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THE

NEW TESTAMENT

ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORIZED VERSION

Mitt!) 3|nttrouuction0 ant) ifcoteg
BY
JOHN PILKINGTON NORRIS, B.D.
CANON OF BRISTOL J VICAR OF ST. MARY REDCLIFFE
EXAMINING CHAPLAIN TO THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER

IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. I.
THE FOUR GOSPELS

Jieto fgorft
POTT, YOUNG, AND COMPANY
COOPER UNION, FOURTH AVENUE

MDCCCLXXX.

FV\5 i\rm

V.

P REFA CE.
rriHE following Commentary is printed from my interleaved
New Testament. It was commenced sixteen years ago
for my own benefit as a student ; and is now published in
the hope that what I have found useful to myself may prove
useful 'to others. Scholars will find nothing new in it.
Whatever I noted in my own reading, as helpful to the
right understanding of God's Word, I endeavoured to transfuse
into briefest expression in these pages. And thus the book
has grown under my hand during the last sixteen years.
I make no apology for adding to the number of books of a
like sort. For great as the supply is, the demand is still
greater. And amid this large demand there may be many
who are seeking the very same kind of help that I was
seeking in the study of God's Word. What seemed to meet
my need may meet theirs. My own need — what I most desire
in reading Christ's words or those of His Apostles — is an
answer to these two questions : — (1.) What meaning were
these words intended to convey to the men of that generation ?
and (2.) What meaning does the Holy Spirit mean them to

PREFACE.

convey to me ? Such answers as I have been able to obtain
to these two questions, from Patristic or other Commentaries,
I have digested into these pages. Exposition therefore is
all that is aimed at. Few references have been given, as
the book is not intended for learned readers. But my hope
is that nothing will be found in these Notes "nisi quod
consentaneum sit doctrinse Veteris et JSTovi Testamenti,
quodque ex ilia ipsa doctrina catholici Patres et veteres
Episcopi collegerint." This Canon of 1571 was called by
Bishop Cosin "the Golden Rule of the Church of England;"

I owe an apology to many kind friends, and to my Pub
lishers, for my delay in correcting the sheets of this Com
mentary. Both Volumes were sent to press, with the above
Preface, a year and a half ago. The delay has been occasioned
partly by the heavy cares of a large parish, and partly by
the after- thought of subjoining various readings to each
page. In the selection of these various readings I have taken
Tregelles's text as fairly representing the results of recent textual
criticism; and wherever it differs from the text of Robert
Stephens (adopted by the Translators of 1611) I have exhibited
the departure as well as I could in English. I do not wish to
be supposed to adopt all the corrections. But I thought the
English student would thank me for bringing them under his
eye, and would be interested to see for himself how slightly,

PREFACE.

for the most part, they modify the meaning of the version
which long use has endeared to us. Wherever the emendation
is of serious importance I have called attention to it in the
notes. I have also embodied in the notes all our Translators'
marginal renderings ; and (I hope) all the references to
citations from the Old Testament.
I "wish to acknowledge gratefully the assistance I have
received from my 'friend Canon Venables of Lincoln in
correcting these sheets for the Press. His scholarly eye
detected many inaccuracies which had escaped me. Por those
that remain he is in no way responsible.

J. P. N.

St. Mary Redcllfee Vicarage,
Bristol, Lent 1880.

INTRODUCTION TO
If we were reading these Gospels for the first time, and were
asked to give some account of them, we should probably describe
them in some such terms as these : — They are not biographies, nor
are they essays; but rather four independent collections of anecdotes
and discourses, put together without much continuity of narrative,
but with an evident intention of illustrating as vividly as possible
the Messianic character and work of Jesus Christ.
_ That their points of view are different — three Evangelists ex
hibiting Him as He was known to the Galilean multitude, and the
fourth as He appeared to the people of Jerusalem or to His inner
most circle of disciples — is obvious. But however independent their
portraitures, however diverse those of the three from that of the
fovirih, still it is overpoweringly evident that He who shines forth
upon us from these pages is One and the same. In all four
Gospels we are awed by the same mystery, — the lowliest submission
to suffering, combined with a consciousness of Divinity revealed in
every word He spake. The divine majesty of His language in the
three parallel Gospels can only be explained by the more direct
assertions of Divinity in the fourth. He who in the Synoptics is
heard forgiving sin ; claiming to be loved above father and mother ;
declaring that whoever denied Him before men, him would He
deny before the angels ; that hereafter they should see Him coming
in the clouds of heaven ; that all power was given Him in heaven
and in earth: — can be none other than He who, in St. John's
Gospel, said, " Before Abraham was I am," " He that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father," " I and my Father are one."
If we were asked to give our reasons for believing these narratives
to be true and historical, most of us would reply : — " I need no
elaborate proofs ; the Gospels seem to me to carry their own attes
tation. The character here portrayed is so unique, so transcen
dency different in kind as well as in degree from any other of
whom the world holds record, that unless it had been first realized
it never could have been conceived. Unless ' the Life had been
manifested,' unless the Apostles had ' seen and heard ' Him whom
they ' declare,' these Gospels could never have been written.
Whatever their history or authorship may be, in the words which
A

2 INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS.
they record I recognize the voice of Him who all my life has been
speaking to me in my conscience. I want no other evidence."
The discrepancies of their four portraitures are but such as four
mirrors would show reflecting at slightly different angles one and
the same original. And if we were pressed to account for these
diversities, some such explanation as the following would to most
of us appear satisfactory : —
As to the marked difference of St. John's Gospel and the rest,
it is no more than might be expected, if the constant tradition of
the Church be true, that St. John wrote his Gospel long after the
others, for a generation of Christians who were already familiar
with the main facts of our Lord's ministry, but were perplexed by
speculative doubts of later growth about the mystery of His Person.
Under such circumstances one can well conceive the aged Apostle
being moved to draw forth from his divinely-aided memory those
deeper self-revelations of Christ, vouchsafed to His Apostles in the
upper chamber, or wrung from Him in bitter controversy with the
priestly party at Jerusalem, which were yet needed to complete the
Gospel testimony.
And as to the three other Gospels, so parallel in their general
structure, so coincident sometimes in words and phrases, and yet so
manifestly independent one of another, a very intelligible explana
tion seems to be suggested by the Preface to St. Luke's Gospel.
From that Preface we learn : —
1. That before he or others had " taken in hand " to write a
narrative of our Lord's ministry, its main facts had come to be
" surely believed" among Christians ;
2. That these facts had been orally " delivered " to the Church
by those who had been "eye-witnesses and ministers" of the
Gospel; and that converts like Theophilus had been carefully
" instructed " (or catechized) therein ;
3. That many had undertaken to construct out of such materials
more orderly narratives; and that St. Luke himself, being
specially qualified for the task, and having traced out the whole
history from its commencement, thus composed the Gospel which
bears his name.
From these few verses we may collect a tolerably clear account
of the manner in which the three Gospels came to be composed
explaining very sufficiently both their agreements and their disagree
ments. Wherever an Apostle gathered a congregation of Hellenistic
converts, he would recite to them, in the Greek tongue, with all
the vividness of an inspired eye-witness, such passages of our Lord's
ministry as proved Him to be the Messiah. At his departure
he would leave behind him, perhaps, some written memoranda,
which would be read as part of the Lectionary of that Church
these passages of the evangelic narrative would come to be known
by heart and would be repeated by Catechists and Evangelists
with such slight variations as were sure to accrue in the course of
oral transmission ; and when, in after years, connected narratives
came to be written by Apostles, or by others under their direction

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS. 3
such familiar passages would be sure to be imbedded in them. And
this is precisely what we seem to find in these three Gospels.
The first is entitled the Gospel " according to Matthew," that
is, the Gospel narrative as St. Matthew was accustomed to present
it to the Palestinian Jews ; for its style and contents show that it
was composed for Hebrew Christians. The second — the Gospel
" according to Mark " — may well have been written by the
" Marcus " whom St. Peter mentions as his " son " in the faith.
The third, the Gospel " according to Luke," St. Paul's faithful com
panion, whom he probably alludes to in terms of praise for his
diligence in disseminating the Gospel (2 Cor. viii. 18), was mani
festly intended for Gentile readers.
There is no reason to question the tradition preserved by Eusebius
(E. H. iii. 24), that these three earlier Gospels were submitted to
St. John in his old age, and that he approved them, and noticing
some things in which they were deficient, wrote his own Gospel to
complete the evangelic record. Certain it is, that within fifty years
of St. John's death we find Justin Martyr showing in more than a
hundred places familiarity with the language of the Gospel narrative
as we possess it, and speaking of it as read aloud in the regular
services of the Church on the Lord's day.
What has been said may suffice to explain in some measure the
very striking omissions of the three Synoptics on the one hand, and
of St. John on the other. The three earlier Gospels have omissions
(of the Ascension, for instance, in St. Matthew, of the Nativity in St.
Mark, of the raising of Lazarus in all three) because they are really
collections of fragments, oral or written, made and edited by the
Evangelists whose names they bear. St. John, on the contrary,
writing many years later, with a well-defined purpose, held -himself
free to omit or select from the stores of inspired memory (xiv. 26)
what best suited this purpose.

INTRODUCTION TO
&'t» fl&attfieto-j* (Bogpel.
We must now open St. Matthew's Gospel. From the earliest
ages it has been ascribed to the Apostle of that name. That the
Levi, whose call is related by St. Mark and St. Luke, is to be iden
tified with St. Matthew, will be evident to any one who compares
St. Matthew's account of the call with theirs. He was one of that
hated class who farmed the Roman taxes. Of his career after the
Ascension nothing authentic is known.
In his Gospel we find our Lord portrayed as the promised
Messiah of Israel, fulfilling the types and prophecies of the Old

4 INTRODUCTION TO ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL.
Testament, and proclaiming the " kingdom of heaven," for which
all were so anxiously looking. The Evangelist is moved to set
prominently forth whatever might persuade his nation to accept
Jesus as their Messiah. Hence it is that he places the Sermon
on the Mount (out of its chronological order) in the forefront,
as propounding the principles of the Messiah's kingdom; —
then a group of miracles, by way of enforcing His claim to be
the Messiah ; — then a group of parables describing the future work
ing of His kingdom in the world ; — then His care to instruct His
Apostles as the officers of His kingdom, and specially to prepare
them, in the last six months, between the Transfiguration and Palm
Sunday, for the approaching end ; — and lastly, the warnings of im
pending judgment if the nation repent not. We see at once how
this arrangement of his matter conduces to the end in view far
better than a strictly chronological arrangement.
St. Matthew's special purpose seems to have been to prepare the
Hebrew Christians for the closing of that first dispensation under
which they had been nurtured, and to help them to discern in the
Christian Church that truer Theocracy or " Kingdom of Heaven,"
to which all prophecy had pointed.
That the fall of Jerusalem was not past when he wrote is clear ;
that it was imminent, is probable. The phrase " until this day,"
twice used by St. Matthew (xxvii. 8, xxviii. 15), seems to point to
the lapse of at least one generation since the events related ; while
from xxiv. 15-20, it seems clear that he was writing before the
flight of the Christians to Pella. The date indicated by Irenseus
(a.d. 63-68) is therefore a probable one.
Some maintain that our first Gospel is a Greek translation of a
Hebrew original. But it would seem nearer the truth to say that
there were two original documents : — (1) An earlier Gospel in
Eeh-ew (or rather Aramaic), written by St. Matthew, as Papias and
so many early Fathers testify; and (2) a somewhat later Greek
Gospel, acknowledged from the first by all the early Fathers to be
" the Gospel according to St. Matthew," embodying, as authentically
as the Hebrew document, the narrative delivered by St. Matthew
to his converts; and adding thereto much of that oral or cyclic
element (especially in the discourses) common to all the Synoptists.
Had the Greek document been a translation of the Hebrew, it could
not have contained so much of this common Greek element.
The Hebrew document seems to have been soon corrupted, when
those for whom it was written became Ebionites. Hence its disap
pearance from among the sacred books of the Church. The Greek
Gospel has been preserved to us in its purity by the good Provi
dence of God.

THE GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO

SAINT MATTHEW.

^FHE book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David,
-L 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 Thamar ; and Phares begat Esrom ; and Esrom

Ch. I. i. The promised Messiah, or
Christ, or Anointed One, whom the
Jews were expecting, was to be "the
son of David," and also " the son of
Abraham," born " of the seed of
Abraham" (Gen. xxii. 18), and "of
the fruit of the loins of David"
(2 Sam. vii. 12-16; Ps. cxxxii. 11 ;
Acts ii. 30). Therefore St. Mat
thew is inspired to begin his Oospel
by showing that this was true of
Jesus. Comparing his genealogy
with that of St. Luke, we notice
at once that St. Matthew descends
from Abraham to Jesus, whereas St.
Luke ascends from Jesus to Adam.
Arranging both genealogies in parallel
columns we notice further that from
Abraham to David they coincide ;
after David they diverge, St. Matthew
following the line of kings, St. Luke
giving a parallel line of unknown
names, until they meet again in
Salathiel, the father of Zerubbabel.
There they seem to diverge again, and
once more come together in Matthan
or Matthat. Of Matthan's sons, one
gives Jacob, the other Heli, but both
agree in making Joseph of Nazareth
his grandson. English divines used
to suppose that St. Matthew gave
Joseph's genealogy, and St. Luke that
of the Virgin. But a more careful
study of the question led both Dr.
Mill and Lord Arthur Hervey to re
vert to the old belief of the Fathers,
that both Evangelists give the pedi
gree of Joseph. Indeed, it would be

contrary to Jewish usage to exhibit
the pedigrees of children through
their mother, even if the mother were
an heiress. There is good reason for
believing that Mary (as well as Joseph)
was of David's family — else why need
she go with him to Bethlehem to be
enrolled ? and St. Paul's language also
seems to imply it in Bom. i. 3, 2 Tim.
ii. 8 ; — but it seems clear that
both Evangelists give our Lord's
genealogy through Joseph, carefully
guarding themselves, however, from
affirming that Joseph was his natural
father: St. Matthew describing Joseph
as husband of His mother (i. 16), St.
Luke as His reputed father (iii. 23).
The divergences of the two gene
alogies are explained by supposing
that St. Matthew gives the legal de
scent, preserved in the Record Office
at Jerusalem, and St. Luke the natural
descent, according to the registers at
Bethlehem. The legal descent follows
the line of the elder sons, and where-
ever the line fails, one of the younger
branch is adopted as heir. Thus
Jechonias, being childless (Jer. xxii.
30), seems to have adopted Salathiel,
or ShealtieL as his son. Again, we
may suppose that Eleazar was child
less, and adopted Matthan from the
junior line. And lastly, Jacob, being
childless, may have adopted his
brother Heli's son Joseph. The
Hebrew word for "begat" may be
used, I believe, for adoption of an
heir.

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 1. 4-23-

[b.c. S

begat Aram ; * and Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab begat
Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 6and Salmon begat Booz of
Rachab ; and Booz begat Obed of Euth ; and Obed begat Jesse ;
6 and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat
Solomon of her that had. been the wife of Urias ; 7 and Solomon begat
Eoboam; and Roboam begat Abia ; and Abia begat Asa ; 8 and Asa
begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram ; and Joram begat
Ozias ; 9 and Ozias begat Joatham ; and Joatham begat Achaz ; and
Achaz begat Ezekias ; 10 and Ezekias begat Manasses ; and Manasses
begat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias ; u and Josias begat Jechonias
and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon :
12 and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel;
and Salathiel begat Zorobabel ; 13 and Zorobabel begat Abiud ; and
Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14and Azor begat
Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; "and
Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan
begat Jacob ; 16 and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of
whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen
generations ; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon
are fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon
unto Christ are fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth 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 publick
example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But 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 Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived in
her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son,, and
thou shalt call his name JESUS : for he shall save his people
from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 " Behold,

I. 5. Jobed.

6. and David (om. "the king") begat.
18. Now tbe birth of Christ.

7, 8. Asaph.

10. Amos.

18 (= Luke i. 27). The betrothed
remained in herfather's house until the
bridegroom came to fetch her (Matt.
xxv. 1). Joseph, beingastrictobserver
of the law, wished to cancel the be
trothal privately ; but when the angel
revealed to him the miracle which
God had wrought, he was satisfied, and
took Mary to his home. One may,
perhaps, without irreverence, adopt
St. Ambrose's suggested reason why
the Virgin of whom the Lord was to
be born should be one already hetrothed
to a husband ; it made it the more
possible for the secret of His mira

culous birth to be maintained until
the time was ripe for its revelation :
— " Maluit Dominus quosdam de Sua
generatione quam de Matris pudore
dubitare." See note on Luke ii. 48.
20. The margin has "begotten,"
but conceived is the better rendering,
as Luke i. 13, Gal. iv. 24, show.
21. Jesus — the Greek form of the
Hebrew Joshua, or " Jah-Hosea," or
Jehovah our Saviour. Jesus was our
Lord's personal human name. Mes
siah, or Christ, or the Anointed One,
was His official name.
23. Most of the prophecies quoted

B.C. 5]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 1. 24-25; 2. 1.

" a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
" they shall call his name Emmanuel," 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 :
26 and knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son :
and he called his name JESUS.
Ch. 2. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in
the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from

25. Brought forth a son ; om. "her flrst-born.'

in the New Testament as referring
to the times of the Messiah, will be
found to have had an earlier and less
important fulfilment in some event
near to the times of the prophet. So,
too, many of our Lord's prophecies
had their near fulfilment in the de
struction of Jerusalem, and will have
their remote fulfilment at the end of
the world. The first or near fulfil
ment of this prophecy (as we see
on referring to Isaiah vii. 14, viii. 3, 4)
was the birth of the child who had
been promised as a sign to the
Jews that they should be delivered
from their confederate enemies, the
king of Damascus and the king of
Samaria. The second or remote ful
filment was the birth of the Messiah.
And (as is usual in such cases of
nearer and more remote fulfilments)
the prophecy contains words which
are at once seen to exceed and tran
scend the lower fulfilment, as here the
name Immannel. Bacon (Adv. of
Learning) admirably says of such
prophecies that they " partake of the
nature of their Author, with whom a
thousand years are but as one day ;
and therefore are not fulfilled punctu
ally and at once, but have spring
ing and germinant accomplishment
throughout many ages, though the
height or fulness of them may refer
to some one age."
They shall call his name. The
margin suggests, "his name shall be
called ; " but the text is better, mean
ing (according to the Hebrew idiom)
" He shall be what the name imports."
Compare Jer. xxiii. 6.
23. These phrases by no means
imply that Mary ceased to be a virgin
after our Lord's birth. The Church
has ever believed that she remained

a virgin to her death. The word
" first-born " was always applied to
the first child, whether followed by
others or not — Ex. xiii. 2. In Heb.
i. 6 it is clearly equivalent to " only
begotten." But, as may be seen
above, it is doubtful whether the
word here is genuine.
Ch. II. ( = Luke ii. 1.) It is now
plainly ascertained that Herod the
Greatdied just before the Passover, i.e.
early in April, in the year of Kome 750,
four years before the year commonly
assigned as the year of our Lord's
birth. (This is the meaning" of the
note in the margin of our Bibles :
" The Fourth year before the com
mon account called Anno Domini.")
Our Church Calendar supposes the
visit of the Magi to have been twelve
months and twelve days after the
Nativity ; but this throws the date of
our Lord's birth too far back. As
suming December 25, 749, as the date
of the Nativity, we must place the
Epiphany a few days after the Pre
sentation, i.e. in February 750 — leav
ing about six weeks for the absence
in Egypt. The Magi, or astronomers
of Persia, or of Chaldsea (Dan. ii. 2,
12), used to connect remarkable ap
pearances in the heavens with great
events on earth. In this instance it
was by Divine inspiration that they
connected some such rare appearance
with the advent of the Jewish
Messiah, and were instructed to take
it as a sign that the Messiah, whom
Daniel's prophecy may have led them
to expect, was born. Though they
were Gentiles, they had faith in this
inspiration, and were rewarded by be
holding the Holy Babe at Bethlehem.
See Collect for Epiphany.
Ps. lxxii. 10 and Is. lx. 3 seem to

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 2. 2-8.

[b.c. 4

the east to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is he that is born King of
the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to
worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4And when he had
gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he
demanded of them where" Christ should be born. BAnd they
said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea : for thus it is written by the
prophet, 6 " And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not
" the least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee shall come
" a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." ' Then Herod,
when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared. 8And he sent them to
Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child ;
and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come
3. the king Herod.

have suggested the tradition, as old as
Tertullian, that they were kings, and
their threefold gift led early writers
and painters to represent them as
three in number. The Venerable Bede
names them, describing Melchior as
an old man ; Caspar, as a ruddy
youth ; Balthasar, swarthy, in the
prime of life.
2. We, in the East, have seen His
star. 3. Herod, an Idumaean, with no
title whatever to the throne of David,
might well be alarmed by this embas-

4. Chief priests. The heads of the
twenty-four courses (see Luke i. 5),
and all who had filled the office of
high priest, were ex officio members of
the Sanhedrin, and were called " chief
priests." The other members of the
Sanhedrin were "scribes and elders."
Hence the phrase chief priests and
scribes means a meeting of the San
hedrin, or chief priests and scribes and
elders. See note on Mark xv. 1.
Where the Christ should be born.
There are only four places in the
Gospels where " Christ " occurs with
out the article. It was not used as
a proper name (without the article)
till after the Besurrection.
5. We see how the Jews, in their
conviction that the Messiah's advent
was near, had searched in their pro
phetic books for every phrase that
might possibly allude to Him, and
help them to recognize Him when He
should appear. Hence St. Matthew's

anxiety to show that all these pas
sages were capable of fulfilment in
Jesus. This is from Micah v. 2.
The Jewish commentaries referred
this prophecy to the Messiah : " And
thou Bethlehem Ephratah, wast as a
little one to be numbered among the
thousands* of the house of Judah ;
but from thee, before Me, shall the
Messiah go forth, to be a ruler over
Israel ; whose name is told of old,
from the days of eternity " (Targum
of Jonathan). See also John vii. 42.
6. Shall rule — margin, "shall feed,"
as a shepherd.
7. In order to calculate the age of
the Child. From verse 16 it would
appear that he took a wide margin in
order to make sure of his cruel pur
pose, for Jesus could not be more
than a few months old. See note on
Luke ii. 39.
Joseph and Mary seem to have
taken a house at Bethlehem (ver. 11),
thinking perhaps that the " city of
David " was the proper home for the
Messiah, and wishing possibly to
reside near to Elisabeth. (Hebron,
only fifteen miles from Bethlehem, is
supposed to have been Elisabeth's
home.) But on their return from
Egypt — fearing to resume their resi,
dence at Bethlehem — they turned
aside, under Divine guidance, to their
old home at Nazareth (ver. 23).

* The word "thousands," like our "hun
dreds," was applied to the districts into which
the land of Israel was divided; each was
under a chief officer or " prince"— hence per
haps the LXX. rendering.

B.C. 4]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 2. 9-19.

and worship him also. 9When they had heard the king, they
departed ; and, lo, the star, which they saw in 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 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him :
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him
gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12And being warned of
God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they
departed into their own country another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, 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. " When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by
night, and departed into Egypt : 1B and was there until the death of
Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying, " Out of Egypt have I called my son."
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men,
was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that
were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old
and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired
of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken
by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18"In Rama was there a voice
" heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel
" weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because
"they are not." "But when Herod was dead, behold, an
angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

18. Om. "lamentation, and."

15. Hosea's words (xi. 1) relate,
in their first sense, to the deliver
ance of the Israelites from Egypt
by Moses ; in their second to the
Messiah (see note on i. 23). Not
only were individual Israelites types
of the Messiah, but Israel collectively
in its election, in its sufferings and
deliverances, was no less so. And
this the prophets seem to intend,
using the expression, " the Anointed
One," sometimes for the nation, some
times for the promised Seed. Cf.
Ex. iv. 22, " Israel is My Son, My
First-born." 16. In all the coasts thereof —
meaning " within its borders"
18. Jeremiah's words (xxxi. 15)
relate first to the Captivity : Eachel
(who died and was buried " in the
way to Bethlehem," Gen. xxxv. 19) is
supposed to mourn in her grave for
her children who are passing by into

captivity. (See Jeremiah's account
of what Nebuzaradan did at this
very place, xL 1.) In their second
sense (see at i. 23) the words are
applied to this massacre, — Eachel
hearing in her grave the cries of the
mothers of Bethlehem, and mourn
ing with them for the slaughter of
the innocents.
Commentators quote Calvin's ex
cellent remark : " Matthew does not
mean that the prophet had pre
dicted what Herod would do, but
that, at the advent of Christ, that
mourning was renewed which many
years before the women of Bethlehem
had made." The prophecy is all the
more applicable, because Jeremiah in
the same chapter, vers. 22 and 33, com
forts the weeping mothers (as every
Jewish reader would remember) with
the promise of the Messiah who should
redeem their murdered children.

10

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 2. 20-23 5 3- x'4-

[b.c. 4

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
young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and
his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard
that Archelaus did reign in Judsea in the room of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go thither : notwithstanding, 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 Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophets, " He shall be called a Nazarene."
Ch. 3. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the
wilderness of Judsea, 2 and saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. 3For this is he that was spoken of by the
prophet Esaias, saying, " The voice of one crying in the wilder-
" ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and

21. entered into.

I1L 2. Om. "and."

20. They. Lightfoot (Hor. Heb.)
thinks that Herod's cruel son Anti-
pater may have taken part in the mas
sacre. Antipater was murdered by
Herod's dying command.
22. The word " notwithstanding "
(in the original simply "but") spoils
the sense. He would naturally have
returned to the house he seems to
have taken at Bethlehem ; but the
fear of Archelaus and the Divine
warning determine him to "retire"
to Nazareth. See note on Lukeii. 39.
On Herod's death (in Nisan b.c. 4)
Augustus nominated his younger son,
the cruel Archelaus, to succeed him,
against the wishes of the Jews, and
nine years later banished him to
Gaul, and annexed the province,
which then began to be governed by
procurators, as an imperial province.
23. Another prophecy (like that in
verse 6), which probably was being
repeated from mouth to mouth at
this time as a clew to the discovery of
the Messiah. What the reference is
we know not. Nazareth derives its
name from NMser, a branch. Possibly
St. Matthew saw in the name of His
home a fulfilment of the many pro
phecies that spoke of Him as the
Branch, Is. xi. 1. But in most of
these places (Is. iv. 2, Jer. xxiii. 5)
the word is not NStser, but Tsemach.
Therefore some assign a different
etymology, and suppose the Evangelist
to allude to those many prophecies
which speak of the Messiah as separ

ate (nazir) from men (a Nazarite).
But this is untenable, for our Lord
was not a Nazarite (Luke vii. 34).
Possibly, from the proverbial char
acter of Nazareth (John i. 46),
Nazarene had come to mean any one of
obscure origin. That this would be
true of the Messiah many " prophets"
testified. Ch. III. i (=Mark i. 4, Luke iii. 3).
In those days : i.e. while Jesus was
still dwelling at Nazareth, which He
did for nearly thirty years of His life.
John the Baptist. St. Matthew
speaks of him as of one well known
to his readers, which confirms the con
stant tradition that this Gospel was
written for the Hebrew Christians of
Palestine. From Joseph us we know the
deep impression the Baptist had made.
Wilderness of Judsea. See note on
John i. 28.
2. Repent. The Greek word is
literally " Change your hearts."
The kingdom of heaven, or (as the
other Evangelists always express it)
«' the kingdom of God," means the
establishment of the Messiah's king
dom, i.e. of the Christian Church,
described in so many of our Lord's
parables commencing " The kingdom
of heaven is like " ..." of heaven,"
as being a spiritual kingdom.
3. See Is. xl. 3.
4. A haircloth or sackcloth gar
ment confined by » strap was the
usual dress of the prophets (2 Kings
i. 8 ; Zech. xiii. 4).

A.D. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 3. 5-15.

11

a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts and
wild honey.
B Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judsea, and all the
region round about Jordan, "and were baptized of him in Jordan,
confessing their sins. ' But when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, 0 generation
of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come 1
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : 9 and think not
to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father : for I
say unto 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 fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. u I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance : but he that cometh after me is mightier
than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire : 12 whose fan is in his hand,
and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner ; but he will bum up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be
baptized of him. " But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be
baptized of thee, and comest thou to me 1 1B And Jesus answering
said unto him, Suffer it to he so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil
6. The river Jordan. 7. Om. "his." 8. fruit. 10. Om. " also." 12. his garner.

6. St. John, in preparing people for
" the kingdom of heaven," used the
same form of lustration or baptism
which the Jews were accustomed to
use in the admission of proselytes.
N.B. — No "inward and spiritual
grace " was conveyed by this baptism.
It was not a sacrament in our sense
of the term. Cf. Acts i. 5, xi. 16.
7. Pharisees and Sadducees. Two
sects among the Jews : the Pharisees,
whose zeal for the observance of the
Law degenerated into formalism, and
too often into hypocrisy ; — the Sad
ducees, who were for the most
part freethinkers and materialists.
They arose after the decline of the
Great Synagogue in the third century
B.C. The word Pharisee means separ
atist in Hebrew. Alongside of the
written law they asserted the equal
authority of an oral law, which they
said " the Great Synagogue" had re
ceived by tradition from Moses.
Thus they encumbered God's law
by an infinite number of minute
regulations, against which our Lord
protested bitterly, ch. xxiii. This
oral law was repudiated by the Saddu

cees. Accepting the written law only,
and failing to find therein any doctrine
of resurrection, they fell into unbelief
respecting it. Nor did they believe
that God any longer spoke to men by
angels. See Acts xxiii. 8.
Generation of vipers. "Genera
tion," in sense of progeny : children
not of Abraham, but of the old ser
pent. (So Lightfoot, Hot. Heb.)
8. Meet for repentance. Well
paraphrased in the margin, " Answer
able to amendment of life."
11. With the Holy Ghost, and with
fire— fulfilled on the day of Pente
cost. Fire well symbolizes the double
effect of the Holy Ghost, both trying
and purifying. In the next verse we
have both the winnowing breath of
the Spirit and the fire of Divine
justice. But see note on Luke iii. 16.
14. See note on John i. 33.
15. Now — in the time of His humi
liation. The day would come when
He would accept the Baptist's hom
age. Thus it becometh us to fulfil
every ordinance of God. Christ thus
acknowledges the Divine authority of

12

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 3. 16-17 ; 4- i-3- tA-D- 27

all righteousness. Then he suffered him. "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 : " and lo a voice
from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. Ch. 4. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to
be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the

16. Om. "and" before "lighting."

the Baptist's mission. Note the con
trast : others said, " Thus it be
cometh us to make confession of our
sins;" Christ implied by His words
to the Baptist that it was not in this
sense that He sought baptism.
16. This was the sign that the time
was come for Jesus, who had lived
hitherto in retirement, to take upon
Him the character of the Messiah, or
Christ, or Anointed One. He was
about thirty years of age (Luke iii. 23).
He saw, i.e. Jesus saw. John also
saw it (John i. 32). It does not ap
pear that any one else saw the vision
or heard the voice. The Spirit de
scended on the Son, and the Father
spake ; thus all the Persons of the
Trinity were concerned iu this bap
tism, as in ours (Matt, xxviii. 19).
Ch. IV. 1. We cannot understand
the mystery of this narrative of the
Temptation, nor indeed the mystery
of our Lord's humiliation, unless we
distinctly realize that the human will
of the Second Adam had to be
schooled by a process of self -discipline
into harmony with the Divine will.
Thus we read that Christ in His
human nature " increased in wisdom"
(Lukeii. 52),and "learned obedience"
(Heb. ii. 18). His human nature
received its armour in the descent of
the Spirit at the baptism : that armour
must now be "proved," as Chryso-
stom says. The Second Adam must
go through the same process of temp
tation as the first Adam, albeit in this
ease, owing to the union with the
Divine nature, failure is impossible.
For the further doctrine of Christ's
temptation, see note on Heb. iv. 15 ;
cf. James i. 13. When we hear of God
templing any one (as in Gen. xxii. 1),

we must understand it in the sense
of making trial of faith in order to
strengthen it.
Led up of the Spirit. Compare
Ezek. xi. 24, " The Spirit took me up
and brought me in a vision by the
Spirit of God into Chaldaea." For the
personality of the devil, see note on
Luke iv. 2.
How all this happened, and how
the tempter presented himself to
Jesus, is not told us. And indeed
if it had been, we could not have
understood it ; for the only kinds of
appearance that we are familiar with,
are bodily appearances and appear
ances in dreams. And this was
neither the one nor the other, but
some third kind of appearance of which
we have lost all knowledge, except
through the Word of God. Observe
that never once do we hear of our
Lord having visions, or being in a
rapture carried out of Himself, as
His apostles were (Acts x. 10 ; 2 Cor.
xiii. 2), for the simple reason that He
was always in the state of open vision:
"The Son of Man who is in heaven"
(John iii. 13). We cannot expect to
understand this. It may be said of
our days, as it was said of that dark
period recorded in the Book of Judges,
" The word of the Lord was precious
in those days ; there was no open
vision." See note on the Transfigura
tion, xvii. 1.
3. If it be asked why the devil
tempted Jesus (as he had tempted
Adam) in a personal form, the answer
is a simple one : He can enter the
heart of fallen man ; he could not
enter the heart of Jesus. But for
this great difference the three tempta
tions of our Lord correspond to the

A.D. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 4. 4-14.

13

tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command
that these stones be made bread. *But he answered and said, It is
written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
" word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." B Then
the devil taketh him up 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, 'f He shall give his
" angels charge concerning thee : and in their hands they shall
" bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against 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 into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ; 9 and saith unto
him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and
worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan :
for it is written, " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
"him only shalt thou serve." uThen the devil leaveth him,
and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
13 Now when Jesus had heard that John was 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 Nephthalim : 14 that it might be fulfilled which was
IV. 3. came and said to him. 5. and set him. 9. and said. 12. When he ; om. "Jesus."

three classes into which all our
temptations are divided in the Cate
chism,— "the world," "the flesh," and
" the devil." And from our Lord's
example we may learn how to resist
each. See on Luke iv. 1-12, Heb.
iv. 15.
5. Bather, "on the wing of the
temple." 4, 7, 10. Thrice our Lord vanquished
Satan with a text from Deuteronomy
(viii. 3, vi. 16, vi. 13); for "the
sword of the Spirit is the word of
God." It is observable that the two
latter texts are taken from the four
passages (called Shema, from the first
word, "Hear") which the Jews. in
scribed in their phylacteries, and
recited daily : Deut. vi. 4-9, 13-22 ;
Ex. xiii. 2-10, 11-16. Our Lord re
plies as man: conquers Satan in His
human nature. , Note that Satan can
also quote Scripture (Ps. xci. 11).
The thought which, in the mystery
of this temptation, the Evil One was
permitted to suggest to the human
mind of Jesus, was to act indepen
dently of His Father, — to satisfy His
hunger, to prove His power, to grasp
His kingdom, in His own way, instead

of His Father's way. The thought
was really suggested, though instantly
repelled. 12 (= Mark i. 14, Luke iv. 14, John
iv. 43). Here begins the great Gali
lean Ministry. See note on Luke
iv. 14. According to the scheme
of chronology adopted in this Com
mentary, our Lord's journey through
Samaria into Galilee took place in har
vest-time — see note on John iv. 35 —
i.e. in May (a.d. 27). St. Matthew, St.
Mark, and St. Luke omit all record
of the earlier ministry on the Jordan
before the Baptist's imprisonment.
Cast into prison — margin, "de
livered up."
14. Isaiah (viii. 20-22) describes
the utter darkness of the faithless
people who forsook the law of God ;
then, in ix. 1, 2, he shames them by
foretelling the Light that shall be
vouchsafed to the more faithfuljpeople
of the north, the tribes of Zabulon
and Naphtali, who had been the first
to fall under the Assyrian yoke in
former times (2 Kings xv. 29J. " To
these," he says, "who were formerly
distressed there shall be no more
gloom. At the former time He

14

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 4. 15-25 ; 5. 1-2. [a.d. 27

spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, " " The land of Zabulon,
" and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond
" Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles ; " the people which sat _ m
" darkness saw great light ; and to them which sat in the region
" and shadow of death light is sprung up."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent :
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. "And Jesus, walking by
the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were
fishers. " And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed
him. 21And 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 nets; and he called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed
him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all 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 which were possessed with devils, and those which were
lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed , them.
26 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee,
and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from
beyond Jordan. v , ,
Ch. 5. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain :
and when he was set, his disciples came unto him : 2 and he opened
18. And he; om. "Jesus." 23. And he went about in all Galilee : om. "Jesus "(?).' 't

humbled the land of Zabulon and
Naphtali, but in the latter times He
glorified it by the shores of that
Galilean lake." The first rays of
Immanuel shall shine on them.
17. The kingdom of heaven. This
may be said to be the burden of
Christ's preaching, as also of His
apostles' (Matt. x. 7 ; Luke x. 9) :
" The kingdom of the Messiah has
come." This was the " Gospel " or
glad tidings (verse 23) which drew
those " great multitudes " after Him.
The outward and visible sign of the
kingdom was an outpouring of the
gifts of the Spirit (especially gifts of
healing, verse 24), such as the world
has never seen before or since. As
the inward and spiritual grace (the
regeneration of the human heart)
began to spread over the world, the
outward and visible sign was gradu
ally withdrawn, being no longer

needed ; and now the fruits of the
Spirit attest the reality of the king
dom, as miracles did at the first.
18. These two apostles had received
their first call some months before
(John i. 40). This explains (what
would need explanation) their im
mediate obedience.
25. From Jerusalem, and from
Judssa. The early Judsean Ministry
recorded in John iii. iv. is here im
plied (see also xxiii. 37), else why
these multitudes from Jerusalem and
beyond Jordan ?
Ch. V. 1 (= Luke vi. 20). In the
"Sermon on the Mount" (v. vi. vii.)
we have a specimen of the way in
which Christ "preached the Gospel of
the kingdom." It falls into three por
tions : — 1. Introduction : who are the
true citizens of His kingdom : their
blessedness and responsibility (1-16).
2. The law of His kingdom : perfect-

A.D. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 5. 3-15.

15

his mouth, and taught them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for their's 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 hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be
filled. 'Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed 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
their's is the kingdom of heaven. u Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad :
for great is your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
13 Ye 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 trodden under foot, of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot
be hid. " Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel,
V. 4, 5. Tregelles transposes these verses ; the Sinaitic MS. retains our order.

ing the old law (17-48), forbidding
hypocrisy (vi. 1-18), and worldliness
(19-34). 3. Concluding admonitions
against mere profession (vii.). Our
Lord begins (1-12) by describing of
what sort those must be wlio are ad
mitted into His kingdom. And, first,
the poor ones of the earth.
3. Poor in spirit. See note on Luke
vi. 20. " Blessed are they that are
inwardly poor, who in their hearts
and spirits have a sense of need, of
emptiness, and poverty." — (Trench. )
He, too, becomes "poor in spirit"
who, instead of saying, " This is
mine," and "That is mine," says
rather, "Whatever I have is God's
gift, or rather God's loan, and must
be used as belonging to Him."
4,5. Trench approves the transposed
order of these verses, found in St.
Augustine and the Vulgate ; for spiri
tual poverty towards God and meekness
towards men go well together.
4. They that mourn. This is true of
the poorest widow, and true no less of
the whole universe, for all creation
groaneth (Bom. viii. 22) ; and were it
not to be comforted, then either there
were no God, or there were two zival
Gods, as the poor Indian thinks.
God be praised, then, for the revela
tion of this verse !

5. " The meek shall inherit the
earth" (Ps. xxxvii. 11). (Compare
1 Cor. iii. 22. ) "Wouldst thou possess
the earth ? See that thou be not pos
sessed by it." — (Augustine, Serm. liii.)
6. Shall he fflled. It is the gift
of God. That right relation to God
which alone can give us a good con
science is unattainable by man's un
aided effort ; God alone can bestow
it. See on Bom. iii. 21.
8. Shall see God — not only here
after, but now also. The single-
minded only have the soul's eye so
purged that they become as directly
conscious of God as if they saw Him.
This Christ promises us in John xiv.
21, xvi. 16.
9. Peacemakers — those who, being
reconciled to God themselves, are
able to reconcile others to God, and
so to one another also.
13. You, the first members of My
kingdom, are to spread it among
mankind. All history teaches that
Christianity alone preserves nations
from corruption. See to it, then, that
you are yourselves incorrupt, else how
can you preserve others from corrup
tion ? (literally, " Wherein shall there
be a seasoning?")
15. Under a bushel — under an in
verted vessel, so as to be hidden.

16

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 5. 16-22.

[a.d. 27

but on a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the
house. " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets :
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. " For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled. " 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. 20For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, " Thou shalt
" not kill:" and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judg
ment : 22 but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment : and
22. Om. " with out a cause " (?). The Sinaitic and Vatican MSS. omit it; but other MSS
and the Syriac Versions have it. The earliest Fathers read it. Jerome rejected it.

16. In these verses Christ is ad
dressing His Church. The warnings
of vi. 1-18 are addressed to indi
viduals. "That they may glorify"
— not us, but our "Father which is
in heaven."
17. The rest of the chapter sets
forth the relation in which the
Christian kingdom stands to the old
dispensation. The Gospel in no degree
relaxes the requirements of the Law
and the Prophets in respect of holi
ness, but rather "fulfils," i.e. com
pletes tbem, teaching the substance,
of which the Law gave the shadow
only. (Col. ii. 17.)
18. (Jot, or iota, ovjod, the smallest
letter, and tittle, a mark, in the
Hebrew alphabet.)
21 — 48. Then follow five examples of
the way in which the Gospel fulfilled,
i.e. vindicated, the spiritual meaning of
the law Of Moses, each one beginning
with the same words, "Ye have
heard," etc. 1. The law of murder ;
2. The law of adultery ; 3. The law
of oaths ; 4. The law of retaliation ;
5. The law of charity. Christ's com
ments on the first three give the
Christian interpretation of the sixth,
seventh, and third commandments.
The Jews had lowered to the level of
mere civil statutes what (as Christ
shows) were intended to be command-

ments of holiness. Following these
examples of interpretation we shall be
guided to the Christian sense of the
whole Decalogue, — the sense in which
we pray God "to incline our hearts
to keep it," — the sense in which it is
explained in the Church Catechism, —
the sense in which it is retained in our
Liturgy as a summary of Christian
duty,-— for Christ clearly intends that
in His kingdom a sense of duty,
or the spirit of righteousness, shall
supersede the necessity for a written
law (when the heart is inclined to
keep the law, the law ceases to be
a restraint, ] Tim. i. 9, Heb. viii.
10) ; so that whereas the Jewish
teachers distinguished between par
donable and unpardonable sins, Christ
teaches that all wilful sin is equally
sinful (verse 19, and James ii. 10).
In the present imperfect realization
of the kingdom, crimes must still be
graduated according to a written penal
law; but as the Church becomes
holier, in that proportion will this
necessity decrease.
Said by them of old time— orrather
with Chrysostom, "said unto them of
old time."
22. " In danger of the judgment "
(Deut. xvi. 18, and note on Matt. x.
17), "In danger of the Sanhedrin"
(the supreme court), "In danger of

A.D. 2

7]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 5. 23-30.

17

whosoever shall, say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the
council : but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of
hell fire. M Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there
rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; M leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with
thine adversary quickly, 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 I
say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou
hast paid the uttermost farthing.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, " Thou
" shalt not commit adultery :" 2S but I say unto you, That whoso
ever 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 profitable for thee that one of
27. Om. "by them of old time."

the Valley of Hinnom " (or of Tpphet,
used ever since the time of Josiah as
the place where the corpses of male
factors and all abominations were
burned — Jer. xix. ; 2 Kings xxiii.
10 ; Is. xxx. 33, andlxvi. 24 ; Ecclus.
vii. 17 ; Judith xvi. 17).
These are clearly quotations from
the criminal law of the Jews, used
by our Lord in parable to denote
corresponding penalties of the other
world (which the translators appear
not to have understood). The sense
is, " Ye are wont to think that none
but outward criminal acts deserve
these penalties ; but in My kingdom
malicious thoughts and words may be
found as penal as the capital offences
of your law."
It would be a mere superstition, a
mere repetition of the Pharisaism
which Christ is condemning, to sup
pose that these words, " Raca " (used
by St. James, ii. 20) or " fool " (used
by our Lord, xxiii. 17) are in them
selves sinful It is the malignity
which they may indicate which is
in God's eye so sinful.
23 — 26. Christ's divine meaning is
still shrouded in the language of the
ceremonial and criminal law of the
Jews. But the time was near at
hand when this shroud was to fall
off, and His meaning to come forth

in all its universality. " The service
of God is good; but think not it will
palliate lack of charity to man : as
surely as reconciliation is the best
policy in worldly affairs, so surely
is the rule of charity the only
way of avoiding God's certain dis
pleasure;" Altar . . . offering. Augustine sees
no direct reference to the Eucharist
in these words ;¦ but clearly the pre
cept is applicable to the Eucharist, as
our highest act of self-oblation.
26. TiU thou hast paid. Dulcitius
asked Augustine whether these words
did not imply some limit to the pun
ishments of the other world. Augus
tine replied to his friend that he
would gladly believe it if he could,
but that the Scriptures on the other
side were too clear to allow it. He
concludes, therefore, that the debt
never can be paid. And so Chryso-
stom on Matt, xviii. 34. God's mercy
is infinite, but sin is a deadly poison,
and if men decline the antidote what
more can mercy do ?
27. The Church Catechism well
expresses Christ'sinterpretation of the
seventh commandment, — " to keep
My body in temperance, soberness,
and chastity." Compare xix. 11, 12.
29. Offend, cause to sin ; literally,
" make to stumble."

B

18

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 5. 31-41.

[a.d. 27

thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell. 31It hath been said, "Whosoever shall put away
" his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement : " 32 but I
say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for
the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and who
soever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time,
" Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord
" thine oaths : " 31 but I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by
heaven ; for it is God's throne : 35 nor by the earth ; for it is his
footstool : neither by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great
King. 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. 3S Ye have heard that it hath been said, " An eye for an
" eye, and a tooth for a tooth :" 39but I say unto you, That ye
resist not evil : but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also. i0 And if any man will sue thee at the
law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. a And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
30. that thy whole body should go to Gehenna. 32. putteth away . . . causeth
her to be made an adulteress. 37. your communication shall be.
tions will be necessary. Our Lord's
own conduct in a court of justice,
accepting the oath administered to
Him (Matt. xxvi. 63), and remon
strating when struck on the cheek
(John xviii. 23), shows that while we
strive to make the law of holiness
the law of our own hearts, we must
not prematurely impose it on civil
society; it would be "putting new
wine into old bottles." Nothing but
disorder would foUow.
39. The Jews made a regulation
of public justice their rule of pri
vate life. This Christ entirely for
bids. Resist not evil, meaning by retaliat
ing, as the context shows. God may
requite ; society may requite (Bom.
xiii. 1) ; the Christian in his own person
may not requite. Is self-defence then
forbidden? No; what is forbidden
is resentment. The good of society
— the good of the offender himself —
may require that you should restrain
him, but with no feeling of resent
ment. To apply Christ's words liter
ally would be falling into the very
sin which He is condemning in the
Jews. (See also at xxi. 12.)
41. Compel thee to go. The
Eomans compelled the Jews to fur-

31, 32. Moses was understood to
sanction divorce a vinculo (Deut.
xxiv. 1). Christ in one case, and
one only (unfaithfulness), sanctions
separation, but forbids marrying
another, implying that the separation
is not a vinculo. Some with Bishop
Cosin think that the exception covers
both clauses, and where Christ sanc
tions divorce, He would sanction a
second marriage. But Luke xvi. 18
seems to show (as Winer allows) that
the last clause is quite general, — " any
divorced woman;" and Mark x. 11
extends the prohibition to the man.
See on xix. 9, and 1 Cor. vii. 10,
11. Causeth her, i.e. is responsible for
any adultery she may commit.
33 — 42. Christ seems here to forbid
oaths and retaliation altogether. Our
law, like the Mosaic law, sanctions
both under certain circumstances.
Are such laws wrong ? No ; until the
higher standard of holiness is reached
by a majority, the lower standard of
the civil law will be needed. The
rule of holiness is here given us ; and
individually we are each to endeavour
to act up to it. But while the " king
dom" is a field of tares as well
as wheat, both oaths and prosecu-

a.d. 27] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 5. 42-48; 6. 1-6.

