrection- state, was soon to become the prevailing style. Except I see . . . and put my finger . . . and hand into his side, I will not believe. The very form of this speech betokens the strength of the unbelief. 'It is not. If I shall see I shall believe, but. Unless I shall see I will not believe; nor does he expect to see, although the others tell him they had. fBENG.] How Christ Himself viewed this state of mind, we know from Mk. 16. 14, "He upbraided them with their un- belief and hardness of heart becatise they believed not them which had seen Him alter He was risen." But w hence sprang thi.- pertinacity of resistance in si< c/^i, minds? Not certainly from reluctance to believe, but as in Nathanael see on ch. l, 46, from mere dread of mistake in so vital a matter. 26- 29. And after eight days— i.e., on the 8th, or first day of the preceding week. Tiiey pro- bably met every day daring the preced- ing week, btit their Lord designedly re- served His second appearance amongst them till the recurrence of His resurrec- tion-day, that He mi-;ht thus inaiigurate the delightful sanctities of the Lord's Day" Re. l. 10.). the disciples . , . within, and Thomas . . . Jesus stood in the midst, and saith. Peace . . . Then saith he to Thomas. Reach hither . . . behold . . . put it into my side, and be not faithless but believing — 'There is something rhythmical in the.se words, and they are purposely couched in the words of Thomas himself, to put him to shame.' [Lthdt.] But with what condes- cension and gentleness is this done! Thomas answered... my Lord and my God!— That Tho- mas did «oidowhat Jesus invited him to do and what he had made the condition of his believing, seems plain f^cm v. 29, (" Because thou hast seen me thou Aast believed, "i He is overpowered, and the glory of Chri.st now breaks upon him in a flood. His exclamation surpasses aU that had been yet uttered, nor can it be surpa ssed by any thing that ever will be uttered in earth or heaven. On the strik- ing parallel in Nathanael. see on ch. 1. 49. The feocinian evasion of the supreme divinity Df Christ here manifestly taught— as if it were a mere call upon God in a fit of asto- nishment—is beneath notice, save for the profanity it charges upon this disciple, and the straits to which it shows themselves re- duced, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed- words of measured commendation, but of indirect, and doubtless painfully felt rebuke: q.d., 'Thou hast indeea believed ; it is well; it is only on the evidence of thy senses, and after peremptorily refusing all evidence short of that.' Blessed they that have this closing word of the not seen Him, i Gospel. [Alf.] .SO, :n. First Close of this Gospel.— The connection of these verses with the last words of V. 29 is beautiful: q.d., 'And indeed, IS the Lord pronounced them blessed who not having .seen Kim have vet bel eved, so for that ( ne end have the whole contents of this Gospel been recorded, that all who read it may believe on Him. and believing, have life in that blessed name.' many other signs —miracles. But these are written— as suffi- cient specimens, tlie Chris r, the Son of God— the one His official, the other His vcrsonal I itle. believing, may have life— See on ch. 6. 51-64. CHAPTER XXL Ver. 1-23. yUPPLEMEXTARY Paeticu- l.\rs. [That this chapter was added by another hand has been asserted, against clear evidence to the contrary, by some late critics, chiefly because the evancelist had concluded his part of the work with ch. 20, "% 31. But neither in the Epistles of the N.T., nor in other good authors, is it unusual to insert supplementary n^atter, and -o have more than one conclusion. J 1, 2. Jesus showed I'maniiested'i himself again, and on this wise he manifested hnnself— This way of speaking shows that after His resurreciion He appeared to them but occasionally, unex- pectedly, and in a way quite unearthly. though yet really and corporeally. Nathanael —See on M. 10. .i. 3-6. Peter saith ... I go a fishing— ijee on L. 5. 11. that night cmght nothing— as at the first miraculous draught see on L. 6. 5.;; no doubt so ordered that the miracle might strike them the more by con- trast. The same principle is seen in opera- tion throughout much of Christ's ministry, and is indeed a great law of God's spiritual procedure with His people. Jesus stood— cf. ch. 20. 19, 26. knew not it vjus Jesus— Perhaps there had been some considerable interval since the last manifestation, and having agreed to betake themselves to their secular employment, they would be imprepared to expect Him. Children— This term would not necessarily identify Him, being not unusual from any superior; but when they did recog- nize Him, they would feel it sweetly like Himself, any meat?— 'provisions,' 'supplies- meaning fc/t. No— This was in His wonted style, making them tell their case, and so the better prepare them for what was coming, on the rigit side— no doubt, by this very spe- cific direction, intending to reveal to them His knowledge of the deep and power over it. 7-11. that disciple . . . said. It is the Lord- again having the advantage of his brother in quickness of recognition see on ch. 20. 8. , to be followed by an alacrity in Peter all his own. he was naked- his vest only on, worn next the body, cast himself into the sea— the shallow part, not more than a hundred yards from the water's edge [v. 8 ; not meaning therefore to swim, but to get sooner to Jesus than in the fiul boat which they could hardly draw to shore, in a little ship— by ship, they saw f see'; a fire of coals, and fish laid thereon, and bread— By comparing this with 1 Ki. 19. 