19

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow
of thee turn not thou away. 43Ye have heard that it hath been
said, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45that 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 1 do not even the publicans the same 1 47 And if
ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do not
even the publicans so 1 M Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Ch. 6. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be
seen of them : otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which
is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound
a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and
in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward. 3But 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 which seeth in secret him
self shall reward thee openly. B And when thou prayest, thou shalt
not be as the hypocrites are : for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen
of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
41 Om. "bless . . . hate you;" om. " despitefully use you and." 46,47. do not even
the publicans so? . .do not even the Gentiles the same? 43. your heavenly Father.
"VT 1. do not your righteousness. 4. Om. "himself;" om. "openly."

nish conveyance for their officers
when travelling.
46. Publicans. See ix. 9.
Ch. VI. 1. The marginal reading
is the right one : " Take heed that
ye do not" (or "practise not," see
1 John ii. 29) "your righteousness
before men, with a view to being
seen by them." Bighteousness, in its
Jewish sense of religious observance, is
the general word ; Christ's purpose
is to set forth its true nature. Three
illustrations follow ; alms, as an ex
ample of righteousness towards men ;
prayer, towards God ; fasting, towards
self. We must carefully remember
that in all these cases Christ is speak
ing of the duties of individual Chris
tians, not of communities. The alms,
the prayers, the fasts of the Church,
as a community, must be public.

2. Margin, " cause not a trumpet
to be sounded ; " rather, " do not
proclaim it," for Lightfoot could find
no trace of the use of a trumpet
among the Jews to call together the
recipients of their alms.
2, 5. They have their reward. The
same word occurs in Luke vi. 24, and
is there better translated " have had,"
or "have received," for it means
"they must expect no more."
5. In the synagogues. Here, as
ever, it is the spirit, not the letter,
of Christ's words we must regard.
What is here forbidden is ostentation
in prayer. Attendance at public
worship, where the individual is
merged and lost in the community, is
quite in accord with the spirit of
Christ's words. There is no solitude
like that of a great crowd.

20

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 6. 7-15.

[a.d. 27

Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye
pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do : for they think 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, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy king
dom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. u Give
us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil : For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their tres
passes, your heavenly Father will also forgive you : u but if ye
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
6. Om. "openly." 13. Om. "forthine . . . Amen." This doxology is not found in any MS.
prior to the 8th century, nor m the Vulgate Version ; but it appears m the Syriac (2d cent. ?).

7
not

Too much praying there can-
be (Luke xviii. 1) ; too much
1 " there may well be. And
the reason, " For God knoweth all
before we ask Him." "Why then
pray at all?" a man may ask. Chry-
sostom answers : It. is not to inform
God of our needs, but God loves to be
so entreated, and by the continual
intercourse of prayer we are drawn
into friendship with God, and at the
same time inured to think humbly of
ourselves. From Bom. viii. 26, 27 we
seem to learn that they only obtain
their requests who pray according to
the mind of the Spirit. Then follows
the pattern of all prayer, in two
tables : three petitions regarding God,
—"Thy name," "Thy kingdom,"
"Thy will;" four regarding our
selves, — "Give us," "Forgive us,"
" Lead us," " Deliver us."
Our Father. We pray in the name
of the Son, for so only can we call
God our Father (John xvi. 23).
"Children of God," because "mem
bers of Christ." True, the "member
ship" is still imperfect, and the
"sonship" imperfect; and therefore
the " kingdom " has only as yet been
imperfectly inherited. We pray that
it may " come " more perfectly, look
ing on to the second advent and the
resurrection of the saints.
Thy will be done, may be taken as
a prayer for resignation as well as for
obedience ; — that we may both bear
and do God's will.
Our daily bread. "All that is

needful, both for our souls and for our
bodies" (Catechism ; cf. John vi. 48).
As we forgive, i.e. as we hereby
forgive, — whether or no we have done
so in past time, yet now at all events
we declare that we forgive them.
See Matt. v. 23, 24, and compare
Zacchssus' words, " I give " (Luke
xix. 8) — nota boast, but a vow. That
this is the meaning is clear from
Mark xi. 25, " When ye stand pray
ing, forgive, if ye have ought against
any." Forgive our debtors, i.e. disclaim
all notion of this or that being due to
us from our fellow-men. Failure to
render us our due is called a " tres
pass " in the 14th verse.
13. Tempt has two senses : — (1)
tempting in the sense- of enticing to
sin (in which sense God cannot " lead
us into temptation "), James i. 13 ;
(2)- tempting in the sense of trying
or bringing to the proof, in which
sense God "tempted Abraham,"
Gen. xxii. 1.
In this latter sense the word is
here used : " Try us not beyond our
strength." Though the spirit be
willing (James i. 2), yet the flesh is
weak (ver. 14).
The doxology, " For Thine is the
kingdom," etc., is found 'd the Syriac
versions, but not in any early MS.,
nor in the Vulgate, and should be
omitted here, as in St. Luke. It was
added, and ought still to be added,
whenever the prayer is used liturgi-
cally. But see note on 2 Tim. iv. 18.

A.D. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 6. 16-27.

21

your trespasses. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypo
crites, 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, shall reward thee openly.
19 Lay 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 corrupt, 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 thine eye be
single, thy whole body shall be full 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 serve 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 your body, what ye shall put on. Is
not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ] 26 Behold
the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are
ye not much better than they ? 27 Which of you by taking thought
18. Om. "openly." 21. thy treasure . . thy heart.

18. Reward thee — by such growth
in grace as true self -discipline always
brings with it. Fasting must be
viewed as a means, not an end. Except
as a means of sanctifying our spirit
and temper it is valueless.
19. The rest of the chapter shows
that true righteousness is the opposite
of worldliness.
21 — 23. If your treasure be worldly
your heart will be worldly ; therefore
see that your treasure be heavenly.
But why may I not have two
treasures ? Because then your heart
would be divided; and a divided
heart is like an eye that sees double :
it is blind, and the whole body is
darkened. Treasures, in those Eastern lands,
were of three kinds : — (1) raiment,
liable to be moth-eaten; (2) corn,
liable to be blighted by smut (rubigo) ;
(3) jewels, liable to be plundered.
22. Our intention, "the desire of
the eye," must be single and heaven
ward ; if it be evil, i.e. earthward,
it will prove a blind guide : both it

cannot be, "for no man," etc., verse
24. 23. St. Augustine tells us that
gain is called mammon in the Punic
tongue. 25. Will not He who gave us soul
and body (a great gift) much more
give us food and raiment (a less gift)
to preserve them ?
27. This excessive anxiety (" taking
thought " in old English means being
anxious) is not only sinful, but useless.
A cubit (from elbow to tip of the
middle finger, two spans, or half a
yard) was about one-fourth of a man's
stature. As this would be a monstrous
addition to a man's height, and as ad
ditional height is by no means a com
mon object of desire, it seems better
to give to the word here rendered
" stature " its more usual meaning,
"length of life." As length of life
is often likened to a course, measures
of length may naturally be applied to
it, as in Psalm xxxix., " Behold, Thou
hast made my days as an hand-
breadth." See on Luke xii. 25-28.

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 6. 28-34; 7. 1-6.

[a.d. 27

can add one cubit unto his stature 1 28 And why take ye thought
for raiment 1 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they
toil not, neither do they spin : 29 and yet I say unto you, Thateven
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. W here-
fore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and
to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
0 ye of little faith 1 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat t or, What shall we drink 1 or, Wherewithal shall we
be clothed 1 32 (for after all these things do the Gentiles 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 righteous
ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. ^Take there
fore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Ch. 7. Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged : and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the
beam that is in thine own eye 1 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy
brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye ; and, behold, a
beam is in thine own eye 1 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 Give not that which is
holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest

34. Om. "the things of."

"VTI. 2. Om. "again."

30. Travellers tell us how rapidly,
after the March rains, in the Holy
Land, the grass and wild flowers
spring up ; and how, a few weeks
later, they are scorched, and only
good for fuel for the baking-ovens.
34. Be not over-anxious about the
morrow : to-morrow's cares will come
with to-morrow. The troubles of to
day (sickness, want, or other cause
of anxiety) are sufficient to occupy
to-day's thought. — A wise provi
dence (such as St. Paul practised for
the poor of Jerusalem) is quite
compatible with this precept, and
indeed is the best safeguard against
anxiety. Ch. VII. 1 ( = Luke vi. 37). Here,
as so often, Christ's words are to be
qualified by what He says elsewhere.
In verses 15-20 Christ bids us test,
that is to say, judge, the characters of
those who claim to teach us. There
fore, judging others may be a duty
laid upon us. What Christ forbids
here is uncalled-for or unmerciful
judgments. Bather than indulge

such censorious temper, abstain from
judging others altogether!
4. Mote . . . beam. The Jews in
their proverbs often employed such
contrasts to express magnitude ; —
speaking of one thing being to another
as a mountain to a pebble, as a camel
to a gnat, so here, as a beam of
timber to a splinter.
6. The general rule of not judging
is followed by an exception : — " I
mean not that you should treat all
alike, giving of your best to all."
Christ's own conduct in xiii. 58, and
that of His apostles (Acts xiii. 46
compared with Matt. x. 13), exem
plify the principle here enforced.
What then? Are the wicked to
be left to go on in their wickedness *
No : for the fool or knave, while
he is fool or knave, correction — by
the law, or by public opinion, or
by reproof, or otherwise; when he
ceases to be fool or knave, then bring
forth thy pearls. Eccles. viii. 5,
" A wise man's heart discerneth both
time and judgment."

a.d. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 7. 7-21.

23

they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you : 8 for every one that asketh
receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; 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 1 10 Or if he ask a fish, will
he give him a serpent ? u 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 this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in thereat : 14 because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but in
wardly they are ravening wolves. " Ye shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? "Even
so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. ls A good tree cannot bring forth evil
fruit, 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 fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father
8. it is opened (?). 9. Om. "is there;" of whom his son shall ask bread.
10. or shall ask a fish. 14. How strait the gate.

7. It shall be given you. Limited
by the "good things" of verse 11.
Compare James iv. 3, and eh. xxi. 22.
10. Bread and fish would be the
common food of a Jewish child ; the
dried fish of the Mediterranean or
of the Galilean lake was daily eaten
with their bread.
11. If ye then, "being evil. Note,
by the way, the recognition of original
sin in us ; and also the conscious sin
lessness of the Speaker; any one
else must have said, "If we, then,
being evil."
12. Therefore — summing up the
whole ; because as we mete it shall
be measured unto us, as we give it
shall be given to us.
13, 14. We must not assume that
Christ is speaking of mankind in its
totality. Possibly and probably He
was speaking of the men of that genera
tion only, to whom His Gospel was
then being offered. Of them it is
historically true that an overwhelm

ing majority rejected Him. No
inference can be drawn as to the
proportion of lost to saved at the
final judgment. See note on xx. 16,
xxii. 14, and Luke xiii. 23-30.
14. Margin, "How strait." But
it is doubtful whether the reading of
the old MSS. can be so translated. The
addition of a single letter makes it
" because," which gives a better sense.
19. Christ takes up the word of
the Baptist, iii. 10. The days of the
Messiah are days of judgment.
21 — 23. Heretofore in this Sermon
Christ had pointed to the Father in
heaven. And if He had ended here
men might have said, as some have
dared to say, that Christ was a
preacher of righteousness and no
more. But at this point how hushed
must have been His audience, when
suddenly the Preacher reveals Him
self as the future Judge of mankind !
" The Father hath committed all
judgment to the Son."

24

St.

MATTHEW. Ch. 7. 22-29 ; 8. 1-2. [a.d. 27

which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have
cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works 1
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. ** Therefore whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken -him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock : 26 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 sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand s
27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was the fall of
it. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings,--
the people were astonished at his doctrine : 29 for he taught them
as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Ch. 8. When he was come down from the mountain, great
multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a,- leper- and

24. my sayings; om.1 " these " (?) ; shall be likened (?).

9. their scribes'.

22. In that day — the great day of
judgment. Not in St. John's Gospel
only, but in all the four Gospels,
Christ speaks of Himself as the Judge
of the world.
24. Woe to the man that builds on
shifting foundations ! Days of trial
will come, like the sudden -storms- of -
that Eastern land, and the vain fabric
of their hope will be swept away.
One only foundation can stand, —
obedience to the words of Christ.
28. At his doctrine. It may be
mentioned once for all that the word
rendered " doctrine " in our Version
means simply teaching of any kind.
28, 29. In these concluding verses
the secret of Christ's power over those
multitudes is revealed to us. In-His
voice they plainly recognized the
voice of conscience. " The Light that
lighteth every man" stood revealed
before them in human form. He
spake " as one having authority, and
not as the scribes."
The scribes, or Sopherim, men of tlie
Book, were casuists, who, after the
time of Ezra, came to be the recog
nized expounders of the law.
Professor Westcott gives the fol
lowing helpful analysis of the Sermon
on the Mount, somewhat differing
from that given in the note on v. 1 : —

1. The citizens of the kingdomj-
v. 1-16.
Their character absolutely
(3-6), relatively (7-12) ; their
influence (13-16).
2. The New Law (17-48).
As the fulfilment of the old
generally (17-20), and in the
special cases of murder, adul
tery, perjury, revenge, ex*
clusiveness (21-48).
3. The New Life (vi.-vii. 27).
Acts of devotion (vi. 1-18),
aims (19-34), conduct (vii.
1-12), dangers (vii. 13-23),-
4. The great contrast (24-27).
Ch. VIII. (=Mark i, 40, Luke
v. 12.)
2. Medical men tell us — what in
deed Naanian's military command,
and Gehazi's attendance on Elisha
and admission to the king of Israel
(2 Kings viii. 5), seem to show —
that leprosy was not infectious ;
and therefore the minute regula
tions respecting it in the law of
Moses were no mere sanitary regu
lations, but had a deeper purpose.
From its loathsomeness and incur-
ableness leprosy fitly represented the
corruption of our moral nature. The
leper, bearing about in his body the
visible tokens of the sin of mankind,

A.D. 2 7]

St; MATTHEW. Ch. 8. 3-1 2.

25

worshipped him, saying, 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,
shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded,
for- a testimony unto them.
B And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto
him a centurion, -beseeching him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant
lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 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 I am a man under authority, having soldiers
under me : and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; and to
another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant, Do this, and he
doeth it. "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them
that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great
faith, no, not in Israel. u And I say unto you, That many shall
come from the east and west, and shall sit down, with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : 12 but the
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness :
Yll I. 3. And he put forth ; om. "Jesus." 5. when he was; om. "Jesus."
7. Om.- " And " (?) ; om. " Jesus " (?). 8. speak by word only.
10. that followed him (?) ; With no one in -Israel did I find.

was made the subject of a religious
treatment setting forth man's need of
redemption. H cured, he owed -it to
his obedience to this divinely ap
pointed ritual (see Lev. xiii. and xiv.,
and the prohibition to touch him, in
Lev. v. 3). Hence the spiritual mean
ing of our Lord's miracle. Sin is
the leprosy of the heart : nene but
Christ can cleanse it. Mark Christ's
compassion! (Mark i. 41.) He touched
the man — let him feel the warmth
and pressure of a human hand— for
the first time, probably, since his
loathsome disease began.
4. For a testimony unto them — in
evidence of My cleansing, that the
priests may formally pronounce thee
clean. Or- possibly it means "for a
testimony against them," i.e. by way
of protest against their rejection of
Christ. See the same phrase in Mark
vi. 11, compared with Luke ix. 5.
It is most instructive, to observe
how- careful Christ -was- to do nothing
(not even good- things)- prematurely.
He knew that the hour was coming
when the priesthood and. ceremonies
of- the temple would be done away.

He knew, too, that the hour was
coming when His own wonderful
works should be published all over
the world. But He also knew that
that hour was not yet come. See at
ix. 30. We must bear in mind how
ready these Galileans were to rise in
rebellion against their Boman masters
if only they could find a leader. Such a
leader they expected in their Messiah.
5. There came unto him. St. Luke
(vii. 1) says he sent- a message by
elders ; perhaps he did both — coming
to the door of the house, and sending
up a -message by the elders to Jesus.
The discrepancy, if there be any, is
quite unimportant, being just of the
kind that is sure to be found in two
narratives written twenty or thirty
years after the event by independent
witnesses. St.- Augustine notices it,
and indignantly demands that men
should be as just to Scripture as to
any other historic record.
II. Shall sit down — as to a feast in
a lighted hall: thus- our Lord fre
quently speaks of- His Church as a
feast of grace, all outside being "in
outer darkness."

26

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 8. 13-22.

[a.d. 27

there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13And 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 selfsame
hour. 14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's
mother laid, and sick of a fever. "And he touched her hand,
and the fever left her : and she arose, and ministered unto them.
16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were
possessed with devils : and he cast out the spirits with his word,
and healed all that were sick : " that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, " Himself took our
" infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave
commandment to depart unto the other side. "And a certain
scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whither
soever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath
not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto
him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus
said unto him, Follow me ; and let the dead bury their dead.
13. As thou hast; om. "And"(?); the servant ; om. "his." 15. ministered unto him.
18. a multitude; om. " great "(f). 21. of the disciples ; om. "his." 22. saith.

14. Peter and Andrew lived to
gether at Capernaum as fishermen.
Peter's wife in after days accompanied
him on his apostolic journeys (1 Cor.
ix. 5).
17. Isaiah's words (liii. 4) are, that
He took up and carried away our sick
nesses and pains. In these miracles
of healing St. Matthew saw a proof
that He was the Sin-bearer whom
Isaiah had prefigured ; so close and
real to his inspired mind was the con
nexion between sin and disease. In
a High Priest both kinds of bearings
are needed — bearing by sympathy,
and bearing by atonement.
18. The other side — of the sea or
lake of Galilee : five or six miles across
This phrase makes strongly for the
more southern of the two sites as
signed to Capernaum. No one would
speak of crossing the lake from Tell
Hum to Gergesa (the modern Kersa).
The events which follow (1S-34)
are placed by St. Luke (ix. viii.) after
the call of Matthew, instead of before,
as here (see Luke v. 27 and Matt.
ix. 9). The incidents of verses 19
and 21, as St. Luke says expressly,
took place on His last journey to
Jerusalem (Luke ix. 51). It is plain

that the Evangelists did not intend
to give a connected narrative of our
Lord's ministry, but only a record of
such of His sayings and doings as the
Holy Spirit specially "brought to
their remembrance " (John xiv. 26),
and in such arrangement as had been
shaped by the oral preaching of which
their narratives embodied the sub
stance. It is plain that much of the
three earlier Gospels had crystallized
in forms suitable for the preacher
before it came to be written down.
19. A certain scribe. In the Greek
it is "a single scribe," marking how
exceptional was his case.
20. The Son of man : so the Lord
usually called Himself. " Son of
God " He ever was. " Son of man "
He had voluntarily made Himself.
It was the name of His humiliation,
therefore it was for Himself, not for
others, to use it. He was never so
addressed by others. Moreover, it
was one of the Messiah's prophetic
names (Dan. vii. 13), and was so
understood by the Jews (see John
xii. 34 ; Matt. xxvi. 64, 65).
22. Let the dead . . . Leave that to
the children of this world ! Fallen
man had come to acquiesce in death

A.D. 2 7]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 8. 23-32.

27

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest 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,
0 ye of little faith 1 Then 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 !
23 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, exceeding fierce, so 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 1 30 And there was a good way off from
them an herd of many swine feeding. 31So the devils besought
him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd
of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were
25. they came to him ; om. " his disciples ; " Save; om. "us." 28. Gadarenes.
29. Om. "Jesus." 31. send us forth into the herd.

as a necessity to which, as to God's
will, he must resign himself. Not so
Christ. He ever declined to acknow
ledge it. For all live unto Him : cf.
ix. 24 ; John xi. 26 ; 2 Tim. i. 10.
Christ spoke His deep thoughts aloud
for the sake of those who were to
come after. At the time they might
seem harsh.
He allowed the scribe to go away
— easily discouraged. Not so the
disciple ; him he reproves and stimu
lates. Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth. 23 (=Mark iv. 37, Luke viii. 22).
We see from St. Mark that this
miracle followed the parables of
Matt. xiii.
26. Note that Christ answers the
prayer of faith, however "little,"
however timid. Note, too, that
timidity is reproved. Christ never
showed fear of earthly danger: nor
would a perfect Christian.
28. "Possession" by an evil spirit is
distinguished from disease throughout
these records of our Lord's miracles.
Jesus nearly always addresses the evil
spirit, as a person. And in this in
stance the evil spirit in his own persoD
(though by the mouth of the man
in whom he was) addresses Christ.
Possibly these "possessions" (of which

we seem to have lost all experience)
were specially permitted at the time
of the Christian era in Palestine, in
order that the Son of man and man's
great enemy might be thus brought
into more direct and open conflict, —
that so He might the more visibly
bruise the serpent's head: "posses
sion," being a sort of base counterpart
of the Incarnation, served to enable
Christ to show forth visibly before
the eyes of all these people the grand
purpose of His Incarnation, viz., the
deliverance of man from his thraldom
to the Evil One. In this instance,
to make the hideous and destructive
nature of the Evil One the more mani
fest, Christ permits an exhibition of it
such as the bystanders would never
forget. The hearts of these Gerge
senes (or, rather, Gadarenes) were
hardened ; but not so the hearts of
the apostles, not so the heart of the
poor redeemed one sitting at Jesus'
feet, who would see in the ruin of
the swine the terrible abyss from
which he had been himself rescued.
The Gadarenes were mostly Gentiles,
according to Josephus. Therefore the
suggestion that Christ permitted the
destruction of the swine because they
were forbidden to Jews is as baseless
as it is childish.

28

St.

MATTHEW. Ch. 8. 33-34; 9- 1-12- [A*D- 27

come out, they went into the herd of swine : and, behold, the whole
herd of swine ran violently down a steep plaGe into the sea, and
perished in the waters. 33 And they that kept them fled, and went
their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen
to the possessed of the devils, 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.
Ch, 9. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came
into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick
of the palsy, lying on a bed : and Jesus 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 1 B For whether is easier,
to say, Thy 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. 7And he arose, and
departed to his house. 8But when the multitudes saw it, they mar-
veiled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
9 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 And it came to
pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publkans and
sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. uAnd
when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth
your Master with publicans and sinners ? 12 But when Jesus heard
32. into the swine ; om.- " herd of; " the whole herd ; om. " of swine."
IX. 2. thy sins are forgiven ; om. "thee." 8. feared, instead of" marvelled."
Ch. IX. I. His own city — Caper
naum, where the house of Peter or
Peter's mother-in-law (viii. 14) seems
to have- been our Lord's abode.
2. The paralytic (=Mark ii. 1,
Luke v. 17).
" Faith " in the Gospels always has
the meaning of confidence in Christ,
confidence in God. The only possible
exception is Matt, xxiii. 23, where the
word seems to mean "sincerity," or,
as we say, " good faith."
Thy sins be forgiven. Grammarians
tell us that this is a preterite, " thy
sins are forgiven ; " and Luke vii. 47
proves them right.
In Christ's viewdisease is but a symp
tom of sin. If sin were cured disease
would soon cease. Cf. James v. 15.
6. On earth. He speaks as one
who came from heaven ; and, indeed,
we may notice that the title " Son
of man" is never (except Acts vii.

56) used by others of Christ, but
only by our Lord Himself. Heaven
was His home : He need not speak
of that. The new title which for our
sakes He had assumed was that on
which He loved to dwell.
9. Matthew is called Levi in Mark
and Luke. He was one of the publi
cans, or rather one of the Portitores,
or native agents of the Eoman Pub-
llcani or revenue-officers — hated by
the Jews as serving, the Roman
government. The fact that St. Matthew re
lates his own call here, after the
Sermon on the Mount, and after the
cure of the Gergesene demoniac, shows
that he does not profess to follow a
chronological order. For St. Mark
and St. Luke tell us plainly that it
preceded the cure of the demoniac,
and St. Luke puts it before the Ser
mon on the Mount.

A.D. 2

7]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 9. 13-18.

2!)

that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick. "But go ye and learn what that meaneth,
" I will have mercy, and not sacrifice : " for I am not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
14 Then came to ' him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we
and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not t 1B And Jesus
said unto them, Can the children of the ' bridechaniber mourn, as
long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come,
when the bridegroom shallbe taken from them, and then shall
they fast. 16No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old
garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh 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 preserved.
"While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a
certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even

12. when he heard it he said ; om. " Jesus," and " to them."
18. one ruler, i.e. one of the rulers, see Mk.

13. Om.
r. 22.

(to repentance.'

12. They that think themselves
whole, — those that think themselves
righteous. 13. Mercy, and not sacrifice. A
very frequent form of expression is
here well illustrated : " This, not
that," being a strong way of saying,
" This in "the first place, that in the
second." (Compare "He that be
lieveth on Me, believeth not on Me, but
on Him that sent Me ; " "thou hast
not lied unto men, but unto God.")
So here Hosea did not mean that God
would not have sacrifice, but mercy
first and sacrifice afterwards. And so
Christ meant that God values the
charity, of which He was setting an ex
ample, more than the ceremonious reli
gion of the Pharisees who blamed Him.
This passage of Hosea would seem
to be a favourite quotation. One may
reverently believe that the whole
chapter (Hosea vi), prophesying, as it
does, the resurrection on the third day,
would be often in Christ's memory.
15. This language (Christ, the
Bridegroom of the Church) would be
familiar to the disciples of John the
Baptist (see John iii. 29; compare
Isaiah liv. 5, 6, etc.).
But the days will come. Through
out our Lord's ministry the thought
of Good Friday seems to have been
ever present to Him. Here the
thought of that dark eclipse of the

joy of His -disciples passes across
His mind — "Then indeed will they
mourn andfast " (see on Mark ii. 20).
John xvi. 20-22 is the best commen
tary on this passage. Just in pro
portion as the Church fails to realize
the' joy of her new birth, the joy of
communion with her risen Lord, in
that proportion has she still need of
the discipline of her stated fasts.
In the next verse Christ resumes the
general subject of " New " and " Old,"
suggested by the question about fast
ing. The New must not be inserted
into the Old. The old worn-out system
of merely ceremonial observances (or,
possibly, the old, unregenerate man)
is not capable of holding the new
spirit of the Gospel, any more than
old worn-out cloth can hold the seam
of a new patch, or old worn-out
wine-skins can hold new fermenting
wine. " Spiritualia non capit car-
nalis " is Augustine's explanation in
his 267th Sermon. All must be new
in My kingdom (2 Cor. v. 17). (Ob
serve how the festive dresses of the
guests and the wine on Matthew's
table suggest our Lord's imagery.)
See note on Luke v. 36.
16. Margin, "raw or unwrought
cloth ; " rather undressed.
18. A certain ruler — of the syna
gogue, viz., Jairus. See St, Mark
and St. Luke's fuller account.

30

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 9. 19-30.

[a.d. 27

now dead : but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of
blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his
garment : 21 for she said within herself, If I may but touch his
garment, I shall be whole. 22But Jesus turned him about, and
when he saw her, he said, Daughter, 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 maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed
him to scorn. 26 But when the people were put forth, he went in,
and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame
hereof went abroad into all that land.
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him,
crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. 28And
when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him : and
Jesus 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
22. Om. "about." 24. Om. "unto them." 26. the fame of her, instead of
"this fame" as in margin. 27. followed; om. " him " (?)

Even now dead — means "Was
dying when I left, and must ere now
be dead." St. Matthew, in his brevity,
merges together the first words of
Jairus and the subsequent message.
See Luke viii. 42-49.
20, 24. See notes on Luke viii. 44,
52. 23. The presence of these hired
musicians and mourners shows that
death had really taken place.
24. See note on viii. 22. "The maid
is not dead." So " He that believeth
shall never die" (John xi. 26), and so
2 Tim. i. 10, "Who hath abolished
death;" for "all live unto Him."
Being Lord of both worlds, what is
to us death, is, in Christ's view, no
interruption of life, only a change, a
going out of sight : the body is said to
sleep, implying a reawakening (John
xi. 11) — a reawakening in a nobler
substance, but with no loss of bodily
identity. See notes on 1 Cor. xv.
It is strange that even Olshausen
can doubt the maiden's actual death.
To preclude such doubt, St. Luke
gives the words of the bystanders,
" Knowing that she was dead." For
our Lord's phrase compare John xi. 1 1 .

25. From the other accounts we
know that she was an only daughter,
twelve years of age ; that only her
father and mother and the three
apostles were in the chamber ; and
that Christ bade them give her some
thing to eat.
28. The house — possibly Peter's,
viii. 14.
Believe ye. See note at Luke xviii.
41. 30. John vi. 15 explains these fre
quent injunctions of secrecy (viii. 4,
xii. 16, xvii. 9, etc.). Christ wished
to avoid any political excitement, and
so delay any crisis until His hour
should be come. See Luke xii. 50.
See also St. Matthew's own explana
tion (xii. 16, 17), that this modesty
belonged to the prophetic character
of the Messiah. Lastly, He wished
to reserve His time for preaching
(Luke iv. 43), and was unwilling
therefore to be too much pressed
upon for miracles.
Straitly charged them— in the
original a curiously exaggerated ex
pression, probably a provincialism.
See 2 Cor. xi. 8 for a hyperbole of
like kind.

a.d. 27] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 9. 31-38; 10. 1-4.

31

know it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his
fame in all that country.
32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man
possessed with a devil. " And when the devil was cast out, the
dumb spake : and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never
so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils
through the prince of the devils.
38 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in
their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But
when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on
them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, "as sheep
" having no shepherd." 37Then saith he unto his disciples, The
harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few ; 3S pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers
into his harvest.
Ch. 10. And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples,
he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and
to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 Now
the names of the twelve apostles are these ; The first, Simon, who
is called Peter, and Andrew his brother ; James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and
Matthew the publican ; James the son of Alphseus, and Lebbseus,
whose surname was Thaddeeus ; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas
Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

35. Om. "among the people."
were tared and lay down.

36. were harassed, instead of " fainted ; " or, as in
X 3. Om. " Lebbaaus, whose surname was."

31. Note how Christ was thwarted
in His wish. We cannot understand
the Gospel history unless we fully
realize the human conditions and
limitations under which Christ lived,
voluntarily abdicating much of His
divine power (xxvi. 53, 54), and never
working » miracle for His own
sake. 33. It was never so seen — that
an evil spirit was in very truth ex
pelled. They seem to acknowledge
that their own professional exorcists
were but pretenders, or, at any rate,
wrought very imperfect cures. See
note on xii. 27.
35. See note at iv. 17.
36. The margin follows the best
reading (see above).
38. Pray ye. See note at Luke
xviii. 41.
Ch. X. 2 (= Mark vi 7, Luke
ix. 1). Matthew, Mark, and Luke
give us lists of the apostles, and in
each list they are arranged in the

same three groups, Peter being at the
head of the first group, Philip of the
second, and James son of Alphaeus
of the third, Iscariot last, in all.
Bartholomew is supposed to be the
same as Nathanael, whom we find
associated with Philip in St. John's
Gospel, i. 45.
3. Lebbseus, or Thaddasus (which-
everwe accept as the original reading),
is called Jude by St. Luke (vi. 16) and
by St. John (xiv. 22) ; but is not (as I
think) the same as "Jude, the brother
of James," — the Lord's brother — who
wrote the Epistle. See introductory
note to the Epistle of Jude.
4. Canaanite, the word should be,
spelled Cananite, having no connexion
whatever with Canaan ; it is the Ara
maic for "Zealot." That these three,
James, Jude, and Simon, were the
same as "the brothers of the Lord, "
mentioned xiii. 55, is highly impro
bable. See note on Mark vi. 3.
Iscariot — a native of Kerioth in

32

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 10. 5-20.

[a.d. 27

B These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying,
Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the
Samaritans enter ye not : 6 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 Provide
neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 nor scrip for
your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves : for
the workman is worthy of his meat. n And into whatsoever city
or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy ; and there
abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute
it. 13And 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 who
soever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart
out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily
I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves : <be
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware
of men : for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will
scourge you in their synagogues ; ls and ye shall be brought before
governors 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 shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the
8. raise the dead, cleanse the lepers. 10. nor yet a staff.

Judsea, apparently the only apostle
who was a Judaean.
5. Samaritans. Descendants of the
Gentiles with whom Esarhaddon (not
Shalmaneser) peopled the country
between Judaea and Galilee. See
2 Kings xvii. 24-41 ; Ezra iv. 2, 10.
Trench (on the Parable of the Good
Samaritan) shows how erroneous it is
to speak of them as of mixed blood ;
they were pure foreigners who had
adopted the Mosaic law.
8. The oldest of the versions, the
Syriac, and some mss., omit the words
"raise the dead." We do not hear
of the apostles ever raising the dead
before Pentecost. Had the power
been given, it would have been al
luded to at Mark vi. 13.
9. Provide. Margin, " Get."
10. Scrip, — a wallet for bread.
12. Salute it : " Peace be to this
house." See our Visitation of the Sick.
13. Let your peace return to you —
be unsaid or retracted. Bishop H.
Browne observes how well this illus

trates the conditional character of the
absolution in our Church's daily office.
14. Shake off the dust. This is
exactly St. Paul shaking his raiment,
Acts xviii. 6, — -disclaiming, all respon
sibility for their unbelief.
16. Harmless: margin, "simple.'*
— An old tradition, preserved by
the pseudo-Clement of Rome, tells
us that at this point St. Peter inter
posed, "Bnt what if the wolves
tear the lambs?" and Christ replied,
"The lambs after death need fear
the wolves no longer."
17. The councils, or smaller San-
hedrins, — there seems to have been
one in every town of any size. See
Deut. xvi. 18, and note on Acts v. 21.
18. Christ here looks forward to
the times that should follow His
ascension ; for the word for "gover
nors" means Roman magistrates, and
" kings" implies a yet wider spread
of Christianity. So too the mention
of the "Gentiles," looking forward
to the times of St. Paul.

A.D. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 10. 21-35.

33

Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And 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. 2S But when
they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another : for verily I
say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till
the Son of man be come. 24The 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 servant as his lord. If they have
called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall
they call them of his household ? 26 Fear them not therefore : for
there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that
shall not be known. ** What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye
in light : and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the
housetops. 2S And fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a
farthing ? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father. *" But the very "hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I
confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever
shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father
which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace
on earth : I came not to send peace, but. a sword. 3S For I am
25. BeelzebuL

20. The Spirit of your Father. So
Mark xiii. 11, " It is not ye that spetfk,
but the Holy Ghost." This verse has
been cited in favour of the mechanical
theory of inspiration, as though the
Holy Spirit superseded the natural
faculties : but see note on ix. 13.
Note that Christ says "My Father"
and "your Father," and in John xx.
17, "My Father and your Father ;"
but never "Our Father," as co-ordi
nating Himself with us in sonship.
He was God's Son in a different sense
from that in which we are.
22, 23. To the end, and tiU the
Son of tnqTi come. All our Lord's pro
phecies have a progressively unfolding
fulfilment. The end is, to each, the
end of his trial, whether by deliver
ance, or by death. The " coming of
the Son of man " is the destruction of
Jerusalem. But see notes on xxiv.
22. For my name's sake. Name is
the Hebrew equivalent for person.
See ver. 41 below. ,

24. Is not ahove,- -and must not
expect a better lot.
25. Beelzebul is the right reading
— Baal, master, zebul, of the house.
26. Therefore. The connexion is,
"My lot will be yours also, — per
secution, but final triumph ; fear
them not, therefore ; fear not for the
Gospel — though hidden now, its
light shall soon shine ; fear not for
yourselves — though persecuted here,
you are cared for by your Father, and
will be owned by Me at the great.
day." 28. Compare James iv. 12.
Both soul and body. The immor
tality of the soul would seem to be
due to its union with the spirit. It is
our spirit rather than our soul that is
properly immortal. On the threefold
nature of man, see note on 1 Thess.
v. 23.
33, Whoever is ashamed of his
Christian principles fears man more;
than God, and d^nies-Ghrist..

3-1

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 10. 36-42 ; 11. 1-2. [a.d. 27

come to set "a man at variance against his father, and the
" daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against
"her mother in law. -"-And a man's foes shall he they of his
" own household." 37He 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. 3S And he that taketh not
his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39He
that findeth his life shall lose it : and he that loseth his life for my
sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he
that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. ** 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. 42And whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in
no wise lose his reward.
Ch. II. And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of
commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and
to preach in their cities.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ,

35. This passage of Micah (vii. 7)
was commonly understood to indicate
one of the signs whereby men were
to recognize the times of the Messiah
when they should arrive.
38. His cross. This is either a pro
verb, or a direct allusion to His cruci
fixion, like that of John xii. 32, 33.
It occurs also, xvi. 24, Mark x. 21,
Luke ix. 23. Though crucifixion
does not seem to have been a Hebrew
punishment, yet the Jews must have
been quite familiar with it since their
subjection to the Romans, whose ordi
nary punishment it was for slaves and
captives ; and earlier, Alexander, after
taking Tyre, had nailed two thousand
captives to crosses along the shore.
Therefore it would not be an unfa
miliar expression to those who heard
it. Christ may or may not have used
it with special reference to His own
death ; that He was conscious before
hand of the manner of it is clear
from John xii. 32, 33. Anyhow, the
meaning is plain from the following
verse, " He that setteth his heart on
life, and the things of life, shall lose
the life of his soul ; whereas he that
is content to die with Christ, shall
live with Him" — Rom. vi. 8. See
also note on Matt. xvi. 25.
40. Him that sent me. We must

observe these habitual phrases of our
Lord implying pre-existence.
41. In the name of — a common
Hebrew idiom. We should say, "As
being a prophet," or "Because he is
a prophet." The meaning is, "He
that receiveth one of you (one of My
evangelists, of My saints, of the least
in My kingdom) shall be partaker of
your reward."
So verse 42, — " Whoever befriends
one of the humblest of My disciples,
because he is My disciple, shall not
lose his reward."
Ch. XI. 2 ( = Luke vii. 18). Some,
unwilling to believe that John himself
could have doubted, have supposed
that he sent this message for his dis
ciples' sake. This is possible ; but it is
not well to let our wishes induce us to
decline the simple and natural import
of the sacred narrative. If it had been
so, He who knew the heart would
hardly have replied, " Go and show
John again," etc. John's doubtwas the
doubt, not of infidelity, but of infir
mity. His faith in Christ, and testi
mony to Christ, had been clear and
strong and full of inspiration. But
languishing in prison, defeated, seeing
unrighteousness triumphant, and no
miracle wrought by the Messiah for
his deliverance, what wonder if Satan

A.D. 2

7]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 11. 3-16.

35

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 shew John again those things which ye do hear
and see : B " 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 offended in me. 7 And as they
departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,
What went ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed shaken with
the wind ? .'But what went ye out for to see ? A man 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, I send my messenger before thy face,
"which shall prepare thy way before thee." u Verily I say
unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not
, risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwithstanding he that is
least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the
days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth
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 Elias, which was for to come. 10 He that hath ears to hear,
let bim hear. 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation ? It

XL 2. he sent by his disciples. 15. Om.

10. This is he ; om. "For" (?).
' to hear " (?).

— ever desiring to sift God's saints —
visited h'm with suggestions of doubt ?
John seeks to repel the doubt by
sending straight to Christ, and pray
ing Him to remove it. Though
" weak in faith, he is faithful in his
weakness : " like him who cried,
" Lord, I believe, help Thou mine un
belief ! " And Jesus will not do his
faith that wrong to send back a
direct answer ; nor was His hour
come for such a declaration. But
He sends back an answer which He
well knew would be fully sufficient
to strengthen His servant in his trial. *
How many of God's saints have thus
been tempted to wish for a "yes " or
"no," and after prayer to Christ
have found the evidence they had
before fully sufficient ! (It is note
worthy that our Lord's words in 7-10
have the rhythm of Hebrew poetry.)

* This is TertuUian's explanation (c. Marc.
iv. 18). But Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine
all suppose the question to have been sent for
his disciples' sake merely. Mr. Benham,
in his admirable notes on St. Matthew's
Gospel, bids us read Hooker's first sermon as
our best commentary on this passage.

11. Least in the kingdom. John
was greatest of the old generation of
men ; but the least in the new
generation of "members of Christ,
children of God, inheritors of the
kingdom," would be greater than he.
For to John the kingdom was " at
hand "only. Compare xiii. 1 7.
12, 13, 14. Suffereth violence — take
it by force. [Margin, " is gotten by
force, and they that thrust men . . . "]
These words are explained by Luke,
xvi. 16. By the help of that verse
we can interpret this passage. "And
that this kingdom has come in My
person is manifest, — witness these
multitudes who, in spite of their
rulers and the Pharisees (see note at
Luke xvi. 16), have been pressing
into it ever since John first began
to announce it. For in John ye
may see the completion and wind
ing up of all prophecy, — John himself
being (spiritually discerned) Malachi's
promised sign of the coming of 'the
great and terrible day of the Lord.' "
16. Christ turns from the multi
tudes who pressed to hear Him to

36

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 11. 17-27-

[a.d. 27

is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their
fellows, 17 and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not
danced ; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath
a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they
say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of
publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty
works were done, because they repented not: 21Woe 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 until 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 At that time Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of 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. 2T All things are delivered unto me of my Father:
and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; neither knoweth
16. calling to the rest. 17. we have mourned ; om. "unto you." 19. was justified
by her deeds. 23. wilt thou be exalted unto heaven? Thou shalt descend to hell.

the Pharisees, who rejected Him as
they had rejected John, — John who
came fasting, Christ who came refusing
neither to eat nor to drink in their
houses. See notes on Luke vii. 29.
19. Is justified, — or rather, "was
justified." Some did accept the Bap
tist, and some did accept Himself,
justifying (i.e. acknowledging) the
voice of Wisdom when they heard it ;
and thereby proving themselves such
as wisdom might claim as her children
(Prov. viii. 32). For there does not
seem to be any sufficient reason for
adopting Tregelles' various reading.
For the same use of " justified "
see Luke vii. 29.
20—27. St. Luke (x. 13-16) gives
us these words in their proper place
in time, viz., just before the final
journey from Galilee to Jerusalem,
from which we see that St. Matthew's
order is not chronological.
25. All through this chapter we
see how deeply Jesus was affected by
the simple faith of the poor people
who crowded round Him. Twice He

appeals to it as a proof that the
Messiah's kingdom was come, — in
vers.e 5, "The poor have the gospel
preached to them," and again in verse
12, "No sooner is the door of the
kingdom opened, than the poor force
their way into it." Twice He draws
comfort from it under reproach, — in
verse 19, "But as wisdom is justified
of her children, so am I vindicated by
My true disciples ; " and again here,
where He thanks His Father that His
Gospel, though rejected by the doctors
and philosophers, is yet accepted by
the humble. To them therefore He
addresses His gracious invitation.
27. None can fail to be reminded
of St. John's Gospel in the close of
this chapter. This verse, as has
been well observed, implies the whole
Christology of St. John's Gospel. He
who spake these words may well
have spoken all those profound dis
courses which it was reserved to St.
John to record.
No man knoweth the Son — a
glimpse of the profound sense of

a.d. 27] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 11. 28-30 ; 12. 1-7.

37

any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal him. 2S Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me : for I am meek and lowly in heart; and "ye shall
"find rest unto your souls." 30For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.
Ch. 12. At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through
the corn ; and his disciples were an hungred, 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 sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not
read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were
with him ; 4how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the
shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them
which were with him, but only for the priests ? B 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 I say unto
you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye
XTT 6. a greater thing than the temple.

solitude which lay upon the spirit of
Christ during His days on 'earth
(John xvi. 32).
Ch. XII. 1 (=Mark ii. 23, Luke
vi. 1). This incident must clearly
be dated in the early summer, when
wheat is ripe (see note on Luke
vi. 1) ; and as all three Evangelists
place it some time before the feeding
of the five thousand, which we know
from St. John was shortly before a
Passover, this rubbing of the ears
must have been in the summer preced
ing that Passover, — must have been
therefore some eighteen months before
the farewell to Galilee recorded in
the last chapter. "At that time"
may be as indefinite as "in those
days " of ch. iii. 1.
3. It appears from 1 Sam. xxi. 5, 6
(see marginal reading there), that
David made his request on the day on
which the bread was changed, which
from Lev. xxiv. 8 we know was the
Sabbath day : so the case was still
more to the point. But this need not
be insisted on. As David's example
showed that the letter of the law
must give way to the necessities of
man, and as the law itself makes the
observance of the Sabbath give way
to the requirements of the temple,
much more may He who is greater
than the temple make mere observ

ances of days and the like (" sacri
fice "), give way to works of charity
("mercy"), and so declare Himself
Lord also of the Sabbath day. In
St. Mark ii. 27 the defence is slightly
different, — the Sabbath is u means,
and man's good the end; if ever the
two clash, the means must give way to
the end, not the end to the means.
The Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath.
It was therefore in most perfect
accordance with this Divine teaching
that the Christian Church, for man's
good, retained a Sabbath rest ; and at
the same time (in order to make it a
joyous festival) took liberty to change
it from the seventh day to the first —
from the day on which God rested
(Ex. xx. 11) and delivered the Israel
ites from Egypt (Deut. v. 15), to the
day on which He created light and
raised His Son from the dead.
5. The priests prepare their sacri
fices on the Sabbath, see Numb.
xxviii. 9.
7. On this subject of the observ
ance of days, as well as other ordin
ances, Christ cites Hosea vi. 6, here
and in ix. 13, "Mercy, not sacrifice,"
meaning " mercy (i.e. charity) first,
and sacrifice (i.e. religious observances)
afterwards," — or "See that yourheart
is right first, and then, and then only,

38

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 12. 8-24.

[a.d. 27

had known what this meaneth, "I will have mercy, and not
" sacrifice," ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the
Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
9 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. "And he said unto them,
What 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. "Then the
Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might
destroy him. "But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself
from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed
them all; 16and 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 I have chosen ;
" my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased ; I will put my
" spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
"19He 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 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind,
and dumb : and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb
both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said,
Is not this the son of David ? ^But when the Pharisees heard it,
8. Om. "even." 10. behold a man having a withered hand. 15. many followed him (?).
22. insomuch that the dumb spake and saw ; om. " blind and ; " om. " both."

ministry should gather the outcasts
of Israel and the Gentiles round Him,
until in the appointed time judgment
should go forth victoriously. Such a
vindication was the fall of Jerusalem.
20. TU1 he send forth judgment.
The day of grace shall last until the
day of judgment.
Smoking flax means the smoulder
ing wick of a lamp.
22 ( = Luke xi. 14).
23. Must not this be the expected
Messiah ?
24. The Pharisees, perceiving how
Christ was undermining their autho
rity, try to discredit Him : " He could
not do these wonders without the aid
of the powers of darkness." It is
worth notice that the Pharisees never
dared deny the reality of Christ's
miracles.

will God bless your observances."
This is Christ's own interpretation of
His meaning ; see xxiii. 23 : " These
(justice, mercy, and good faith) ought
ye to have done, and not to leave
the other (the outward observance)
undone." This principle of interpre
tation (" this, not that," for " this,
rather than that") will be found to
apply to many passages in Scripture,
as that on "days," Gal. iv. 10, and
those on dress, 1 Tim. ii. 9, 1 Peter
iii. 3 ; see note on ix. 13 above, and
also on Luke xiv. 26.
16. See note at ix. 30. In this re
tirement of Christ, ministering to the
meek and lowly rather than to those
who could do Him honour, St. Mat
thew saw a, fulfilment of what was
prophesied of "Jehovah's servant,"
Is. xiii. 1-4. His gentle, loving

a.d. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 12. 25-31.

39

they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub
the prince of the devils. 20And Jesus knew their thoughts, and
said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought
to desolation ; and every city or house divided against itself shall
not stand : 26 and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against
himself; how shall then his kingdom stand ? 27 And if I by Beel
zebub 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 Wherefore I say
unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be f or-
24,27. Beelzebul. 2R And he knew; om. "Jesus." 31. Om. the second " unto men."

27. Tour sons — some of your own
kith and kin. See note on Mark ix.
38, Acts xix. 13, Matt. vu. 22.
These words of Christ have been
understood to imply that the Jewish
exorcists had really the power of
casting out evil spirits, and some of
the Fathers seem to have thought so
(Justin, Dial. 311, Iren. ii. 5). But
surely our Lord implied rather that
their exorcisms were not real. For
He says that if He by the Spirit of
God was truly casting out devils, it
was a sure sign that the Messiah was
come, — implying that none but the
Messiah, or those whom He commis
sioned, could really cast out evil
spirits. Accordingly, we read that
the exorcist mentioned in Mark ix.
38 was doing it in Christ's name.
That the early Church did not regard
the Jewish exorcisms as genuine is
shown by the forms of renouncing
Judaism in the Greek Liturgies,
where the baptized says, "I renounce
all charms, incantations, and phylac
teries." That they were mere super
stitions is clearly implied in the
account of Sceva's seven sons, Acts
xix. 13. Matt. ix. 33 seems to show
that there had been no real cure of
this terrible disorder untilCbrist came.
29. Compare Is. xlix. 24, 25,
" Shall the prey be taken from the
mighty ? . . . the prey of the terrible
shall be delivered, for / will contend
with him," and CoL ii. 15.
30. See note on the appaBently but

not really opposite proverb of Mark
ix. 40.
31 (=Mark iii. 28, Luke xii. 10).
Christ had been casting out an evil
spirit. How? "By the spirit of
evil," said the Pharisees, thus blas
pheming Christ, and resisting convic
tion in their own hearts, and (so far
as they could) in the hearts of the
bystanders. Christ proves that it
could only have been done by the
Spirit of God ; they ought therefore
to have acknowledged that the Spirit
of God was Himself among them (28) ;
for this binding of the evil spirit in
bis stronghold, man's heart, Bhowed
it plainly (29) ; so that there ought
not to be any halting between two
opinions (30). Wherefore they must
beware !
Christ does not affirm that they
had sinned the sin against the Holy
Ghost ; but they were in danger of
it. They had as yet only blas
phemed the Son of man speaking to
them in His humiliation. They might
sin this sin, and repent afterwards,
when He should speak to them in His
exaltation, in the power of the Holy
Ghost (John xvi. 8, 1 Pet. i. 12). But
if they persevered in their blasphemy
then, woe unto them ! There would
then remain no further means "to
renew them unto repentance " (Heb.
vi. 6) ; and being past repentance,
they would be past forgiveness. See
notes on Heb. vi. 4, x. 26, 1 John
v. 16.

40

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 12. 32-41.

[a.d. 27

given unto men. 32And whosoever speaketh a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in
this world, neither in the world to come. 33 Either make the tree
good, and his fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt, and his
fruit corrupt : for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 0 generation
of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things 1 for out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 3B 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. 36But I
say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment.- 37 For by thy words
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered,
saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered
and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh
after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas : *° for as Jonas was three days and three nights
in the whale's belly ;. so shall the Son of man be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall
35. Om. "of the heart." 38, answered him, saying.

32. He that speaketh.. ''He that
speaks against the Holy Ghost can
not be forgiven ; for though it is
for the sin of the heart that a man
is judged, yet it is by his words that
he is convicted, — the words as surely
revealing the heart as the fruit de
clares the tree. Behold, therefore, the
responsibility of yourwords ! " (32-37.)
Miiller (Doct. of Sin, ii. 478, Tr.)
defines the sin against the Holy Ghost
as " hatred of that which is at the
same time recognized as Divine ; the
blasphemy being the expression of
this hatred : " the defiance of God by
one who has been brought to know
God. As this implies absolute reck
lessness, one who in his conscience
fears he may have sinned the sin,
proves by that very fear that he has
not done so.
Neither in the world to come. The
Jews believed that in the world to
come (a favourite phrase of the Rabbis,
literally, "the future age") no true-
born Jew could fail of pardon. This
belief of the Jews Christ contradicts.
There is a state of sinfulness which
is irremediable, and therefore unpar
donable. See note on Mark iii. 29.
33 — :37- These verses prove that
liere, as in v. 22, Christ was regarding

the sin of the tongue as the outcome
and evidence of the sin of the heart.
" Sanctify your heart, and you will
sanctify its utterances : corrupt your
heart and your words will be corrupt.
For the state of the heart is shown
by your words. Therefore this ac-
countableness for words spoken ; for
out of thineown mouth wiltthou be ac
quitted or condemned at the last day."
We must remark how clearly in
this passage the distinct personality of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost comes
forth-: God the Son, dwelling awhile
among men as man ; God the Holy
Ghost, dwelling in man as God. For
it is in this view only that the blas
phemy against the one is greater than
blasphemyagainst the other. Compare-
John xvi. 8, where also a power of
convincing — greater than that of the
Son — is attributed to the Holy Ghost,
and where, too, His office is precisely
described as the office of conscience.
39 — 41. As Jonas was three days
and three nights in the whale's belly.
These words, if they stood alone,, need
not close the question whether the
Book of Jonah be history or (as
Hosea i. -iii. , if we may adopt St.
Jerome's view of that difficult pas
sage) parable. St. Paul might have

A.D. 2

7]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 12. 42-49.

41

rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it :
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a
greater than Jonas is here. ** The queen of the south shall rise up
in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it : for
she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom
of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 4S When
the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry
places, seeking rest, and findeth none. "Then he saith, I will
return into my house from whence I came out ; and when he is
come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 46 Then goeth he,
and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than him
self, 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 stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then 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,
47. The Sin. and Vat. MSS. omit this verse, but Tr. retains it.

said, "As the Good Samaritan took
care of the wounded traveller, so
do ye befriend one another," without
meaning to affirm that it was history.
Enough that Christ wished to speak of
His own resurrection indirectly, and
veiled it under an image familiar to all
His hearers. But if we look further we
shall find reason to believe that our
Lord regarded the narrative of Jonah
as historical ; for verse 41 proves that
He so regarded the repentance of the
Ninevites, and the preaching of Jonah
which led to it. And if we turn to
His words in Luke xi. 30 we shall see
that He spoke of Jonah's resurrection
being " a sign to the Ninevites " (giv
ing force to His preaching), just as
His own resurrection would be to
that generation. Thus the whole
narrative must be accepted as his
torical. Sharks in the Mediterranean
have been known to swallow full-
grown sailors, and a case is men
tioned by Dr. Pusey ( Minor Prophets,
p. 257) in which the shark, when
struck by a bullet, vomited the man.
In Jonah's case the preservation of
life in the belly of the fish, or rather
. (for this is equally consistent with
the narrative) Jonah's resurrection to
life when vomited on to the beach, was

of course plainly miraculous. The
thanksgiving ode in ch. ii. may be
understood to be a subsequent com
position, embodying the thoughts that
passed rapidly through his mind in
the moment of death.
39. See note on Luke xi. 29. "Three
days and three nights." To some who
are quick to find difficulties, this has
been a difficulty. We read, how
ever, in the Jewish books, " Day and
night make together a space of time,
and the part of such is as the whole."
And that the expression would be,
and in fact was, so understood by the
Jews, has been abundantly shown by
Grotius and Lightfoot from Rabbini
cal literature. Indeed, it is proved by
xxvii. 63, 64, where this very saying
is quoted as "after three days," and
that again is interpreted to mean
"on the third day." For a curiously
parallel passage see Esther iv. 16,
and v. 1, where "three days, night
or day," is taken to be ended on the
morning of the third day (i.e. the day
but one after, as we should say).
42. It is implied in 1 Kings x. 9
that the Sabsean princess was brought
to acknowledge the true God.
43. See note on Luke xi. 16-26.
46. See on Mark iii. 31.

42

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 12. 50; 13. 1-17.

[a.d. 27

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.
Ch. 13. The 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 shore. 3 And he spake many things unto 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
devoured them up : ° some fell upon stony places, where they had
not much earth : and forthwith they sprung up, because they had
no deepness of earth: 6and 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 : s but other fell into good ground, and brought forth
fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And the disciples came,
and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables ?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto 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 understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the pro
phecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall
not understand ; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive :
16 for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of
hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they
should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should
understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should
heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see : and your
ears, for they hear. "For verily I say unto you, That many
prophets and righteous men have desired to see tlwse things which
Xm. 9. Om. "to hear" (?). 16. I shall heal them.

Ch. XIII. 3 ( = Mark iv. 1, Luke
viii. 4). A parable is a serious story
setting forth some familiar and pro
bable action, in which those who will
may find a deeper meaning, — not self-
interpreting, like the allegory (in which
the names declare the meaning), but
veiling or revealing the deeper truth
according as the hearer is ill dis
posed or well disposed to receive it.
Hence our Lord's use of the parable
(ver. 11-13). It was His will that the
truths of religion (unlike those of
science) should depend for their recep
tion more on the heart than on the
head (xi. 15, 25 ; 1 Cor. i. 19, 27).

In other words, those only will be able
to understand who desire to understand
(cf. ver. 58). Four qualifications for the
reception of God's truth are indicated
by the parable of the Sower (which
thus forms a fitting introduction to
the rest) : — (1) sensibility to religious
impressions, (2) thoughtfulness, (3)
unworldliness, (4) "an honest and
good heart." Or, to put it otherwise :
the wayside denotes those who have
hardened their hearts against religion ;
the rocky places represent shallow,
impulsive natures ; the thorny ground
stands for the worldly ; and the good
ground for sincere seekers after truth.

a.d. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 13. 18-27.

43

ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye
hear, and have not heard them. ls Hear 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 one, and catcheth
away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received
seed by the way side. *"* But he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy
receiveth it ; "¦ 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 offended. 22He also that received seed
among the thorns is he that heareth the word ; and the care of this
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he
becometh unfruitful. ** But he that received seed into the good
ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it ; which
also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some
sixty, some thirty.
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom
of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field :
26 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, Sir, didst not
thou sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then hath it tares ?

22. the care of the world ; om. " this."

25. sowed-over, instead of" sowed.'

19. He that received seed by the
way side. In St. Mark, " These are
they which are sown on . . . ; " in
St. Luke, "Those on the rock," and
" That which fell among thorns,"
etc. All these expressions are equiva
lent to — " the case of the seed falling
in such and such places is like unto
the case of such and such people,"
— the heart of man corresponding
throughout to the ground on which
the seed fell.
The wicked one — the "enemy" of the
next parable. See note on Luke iv. 2.
24. Now follow three parables set
ting forth — (1) the mixture of good
and bad in Christ's Church until the
last day; (2) the growth and spreading
of His Church over the world ; (3) its
secret all-pervading influence for good.
Observe how these parables fix the
meaning of the phrase so frequent
in this Gospel, "the kingdom of
heaven," — the heavenly (i.e. spiritual)
kingdom which Christ came to estab
lish in the world. Observe also that
each of our Lord's parables teaches
some one important lesson, and (it may

be) one only. To press the similitude in
secondary points might lead to error.
For instance, how erroneous it would
be to suppose that because the wheat
never becomes tares, nor tares wheat,
therefore good men could never be
come bad, nor bad men good ! Or
again, that because the whole of the
meal was leavened, therefore all man
kind would eventually be saved !
Observe how the third parable for-^
bids any such inference from the first,
and how the first forbids any such
inference from the third.
The lesson taught by the parable of
the wheat and the tares is a most
important one. It is the greatest com
fort to know that Christ permits this
toleration of unworthy members with
in the pale of His Church on earth, —
nay, seems to forbid (in ver. 29) any
forcible separation of them, unless
perhaps temporarily for their correc
tion, as in excommunication ; as, for
instance, St. Paul excommunicated
the offender at Corinth, that his spirit
might be saved in the day of the Lord,
1 Cor. v. 5.

44

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 13. 28-43.

[a.d. 27

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. 30Let both grow together until the harvest:
and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye
together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them :
but gather the wheat into my barn.
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is like to a grain 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 birds of the air come and lodge in the branches
thereof. 33 Another parable spake he unto them ; The kingdom of heaven
is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures
of meal, till the whole was leavened.
34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables;
and without a parable spake he not unto them : 36 that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by 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 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house :
and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the
parable of the tares of the field. 37He answered and said unto
them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man ; 38 the field
is the world ; the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but
the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39the enemy that
sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the end of the world ; and
the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire ; 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 things that offend, and them which do
iniquity ; ** and shall cast them into a furnace of fire : there shall
be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine

28. say unto him.
sent; om. "Jesus."

29. But he saith. 34. spake he nothing. 36. Then he
37. Om." unto them." 40. end of the world ; om. "this."

35. By the prophet — Ps. lxxviii. 2 ;
the Psalmist is understood to be
speaking in the person of the Messiah.
38. This parable, and especially
this verse, was the battle-ground
between the Donatists (the separa
tists of the fourth century) and the
Church. The separatists said then,
as in our days, " We cannot tolerate
false Christians in the Church." St.
Augustine replied, "They are not of
the Church,buttheyaremthe Church;
and the parable of the tares tells us
we must not attempt to weed them
out." The Donatists replied, "Nay,

but in that parable the field was the
world, not the Church." Augustine
answered, "The field is the world, or
some part of the world, until it is
sown. When it is sown with the
Gospel-seed, it becomes the Church or
kingdom. " And that this was Christ's
meaning is shown by the 41st verse
(where the field is clearly called " the
kingdom"), and by the parallel par
able of the Net.
41. All things that offend — margin,
"scandals;" all the hindrances and
temptations that man puts in the way
of his fellow-man. See ver. 29, note.

A.D. 27]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 13. 44-57.

45

forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears
to hear, let him hear.
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like 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 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 he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast
into the sea, and gathered of every kind : 4S which, when it was
full, they drew to shore, and sat down, 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 wicked from
among the just, B0 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire :
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. B1 Jesus saith unto
them, Have ye understood all these things ? They say unto him,
Yea, Lord. 52Then 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 treasure
things new and old.
53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these
parables, he departed thence. "And when he was come into his
own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that
they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom,
and these mighty works ? BB Is not this the carpenter's son ? is not
his mother called Mary ? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and
Simon, and Judas ? B6 And his sisters, are they not all with us ?
Whence then hath this man all these things 1 B7 And they were
offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not
43. Om. "tohear"(?>. 44. Om. "Again." 46. but when he found . . . he went.
51. Om. " Jesus saith unto them ; " om. "Lord." 52. for the kingdom of heaven.
55. Joseph, instead of " Joses."

44, 45. The kingdom of heaven —
or rather, in these two parables,
"admission into the kingdom of
heaven," i.e. conversion to Christi
anity ; whether it come to a man
unexpectedly (as the treasure), or after
diligent search (as the pearl) — most
precious in either case, — worth the
sacrifice of all else.
47. This parable closely resembles
that of the Wheat and Tares ; only
there the main point was the inter
mixture of good and bad in the
Church now, while in this parable
the main point is the certainty of a
separation hereafter. At the last day,
the angels, long hidden from the eyes
of the Church, will once more " come
forth " to sever the wicked from
among the just.

52. Therefore— because ye have
understood these things, and so been
instructed for preaching the Gospel
of the kingdom, ye will be able
henceforth to imitate My teach
ing in its variety and large abun
dance. 54. His own country — Nazareth.
55. See note at Mark vi. 3. This
mention of " the brethren," as fami
liarly known by the people of Naza
reth, seems to imply that they had
soon begun to hold aloof from Jesus,
and had returned to Nazareth (cf.
John ii. 12) ; and our Lord's words,
" Save in his own country, and in
his own house," show not obscurely
that He was rejected by those of
His own family, agreeing with John
vii. 5. •

46

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 13. 58 ; 14. 1-13.

[a.d. 28

without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
68 And he did not many mighty works there because of their
unbelief. Ch. 14. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of
Jesus, 2 and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist ; he is
risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works do shew forth
themselves in him.
3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him
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. 5And when
he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because
they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was
kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased
Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her what
soever 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. 10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. uAnd
his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel : and
she brought it to her mother. 12And his disciples came, and took
up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 13 When
Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place
XIV. 6. took place, instead of" was kept." 12. huriedhim.

58. It is a law that we should all
do well to remember, that the know
ledge of the truth is withheld where
there is no disposition to believe
(xiii. 12).
Ch. XIV. 1-12 ( = Mark vi. 14,
Luke ix. 7). Cowardice, supersti
tion, and cruelty naturally go to
gether. Notice how entirely this
Herod Antipas (son of Herod the
Great) is governed by his fears. Fear
of his bad wife leads him to imprison
John ; fear of the multitude stays
him from killing him ; fear of his
oath and fear of ridicule drive him to
carry out a vow which it was wicked
to make and tenfold more wicked to
keep ; and lastly, the fears of a bad
conscience make him tremble lest
Jesus should prove to be John risen
from the dead to trouble him. When
Jesus appeared before him bound, and
he was amongst his " men of war,"
the coward had courage to mock Him
(Luke xxiii. 11).
I. Herod's remark implies almost
necessarily that he now heard of
Christ's miracles for the first time,
although for twelve months our

Lord's fame had been spread abroad
throughout his tetrarchy. This is at
once explained, if Greswell is right in
fixing Herod's first journey to Rome
in a.tj.c. 780 (the first year of the
ministry), and his return early in the
following year — not long before this
great feast in honour of his accession.
Josephus tells us that he first met
Herodias just before his departure
for Borne. If that meeting led (as is
probable) to the Baptist's imprison
ment, we have another confirmation of
the chronology here adopted. The
order of events would be this : — The
Baptist imprisoned, May a.d. 27 ;
beheaded, March A. n. 28 ; Herod hears
of Christ, and thinks it is John risen
from the dead; the Baptist's dis
ciples bring Jesus word of his murder,
and of Herod's inquiries concerning
Himself ; Jesus retires across the
lake ; feeds five thousand, the Passover
(29th March) being near (see John vi.).
2. Do shew forth themselves —
margin, "are wrought by him."
Rather, "work in him."
13. Departed thence — from Caper
naum probably, whither Christ may.

A.D. 28]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 14. 14-25.

47

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 compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
16 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This
is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude
away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves
victuals. 1S But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart ; give
ye them to eat. "And they say unto him, We have here but
five loaves, and two fishes. 1S 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,
he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the
disciples 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, beside
women and children. ^And straightway Jesus constrained his
disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other
side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent
the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray :
and when the evening was come, he was there alone. M But the
ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves : for the
wind was contrary. 2B And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus
14. And he went forth ; om. "Jesus." 15. the disciples. 22. he constrained the
disciples; om. "Jesus "and "his." 24. Was many furlongs from
the land, instead o/"was in the midst of the sea."

have gone after His rejection at
Nazareth. Christ went straight ac-
cross the lake. The people went
round the head of the lake ' ' on foot, "
i.e. on land. The distance from
Capernaum to Bethsaida- Julias (where
the miracle of the loaves was pro
bably wrought) by land is ten miles,
if Caspari is right in placing Caper
naum in the southern part of the
plain of Gennesaret.
14. The very great fatigue involved
in this labour of healing multitudes
of sick appears strikingly in St.
Mark's account.
15 (=Mark yi. 32, Luke ix. 10,
John vi. 5). Many of our Lord's
miracles, perhaps all, were intended to
be in some sort parables. The solem
nity of our Lord's act — "looking up
to heaven, blessing, breaking, giving "
— would doubtless make His deeper
meaning plain at the time to the
bystanders, at all events to His
apostles, to whom He had probably
often said, " I am the bread of life."
[That our Lord's blessing of the bread

had been more solemn than usual is
indicated by John vi. 23.] The
primitive Church was quick to per
ceive this ; no miracle is pictured
more frequently than this on the walls
of the Roman Catacombs, being con
nected with the thought of the
Eucharist. In the Capernaum syna
gogue we have this deeper meaning
drawn out at length (John vi. 27-63).
20. Twelve baskets — or rather wal
lets, such as the Jews usually carried
at their girdle (the scrip of x. 10).
Each apostle thus supplied his own
wants out of the remainder when the
rest were satisfied.
23. To a mountain — or rather (here
and elsewhere) "to thehill-country,"as
opposed to the level shore of the lake.
25. This narrative brings out very
clearly the true nature of a miracle.
Jesus walked on the surface of the
water. The same Divine power
which, as a rule, causes bodies to
gravitate, in this instance caused that
our Lord's body should not gravitate.
The mystery of gravitation is in no

48

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 14. 26-36 ; 15. 1-4. [a.d. 28

went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples
saw him walking 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.
23 And Peter answered "him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me
come unto 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. 30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him,
and said unto him, 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt? 32And 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 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of
Gennesaret. 3B 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 ; 36 and besought him that they might
only touch the hem of his garment : and as many as touched were
made perfectly whole.
Ch. 15. Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were
of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition
of the elders ? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress
the commandment of God by your tradition ? 4 For God com-

25. he came ; instead of "Jesus went.
33. Om. " came and " (?).
XV. 1. Then came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes.

29. And went, instead of "to go " (?).
34 came to the land to Gennesaret.

way less than the mystery of its
suspension. Only the one operation
is so ordinary that we call it " a law
of Nature," the other so extraordi
nary that we call it a " miracle."
As science advances, the notion of
God's mil in Nature is apt to recede.
This is as unphilosophical as it is
unscriptural, A law can never be a
cause. The " laws of Nature " are
but the rules according to which some
sovereign power appears to act.
Christ ever spoke as though that
Sovereign Power were the will of His
Father (see Matt. v. 45, vi. 26-30,
x. 29, etc., and especially that remark
able verse in John v. 17, where
He speaks of His Father's uniform
operations in Nature as being of like
kind with His own operations in these
miracles). The further true science
advances the more it will lead us to
this. Already the tendency of modern
discovery to resolve all forces into one
seems to be working towards One

' ' who upholds all things by the word
of His power." The constancy of the
laws of nature is spoken of in the Bible
as part of Goofs covenant with man,
Gen. viii. 22, Ps. civ. 9, cxlviii. 6.
30. When he saw the wind boisterous
(margin, " strong") — when he looked
away from Jesus. So we, when we
look away from the kingdom of grace,
and allow our minds to think only of
the kingdom of nature, begin to doubt.
36. See note on Luke viii. 44, 45.
Ch. XV. 1 (=Mark vii. 1). The
Passover was just over (see John vi. 4).
The Sanhedrin, disappointed by
Christ's absence, doubtless sent forth
its emissaries to dog His steps in
Galilee. 2. The elders means " our fore
fathers" — meaning, doubtless, "the-
great synagogue" or "synod" over
which Ezra presided (Neh. viii. 13),
from which the Sanhedrin professed-
to derive its authority.
3, 4. God's commandment — God

A.D. 28]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 15. 5-18.

49

manded, saying, "Honour thy father and mother:" and, "He
"that curseth father or mother, let him die the death." BBut
ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is
a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6and
honour not his father or his mother, he shall he free. Thus have
ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradi
tion. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy' of you, saying,
"8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
" honoureth me with their lips ; but their heart is far from me.
" 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
"the commandments of men." 10And he called the multitude,
and said unto them, Hear, and understand: unot that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh
out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples,
and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended,
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. 1B Then
answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding ? " Do
not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth
goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught ? 18 But those
4. the father and the mother ; om. "thy." 6. Tr. with Vat reads " he shall not honour."
Sin. "it is nothing: he shall not honour" . . . the word of God, instead of
"commandment." 8. Om. "draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and."
12. the disciples say unto him. 15. th« parable ; om. "this."
16. And he said; om. "Jesus." 17. Om. "yet."

commanded. We must note the abso
lute Divine authority here ascribed
by Christ to the Decalogue. It is not,
" Moses commanded," but " God."
5, 6. The words " he shall be free"
(supplied, as the italics show, by the
translators) are inserted in the wrong
place, as we see by comparing the
parallel passage in St. Mark vii.
11, 12. Still better, we may omit
them, and make "shall not honour"
the principal verb, thus : " Whoso
ever shall say to his father or mother,
' I dedicate to religious purposes what
otherwise might go to your support,'
shall not [be bound to] honour his
father or his mother." Lightfoot
shows from Rabbinical literature that
the mere utterance of such a vow was
held sufficient, without any necessity
for keeping it afterwards !
7. Is. xxix. 13.
II. We can hardlyrealize the shock
which a Jew would receive from these
simple words of Christ. It was the
breaking down of the partition wall

of ordinances (see Eph. ii. 15) which
separated them from all the other
nations of the earth, and the transition
from ceremonial to spiritual religion.
Even St. Peter, ten years after this,
was slow to accept it (Acts x. 14, xi.
17). No wonder, therefore, that on
this occasion he was perplexed, and
asked Jesus to explain His words, as
though they had been a parable (ver.
15). 13. The meaning seems to be, "Fear
them not, they are spurious plants in
My Father's vineyard, and shall be
rooted up."
14. " Nay, they need not be rooted
up. Blind leaders of the blind ! they
will of themselves fall, with all who
follow them."
17 — 20. This great principle that
meats, and external observances are
in themselves valueless, and only
acquire value as they minister to
edification or worship, is worked out
by St. Paul in Rom. xiv. 14 seq.,
1 Cor. x. 15 seq.

D-

50

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 15. 19-32.

[a.d. 28*

things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart ;
and they defile the man. 19For 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 unwashen hands defileth not a man.
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre
and Sidon. 22And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the
same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, 0
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, Send 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. 2BThen came she and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is 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
masters' table. 28Then Jesus answered and said unto her, 0
woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And
her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea
of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that
were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them
down at Jesus' feet ; 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
glorified the God of Israel. 32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto
him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they
continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat : and I

22. Om. "unto him."

30. at his feet; om. "Jesus'.
32. three days remain to me.

31. and the lame.

21 (=Mark vii. 24). Our Lord
withdrew to the extreme north of the
Holy Land to escape the persecution
of the Jews, His time being not yet
come. A poor Gentile woman (one of
the survivors of the old Canaanite
race) hears of Him, and crosses the
frontier in the hope that He may do
something for her demoniac daughter.
In the phrase " Thou son of David "
she gives Him the title which fame
assigned to Him (for His fame had
reached Sidon, see Mark iii. 8).
24. I am not sent, etc. This was
the limit which our Lord proposed to
Himself in His own personal minis
try, and in that of His apostles (x. 5)
until after His ascension, when it
was to be gradually extended (Acts
i. 8). We may also see in this reply
(26) our Lord's custom of discourag

ing at first, in order to test the faith
of those who applied to Him (see
John ii 4, and note on Mark vii.
24). 27. Truth, Lord, for the dogs eat
of the crumbs . . . — have to be con
tent with the meat which the children
can spare ; and that is all I ask. She
takes up the Lord's word. (The
English translation makes her take
exception to it.) And she has her
reward : " Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom."
32 ( = Mark viii. 1). It has been
conjectured that the multitude fed
on this second occasion was mainly a
Gentile multitude, drawn from the
coasts of Tyre and Sidon. St. Mark
says, "Divers of them came from
far ; " and in verse 31 they are said to
have "glorified the God of Israel." *

a.d. 28] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 15. 33-39; 16. 1-6.

51

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 wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? S4And Jesus
saith unto them, How many loaves have ye ? And they said,
Seven, and a few little fishes. 3B And he commanded the multitude
to sit down on the ground. 36 And he took the seven loaves and
the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them., and gave to his
disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37And they did all
eat, and were filled : and they took up of the broken meat that was
left seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand
men, beside women and children.
39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into
the coasts of Magdala.
Ch. 16. The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and
tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It
mill be fair weather : for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It
will be foul weather to day : for the sky is red and lowring. 0 ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern
the signs of the times? 4A wicked and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but
the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had
forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed
36. to the multitudes. 39. coasts of Magadan.
XVX 2, 3. Treg. retains the words, " when it is evening . . . signs of the times,"
wanting in both Sin. and Vat. MSS. 3. Om. " O ye hypocrites."
4. Om. " the prophet." 5. the disciples; om.

37. Seven baskets. Not the leather
pouch or wallet as in the earlier
miracle, but another word, meaning a
large basket, such as that in which
St. Paul was lowered from the walls
of Damascus (Acts ix. 25). All the
Evangelists note that they were waMets
that were filled in the earlier miracle,
and St. Matthew and St. Mark, who
alone record the latter miracle, agree
that then baskets or hampers were
filled with the fragments.
Ch. XVI. 1 (=.Mark viii. 10).
Twice only in the Gospel narrative
do we hear of the Sadducees assailing
Christ — here, and again in Holy Week
(xxii. 23). Despising the uneducated
people, they were not as jealous of
Christ's influence over them as the
Pharisees were.
A sign from heaven. See on Luke
xi. 16. It was a fixed belief of
the Jews that none but the true
God could give a sign from heaven
(such as Joshua's or Elijah's). They
were continually asking Jesus for such

' his."
a sign ; but Jesus, unwilling to declare
His divinity until " His hour should
be come," gave them an answer with
a sealed meaning, not to be unsealed
until the third day after His death,
when His disciples for the first time
understood that His resurrection was
the sign of His divinity which He had
so often promised under the enigma
of Jonah. See on xii. 39, and Luke
xi. 29.
5, 6. Our Lord seems to intend to
test His disciples, whether they had
learned the weighty lesson of xv. 11.
Overhearing them speak of the need
of buying bread, and possibly of the
risk that the bread of that country
would be such as a Jew might not
touch, our Lord takes up His para
ble, and gives their words a truer and
deeper meaning, watching whether
they will understand Him. Not un-
clean leaven of Gentiles, but hypo
crisy of professing Jews, was what
they had to fear. Avoid that, — i.e.
seek the kingdom of God and His

52

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 16. 7-19.

[a.d. 28

and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we
have taken no bread. s Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto
them, 0 ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because
ye have brought no bread? 9do ye not yet understand, neither
remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many
baskets ye took up? "neither the seven loaves of the four
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? u how is it that ye
do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that
ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the
Sadducees ?
12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of
the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the
Sadducees. 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Csesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am ?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist : some,
Elias ; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 1B He saith
unto them, But whom say ye that I am? "And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon
Barjona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father which is in heaven. ls And I say also unto thee, That thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the

8. Om. "unto them."
12. the leaven of the loaves.

11. concerning loaves ? But beware.
13. Whom do men say that the Son of man is ?

righteousness, — and all else should be
added unto them! Why then this
anxiety about bread ? Had not Christ
in His two recent miracles given
abundant proof that He could make
good His promise ?
Leaven. St. Mark has " leaven of
Herod." The Herodian party were
Sadducees, flatterers of the Roman
power — insincere Jews.
17. Mere intellect cannot attain to
faith in Christ : it is God's gift.
18. This distinct recognition of His
divinity seems to call forth a thrill
of holy joy in our blessed Lord. "By
this confession thou hast made good
the name I gave thee at thy call
(Petrus or Ceplias, John i. 42) ; and
on this rock (petra) I will build My
Church." By the "rock" in this
last clause Chrysostom understands
the faith of Peter 's confession ; Augus
tine (Serm. 76) and Theodoret (on
1 Cor. iii. 11), Christ Himself; other
Fathers, St. Peter. We cannot insist
much on the difference between petrus

and petra, for in Aramaic the word
would be Keipha in both places ; and
St. Peter was one of the foundation-
stones of the Church (Eph. ii. 20 and
Rev. xxi. 14). But it seems best to
understand Christ's words to mean :
" Thy name declares thee a living
stone of the Rock of Ages, and on
that Rock I will build My Church."
Cf. 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5.
This is the first occurrence of the
word " chureh " in the N. T. Our
Lord usually (as. in ver. 19) preferred
the phrase "kingdom of heaven," for
the spiritual society which was to be
instituted after His exaltation. Christ
may have had the great promise of
2 Sam. vii. 13 in His thought, and
used the word Church (or "Congrega
tion," Kahel) as already associated
with the Tabernacle and with the
"House" which superseded it. Cf.
Acts vii. 38 and 1 Kings viii. 14.
" The gates of Hades,"= the power
of death (Ps. ix. 13) : it should be
eternal (as God promised David).

A.D. 28]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 16. 20-28.

53

keys of the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20 Then charged he his disciples
that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples,
how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised
again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke
him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord : this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan :
thou art an offence unto me : for thou savourest not the things that
be of God, but those that be of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his
disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me. 26 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it : and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul 1 or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul ? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the
glory of his Father with his angels ; and then he shall reward every
man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be
20. the disciples ; om. "his;" om. "Jesus." 26. what shall a man be profited.

Bind . . . loose — a familiar phrase
among the Jews for judgment of any
kind. When a man was made a Rabbi
(the highest academic degree), a key
was given him, symbolizing authority
to expound the law and to bind or re
lease theconscience. At the same time
the words were used, "We give thee
power to bind and to loose," i.e. to
decide what was binding and what
not. Thus our Lord gives here to
St. Peter, and so to His Church, the
power of making canons (see Stier,
ii. 348, and Lightfoot on this place,
in Hor. Heb.), as well as the power
of admitting and rejecting members.
The Book of Acts amply illustrates
this verse ; there we see the apostles
both making ordinances (ch. xv. 28),
and opening and shutting the doors
of the Church, — St. Peter himself
opening them to Cornelius, for in
stance, shutting them against Simon

20. See note at viii. 4.
21. Christ ever looked to His death
as part of the eternal purpose for
which He was sent into the world.
He knew the shock it would be to
His disciples ; gradually therefore
(as here, and in John x. 15, xii. 32,
and, most of all, in the Last Supper)

He prepared them to understand the
mysterious value of that death.
22. St. Peter, presuming on the
high distinction just conferred on
him, spoke aloud the protest that was
in the minds of all ; taking Christ
by the arm or garment, — " God forbid
it ! This shall not be to Thee ! "
23. Christ recognized at once in
Peter's words the prompting of the
Evil One, once more tempting Him to
establish His kingdom without suffer
ing, and replies as though to the
Tempter himself (iv. 10), or perhaps
more simply, "Get thee behind Me,
adversary " (see on John vi. 70).
In what follows He pursues the
thought that His kingdom is not of
this world. The vision of His Cross
rises before His eyes ; ay, and this
Cross must be shared by all who
would be His disciples. In their
proverbs about life being worth more
than all the world can give, and there
being no price a man will not give for
life, they must give a much higher
meaning to life. (To gain life in this
higher sense they might have to sacri
fice life in the lo wer sense. ) Our trans
lators have tried to express this by
rendering the Greek word by "life"
in ver. 25, and by "soul" in ver. 26.

51

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 17. 1-6.

[a.d. 28

some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see
the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Ch. 17. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John
his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 and was transfigured before them : and his face did shine as the
sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there
appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4Then
answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be
here : if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for thee,
and one for Moses, and one for Elias. B While he yet spake, behold,
a bright cloud overshadowed them : and behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased ; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell
XVII. 4. I will make (?).

28. This prophecy, like that of x.
23, and that of xxiv. 34, clearly
points to the judgment of the Jewish
nation which happened forty years
after these words were spoken. All
three Evangelists connect with the
prophecy (not as fulfilling it, but as
an earnest of its fulfilment) the Trans
figuration, telling us designedly that
it was only a week afterwards. St.
Peter similarly points, in 2 Pet. i., to
the sign of the Transfiguration as
connected with the prophecy of the
coming j udgment. See notes on xxiv.,
and on Mark ix. 1, xiii. 26, and xiv.
62 ; John xxi. 22.
Ch.XVII. i— 9( = Markix. 2, Luke
ix. 28). This vision of Christ as He
would appear in His kingdom made
the deepest impression on the three
apostles. Seethe wayin whichSt. Peter
speaks of it many years afterwards
when an old man, 2 Pet. i. 16-18 ; and
St. John's allusion to it (John i. 14, see
note). In it Christ vouchsafed to these
three chosen apostles the ' ' sign from
heaven" (the Son of man in the clouds
of heaven of Dan. vii. 1 3) which He
so constantly refused to the multitude.
As to the real nature of these
mysterious passages in our Lord's
life on earth (His Transfiguration
and His Temptation, for instance)
we are not intended to understand
them ; nor does human language con
tain words in which their real nature
could be explained to us. They are
recorded to move our awe rather than
to excite our curiosity. Their revela
tion is a light to see by, not to gaze at.

In the light of them we may see
plainly that Christ, while He belonged,
like other men, to this world, belonged
also to the other spiritual world,
which to us is full of mystery. He
spoke of Himself while on earth as
" the Son of man which is in heaven "
(John iii. 13).
It used to be supposed that the
Mount of Transfiguration was Tabor ;
but Tabor was occupied by a fortress
during the times of the Herodian
dynasty. It may have been on some
part of Mount Hermon, with the
snow of which St. Mark (according
to one reading) compares the dazzling
whiteness of the Lord's raiment.
They had been ascending the upper
Jordan valley which leads to Mount
Hermon (see ver. 13).
3. " The question how the disciples
knew these two to be Moses and Elias
is simply an idle one. . . . That eleva
tion of their whole spiritual life, by
which alone they could have seen these
sights, might well have left them in no
doubt concerning those whom they be
held in converse with their Lord." —
(Trench.) See note on Luke ix. 33.
If to any the bodily forms of the two
Saints be a perplexity, thus anterior
to the general resurrection, it may be
remembered that one of the two had
never died (2 Kings ii. 2), and about
the body of the other there was a
mystery (Dent, xxxiv. 6, Jude 9).
Into such mysteries we do not well
to look too curiously. Clearly one
represented the Law, and the other
the Prophets.

A.D. 2

8]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 17. 7-24.

55

on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched
them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had
lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them,
saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen
again from the dead. " And his disciples asked him, saying, Why
then say the scribes that Elias must first come ? "¦ And Jesus
answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and
restore all things. " But I say unto you, That Elias is come already,
and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they
listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then
the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the
Baptist. 14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him
a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, "Lord, have
mercy on my son : for he is a lunatick, and sore vexed : for oft-
times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. "And I
brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then
Jesus answered and said, 0 faithless and perverse generation, how
long shall I be with you 1 how long shall I suffer you ? bring him
hither to me. " And Jesus rebuked the devil ; and he departed
out of him : and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then
came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast
him out ? *° And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief :
for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place, and it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto
you. a Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
22 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 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received
tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay
9. be raised, instead of "\>e risen." 10. the disciples ; om. "his."
11. And he answered and said ; om. "Jesus;" om. "unto them;" om. "first."
20. And he saith unto them. . . your little faith, instead of" unbelief." 21. Omit this versed).

7. Touched them. Cf. Dan. x. 10,
Ezra ii. 2, Rev. i. 17, for the same re
assuring touch.
20. Christ points to the mountain,
meaning that Satan's power, be it
ever so vast, shall yield to them.
(The mountain and the mustard seed
are opposed to each other, each being
figurative.) "But" (verse 21, which
there is no sufficient reason for reject
ing) " ye must be far more spiritual
than ye yet are before ye can prevail
against such a terrible usurpation of
the Evil One as this."
" Removing mountains" was a com

mon phrase for conquering difficulties.
A great teacher is called an " uprooter
of mountains " in the Talmud. Cf.
1 Cor. xiii. 2.
24. It is important to remember
that this was the temple rate (Exodus
xxxviii. 26), else Christ's reply would
be unintelligible in verse 26 : "Ought
I, the Son of God, to be taxed for My
Father's worship ?"
The words translated "tribute-
money" and "piece of money" are
double-drachm (= J-shekel) and stater,
the latter being a silver coin = 4
drachma? — twice the amount of the

56

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 17. 25-27-; 18. 1-8. [a.d. 28

tribute ? 2B He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house,
Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon ? of whom
do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute ? of their own
children, or of strangers ? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers.
Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27 Notwith
standing, lest we should offend 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 a piece of money : that take,
and give unto them for me and thee.
Ch. 18. At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying,
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of 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, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoso
ever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is
greatest in the kingdom of heaven. B And whoso shall receive one
such little child in my name receiveth me. 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
offences ! for it must needs be that offences come ;. but woe to that
man by whom the offence cometh 1 8 Wherefore if thy hand or
thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee : it is
26. And when he said, instead of " Peter saith unto him."

XVTII. 1. On that day (?).
7. woe to the man ; om.

: that.'

2. And he called; om. "Jesus.'
8. cut it off, and cast it.

former — and therefore enough to
pay for both Jesus and Peter.
" For twenty days before the Pass
over the priests began to collect the
old sacred tribute of half a shekel,
paid yearly by every Israelite, whether
rich or poor, as atonement-money for
Ms soul, and applied to the ex
penses of the tabernacle service."
— (Farrar, i. 185.) In Galilee it
might possibly be collected at other
seasons. Putting the shekel at
Is. 6d., the didrachma or half-shekel
would be 9d. (See Prof. Plumptre's
article on Tribute in the Bible Diet.)
On the miracle itself we ma.y note
that it consisted not in a fish having
swallowed, or tried to swallow, a silver
coin (for that is not uncommon, —
bright pieces of metal being often used
as bait, from their attractiveness to
fishes) ; but the miracle lay in bring
ing that particular fish to that par
ticular spot at that particular moment,
and causing it to bite at the first hook
which St. Peter let down into the sea.

27. See note on the miracle at
Cana, John ii. 1.
Ch. XVIII. (=Mark ix. 33, Luke
ix. 46). The train of thought in
this chapter may be given thus :
Who is greatest in the Christian
Church ? He that is least. There
fore beware of sinning against these
little ones (1-7). All inducements to
sin (8, 9) are to be cut off ; most of
all they who would induce these little
ones to sin. Despise them not ; their
guardian angels stand near My
Father's throne (10). I have come to
gather them as well as others into
My kingdom, not losing one (11-14).
Therefore, if a weak one fall into sin,
let the congregation of the faithful do
all that can be done to restore him,
remembering that his restoration no
less than his rejection will be ratified
by My Father (15-20) ; remembering
too that there must be no limit to
your willingness to forgive, even as ye
have been without limit forgiven (21-
35). (But see note on Mark ix. 35.)

A.D. 28]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 18. 9-20.

57

better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having
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 Take heed that ye despise not
one of these little ones ; for I 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? 13And if
so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of
that sheep, than of the ninety 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. 1B Moreover if thy brother
shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee
and him alone : if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more,
that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established. "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto
the church : but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto
thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18 Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching 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 I in the midst of them.
11. Omit this verse. 14. my Father. 15. go, tell him; om. "and." 19. Again, verily, I say.

17. Our Lord, in speaking of " the
Church," or " Eccl'esia," was using a
word familiar to His disciples ; the
congregation of the synagogue was
called by the Jews an " Ecclesia ; "
its " presbyters," or elders, formed a
" college," or bench of magistrates in
each town, to whom all questions of
discipline were referred. It is observ
able that our Lord here seems to
assume that Christians would retain
this organisation. Looking forward
to the time when the synagogue with
its rules of discipline would be trans
formed into the Christian assembly
or Ecclesia, He solemnly promises
that His Divine authority shall accom
pany its decisions, whether of excom
munication or of pardon, — its binding
and its loosing. How the apostles
abted on this sanction we know from
such passages as 1 Cor. v. 3-5. See
note on xvi. 18, and on John xx. 23.

20. There am I in the midst of
them. Here is a promise of a real
presence of Christ in the Church.
How are we to conceive of it ? We
cannot be wrong in taking St. Paul's
phrase in 1 Cor. v. 4 as the answer :
Christ is present where His power is
present. May we not apply this to
the sacramental presence also, and
say, if Christ's power be in the sacra
ment, then may we say that Christ is
present therein ? Surely this is the
Anglican doctrine of the Real Presence,
as opposed to that of Rome. In
theological questions that touch the
mystery of the Divine nature we do
well to be guided by the Fathers of
the primitive undivided Church, rather
than the medieval or Tridentine
divines. St. Athanasius (contra
Arianos, iii. § 24), speaking of the
mode of the presence of the Second Per
son, refers us to 1 John iv. 13, " Here-

58

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 18. 21-33.

[a.d. 28

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? till seven times ?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I 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 servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought
unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 2B 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 worshipped him, saying,
Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the
lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him,
and forgave him the debt. 2S 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, saying, Pay
me that thou owest. 29 And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet,
and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay
thee all. 30 And he would not : but went and cast him into prison,
till he should pay the debt. 31So 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, 0 thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that
debt, because thou desiredst me : 33 shouldest not thou also have
25. the lord commanded ... all that he hath. 26. Om. " Lord "
28. Pay whatever thou owest. 29. 0m. "at his feet;" om. "aU."

by know we that we dwell in Him,
and He in us, because He hath given
us of His Spirit," and adds, "Therefore
it is by reason of the grace of the
Spirit given unto us that we come to
be in Him, and He in us." And
again (Ad Scrap, i. § 19), " When we
are being quickened by the Spirit,
Christ Himself is said to live within
us " (Gal. ii. 20). So the Holy Spirit
conveys to us the special benefits of
Christ's human nature "(John xvi. 14).
This rests on the doctrine of the in
separability (1) of the Persons of the
Trinity, on which St. Athanasius,
St. Cyril, and St. Basil insist ; (2) of
our Lord's two Natures. Compare
also John xiv. 16, 18, and Rom. viii.
9, 10.
23 — 34. In this parable we must
beware of pressing the incidental
imagery of the parable. The Ori
ental despot, who commands the
insolvent debtor with his wife and
children to be sold into slavery, and
afterwards in his anger revokes his
pardon and hands him over to be
tortured, no more represents our

all-holy God than the unjust judge
of Luke xviii. 2. With God there is
no such vindictiveness. And yet His
wrath — i.e. His absolute intolerance
of what is sinful (John iii. 36, Rev.
vi. 16) — is far more awful. And
this is the meaning of the "So
likewise " of verse 35.
The point in the parable, that the
man forfeited his pardon, is most in
structive in its bearing on the doc
trine of the Atonement. God forgives
us freely and entirely for Christ's
sake : but it is in faith (so to speak)
that Christ's death will do its further
work, enabling us to die with Him
unto sin (Rom. vi. 10, 11). If we will
not do so, then, like this unmerciful
servant, we shall forfeit the free par
don, made ours in baptism. God's
will to redeem may be frustrated by
our unwillingness to be redeemed.
Such is the mystery of free-will!
24. Trench helps us to realize this
sum by reminding us that the temple
cost eight thousand talents.
26. Worshipped him— margin, "be
sought him ; "—made obeisance.

a.d. 28] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 18. 34-35 ; 19. 1-7.

59

had compassion on thy fellow-servant, 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. 3B So likewise shall my
heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive
not every one his brother their trespasses.
Ch. 19. And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these
sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of
Judaea beyond Jordan ; 2 and great multitudes followed him ; and
he healed them there. 3The 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, B 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
34 Om. " unto him." 35. Om. " their trespasses."
XIX. 3. Pharisees; om. "the;" . . . saying; om. "unto him."
4. said; om. "unto them;" . . . he which created {instead of " made ") them.
Ch. XIX. I ( = Mark x. 1 and
Luke ix. 51). Thus far, in all
three Gospels, we have had for the
most part anecdotes of our Lord's
Galilean ministry. At this point, in
all three Gospels, He bids farewell to
Galilee, and " stedfastly sets His face
to go to Jerusalem." The exact date
of this journey from Galilee to Judaea
it is not very easy to fix ; St. John
seems to imply four journeys to Jeru
salem in the last six months of the
ministry: — (1) To the Feast of Taber
nacles (vii 10) ; (2) to the Feast of
Dedication (x. 22) ; (3) to the grave of
Lazarus (xi. 7) ; (4) to the Passover
(xii. 1). As (3) and (4) were at the
close of a sojourn, not in Galilee, but
in Persea and Ephraim respectively,
this journey must be ( 1 ) or (2f. It can
not well be (1), for St. Luke's account
of it (sending messengers before His
face to make ready for Him, ix. 52)
is quite inconsistent with St. John's
account of His journey from Galilee to
the Feast of Tabernacles (Tisri, or Oc
tober) — " not openly, but as it were in
secret " (vii. 10). We must conclude
it is No. 2, and that after the Feast
of Tabernacles our Lord returned to
Galilee for two months, and then
went up for the last time, as here
described, to the Feast of Dedication

(25th Chisleu, December — John x.22) ;
withdrawing after that feast to Peraea,
or the country beyond Jordan (John
x. 40, which agrees with this verse of
Matt., and Mark x. 1) ; and there
He seems to have remained until
summoned to Bethany by the sisters
of Lazarus.
4. Made them male and female.
The force ascribed to the phrase of
Gen. i. 27 seems to be that God made
mankind in pairs. As though Christ
had said, " You do not read that God
made men and women merely (which
might have seemed to allow chance
combinations), but that He made
them originally in pairs, implying that
this pairing was not to be broken.
5. And said. The words here
quoted occur in Gen. ii. 24, and may
be taken as spoken by Adam, or as
an inspired comment of Moses. In
either case our Lord quotes them
as recorded by the Holy Spirit for
our instruction. The nominative to
" said " may be God (as speaking in
Scripture) ; or it may be the usual im
personal formula of quotation, which
St. Paul seems to adopt in 1 Cor. vi.
16, " For two, saith he (or saith it, i.e.
Scripture, as in Rom. xv. 10) shall be
one flesh."
7. See Deut. xxiv. 1.