6. and similar passages, the un- seen agency by which Jesus made this pro vision will appear evident. Bring of the fish ye have caught- Observe the double supply not seen and yet have believed—' Wonderful | thus provided— His and theirs. The mean- indeed, and neb in blessing for us who have ling of tMs will perhaps appear presently. S7 [2] The atcevfiov of Clnist. JOHN, XXI. MaWdas chosen to the apostlesh ip. 22 Jesus saitli unto him. If I will that he tarry " till 1 come, what " is that to thee? Follow thou me. 23 Then went this sajing abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If 1 will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee! Rer. 3. 11. «'Deu.29.29. u> 3 John 12. ' Axaat tM. 24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: ""aud we know that his testimony is tnie. 25 And there are also many otner things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, * 1 suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. SuppfemfiYiinry PartiniTars. JOHN, XXT. Sv.pvlemenfary ParficuJars. Peter went up-mto the boat; went aboard.' testation, which makes it a totally different full of ^reat fishes, 153; and for all they were so kind of speech from his former. Feed ii.y many, yet was not the net broken— The mani- lambs— It is surely wrong to view this terns a3 fest reference here to the former miraculous a mere diminutive of aflection, and as mean- draught L. 6. 111. nirnishes the key to this ing the same thing as "the sheep." [w. & w.] scene. There the draught was symbolical of It is much more according to usage to under- the success of their tuture ministry: While stand by the '-lamhs" young and teudc dis- Peter and all that were with him were ciples. whether in age or Christian standing astonished at thedraughtof the fishes which (Is. 40. 11; i J. z. 12, l.i.: and by the " sheep^ they had taken, Je.'^us said unto him, Fear the more mahtre. Shall we say [with man}] not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men." that Peter was here re-instated in oftice? Not JNay, when first called, in the act of "casting exactly, since he was not actually excluded their net into the sea, for they were fishers," from it. But after such conduct as his the the same symbolic reference was made to deep wound which the honour of Christ had their secular occupation: "Follow me, and received, the stain brought on his office, the I will make you fishers of men." (M. 4. 18. damage done to his high standing' among his 19.) Here, then, if but the same symbolic brethren, and even his own comfort, in pro- reference be kept in view, the design of spect of the great work before him. required the whole scene will, we think, be clear. | some such renewal of his call and re-esta- The multitv.de and the size of the fishes they bhshment of his position as this, saith . . . caught symbolically foreshadowed the vast the second time, i-c— In this repetition of the succe.ss of their now fast approaching minis- question, thoujih the wound was meant to try, and this only as a beginning of succes- be re-opened, the words, "more than tliese" slve draughts, through the agencyof aChris- are not repeated; for Christ is a tender as tian ministry, till, "as the waters cover the well as skilful Physician, and Peter's silence sea, the earth should be full of the knowledge on that point was confession enough of his of the Lord. " And whereas, at the first sin and folly. On Peter's repeatiiig his pro- miraculous draught, the net "was breaking" testation in the .same words, our Lord rises throng 1 the weight of what it contained— higher in the manifestation of His restoring expressive of the difficulty with ichidi, after grace. Feec (or ' keep' my sheep— It has been they had ''caught men," they would bf. able to obsei-ved that the word here is studiously retain, or Keep them from, escaping back into changed, from one signifying simply to feed, t/ie worW— while here, 'for all they were so to one signifying to 'toid as a shepherd, many, yet was not the net broken." are we denoting the abiding exercise of that voca- not reminded of such sayings as these ch. 10. tion, and in its highest functions, the third 28.); " 1 give unto my sheep eternal Ufe, and time, Simon . . . Peter was crieved because he they shall never perish, neither shall any said the third time, &c.— This was the Phy- pluck them out of my hand?" [Lthdt.] sician's deepest incision into the wound. But it is not through the agency of a Christian while yet smarting under the two former ministry tliat aU true disciples are gathered, probings. Not till now would Peter discern Jesus Himself, by unseen methods, gathers the object of this succession of thrusts. The some, who afterwards are recognised by the third time reveals it all, bringing up such a constituted fishers of men, and mingle with rush of dreadful recollections before his view, the fruit of their labours. And are not these of his "thrke denying that he knew Him, symbolized by that portion of our Galilean that he feels it to the quick. It was fitting repast which the fishers found, in some un- that he should; it was meant that he should. Been way, made ready to their hand? 12-14. ! But this accomplished, the painful dialn-iie None durst ask him, Who art thou, knowing it concludes with a delightful "Feed my sheep;" was the Lord— implying that they u'oitW have as if He should say. Now, Simon, the last liked Him just to say, "It is I; but having speck