60

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 19. 8-16.

[a.d. 29

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
beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall
put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry
another, committeth adultery : and whoso marrieth her which is
put away doth commit adultery. 10 His disciples say unto him, If
the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save
they to whom it is given. 12For there are some eunuchs, which
were so born from their mother's womb : and there are some
eunuchs, 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 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he
should put his hands on them, and pray : and the disciples rebuked
them. " But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not,
to come unto me : for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 1B And he
laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what
9. 0m. " And whoso marrieth . . . adultery" (»). 16. Om. "good" before "Master."

8. Christ here gives us an answer
to all who find difficulty in the moral
imperfections of the law of Moses,
as, for instance, its recognition of
slavery, of the right of retaliation,
etc. It was a provisional dispensa
tion, perfect for its special end, which
was the gradual restoration of the
moral sense of the people, but for this
very reason imperfect when that end
was attained, and the time for "grace
and truth " was come (John i. 17).
St. Paul, too (Rom. v., Gal. iii.), always
speaks of the law as provisional or
parenthetic, i. e. as something intended
to be superseded.
9. See note on v. 32. Both there
and here our Lord is reported to have
made an exception, allowing separation
in the case of unfaithfulness. And
here (if not there) His words may be
construed to mean that the man who
puts away his wife for her unfaithful
ness may marry another. But it is
noticeable that after saying this in
public to the Pharisees (to correct
their lax interpretation of Deut. xxiv.
1, and to show that Moses' concession
was limited to the one case of un
faithfulness), our Lord in private — as
we learn from St. Mark x. 10-12 
gave His disciples the stricter law of
His kingdom.
11,12. The disciples had complained

that Christ's rule was so strict that
He might as well have required celi
bacy of them. Christ replies that in
His kingdom there might be cases
where even celibacy would be a duty,
— not compulsory celibacy (as in the
case of those poor slaves, called
eunuchs, in Eastern palaces) but volun
tary for conscience' sake. If then
the standard of holiness in His
kingdom might require even this,
much more might it require the rule
that marriage was indissoluble until
death. [N.B. — Schottgen has shown that
" eunuch for God " was a not uncom
mon phrase among the Rabbis for
voluntary self-denial.]
13 — IS (= Mark x. 13, Luke
xviii. 15). There is something very
beautiful in Christ's benediction of the
infants, immediately following the
precept concerning the sanctity of
the law of marriage. Let us bless
and praise Him also for giving His
Church this unanswerable testimony
that He is ever willing to receive our
infants into covenant ; as our Church
rejoices to declare in her Office for
Infant Baptism.
16. Compare St. Mark x. 18. Note
that this is the first occurrence of the
phrase (so frequent in St. John)
eternal life.

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 19. 17-26.

61

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, that is, God : but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the com
mandments. 18He saith unto him, Which ? Jesus said, " Thou shalt
" do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt
" not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy
"father and thy mother:" and, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour
" as thyself." 20The 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 and 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 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 you, 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, say
ing, 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. 17. Why askest thou me ahont the good ? One only is the Good.
20. Om. "from my youth up." 24. kingdom of heaven. 25. the disciples.

17. The oldest mss. read, "Why
askest thou Me about the good ? "
But as Irenseus (i. 20) quotes it as we
have it, " Why callest thou Me
good?" — and this agrees with St.
Mark and St. Luke's report — we may
suppose the alteration was made by
some very early copyist, fearing lest
Christ might seem to deny His own
divinity. Our Lord's meaning is of
course plain: "There is none good
but One, God ; and thou knowest
not that I am God ; therefore, why
callest thou Me good?"
If thou wilt enter Into life. Our
Lord always insisted on the suffi
ciency of the law, rightly understood.
See His answer about the resurrection
(xxii. 31), and in the parable of Dives,
" They have Moses and the prophets "
(Luke xvi. 29), and compare 2 Tim.
iii. 15. So here Christ unfolds the
deep truth of Lev. xviii. 5, "My
statutes, which if a man do he shall
live in them ; " but see note on Gal.
iii. 21. Luther says of " good works "
that they are the "via regni," not
the " causa regnandi." We cannot
redeem ourselves by keeping God's
commandments j but we need redemp

tion to enable us to keep them. And
to this Christ would fain lead the
man. It has been suggested (Plump-
tre's art. on Lazarus in Bible Diet.)
that this ' ' young man " was Lazarus.
It is only a conjecture, and not pro
bable. 21. If thou wilt be perfect, —
alluding to his words, " What lack I
yet ?" If thou desirest to supply all
that is lacking to complete thy novi
ciate in My kingdom. The word
translated " perfect " means " grown
up to manhood," as opposed to "chil
dren." See Phil. iii. 15, Heb. v. 14.
This passage has been misunder
stood, as making a distinction between
the precepts of the Gospel (required
of all), and counsels of perfection, to
be practised by the saints, as over
and above what duty requires. The
New Testament teaches no such doc
trine (see note on 1 Cor. vii. 25).
23. Compare St. Mark x. 24, where
Jesus explains His words to mean,
" How hard it is for them that trust
in riches ! "
24. Very similar proverbs for any
thing very difficult are quoted from
the Talmud by Lightf oot.

62

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 19. 27-30 ; 20. 1-6. [a.d. 29

27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed thee ; what shall we have therefore ?
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 glory, 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 my name's sake, shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are
first shall be last ; and the last shall be first.
Ch. 20. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is
an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire
labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the
labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And
he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the
marketplace, 4 and said unto them ; Go ye also into the vineyard,
and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
B Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did like
wise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others
standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day
29. forsaken brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands,
or houses, for my name's sake, shall receive many-fold more.
XX. 6. Om. "hour" . . . others standing ; om. "idle." (The second "idle" is genuine.)

28. By a careful comparison of this
verse with the parallel passages in
St. Mark and St. Luke, we see that
by the regeneration and the enthrone
ment Christ meant primarily (there
may be deeper meanings) the setting
up of His kingdom, or Church of
regenerated men, at Pentecost ; for
St. Luke (xviii. 30) defines it as
being " in this present time," and
St. Mark (x. 30) as being a time of
glory combined " with persecutions."
" In the regeneration, in the new
commonwealth of the Israel of God,
the apostles sat on twelve thrones
judging the twelve tribes, while there
were presbyters ruling churches in the
towns and hamlets, and deacons hav
ing a subordinate office in the Church
polity." — (Bishop Harold Browne's
Charge, 1878.)
27. . . . Ch. XX. 16. To Peter's ques
tion our Lord answers : " Great in
deed shall be in My regenerate Church
the reward of My true disciples, and
indeed of all who have denied them
selves for My sake ; but let none
think that God's rewards are things
to be earned, and so claimed. They
who think so will find themselves
bitterly disappointed (16-30). Vo

cation into God's vineyard is a grace
and a responsibility. They who truly
feel this will rejoice to share the
reward with as many as possible.
It is of grace that ye are called into
the vineyard ; it is of grace that
your work therein is approved. God's
award at the last will rest on deeper
principles of justice than ye can now
understand. Those who claim the
first place as their due shall find
themselves in the last place (xx.
1-16)." The teaching of this parable is the
teaching of our Church Catechism.
It is of grace that we are " called
into this state of salvation through
Jesus Christ our Saviour." The utmost
that we can do is through God's
grace " to continue in the same unto
our life's end," all notion of merit
being excluded; and this must be
remembered whenever the word " re
ward" is used in the Gospel. St.
Augustine (Serm. ex.) admirably ex
plains it, "Non debendo, sed pro-
mittendo, debitorem se fecit Deus."
Thus we reconcile Luke xvii. 5-10
with Matt. xvi. 27, Heb. vi. 10.
6. Idle — not voluntarily, but be
cause none had called them. Many

A.D.

29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 20. 7-16.

63

idle ? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He
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 unto the first. 9 And when
they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received
every man a penny. "But when the first came, they supposed
that they should have received more ; and they likewise received
every man a penny. u And when they had received it, they mur
mured against the goodman of the house, 12 saying, These last have
wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us,
which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13But he
answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst
not thou agree with me for a penny 1 14 Take that thine is, and go
thy way : I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 1B Is it not
lawful for me to do what I will with mine own ? Is thine eye evil,
because I am good ? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last :
for many be called, but few chosen.

7. Om. "and whatsoever . . . receive."
16l Om. " For many ,

13. did not 1 agree with thee (?).
chosen" (?).

have interpreted this verse of the call
of the Gentiles. Doubtless the prin
ciple of the parable admits of this
historical application. But St. Peter's
question, which was the manifest
occasion of the parable, shows that
its intention was deeper and more
general. 9. Here, as ever in our Lord's
parables, we must beware of pressing
details. If any argued from this
verse that there will be an equality
of rewards hereafter, he would be as
wrong as one who argued from the
parable of the ten virgins that the
number admitted would be exactly
equal to the number rejected. By
the self-acting laws of the spiritual
kingdom, there must be an infinitely
varying more or less of reward, accord
ing to our attainment in sanctifica-
tion. 12. Have wrought. Rather, as in
margin, " continued one hour only. "
16. This repetition of the warning
given to St. Peter at the end of ch.
xix. shows the close connexion of
the parable with St. Peter's question.
But our Lord now adds the further
warning (recurring at ch. xxii. 14),
" Many are called, but few chosen."
From this Trench argues that those
murmuring labourers forfeited their

promised gift. But need this be so ?
Those who fail to receive humbly and
gratefully their baptismal privileges
do not forfeit them entirely, although
they lose much of their blessedness.
So not chosen need not mean utterly
rejected. Thus interpreted, this saying does
not touch the question of the propor
tion of saved to lost at the day of final
judgment. In its general application
it can only refer (as the words show)
exclusively to those who are " called"
in holy baptism to the high privilege
of being saints of God, and affirms
that of them " few are chosen " to
enter into that higher and earlier joy
of their Lord, which seems to be pro
mised in Rev. xx. 4, 5, 6.
Or possibly our Lord, in the words
few and many, was thinking only of
the generation He was addressing.
To the lost sheep of the house of
Israel He was sent, — all these were
even now being called, and how few
would be chosen ! It is by no means
certain that we are right in giving the
words any wider meaning, but cf.
vii. 14, xxii. 14, and Luke xiii. 23,
and notes there. [I have assumed in
this note the genuineness of the latter
clause of the verse, but Tregelles
marks it as doubtful.]

64

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 20. 17-26.

[a.d. 29

17 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, 19 and shall
deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify
him : and the third day he shall rise again.
20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her
sons, worshipping him, and desiring 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 right hand, and the
other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said,
Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I
shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with ? They say unto him, We are able. 23 And he saith
unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with
the baptism that I am baptized with : but to sit on my right hand,
and on my left, is not mine to 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. 2B But
Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of
the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great
exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you :
17. heing ahout to go up (?) ; . . . the twelve ; om. " disciples ; " . . . apart, and in the way
said unto them. 19. shall be raised, instead of" shall rise." 21. on thy left.
22. Om. " and to be baptized . . . baptized with." 23. He saith ; om. "And;" om. "and
be baptized . . . baptized with ; " on the left; om. "my." 26. It is not so.

17. From Perse a, or from Ephraim.
See note at xix. 1.
18. This is the third and fullest of
Christ's four predictions of His Pas
sion. See xvi. 21, xvii. 22,23,xxvi. 2;
and see also note on Luke xviii. 31.
19. The Gentiles, i.e. the Romans.
To crucify. The first mention of
His cross (see xxvi. 2), unless we
suppose that our Lord mentioned it in
xvi. 21, — for in very close connexion
(in ver. 24) we find allusion to this
mode of death. See note on Luke
ix. 23.
20. By comparing xxvii. 56 with
Mark xvi. 1 we learn that Zebedee's
wife was Salome. St. Mark tells us
that the two apostles made the request,
showing that all three came together,
the mother speaking for the rest.
22. Drink of the cup ... be baptized
with the baptism. If the latter
phrase has not St. Matthew's autho
rity, it certainly has St. Mark's (x.
38). A Jew would at once under
stand these familiar expressions —
" drinking of the same cup," " passing
through the same waters," — to mean

the closest possible fellowship or
communion. Subsequently our Lord
consecrated both the one and the
other to be sacraments of our com
munion with Him and with each
other. So St. Paul : — " baptized into
one body — made to drink into one
Spirit," 1 Cor. xii. 13. (Cf. Ps. xiii.
7, Ixix. 2, Jonah ii., for the idea of
going down into deep waters ; and
John xviii. 11, Matt. xxvi. 39, for the
idea of draining a cup of suffering.)
23. For St. James's sufferings see
Acts xii. 1 ; for St. John's, Rev. i. 9.
Is not mine to give . . . but for whom
it is prepared. The words inserted
by our translators in italics should
be omitted. Christ has it to give,
but only to those for whom it is in
tended by His Father.
25. "Lord it over them." Our
Lord's words sank deep into St.
Peter's memory : in 1 Peter v. 3 he
uses the very same words.
26. "Whoever will be (desires to
be, as in xix. 21) great and chief "in
My sight must be lowly and willing
to serve in man's sight."

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 20. 27-34.

65

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 And 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, 0 Lord, thou son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them,
because they should hold their peace : but they cried the more,
saying, Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, thou son of David. 32 And Jesus
stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do
unto you ? M They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be
opened. 34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their
eyes : and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed
him.

27. he shall be your servant.

34. they received sight, and followed him.

28. Compare St. Paul's words,
PhiL ii. 7, which must have been
written with this great saying of his
Lord in bis mind. And for the
theological significance of the word
" minister," see note on Mark x. 45.
A ransom for many. The Greek
word for "ransom" is used by the
Septuagint to represent the Hebrew
word "copher," or atonement. The
word " ransom " and its associations
must not be unduly pressed, else
we shall involve ourselves in the
question which for many centuries so
needlessly perplexed the Fathers of
the Church, " To whom was the ran
som paid?" The idea of compensa
tion would not be suggested for one
moment to the disciples' mind by the
Hebrew or Aramaic word used by
our Lord. The Hebrew word would
suggest none but sacrificial associa
tions. Our word " ransom," failing as
it does to suggest the idea of sacrifice
or expiation, is therefore a very im
perfect equivalent for the word used
by our Lord.
If it be asked, What is meant by
saying that Christ's death was a sacri
fice expiating man's sin? we may
perhaps most nearly express what
appears to be Holy Scripture's answer
thus : — Christ, in dying, consummated
His obedience to His Father's will;
and this obedience, rendered by One
who represented the whole race, more
than covered the disobedience of the
Face (Heb. x. 9, 10; Rom. v. 19). K

And if it be further asked why the
Father thus willed the death of His
incarnate Son ? we may perhaps ven
ture (under the guidance of Athana-
sius) to interpret Holy Scripture's
answer thus : — It was in order that
human nature might, in the person
of One who was sinless, be passed
through a process of death and resur
rection ; for so only could the human
nature be regenerated. Thus far the
light of Scripture seems to guide us,
— further into the mystery we dare
not venture.*
30. St. Matthew leads us to suppose
that two blind men met Christ as He
left Jericho : St. Luke that one blind
man met Him as He entered Jericho.
Bengel suggests that one blind man
may have made the request as Jesus
entered Jericho, and received a pro
mise that he should be cured if he
would come the next day, and, hav
ing such a promise, brought another
blind man with him. But surely
these variations are unimportant, or
rather highly to be valued, as showing
that we have, not one witness, but
four independent witnesses, to the
main facts of our Lord's ministry on
earth.

* In my Rudiments of Theology (Revised
Edition of 1878) I have tried to set forth what
I have gleaned from the early Fathers on this
deep mystery of our faith ; not forgetful, as
I trust, that he enters most truly into this
mystery who feels his need most deeply. We
may thank God that the benefit depends not
on our understanding of it.

66

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 21. 1-12.

[a.d. 29

Ch. 21. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, 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 man say ought
unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them ; and straight
way he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 8 " Tell ye the daughter
" of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting
" upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." 6 And the disciples
went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7and brought the
ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set
him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments
in the way ; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed
them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that
followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David : Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the highest.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved,
saying, Who is this ? u And the multitude said, This is Jesus the
prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them
that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of
XXI. 4. This was done ; om. " All." 7. the clothes, and he sat thereon.
9. that went before him. 11. the prophet Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee.
12. into the temple ; om. "of God."

Ch. XXI. i (=Mark xi. 1, Luke
xix. 29, John xii. 12). St. Matthew,
coming now towards the momentous
close of his narrative, is careful, as
at the beginning (see ii. 5), to show
how all prophecy of the Messiah was
fulfilled in Jesus. At the time pro
bably the apostles did not see this so
clearly (John xii. 16, Luke xxiv. 27).
Zechariah (ix. 9), in speaking of
the Messiah as riding upon an ass,
meant that His advent would be a
return to the times of the theocracy
(see Judges v. 10), — times of peace,
such as Israel had enjoyed before the
wars of their kings introduced horses
and chariots.
9. Hosanna — a word made up of
the two Hebrew words which occur
in Ps. cxviii. 25, — Hoshea na, Save
now, or Save, I pray — used in con
gratulation of a king, like our " God
save the king ! "
Hosanna in the highest — i.e. let us
sing hosanna to God in the highest.
10, II. Those who ask " Who is
this 1" are the crowds streaming out
of the city. The multitude who

answer may be supposed to be Gali
leans, who would be coming in crowds
to Jerusalem for the Passover. In
Galilee most of Christ's wonderful
works had been performed.
12. From St. Mark's more exact
account we learn that the purging of
the temple was on the Monday of
Holy Week, the day after the entry
(Markxi. 11-15).
Money-changers. Commentators
remind us that the temple-tax (xvii.
24) was to be paid in Jewish money.
Hence the need of money-changers
for foreign Jews who came up at the
feast. More important is it to note
the lesson of reverence for holy places
which our Lord here teaches.
12, 16, 23, 31, 43. Observe our
Lord's absolute fearlessness : and yet
this was He who was " meek and
lowly," and who taught us to turn the
other cheek. While we remember
His precept, let us not forget His ex
ample, and we shall then interpret His
words aright. We cannot be too meek
in suffering wrong ; we cannot be too
bold in refusing to countenance wrong.

A. D. 2

9]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 21. 13-24.

67

the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 and
said unto them, It is written, "My house shall be called the
" house of prayer ; 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. "And when the chief priests and scribes saw the
wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple,
and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,
16 and said unto him, Hearest 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 "1 "And he left
them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
19 And when he saw 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 fig tree
withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled,
saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away ! 21 Jesus answered
and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and
doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree,
but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and
be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and
the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said,
By what authority doest thou these things ? and who gave thee this
authority ? M And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will

13. but ye are making it.

19. No fruit shall grow (?).

13. Is. lvi. 7, and Jer. vii. 11.
14. Thetemple — in which all through
the Passover Week these vast crowds
assembled — does not mean the shrine
itself, but the cloisters which Herod
had built round three sides of it.
The south cloister had a nave and
side aisles, not unlike York Minster,
only longer and loftier.
16. Ps. viii. 2, Greek Version.
18 — 22. See note on Mark xi. 13.
In the morning. Monday morning,
as we learn from St. Mark. Note
that St. Matthew, after his usual
manner, relates together things which
the Holy Spirit taught him were
spiritually connected. It was as Mes
siah that Jesus received their homage,
and as Messiah that He purged the
temple. St. Matthew purposely re
lates the two together, leaving the
incident of the fig-tree to be told
afterward. So in verse 20 the blight
ing of the tree, and the disciples' re
mark thereon, are brought together,
though from St. Mark we know

that a day intervened. None can
understand St. Matthew's narrative
unless they bear in mind his habit
of bringing into juxtaposition things
spiritually connected.
19. Christ's act of withering the
tree was, as it were, a thinking aloud,
— a spontaneous expression of His
own deep thought, " Even so do I
come hungering for fruits of righteous
ness, and even so am I disappointed,
and even thus shall judgment over
take this sinful nation."
21, 22. See note on xvii. 20, and
Matt. vii. 7. There is no encourage
ment of fanaticism. Believing is not
presuming. " Believing " is a convic
tion that God will give all that is in
accordance with His will. To expect
Him to give all that is in accordance
with our will would be "presuming."
24. Christ's example here teaches
us that the obligation to speak the
truth does not mean that we. must
never withhold the truth. Where a
questioner had no right to an answer,

68

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 21. 25-34.

[a.d. 29

ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you
by what authority I do these things. 2B 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 But what think ye ? A certain man had two sons ; and he came
to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. 29 He
answered and said, I will not : but afterward he repented, and went.
30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered
and said, I go, sir : and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did
the will of his father ? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith
unto them, Verily I say 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 afterward, that ye might believe him.
33 Hear another parable : There was a certain householder, which
planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine
press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and
went into a far country : 34and when the time of the fruit drew near,
he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the
25. among themselves. 28. in the vineyard. 31. They say ; om. "unto him ; " The latter,
instead of " The first" 32. did not even repent afterward. 33. Om. "certain."

or would certainly not profit by
it, Christ almost always refused to
answer, or wrapped it up in a dark say
ing. The parables that follow contain
the answer ; so does the reference to
John,forJohnbore witness to theautho-
rity by which He did these things.
25. The baptism of John — meaning
the whole ministry of John. Baptism
being the entrance into discipleship
may stand for all that is included in
discipleship. It is so used in Acts
xix. '3, and in Mark xvi. 16.
28. Of the six parables of Passion
Week, three — the Two Sons, the
Husbandmen, and the Marriage of
the King's Son — seem to have been
spoken in the temple, and relate to
the apostasy of the Jews ; and three
— the Servants waiting for their
Lord's return, the Ten Virgins, and
the Talents (xxiv. 45, xxv. 30) —
seem to have been spoken more
privately, in the evenings perhaps at
Bethany, and relate to His Church
and His second coming.
31. The kingdom of God — that

Messianic kingdom or Church which
was "at hand."
32. In the way of righteousness.
A Rabbinic phrase for a very strict
observance of all the law's require
ments : — John was just such an one
as ye Pharisees, with your "I go,
sir," ought to have followed.
Publicans and harlots — may we
infer that John baptized women as
well as men ?
33 ( = Mark xii. 1, Luke xx. 9).
The Wicked Husbandmen is one of
three parables common to all the
Synoptic Gospels, the two others
being the Sower and the Mustard Seed.
The vineyard is God's kingdom on
earth, of which the Jewish Church
were the first tenants, the Christian
Church the second. Is. v. 1-7 is
clearly in Christ's mind.
Built a tower. Every vineyard had
its " lodge," or " look-out," from which
the approach of an enemy might be
descried. 34. The prophets came seeking
fruits of righteousness, Jer. xliv. 4.

a.d. 29] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 21. 35-46 ; 22. 1.

69

fruits of it. 3B And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other
servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will
reverence my son. 3S But when the 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 vineyard, and slew him. 40 When the lord therefore
of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen ?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men,
and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall
render him the fruits in their seasons. ** 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 corner :
" this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes " ?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken
from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
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 chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they
perceived 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. Ch. 22. And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by
38. and let us have his inheritance. 44. Omit this verse (?). It is found in the Sin. a/nd Vat. MSS.

37. Observe how clearly our Lord
here separates Himself from all the
prophets who had preceded His ad
vent, thereby indicating His divinity.
38. Theodoret well reminds us that
" Christ is heir of all things, not as
God, but as man, for as God He is
Maker of all." Phil. ii. 9-11 and
Heb. L 2 are to be understood of
Christ in His human nature.
Come, let us kiH Mm. The very
words of Joseph's brethren. If we
may suppose that Gen. xxxvii. 20 was
in Christ's mind, we have here (as also
in St. Stephen's speech ?) authority for
regarding Joseph as a type of Christ.
Let us seize on Ms inheritance.
"Let us appropriate to ourselves —
to the carnal Israel — that dominion
and glory which is intended for the
spiritual Israel."
42. Our Lord is obliged to change
the image. To have said that the
heir, though killed, would still be
heir, would have been introducing a
paradox into the parable. It is in
teresting to notice that He quotes the
very Psalm (cxviii. 22, 25) from which

the people had taken their Hosan-
nas, which were the occasion of this
discourse. Cf. 1 Peter ii. 7.
43. Never had our Lord spoken so
plainly of God's rejection of the Jews.
Some have suggested that this verse
and the 44th have got transposed.
But there is no authority for the sug
gestion in the mss. In verse 44 our
Lord takes up again the metaphor
of the corner-stone of verse 42.
44. " He who speaks a word against
the Son of man " shall be bruised ; he
who is denied by the Lord at the
last day shall be utterly ruined. He
whose sin is only being offended by
the Messiah's low estate may recover:
but he who openly opposes the Mes
siah (as these Pharisees were doing)
will be crushed by God's wrath.
[There is good reason for retaining
this verse. It is found in the three
oldest mss.]
Ch. XXII. 1. Archbishop Trench
(agreeing with St. Augustine) estab
lishes the distinctness of this parable
of the Marriage of the King's Son,
and the earlier parable of the Great

70

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 22. 2-14.

[a.d. 29

parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain
ting, which made a marriage for his son, 3and sent forth his servants
to call them that were bidden to the wedding : and they would not
come. 4Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which
are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner : my oxen and my
fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
B But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm,
another to his merchandise : 6 and the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king
heard thereof, he was wroth : and he sent forth his armies, and
destroyed those murderers, 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 into the highways, and
as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. xo So those servants
went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as
they found, both bad and good : and the wedding was furnished
with guests. u And when the king came in to see the guests, he
saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment ; u and he
saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither not having a
wedding garment? And he was speechless. "Then said the
king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away,
and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
XXII. 7. But the king was wroth . . . army ; instead of " armies " (?). 10. the wedding-
chamber was tilled with guests (?). 13. Om. "and take him away."

Supper, recorded by St. Luke, xiv.
15-24. The Great Supper was spoken
at a meal in a Pharisee's house ; this
parable in the temple in Holy Week.
Then repentance was possible, now it
is too late; and the Pharisees are
warned that their city will be burned
and themselves destroyed.
2. The kingdom of heaven — i.e.
God's manner of dealing with His
Church. The wedding is the Incarna
tion and its ministry of grace. Pirst
our Lord invites His chosen people
(during His own ministry, verse 3 ;
and again after Pentecost, verse 4),
and they refuse, and are destroyed
as a nation ; then He invites all
mankind — "opening the kingdom of
heaven to all believers ; " but, of
those who accept the invitation, all
are not sanctified, only "the elect
people of God ; " — many are called,
but few are chosen. Compare Zeph.
i. 7, 8. The invitation is the offer
of baptism ; the wedding garment is
sanctification. Such is the simple
teaching of our Church Catechism,
illustrating this parable very clearly.

Each child who is baptized is " called
to this state of salvation ; " but
whether he "continue in the same
to his life's end" remains to be
seen. 10. Both bad and good. For the
mixed character of the Church see
xiii. 24. One only of the " bad " is
instanced as a specimen of the rest,
who are " many."
14. "Many" — yea even all who
are baptized — are called and invited
to be saints of God : "few" are chosen
into that " Church of the firstborn"
who shall be counted worthy of that
"first resurrection" (Rev. xx. 6).
And what of the rest — of those
" many " ? May it not be that they
are reserved for that final general
judgment described in xxv. 31 ? Por
all need not have been guilty of the
contemptuous disdain of grace shown
in the extreme case instanced by our
Lord. The Church, with its many
guests all equally invited to her
abundant means of grace, is to be a
mingled body, "good and bad," on
\ this side of the veil ; as each one

A.D,

3 9]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 22. 15-29.

71

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might
entangle him in his talk. "And they sent out unto him their
disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art
true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for
any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us there
fore, What thinkest thou ? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar,
or not ? " But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why
tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And
they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose
is this image and superscription ? a They say unto him, Caesar's.
Then saith he unto them, Eender therefore unto Csesar the things
which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him,
and went their way.
23 The same day came to hrm the Sadducees, which say that there
is no resurrection, and asked him, ** saying, Master, Moses said,
" If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry
" his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother." 20 Now there
were with us seven brethren : and the first, when he had married a
wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother :
26 likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27And
last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore in the resurrection
whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29 Jesus
23. saying, instead of" which say."
ment of tribute, or the Herodians by
disallowing it, — for the Herodians
were courtiers of Rome. They
thought to bind the divine Samson
with their withs.
21. See note on St. Mark xii. 17.
The denarius to Csesar, the half-
shekel to God ! (See note on xvii. 24.)
The two payments are quite consistent.
Render to God His due, and render
to the civil governor his due, for
" the powers that be are ordained of
God " (Rom. xiii. 1-7). The truth is
our duty towards God. covers all our
duties. Our tribute to Caesar is a part
of our tribute to God. St. Paul's
precept, to do all, whatsoever we do,
" to the glory of God " (1 Cor. x. 31),
abolishes the distinction between what
is religious and what is secular.
23. Sadducees. See notes on iii. 7
and xvi. 1. The Sadducees disbelieved
not only the bodily resurrection, but
the immortality of the spirit, see
Acts xxiii. 8.
24. This was the Levirate law of
Deut. xxv. 5, ordained for the pre
servation of inheritances, and illus
trated in the case of Ruth (iv. 10).

1 within the veil there is doubt
less a sifting, and the results of that
sifting may be very various, though but
one extreme instance is here given.
When we say that the wedding
garment is sanctification (see first ex
hortation in the Communion Service)
we must remember that sanctification
is only possible to us through the
putting on of Christ in Baptism (Gal.
iii. 27, Eph. iv. 24). The repudiation
of baptismal grace was the fearful
sin of " the man without the wedding
garment," and is the sin of Heb. x.
26-29. But God forbid that we
should suppose that all who fail or
come short of sanctification are guilty
of it ! See note on xii. 31 ; also
Luke xiii 23, and note there.
15 (=Mark xiL 13, Luke xx. 20).
Possibly the more prominent Phari
sees had withdrawn in anger, at
xxi. 46 ; and during the parable of
the Marriage Feast were forming
this conspiracy with the Herodians
(see note on Mark iii. 6). The di
lemma was cunningly planned. He
must, they thought, offend either His
Galilean friends by allowing the pay-

72

St. MATTHEW. CH. 22. 30-46 ; 23. 1. [a.d. 29

answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scrip
tures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in
heaven. 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye
not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 " I
" 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 living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his
doctrine. 34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sad
ducees to silence, they were gathered together. 3B Then one of them,
which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment 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 great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto
it, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." *° On these two-
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
41 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. ** He saith unto them, How then doth
David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ""The LORD said unto my
" Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies
" thy footstool "1 "If David then call him Lord, how is he his
son ? *• And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst
any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Ch. 23. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
30. as the angels ; om. " of God." 32. God is not of dead but of living.
35. Om. "and saying." 37. He said ; om. "Jesus."
38. the great and first. 44. place thine enemies beneath thy feet.

30. That is, all relationship (of
husband to wife, parent to child, and
the like) will be merged in the one
relationship of the communion of
saints, or membership in Christ.
31. Christ purposely refutes them
out of the Pentateuch (Ex. iii. 6),
for the Sadducees are said to have
recognized the Divine authority of no
other books of the Old Testament.
32. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
must be now living, else God would
not call Himself their God, for He is
not the God of dead, but of living
men; and God speaks of them as
still in covenant with Himself. This
passage, and the appearance of Moses
and Elias in the Transfiguration, as
well as Christ's words to the penitent
thief, and such passages as 2 Cor. v.
8, Phil. i. 23, prove unmistakably
that death to God's saints is no inter-
ruption of life, but only a change.

St. Luke adds the remarkable words,
" For all live unto Him," i.e. in God's
view there is no such thing as death
("quickening the dead, and calling
those things that be not as though
they were" — Rom. iv. 17). See
note on 2 Tim. i. 10.
37. Out of the daily Shema. See
note on iv. 7, 10.
42. "What think ye of the pro
mised Messiah ? Whose son is he ? "
If of David only (i.e. a Messiah
after the flesh, a temporal prince),
how was David inspired to call him
Lord, saying (Ps, ex. 1), "Jehovah
said unto my Lord, sit Thou on My
right hand " ? Our Lord here reveals
that the Messiah was to be the Son
of God in a far higher sense than the
Jews had ever understood.
Ch. XXIII. At the close of the last
chapter the Pharisees fell on the
" Corner Stone," and were " broken ;"

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 23. 2-14.

73

* 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 themselves will not move them with one
of their fingers. B But all their 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 synagogues, 7 and greetings in the markets,
and to be called of men, Babbi, Babbi. 8 But be not ye called
Babbi : for one is your Master, even Christ ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth : for one is your
Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters : for
one is your Master, even Christ. u But he that is greatest among
you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself
shall be abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in
yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe
XXIII. 3. whatsoever they tell you, that do and observe. 4. But they bind . . . ;
om. " and grievous to be borne " (?) ; but they themselves. 5. for they make broad
their phylacteries*, and enlarge their fringes ; om. " of their garments."
7. Om. second " Rabbi." 8. for one is your teacher ; om. "even Christ."
9. For one is your Father, your heavenly. 14. Omit this verse.

but their fall brought no repentance ;
they have utterly rejected Him, and
now He falls on them and "grinds
them to powder. "
The lesson to be learned from this
terrible chapter is that Christ's love
of the sinner is not unlimited ; when
He knows that their repentance is no
longer possible, it ceases ; and we
have revealed to us what is called in
Scripture "the wrath of God," i.e.
God's righteousness viewed from the
side of those who reject Him. Viewed
from the opposite side, we see in this
stern denunciation of the Pharisees
Christ's love of the misguided multi
tude, for whose disenthralment it was
necessary ; even as Sergius Paulus in
the judgment of Elymas saw his own
merciful deliverance from one who
sought " to turn him from the truth."
(Compare Acts xiii 6-12.)
So far from this invective having
been uttered merely for the sake of
relieving strong emotion (as in human
wrath), we may well believe it was not
spoken without much effort, as seems
to appear in the sense of exhaustion
implied in the deep dejection of the
last three verses (37-39).
2. In Moses' seat, — as interpreters

of the law. Officially, therefore, their
authority was to be recognized.
5. Phylacteries (or safeguards) —
called frontlets in Ex. xiii. 16, Deut.
vi. 8 — were texts of the law in small
leather cases bound on the left arm,
or in a fillet upon the forehead. The
custom arose out of a literal interpre
tation of the above verses. The fringes,
or blue borders of the garments, were
another literal observance of the law
(Num. xv. 38, Deut. ii. 12), and worn
as a badge of sanctity.
6. Uppermost rooms — room mean
ing place at table.
8 — 10. Call no one Master — to the
displacement of the one Master,
the Christ. Human teachers, pastors,
fathers in God, are distinctly sanc
tioned in Holy Scripture (Eph. iv. 11);
but they must be as guides to the
one Master, speaking and ruling in
His name, not in their own.
Let us mark well the deep con
sciousness of Divine supremacy which
underlies these words of Christ I
What mere prophet of God could
ever have spoken thus ?
14. This verse (wantingin all the best
mss.) seems to have been copied into
the text from St. Mark and St. Luke.

74

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 23. 15-30.

[A.D. 2C>

unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows'
houses, and for a pretence make long prayer : therefore ye shall re
ceive the greater damnation. 1B Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites ! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte,
and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell
than yourselves. "Woe unto you, ye 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 ! " Ye fools
and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that
sanctifieth 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 guilty. " Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the
gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift ? 20 Whoso therefore shall
swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by
him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven,
sweareth 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 anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law, judgment, 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. 2BWoe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye make clean the outside of
the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and
excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first 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 ye are
like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward,
but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous 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 fathers, we would not have been partakers
19. Om. " fools and." 23. But these ought ye. 26. outside of it.

16 — 22. Christ reveals the essential
meaning of an oath : it is an appeal
to the personal God, or it is nothing.
18. Guilty — margin, "a debtor, or
bound." 23. Ye pay the tenth part of your
garden produce, even of the smallest
herbs, to the temple service, and
neglect the cardinal virtues of God's
law, — justice, mercy, good faith.
24. Archbishop Trench believes
that the translators wrote "strain
out" a gnat (take it by a strainer
out of your wine), and that " strain
at" was an early misprint.
25. The wine or dainties which are

inside the cup or plate are the pro
duce of extortion and intemperate
greed. See note on Luke xi. 39, and
cf. Mark vii. 3.
27. Once in the year (15th Adar) it
was the custom to whitewash graves,
lest passers-by should inadvertently
step on them and be defiled. Even
such were these Pharisees, — fair out
wardly, corrupt within. Cf. Acts
xxiii. 3.
29, 30. Ye pretend to honour those
whom your fathers persecuted, and
yet by your conduct you show
that their persecuting spirit is still
yours.

A.D. 2

9]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 23. 31-39 ; 24. 1-2.

with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be
witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which
killed the prophets. 33 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, 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 them from city to city : 3B that 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, whom ye slew
between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All
these things shall come upon this generation. 37 0 Jerusalem, Jeru
salem, thou 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 ! M 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.
Ch. 24. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple:
and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the
temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things ?
34. some of them ; om. " And." 35. The Sinaitic MS. omits " Son of Barachias,"
and Jerome says that some copies had "Son of Jehoiada."
XXTV. 2. And he answered and said.

35. Son of Barachias. See note on
Luke xi. 49. The conjecture there
made, that these words are the blun
dering addition of a copyist, is con
firmed by their absence in the newly-
discovered Sinaitic MS.
37. How often. The visits to the
great feasts at Jerusalem, recorded
only by St. John, are here distinctly
implied. 38, 39. These verses are explained
by Luke xxi. 24. (The word " deso
late" seems to show that Daniel's
prophecy was in our Lord's mind —
as in the next chapter, verse 15.) He
looks on to the days when Jerusalem
should be laid waste by the Romans,
and should remain " trodden down of
the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles should be fulfilled," i.e. until
the second Advent, when Jerusalem
shall say, "Blessed is He that cometh
in the name of Jehovah."
Ch. XXIV. 2 (=Mark xiii., Luke
xxi.). We see here how vividly
present to Christ's mind through
out these last days of His ministry
was the approaching destruction of
Jerusalem. We see it in the con

cluding verses of the last chapter, in
the parables of the Rebellious Guests
(ch. xxii.), and of the Wicked Hus
bandmen (ch. xxi.), and possibly in
the withering of the fig-tree. In
order to understand what follows,
we must endeavour to regard the fall
of Jerusalem, not from our point of
view, but from the apostles'. To
them, as Jews, it seemed as though
it were " the end of the world "
(literally, " the winding up of the
age ") and a day of judgment ; and
our Lord also, in his reply, so regards
it. But He no less clearly indicates
that it is not the final judgment.
The fall of Jerusalem is to be fol
lowed by a period of indefinite length,
called (in St. Luke's report) "the
times of the Gentiles."
The difficulty which commentators
find in this prophecy lies in the six
verses 29-34.
In the earlier of those verses (29-
31) Christ speaks of a darkening of
the sun and moon and stars ; of the
Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory ;
and of His angels gathering His elect

76

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 24. 3-5.

[a.d. 29

verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the
mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell
us, when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign of thy
coming, and of the end of the world ? 4And Jesus answered and
said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 8 For many

from the four winds with the sound
of a trumpet. In the latter verses
(32-34) Christ speaks of His disciples
seeing all these things, and adds,
" Verily, I say unto you, This genera
tion shall not pass till all these things
be fulfilled."
The former phrases seem to point
to the final judgment ; the latter
seems to restrict it to a judgment
within the lifetime of those He was
addressing. How are we to reconcile
this apparent inconsistency? Jerome
makes nearly the whole prophecy
relate to the end of the world ; and
forces the 34th verse into harmony
with this view by interpreting "this
generation " to mean the Jewish race.
Chrysostom makes all that follows the
22d verse belong to the end of the
world ; and explains " this genera
tion" to mean "the generation of
God's children," i.e. the Church.
But even if the natural meaning of
verse 34 might be thus explained
away, the difficulty would be left
standing in other parallel passages,
which speak unmistakably of a
" coming of the Son of man " within
the lifetime of that generation : —
"Ye shall not have gone over the
cities of Israel, till the Son of man be
come " (x. 23) ; " Verily, I say unto
you, There be some standing here
which shall not taste of death, till
they see the Son of man coming in
His kingdom " (xvi. 28) ; or, as St.
Mark (ix. 1) gives it, "till they have
seen the kingdom of God come with
power." "Hereafter" (or, rather,
Henceforth) " shall ye see the Son of
man sitting on the right hand of
power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven " (xxvi. 64). " If I will that
he tarry till I come, what is that to
thee?" (John xxi. 22.)
Augustine, in his letter to Hesychius
(Ep. 199), seems to give us the right
clew to all these passages. He says
that when we find our Lord speaking

of a future Advent, we have to deter
mine from the context which of three
distinct Advents is intended : — (1) The
fall of Jerusalem ; (2) His continual
Advent in His presence with His
Church ; (3) His Advent at the last
day. For instance, in Luke xxi. 29
Christ plainly points to the first, His
coming to judge the Jews ; in Matt.
xxvi. 64 He no less plainly points to
the second, His coming in power to
vindicate His Church, — for His judges
were to live to see it ; in John vi.
40 He spoke of His coming at the
last day.
It is to the first or second of these
three Advents that Augustine would
refer most, if not all, of the expres
sions of this 24th chapter (in their
first intention, at any rate) ; to the
second he inclines to refer (though he
speaks doubtfully) the parables of the
Virgins and Talents ; to the third
belongs the remainder of the 26th
chapter. The Advent prophesied in this 24th
chapter seems therefore to St. Augus
tine to find its fulfilment in the fall
of Jerusalem, and that rapid exten
sion of Christ's kingdom which fol
lowed it ; fulfilling Daniel's vision of
" One like the Son of man" coming "in
the clouds of heaven" (i.e. clothed with
divine power), " and there was given
him dominion, and glory, and a king
dom, that all people, nations, and
languages should serve him " (Dan.
vii. 13, 14. See Pusey on Daniel,
p. 87, 3d ed.) And the imagery of
that vision seems to be here (as also
in xxvi. 64, and xxviii. 18) in our
Lord's mind.
That the nearer Advent to which
our Lord thus pointed was meant to
typify and prefigure the final Ad
vent is most true ;* but we hope to
show in the sequel how, in their first

*For the "double sense of prophecy" see
note on i. 28 ; and Davison's 5th Discourse
on Prophecy, Pt. ii.

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 24. 6-21.

shall come in 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 kingdom
against kingdom : and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. 8AU these are the beginning of
sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, 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. u And many false prophets shall rise,
and shall deceive many. u And because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations ;
and then shall the end come. 1B When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand
in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :) 16 then let
them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains : " let him which
is on the housetop 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 ! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter, neither on the sabbath day : n for then shall be great tribu-

6. for it must come to pass.
17. to carry away his household stuff.

7. Om. "and pestilences."
18. to take his garment.

intention, all the verses of this pro
phecy may be fairly understood of
that great catastrophe whereby was
substituted the New for the Old
Theocracy, within the limits of that
generation. 5. 6. We know from Josephus how
many impostors, claiming to be the
Messiah, arose during the forty years
preceding the fall of Jerusalem, and
how distracted Judaea was by insur
rections and threatenings from Rome.
7. Famines . . . earthquakes. Not
only St. Luke (Acts xii 28), but
Suetonius (Claud. 18) and Tacitus
(Ann. xii. 43) tell us of famines ;
and Seneca (Ep. 91) of frequent earth
quakes, especially in Syria.
8. Sorrows — literally, birth-pangs,
indicating that, in our Lord's view,
the New Theocracy did not properly
begin until the Old had been de
stroyed. Cf. John xvi. 21.
12. Iniquity — the "mystery of
iniquity " of 2 Thess. ii. 7 ; literally,

13. Unto the end — unto the end of

the persecution, or even unto death,
if need be.
14. Similarly St. Paul speaks of
the gospel as having been preached
in all the then known world, in Rom.
x. 18, Col. i. 6, 23.
15. In reply to their question," What
should be the sign ?" Christ refers
them to Dan. ix. 27. Daniel there
speaks of a cessation of the daily
sacrifice, and " upon the wing of
abominations, a desolator." Josephus
(B. J. iv. iii." 6-8, and vi. 3) tells us
how in the Roman war the daily
sacrifice was stopped and the temple
polluted by the Zealots ; and how this
was swiftly followed by the invest
ment of the city by Cestius (the
"desolator"). The Christians seem
to have recognized in this the fulfil
ment of our Lord's words, and fled
to Pella, beyond Jordan, in the moun
tains of Gilead. But see note on
Luke xxi. 7.
17. Let him escape by the outside
stairs. 20. On the sabbath— when the cus-

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 24. 22-30.

[a.d. 29

lation, 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 shortened,
there should no flesh be saved : 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. MFor there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew 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 out of the east, and shineth even unto the west ; so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be. 28For wheresoever the
carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 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
24. so that, if possible, even the elect shall be deceived.
27. So shall the coming ; om. "also." 28. Om. "for."

toms of the country would make
travelling almost impossible.
22. The elect — the Christians of
Judasa. 24. If it were possible — should be
" if possible ; " the possibility is by
no means denied.
26. Secret chambers — the store-
closet of vi. 6. See note on John
vii. 27.
28. Travellers tell us that a dead
body cannot be exposed a single hour
in the desert without being scented
by the vultures (Job xxxix. 30).
Hence the proverb. Bengel and most
moderns interpret it to mean, Where-
ever the sinner is, there will the Judge
appear. The ancient Fathers, with
one consent, explain it to mean,
" Wherever Christ appears, there will
His saints hasten to meet Him."
And this latter sense suits best with
the context : "My saints will have no
need to ask Where ? they will recog
nize My appearing as certainly as
vultures scent their prey." The
quickness of apprehension is the only
point in the proverb. Irenseus cites
Is. xliii. 6 as a parallel passage : cf.
also ver. 31 below.
29. Immediately after. This phrase
(as all must admit) agrees best with
the natural force of verse 34, that
Christ is still speaking of things to be
witnessed by those then living.
That our Lord should describe the

fall of Jerusalem and the winding \i\>
of the Old Dispensation as a darken
ing of the sun and moon and falling
of the stars, need surprise no one
familiar with the language of the
prophets. Isaiah applies the same
imagery to the destruction of Babylon
by the Medes (xiii. 10) ; Ezekiel to
the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses
(xxxii. 7, 8) ; Joel, first to a plague
of locusts (ii. 10), and secondly to the
tribulation of " the last days," inter
preted by St. Peter (Acts ii. 16-21)
to mean the days that began with the
outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost.
In Hebrews xii. 26-28 this same judg
ment of the Jewish nation is spoken
of as a shaking "not of the earth
only, but also of heaven," to be
succeeded by "a kingdom which
cannot be shaken," — namely, the
Christian Church.
30. Then, at length, shall be seen
that "sign from heaven," which
Daniel's vision had led the Jews to
expect, and which they so persistently
demanded (Mark viii. 11, Lukexi. 16)
— the sign of " the Son of man com
ing in the clouds of heaven" — the
sign which Christ before Caiaphas
said His judges should behold, and
which St. Stephen saw by anticipa
tion in the hour of his death. Thus
Christ seems to indicate the visible
providences by which He would
manifest His presence with His

A.D.

29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 24. 31-40.

79

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 with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; When his 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 it is
near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation
shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. M Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 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 were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be. M For as in the days that were
before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the
36. The Sin. and Vat. MSS. insert " nor the Son," but the Father only. 37. For as the
days of Noah were, so shall the coming ; om. " also." 39. so shall the coming ;
om. "also." 40. one shall be taken, and one left.

Church, and so vindicate it. And
this is the second of those three
Advents of which Augustine speaks.
So in the next verse (31), under
the image of angels gathering His
elect from the four winds, He may be
understood to indicate (still as in
vision) how Christians from every
nation would be knit into one com
munion ; — Israel after the flesh re
jected, and a spiritual Israel gathered
in its place from every quarter of the
world. [This verse seems to favour
the patristic interpretation of ver. 28.]
34. All this began to be realized
within the lifetime of some who
listened to the prophecy.
But once again we must repeat,
what has been already said, that as
so many of the Old Testament pro
phecies are seen to have a double sense,
so with this prophecy, — its nearer
fulfilment was so far from exhausting
its meaning that we are constrained
to look for ampler fulfilments in the
remoter future.
36. Most of what follows is given
by St. Luke (xvii. 20-37) in a quite
different connexion. And we there
see that our Lord was still thinking
of the fall of Jerusalem ; for He

interweaves with His allusions to
Noah and Lot, the charge to His dis
ciples, to let nothing delay their
flight (Luke xvii. 31).
39, 40. Took, taken — an unfortu
nate tautology of the translators. In
the Greek the words are different, —
that rendered " took " meaning de
struction, while that rendered "taken"
has the same blessed meaning which
it has in John xiv. 3. There Christ
seems to promise a speedy return in
spiritual communion to His disciples,
in order that in the hour of their
death He may take them to Himself.
Such also may be one meaning of the
passage before us.
As applied to the final Advent it
seems to describe what St. Paul
had revealed to him concerning our
Lord's Advent — how some, the saints,
would be caught up " to meet their
Lord in the air" (1 Thess. iv. 17) ;
some, but not all, — " one shall be
taken, and the other left." In the
next chapter we have further de
scribed to us in two parables this sift
ing of the Christian Church which
shall take place more or less at every
Advent of her Lord, most of all at
His final Advent.

80

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 24. 41-51 ; 25. 1-8. [a.d. 29

other left. '"•Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one
shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come. "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 suffered his house to be broken up. ** There
fore be ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh. 4B Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in
due season ? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he
cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he
shall 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-servants, and to eat and drink with
the drunken ; B0 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when
he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
61 and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Ch. 25. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bride
groom. 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. B While
the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at
midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh ;
go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed
their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your
42. on what day. 46. the lord. 48. Om. "his coming." 49. shaU eat and drink.
XXV. 2. five of them were foolish, and five wise. 4. in the vessels.
6. Behold, the bridegroom 1 om. "cometh."

Ch. XXV. I. Marriages in the
East were celebrated at night, and
the feast was at the house of the
bridegroom. To this feast the bride
groom went to fetch the bride, " the
virgins that be her fellows bearing
her company," "with joy and glad
ness," in procession to the bride
groom's house. Here, as ever in
Christ's parables, we must be careful
how we press aught but the one great
lesson to which Christ points His
parable, viz.,watchfulness. We are not
bound to give a meaning to the details
of the parable — the lamp, the oil, the
petition of the foolish, or the reply of
the wise, — for if we press any we
must press all the details, and this
would lead to the greatest errors, as,
for example, that the number of wise
and of foolish are exactly equal, or
that God's grace can be bought and

sold. Christ is evidently speaking of
the baptized exclusively ; the lamps
represent their responsibility as " lights
of the world" (Matt. v. 14), and the
oil God's grace. The one great lesson
is that Christians must make the most
of theirmeansof grace, else they will be
shut out from their Lord's kingdom.
So with the other parable of the
Talents also. The talents clearly
mean our Christian privileges as mem
bers of the Church. Christ is still
speaking of His Church exclusively,
and how it will be sifted at His Ad
vent, — some admitted to reign with
Him, some shut out. And Augustine
bids us remember that such an
Advent of our Lord is to each of us
the day of his death.
5. Slumbered and slept. The
Fathers interpret this of the sleep of
death.

a.d. 29] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 25. 9-28. 81
oil ; for our lamps are gone 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 bridegroom came ; and they that were ready went in with
him to the marriage : and the door was shut. u 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 Watch
therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the
Son of man cometh.
"For the Kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far
country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his
goods. 1B And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and
to another one ; to every man according to his several ability ; and
straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the
five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other
five talents. " And likewise he that, had received two, he also gained
other two. ls But he that had received one went and digged in the
earth, and hid his lord's money. "After a long time the lord of
those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20And so he
that had received five talents came and brought other five talents,
saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents : behold, I have
gained beside them five talents more. n His lord said unto him,
Well done, thou good and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter
thou into the joy of thy lord. M He also that had received two
talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents :
behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord
said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. M 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 gather
ing where thou hast not strawed : 2B and I was afraid, and went and
hid thy talent in the earth : lo, there thou hast tltat is thine. 26 His
lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant,
thou knewest that I reap where I 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
9. go ye rather ; om. " but." 13. Om. " wherein the Son of man cometh." 16. gained
other five ; om. " talents." 17. Om." he also." 20. I have gained other five ;
om. "beside them' and "talents." 22. Om. " beside them."

8. Are gone out should be " are
going out," as in margin.
14. This parable serves to set forth
the great truth that baptism and its
gifts will not preserve us in a state of
salvation unless we exert ourselves to
make the most of them. If we will
do our part God will do His, — not
otherwise ; and we must remember

that what we call " our part " is but
His gift after all. Christ had spoken
a very similar parable three days
before in the house of ZacchaBus ;
see Luke xix. 11.
21, 23. "It is but little we
can receive here — some drops of
joy that enter into us ; but there
we shall enter into joy, as vessels

F

82

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 25. 29-41.

[a.d. 29

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 servant into outer darkness : there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31 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 sepa
rate 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. -"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 foundation of the world : 3B for I was
an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in : 36 naked, and ye clothed
me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came
unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee 1 or thirsty, and gave
thee drink ? 3S 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, Inasmuch as ye have done it 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 hand, Depart from
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
31. 0m. "holy."
put into a sea of happiness."—
(Leighton.) 29. The marginal references (Matt.
xiii. 12, Mark iv. 25) sufficiently
explain this verse. It is a law of our
spiritual life that we cannot stand
still ; we must either go forward or go
backward. 31 — 46. This passage is to some
extent a parable, contrasted with the
two former : for whereas they set
forth to us the judgment of baptized
Christians, this passage, on the other
hand, sets forth to us the judgment
of "all the nations " (it is the word
commonly used for the Gentiles or

37. There is deep comfort in this
assurance that many will be accepted
at the last who in this life never
knew Christ.
34, 41. Blessed of my Father ; but
not "cursed of my Father." "Cursed,"
rather, " by their own sin."
41, 46. Everlasting fire — everlast
ing punishment— life eternal. The
word in the Greek is the same through

out, viz. " eternal," which Bengel
defines to mean " passing beyond the
bounds of time ; " but see note on
Mark iii. 29 and 2 Pet. iii. 18.
What Holy Scripture tells us of
" the fire" (Matt. iii. 10, John xv. 6),
"the flame" (Luke xvi. 24), "the
flaming fire " (2 Thess. i. 8), " the
furnace of fire" (Matt. xiii. 40, 42,
50), "thegehenna of fire" (Matt. v.
22, Mark ix. 43), "the lake of fire"
(Rev. xx. 15, xxi. 8), " the everlasting
fire" (here and Jude 7), may be
spoken more or less in parable, but
certainly implies (if words have any
meaning) an extremity of anguish at
which we may do well to tremble.
If poison be deadly, it is merciful so
to label it.
The broad contrast between the
judgment described in this passage
(31-46) and the judgment shadowed
forth in the two preceding parables is
to be carefully observed. Those
parables seem dearly to relate to the
admission or non-admission of bap
tized Christians to the special privi-

a.d. 29] St. MATTHEW. Ch. 25. 42-46; 26. 1-7.

83

angels : ** for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I was
thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : 43 1 was a stranger, and ye took
me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not : sick, and in prison, and
ye visited me not. ** Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or
sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee ? 4B Then shall
he answer them, saying, Verily I 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 everlasting punishment : but the righteous into
life eternal.
Ch. 26. And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these
sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is
the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be
crucified. 3Then assembled together the chief priests, and the
scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high
priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and consulted that they might
take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. B But they said, Not on the
feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
6 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
44. Om. "him." XXVI. 3. Om. " and the scribes."

leges indicated by the phrase, " first
resurrection," in Rev. xx. 5. This
latter passage as clearly relates to
judgment of " all nations," Christian
or heathen, at the last day. The sen
tence in the first case, accordingly,
depends on a right use of the means
of grace ; in the second case it
depends as clearly on obedience to
that natural law of conscience of
which St. Paul speaks in Romans ii.
The "wise virgins" of the first parable
and the " good and faithful servants "
of the second will be the assessors of
their Lord in the final judgment.
"Do ye not know that the saints
shall judge the world ?" 1 Cor. vi. 2.
" They come not into judgment, but
have passed from death unto life,"
John v. 24.
Ch. XXVI. I (=Mark xiv. 1, Luke
xxii. 1).
2. To be crucified. The second
mention of His cross ; see xx. 19.
Note the steadfastness with which
Jesus keeps His eye upon His ap
proaching death, knowing that it was
the great purpose for which He had
come into the world.
As " the feast of the Passover "( 1 5-21
Nisan) began properly on the 15th
Nisan (i.e. at sunset on Friday of this
week) two days before would bring us

to Wednesday. The word translated
"betrayed" is the word applied to
Judas delivering Jesus to the priests
(ver. 15), to the priests delivering
Him to Pilate (xxvii. 2), and to Pilate
delivering Him to the priests for
crucifixion (xxvii. 26). "Delivered"
would therefore be a better transla
tion. . Our Lord was not thinking of
His betrayal only, but of the whole
process. 5. Not on the feast — which began
after the sunset of 14th Nisan — for
fear of the crowds of country people
who would then fill Jerusalem, among
whom Jesus was much honoured.
Through Judas's treachery they were
enabled to effect it the night before.
6. St. Matthew, having mentioned
the Sanhedrin's unwillingness to at
tempt the arrest of Jesus on the Feast-
day, proceeds to explain how they
were enabled to effect it the night
before ; and, with this view, goes
back in his narrative to tell us how,
"when Jesus was in Bethany," six
days before (John xii. 1), something
had occurred which gave occasion to
the startling treachery of Judas. For
this principle of St. Matthew's narra
tive, see note on xxi. 18.
6, 7. Possibly St. Matthew and St.
Mark omit Mary's name for the

84

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 26. 8-21.

[a.d. 29

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. l0 When Jesus understood
it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman ? for she hath
wrought a good work upon me. uFor ye have the poor always
with you; but me ye have not always. "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 of her.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the
chief priests, 1B and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will
deliver him unto you ? And they covenanted with him for thirty
pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to
betray him.
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened feead the disciples
came to Jesus, saying 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; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them ; and they
made ready the passover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of
8. the disciples. 9. For it might; om. " this ointment." 17. Om. "unto him."

reason mentioned in the note on St.
John xi. 1, and for the same reason
call the house by the name of Simon
the leper, who is conjectured to be
the father of Lazarus and his sisters,
though at this time either deceased or
in retirement because of his leprosy.
(See also note on Luke vii. 37.)
12. In the woman's mind the only
feeling was deep love and devotion,
which must needs relieve itself by
some costly outward expression ; in
our Lord's mind the act immediately
connected itself with the one thought
which more and more, as the hour
drew nigh, filled His soul, the thought
of His approaching sacrifioe. Mark,
too, in verse 13, the clear presenti
ment that every incident of this sacri
fice would have a world-wide interest.
13. Thirty pieces of silver — i.e.
thirty shekels = £3, 16s.
17. The first day of unleavened
bread means the 14th Nisan, on
which the Passover must be slain.
We suppose (for reasons stated at
Luke xxii. 7) that the disciples put

this question to Christ at the very
commencement of the 14th Nisan,
viz., as the sun set on Thursday
evening. To their surprise they
found the goodman of the house
prepared to receive them that very
evening, for "with desire Christ
desired to eat the paschal supper
with them " before He suffered, and
He could only do so by thus antici
pating the usual time. Some think
that He had made a previous arrange
ment with the disciple to whose house
He directed His two apostles. See
note on Mark xiv. 13.
The 14th of Nisan was the day on
which all leaven was to be put away.
And that this day had consequently
come to be included as one of " the
days of unleavened bread" appears
from Josephus (Ant. ii. 151), who
speaks of the feast of unleavened
bread lasting eight days. See also
Jewish Wars, v. 3. 1, and Lightfoot
(Hor. Hebr.) on Mark xiv. 12.
21. Note again how careful Jesus
is lest they should suppose for one

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 26. 22-26.

85

you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and
began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I ? 23 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 born.
25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is
it 1 1 He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and
22. began each one to say ; om. "of them."
26. took a loaf, instead of" the loaf," as in the Received Text.

moment that His arrest and death
took Him by surprise. " No man
taketh My life from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself " (John x. 18). This
was essential to the idea of a sacri
fice. But most fully does the idea
come out in what follows. Again
and again — as they were able to bear
it — He had endeavoured to open
their eyes to the Divine purpose of
His death. It was a great stumbling-
block to them (" All ye shall be
offended because of Me ") , for to the
end* they clung to the notion of a
temporal redemption of their nation :
—"Be it far from Thee, Lord!"
Now, at the very last, more solemnly
and strikingly than ever, He shows
forth to them His coming death. He
takes the bread and breaks it, — " In
this ye see the breaking of My
body ; " and the cup, and pours it
out, — " In this ye see the pouring out
of My blood." And so His people
ever after, one with another, " show
ing the Lord's death till He come."
22. On the mind of every one of
them there rested the shadow of
approaching evil, and as in such
moments all our forgotten sins crowd
upon us and make the conscience
afraid, so was it now.
23. Judas may have been next to
Jesus on His left hand, on a separate
couch : John next to Jesus on His
right, sharing His couch.
He that dippeth — see Ps. xii. 9.
25. Thou hast said — the Hebrew
form of affirmation. See on verse 64.
26. Blessed it. The Alexandrine
and other mss. have "gave thanks,"
as the margin indicates.
* Even until their enlightenment on Pente
cost ; see Acts i. 6.

Take, eat ; this is my body. What
is the meaning of these words ? How
would a Jew most simply, most
directly, understand them ? In the
form of the expression he would
recognize at once the usual form of a
covenant; and that a covenant was
intended is proved by the second
clause, " This cup is My blood of the
new covenant," or, "This cup is the
new covenant in My blood." Among
the Jews, and indeed among all
nations, when any one covenanted or
contracted to give or sell to another,
a pledge or sign (nix) was usually
given and taken. And, as St. Augus
tine often reminds us, " the sign was
wont to be called by the name of the
thing signified." So would a Jew
understand, and so St. Augustine
understood, our Lord's words : —
" Non enim Dominus dubitavit dicere,
Hoc est Corpus Meum, cum signum
daret corporis Sui" (the Lord hesi
tated not to say, This is My body,
when giving the sign of His body). —
Contra Adimantum, xii. When He
gave them the bread, calling it His
body, and the wine, calling it His
blood, they would understand at once
that He was pledging Himself to give
them His body, pledging Himself to
give them His blood.
We may, then, understand, in the
first place, that our Lord was renew
ing in the most solemn form possible
(with the addition of a consecrated
pledge) the promise which He had
made twelve months before in the
Capernaum synagogue (John vi.), that
after His body had been sacrificed
and glorified, He would give it to
believers to be their spiritual food
and sustenance. Consequently the

86

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 26. 27-29.

[a.d. 29

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 ; 2S 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 drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,
until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
27. took a cup, instead of" the cup." 28. Treg. retains " new " with Alex. MS. and
Syr. ; both Sin. and Vat. omit it here as in St. Mark.

Church has always believed that
in the Eucharist the faithful com
municant receives from heaven real
nourishment from the very sub
stance* of Christ's body and blood.
So our Catechism affirms that the
body and blood of Christ "are verily
and indeed taken and received by the
faithful in the Lord's Supper." It is
not the thought of Christ only that we
feed on, but Christ Himself. It is a
great mystery that the sacrificed
body of Christ should, now that it is
glorified, be communicable to us.
But so it is. St. Paul distinctly
affirms it in his inspired comment on
these words of institution (1 Cor.
x. 16.) Nor is it inconceivable. As
the sun from the sky can act directly
upon us, imparting to us, of his
substance, light and heat, so Christ
from heaven may be conceived as
acting directly upon us, imparting to
us that effluence or virtue which is
ever going forth from His once sacri
ficed, now glorified, body and blood,
and thereby " strengthening and re
freshing our souls," even as the bread
and wine strengthen and refresh our
bodies. This first, showing what tho
words may, and (as I believe) do,
mean. And now, secondly, what (as I
believe) they cannot mean. They
surely cannot mean that the bread
and wine in any way become, or in
any way contain, the body and blood
of Christ. If Christ had meant this
He would have said so ; He would
have used some word indicating
change. But then the phrase would
have lost all its covenanting character,
and would have spent its force on that
one occasion, containing no promise
* I use the word substance in its philoso
phical, not in its popular sense. Calvin's
words on 1 Cor. xi. 24 are : — " Vim ex Christi
carne viviflcam in nos per Spiritum diffundi. "

for the future. Moreover, to suppose
the sign and thing signified to become
one, " overthroweth the nature of a
sacrament." There must be two parts
in a sacrament. The phrase "Real
Presence," though unknown to anti
quity, * and therefore better perhaps
avoided, is allowable if it mean a
spiritual Presence, mediated by the
Holy Ghost, — the Holy Ghost receiv
ing of that which is Christ's and
conveying it to us. But if it be
supposed to mean a local presence on
the altar it is surely unscriptural.
Christ's own words, " in remembrance
of Me," seem to forbid the notion.
" The heaven must receive Him until
the times of restitution ;" until then
none may say, " Lo, here is Christ ;
or, Lo, there is Christ."
We believe, therefore, that the
bread and wine remain simple bread
and wine ; but the consecration makes
them effectual pledges ; and when we
offer them and plead them to Christ,
we believe that He remembers His
holy covenant, and from heaven im
parts to us (all unseen) the nourish
ment of His very body and blood.
From the priest we receive the con
secrated sign (sacramentum) ; from
Christ in heaven we receive the thing
signified (res sacramenti).
See also the notes on Luke xxii.
19, and 1 Cor. xi. 23-26.
29. Chrysostom understands " In
My Father's kingdom " to mean after
My resurrection, referring to Acts x.
41. See note on Luke xxii. 30. Thus
* The early Fathers habitually call— as they
had Christ's authority to call— the bread His
body, and the wine His blood. But that they
were far from meaning any such real presence
as the Romanists teach, is plain from number
less passages, such as Theodoret's comment on
1 Cor. xi. 2S : "For when we shall have His
presence, we shall need the symbols of His
body no longer, the very body itself being
revealed to us. Therefore St. Paul said,
Until He covic."

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 26. 30-45.

87

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the
mount of Olives. 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be
offended because of me this night : for it is written, " I will smite
" the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered
" abroad." MBut after I am risen again, I will go before you
into Galilee. M Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men
shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night,
before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 3B Peter said unto
him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.
Likewise also said all the disciples.
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane,
and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and
began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them,
My soul is 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 I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and
saith unto Peter, 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. ^ He went away again
the second time, and prayed, saying, 0 my Father, if this cup may
not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. ** 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. ** Then cometh he to his disciples,
36. unto his disciples (?). 39. approaching a little fell; so some MSS., but apparently
amereerror; Father; am. "my"(?). 42. Om. "cup;" andom. "fromnie."
44. Om. "the third time" (?). 45. to the disciples.

interpreted, the words seem to point
to the perfected communion between
Christ and His peoplein the Eucharist.
30. A hymn — marg. "psalm;" pos
sibly Psalms cxv.-cxviii., called "the
Great Hallel."
31. See note on Mark xiv. 22.
36. Gethsemane = oil-press.
39. The full bitterness of this
" cup " of agony none can ever know.
Remembering the calmness, yea, the
holy joy, with which God's saints
have ever met their martyrdom, it is
impossible to suppose for one moment
that the mere approach of death thus
agonized the soul of Jesus. Our
Lord's twice-repeated use of the word
temptation, as if it was that which He
Himself was so fearfully suffering
(Luke xxii. 40, 46), and His allusion
to " the power of darkness " in verse

53, and still more the stern rebuke to
Peter, with what follows about the
twelve legions of angels, and the final
" But how then shall the Scripture be
fulfilled ? " — all seem to indicate that
the Evil One was permitted in this
dark hour to press once more with
terrible urgency on our Lord the
temptation to accomplish His work
by some exercise of Almighty power
without suffering. Twice before our
Lord had repelled this same temp
tation, — once in the wilderness, and
again just before the Trarsfiguration
(xvi. 22), when He seemed to recog
nize in Peter's words the prompting
of the Evil One. But beyond all this
there was the deeper mystery, the
weight of the sin of the whole world.
Into this mystery none can penetrate.
See note at Luke xxii. 39.

St. MATTHEW, Ch. 26. 46-57.

[a.d. 29

and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest : behold, the
hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of
sinners. 46 Bise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth
betray me.
47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came,
and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the
chief priests and elders of the people. ** Now he that betrayed him
gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he :
hold him fast. 49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail,
master; and kissed him. B0And Jesus said unto liim, Friend,
wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on
Jesus, and took him. a And, behold, one of them which were with
Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a
servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. B2 Then said
Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place : for all
they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently
give me more than twelve legions of angels ? "But how then shall
the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be 1
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 ? I sat
daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
66 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might
be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas
the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
53. Om. "now." 55. Om. "with you" (?).

50. Wherefore art thou come ?
Professor Lightfoot would translate
these words : — " Do that for which
thou art come." Cf. John xiii.
27. 54, 5& The phrase so often recur
ring, " that the scripture might be
fulfilled," means, of course, that God's
will, as indicated in Scripture, might
be fulfilled. 57. Now follow the two trials
(Jewish and Roman) on the morning
of Good Friday. After the informal
examination before Annas, which had
occupied the earlier hours of the
fourth watch, came the trial in the
Jewish Court (the Sanhedrin ; see note
on Acts v. 21), on the charge of blas
phemy. The evidence breaking down,
the Prisoner was put upon His oath,
and adjured to say whether He
claimed to be, not only the Messiah,
but also "the Son of God." And
Christ accepted the oath, and de
clared Himself the Son of God, — not

in the sense in which we are all
" children of God," but in the highest
sense, for He added that His seat
was on the throne of God ; and that
He was so understood is plain, for
the whole court cried out that He
had spoken blasphemy, and sentenced
Him to death.
But the Jewish court, under the
Roman dominion, according to some,
had no power (without special per
mission) to carry out a capital sen
tence (see notes on xxvii. 1, and on
Acts vii. 58), and therefore a second
trial, in the court of the Roman
Governor, after sunrise (xxvii. 1), on
the charge of treason, was necessary.
In this court He was acquitted
(xxvii. 24), Jesus explaining to the
satisfaction of Pilate that He sought
not temporal or political power (John
xviii. 36). So the Jews fell back on
the sentence of their own court :
" We have a law, and by our law He
ought to die, because He made Him-

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 26. 58-69.

89

68 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace,
and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. " Now the
chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness
against Jesus, to put him to death ; 60 but found none : yea, though
many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came
two false witnesses, 61 and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy
the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high
priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing ? what is
it which these witness against thee ? 63 But Jesus held his peace.
And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by
the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the
Son of God. "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said : nevertheless
Isay unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 66 Then
the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy ;
what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have
heard his blasphemy. 66What 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,
88 saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote
thee ?
69 Now Peter sat without in the palace : and a damsel came unto
59. Om. "and elders." 60. Om. "yea;" om. "yet found they none." At the
last came two; om. "false witnesses." 63. Om. "answered and."
65. ye heard the blasphemy.

self the Son of God " (John xix. 7).
And Pilate gave way. (Note there
fore that Jesus died a martyr to the
truth of His divinity.)
64. Tnou hast said. See ver. 25 and
xxvii. 11, and note on Mark xiv. 62.
"Nevertheless," i.e. "though ye may
not believe Me now" (Christ, speaking
for all time, appeals from the present
to the future), " yet henceforth " (for
such is the word in the original) " ye
shall see," i.e. " ye shall be aware
that I am seated at the right hand of
power." For this word "henceforth"
see John i. 51, and Mark xiv. 2.
" Hereafter," in the reign of King
James, meant "Henceforth ;" see end
of Confession in Prayer-Book. And,
in truth, does not all history bear
witness, that from that day forward
Christ has been " on the right hand
of power " ? See St. Augustine's dis
tinction of the three Advents in the
note on xxiv. 2.
65. Bent bis clothes. This was done
standing, from the neck downwards.
It was the ceremonial act of any
Jew who heard blasphemy ; compare

2 Kings xviii. 37, and Acts xiv. 14.
And if Jesus was not in the fullest
sense the Sou of God, then was
Caiaphas right to rend his clothes !
67. The palms of their bands —
margin, " rods." But in ch. v. 39 it
clearly means a slap with the hand.
69. All four Evangelists narrate the
denials of Peter. It is instructive to
note the slight differences in their
accounts as to the precise words
spoken, and who spoke them. They
are just such differences as one would
expect from four independent narra
tors in the trouble of such a night —
many voices speaking at once, doubt
less. All this was in the third watch
of the night, between midnight and
three a.m. All four watches are given
with their customary names in Mark
xiii. 35. "The late watch," "the
midnight watch," "the cock-crowing
watch," " the early watch." Thus the
Romans, and after them the Jews,
divided the time between sunset and
sunrise into four equal portions. It
is clear that the Jewish trial was in
the latter part of the fourth watch,

90

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 26. 70-75 ; 27. 1-4. [a.d. 29

him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied
before them all, saying, I 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 fellow was also with Jesus of
Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know
the man. 73And after a while came unto him they that stood by,
and said to Peter, Surely thou 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 immediately the cock crew. 76And
Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before
the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and
wept bitterly.
Ch. 27. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and
elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death :
2 and when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered
him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was
condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces
of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, I have sinned in
that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is

75. Om. "unto him."
XXVEL 2. Om. "Pontius." 4. righteous.

instead of" innocent " (?).

and that Peter's denials took place in
the third watch, while Christ was kept
waiting in the chambers of Annas.
Therefore at ver. 69 St. Matthew goes
back in his narrative a few hours.
73. He was recognized as a Gali
lean by his pronunciation.
75- With this threefold denial it is
deeply interesting to connect the three
fold confession which his merciful
Lord drew from the humbled apostle
a few weeks later. See notes on
John xxi. 15-17.
Ch. XXVII. 1 ( = Mark xv. 1, Luke
xxiii. 1, John xviii. 28). The informal
examination before Annas, and the
official trial and condemnation on a
charge of blasphemy in the hall of
Caiaphas, had taken place before day
break. Whether the Sanhedrin had
the power to execute a capital sen
tence or no is disputed. We know
that Stephen was stoned on the spot.
But in the case of Jesus they feared
the Galilean multitude, and pleading
their want of power, resolved to have
recourse to the Roman court. For this
purpose the Sanhedrin was specially
convened (in the temple, as it would
appear from xxvii. 5) at daybreak,
and a resolution passed to accuse Him

of treason before the procurator. In
the original it is, "When the dawn
was come," i.e. the twilight hour
before sunrise. We may suppose,
therefore, that the Sanhedrin met
between five and six, and about six
sent Jesus to Pilate. From the 5th
verse it appears that they met in the
temple. See note on Mark xv. 1.
Stier and Farrar hold that the ex
amination (1) before Annas, (2) before
Caiaphas, (3) before the Sanhedrin,
were all distinct. Alford and Ellicott
merge the second and third.
To us, in our northern climate, it
seems strange that Pilate should have
been ready to open his court at this
early hour before sunrise. But such
was the Roman custom. Josephus
tells us that Herod Agrippa's oration
(mentioned Acts xii. 21) was delivered
at sunrise. The Prcetorium, or head
quarters of the Roman procurator,
was the palace or citadel which Herod
the Great had built on the Western
Hill. On the temple side there was
the flight of steps from which St. Paul
addressed the crowd (Acts xxi. 40) ;
and at the foot of these steps the
viaduct across the Tyropoeon valley,
leading direct to the temple cloister.

A.D. 2

9]

St, MATTHEW. Ch. 27. 5-13.

91

that to us ? see thou to that. B 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 the price of blood.
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 fulfilled that which was spoken
by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of
silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children
of Israel did value ; 10 and gave them for the potter's field, as the
Lord appointed me.
11 And Jesus stood before the governor : and the governor asked
him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews ? And Jesus said unto
him, Thou sayest. u And when he was accused of the chief priests
and elders, he answered nothing. 13Then said Pilate unto him,
Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee ?

5. into the temple (see note). 9, 10. The Sin. MS. has " I took," .
So too the Syr., but Treg. retains " they."

" and I gave."

5. In tne temple. There are two
Greek words (unfortunately confused
in our translation) one meaning the
whole Temple area, the other the
Sanctuary. It was this latter into
which Judas flung the money. Tre-
gelles reads "into the Sanctuary."
5 — 10. In the Acts (i. 18) we read
that Judas bought the field and there
met with a violent death. If we
knew all the circumstances we might
perhaps reconcile the two accounts.
Possibly Judas first thought of in
vesting the money in this field, but
ere the purchase was completed was
seized with remorse, hurried back to
the Sanhedrin, and leaving them to
complete the purchase, went back to
the field, and tried to hang himself,
falling from a height in the attempt.
An old tradition represents him as
hanging himself from a fig-tree — one
of the many wild fig-trees that over
hang the Jerusalem ravines, offering
obvious facility for such a suicide.
8. This verse is a strong argu
ment that this Gospel was written
many years after the event, and yet
before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Field of blood — in Heb. Hakel-dama.
9. Commentators find a difficulty
here, the words quoted being nowhere
found in Jeremiah, but taken appar
ently (with alteration) from a passage
"n Zechariah (xi. 12). Whether the
Book of Zechariah, in the Hebrew

copies of St. Matthew's time, con
tained all that it contains in our
Bibles ; or whether the last six chap
ters may not belong (as many critics
think) to Jeremiah, — we cannot cer
tainly say. Dr. Pusey, who believes
these chapters (ix.-xiv.) to be Zech-
ariah's, tells us (Minor Prophets, p.
504) that they contain "interweavings
of former prophecies," especially of
Jeremiah's (compare Zech. xiv. 10
with Jer. xxx. 38). The prophet
(Zechariah or Jeremiah) — whether in
symbolic action or in vision, is un
certain — offered himself to the people
as their shepherd, and asked for his
reward, and when they offered him
thirty pieces of silver, contemptuously
"cast them to the potter in the house
of the Lord." St. Matthew was in
spired to see that herein was pre
figured the priests' miserable valuation
of "the Good Shepherd."
The latter words of the quotation
are difficult. Our translators put an
other rendering in the margin, "whom
they bought of the children of Israel ; "
— literally, "For whom they got a,
price from the children of Israel."
n. Thou sayest— i.e. " Yes, I am."
A king, not in Pilate's sense, but as
" sitting on the right hand of power."
It is the same "good confession"
which our Lord had witnessed before
the high priest. See notes on xxvi.
64, and 1 Tim. vi. 13.

92

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 27. 14-27-

[a.d. 29

14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the
governor marvelled greatly.
16 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the
people a prisoner, whom they would. 16 And they had then a not
able 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. 19 When he was set down
on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou
nothing to do with that just man : for I have suffered many things
this day in a dream because of him. 20 But the chief priests and
elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and
destroy Jesus. 21The 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 ? They all say unto him, Let him be
crucified. 23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done 1
But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 21 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, I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see ye to it.
26 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 delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common
22. Om. "unto him." 23. And he said ; om. " the governor " (?).
24. of this blood ; om. " of this just person " (?).

18. Pilate knew that the priests
had sought His death, because they
were jealous of His popularity with
the multitude. He thought it not un
likely, therefore, that the multitude
would take His side and ask for His
release. This verse and the next show that
Pilate and his wife were well aware
of the previous career of Jesus. There
is a tradition (Evang. Nicodemi) that
Pilate's wife was a proselyte named
Procla ; if so, she may well have
exerted herself to persuade her hus
band to spare Jesus. That there
was some sincerity in Pilate's desire
to save Him may be inferred from
Our Lord's merciful judgment : " He
that delivered Me unto thee, hath
the greater sin" (John xix. 11).
20. Persuaded — no doubt by dis
tribution of money, and by appeals
to all their worst passions. St. Mark
uses a word which implies this. And
there was time for it while Pilate
was engaged with his wife's message.

25. Josephus tells us that after
the fall of the city Titus crucified
thousands of the Jews outside the
walls. 1,100,000 are said to have
perished in the siege, and 97,000 to
have been sold into slavery. — (B. J.
vi. ix. § 3.)
26. The Romans always scourged
criminals before execution. Jesus not
being a Roman citizen could not be
beheaded by the sword. The scourg
ing would be inflicted by the lictors,
and then Jesus would be handed over
to the soldiers told off as His execu
tioners. Some think that the scourg
ing was inflicted, not by the lictors,
but by the soldiers, with the flagellum.
The thongs of the "flagellum" were
often loaded with lead. The crown
of thorns may well have been made
of the "nubk," or nebk, which is
common in Palestine, and as pliant
as thorny.
27. The whole of the cohort quar
tered in the Prsetorium, numbering
above 400 men.

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 27. 28-39.

93

hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 2S And they
stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had
platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in
his right hand : and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked
him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! 30 And they spit upon him,
and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 3l And after that
they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put
his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And
as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, 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 a skull, 34 they gave him vinegar to drink mingled
with gall : and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots :
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, " They
" parted my garments among them, 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. 38Then were there two thieves
crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

34. They gave him wine to drink.

35. Om. " that it might be fulfilled . . . lots.'

The common hall — margin, " the
governor's hall." In the Greek, the
Prmtorium. See on ver. 1.
31. After these indignities in the
courtyard of the Roman barrack, the
procession was formed to the place of
execution. Where this was is not
certain. The Crusaders thought it
was in the western city, near the so-
called Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
But many now think (with Fergus-
son) that it was on the north side of
the temple, in the fields which then
lay between the old city wall and the
Kedron. It was there, just outside
the horse-gate, that Athaliah was
executed (2 Kings xi. 16, 2 Chron.
xxiii 15); and that there were tombs
in those fields is plain from Jer.
xxxi. 40, where it is prophesied that
all this "valley" (the ground here
beginning to slope eastward) " of dead
bodies, and of the ashes, and all the
fields unto the brook of Kedron, unto
the corner of the horse-gate toward
the east," should one day be included
within the city walls. This was done
by Herod Agrippa, twelve years after
the Crucifixion. But at the date of
the Crucifixion the place was outside
the walls, and Christ "suffered with

out the gate," Heb. xiii. 1 2. The holy
women who were "beholding from
afar off" may well have stood on
the opposite side of the steep ravine
of Kedron, possibly on their way to
Bethany. If the Crucifixion was on this
eastern side of Jerusalem, the proces
sion must have passed down the
stairs that led from the Prsetorium
(Acts xxi. 40) across the viaduct at
the upper end of the Tyropoeon, past
Antonia, and through the city walls
by the horse-gate. "Golgotha," or
"The Skull" (in Latin Calvary), would
thus appear to be just within what
is now "the Golden Gate" of Con
stantine. This is Fergusson's theory.
We must wait for the solution until
the course of the second wall has been
explored. The Romans often wrote the name
of those whom they executed on a
white board above their head. In
this case the title was in three lan
guages ; and commentators, noticing
the slight difference of wording in
the three Evangelists, have suggested
that St. Matthew gives the Aramaic,
St. Mark the Latin, and St. Luke the
Greek.

94

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 27. 40-51.

[a.d. 29

40 and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and bulkiest it in
three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down
from the cross. a Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with
the scribes and elders, said, ** He saved others ; himself he cannot
save. 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, I am the Son of
God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the
same in his teeth.
46 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land
unto the ninth hour. M And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with
a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say,
" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " *7 Some of
them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth
for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge,
and filled 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 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up
the ghost.
01 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the
42. He is the king of Israel ; let him ... 43. Or, let him now, if he win, deliver him.
46. Sim., and Vat. have "Bloi," but Treg. " Eli." 49. Sin. and Vat. interpolate
here, "Another took a spear, and pierced his side, and there came out
water and blood," from John xia. 34.

43. The Roman soldiers had taken
their cue from the trial in the Roman
court, and mocked Him as a king
(v. 29) ; the Jews take their cue from
the trial in their own court, and
mock Him as a blasphemer.
44. Thieves : — this should be rob
bers ; they were probably associates
of Barabbas.
45. A preternatural darkness from
noon to three p.m., a solar eclipse
being impossible at full moon. Or it
may have been the darkness which
not unusually precedes an earthquake.
In either case it was divinely ordered.
46. At three o'clock p. m., according
to St. Matthew and St. Mark, our Lord
recited aloud the opening words of the
22d Psalm. Chrysostom and our own
Jackson (On the Creed, viii. sect. 4)
see in this Christ's desire to bear
witness to the fulfilment of prophecy.
And St. John's comment (xix. 28) on
the next words ("that the scripture
might be fulfilled, He saith, I thirst")
seems to justify this view. But that
Jesus in His human nature felt to the
full what the Psalmist, as His type, felt
in a measure, — the anguish of death's

approach — death being essentially a
withdrawal of the life-sustaining
breath of God (Ps. civ. 29, 30)— is
admitted by Athanasius (con. Ar.
iii. 54-57). But observe, it is "My
God," not "My Father." Never for
one moment was the Son forsaken by
the Father. Only in His created
nature could Jesus say "My God."
" Why didst Thou forsake Me ? "
— in the past tense, implying perhaps
that the crisis of the anguish was
over when the words were uttered.
51. The Evangelist, writing in full
knowledge of the divinity of Him
who was hanging on that cross, pauses
to accumulate these proofs of the
involuntary sympathy of nature and
the enforced witness of the heathen
soldier, as if in bitter contrast with
the blindness of his own nation.
The rending of the curtain that
screened the Holy of Holies must have
been supernatural ; for it was thirty
feet square and of great thickness :
no accident could have rent it. The
portent may well have suggested the
application of the symbol in Heb. x
21.

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 27. 52-63.

95

top to the bottom ; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent ;
62 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 appeared unto many.
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watch
ing Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done,
they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
68 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed
Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him : B6 among which was
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and
the mother of Zebedee's children.
67 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathsea,
named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple : B8 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, 60and laid it in his own new
tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock : and he rolled a great
stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 61 And there was
Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the
sepulchre. 62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation,
the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63 saying,
54. the things that were taking place. 56. Joseph, instead of" Joses" (?).
58. commanded it to be delivered.

52. The saints. Disciples of Christ
may bemeant,orpossibly holy men and
women, who, like Simeon and Anna,
were waiting " for the consolation of
Israel." Their resurrection may have
been a mere resuscitation, like that
of Lazarus, to die again, for Christ
was "the first to rise again" in the
higher sense — Acts xxvi. 23. Or pos
sibly the words "after the resurrec
tion " may be understood to qualify
"arose," as well as "came" and "ap
peared." 54. That there was some deep
mystery about this Person whose
death he was witnessing the cen
turion felt convinced. His explana
tion of the mystery (that He was a
Son of God) may have been suggested
by what he had heard of the adjura
tion in the Sanhedrin, or by the taunts
of the Jews, or possibly by our Lord's
twice-repeated cry to God as His
Father, first to forgive His murderers,
and again to receive His spirit. See
Mark xv. 39.
56. See note on Mark xv. 40.
60. See note on John xx. 5 for
description of a Jewish tomb.

62. The day of preparation. St.
Mark (xv. 42) — careful as usual to
interpret all Hebrew terms — explains
that this was the common Jewish
name of Friday, the Sabbath-eve.
Why then (it has been asked) does
not St. Matthew describe " the next
day" by its obvious designation, "the
Sabbath"? Dean Alford suggests
that they waited till sunset, when the
Sabbath would be over, so that it
would be " the next day " (according
to the natural reckoning), and yet
not the Sabbath. I would rather sug
gest that, at the date of this Gospel,
the day of the Crucifixion had so
appropriated to itself the name of
Parasceve or "preparation-day," and
so overshadowed the Jewish Sabbath
in importance, that, to a Christian
reader then, St. Matthew's phrase
would seem as natural as "the day
following Good Friday " would to us
now. 63. See note on St. Mark xiv. 58.
The reader may have observed that
in my notes, as elsewhere, so even on
this chapter, I have abstained from

96 St. MATTHEW. Ch. 27. 64-66 ; 28. 1-3. [a.d. 29
Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive,
After three days I will rise again. 64 Command therefore that the
sepulchre be made sure until the third 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.
66 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch : go your way, make it as
sure as ye can. 66So they went, and made the sepulchre sure,
sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Ch. 28. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward
the first 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
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow :
64. Om. "by night."
XXVIII. 1. " In the end of the sabbath," possibly to be joined to last
words ofch. xxvin. (?). 2. Om. "from the door."

all devotional comment. — When the
inspired Evangelist allows himself no
single word of meditation or adora
tion, but leaves the naked narrative
to speak for itself in all its divine
power, it seems most reverent to
follow his example. All that is
required of the commentator is that
he do what he can to make the narra
tive as clear to an English reader in
this nineteenth century as it was to
those for whom it was originally writ
ten. When every minutest circum
stance was bearing part in the work
of the world's redemption, no pains
should be spared to make each minut
est circumstance intelligible. Else
we should all do better to read the
chapter on our knees, uninterrupted
by note or comment.
Ch. XXVIII. ( = Mark xvi. l,Luke
xxiv. 1, John xx. 1.) The fragmentary
character of these Gospels is nowhere
more apparent than in the several
accounts of our Lord's appearances
after His resurrection. The events
of this first day of the week may be
thus harmonized : —
Mary Magdalene and the other
women take to the sepulchre the
spices which they had prepared.
They find that an angel had rolled
away the stone, to the terror of the
soldiers. Mary, seeing this, goes to
tell Peter and John. The other
women enter at the bidding of the
angel, and then return to Jerusalem.

Meantime Peter and John arrive, are
assured that the body is really gone,
and depart. Mary Magdalene, who
seems to have returned to the
sepulchre, remains there alone weep
ing, beholds two angels, and then
Jesus Himself standing close to her.
Jesus also meets the other women
(who may have been delayed on their
way to the city by meeting Peter and
John ; but see below on ver. 9). The
soldiers inform the priests that the
tomb is empty. Mary Magdalene and
the other women now rejoin the
apostles with the news that they have
seen the Lord. Most of the apostles
are still incredulous. Jesus appears
to Cleopas and his companion (and
also, it would seem, but elsewhere,
to Peter — 1 Cor. xv. 4, cf. Luke
xxiv. 34), and that same evening to
all the apostles (except Thomas) at
their evening meal.
i. In the end of the sabbath — should
be, " In the night after the sabbath ;"
this appears from the parallel phrase
in St. Mark xvi. 1.
2. There was a great earthquake —
margin, "there had been." The
words seem to imply (but not neces
sarily) that the women saw the earth
quake, and the angel rolling back the
stone. Christ had risen before this
removal of the stone. Just as He ap
peared "in the midst when the doors
were closed," so He needed no removal
of the stone. See on Mark xvi. 12.

A.D. 29]

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 28. 4-19.

97

4 and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead
men. B And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not
ye : for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 8 He is not
here : for he has 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 run to
bring his disciples word. •* And as they went to tell his 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 into Galilee, and
there shall they see me.
11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came
into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that
were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and
had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 saying,
Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we
slept. 14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade
him, and secure you. 1B So they took the money, and did as they
were taught : and this saying is commonly reported among the
Jews until this day.
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a moun
tain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him,
they worshipped him : but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and
spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
6. where he lay (?). 9. Om. "Andas . . . disciples." 17. worshipped; om. "him."

5. The word " answered " implies
that the angel noticed the terror of the
soldiers, and turning to the women
said, "Fear not ye," — the "ye" being
emphatic. 9. The words " as they went to tell
His disciples " are omitted in the best
mss. We may suppose therefore that
our Lord's appearance to these women
was after they had made their first
report to the disciples, which agrees
better with Mark xvi. 9 and Luke
xxiv. 24.
16. Into a mountain — this should
be, " unto the mountain where Jesus
had appointed them [to meet Him]."
17. This appearance in Galilee may
have been that mentioned in 1 Cor.
xv. 6, to " above five hundred breth
ren at once." Christ had many more
disciples in Galilee than at Jerusalem.
Galilee was far more populous than
Judsea. 18. Mark these mysterious words,

"There was given unto Me," as in
Dan. vii. 14, — seeming to assign a
definite date to this Divine Covenant,
We seem to have here the germ of
the fuller teaching that we have in
the Epistles, and especially in the
Epistle to the Ephesians, where it is
clearly implied that the death and
glorification of Christ was an epoch
in the heavenly places as well as on
earth. 19. This should be, "Make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them into the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost." So in the Nicene (or rather
Constantmopolitan) Creed (in the
Greek) : " I acknowledge one bap
tism into remission of sins," i.e. into
a state of forgiveness.
This solemn formula of Baptism, so
familiar to us, but now heard, by the
apostles for the first time, must have
meant to them that all nations were
now to be admitted (1) to adoption

98

St. MATTHEW. Ch. 28. 20.

[a.d. 29

in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost :
20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen. 20. Om. "Amen."

(equally with Israel), (2) to the full
benefit of Christ's work now com
pleted, and (3) to the blessing of the
promised Comforter.
But let us above all things note
how the Speaker claims for Himself
the midmost place in the ever blessed
Trinity ; as ever in His divine nature,
so now in His human nature also,
enfolding Himself in the Being of
God. 20. See notes on xviii. 20, and on
John xiv. 16-18.
In noting St. Matthew's omission

of the Ascension, we must remember
that this Gospel is, so to speak, a
Galilean Gospel, almost confining it
self (why, we know not, — but such
is the case) to such portions of the
ministry as the Galileans had wit
nessed, either in their own country
or at that last Passover, when
thousands of them were at Jerusalem.
Naturally, therefore, St. Matthew
closes his narrative with our Lord's
farewell to these Galilean disciples.
With that other farewell on Olivet
they were not so much concerned.

INTRODUCTION TO
fet. apack'sf (BosSpeU
At first sight it may appear to many that St. Mark's Gospel is an
abridgment of St. Matthew's. And even St. Augustine so describes
it. That the two Gospels have much in common, and many verbal
coincidences, is evident. Compare Mark i. 1 6-20 with Matt. iv. 18-22;
Mark ii. 13-22 with Matt. ix. 9-17 ;, or Mark iv. 3-9 with Matt. xiii.
3-9. But a careful reader will soon discover that in point of fact St.
Mark's narrative, so far from being an abridgment, is nearly always
fuller and more detailed than St. Matthew's ; the shortness of his
Gospel being simply due to the omission of the genealogy, infancy,
and most of the discourses and parables.
We find, too, much original matter in St. Mark, for which we
may well thank God. To him alone we owe the parable of the seed
growing secretly (iv. 26), the cure of the deaf man in Decapolis (vii.
32), the gradual cure of the blind man at Bethsaida (viii. 22), the
difficult passage about being salted with fire (ix. 49), the arrest and
escape of the young man (xiv. 51). To St. Mark, too, we owe those
many touches of vivid description, which make us sure an eye
witness supplied the matter of his Gospel: — our Lord's look or
emotion (iii. 5, viii. 12, x. 21), or those of the bystanders (ii. 12,
x. 32) ; the pillow for Jesus (iv. 38) ; the green grass (vi. 39) ; the
child in the arms of Jesus (x. 16); the young ruler running and
kneeling to Him, and going away gloomily (x. 17, 22) ; the colt tied
by the door where two ways met (xi. 4). He alone gives the original
Aramaic words — Boanerges (iii. 17, Talitha cumi (v. 41), corban
(vii. 11), Ephphatha (vii. 34), Abba (xiv. 36); and is careful to
explain Jewish words and customs as one writing for Gentile
readers (v. 41, vii. 3, 4, 11, 34).
How are we to reconcile these striking proofs of originality with
those no less striking coincidences 1
What has been said in the Introduction to the Gospels may go
far to explain the matter. For some twenty years the Church had
no systematic narratives of our Lord's ministry. Such anecdotes and
passages of our Lord's discourses as the Holy Ghost brought specially
to the remembrance of the apostles (John xiv. 26) were doubtless
repeated over and over again in catechizing their converts, —
possibly copied into note-books, — and would so assume a set form
— often in set phrases; — and when, in a later day, for a younger
generation, treatises " of all that Jesus began both to do and to
teach" (Acts i. 1) came to be composed, these apostolic anecdotes
and phrases would naturally be imbedded in the written narratives.
That St. Matthew and St. Mark should have many of these in
common is most natural, if the constant tradition of the Church be
true (first given by Papias on the authority of John Presbyter, and

100 INTRODUCTION TO ST. MARK'S GOSPEL.
repeated by Ireneeus), that St. Mark was St. Peter's " interpreter "
(i.e. secretary) and companion at Rome, and after his death wrote
down what he remembered of St. Peter's teaching. For St.
Matthew and St. Peter, having for so many years taught side by
side in the Jerusalem Church, would naturally adopt very much
the same cycle of narrative; only St. Peter's, from the character of
the man, would have that more intense vividness which we recognize
in the Gospel of his disciple.
In harmony with this tradition of the Church we may identify
the Evangelist St. Mark with the Marcus whom St. Peter (1 Peter
v. 13) calls his " son."
And we may go further and safely identify this " son of Peter "
with St. Paul's companion, John surnamed Marcus. From Acts
xii. 12 we learn that this latter was the son of one Mary, whose
house in Jerusalem was the resort of the apostles, and where St. Peter
especially was well known. Thus a connexion with St. Peter is
established before his introduction to St. Paul. And a wish to
rejoin St. Peter may well explain his departure from St. Paul at
Perga (Acts xiii. 13). Barnabas we know (from Gal. i. 13) at one
time shared St. Peter's misgivings about St. Paul's attitude to the
Gentiles ; and Mark being Barnabas's cousin (Col. iv. 10) may
naturally have leaned to the same side. Those who adopt this
identification must understand the word " son " in 1 Peter v. 1 3 to
mean son in the faith, i.e. convert, and not St. Peter's natural son ; for
Acts xii. 12 precludes the notion that " Mary " was St. Peter's wife.
If then we identify the " Marcus my son " of St. Peter with the
John Mark of the Acts, we obtain a tolerably complete account
of the Evangelist. He would appear to have been converted to
Christianity by St. Peter while living in the house of his mother
Mary at Jerusalem ; to have been chosen by his cousin Barnabas to
accompany St. Paul and himself in their first mission ; then to have
had misgivings, and rejoined his father in the faith, St. Peter. Ten
years later we find him with St. Paul in his captivity at Rome (Col.
iv. 10), and apparently meditating a journey into Asia, for the
Colossians are asked to receive him. Five years later we find him
again in the Churches of Asia; for in 2 Tim. iv. 11, Timothy is
asked to send him back to Rome. In this interval of five years may
well be placed the journey to Babylon with St. Peter. And on his
return to Rome in 68, after the death of the two Apostles, — as
Ireneeus affirms (iii. 1), — he may very probably have written his
Gospel for the use of the Roman Church. The number of Latin
words used indicate perhaps that it was written for Italian readers.
That his readers were Gentile appears from the careful explanations
of Jewish words and customs, noticed above, and is confirmed by
the omission of the genealogy of Jesus, and the fact that he so
seldom quotes the Old Testament.
For all these reasons we accept the tradition that St. Mark's Gospel
was written at Rome, after St. Peter's death, but certainly before
the destruction of Jerusalem, perhaps about the year 68 or 69, some
five or six years, therefore, after the composition of St. Luke's Gospel.