of the cloud which overhung thee since such convincing evidence, they were afraid that night of nights is dispelled: Henceforth of being " upbraided for their unbelief and thou art to me and to.my work as if no such hardness of heart" if they ventured to put scene had ever happened, 18, 19. when young the question. Jesus taketh [the] bread, and j —embracing the whole period of life to the giveth them, and [the] fish likewise— See on L. verge of old age. thou girdedst thyself and '^i. 30. This is the third time that Jesus show- walkedst whither thou wouldest— wast thine ed himself 'was manifested') to his disciples— own master, when old. thon shalt stretch his assembled disciples; for if we reckon His forth thine hands— to be bound for execution, appearances to individual disciples, they though not necessarily meaning on a cross. were more. 15-17. When they had dined, Jesus There is no reason, however, to doubt the saith— Silence appears to have reigned during very early tradition, that Peter's death was the meal; unbroken on His part, that by by crucifixion. This spake he, signifying by their mute ob.servation of Him they might what death he should gloriiy God— not, there- have their assurance of His identity the more fore, a mere prediction of the manner of his confinuf^d: and on theirs, from reverential death, butof the /lonottr to be conferred upon shrinking to cspeak till He did. Simon, son him by dying for his Master, And, indeed, of J onas, lovest thou me more than these?— re- , beyond doubt, this prediction was intended rerring lovingly to tLost sad words of Peter, I to follow up his triple restoration :-" Yes, shortly before denying his Lord, "Though Simon, thou shalt not only feed my lambs. aM men shall be offended because of thee, and feed my sheep, but after a long career of yet will I never he oftended" iM. 26. 33.), and such service, shalt be counted worthy to die mtending by this allusion to bring the whole for the name of the Lord Jesus.' And when scene vividly before his mind and put him he had spoken this, he saith unto him, FoUow to shame. Yea, Lord; thou knowest that Hove me— By thus connecting the utterance of thee— He adds not, " more than these," but this prediction with the invitation to follow prefixes a touching appeal to the Saviour's i Him. the evangelist would indicate the own omniscience for the truth of his pro- deeper sense in which the call was under- 'Last Days of our Lord JOHN, XXI. Upon Earth. •siood, not merely to go along with Him at that moment, but to come after Him taking up his cross." 20, 21. Peter turning aboat— sliowing that he followed immediately as directed, seeth the discicle whom Jesus loved following ; which also leaned on Jesus' breast at the] supper, and said. Lord, which is he that 6etrayeth thee V— The evangelist makes these allusions to the peculiar familiarity to which he had been admitted on the most memor- able of all occasions, perhaps lovingly to ac- count for Peter's somewhat forward question about him to Jesus ; which is the rather Erobable, as it was at Peter's suggestion that e put tbe question about the traitor which he here recalls ;ch. 13. 24, 25.). Peter saith to Jesus, Lord, and what [shall! this man [^do] ?— ' What of tliis man ? or. How shall it fare with him? 22, 23. Jesus saith t-o him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to theel follow thou me — From the fact that John alone of the twelve survived the de- Btruction of Jerusalem, and so witnessed the commencement of that series of events which belongs to "the last days," many good interpreters think that this is a virtual pre- diction of fact, and not a mere supposition. But this is very doubtful, and it seems more natural to consider our Lord as intending to give iw positive indication of John's fate at all, but to signify that this was a matter which belonged to the Master of both, who would disclose or conceal it as He thought proper, and that Peter's part was to mind his own affairs. Accordingly, in ** follow thou me," the word "thou" is emphatic. Observe tht absolute disposal of human life which Christ claims : " If I will that he tarry, <fec. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die— into which they the more easily fell, from the prevalent expectation that Christ's second coming was then near at hand. Yet Jesus said not— The evangelist is iealous for His Master's honour, which his death might be thought to com- promise if such a misunderstanding should not be corrected. 24, 26. Final close or this Gospel. This is the disciple which testifleth these thiiigs, and wrote tnese things— thus identifying the author of this book with all that it says ot this disciple, we know that his testimony is true— cf. ch. 19. 35. Aud there are many ottier things which Jesus did— cf. ch. 20. 30, 31. if written every one, I suppose— an expression used to show that what lollows is not to be pressed too far. even the world itself would not hold the books, &c.— not a mere hyperbolical ex- pression, unlike the sublime simplicity of this writer, but intended to let his reader know that, even now that he had done, he felt his materials so far from being ex- hausted, that he was still running over, and could multiply "Gospels" to almost any extent within the strict limits of what "Jesus did." But in the limitation of these match- less Histories, in point of number, there is as much of that divine wisdom which has presided over and pervades the living ora- cles, as in their variety and/wincw. 88 [1] ^ (P f ^ --.^^O'-^.^