THE GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO

SAINT MARK.

THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God ;
2 As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send my
" messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way
" before thee. 3The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
" Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins. B And there went out unto him
all the land of Judsea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized
of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John
was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his
loins : and he did eat locusts and wild honey ; 7 and preached, say
ing, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose
shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 1 indeed have
baptized you with water : but he shall baptize you with the Holy
I. 2. In Isaiah the prophet ; om. " before thee." 3. The voice of one crying : — In the
wilderness prepare ye. 4. There came John the Baptist in the wilderness preaching . . .
5. all they of Jerusalem, and were baptized. 8. I baptized you ; om. "indeed."

Ch. I. I. St. Mark begins with the
same clear enunciation of Christ's
divinity which won for St. Peter
his Lord's blessing (Matt. xvi. 16).
"We shall see, as we proceed, many
such confirmations (slight in them
selves, but cumulatively strong) of the
Church's tradition, that St. Mark
wrote under St. Peter's influence.
2. The true reading, "As it is
written in Isaiah the prophet," need
not perplex us. One of the citations
is from Isaiah, the other from Malachi.
See note on Matt, xxvii. 9, where a
prophecy of Zechariah is referred to
Jeremiah. This is the only place
where St. Mark in his own person
quotes the Old Testament, for xv. 28
is an interpolation.
4. Some of the Fathers, quoted by
Bede in his commentary on this
Gospel, make a distinction : John
baptized, and preached the better

baptism which was to follow, viz.,
the baptism for the remission of sins,
as in verse 8. The margin has
"unto " instead of "for" the remis
sion of sins.
5. River. No other Evangelist
inserts the word " river." St. Mark,
writing (as we believe) at Borne,
does so.
7. The proverb naturally suggested
itself in the midst of those who were
unbinding their sandals in order to
step into the river Jordan.
8. The first six verses of Acts xix.
very clearly explain this great differ
ence between the baptism of John
and Christian baptism. No gift of the
Spirit followed John's baptism. For
the space of five hundred years (since
the time of Daniel) there had been
no miracles. John knew (from Joel
ii. 28, and elsewhere) that the estab
lishment of the Messiah's kingdom

102

St. MARK. Ch. 1. 9-23.

[a.d. 27

Ghost. 9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from
Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. "And
straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened,
and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him : u and there
came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased. "And immediately the spirit driveth
him into the wilderness. u And he was there in the wilderness forty
days, tempted of Satan ; and was with the wild beasts ; and the
angels ministered unto him.
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, " and saying, The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and
believe the gospel.
16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and
Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were
fishers. " And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will
make you to become fishers of men. ¦"* And straightway they for
sook their nets and followed him. 19And when he had gone a
little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. "And
straightway he called them : and they left their father Zebedee in
the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
21 And they went into Capernaum ; and straightway on the
sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. ^And
they were astonished at his doctrine : for he taught them as one
that had authority, and not as the scribes. M And there was in
their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and he cried out,
11. in thee am I well pleased. 13. 0m. "there." 14. the gospel of God ; om. "of the
kingdom." 16. as he passed by . . . Andrew, Simon's brother. 18. the nets.
19. Om. "thence." 21. He taught in the synagogue (?). 23. And straightway (?) there was.

would be signalized by a greater out
pouring of these gifts of the Spirit
than had ever been known before —
greater even than that which marked
the establishment of the first dispensa
tion ; for the miraculous powers were
then almost confined to Moses, where
as Christ (after His Ascension) im
parted them through His apostles to
a whole generation of converts. In
the sign from heaven which accom
panied the baptism of Jesus, John
recognized at once an earnest of this
outpouring, and a proof that the
Messiah was come. See John i. 32, 33.
10. Opened — in the margin, "cloven
or rent."
12. Driveth him. This translation
exaggerates the original expression.
It is the same word as in verse 43,
" Sent him away ;" and Matt. ix. 38.
14. We may notice how clearly St.

Mark implies tha$ there is a gap here
in his narrative. See on John iii. 24.
Here begins the great Galilean
Ministry. See Matt. iv. 12, and Luke
iv. 14.
20. With tne hired servants— pecu
liar to St. Mark.
23. The outpouring of God's Spirit
seems to have been preceded by a
visible possession of men by evil
spirits, that so the conflict between
the two might be made visible to that
first generation of Christ's Church.
(See note on Matt. viii. 28.) Mark
the distinct personality of this evil
spirit, his knowledge of the true
nature of Jesus, his anticipation of
torment — so curiously corresponding
to that of " Legion " (cf. verse 24
with Matt. viii. 20), — and the effect
on the multitude of Christ's perfect
power over him. It is important to

A.D,

27]

St. MARK. Ch. 1. 24-35.

103

21 saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus
of Nazareth 1 art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou
art, the Holy One of God. 2B And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold
thy peace, and come out of him. 26 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 them
selves, saying, What thing is this ? what new doctrine is this 1 for
with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they
do obey him. M And immediately his fame spread abroad through
out all the region round about Galilee.
29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue,
they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and
John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon
they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand, and
lifted her up ; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered
unto them. 32And at even, when the sun did set, they brought
unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with
devils. M And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34And
he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many
devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
38 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he
24. Om. " Let us alone "... we know thee (?). 27. What thing is this ? A new doctrine !
With authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits and they obey him I
28. spread abroad everywhere throughout. 31. Om. "immediately."

observe and bear in mind Christ's
wish to veil His true nature during
the earlier portion of His ministry.
This is distinctly stated in verse 34.
This will explain many passages that
else might be difficult, e.g. Luke xviii.
19. The phrase in the Greek is
remarkable, "a man in an unclean
spirit," — as though it were the ele
ment in which he lived.
26. Had torn him. " Had thrown
him in the midst " is St. Luke's
phrase, indicating a kind of spasm,
but no laceration, for he adds that
he was not ' ' hurt."
27. The amazement of the people
seems to indicate that the cures of
demoniacs which " their own sons "
pretended to effect won no credit
among the educated classes, explain
ing Luke xi. 19. See note on Matt.
xii. 27.
30. We have another allusion to
St. Peter's wife in 1 Cor. ix. 5, where
St. Paul mentions her as travelling
with the apostle at the expense of
the Church. Bengel and others see
another mention of her in 1 Peter
v. 13. But see note there.
32. The number of our Lord's

miracles of healing must have been
almost countless. All the sick of the
city are here gathered to His door.
Again, in iii. 10, they "press upon
Him, for to touch Him, as many as
had plagues ; " and so, in x. 27, and
in vi. 56, whenever He enters a town
or village they bring the sick out into
the streets to touch Him. In this
respect our Lord's miracles are al
together different from those of Moses
and Elijah. We never hear of this
sort of miraculous power emanating
from them on all who had faith to
draw it forth. No wonder these en
thusiastic Galilean peasants thronged
Him, so that at times He was fain
to escape to some secluded valley for
rest and prayer, — fain, too, to charge
them not to make Him further known
(as in v. 44), lest their mistaken zeal
should hinder the fulfilment of the
many other purposes of His ministry.
See note on ix. 31.
34. To speak. The margin gives,
" To say that they knew him ; " but
this would be an inadmissible trans
lation. 35. The morning thus spent by
our Lord in prayer was the morning

104

St. MARK. Ch. 1. 36-45; 2. 1-5.

[a.d. 27

went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
37 And when they had found him, they said 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 : for therefore came I forth. 39 And
he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast
out devils.
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling
down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. °- And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand,
and touched him, and saith unto him, I will ; be thou clean. 42 And
as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from
him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forth
with sent him away ; ** and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to
any man : but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for
thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony
unto them. 46 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 in desert places : and
they came to him from every quarter.
Ch. 2. And 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 : and he preached
the word unto them. 3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick
of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not
come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where
¦ he was : and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed
wherein the sick of the palsy lay. B When Jesus saw their faith,
he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
37. And they found him and say. 38. Let us go elsewhere into the next towns.
39. And he came preaching. 40. Om. " and kneeling down to him " (?).
41. Om. "Jesus "(?). 42. Om. "as soon as he had spoken."
n. 2. Om. " straightway " (?). 3. they come, bringing unto him.
4. Could not bring him unto him (?). 5. thy sins are forgiven.

after a Sabbath, — our " Lord's day."
We must note how our Lord, in the
mystery of His humiliation, depended
on prayer for His strength.
40. From the prominence given to
this leper by all three Evangelists
some have thought it was Simon, the
leper of Bethany, the relative of Mary
and Martha, — but it is a mere conjec
ture. His home is not named ; it was
not Capernaum, — see Matt. viii. 5.
44. For a testimony unto them, i.e.
for a witness against the unbelief of
these Jewish priests. The man was
to hasten and obtain formal readmis-
sion into the congregation, and this
would be to all evidence of the reality
of the cure. N.B.— Where St. Mark

has "unto them," in vi. 11, St. Luke
has " against them," ix. 5.
45. We have already remarked (on
Matt. ix. 31) how our Lord's wishes
were thwarted. We shall not rightly
understand the Gospel history unless
we note these limitations of His
power while on earth.
Ch. II. 1 (=Matt. ix. 1).
4. Fuller quaintly says, " Love will
creep, but faith will climb where it
cannot go." But there were outside
stairs to houses ; see Matt. xxiv. 17.
5. Tny sins be forgiven thee: or
rather, " thy sins are forgiven thee."
Christ was thinking of that higher pur
pose of His mission, — the healing of
the world's sin. This higher exercise of

A.D. 87]

St. MARK. Ch. 2. 6-17.

105

'But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning
in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies ? who
can forgive sins but God only? 8And immediately when Jesus
perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he
said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts 1
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be
forgiven thee ; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and 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,) UI 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,
saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
13 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 Levi the son of Alphseus sitting at the receipt of custom, and
said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 16 And
it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many pub
licans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples :
for there were many, and they followed him. "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? "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.
7. Why doth this man thus speak ? He blasphemeth. 8. he saith.
9. thy sins are forgiven. 11. Arise, take up ; om. "and."
12. And he arose and immediately took up. IS. And it cometh to pass that he sitteth
at meat (?). 15, 16. And there followed him scribes also of the Pharisees (?) ;
om. " How is it " . . . sinners and publicans. 17. Om. " to repentance."

divine power (the cure of sin) equally
with the lower (the cure of the body)
required faith in the recipient ; and
to this higher kind of faith in Him
He wished to lead them up through
the lower. But as yet they were
unequal to it. So soon as the Church
began to understand and value
Christ's higher work, there was no
more occasion for the lower, and these
outward and visible miracles soon
ceased : but who shall say that the
inward and spiritual miracles (of
which they were but signs) have
ceased among us ?
Q. Easier. Christ means that the
power to forgive might be easily pre
tended ; the power to heal not so
easily, for proof must follow.
10. Son of man. Daniel had fixed
this title of the " Messiah " in men's
minds. 14. At the receipt of custom —

margin (more correctly), "at the
place where the custom was re
ceived " — at the custom-house.
For this feast in Matthew's house
see notes on Matt. ix. 9, 12. That
St; Mark and St. Luke mean Matthew
seems clear ; but why in their account
of this feast they call him Levi, while
in their list of apostles they call him
Matthew, is not clear. If Matthew
mean "Gift of God" ( = Theodore)
the name may have been given him
after his call, and have only by de
grees displaced his former name. So
in their first mention of him they give
him his old name ; but enumerating
him as an apostle they give him the
name by which he was subsequently
as an apostle best known. Matthew
and James the Little are both called
sons of Alphseus. But had they been
brothers their names would have come
together in the lists of apostles, which

106

St. MARK. Ch. 2. 18-26.

[a.d. 27

18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast : and
they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of
the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not 1 " And Jesus said
unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the
bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom
with them, they cannot fast. 20But the days will come, when the
bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast
in those days. 2l 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 into old bottles : else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and
the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred : but new wine
must be put into new bottles.
23 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 corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, 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 hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the
high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat
but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him ?
18. John's disciples and the Pharisees . . . Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of
the Pharisees fast ? 20. in that day. 21. No man seweth ; om. "also."
22. else the wine will burst the wine-skins, and the wine is lost and the wine-skins ; om. "But
new wine . . . bottles "(?). 25. And he saith unto them. 26. Om. "how"©.

they never do ; we therefore suppose
that their fathers were namesakes.
20. When the bridegroom shall he
taken away from them, and then shall
they fast. The dark eclipse of Good
Friday passes across our Lord's mind.
"The days when the bridegroom
should be parted from them " cannot
surely refer to the times after His
Ascension, for then they went forth
"with great joy," "the Lord working
with them." Then was fulfilled the
promise, " Lo, I am with you alway."
Yet the Church's consciousness of His
presence is apt to be eclipsed at times,
and then Christians must needs fast.
" Then will they fast," rather than
"then shall they fast." It is not a
command, but a prediction, as in John
xvi. 20.
21. New — margin, "raw or un-
wrought." 21, 22. The Old is the formality of
the old dispensation ; the New is the
naturalness of the Christian dispensa
tion. For when man's nature is re
generate he can afford to be natural.
And the two principles cannot wisely

be blended. "I choose not men
trained in your old Pharisaic formal
ism for My disciples. Neither in the
external customs (the garment) nor
in the heart of man (the wine-skin)
can the new and old be blended.
To try to infuse the free spirit of My
Gospel into an old ceremonialist would
only confuse and perplex his whole
moral nature. He would end in being
neither a good Christian nor a good
Pharisee ; both would be marred."
This is St. Jerome's interpretation.
See on Luke v. 36.
23. See on Matt. xii. 1-13.
26. From 1 Sam. xxi. it appears
that it was in the high-priesthood of
Ahimelech, not Abiathar. On the
unimportance of such discrepancies in
matters mentioned by way of allusion
only, see note on Luke xvi. 22, and
Bacon's rule there quoted. Some,
with the Venerable Bede, say there is
no discrepancy, for both Ahimelech
and Abiathar his son were there
when David came to ask for bread,
and Abiathar was high priest after
wards.

A.D. 2

7]

St. MARK. Ch. 2. 27-28; 3. 1-8.

107

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not
man for the sabbath : 2S therefore the Son of man is Lord also of
the sabbath.
Ch. 3. And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there was
a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him,
whether he would heal him on the sabbath day ; that they might
accuse him. 3And he saith unto the man which had the withered
hand, Stand forth. * 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. ° And when he had looked round about on them
with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith
unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out :
and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6 And the Pharisees
went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against
him, how they might destroy him.
7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea : and a
great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judsea, 8 and
from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan ; and
m. 1. a synagogue. 5. Om. " whole as the other." 7. followed; om. "him."

27. This weighty saying is only
given by St. Mark.
God's purpose was, not that you
should make the Sabbath holy, but
that the Sabbath should make you
holy. It is a means and not an end ;
therefore he who hath attained the
end may dispense with the means.
Very parallel is that saying about
the temple in 2 Mace. v. 19 (supposed
to have been written some fifty or
a hundred years before the Chris
tian era) : " Nevertheless God did
not choose the people for the place's
sake, but the place for the people's
sake." Stier quotes also from the
Talmud, "The Sabbath is in your
hands, not you in its hands, for it is
said, The Sabbath is for you." Cf.
Ex. xvi. 29, Ezek. xx. 22. It is an
ordinance for man's good. And note
that our Lord says "for man " quite
generally, — for mankind. The Sab
bath was a primeval institution
adopted into the Mosaic law.
Ch. III. 1 ( = Matt. xii. 9).
5. Grieved for the hardness — mar
gin, "blindness;" but hardness is
right. The flush of anger is, as much
as the tears of compassion, a natural
instinct divinely implanted within us
for good purposes. It is the abuse of
it that is evil. Mark how our Lord's
momentary anger passes into com
passion.

6. It is supposed that the Jews had
not power of life and death, or, at
any rate, their sentences were subject
to the overruling of the Koman gover
nor (see note on Acts vii. 58). As
therefore, two years later, the Sanhe
drin party could only bring about the
crucifixion by securing the co-opera
tion of Pilate, in whose jurisdiction
Jerusalem lay, so now they sought
the alliance of those who were officially
attached to Herod Antipas, into whose
tetrarchy they had followed Jesus,
and to the Romanizing party. In
this official effort to get evidence of
Christ's criminality as a Sabbath-
breaker, mentioned by St. Matthew
(xii. 14), and by St. Luke (vi._ 11), no
less distinctly in connexion with this
walk through the corn in the first
year's summer, we seem to have a
plain reference to that sentence of
death pronounced by the Sanhedrin
which St. John so repeatedly alludes
to (v. 16, vii. 1, 19, 25, 30). See the
chronological notes on Luke vi. 1, and
on John v. 1.
8. This description of the multi
tude who flocked to see and hear the
Christ, including Idumieans, Tyrians,
Sidonians— numbers of heathens there
fore — confirmed by Matt. iv. 24, 25
("throughout Syria") and Luke vi.
17— shows how widely spread was
the fame of Jesus.

108

St. MARK. Ch. 3. 9-22.

[a.d. 27

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 multi
tude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he had healed many ; in
somuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as
had plagues. n And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down
before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. u And he
straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto 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
preach, 16 and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils :
1G and Simon he surnamed Peter ; 17 and James the son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James ; and he surnamed them Boanerges,
which is, The sons of thunder : ls and Andrew, and Philip, and
Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of
Alphseus, and Thaddseus, and Simon the Canaanite, "and Judas
Iscariot, which also betrayed him : and they went into an house.
20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could
not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they
went out to lay hold on him : for they said, He is beside himself.
22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath
Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
8. hearing what. 14. After " twelve " the Sin. and Vat. insert " whom he also named
apostles ;" Treg. om. 15. power to cast out devils ; om. "to heal sicknesses, and."
16. Sin. and Vat. repeat ' ' And he ordained the twelve ; " Treg. om. 22. BeelzebuL

10. Pressed — margin, " rushed, "
but "pressed" is better. Mark the
mysteriousness of Christ's person :
mere contact with it healed, but in
no case (we may safely believe) with
out His will. See note on v. 27,
below, and on Luke viii. 44.
II. The evil spirit instantly recog
nized the " Son of God," as in i. 23.
13. Into the "hili-country," as
opposed to the villages of the coast.
17. Sons of thunder. Thus the three
foremost apostles received honourable
surnames from Christ, — for it need
hardly be said that it is an error to
connect the name with their impa
tient wish to call down fire from
heaven on the Samaritans. Christ
gave them their name at their call to
mark that "the voice of the Lord"
would be heard from their mouth.
Certainly the name well suits the
seer of the Apocalypse.
18. Cananlte is the right spelling.
19. Into an house, marg. " home."
20, 21. These glimpses into the
daily life of Christ, enabling us to

fill up the intervals of the Gospel
narrative, are deeply interesting; in
cessant toil, incessant conflict with
the evil of the world — physical and
moral, disease and sin — both, to
Him, manifestations of the personal
presence of the great enemy whom
He had come to encounter and defeat.
Mark how, to Him, who saw through
the veil of things, what we call moral
or physical evil was in very truth the
presence of the evil spirit, and what
we call conscience and good principle
was in very truth the presence of the
Holy Spirit of His Father. Hence
the vividness and intensity of His
language in verses 26-29.
21. His friends. The margin is
right, — "his kinsmen," as appears
from ver. 31.
22. Scribes which came down from
Jerusalem. Harmonists do well to
note this. These scribes and Pha
risees who were dogging His steps
through the corn-fields and in the
synagogue, and now on the farther
side of the lake, were probably emis-

a.d. 27]

St. MARK. Ch. 3. 23-31.

109

23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables,
How can Satan cast out Satan ? 24 And if a kingdom be divided
against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house be
divided 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 No 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 I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven
unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall
blaspheme : 29 but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost
hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation :
30 because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing

25. that house will not be able to stand. 27. But no man can enter.
29. shaU be in danger of eternal sin. 31. And there come his mother and his brethren.

saries of the Sanhedrin, who had
recently condemned Him to death at
the feast mentioned in St. John's
fifth chapter. See notes on Luke vi. 1
and John v. 1, and above on verse 6.
28. See note on Matt. xii. 31, where
some consideration has been given to
the difficult question, "What is meant
by blaspheming the Holy Ghost 1"
Two of the ancient Fathers have
treated thia subject at some length.
St. Athanasius, in his essay on the
subject in reply to Origen,* says that
blaspheming the human nature of our
Lord, ere His Divine nature had been
revealed, might be forgiven ; but
blasphemy against our Lord's Divine
nature (so St. Athanasius interprets
the Holy Spirit here) after it has been
revealed to the conscience, is unpar
donable. St. Augustine, in his frag
ment of exposition of the Epistle to
the Romans, having explained that
the " grace and peace" of St. Paul's
salutation is the gift of the Holy
Spirit, goes on to affirm that the
unpardonable sin is the deliberate
rejection of this gift of grace offered
to us in Christ; " perseverantia in
nequitia et in malignitate, cum de-
speratione indulgentiEe Dei" Thus
both these Fathers agree in making
the unpardonable sin consist in wilful
and persistent rejection of God's grace,
after it has been acknowledged as
such by the conscience. Only, by
* Who explained the unpardonable sin to
be sin after baptism— a notion that found few
defenders after him.

" God's grace" Athanasius would un
derstand the revelation of Christ in
His divinity ; Augustine, the sanctify
ing power of the Holy Ghost.
29. The Sin. and Vat. mss. and Vul
gate read "in danger of eternal sin,"
meaning " bound by a chain of eternal
guilt." It is a fearful passage, but
leaves the blessed promise of the Gos
pel ours in all its fulness, that no sin
is beyond the pale of forgiveness, if
repented of. Another difficult ques
tion is suggested by this verse : " Can
sin be eternal ?" We answer, that in
the sense in which God is eternal, sin
cannot be eternal. To say that good
and evil were co-eternal would be the
Manichean heresy reprobated by the
Church. But in some other sense of
the word, sin and the punishment, i.e.
the inevitable consequences of sin, are
eternal. And what that other sense
of the word eternal may be is veiled
from us. Speculation on the subject
seems to be forbidden. Scripture is
silent, and the silence is awful. We
do best to "regard and pass on."
31. Brethren — mentioned in all
three Gospels, and doubtless to be
identified with the kinsmen of ver.
21, whence we learn the purpose for
which they came. His brethren not
yet believing on Him (John vii. 5);
His mother anxious for His safety, as
when she missed Him in His twelfth
year ; and as then He spoke of a
higher relationship, superseding His
earthly relationships, so here. For
the Lord's brethren, see at vi. 3.

110

St. MARK. Ch. 3. 32-35 ; 4. 1-11.

[a.d. 27

without, sent unto 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 brethren? 34And he looked round about on
them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my
brethren ! 36 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is
my brother, and my sister, and mother.
Ch. 4. 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 doctrine, 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. B 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 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the
twelve asked of him the parable. u And he said unto them, Unt®
you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God : but
32. And they say unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren, and thy sisters (!).
33. Who is my mother and brethren ?. 35. my brother and sister and mother.
IV. 1. and there gathereth unto him a very great multitude. 4. Om. " of the air."
8. Drought forth unto thirty and unto sixty and unto a hundred.
9. And he said; om. "unto them." 10. the parables. 11. Unto you is given the mystery.

Ch. IV. I ( = Matt. xiii. 1, Luke
viii. 4). The verbal coincidences
between this report of the parable
of the Sower and St. Matthew's are
in the Greek even more striking than
in the English. As our Lord spoke
probably in Aramaic, and both reports
are therefore translations, how come
the two Evangelists to adopt almost
identical Greek words ? The reply,
suggested in the Introduction, is that
certain passages of our Lord's minis
try (of which this parable would be
certain to be one) would be repeated,
over and over again, in Greek, in
preaching to the Hellenist, or Greek-
speaking, Jews, and would thus
come to be crystallized iu set
phrases many years before any of
our four Gospels were committed to
writing. II — 13. The brevity of St. Mark's
report gives rise to a difficulty, mak

ing it seem that Christ's purpose was
that His hearers should not under
stand, whereas from St. Matthew xiii.
14, 15, we see the quotation from
Isaiah (v. 12) in its true connexion : —
" I speak unto them in parables,
because they, seeing, see not . . ."
Then — quoting the whole of the pas
sage in Isaiah, of which St. Mark
only gives the conclusion — " For this
people's heart is waxed gross, . . .
and their eyes have they closed, lest
at any time ... I should heal them."
Thus the completed passage makes it
plain that their condemnation is the
result — not, for one moment, of God's
reprobation, but — of their own wilful
ness. "He that will not, shall not"
(ver. 25) is the only law of repro
bation to be found in Scripture, — *
and a terrible law it is, this inevit
able tendency of sin to darken utterly
the spiritual understanding.

A.D. 2

7]

St. MARK. Ch. 4. 12-24.

Ill

unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables :
"that "seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they
" may hear, and not understand ; lest at any time they should be
" converted, and their sins should be forgiven them." "And he
said unto them, Know ye not this parable ? and how then will ye
know all parables ? 14 The sower soweth the word. u And these
are they by the way side, where the word is sown, but when they
have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word
that was sown in 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 them
selves, and so endure but for a time : afterward, when affliction or
persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are
offended. 18And these are they which are sown among thorns;
such as hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, and the deceit-
fulness 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 fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a
bushel, or under a bed ? and not to be set on a candlestick ? 22 For
there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested ; neither was
any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 23 If any
man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said unto them,
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.
12. and it should be forgiven them ; om. " their sins."
18. And other are they . . . these are such. 19. of the world ; om. " this."
22. there is nothing hid save that it may be manifested.
24. and more shaU be given unto you ; om. "that hear."

13. These words show that our
Lord meant this parable to be a key
to all the rest.
15. St. Matthew supplies the im
portant words, " and understandeth
it not;" the heart being hardened,
the seed of God's Word cannot pene
trate, and therefore Satan is able to
take away all memory of it.
21. Christ's word is the candle ; we
must see to it that we be the candle
stick, that we may set forth its light
to others, and not extinguish it.
Under a bushel — margin, "the
word in the original signifieth a less
measure" (viz. a peck), "as in Matt.
v. 15." This small flour -mug would
be part of the furniture of every
house, hence the article, "the modius"
in the Greek.
22. Christ wraps up His meaning
in parables, in order that they who
will and can may unwrap it.

24. The measure is the heart's
capacity for receiving : the vessel we
bring to receive our portion. Thus
the proverb has here a meaning some
what different from Matt. vii. 2.
Christ, speaking now, would say
also, "Take heed what ye read." How
a one-sided habit of reading and
thinking will rapidly enslave a man
to error ! Habitually avoiding the
contemplation of a truth, he rapidly
becomes incapable of receiving it.
For example, God in Scripture is
revealed to us as a Divine Will, in
nature as a Divine Law. Let both
be studied, lest we drift into supersti
tion on the one side, or into pantheism
(the denial of His personality) on the
other. See also for the moral side
of the warning, note on vi. 26.
One terrible curse of sin is its ten
dency to reproduce and multiply
itself.

112

St. MARK. Ch. 4. 25-35.

[a.d. 27

25 For he that hath, to him shall be given : and he that hath not,
from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast
seed into 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 corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is
brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the
harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God ?
or with what comparison shall we compare it 1 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 that 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. 34But without a parable spake
he not unto them : and when they were alone, he expounded all
things to his disciples.
36 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto
28. Om. "For." 30. How shaU we liken. 32. and when (in all MSS.).

26. This parable — given by St.
Mark alone — sets forth the all-suffi
ciency of God's Word and God's Spirit
for the growth and development of His
Church (the kingdom). Tt "comes not
with observation ;" both are gradual.
The parable may be applied to the
growth of grace in the heart as well
as to the growth of the Church in the
world. 29. Immediately he putteth In the
Sickle. Who putteth in ? He who
sowed the seed. Yes ! though we
may forget Him ; sleeping and rising,
night and day, we begin to think of
Nature and the laws of Nature as of
something that may go on " of itself"
for ever, until the sharp edge of God's
sickle cuts short our dream, and we
then behind the veil of things shall
see who it is that hath been uphold
ing all things by the word of His
power !
In interpreting this parable, as all
parables (distinguished hereby from
allegories), we must mark well the
points of contrast as well as the points
of parallelism, — in the parable, a man
sows the seed ; watches it . grow, he
knows not how ; puts in the sickle ;
— in the interpretation, Christ sows
the seed (His word) ; makes it grow,
He well knows how ; puts in the

sickle and gathers the fruit into His
eternal kingdom.
29. When the fruit is brought forth
— margin, "is ripe," literally, "When
the fruit presents itself."
32. Observe, too, in the next parable,
that there are some points in parables
(distinguished again hereby from al
legories) which belong only to the
parable, and have no corresponding
point in the interpretation (e.g. "the
fowls of the air lodging in the
branches," which it is merely fanciful
to press into interpretation).
35 ( = Matt. viii. 23, Luke viii.
22). The same day, when the even
was come, i.e. immediately after these
parables. But in St. Matthew we
have the parables in eh. xiii. and the
stilling of the tempest in ch. viii.
In St. Luke (viii. 22) this account of
the tempest is given in the manner
of an undated anecdote: "Now it
came to pass on a certain day . . ."
though we know from St. Mark that
it was on the same day as that on
which these parables were spoken.
This is instructive, showing clearly
that many chapters of the first three
Gospels contain anecdotes of our Lord,
sometimes given in historical order,
sometimes in some other order, as the
inspired Evangelist judged best.

A.D. 2

7]

St. MARK. Ch. 4. 36-41 ; 5. 1-10.

113

them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had
sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship.
And there were also with him other little ships. "And there
arose a great storm of wmd, and the waves beat into the ship, so
that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship,
asleep on a pillow : and they 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. *° And he said unto them, Why are
ye so fearful ? how is it that ye have no faith ? fU And they feared
exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this,
that even the wind and the sea obey him ?
Ch. 5. 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 fetters and chains, and the chains had been
plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces : neither
could any man tame him. B 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 afar 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 by
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, saying, My name is Legion : for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away
36. other ships ; om. " little." 37. So that the ship was now full.
40. Why are ye fearful ? Have ye not yet faith ?
V. 1. Of Gerasenes ; or Gergesenes (?). 3. no man could any more bind him,
even with a chain. 5. in the tombs and in the mountains. 6. And when.
7. and saith. 9. And he saith unto him, My name is Legion.

36. We may notice indications of
our Lord's weariness after this day.
His disciples send away the crowd,
they too take Him, "even as He was"
— as He lay there in the boat from
which He had been preaching. And
then the pillow, and the slumber.
39. See note on St. Luke iv. 39.
40. Their sin was not unlike the
sin of Moses, so severely reproved in
Num. xx. 12 — a want of trustfulness.
Ch. V. 1—20 (=Matt. viii. 28,
Luke viii. 26). Notice that in this
anecdote St. Mark's narrative re
sembles St. Luke's far more than
St. Matthew's. On the subject of
these possessions see notes on Matt.
viii. 28, ix. 33, and xii. 27. We
must carefully distinguish between
demoniacal possession of the rational

soul (as in the case of Judas, John
xiii. 27), and of the body or animal
soul (as here and in the case of the
Magdalene) — moral an&physical — the
former implying consent of the will,
which the latter by no means implies.
But though this fearful plague must
not necessarily be attributed to the
sin of the individual victim, yet to
the sin of his nation it may be attri
buted : God visits the sins of the
fathers upon the children thus.
I. Gadarenes, or Gergesenes. Some
mss. read Gerasenes in both Evan-

9. For we are many. So in Luke
xi. 26 Christ speaks of eight spirits
entering into a man. See note on
Matt. viii. 28.
10. See note on Luke viii. 31.

H

114

St. MARK. Ch. 5. 11-24.

[a.d. 27

out of the country. u Now there was there nigh unto the moun
tains a great herd of swine feeding. u 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. "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. "And they come to Jesus, and see
him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting,
and clothed, and in his right 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. " 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 might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered
him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them
how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had com
passion on thee. 20And he departed, and began to publish in
Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him : and all men
did marvel.
21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other
side, much people gathered unto him : and he was nigh unto the
sea. 22And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the syna
gogue, Jairus by name ; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
23 and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the
point of death : I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she
may be healed ; and she shall live. ** And Jesus went with him ;
and much people followed him, and thronged him.
11. the mountain. 12. And they besought him.
13. And he gave them leave . . . about two thousand ; om. "they were."
14. And they that fed them fled . . . And they went to see ; om. " out."
15. sitting clothed. 18. And when he was coming. 19. And he suffered him not.
22. Om. "behold;" . . . falleth at his feet. 23. and beseecheth him.

13. Gave them leave. The permis
sion to enter the swine is of the same
kind as the permission of physical evil,
and no more perplexing. God per
mits famines, earthquakes, murrains,
by which thousands of His dumb
innocent creatures are destroyed.
And so Christ here. Unless the re
deemed man and Christ's apostles had
been vouchsafed this fearful evidence
that the demons had in very fact
passed into the swine, might they not
have had a misgiving that, though
quelled for a while, they were still
within the unhappy man, and might
break forth again within his breast ?
That maddened plunge of the swine
attested both the reality of the deliver
ance and the enormity of the power

from which he had been delivered.
19. As this man, so St. Paul had
a desire to depart from his earthly
friends and be with Christ ; never
theless to abide was more needful for
them, Phil. i. 24.
" And when we fall on sadder hours,
And gladly would lie down and die,
Eemember that we live to do
God's will ; not ours." — (R.L.E.)
Contrast this verse and ver. 43. On
the Jewish side of the Lake there was
risk of a rising to make Him king.
Not so on the Gentile side.
22. Three raisings of the dead are
recorded — of Jairus's daughter, of the
widow's son, and of Lazarus. But
from Matt. xi. 5 some infer that there
were others not recorded.

A.D. 28]

St. MARK. Ch. 5. 25-41.

115

25 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 grew
worse, 27 when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind,
and touched his garment. 28 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. 30 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 1 31And his disciples said unto him, Thou
seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched
me ? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this
thing. M But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was
done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the
truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee
whole ; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. 3B 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 ? M As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken,
he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James,
and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of
the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that
wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith
unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep ? the damsel is not
dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when
he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the
damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the
damsel was lying. ^-And he took the damsel by the hand, and
said unto her, Talitha cumi ; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I
25. And a woman. 27. had heard the things concerning Jesus (?).
36. But Jesos having overheard the word. 38. And they come . . . and he seeth.
40. where the damsel was ; om. "lying."

27 — 29. Observe, the woman ap
peared to be healed by merely touch
ing His garment ; compare Luke vi.
19, "And the whole multitude sought
to touch Him, for there went virtue
out of Him, and healed them all." But
see note on Luke viii. 43, 44. Chry-
sostom is careful to guard us from
the error of the woman : she thought
to draw forth healing virtue from
Jesus without His knowing it,
whereas no miracle was ever wrought
without a conscious putting forth of
Christ's will. " The cure was volun
tary on Christ's part, not invol
untary " (irap ckovtos ?Xa/3e ttjv
<ra>Trjplav, Kai ov nap' Skovtos). On
ver. 31 Augustine aptly says, " Many
press upon Christ, the few only

touch Him." So in the Sacraments
(see our Art. xxix.).
30. Who touched my clothes ? We
may apply here St. John's inspired
comment on a similar question,
" This He said to prove her, for He
Himself knew what He would do "
(John vi. 6). Cf. Luke xxiv. 28.
34. Thy faith — not My clothes —
gently reproving her superstition while
He commended hex faith.
35. The Master. From this we
may perhaps infer that Jairus and
his family were disciples.
39. See, on Matt. ix. 24.
41. St. Mark often gives the Ara
maic or Syriac words used originally
by our Lord, and remembered by St.
Peter. So " Corban" (vii. 11), "Eph-

116

St. MARK. Ch. 5. 42-43 ; 6. 1-3.

[a.d. 28

say unto thee, arise. MAnd straightway the damsel arose, and
walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were
astonished with a great astonishment. ^And he charged them
straitly that no man should know it ; and commanded that some
thing should be given her to eat.
Ch. 6. And 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 hear
ing him were astonished, 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 Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of
42. And they were straightway (?) astonished.
VI. 1. and cometh. 2. and such mighty works wrought by his hands.

phatha" (vii. 34), "Abba" (xiv. 36).
" Talitha " was a term of endearment,
and means literally a lamb, as we say,
" My child." The minuteness of this
account agrees well with the notion
that Peter (an eye-witness of the
miracle) supplied to St. Mark these
anecdotes of our Lord's ministry. It
seems clear that our Lord spoke
Greek as well as Aramaic. He some
times quotes the Hebrew Scriptures
(Luke xxii. 37, Matt, xxvii. 46),
sometimes the Greek of the LXX.
(Matt. iv. 7, xiii. 14, 15). His con
versation with the Koman centurion,
with the Greeks of John xii. 20,
and with Pilate, would be in Greek.
Hug, I believe (in his Introd. to the
N. T.), proves that Greek was com
monly spoken in Palestine, as com
monly perhaps as English in Wales.
42. St. Mark alone mentions that
she " walked ; " and therefore adds
that she was of an age to do so ; not
a mere babe, as the word " Talitha "
might else have led us to imagine.
Ch. VI. I (=Matt. xiii. 54). Our
Lord leaves Capernaum and goes to
Nazareth, where He is again rejected,
as He had been eight or nine months
before (Luke iv. 29).
3. The carpenter. We may infer
from this (and the reading is certain)
that Jesus worked at Joseph's trade.
Indeed, every Jewish boy learned a
trade. St. Paul was a weaver.
' ' The brethren of our Lord " are
mentioned on four distinct occasions
in the Gospels, once in the Acts, and
once in the Epistles, invariably as
brothers of our Lord, and nearly always

in company with Mary, the Lord's
mother, — never with Mary the wife
of Clopas. The first occasion is John
ii. 12, where Jesus " and His mother
and His brethren and His disciples "
go down together to Capernaum ; the
second is when they came to speak
with Jesus (Matt. xii. 46, Mark iii.
31, Luke viii. 19) ; the third, here
and Matt. xiii. 55, in connexion with
His sisters and the family trade of
carpentering ; the fourth, in John vii.
3, 5, where they urge Jesus to show
Himself to the world, and where it
is stated that they did not then believe
on Him; and lastly, in Acts i. 14,
and 1 Cor. ix. 5, where they are
mentioned as believers, but as distinct
from the twelve apostles. One of them,'
James, is mentioned in Gal. i. 19 as
an apostle, but probably in the same
sense that Paul and Barnabas were
also apostles. For the high rank
given him subsequently in the Jeru
salem Church see Acts xii. 17 and
xv. 13.
James and Jude are believed to
be the same as the authors of the
two Epistles..
That they were own brothers of
our Lord, i.e. sons of Mary (as Ter-
tullian and Helvidius affirmed), is
rendered highly improbable by the
commendation of Mary to St. John
on the cross.
That they are to be identified with
the apostles James " the Little " and
Jude, sons of Mary and Alphseus (i.e.
Clopas), and first-cousins of our Lord
(as Jerome and the Latin Fathers
after him maintain), is inconsistent

A.D. 2

8]

St. MARK. Ch. 6.

4-'3-

117

Juda, and Simon ? and are not his sisters here with us ? And they
were offended at him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is
not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own
kin, and in his own house. ° And he could there do no mighty
work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed
them. 6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went
round about the villages, teaching.
7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth
by two and two ; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8and
commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey,
save a staff only ; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse : 'but
be shod with sandals ; and not put on two coats. 10 And he said
unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide
till ye depart from that place. u 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 and Gomorrha in the day of
judgment, than for that city. u And they went out, and preached
that men should repent. l3And they cast out many devils, and
anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
8. no bread, no scrip. 9. and " put not ye on two coats " (?).
IL And whatsoever place shall not receive you . . . om. " Verily I say . . . that city."

with the way they are mentioned in
John vii. 5 and Acts i. 14.
That they were Joseph's sons by a
former marriage seems to have been
the belief of the early Church until
Jerome's time, and is perhaps the
most probable supposition, though
not free from difficulty.*
The conversion of James (and pro
bably of the rest) may be connected
with Christ's appearance to James
recorded in 1 Cor. xv. 7.
5. Could not — as though by some
mysterious law Christ's power of
* If any ask, " How then was Jesus David's
heir if Joseph, His legal father, had elder sons
of his own?" the most probable answer is
that Jesus was David's heir through His
mother, independently of Joseph's pedigree.
That Mary (as well as Joseph) was descended
from David appears (1) from the angel's words
in Luke i. 32, (2j from the fact that her enrol
ment at Bethlehem seemed to have been neces
sary, as well as Joseph's. If it be asked,
" Why then is not her genealogy given rather
than Joseph's ? " the answer is, that " genea
logical records could not, according to Jewish
usage, exhibit the children, even of an heiress,
otherwise than through their father." — (Mill,
p. 211.)
One difficulty remains— not noticed by Pro
fessor Lightfoot in his otherwise exhaustive
essay — How are we to reconcile the narrative
of the flight into Egypt, and visit to Jeru
salem twelve years later, with the fact that
Joseph had at least six young motherless
children at home ?

healing depended on the faith of the
person healed.
7. Two and two. In Matt. x.
2, 3, 4, Luke vi. 15, Acts i. 13, their
names are given two and two, and
nearly in the same couples. Possibly
those who are coupled in the lists
were companions on this journey.
8. Take nothing. — It is instructive
to observe the contrary instructions
given to His apostles when He was
about to leave them (Luke xxii. 36).
Which then are ministers of Christ to
follow now ? Clearly they are to
understand that in this and all things
they are to exercise a wise j udgment:
— " Ministers not of the letter, but
of the spirit."
In support of the suggestion that
St. Mark wrote for Roman Christians,
we may notice that he uses here the
Koman word for purse (" Ibit eo
quo vis, qui zona/m perdidit" — Hor.),
whereas St. Luke, writing for the
Greek Christians, uses the Greek
word. 13. Anointed with oil. From the
parable of the Good Samaritan (cf.
Is. i. 6) and from Pliny we know how
common was the use of oil in the
treatment of wounds or disease.

118

St. MARK. Ch. 6. 14-22.

[a.d. 28

"And king Herod heard of him ; (for his name was spread
abroad :) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the
dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
"Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a pro
phet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof,
he said, It is John, whom I beheaded : he is risen from the dead.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and
bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife :
for he had married her. ls For John had said unto Herod, It is
not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. u Therefore Herodias
had 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 observed him ; and when he heard him, he
did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient
day was come, that Herod on his birthday 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
14. and they (?) said . . . hath been raised from the dead.
15. But others said . . . a prophet, as one of the prophets ; om. "or."
16. John whom I beheaded, he is risen. 20. and when he heard him was much perplexed(?).

Here a supernatural blessing attends
it. See note on James v. 14.
15. Or is omitted in all the best mss.
"A prophet as one of the prophets."
Four hundred years had elapsed since
the roll of prophets had been closed,
but here (they acknowledged) was a
Prophet to be classed with those
ancient prophets.
17. Compare St. Matthew's almost
identical account (Matt. xiv. 3-12).
Both Evangelists had mentioned
John's imprisonment before, as dating
the commencement of Christ'sGalilean
ministry (Matt. iv. 12 ; Mark i. 14).
Now they record his death just be
fore the feeding of the five thousand,
i.e. just before the Passover (see John
vi. 4). An important chronological
question here arises, How long was
the period covered by the imprison
ment of the Baptist, — covered, there
fore (as it would seem) by those ten
chapters of St. Matthew, and these
six chapters of St. Mark ? Was the
period ten months, — which is the
time allowed by the shorter scheme
of Gospel chronology adopted in this
Commentary, — or was it nearly two
years, according to the longer scheme?
— for Wieseler's scheme, making the
imprisonment last one month only
(from Purim to Passover), is unques
tionably too short. The shorter period

of ten months best suits Josephus's
narrative : — Antipas, before his depar
ture for Rome (summer of a.d. 27 ?)
makes his infamous proposal tq Hero-
dias,andimprisonsJohnfordenouncingit ; returning from Rome (overland,
before the Passover,A.D. 28?),he repu
diates his wife, marries Herodias, and
(to please her) murders John ; where
upon his father-in-law Aretas (Eth-
narch of Petra and Damascus, 2 Cor.
xi. 32) makes war upon him, and
defeats him utterly. Then Josephus
goes on to tell us how the Jews con
sidered this defeat to be God's judg
ment upon Antipas for the recent exe
cution of " John, who was called the
Baptist," in the frontier fortress of
Machsrus. Thus the execution seems
to have been during the campaign
which followed the marriage. See
note on Matt. xiv. 1 ; and Jos. Ant.
xviii. v. 1.
19. Had a quarrel — margin, "an
inward grudge."
20. Observed him. The translation
in the margin is right : " kept him,"
or "saved him," from his wife's ven
geance. 21. Birthday — or rather on the
anniversary of his accession. See
note on Matt. ii. 1, for date of Herod
the Great's death (the date of Anti-
pas's succession to his tetrarchy).

A.D. 28]

St. MARK. Ch. 6. 23-37.

119

Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel,
Ask of me whatsoever 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, The head of John
the Baptist. " And she came in straightway 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 exceed
ing 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 an
executioner, and commanded his head to be brought : and he went
and beheaded him in the prison, 2S 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 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and
told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had
taught. a 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 leisure so much as to eat. 32And 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
Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with
compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a
shepherd : and he began to teach them many things. 3B And when
the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said,
This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed : 36 send them
away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the
villages, and buy themselves bread : for they have nothing to eat.
37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And
27. commanded him to bring his head. 30. Om. "both." 31. And he saith.
33. Om. "the people;" om. "and came together unto him."
34. Om. " Jesus ; " he saw much people.
36. buy themselves somewhat to eat ; om. " bread : for they have nothing."

26. For his oath's sake. Thus sin
draws on sin, each step making it
more difficult to recede. " From him
that hath not shall be taken even
that which he hath." Herod had
not the conscience to resist the
temptations of wine and revelry, and
so there was taken from him even
the remnant of conscience that might
else have saved him from the further
sin into which his wine had led him.
27. So Cicero's head was brought
to Fulvia. The word for executioner
is a Latin, not a Greek word, " specu
lator," rendered correctly in the mar
gin, " one of his guard."

31 — 34. The fatigue involved in
these works of healing, Christ's care
for the health of His apostles, the
devotion of these Galilean peasants
who crowded after Him (five thousand
men, besides women and children),
Christ's compassion for them — "sheep
without a shepherd," — and the tone of
sadness that pervades the passage,
connected perhaps with the recent
news of John's death, give us a
touching idea of the daily life of
Christ and His apostles.
33. Afoot. This should be "by
land." They ran round the head of
the lake, as again in ver. 55.

120

St. MARK. Oh. 6. 38-51.

[a.d. 28

they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth
of bread, and give them to eat ? 3'8 He saith unto them, How many
loaves have ye ? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five,
and two fishes. 39And he commanded them to make all sit
down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down
in ranks, by hundreds, 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. ** And they took up twelve
baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. "And they that
did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. "And
straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to
go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the
people. *6 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a
mountain to pray. *7 And when even was come, the ship was in
the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. *¦ And he saw them
toiling in rowing ; for the wind was contrary unto them : and about
the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto 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 spirit, and cried
out : ""for they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately
he talked 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

. go, see ; om. " and.'

41. to the disciples.

44. Om. "about.'

39, 40. This careful organization,
so necessary in all works of charity
to insure a just distribution, is to be
noted. The mention of the " green
grass " limits the occurrence to one
particular season of the year. All
travellers know that only in the few
weeks that follow the vernal rains is
there green grass in any abundance
in Palestine. Here, therefore, we
have a noticeable coincidence with
the fourth Gospel, which tells us
that the Passover was nigh.
43. See note on Matt. xv. 37.
Baskets should be "leathern wal
lets." 45. Unto Bethsaida — margin, "over
against Bethsaida," a forced transla
tion intended to bring this verse into
harmony with Luke ix. 10, rendered
unnecessary by Reland's discovery*
that there were two Bethsaidas, (1)
Bethsaida- Julias, north-east of the

* Relandi Palceslina ex Monumentis Veteribus
illustrata, 1714.

lake (where the miracle was wrought),
and (2) Bethsaida of Galilee, west of
the lake (whither they sailed after
the miracle).
48. Walking upon the sea. In
reality the fact of a heavy body sink
ing in water is just as mysterious as
the fact of its not sinking. Both are
due to Divine power. Only Divine
power has acted in the one way with
such uniformity in our experience,
that we have ceased to regard it as a
wonder ; and in the other way so
very seldom, that we call these few
occasions miracles. A miracle is but
an unusual, and therefore startling,
manifestation of that same Divine
power which is equally manifested
(only so familiarly that we have
ceased to notice it) in all the opera
tions of nature.
50. St. Mark omits to mention
how St. Peter ventured on the water.
51. St. Matthew gives their exclama
tion, — " Of a truth Thou art the Son
of God!"

A.D. 28]

St. MARK. Ch. 6. 52-56; 7. 1-8.

121

measure, and wondered. M For they considered not the miracle of
the loaves : for their heart was hardened.
53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of
Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. "* And when they were come
out of the ship, straightway they knew him, B5 and ran through that
whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that
were sick, where they heard he was. BS And whithersoever he entered,
into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets,
and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border
of his garment : and as many as touched him were made whole.
Ch. 7- Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain
of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw
some of his disciples eat bread with defiled (that is to say, with un-
washen) hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the
Jews, except they wash their hands oft, 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 received to hold, as the washing of cups and pots, brasen
vessels, and of tables. B 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 unto
them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written,
" This people honoureth 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." 8For laying aside the
commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing
5X Om. " beyond measure " (?). Om. " and wondered." 56. into cities, or into country.
VTL 2. Om. " they found fault." 5. And the Pharisees . . . with defiled hands.
6. Om. " answered and." 8. Om. " For ; " om. " as the washing ... ye do " (?).

52. Looking back after the gift of
the Spirit, the Evangelist speaks
with wonder of their slowness to
believe while Christ was with them.
56. Note the mysteriousness of
Christ's person, and compare v. 30,
" Knowing in Himself that virtue had
gone out of Him."
Touched him. The margin suggests
" it " instead of ' ' him ; " but " him "
is better ; see note on v. 27.
These last three verses seem to
indicate a period of some weeks or
months — from the Passover to Pente
cost, perhaps, of the year 28.
Ch. VII. 1 ( = Matt. xv. 1). This
verse marks an official persecution,
instituted by the Sanhedrin. Observe
how one Evangelist implies the facts
recorded by another. St. Mark's
mention of these emissaries of the
Sanhedrin would be unaccountable
without St. John's record of Christ's
controversy with the Sanhedrin at the

feast, which we take to be the Pente
cost of the preceding year (John v.).
2. Defiled — margin, " common ; "
St. Mark, aware that he was using
the word common in a Jewish sense,
explains the word for his Gentile
readers. 3. Oft. The margin gives other
renderings of this difficult word :
"diligently, in the original with the
fist; Theophylact, up to the elbow."
The Syriac favours " diligently." But
the Sinaitic MS. gives the far easier
word " often."
4. The insertion of this verse con
firms the tradition that St. Mark
wrote his Gospel at Rome for readers
who were strangers to Palestine.
Note also his use of a word for
"pots" abbreviated from the Latin
word sextarius.
Tables — margin, " beds, " or rather
couches, on which they reclined at
meals.

122

St. MARK. Ch. 7. 9-20.

[a.d. 28

of pots and cups : and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he
said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that
ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, " Honour thy
" father and thy mother;" and, "Whoso curseth father or mother,
" let him die the death : " u but ye say, If a man shall say to his
father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever
thou mightest be profited by me ; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer
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 ye. 14 And when he had
called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me
every one of you, and understand : 1B there is nothing from without
a man, that entering into him can defile him : but the things which
come out of him, those are they that defile the man.' 16 If any man
have 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. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understand
ing also ? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without
entereth into the man, it cannot defile him ; 19 because it entereth
not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught,
purging all meats ? 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the
12. Om. "and." 14. when he had called the people agatn.
15. which come out of the man. 16. Omit this verse (?).
17. asked of him the parable. 18, 19. And he saith unto them, "Are ye
so . . . into the draught ? " cleansing aU meats. See note.

g. Full well — spoken in irony. "A
fine thing, truly, to reject (margin,
"frustrate") the commandment of
God, that ye may keep your own
traditions ! "
10. For Moses said. In St. Matthew,
"For God commanded." See Ex.
xx. 12, Deut. v. 16.
II. See note on Matt. xv. 5. " I
have dedicated to God that which
otherwise thou mightest claim of
me," — so used undutiful sons to evade
their filial duties.
The "traditions" here alluded to
were committed to writing by the
Rabbi Jehuda at the close of the
second century, and called the Mishna
(or Repetition of the Law). The Jews
believed this oral law had come down
to them from Moses alongside of the
written law. Some four hundred
years later the " Gemara," or Com
mentaries on the Mishna, were writ
ten. The whole (Mishna and Gemara)
forms what is called the Talmud (or
" Doctrine "), filling twelve large
folios. All that is of any use in this
mass of puerilities is extracted in
Lightfoot's Horce Hebraicce.

15. Meat and drink do not in their
own nature defile a man. But if they
be taken in excess, there will speedily
come out of the man words and
thoughts which will defile him. It
was not the forbidden fruit which
defiled our first parents, but the in
temperance which first prompted them
to desire, and which was yet further
inflamed by the self-indulgence, — this
it was which defiled them : and so
with the drunkard.
17. This parable; i.e. verse 15.
We can hardly understand how
strange and new seemed to the
Jews this teaching, — that inward
purity, not outward, was what God
required. 19. Purging all meats, — defecating
or separating from its impurities all
that we eat. . The accident that the
oldest mss. have the word for " purg
ing " in the masculine, led Origen to
understand it of Christ the speaker :
" The Saviour spake this, cleansing by
His words all meats ;" and so Chry-
sostom also on Matt. xv. 1 7, thinking
doubtless of Acts x. 15, "What God
hath cleansed."

A.D.

28]

St. MARK. Ch. 7. 21-31.

123

man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of
men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness : 23 all these evil things come
from within, and defile the man.
24 And from thence he arose, and went 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. 26 For a certain woman, whose
young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and
fell at his feet : 26 the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by
nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the
devil out of her daughter. 27But Jesus said unto her, Let the
children first be filled : for it is not meet to take the children'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. M 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 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he

21, 22. fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries. 24. into the coasts of.
25. But straightway, when she heard of him, a woman, whose . . . came.
26. A Syrian of Phenicia by race. 27. And he said ; om. " Jesus."
28. Yea, Lord, and the dogs under the table eat.
30. she found her daughter laid upon the bed, and the devil gone out.
31. And again departing from the coasts of Tyre, he came through Sidon unto the sea.

22. Covetousness, wickedness — mar
gin, "Gr. covetousnesses, wicked
nesses." An evil eye ; i.e. jealousy, as in
Matt. xx. 15.
23. Come from within ; a sad testi
mony from Christ's lips to the doctrine
of our original sin.
24. From thence he arose and went
away into the borders of Tyre (and
Sidon, omitted in some mss.) — for
the first time in His ministry com
pelled to go beyond the limits of the
Holy Land into the heathen lands
that lay to the north, and as we now
know yet farther north, even into the
old heathen capital of Phoanicia, the
city of Sidon ; for the true reading in
the 31st verse seems to be, "from the
coasts of Tyre He came through Sidon
to the sea of Galilee." It is thought by
some, that from Sidon He must have
taken the Damascus road across the
Lebanon, and so by Damascus to CaBsa-
rea Philippi and the sea of Galilee.
If so, our Lord passed the spot where
a few years afterward He appeared
to Saul. Damascus is reckoned by
Pliny among the cities of Decapolis.

"They who will not have, shall
not have," was one rule of Christ's
ministry ; but " they who will have,
shall have," was no less truly His
rule, and the rule of God's providence.
Our Lord's reluctance to work any
miracle or win converts beyond the
limits of Israel is most instructive.
If He had been merely a, "teacher
come from God," like John the
Baptist, it would be inexplicable.
But Christ was ever careful to remind
His apostles that the work for which
He had come into the world was a
work of suffering. No Church could
be founded until He who was to be
the Head of that Church had been
sacrificed and glorified. " I have a
baptism to be baptized with, and how
am I straitened till it be accom
plished ! " The foundation of His
Church was to be the work of the
Third Person of the Trinity.
26. A Greek — margin, very properly,
"Gentile." 28. Instead of "for,'' as in Matt.
xv. 27, the Sin. and Vat. mss. here
read, "and the dogs."
31. See above on ver. 24.

124

St. MARK. Ch. 7. 32-37 ; 8. 1-8.

[a.d. 28

came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of
Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had
an impediment in his speech ; and they beseech him to put his hand
upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put
his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his_ tongue ; ** and
looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha,
that is, Be opened. 3B And straightway his ears were opened, and
the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he
charged them that they should tell no man : but the more he charged
them, so much the more a great deal they published it ; 3T and were
beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well :
he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Ch. 8. In those days the multitude being very great, and having
nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto
them, 2 1 have compassion on the multitude, because they have now
been with me three days, 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 disciples answered him,
From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the
wilderness? BAnd he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And
they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on
the ground : and he took the seven loaves, and gave 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 them. 8 So they

VIII. 1. being again great .
6. And he commandeth.

35. Om. "straightway."
. he caUed the disciples. 3. and some of them.
7. he blessed them ... to set these also before them.

33. Took him aside from the multi
tude. So in the next chapter at
Bethsaida He leads the blind man out
of the town, — seeking in these latter
months of His ministry to withdraw
Himself more and more. The work
of bearing witness to His Divine mis
sion is ceasing, and the work of suffer
ing is about to commence. In ix. 31
St. Mark explains the reason of this
wish for privacy (see note there).
We note in our Lord's mode of work
ing the miracle (He spit and touched
his tongue) a gracious desire to
awaken and quicken the faith of the
poor simple man.
Ch. VIII. 1 (=Matt. xv. 32). In
those days— implying that this so
journ in Decapolis occupied some
weeks. It was north-east of the
lake, and beyond the reach of Herod
Antipas, whose tetrarchy did not
include the Decapolis. The impres
sion of His miracles on the half-

heathen population seems to have been
most lively. St. Matthew says, "they
glorified the God of Israel," implying
that they were aliens to Israel them
selves. Christ had only once visited
them before, when He healed the
Gergesene demoniac.
This miracle of the loaves differs
in many ways from that wrought
three or four months before ; then
there were five loaves and five thou
sand fed, the fragments filling twelve
wallets; now seven loaves feed four
thousand, the fragments filling seven
hampers. Moreover, then, the multi
tude had come from Capernaum, and
were Israelites ; now they are mostly
Gentiles. Augustine, noticing this,
sees in the two miracles types of the
spiritual feeding first of the Jewish,
then of the Gentile Church.
3. " And some of them are, or are
come, from a distance." These are
our Lord's words.

A.D. 28]

St. MARK. Ch. 8. 9-14.

12S

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 And straightway he entered
into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dal-
manutha. u And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question
with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. u And
he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation
seek after a sign ? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be
given unto this generation. 13 And he left them, and entering into
a ship again departed to the other side.
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they

8. And they did eat.

13. Om. " into the ship " (?).

10. Christ crosses to the western
side of the lake, St. Matthew says to
Magdala, St. Mark to Dalmanntha,
which must therefore have been close
to Magdala. Magdala we know ; it
is the village of El-Mejdel, at the
southern extremity of that strip of
plain of Gennesaret which stretches
along the north-west shore of the lake.
11. Again the emissaries of the
Sanhedrin encounter Him, and this
time (Matt. xvi. 1 — see note) with
the Sadducees — a strange and unholy
alliance ! The high-priestly family
were Sadducees. Cf. Acts iv. 6,
v. 17.
A sign from heaven. Repeatedly
we find the Jews asking for "the
sign from heaven," viz., the sign of
the Son of man coming on the chuds
of heaven, which Daniel, chap, vii.,
led them to expect. As repeatedly
Christ refused it : an adulterous
generation (i.e. "unfaithful to God," —
the Old Testament use of the word)
should not have the sign. They that
will not believe sliall not have evi
dence, may be said to be the principle
of Christ's kingdom. On this prin
ciple we explain verses 26 and 30,
and ix. 9. But to His chosen dis
ciples this evidence was not refused,
though even with them the sign was
not vouchsafed until faith had been
shown. So it was in nearly all
Christ's miracles ; and so here it was
not until Peter had confessed "Thou
art the Messiah " (ver. 29) that Christ
vouchsafed to his three apostles the
Messianic sign spoken of by Daniel
— the Son of man transfigured in the
clouds of heaven — which He so uni
formly refused to the Jews.

How carefully Christ prepares
these chosen witnesses for the shock
that was approaching ! — telling them
before it came to pass, that when it
should come to pass, they might
believe (John xiii. '19), and so be
depositaries of His truth for that
more blessed generation who should
believe on Him through their word
(John xvii. 20, xx. 29). In verse 31
He endeavours to reconcile in their
minds the doctrine of His humiliation
with the doctrine of His Messiahship
— a humiliation which they too must
share (34 . . .), if they wish to share
in the future glory of His Messiah-
ship. That future triumph of the
Messiah's kingdom some standing
there should live to see : " 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." And then all
three Evangelists connect directly
with this ' saying the sight of " the
Son of man in the clouds of heaven"
which follows. Do they mean to
imply that this Transfiguration was a
sufficient fulfilment of that promise ?
Clearly not. It was not the fulfil
ment, but an earnest or pledge of the
fulfilment of His promise. St. Peter,
confessing that he should not live to
see it, but remembering that St. John
would (John xxi. 19-22), speaks of the
glorious reappearance of the Messiah
(in his second Epistle) as still future,
though near at hand, and points to
two proofs that they were not deceived
in expecting it : 1st, this Transfigura
tion vouchsafed as a foretaste or
earnest of His second coming ; and
2d, Prophecy. (That chapter is the

126

St. MARK. Ch. 8. 15-29.

[a.d. 28

in the ship with them more than one loaf. " And he charged them,
saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the
leaven of Herod. " And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
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 ? have ye your heart yet hardened ?
18 Having eyes, see ye not ? and having ears, hear ye not ? and do
ye not remember ? " When I brake the five loaves among five
thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up % They
say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when the seven among four thousand,
how many baskets full of fragments took ye up ? And they said,
Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not under
stand? 22 And he cometh to Bethsaida ; and they bring a blind man unto
him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man
by the hand, and led him out of the town ; and when he had spit
on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw
ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
26 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 house, saying, Neither go into the town,
nor tell it to any in the town.
27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of
Caasarea Philippi : and by the way he asked his disciples, saying
unto them, Whom do men say that I am ? 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 I am ?
16. And they reasoned among themselves, because they have no bread.
17. Om. " Jesus "(?); om. "yet." 21. do not yet understand. 22. And they come.
23. brought(?) him out of the town. 24. I see the men, because as trees I see them walking.
25. upon his eyes, and he saw, and was restored, and beheld every thing clearly.
28. and they answered him, saying. 29. And he asked them.

best possible commentary on this
account of the Transfiguration.) What
then was that "coming of the Son
of man " which St. John lived to see,
and St. Peter did not? Clearly the
destruction of Jerusalem, and the
development of His kingdom which
followed. The words, " There be
some of them that stand here which
shall not taste of death," etc., and
those other words in xiii. 30, "This
generation shall not pass till all this
be done " (about the literal meaning
of which this passage surely leaves
no doubt), — and we may add that
Matt. x. 23, — require us imperatively
to believe that Daniel's prophecy of
the Son of man coming in the clouds
of heaven, claimed and appropriated
by our Lord, found one fulfilment at
all events in the events of the apo
stolic age. Its higher fulfilment we

still pray for in the second petition
of the Lord's Prayer, and still point
on to in the doxology, for Thine is the
"kingdom" (ix. 1), and the "power,"
and the "glory." See note on xiv. 62.
IS. See note on Matt. xvi. 6. The
Herodians were what we should call
" Secularists." 26. The town was Bethsaida- Julias,
so called in honour of Augustus's pro
fligate daughter. It has been re
marked that our Lord seems to have
shunned these Herodian towns. Ti
berias, where the tetrarch resided,
He seems never to have entered.
They were in fact Romanized water
ing-places. 29. If it be true that this Gospel
was written under St. Peter's instruc
tions, this omission of Christ's most
solemn benediction of St. Peter is
very noticeable.

A.D. 2

8]

St. MARK. Ch. 8. 30-38 ; 9. 1-4.

127

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 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer
many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests,
and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And
he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to
rebuke him. M But when he had turned about and looked on his
disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan : for
thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that
be of men.
34 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. 36 For whoso
ever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his life
for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36For what
shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his
own soul ? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul 1
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. Ch. 9. 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 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and
John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by them
selves : and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment
became shining, exceeding white as snow ; so as no fuller on earth
can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses :
34. If any willeth to follow after me. 35. he shall save it ; om. "the same."
36. profit the man. 37. for what giveth a man in exchange.
IX. 1. There are some here of those standing. 3. Om." as snow;" can so whiten them.

Ch. IX. I (=Matt. xvii. 1, Luke
ix. 28). Christ's words point to His
coming to judge Israel within the
limits of that generation, a.d. 70.
Of that great manifestation of Christ's
power and kingdom the Transfigura
tion was an earnest (as we have
shown in the note on viii. 11).
The bright overshadowing cloud
(" coming in the clouds of heaven,"
Dan. vii.), the raiment exceeding
white as snow (" whose garment was
white as snow," Dan. vii.), would
make it vividly plain to the apostles
that Jesus was indeed " the Son of
man" of Daniel's vision. And yet
even in His glory they hear the two
prophets speak of His approaching
death at Jerusalem (Luke ix. 31).
Thus are they taught to reconcile the
two ideas, which St. Peter (viii. 32)

had thought incompatible, — His Mes-
siahship and His humiliation.
4. Ellas with Moses. Both, in their
forty days' fastings and prolonged
communion with God, had been dis
tinguished above all other sons of
men. The one represented the Law,
the other the Prophets. On both
had been poured forth abundance of
miraculous power. They are brought
together in the concluding verses of
Malachi. Both had left the earth
mysteriously. Possibly the mystic
change spoken of in 1 Cor. xv. 51
had been vouchsafed to both, — to
Moses immediately after dying (He,
Jehovah, buried him, . . . but no
man knoweth his sepulchre to this
day, Deut. xxxiv. 6), to Elijah with
out dying. All we know is that they
appeared with glorified bodies (ap-

128

St. MARK. Ch. 9. 5-16.

! 'a.d. 2,8

and they were talking with Jesus. BAnd Peter answered and said
to Jesus, 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 overshadowed 1;hem : 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 charged them that they should tell no man
what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the
dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning
one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the'-scr'iae's that Elias must
first come ? 12 And he answered and told them^lias verily cometh
first, and restoreth all things ; and how it is written of the Son of
man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13But
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 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude
about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 1B And straight
way all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and
running to him saluted him. 16And he "asked the scribes, What

6. what to answer. 7. Om. "saying."
14. When they came to the disciples they saw.

12. Om. "answered and."
16. And he asked them.

parently) on the Mount. Just as they
are departing (Luke ix. 33), Peter,
vainly wishing to detain them, pro
poses to make three tabernacles, — but
j ust then they vanished in the dazzling
cloud, and a voice from the Divine
Shechinah (as before at the Baptism)
was heard, " This is My beloved Son."
It was the appearance of the Shechinah
possibly that suggested to Peter the
use of the word " tabernacle ; " — or
perhaps he merely meant "booths"
or "tents," that they might dwell a
while on ground so hallowed.
II. The vision of Elijah reminds
them of Malachi's prophecy (iv. 5) : —
" If Thou be the Messiah, — as this
vision, and the appearance of Elijah
with Thee, seem to show, — why did
not Elijah announce Thine advent to
the people?" Christ's answer we must
explain by putting St. Matthew's and
St. Mark's accounts together : — " Ye
were right in expecting Elijah to pre
cede the Messiah, preparing men's
hearts to receive Him. And he did
precede Me, in the person of John
the Baptist ; and they have done
unto him whatsoever they listed, and
so the prophecy concerning Elijah has

been fulfilled. And likewise shall
also the Son of man suffer of them ;
and so what is written of the Son of
man will be fulfilled." Thus again
and again He tries to connect in their
minds the notion of His Messiahship
and His suffering. Our Lord's words
in Matt. xi. 14, and the angel's words
in Luke i. 17, make it evident that
the apostles were intended to accept
John the Baptist as sufficiently ful
filling Mai. iv. 5. And yet John when
asked, " Art thou Elias t" answered
"No" (John i. 21). And Christ's
words were, " And if ye will receive
it, this is Elias ;" and the angel's,
"In the spirit and power of Elias,"
— both implying that he was not
personally identical with Elijah. All
this is most instructive, illustrating
the way in which Christ would have
us interpret prophecy. The fulfil
ments of prophecy are to be not self-
evident, but spiritually discerned. See
also note on John xxi. 22.
IS. See note on Luke ix. 37.
16. The margin, following the best
MSS.,suggests,"amongyourselves,"butthese same mss. omit "scribes," and
read, "He asked them" (the people).

A.D. 28]

St. MARK. Ch. 9. 17-31.

129

question ye with them ? " And one of the multitude answered and
said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb
spirit ; 18and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him : and he
foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away : and I spake
to thy disciples that they should cast him out ; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, 0 faithless generation, how long
shall I be with you ? how long shall I suffer you ? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him : and when he saw him,
straightway the spirit tare him ; and he fell on the ground, and
wallowed foaming. "¦ And he asked his father, How long is it ago
since this came unto him ? And he said, Of a child. 22 And oft-
times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy
him : but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and
help us. M 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 ; help thou mine
unbelief. M 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 him sore, and came out of him : 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.
28 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 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee ; and he
would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his dis
ciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the
17. Om. "and said." 18. gnasheth the teeth. 19. answereth them.
23. As for that " if thou canst," all things are possible to him who believeth.
24. Om. " with tears ; " om. "Lord." 26. the more part said. 29. " and fasting," om (?).

17. Not " I have brought," but
" I brought." The father brought
his child, hoping to find Jesus. The
symptoms of possession were loss of
speech and epileptic convulsions.
15 — 29. It may well be doubted
whether, in the whole range of litera
ture, there is a narrative comprising
so many vivid touches of description
in so brief a compass, as we see in
these fifteen verses, — the excited
crowd so eagerly surrounding Jesus,
— the father's description of his child's
fearful malady, — Christ's holy im
patience of the sin and misery of this
iower world into which He had again
descended, — the convulsions of the
demoniac, — the cries of the father, —
his spark of faith quickened into
flame by Christ, — the pressure of the

crowd, — the word of power, and
paroxysm of the demoniac, — Christ
gently raising the exhausted sufferer.
18. Teareth him — margin, "dasheth
him." 20. When he saw him — i.e. when
the child saw Jesus.
23. Some mss. make Christ say :
"As for this 'if thou canst ' — all things
are," etc., giving him back his words.
29. The apostles had cast out
demons ere now (vi. 13). But Christ
tells them they could only qualify
themselves to eject such malignant
kind of demons as this by severe
self-discipline. 31. For he taught his disciples,
etc. His disciples doubtless would
have had Him rally round Him a
Galilean party, and so defeat the

130

St. MARK. Ch. 9. 32-40.

[a.d. 28

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 saying,
and were afraid to ask him.
83 And he came to Capernaum : and being in the house he asked
them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
34 But they held their peace : for by the way they had disputed
among themselves, who should be the greatest. 3B 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 Whosoever 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 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting
out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us : and we forbad
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
31. after three days. 33. And they came . . . ; om. " among yourselves."
38. John told him, saying ; om. " because he followeth not us " (?).

malice of the Jerusalem priesthood.
But Christ purposely avoids it,— -for
(as He explains to His disciples) it
is not His purpose to decline the
sufferings that await Him. " The
cup which My Father hath given Me,
shall I not drink it ? "
32. How true to nature this is !
They could question Him freely about
other things (as in ver. 28), but in
what concerned His own person they
were afraid.
35 — SO. Carefully comparing this
discourse of our Lord's, as given here,
with the same discourse as given in
Matt, xviii., we see plainly that both
accounts are abstracts, not word for
word reports. Possibly it was not
one continuous discourse. If it was,
the train of thought may be what is
suggested in the note on Matt, xviii.
36. In Ms arms. This detail we
owe to St. Mark, and how precious
it is !
37. From Matt, xviii. 3-6 we learn
that Jesus drew two lessons from the
child : — (1) that we must be humble
as children ; (2) that we must be
tenderly considerate of children. St.
Mark omits the first, and so renders
the connexion less clear.
38. If we are to press the con
nexion implied in the word " answered "
(which St. Luke also uses), it may be

that our Lord's plain injunction of a
comprehensive charity in verse 37
brought to John's mind a recent case
in which they had acted with an
exclusive spirit ; and, with a feeling
that they had been wrong, he mentions
the case to our Lord.
From Matt. vii. 22, xii. 27, and
Acts xix. 13, as well as from Justin
Martyr and others, we know that the
exorcists were a recognized profession
among the Jews. Our Lord clearly
implies, in Matt. xii. 28 (see note
there), that they did not do it by
Divine power ; and the people's won
der at our Lord's cures, Matt. ix. 33,
shows that theirs were of a very
different sort. Still, we need not
suppose that the exorcists were al
together impostors. Our Lord em-
powered His apostles to cast out
devils (Matt. x. 8), and this man may
have been a disciple endued by Christ
with this power, but unable for some
reason to follow Him (see ch. v. 19).
40. Observe how, in the very
infancy of His Church, this tendency
to party spirit and exclusiveness of
communion showed itself, and how
emphatically our Lord forbade it.
But observe also how the doctrine of
toleration here taught is defined and
limited by the by-no-means-opposite
proverb of Matt. xii. 30, " He that is

A.D. 2

8]

St. MARK. Ch. 9. 41-47.

131

is on our part. a For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to
drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto
you, he shall not lose his reward. ** And whosoever shall offend
one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the
sea. 43 And if thy hand 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 : M where their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched. 4B And if thy foot offend thee, cut it
off : it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having 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 eye, than having two eyes to be
41. in name because ye are of Christ. 44. Omit this verse (?). It appears in Alex. MS. but
is om. in Sin. and Vat. 45. Om. " into the fire that never shall be quenched."
46. Omit this verse (?) as Hth ; but see note.

not with Me is against Me." "A
man may be with us at heart, though
he does not follow us outwardly ;"
but "he that is not with Christ at
heart is none of His." Tolerate out
ward differences (Mark ix. 40) ; but
want of allegiance to Christ (Matt.
xii. 30) is not to be tolerated.
Some mss. read, " He that is not
against you is on your part." And
those who adopt this reading (as
Bengel and Stier) insist that in Matt.
xii. refusal to follow Christ is spoken
of, and in Mark ix. refusal to follow
this or that disciple of Christ. But
St. Augustine shows how unlike
Christ would be any such distinction.
43, 45, 47. Offend— margin, "cause
thee to offend."
44, 46, 48. St. Augustine mentions
the threefold iteration of these words.
They are quoted from Isaiah lxvi. 24,
where the prophet is contrasting the
moral corruption of the reprobate with
the pure life of the new Jerusalem.
Our Lord clothes His thoughts, as
usual, in material imagery. Gehenna,
the polluted ravine on the south of
Jerusalem, stands here, as elsewhere,
both in the Old Testament and in the
New Testament, for the miserable
state of the wicked after death ; the
worm of putrefaction stands for moral
corruption ; fire for pain, — pain of
remorse in ver. 48, pain of self-sacrifice
in ver. 49 ; salt for that which pre
serves from corruption. The train of
thought may be given thus : Gener

ally, whatever corrupts must be cut off.
Better for yon to be cut off than that
you should corrupt Christ's little ones
(ver. 42). So again, better than be
yourselves corrupted, cut off whatever
tends to corrupt you (43-48). This
is enforced in a thrice-repeated warn
ing. As in surgery it is best to cut off
a mortifying limb, lest the mortifica
tion should spread to the whole body,
so the Christian must sacrifice what
ever tends to corrupt him morally,
lest he become wholly corrupt. Christ
describes such total corruption in the
fearful phrases of Isaiah, likening it
to the putrefaction of carcases in
the valley of Hinnom. From such
moral corruption, — such worm-breed
ing putrefaction, in the language of
Isaiah, — what is to preserve the Chris
tian ? Verses 49 and 50 give the
answer : Every one (all My dis
ciples) shall be salted with fire
(must be preserved from corruption
by the purifying pain of self-sacrifice).
As it is written in your law, where
salt and sacrifice go together, " And
every sacrifice shall be salted with
salt" (Lev. ii. 13). Salt is good
(i.e. ye wish to be incorrupt, and ye
do well) ; but if the salt have lost
his saltness (if ye prove unequal to
these self-sacrifices), wherewith will
ye season it (how can ye preserve
yourselves from corruption) ? Have
the salt of self-sacrifice in yourselves,
and then you will no longer strive who
shall be greatest (reverting to ver. 34).

132 St. MARK. Ch. 9. 48-50; 10. 1-16. [a.d. 29
cast into hell fire : 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 salt. B0Salt is good : but if the salt
have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it ? Have salt m
yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Ch. 10. And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of
Judaea by the farther side of Jordan : and the people resort unto
him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. 2And the
Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put
away his wife? tempting him. 3And he answered and said unto
them, What did Moses "command you? 4And they said, Moses
suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And
Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart
he wrote you this precept. * But from the beginning of the creation
God made them male and female. 7 " For this cause shall a man
" leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife ; 8 and they
" twain shall be one flesh : " so then they are no more twain, but
one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man
put asunder. "And in the house his disciples asked him again of
the same matter. n And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put
away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to
another, she committeth adultery.
13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch
them : and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But
when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them,
Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for
of such is the kingdom of God. 1B Verily I say unto you, Whoso
ever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall
not enter therein. "And he took them up in his arms, put his
hands upon them, and blessed them.
47. into hell (Gehenna) ; om. "fire." 49. Om. " and every sacrifice shaU be salted
with salt"(?) — given in Alex. MS. and Syriac Version.
X. 1. and the farther side ; om. "by." 2. And Pharisees ; om. " answered and."
6. he made them ; om. " God." Sin. and Vat. om. " and cleave to his wife."
12. and if she shall put away her husband and marry another.
16. and blessed them, putting his hands upon them.

Ch. X. I. There is a break in the
narrative of all the three Evangelists
at the close of the Galilean Ministry.
By a curious coincidence this break
occurs after Mark ix. 50 and after
Luke ix. 50. St. Matthew (xix. 1) and
St. Mark (x. 1) pass at once to the final
journey from Perasa to the Passover,
omitting the journeys to the Feast of
Dedication, and to Bethany, of both of
which some discover traces in St. Luke
(see Introduction to St. Luke). This
omitted interval seems to have been
about three months.
2. The question of divorce was
hotly contested between the strict

school of Shammai and the lax school
of Hillel. Christ refers them to the
primitive law of marriage (Gen. ii.
24) ; and to His disciples in private
(ver. 10) declares marriage indisso
luble. But see note on Matt. xix. 9.
14. See note on Luke xviii. 16.
15. Christ said, " Men must become
as children before they can enter
My Church." The modern Baptist
inverts it, and says, "Children must
become as men before they can enter
the Church." If children may come
to Christ, and if baptism is the ap
pointed way of coming to Christ, then
Infant Baptism is clearly justified.

A.D. 2

9]

St. MARK. Ch. 10. 17-28.

133

17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one
running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what
shall r do that I may inherit eternal life ? 18 And Jesus said, unto
him, Why callest thou me good ? there is none good but 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." M And he answered
and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21 Then Jesus beholding 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 the cross, and follow me. M And he was sad at that saying, and
went away grieved : for he had great possessions. 2S And Jesus
looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall
they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God 1 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 trust in
riches to enter into the kingdom of God ! 2B 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 Peter began to

21. Om. "take up thy cross, and." 24 Treg. retains "for them .
Sin. and Vat. omit.

17. It would be interesting to know
exactly what this young ruler meant
by eternal life. The phrase, first occur
ring in Daniel xii 2, seems to have
passed into the deeper teaching of
the synagogue. See Wisdom ii. 23,
xv. 3, compared with John xvii. 3.
18. While Jesus said this He doubt
less raised the man from his knees.
Christ might have accepted both the
worship and the title, but " His hour
was not yet come," and He declines
both (viii. 30). After His resurrec
tion He accepts both (John xx. 28).
Our Lord here, as often, frames His
words to prove the man's faith, and
so stimulate him to further inquiry
concerning the mystery of His person.
See note on Matt. xix. 17.
21. Christ, who knew all things,
knew that his wealth was a stumbling-
block to him, and therefore (on the
principle of ix. 43) required him to
surrender it. He did not require it
of Nicodemus, nor does He require it
of any who use their wealth (like
Nicodemus, John xix. 39) for God's
glory. The phrase, Jesus "loved

him," only occurs once again, of
Lazarus, and has suggested to some
the idea that this young ruler was
Lazarus. Both were rich, and it was
about this time that Jesus began to
make Bethany His home. But if
the conjecture were true, it would
increase the difficulty of the Synop-
tists' silence about the raising of
Lazarus, and the twenty-second verse
does not imply any subsequent dis
cipleship. 22. Was sad. The same word is
rendered " lowring " in Matt. xvi. 3.
It is characteristic of St. Mark thus to
notice the man's countenance.
23, 24. For them that trust in
riches. The latter verse interprets
the former. The Greek word rendered
hardly means that it will cost him
much effort and self-denial.
26. The Pharisaic notion that the
aristocracy of the nation, with their
broad phylacteries and gifts to the
treasury, had a first claim to admis
sion to the Messianic kingdom, was
so ingrained that they could not con
ceive how riches conld be a hindrance.

134

St. MARK. Ch. 10. 29-38.

[a.d. 29

say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And
Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man
that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or
wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 but he
shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren,
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 first.
32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem ; and Jesus
went before them : and they were amazed ; and as they followed,
they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell
them what things should happen unto him, 33 saying, Behold, we
go up to Jerusalem ; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the
chief priests, and unto the scribes ; and they shall condemn him to
death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles : 34 and they shall mock
him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill
him : and the third day he shall rise again.
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him,
saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us 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 sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in
thy glory. 38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye
29. or mother or father. 30. and mother.
34. shall spit upon him, and shall scourge him . . . and after three days.
35. saying unto him . . . whatsoever we shall ask of thee.

29, 30. Compare, "The meek shall
inherit the earth" (Matt. v. 5) : " He
that loseth his life for My sake shall
find it" (x. 39): "All things are
yours" (1 Cor. ii:'. 21) : and especially
" Godliness hath the promise of the
life that now is, and of that which is
to come" (1 Tim. iv. 8). But how all
this is to be understood is made plain
by our Lord's important qualifieatio n —
"with persecutions." "For all that
ye give up ye shall receive, even in
this world, abundant compensation" —
" manifold more in this present time"
are the words in St. Luke (xviii. 30) —
" of a kind that no amount of persecu
tion can impair." If this seem a hard
saying to us, it is because we are so
far from realizing the full joy of "the
communion of saints." To make the
words "with persecutions" plain, we
might render it, " If you put loss of
houses, etc., with persecutions, in one
scale, the joy in the other shall a
hundredfold outweigh them."
31. See Matt. xix. 30 to xx. 16 for
the connexion. " Ye shall be re
warded, but ye must not claim the

reward as your due; they who so
seek to be first shall find themselves
last." 32. How striking is this descrip
tion! Our Lord going on before
("more intrepidi due's," like a brave
captain, as Grotius says), with His one
absorbing thought, and His disciples
following after, perplexed, frightened !
How vast the interval between them !
Christ in full consciousness that the
hour was come for the fulfilment of
the eternal purpose ; His disciples
blinded by their narrow earthly
notions of the Messiah. "I have a
baptism to be baptized with, and how
am I straitened till it be accom
plished !" His thought; and theirs
still the old question of precedence,
when the throne of David should be
set up and their Master placed there
on (ver. 37). They were going up
from Ephraim probably, but possibly
after a detour through Galilee (see
Luke xvii. 11, note), the city where
St. John (xi. 54) tells us Christ spent
the interval between the raising of
Lazarus and Holy Week.

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 10. 39-52.

135

ask : can ye drink of the cup that I drink 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 : *° but to sit on my right hand and on
my left hand is not mine to give ; but it sliall be given to them for
whom it is prepared. ttAnd when the ten heard it, they began to
be much displeased with James and John. ** But Jesus called them
to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted
to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them ; and their
great ones exercise authority upon them. *3 But so shall it not be
among you : but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your
minister : "and whosoever of you will be the chief est, shall be
servant of all. ^For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many. 46 And they came to Jericho : and as he went out of Jericho with
his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimseus, the son
of Timseus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard
that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou
son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he
should hold his peace : but he cried the more a great deal, Thou 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 comfort, rise ; he calleth thee. 60 And he, casting away his
garment, rose, and came to Jesus. B1 And Jesus answered and said
unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee ? The blind
man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 62 And
Jesus said unto him, Go thy way ; thy faith hath made thee whole.
38. or be baptized. 40. or on my left hand. 43. it is not so among you.
46. the son of Timaeus, Eartimaeus, a blind beggar, sate by the wayside. 47. the Nazarene.
49. and said "CaU him." 50. sprang up and came. 51. answered him ; Rabunni.

42. Are accounted — "think good," in
margin, implying pretension. And so
Bengel. 45- It was of the very essence of
Christ's atoning work that He should
become a servant, — "the servantof the
Lord" of Isaiah, — one who could say,
"I come to do Thy will, 0 God."
Hence the Incarnation, that He might
have a human will to surrender to
His Father's will. And hence in this
passage the close connexion between
the service and the crowning obedience
of the Servant in dying. The life so
surrendered in obedience atoned for
our disobedience.
Christ had repeatedly prepared His
disciples for His sufferings ; here more
plainly than on any previous occasion
that is recorded, He pointed to the
purpose of His death, — "to give His

life a ransom for many," meaning
that His perfect obedience in dying
expiated our disobedience. See Rom.
v. 19, and Heb. x. 9, 10, and note on
Matt. xx. 28.
46-52 (=Matt. xx. 29, Luke xviii.
35). We must note how distinct this
account is from St. Matthew's. It is
one of many passages that quite for
bid the idea that St. Mark was St.
Matthew's abbreviator. The vivid
ness of the description is very charac
teristic, especially if we keep the
"leaping up" of the older mss. in
ver. 50.
46. Up to this point, the arrival at
Jericho, our Lord's movements be
tween His final farewell to Galilee
(x. 1) in December and this final
ascent to Jerusalem in March are most
clearly given in St. John (see Intro-

136

St. MARK. Ch. 11. 1-5.

[a.d. 29

And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the
way. Ch. II. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage
and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his
disciples, 2 and saith unto them, Go your way into the village over
against you : and as soon as ye be entered into 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 1 say ye that the Lord hath need
of him ; and straightway he will send him hither. * And they went
their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place
where two ways met ; and they loose him. B And certain of them
that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt ?
52. followed him ; om. " Jesus."
XX 2. never yet. 3. Say ye, The Lord hath need of him, and straightway sendeth
hira again hither. 4. a colt tied by a door.

duction to St. Luke). For the inci
dents of the Holy Week St. Mark's
account is perhaps the clearest.
Saturday, 8th Nisan. At the close of-
the Sabbath (sunset) — or perhaps
more probably on the previous
evening ; see on John xii. 1 — He
leaves the house of Zaccheeus and
goes to Bethany, where (accord
ing to St. John) Mary anoints
His feet.
Sunday, 9th. Entry into Jerusalem.
"Looks round about upon all
things," and returns to Bethany,
Mark xi. 11.
Monday, 10th. Blights the fig-tree.
Purges the Temple. (That the
"purging" was the day after the
triumphal entry is clear from
St. Mark.)
Tuesday, 11th. The withering of the
fig-tree noticed. The Sanhe
drin asks, "By what authority ?"
Parable of the vineyard, told by
all three Evangelists. Pharisees
and Herodians refuted about the
tribute-money. The Sadducees
refuted about the resurrection.
The scribes and lawyers refuted
about the great command
ment. The scribes and Phari
sees denounced. The prophecy
on Olivet.
Wednesday, 12th. The priests plot
together and covenant with Judas
to betray Him — not on the feast-
day (the 15th), but the day
before. Interview with the
Greeks, possibly on this day (see
John xii. 20).

Thursday, 13th. After sunset began
the first day of unleavened bread,
and that very night the Galilean
Jews* put leaven out of their
houses, making their evening meal
(as being within the limits of
14th Nisan) an unleavened meal.
Our Lord eats His Last Supper
with His disciples, calling it a
passover (Luke xxii. 15). Geth
semane. His betrayal.
Friday, lith. The day of preparation,
iu the afternoon of which they
killed the paschal lamb. On this
same afternoon and hour, Christ
" was sacrificed," as St. Paul
seems to witness, 1 Cor. v. 17.
This scheme seems best to recon
cile St. John's account with the rest.
All four clearly imply that the Cruci
fixion did not take place on the great
Sabbath, the 15th Nisan, and ex
pressly call the day of the Crucifixion
"the preparation day," which was
the 14th.
Ch. XI. i (=Matt. xxi. 1, Luke
xix. 29, John xii. 12).
2. Whereon never man sat — and
therefore proper for sacred uses, accord -
•ing to Jewish ritual ; see 1 Sam. vi. 7.
3. Hither. Some of the oldest mss.
insert "again:" "He (the Lord) will
soon send him back again," — making
it part of the message ; but the par
allel passage of St. Matthew goes
against this rendering.
4. Where two ways met— should
be "in the cross-way."
* I say this on the authority of Caspari
Einleitung ; Hamburg, 1869. '

A.D. 2

9]

St. MARK. Ch. 11. 6-15.

137

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded : and they
let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their
garments on him ; and he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their
garments in the way : and others cut down branches off the trees,
and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and
they that followed, cried, saying, "Hosanna; Blessed is he that
" cometh in the name of the Lord :" "blessed be the kingdom of
our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna
in the highest. u And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the
temple : and when he had looked round about upon all things, and
now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the
twelve. 12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he
was hungry: "and seeing a fig tree afar off 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.
"And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee
hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 1B 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 ;
6. And they said to them even as Jesus said. 7. and they bring.
8. and others (spread) branches, which they cut out of the fields. 9. Om. " saying."
10. Om. " in the name of the Lord." 11. into Jerusalem into the temple.
14. And he answered. 15. he went; om. "Jesus."

9. Ps. cxviii. 25.
II. The purging of the temple was
therefore on the Monday.
13. The fig-tree in Palestine bears
fruit in June, before it is fully in leaf,
and again in August. At Easter-time
there would usually be neither fruit
nor leaves. This tree, however, being
so unusually forward as to have leaves,
might not unreasonably be expected
to have fruit also — the early " unripe
figs" which were often eaten (figs
seldom ripen before midsummer). But
there was none. Our Lord, thinking
aloud His own Divine thoughts, and
willing to make the tree a prophetic
warning of the judgment about to
fall on that people who showed no
fruit in the day of their visitation,
blighted the tree. The first effect on
the minds of His disciples was wonder
that the least word of Christ should
have such power, as we see from ver.
20. And this too was intended : our
Lord was careful in the course of His
passion to remind His apostles of His
divine power ("No man taketh My
life from Me, but I lay it down of
Myself," John x. 18; cf. Matt. xxvi.

53). But that Christ in His own
mind was thinking of the judgment
of the Jewish nation, and that the
apostles learned so to understand it
afterwards, is rendered probable by
the care with which the two Evangel
ists record it, and also by our Lord's,
allusion to the fig-tree, on the fol
lowing day, in speaking of the fall of
Jerusalem (xiii. 29) ; for though the
application there is different, yet hav
ing once connected the thought of
one with the thought of the other,
the association would the more readily
recur. 15 — 17. This purging of the Court
of the Gentiles of the unseemly traffic
which was there carried on took
place, according to St. Mark, on the
Monday. It must not be confounded
with the similar purging recorded by
St. John as taking place at the first
Passover of the ministry (John ii. 14).
Note how the whole crowd cowered
before the holy indignation of that
one uplifted arm. A guilty conscience
makes the boldest man a coward.
Ahab dared not apprehend Elijah at
the gate of Naboth's vineyard.

138

St. MARK. Ch. 11. 16-30.

[a.d.' 29

16 and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through
the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written,
" My house shall be called 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 destroy him : for they
feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in
the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree Med up from
the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him,
Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For
verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea ; and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall 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. 2B And when ye stand
praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any : that your Father
also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But
if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven
forgive your trespasses.
27 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, 2S 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, I will also ask of you one question,
and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these
things. 30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men ?
17. taught and said. 18. chief priests and scribes ; for all the people.
19. they went out of the city. 23. believe that what he saith is coming to pass, he
shall have it. 24. What things soever ye pray and desire. 26. Omit this verse.
28. And they said. 29. And Jesus said unto them . . . ; om. " also."
17. Called of all nations. It should
rather be translated, as in the margin,
" shall be called a house of prayer for
all nations," — as in the original pas
sage, Is. lvi. 7.
18. St. Matthew (xxi. 14) tells us
that Christ worked many miracles
this same day in the temple.
21. This verse confirms the tra
dition that this Gospel reflects the
preaching of St. Peter. Else this
very slight detail, that it was he who
spoke, would hardly have been men
tioned. 22. The rendering of the margin,
"Have the faith of God," is not so
good as that of the text : Have faith
In God.
23. See note on Matt. xvii. 20.
25. Why our Lord here introduces
this precept about a forgiving spirit

is not quite clear. But the most
probable explanation is, that we can
not expect God to answer our prayers
unless He first forgive us our sins ;
and we cannot expect Him to forgive
us our sins unless we forgive those
who sin against us. For he who will
not forgive his brother is lapsed from
his state of grace into a state of dark
ness, forfeiting the sunshine of God's
forgiveness. How can such an one
expect to have his prayers heard ?
Hence Christ mentions a forgiving
spirit as well as faith as a condition
of all prayer to God.
27. The motive of this question is
plain from verse 18.
30. The baptism stands here for the
whole ministry of John, as in Acts i.
22. Was John's mission divine, or
merely human ?

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 11. 31-33; 12. 1-9.

139

answer me. 31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we
shall say, From heaven ; he will say, Why then did ye not believe
him ? 32 But if we shall say, Of men ; they feared the people : for
all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. 33 And they
answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answer
ing saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do
these things.
Ch. 12. And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain
man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a
place for the winef at, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen,
and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the
husbandmen a 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. 4And 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. "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 us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's. 8 And they
took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What
33. Answered and say . . And Jesus saith unto them.
XII. 4. and him they wounded in the head, and bandied shamefully. 5. 0m. "again."
6. Om. " therefore ; " He had yet one beloved son ; him last he sent to them.

32. The true reading seems to be :
"But must we say of men? They
feared the people "... meaning they
feared the people too much to say
that. 33. Had they answered Christ's
question truly, they would have
answered their own question respect
ing Christ's authority. For John
bare witness that Christ's authority
was from God.
Ch. XII. I (=Matt. xxi. 33, Luke
xx. 9). We shall not realize the full
effect of these discourses of our
Lord's, unless we bear in mind the
perfect familiarity of His hearers with
every word of the Old Testament.
The opening of this parable would
immediately recall Isaiah v. 1-7.
They would recognize at once that
description of the Jewish Church.
As He proceeded, the words of Jere
miah would be in their mind : " How-
beit I sent unto you all My servants
the prophets, rising early and sending
them, saying, Oh, do not this abomin
able thing that I hate " (xliv. 4), and
the confession of the Levites in Neh.

ix. 26. Thus the parable would be
at once applied to themselves and
their nation.
St. Stephen's speech throughout is
a striking commentary on this parable,
and moved the anger of the priests
no less.
" The vineyard," which was taken
from the Jews and given to the
Gentiles, must mean the kingdom
of God. The idea of this kingdom
being transferable is of course beyond
the range of Isaiah's vision.
Went into a far country. After the
giving of the law to Moses, God may
be said to have withdrawn the mani
festation of His presence from Israel
by way of probation. The " servants "
are the prophets. The listeners must
have been struck by the very marked
separation which Christ makes be
tween Himself and the prophets.
7. This is the heir. Christ in His
human nature was " the seed of Abra
ham, to whom the promise was made."
(See Gal. iii. 16.)
8. Cast bim out of the vineyard.
So in Heb. xiii. 12, 13, stress is laid

140

St. MARK. Ch. V2. 10-19.

[a.d. 29

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 : "this was the Lord's
" doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? " 12 And they sought to lay
hold on him, but feared the people : for they knew that he had spoken
the parable against them : and they left him, and went their way.
13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the
Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14And when they were
come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and
carest for no man : for thou regardest not the person of men, but
teachest the way of God in truth : Is it lawful to give tribute to
Caesar, or not ? 1B Shall we give, or shall we not give ? But he,
knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me ? bring
me a penny, that I may see it. " And they brought it. And he
saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And
they said unto him, Caesar's. "And Jesus answering said unto
them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the
things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no
resurrection ; and they asked him, saying, 19 Master, Moses wrote
17. Om. "answering."

on Christ being slain outside the gate.
So Naboth was stoned outside the
city ; and in him dying for his vine
yard some of the Fathers see a type
of Christ.
10. In this citation of the 118th
Psalm, our Lord brings out a point
of which the parable did not admit.
The rejected stone becomes after all
the chief corner-stone. The Son
whom they slew becomes after all
the inheritor — by His Resurrection.
13 — 17. The Pharisees, knowing
that, without the concurrence of the
Roman Governor, " it was not lawful
for them to put any man to death "
(John xviii. 31), try with the Hero
dians (see iii. 6) to entrap Christ into
some treasonable words that should
tell against Him in a Roman Court.
What use they meant to make of His
answer is clear from their mendacious
attempt to pervert it to this purpose,
Luke xxiii. 2.
The fanatics of that day taught
that, as the people of God, they might
refuse tribute to Rome. Christ's
reply guards His Church from such
erroneous views of their relation to
the State.
Some — as Warburton in his "Alli

ance between Church and State " —
misinterpret this passage as implying
that their provinces are wholly dis
tinct : " the care of the civil society
extending only to the body and its
concerns ; the care of the religious
society only to the soul." Whereas
in truth the end of each (as Hooker
and our Prayer-Book testify) is the
same, — the highest welfare of its mem
bers ; only the Church has certain
spiritual means of promoting this
which the State cannot command.
But what the State can do, so far as
it goes, is needed by the Church;
and "the powers that be are ordained
of God," and as being of God must
claim our dutiful allegiance in all
permissible things.
So far from separating our two
duties — allegiance to divine law and
to human law — Christ's precept really
harmonizes them. While you give
yourself to God, you may concede to
human governors all that God gives
them power over. As an old Father
says, " Caesar's coin is in the gold, in
which his image is portrayed ; that
is God's coin on which the Divine
image is stamped, — your body, soul,
and will."— (Hilary.)

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 12. 20-34.

141

unto us, " If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and
" leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise
" up seed unto his brother." 20Now there were seven brethren :
and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. 21 And the second
took her, and died, neither left he any seed : and the third likewise.
22 And the seven had her, and left no seed : last of all the woman
died also. "In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise,
whose wife shall she be of them ? for the seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err,
because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God ?
25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor
are given in marriage ; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
26 And as touching the dead, that they rise : have ye not read in the
book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, " I am
" the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ? "
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living : ye
therefore do greatly err.
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning
together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked
him, Which is the first commandment of all ? 29 And Jesus
answered him, The first of all the commandments is, " Hear, 0 Israel ;
" The Lord our God is one Lord : 30 and thou shalt love the Lord
" thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
" thy mind, and with all thy strength :" this is the first command
ment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, " Thou shalt love thy
" neighbour as thyself." There is none other commandment greater
than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou
hast said the truth : for there is one God ; and there is none other
but he : " and to love him with all the heart, and with all the
understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and
to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices. M And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly,
19. should take the wife. 21. and died leaving no seed.
22. And the seven left no seed. 23. Om. "therefore;" om. " when they shall rise."
24. Om. " answering." 25. but are as angels in heaven.
26. Translate, in the book of Moses, at the bush, how God spake.
27. He is not God of dead but of living (men), ye greatly err (om. " therefore " ?).
29. Om. " of aU the commandments." 31. A second is like it ; om. "And."
32. there is One ; om. "God."

25. Here we have the germ of
the "change" described by St.
Paul in 1 Cor. xv. ; our fleshly
nature could not (he there telle
us) inherit the kingdom of God.
It must be transformed and spiri
tualized. 27. The clear and necessary pur
port of this passage is, that the saints
who, in what we call death, have
passed within the veil, are truly
living* But (it may be asked) does
not the passage imply more than this?
— that they are not only living, but

already sharers in the resurrection ?
We answer, This need not be implied ;
the Sadducees denied the resurrection
because they denied " angel or spirit,"
i.e. they denied the possibility of
life in a disembodied state. Christ,
in proving that Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob are living, would be understood
to prove the possibility of their resur
rection. We must observe that life
beyond death is here made to rest on
man's personal relation to God. Of
the brute beasts it could not be said,
" He is their God," in this sense.

142

St. MARK. Ch. 12. 35-44; 13. 1.

[a.d. 29

he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And
no man after that durst ask him any question.
36 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple,
How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David ? 36 For David
himself said by the Holy Ghost, " The Lord said to my Lord, Sit
" thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool."
37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord ; and whence is he then
his son ? And the common people heard him gladly.
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes,
which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market
places, 39 and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost
rooms at feasts : *° which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence
make long prayers : these shall receive greater damnation.
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the
people cast money into the treasury : and many that were rich cast
in much. ** And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw
in two mites, which make a farthing. *•¦ And he called unto him
his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this
poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into
the treasury : ** for all they did cast in of their abundance ; but she
of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
Ch. 13. And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples
saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what

6. The Lord saith.
41. And he sat ; om.

37. Om. '
¦ Jesus."

therefore." 38. Om. " unto them."
43. this poor widow cast in more.

36. David himself said by the Holy
Ghost. Ps. ex. i. Mark this direct
unanswerable claim of inspiration for
David, — a claim that David himself
too makes — " The Spirit of the Lord
spake by me, and His word was in my
tongue," 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. And how
impossible, unless inspired, was his
utterance, — " Jehovah said to my
Lord Messiah, ' Sit Thou on My right
hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy
footstool.' "
38. In his doctrine. The English
reader will observe how the word
doctrine had a much wider meaning
three hundred years ago than it has
now, meaning in the New Testament
instruction of all kinds, practical as
well as theological. See 1 Tim. i. 10.
41. Canon Cook observes: "This
exquisitely beautiful narrative is pre
served by St. Mark and St. Luke.
It stands out in striking contrast
with the preceding denunciations ;
but the transition from wrath to
tenderness, equally characteristic of
true holiness, fitly marks the close
of our Saviour's public teaching. His

last words in the temple are words
of grace." A friend suggests to me
a connexion between this anecdote of
the widow and reproof of the scribes
for " devouring widows' houses,"
which, in St. Mark and St. Luke,
immediately precedes it.
Ch. XIII. (=Matt. xxiv. 1, Luke
xxi. 5). All three Evangelists re
late this prophecy, delivered in full
view of the temple, on the Mount of
Olives. All seem to have felt the
importance of placing in the hands of
the Church a written record of Christ's
solemn words of warning, to guide
their conduct during the terrible crisis
that was known to be approaching.
Two of them call their readers' special
attention to the appointed signal for
their flight, viz., some great desecra
tion, of the same kind as that foretold
by Daniel (Dan. xii. 11, 1 Mace. i.
54), probably the taking away of the
daily sacrifice by the Zealots (who
garrisoned the temple) three and a
half years after the war began. See
Josephus, Wars, iv. iii. § 10. Eusebius
tells us, H. E. iii. 5, that the Chris-

A.D.

29]

St. MARK. Ch. 13. 2-1 1.

143

buildings are here ! 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest
thou these great buildings ? there shall not be left one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the
mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John
and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things
be ? and what shall he the sign when all these things shall be ful
filled ? B And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest
any man deceive you : 6 for^nany shall come in my name, saying, I
am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7 And when ye shall hear of
wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled : for such things must
needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 8For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and there shall be
earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles :
these are the beginnings of sorrows. 9 But take heed to yourselves :
for they shall deliver you up to councils ; and in the synagogues ye
shall be beaten : and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings
for my sake, for a testimony against them. 10 And the gospel must
first be published among all nations. u But when they shall lead
you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall
speak, neither do ye premeditate : but whatsoever shall be given
you in that hour, that speak ye : for it is not ye that speak, but the
XTXI. 2. Om. "answering," . . . there shall not be left here.
4. when these things are about to be all fulfilled. 5. Jesus began to say unto them.
7. they must happen ; om. " for " (?).
8. Om. " and " before "there shall be " (twice) ; these things are a beginning of sorrows.
9. they shall deliver ; om. "for" (?). 11. And when . . . ; om. "neither do ye premeditate."

tians fled to Pella, in the mountains
of Gilead (" flee ye to the mountains,"
14). After these precise directions
about their flight, both Matthew, xxiv.
25, and Mark, xiii. 23, add our Lord's
emphatic words, " Behold, I have fore
told you."
Thus far the prophecy is plain.
For the difficulty in the latter part
see the notes in St. Matthew, where
it is shown that according to the well-
known law of prophecy, this prophecy
seems intended to have a twofold fulfil
ment, — a nearer, in Christ's Advent
within the limits of that generation
to judge the Jewish nation and
vindicate His Church ; a more distant,
in His final Advent. But while Christ
speaks most definitely of the nearness
of the first (within the limits of that
generation), He leaves the time of the
other wholly indefinite. Jerusalem
is to remain down-trodden until
"the times of the Gentiles" shall
be fulfilled, according to St Luke's
report, which on this point is the
clearest. 6. False Christs : these were numer

ous between the date of the Ascension
and the fall of Jerusalem.
7. Wars and rumours of wars. The
Romans threatened the Jews with
war in the reign of Caius Caligula.
In the procuratorships of Cum anus,
Felix, Festus, Albinus, Gessius Florus
(48-66 a.d.) the Jews were in con
tinual insurrection, and the slaughter
was fearful. The great war with
Rome began in 66 a.d., and lasted
four years, and was ended by the five
months' siege (May to September 70).
8. Nation shall rise against nation.
The collisions between Jews and
Gentiles at the Passover of a.d. 49,
in which twenty thousand perished,
and at Csesarea a.d. 59-66 (Jos.
Ant. xx. 8, §§ 7, 9), illustrate this
phrase. Kingdom against kingdom, — as in
the war between Rome and Parthia
(Tac. Ann. xiii. 6. 34).
Famines. Both Tacitus and Sue
tonius speak of the great famines in
the reign of Claudius. In the siege
of Jerusalem there was both famine
and pestilence.

IU

St. MARK. Ch. 13. 12-27.

[a.d. 29

Holy Ghost. 12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death,
and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their
parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. l3 And ye shall
be hated of all men for my name's sake : but he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 But when ye sha'l see the abomination of desolation, spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him
that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to
the mountains : 1B and let him that is 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 turn back again for to
take up his garment. "But woe to them that are with child,
and to them that give suck in those days ! 18 And pray ye that
your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be
affliction, such 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 shortened 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, he is there ; believe him not : 22 for false Christs and false
prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if
it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed : behold, I have
foretold you all things. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation,
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. "And then
shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from
14. Om. " spoken of by Daniel the prophet ; " standing where he ought not (masc).
18. that it be not; om. "your flight." 22. seduce, if possible, the elect.
25. the stars shall be falling from heaven. 27. send the angels . . . the elect.

13. Unto the end — i.e. to the end
of his trial, — until deliverance or
death close it.
14. The " abomination " may be
the defilement of the temple by the
Zealots, but see Luke xxi. 20 ; the
" desolation " the demolition of the
temple by the Roman legions. Daniel's
original phrase is " upon the pinnacle
(or wing) of abominations a desola
tion." The words "spoken of by
Daniel the prophet" are found in
St. Matthew, but are omitted by St.
Mark, according to the best mss.
20. The actual siege was only five
months. "The elect," — the small " remnant
according to election" of the Jews
who believed ; see Rom. vii. 5, 7.
24. These phrases frequently in
Hebrew prophecy denote political

convulsions (see on Matt. xxiv. 34),
and therefore may be held to have
had their nearer fulfilment within the
limits intimated in verse 30. But
that they point onward to a further
and more distant fulfilment also is
manifest. 26. The same may be said of this
other phrase adopted by our Lord
from Daniel. Matt. xvi. 28 shows
that it received one fulfilment in the
fall of Jerusalem and the judgment
of the Jews, and consequent vindica
tion of the Christians; see note on
xiv. 62, 63.
27. As applied to the nearer fulfil
ment, we must understand this verse
to point to the gathering together of
the Church of Christ from among all
nations by the efforts of Christ's
"messengers" (apostles and evangel-

A.D.

29]

St. MARK. Ch. 13. 28-35.

145

the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the utter
most 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 generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass
away. 32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33 Take
ye heed, watch and pray : for ye know not when the time is. 34 For
the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house,
and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work,
and commanded the porter to watch. 3B Watch ye therefore : for
32. that day or hour ; not even the angels in heaven. 33. Om. " and pray " (?).
34. servants, to every man his work.

ists, here called angels). But that our
Lord's words intentionally transcend
the nearer fulfilment, and reach on
ward to the remoter, is plain to us
after the event ; how far it was plain
to the apostles may be doubted.
They were not to know the times
and seasons.
In proof that our Lord intended
His words to be understood as point
ing onward to a remoter fulfilment,
we may observe that the three Evan
gelists have, in spite of their pre
possession, recorded some expressions
in the prophecy that are inconsistent
with the notion that the fall of
Jerusalem would be the end of the
world, especially the " neither shall
be " of Matt. xxiv. 21 and Mark xix.,
— clearly implying that the fall of
Jerusalem was not the end of the
world. And again, "the times of the
Gentiles" of Luke xxi. 24, implying
a long period of Gentile dispensation
which was to follow the fall of Jeru
salem. 30. Some have explained away the
difficulty of this verse by making
" generation " here mean " nation " or
"race," — as "the generation of the
righteous," etc., in the Psalms (xiv.
5, xxii. 30, xxiv. 6) ; but it is far
more natural to take our Lord's words
here as meaning the same as His
words in ix. 1.
Bengel (on Matt. xxiv. 29) has an
admirable note on what is called the

perspective of prophecy : — The fall of
Jerusalem (he says), and all tbat was
to follow it, was seen in greatly fore
shortened perspective. The terrible
woes that accompanied the fall of
Jerusalem occupy, in large propor
tions, the foreground of the prophetic
picture ; the end of the world, in
the diminished background, seems
blended with it.
Bengel thinks a contrast is intended
between " these things" (these nearer
events) of ver. 30, and "that day"
(that other more distant day) of ver.
32. But this is making the pronouns
carry more than Greek Testament
usage will justify.
The simpler explanation is that
given in the notes on Matt, xxiv : —
This generation shall witness the ful
filment of all tbat I have said of that
coming of the Son of Man which is to
wind up the Old Dispensation, and
transfer the Kingdom of God from
the Jews to My disciples. Let this
content you. The exact day and
hour of that crisis ye are not to know.
32. Neither the Son. St. Athana
sius (contra Arianos, iii. § 42-51)
considers carefully this and similar
passages, and shows that of Christ's
human nature it might be truly said
that "He increased in wisdom," knew
not this hour, prayed that His cup of
suffering might pass from Him, for
He was perfect man in mind as in
body. See note on John xiv. 8.

K

146

St. MARK. Ch. 13. 36-37; 14. 1-12.

[a.d. 29

ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at
midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning : 38 lest coming
suddenly he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say
unto all, Watch.
Ch. 14. After 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 there be an uproar of the people.
3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat
at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment
of spikenard very precious ; and she brake the box, and poured it
on his head. 4 And there were some that had indignation within
themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made ?
B For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence,
and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought
a good work on me. 7 For 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 Verily 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 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the
chief priests, to betray him unto them. u And when they heard it,
they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought
how he might conveniently betray him.
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the
passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go
35. whether at even.

XIV. 2. For they said.
8. This woman did what she could.

For this ointment.
9. wheresoever the gospel.

Ch. XIV. 1 (=Matt. xxvi. 1, Luke
xxii. 1).
After two days. The Passover
being on the Friday, this consulta
tion was on Wednesday. See note
on Matt. xxvi. 2.
2. Not on the feast day. Not on
the 15th Nisan, the Paschal Sabbath
coinciding this year with the weekly
Sabbath. 3. The lotion is called by St. Mark
Nard Pistick ; what this word Pistick
means we do not know.
This anointing is by no means
to be identified with the anointing
recorded by St. Luke, vii. 37 ; see
note there. "With the anointing
recorded by St. John (xii. 3), " six
days before the Passover," it may and
must be identified ; for if we suppose
these to be two separate anointings,
we shall have to suppose that on the

latter occasion the apostles repeated
the very fault for which, only four
days before, Christ had so severely
reproved one of them, which is most
improbable. Still more improbable
is it that on two separate occasions
the exact sum of three hundred pence
should have been specified as the
value of the perfume. "Why St.
Matthew and St. Mark both narrate
it four days out of its proper place is
a difficult question. Some think they
wish to bring it into close connexion
with the mention of Judas's treachery.
But if so why do they not name Judas
as the murmurer V
5. Three hundred pence = £10.
Three times as much as the price
for which Judas sold his Lord !
8, 9. See notes on Matt. xxvi. 12, 13.
12. For reasons given in notes on
Matt. xxvi. 17, and Luke xxii, 7,

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 14. 13-23.

147

and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover ? 13 And he sendeth
forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city,
and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water : follow
him. "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 ? 1B And he will shew you
a large upper room furnished and prepared : there make ready for
us. 16 And. his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and
found as he had said unto them : and they made ready the
passover. 17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they
sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which
eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrow
ful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I ? and another said, Is
it I ? 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the
twelve, that dippeth -with me in the dish. 21The 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 born.
22 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
14. where is my guest-chamber. 15. and there make ready for us.
16. And the disciples. 19. Om. " and another said, Is it I? " 20. Om. " answered and."
21. Because the Son of man (?). 22. he took bread ; om. " Jesus " (?) ; Take ; om. " eat."

Caspari's explanation is here adopted,
namely, that this commission to pre
pare the meal was given as the sun
set on Thursday evening, when the
14th Nisan properly began, " between
the two evenings " of which the Pass
over lambs must be killed (Ex. xii. 6).
13. St. Matthew does not mention
the incident of the water-pitcher, but
simply says, " Go into the city to such
a man." Pilgrims to the feast could
claim such hospitality. Had it been
the usual time for the Paschal supper,
our Lord's message need not have
specified any reason. The inser
tion of the words, "My time is at
hand," favours the notion that Christ
was anticipating the usual time by
twenty-four hours. The owner of the
house (who seems — from the phrase,
" the Master saith " — to have been a
disciple) appears to have understood
our Lord's meaning : indeed, it is
possible that our Lord had made some
previous arrangement with him ; for
we note that they found the room
already prepared, and only had to
make ready the evening meal. This
seems to have been precisely such a

Paschal meal as they would have
eaten had they been in Galilee, unable
to go up to Jerusalem, with un
leavened bread doubtless, and with
bitter herbs perhaps, but (Caspari
thinks) with no Paschal lamb, for the
lamb (he affirms) could only be slain
in the temple, and not till the after
noon of the following day (Friday the
14th of Nisan) ; but Greswell cites
passages from Philo showing a Jew
might slay the Paschal lamb at home.
Not till the events of the next day had
explained it would the apostles under
stand why their Lord had thus an
ticipated by twenty-four hours the
Paschal meal which He so much
desired to eat with them.
18. Now that the appointed hour had
come, our Lord is no longer unwilling
to precipitate the preordained crisis.
21. Some in our day seek to palliate
the sin of Judas. Our Lord's fearful
words seem to forbid it. We do well
to note also Christ's reconciliation of
predestination with human responsi
bility in this verse. Compare Acts
iv. 28.
22. See note on Matt. xxvi. 26

148

St. MARK. Ch. 14. 24-31.

[a d. 29

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. 2B Verily I
say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until
that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the
mount of Olives. 27And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be
offended because of me this night : for it is written, " I will smite
" the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." 28 But after that
I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said
unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30And
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, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
23. took a cup. 24. my blood of the covenant ; om. "new."
27. 0m. "because of me this night." 30. That thou, this day . . . shalt.

24. This appears to have been
Christ's first formal announcement
of the new testament or covenant
which He came to establish between
man and God. See Heb. viii. 8-13,
and note on John xiii. 31.
Comparing St. Matthew and St.
Mark on the one hand, with St. Luke
and St. Paul (1 Cor. xi. 25) on the
other, a slight difference of expression
may be noticed : the former represent
Christ as saying (according to the
best mss.), "This is My blood of the
covenant" (as though Christ had Ex.
xxiv. 8 in mind, as Heb. ix. 20 im
plies) ; the latter, " This is the new
covenant in My blood."* We must
remember that both are translations
from the original Aramaic in which
Christ spoke, and that while Matthew
and Mark might naturally preserve
more of the Hebrew idiom in their
translation, St. Paul and St. Luke,
addressing Gentiles, might translate
the words more freely, in order to
convey the sense more faithfully to
Gentiie readers.
25. See notes on Matt. xxvi. 29,
and Luke xxii. 29.
26. This hymn is commonly sup
posed to have been part of the
" Hallel," or office of praise, sung by

* If the word " New " must be omitted in
St. Matthew and St. Mark, it is certainly
genuine in St. Luke and St. Paul (1 Cor. xi.
25).

the Jews at their great festivals,
Psalms exiii.-cxviii.
27. " Awake, O sword, against My
Shepherd, and against the man that
is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts :
smite the Shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered" (Zech. xiii. 7).
Every word in this prophecy is full of
deep meaning.
28. Note how simply — almost as a
matter of course — our Lord speaks
of His resurrection. To Him the
mystery was His death. " I will go
before you," still using the language
of a shepherd. Naturally they would
all be returning home to Galilee after
the Paschal week ; from St. John
(xx. 26) we know that it was not
until after two Sundays had elapsed.
30. "Multos impedit a firmitate
firmitatis prsesumptio " — many fail
in firmness through over-confidence
in their firmness— is St. Augustine's
comment. "Before the cock crow
twice," — before the third watch of the
night be over.
31. Likewise also said they all.
From the 26th verse it would appear
that this conversation took place on
the way to Gethsemane. But it
would be difficult for twelve men to
overhear a remark made to one of
their number in the open air ; and
from St. John's Gospel we learn that
the conversation took place while
they were still in the upper chamber.

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 14. 32-49.

149

32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane : and
he 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, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful unto death : tarry ye here, and watch. 3B And
he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if
it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 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 sleeping, 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 flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and
spake the same words. *° And when he returned, he found them
asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to
answer him.
41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on
now, and take your rest : it is enough, the hour is come ; behold,
the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. a Rise up,
let us go ; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of
the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves,
from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. **And he
that betrayed Mm 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, Master, master; and kissed him. 46And they laid their
hands on him, and took him.
47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a
servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48And Jesus
answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief,
with swords and with staves to take me ? 49 1 was daily with you
in the temple, teaching, and ye took me not : but the scriptures
32. Gethsemanl 35. approaching a little. 40. And he came and found them sleeping ;
om. "again." 43. Judas Jscariot (?) ; With him a multitude ; om. "great."
45. Omit the second " Master."

32. For notes on our Lord's agony,
see St. Matthew and St. Luke.
36. Except by direct revelation,
how could the Evangelist know the
exact words that Jesus used ? Only
three were present, and they were
sleeping : and when they woke it
was only to be separated from our
Lord, and cut off from all intercourse
with Him until after His resurrec
tion. Our only solution is that the
Holy Ghost, who was to teach them
all things, and bring all things to
their remembrance (John xiv. 26),
revealed this either to the Evangelist

or to St. Peter, whose oral narrative
he followed. "Abba, Father;" it
seems agreed that the second word is
not to be taken as the Evangelist's
interpretation of the first, but that
both were used in prayer. See Bom.
viii. 15, Gal. iv. 6. It is characteristic
of St. Mark to preserve the Aramaic
word ; to him we owe the Eph-
phatha (vii. 34), and Talitha cumi
(v. 41).
41. No need to bid you watch now
— all is over; the hour is come : —
" words of sorrowful irony," as a
friend remarks.

150

St. MARK. Ch. 14. 50-60.

[a.d. 29

must be fulfilled. B0And they all forsook him, and fled. "And
there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast
about his naked body ; and the young men laid hold on him : B2 and
he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest : and with him were
assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. 64 And
Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest :
and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. BB And
the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against
Jesus to put him to death ; and found none. B6 For many bare
false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
67 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
68 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with
hands, and within three days I will build another made without
hands. B9But neither so did their witness agree together. 60And
the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying,

61. and they lay hold of him.

52. Om. "from them.'

51, 52. It has been supposed that
this young man was St. Mark him
self. How else could he know the
fact ? for all had forsaken Jesus and
fled ; and we can hardly suppose that
so unimportant an incident should be
matter of special revelation ; indeed,
had he not had this special interest
in recording the fact, he would hardly
have mentioned it with such minute
particularity. None of the other
Evangelists mention it. St. John fre
quently, and St. Luke, as some venture
to suggest, in one place, xxiv. 13, thus
allude to themselves anonymously.
We know too that St. Mark dwelt
with his mother Mary in a house of
their own at Jerusalem (Acts xii. 12).
The linen cloth or shirt would be the
night dress in which he had hurried
to the spot.
S3. For some account of the San
hedrin, see note on xv. 1.
54. The word translated "palace "
should be rendered ' ' court. " Ancient
houses of larger size were built round
open courts, from which stairs led into
the large upper chambers. Soinver. 66,
" Peter was down-stairs in the court."
58. The falsehood of this charge lay
in the perversion of Christ's words.
Christ had said, " Destroy this tem
ple;" this they altered to "I will
destroy." St. Matthew and St. Mark
both record the use made of this
saying of Christ's in His trial, but to

St. John we owe the account of its
original utterance (ii. 19). It had
been spoken at the Passover feast two
years before, when these same priests
asked Him for proof of His authority
to purge the temple. The words
seem to have made a deep impression
on the priests ; they were quoted on
His trial ; they reappear again in their
mockery at the Crucifixion (xv. 29),
and again perhaps at St. Stephen's
trial (Acts vi. 14). Possibly Christ
was questioned at the time about His
meaning, and said something (not
recorded by St. John) which led some
who were present to suppose that He
meant His body by "this temple."
This would explain (what else is a
difficulty) the passage in St. Matt.
xxvii. 63, where these same priests
speak of Christ having foretold that
He would rise again on the third day.
Certainly on all the other occasions
on which Christ foretold it, it was in
private to His apostles, from whom
the priests could not have heard it,
for the apostles to the last misunder
stood it. Possibly this truer mean
ing of the words had come out in the
cross-examination of the witnesses by
Nicodemus or Gamaliel at the trial ;
and it was this which put the idea of
an expected resurrection into the mind
of the priests who went to Pilate.
Forthe phrase "made without hands,"
see note on John ii. 21.

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 14. 61-72.

151

Answerest thou nothing ? what is it which these witness against thee ?
81 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 sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds
of heaven. *• Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What
need we any further witnesses ? M Ye have heard the blasphemy :
what think ye ? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65 And some began to 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.
66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of
the maids of the high priest : 67 and when she saw Peter warming
himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with
Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither
understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch ;
and the cock crew. 69 And the maid saw him again, and began to
say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it
again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter,
Surely thou art one of them : for thou art a Galilsean, and thy speech
agreeth thereto. 71But he began to curse and to swear, saying, 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
62. coming with the clouds of heaven. 65. received him with blows.
67. thou wast with the Nazarene, Jesus. 68. I neither know nor understand.
69- Translate, And the maid seeing him again. 70. Om. " and thy speech agreeth thereto."
72. And immediately the second time.

62. I am, — or rather, "I am he."
St. Mark, writing for Romans, gives
the plain Roman affirmation (used
also in same sense, John xviii. 5, 6, 8),
so removing any doubt about the
Hebrew form of affirmation used by
St. Matthew and St. Luke, "Thou
hast said," and "Ye say that I am."
St. Mark omits the "henceforth" of
St. Matthew and St. Luke, but the
sense is the same in all, — " Ye shall
see the fulfilment of Daniel's pro
phecy." This— the greatest of the
Messianic prophecies (Dan. vii. 13) —
seems to have been constantly in our
Lord's mind. His favourite title,
"The Son of man" (occurring eighty
times in the four Gospels) was taken
from it. Hence, no doubt, the
repeated request for "the sign from
heaven : " — " If thou be that Son of
man of whom Daniel spoke, then
come on the clouds of heaven, and we
will believe thee ! " Christ, who had
refused the sign to the Jews during
His humiliation, and once only (at
the Transfiguration) given it to His

apostles, promises here that it should
be seen after His death by the Jewish
rulers, and (in Matt. x. 23, xvi. 28,
xxiv. 27 ; John xxi. 22) by His apos
tles ; and, in all these passages, He
promises that it shall be within the
lifetime of some then living. That
our Lord regarded the destruction of
Jerusalem as a coming of the Son of
man to judgment is abundantly clear.
That He should speak of it as a
" coming on the clouds of heaven " is
thoroughly in accordance with He
brew thought. When David wishes
to describe how in answer to his
prayer God had delivered him, he
pictures Him as descending on the
clouds of heaven. See 2 Sam. xxii.
10-12. 69. It should be "the maid," i.e.
the maid mentioned before, or the
maid who kept the door. St. Matthew
says "another maid," St. Luke,
"another man." St. John's phrase
reconciles these discrepancies, for he
says "they said," implying that
several spoke at once.

152

St. MARK. Ch. 15. 1-9.

[a.d. 29

him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And
when he thought thereon, he wept.
Ch. 15. And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a
consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and
bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews?_ And he
answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. 3And the chief priests
accused him of many things : but he answered nothing. 4 And
Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold
how many things they witness against thee. BBut Jesus yet
answered nothing ; so that Pilate marvelled.
6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever
they desired. 7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay 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 as he had ever done unto them. 9 But Pilate
XV. 2. saith unto him. 3. Om. " but . . . nothing."
4. of how many things they accuse thee. 7. Om. " with him " after " insurrection."
8. ascending (the flight of steps that led to the Prcetorium) ; instead of " crying aloud."

72. When he thought thereon. This
translation is just what we wish, and
possible ; but there is much to be
said in favour of the other rendering :
" He drew his mantle round his head
and began to weep." The margin sug
gests, " He wept abundantly," which
is also a possible rendering.
Ch. XV. 1 ( = Matt. xxvii. 1, Luke
xxii. 66). The Council or Sanhed
rin consisted of seventy-one members,
viz., chief priests (i.e. the heads of the
twenty-four courses of priests, and
those who had been high priests),
presbyters, or elders of the people,
and scribes (i.e. lawyers). The Greek
name (crvveSpiov) seems to show that
it dates from the time of the Mace
donian dominion. It seems to have
succeeded the " Great Synagogue," or
council of a hundred and twenty,
supposed to have been formed by
Ezra on the return from captivity.
The president (Nasi) was usually,
but not necessarily, the high priest.
That Caiaphas presided on this oc
casion is the opinion of most ; but
Wieseler thinks Annas was Nasi.
They seem to have assembled some
times in the palace of the high priest
(see Matt. xxvi. 3), and there ap
parently was their first less formal
meeting in the early hours of Good
Friday. But as soon as the dawn of
day made it legal, they seem to have

adjourned to the Temple for a more
formal meeting. This adjournment
to the Temple seems to be indicated
by this verse and by Matt, xxvii. 1
(where, from verse 5, we learn that it
was in the Temple that Judas found
them assembled). Their seats were
arranged in a semicircle, so that the
eye of the president might be on all.
The hall was called Gazzith.
St. Matthew and St. Mark both use
a word which shows that this meeting
was in the last watch of the night
(jroaii), probably between five and six.
At six they sent our Lord bound to
Pilate, who resided, when the feasts
brought him to Jerusalem, in Herod's
palace. The proceedings in the Jewish
court were plainly illegal. No court
could legally meet except between
sunrise and sunset ; and capital sen
tence could not be legally pronounced
on the same day as the trial. The
Sadducees, with their usual cruelty,
seem to have precipitated the pro
ceedings in this case.
3. But he answered nothing'. These
words have crept into St. Mark's text
from St. Matthew. They are in no
good ms.
8. Two of the best Mss. read, " com
ing up," instead of " crying aloud."
This confirms the opinion that the
Prmtorium of Pilate was in the palace
of the Herods on Mount Zion, near

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 15. 10-25.

153

answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of
the Jews ? 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him
for envy. u But the chief priests moved the people, that he should
rather release Barabbas unto them. 12 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 they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 16 And so
Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them,
and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Prsetorium ;
and they call together the whole band. 17 And they clothed him
with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his
head, ls 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 off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on
him, and led him out to crucify him. 21And they compel one
Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the
father of Alexander and Rufus, 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. Z4 And when they
had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them,
what every man should take. 2B And it was the third hour, and
12. Pilate again answering said unto them, What shall I do then with the king of the Jews ?
14. 0m. "the more." 17. and they clothe. 22. a place Golgotha (?).
23. Om. " to drink." 24. And they crucify him, and part his garments.

the Jaffa Gate. This is approached
by a long ascent from the Tyropoeon.
Gessins Floras certainly sat in judg
ment there forty years later. See
Josephus, B. J. ii. 14. § 8.
15. Willing to content the people.
In this phrase the utter illegality of
the procurator's conduct is implied.
16. The nail, — or rather the great
courtyard round which the cohort
(four or five hundred soldiers) were
quartered, and which was the Prce-
torium or headquarters of the Romans
in Jerusalem. See verse 8.
17. Purple. One of the red cloaks
(sagum) of the soldiers given Him in
mockery of His royalty.
20. The distance from Herod's
palace on Mount Zion to the tradi
tional site of crucifixion (near the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre) is a
short third of a mile ; to the spot now
occupied by the Dome of the Rock it
would be farther.
21. As St. Mark's Gospel seems to

have been written for the Roman
Christians, this Rufus may well be
the same as the Rufus whom St. Paul
salutes (Rom. xvi. 13). Rufus and
his mother are mentioned as specially
dear to the apostle. And if so Simon
became the disciple of Him whose
cross he had borne. A friend has
mentioned to me the curious sugges
tion that possibly this " Simon of
Cyrene " is the same as the Simon or
Simeon Niger of Acts xiii. 1. This
latter is mentioned in company with
a Cyrenian, and if he were himself
an African, it might account for his
surname. 22. They bring — or rather " bear."
In verse 20 it is they "led Him," but
after the fainting " they bear Him."
25. The Evangelists are most care
ful to note the exact date and hour of
the Crucifixion. They all tell us that
it took place on Friday, — "Prepara
tion day," the 14th of Nisan in this
year, St. Mark (ver. 42) carefully

154

St. MARK. Ch. 15. 26-36.

[a.d. 29

they crucified him. 26 And the superscription of his accusation was
written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 And with him they
crucified 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 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 And when the sixth hour
was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth
hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,
saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ?" which is, being interpreted,
" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" 3B And some of
them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth
Elias. 36 And one ran and filled a spunge 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.
28. Omit this verse (?). 30. Save thyself (by coming) down. 34. Om. " saying."
36. And one ran, fined a sponge with vinegar, put it on a reed, and.

explaining the term for his Roman
readers. Matthew, Mark, Luke, all
tell us that the darkness began at
noon, and continued till three P.M.,
using the Jewish mode of reckoning
the hours of the day from sunrise to
sunset, which the Greeks and Romans
also used. St. Mark seems to give nine
a.m. as the hour of the execution, but
it is quite possible that writing at
Rome he gave the hours mentioned
in the Acts of Pilate, which would be
the hour when Pilate gave his official
order for the Crucifixion. St. John
tells us that after this Pilate made
further efforts to save Jesus, and at
the sixth hour was obliged to give
way and confirm his sentence (John
xix. 14). Thus the hours of St. Mark
and St. John may be reconciled.
Some believe that St. John, in all
the four places where he names the
hour of the day (i. 39, iv. 6, 52, and
xix. 14 ; see notes), reckons the hours
from midnight and from noon, as we
do. The narrative in all those four
places renders this possible. And it
is remarkable that in the account of
Polycarp's martyrdom at Ephesus —
the place where St. John lived and
wrote his Gospel — "eight o'clock"

seems also to mean eight hours after
midnight. But it is clear from all
the Evangelists that Jesus was sent
to Pilate at sunrise, when the Roman
court would open ; and as Pilate's
trial of Jesus, including the reference
of the case to Herod, must have
occupied some hours, it seems impos
sible to suppose that St. John meant
that Pilate gave sentence at six a.m.
At nine o'clock he may well have
done so.
Perhaps a still better solution of this
perplexing discrepancy is to suppose
tbat in the very early mss. of St. John
the Greek numeral for six (?) got
substituted for three (y written {").
(N.B. — Both Jerome and Theophylact
thought there was some error in the
text.) 28. There is some doubt whether
this verse be genuine. Our Lord,
however, had previously applied the
prophecy to Himself in the upper
chamber ; see Luke xxii. 37.
34. See note on Matt, xxvii. 46.
St. Mark gives the vernacular form,
" Eloi ; " so does St. Matthew in some
mss., in others the Hebrew form,
" Eli." Our Lord probably used the
former.

A.D. 29]

St. MARK. Ch. 15. 37-47 ; 16. 1.

155

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom. 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him,
saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this
man was the Son of God. 40 There were also women looking on afar
off : among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James the less and of Joses, and Salome ; ^(who also, when he was
in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other
women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42 And now when the even was come, because it was the prepara
tion, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathsea, an
honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God,
came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead : and calling unto
him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while
dead. *• And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body
to Joseph. ** 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.
Ch. 16. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and
Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices,
39. Om. "cried out, and"(?). 41. who, when; om. "also"(»).
44. whether he was already dead. 45. the dead body.
46. fine linen, took ; om. "and."

38. See note on Matt, xxvii. 51.
39. Saw that be so cried. St. Mark
clearly connects the cry with the
soldier's inference. But for St. Luke
we should not understand this. St.
Luke gives the cry which made so
deep an impression on the centurion,
— an appeal to God, as His Father, to
receive His spirit.
40. St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St.
John all name the women, or some of
the women, who stood by the cross.
St. John, if we take the blessed Vir
gin's sister to be distinct from the
wife of Clopas (see note on John
xix. 25), specifies four, enumerating
them in pairs, after the manner of the
New Testament writers. St. Matthew
and St. Mark name three only, omit
ting our Lord's mother. The reason
of this omission St, John's narrative
explains, — the Lord's mother with
drew before the close. "Salome" may
thus, perhaps, be identified with " the
sister" of the Virgin Mary in St.
John's account, Mary, here called
the mother of James " the Little " and

Joses, is by St. John called "Mary
the wife of Clopas." If "Clopas"
and "Alphseus" be identical (being
both Greek renderings of the Aramaic
Chalphai), then one at least of her
sons may be identified with the apostle
"James, son of Alphseus," in all three
lists. See note on Mark vi. 3.
42. See note on Luke xxiii. 50.
43. St. Mark draws attention to
the boldness of the request, — ventured
to go in unto Pilate.
Ch. XVI. I (= Matthew xxviii. 1,
Luke xxiv. 1, John xx. 1). When
the sabbath was past, — after sunset
on Saturday, they "bought" (not
"had bought"). If we may distin
guish two parties of women in xv.
40, then St. Mark is speaking of the
former group, the Maries and Salome,
as bringing spices on Saturday even
ing ; St. Luke is speaking of the other
group, " who came up with Him
from Galilee," when he tells us that
they had bought their spices on.
Friday before the Sabbath (xxiii.
56).

156

St. MARK. Ch. 16. 2-1 1.

[a.d. 29

that they might come and anoint him. 2And 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 away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? * And when
they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away : for it was
very great. " And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young
man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment • and
they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted :
ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified : he is risen ; he is
not here : behold the place where they laid him. 7But go your way,
tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee :
there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out
quickly, and fled from the sepulchre ; for they trembled and were
amazed : neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he ap
peared 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. u And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had
XVI. 8. Om. " quickly." After this verse the Sinaitic and Vatican MSS. subjoin, The
Gospel according to Mark, and omit the rest of the chapter , but Tregelles retains
it in deference to the Alexandrine MS., Irenceus, and the early versions,
which prove it to have been read in the second century.

2. At the rising — or rather " after
the rising of the sun." St. Luke says
" very early," and St. John, " while it
was still dark." If we knew all we
could doubtless explain these slight
discrepancies. They are precisely
such as are found in all independent
records of the same event.
5. A rich man's sepulchre would
be approached by a vestibule or gallery
cut in the rock, at the end of which
would be the chamber.
6. The special message to St. Peter
should be noticed. It may have been
for his comfort, lest he should fear to
meet his Lord after denying Him.
7. As he said unto you. The angel,
then, knew the very words that had
passed on that walk to Gethsemane !
8. At the end of this verse the
narrative suddenly breaks off, as
though a page had been lost. What
follows seems to have been added
later, and possibly by another hand.
Professor Lightfoot conjectures that
we owe it "to that knot of early
disciples who gathered about St. John
in Asia Minor, and must have pre
served more than one true tradition
of the Lord's life and of the earliest
days of the Church." As it is found
in all old mss. except the Vatican and
Sinaitic, is quoted by Irenseus (iii. 10),

and appears in all the early versions, it
may be accepted as a part of Canoni
cal Scripture whether written by St.
Mark or not.
9. First to Mary Magdalene. For
the events of this Easter day see
note on Matt, xxviii. From the four
Evangelists, and the passage in 1 Cor.
xv., we have in all ten appearances : —
1. To Mary Magdalene, — men
tioned here, and related at
length in St. John.
2. To the other women on their
way back from the tomb, or
possibly later in the day (see
note on verse 9 below), — St.
Matthew only.
3. To St. Peter, — mentioned by
St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv., and
alluded to by St. Luke, xxiv.
34.
4. To the two disciples (not
apostles) on their way to
Emmaus, — mentioned by St.
Mark, and related at length
by St. Luke.
5. To the apostles at Jerusalem
the same evening, — St. Mark,
St. Luke, St. John.
6. To the apostles, including
Thomas, a week later, still
at Jerusalem, or possibly in
Galilee,-'- St. John only.

A.D. 2

9]

St. MARK. Ch. 16. 12-20.

157

been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form
unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13And they
went and told it unto the residue : neither believed they them. 14 After
ward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them
with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them
which had seen him after he ivas risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. le He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; hut he that believeth not shall he
damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In my name
shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ; ls 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
heaven, and sat on the right hand, of God. 20 And they went forth, and
preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the
word with signs following. Amen.
17. with tongues : om. " new." 18. And in their hands shaU they take up serpents.
19. the Lord Jesus. 20. Om. "Amen."

9.

10.

7. To seven apostles on the lake,
— St. John only.
8. To the apostles on the appointed
mountain, — St. Matthew ;
and possibly to the five hun
dred also, — 1 Cor. xv. 6.
To the Lord's brother James,
the first Bishop of Jerusalem,
— 1 Cor. xv. 7.
To the apostles at Jerusalem,
on the day of His Ascension,
ten days before Pentecost,
probably by appointment, —
Acts i.
"First to Mary Magdalene," — for
the appearance to the other women
need not have been on their return
from the tomb ; see note on Matt.
xxviii. 9.
12. In another form. What these
words exactly mean we cannot tell.
It is remarkable that in four of the
seven appearances described in the
Gospels they failed to recognize our
Lord at first. But, on the other hand,
.we have twice (Luke xxiv. 29, and
John xx. 27) the identification of the
nail-marks ; and the notion that they
saw "a spirit" in the fifth appear
ance is precisely similar to a like
impression before His death (Matt.
xiv. 26). That our Lord appeared in
identically the same body is beyond
doubt ; whether any, and if so what,
change had passed over it, is uncertain.
It clearly was not yet glorified. If

He had appeared as in the Trans
figuration it would have been men
tioned ; nor could Mary have mistaken
Him for the gardener.
14. Unto the Eleven. This is now
the designation of the apostles (as
"the twelve" had been). It need not
mean that all the eleven were present.
16. And is baptized. This is illus
trated in the cases of Saul and
Cornelius, in both of which baptism
is spoken of as necessary for those
who had already believed, in order to
put them in a state of salvation.
Shall be damned. Modern usage
has so associated this word with the
verdict of the day of judgment that
it ought to be avoided. What our
Lord affirms is, that they who reject
the faith shall be excluded from the
state of grace into which baptism
admits the believer. So, just before,
"shall be saved" means "shall be
admitted into that state of grace."
17. Shall follow — shall accompany
conversion, not in all cases, nor in all
ages, but so far and so long as shall
suffice to accredit the preaching of
the Gospel. When the Church should
have taken root it would need such
"signs" no longer. See 1 Cor. xiv. 22.
19. The High Priest, bearing His
completed sacrifice with Him, passed
through the veil into the holy of
holies, there to sprinkle with His
blood the mercy-seat of God.

INTRODUCTION TO
&t* Eufee'0 (BosfpeU
The famous " Muratorian Fragment"— so called because Mura-
tori edited it (at Milan, 1740)— is an account of the Books of the
New Testament as they were received by the Roman Church in the
latter part of the second century. It tells us that the third Gospel
was written by " Luke the physician," the companion of St. Paul ;
and adds that, not having himself seen the Lord in the flesh, he
obtained from others all the information he could, and began his
narrative with the birth of John the Baptist. Irenseus also about
the same time names St. Luke as the author.
These testimonies to the authorship are valuable, being two
hundred years earlier than the Manuscripts from which our Title
of the Gospel is taken.
St. Luke is three times mentioned in Scripture. From Col. iv. 14
we learn that he was a physician. From the manner in which
St. Paul there mentions him — separating him from those " of the
circumcision "¦ — and from his Roman name (Lucas, contracted from
Lucanus), it is probable that he was of a Gentile family ; but that he
had been brought up as a proselyte to Judaism may be inferred
from his perfect familiarity with the Jewish customs and Scriptures,
and also from the fact that his presence in Jerusalem with St. Paul
does not seem to have given offence as that of the Gentile Trophimus
did (Acts xxi. 29). That he was St. Paul's companion on his first
entrance into Europe, and again on his second return from Greece to
Jerusalem, may be inferred from the use of the personal pronoun
"we" in his narrative of those journeys. From Philemon 24 and
2 Tim. iv. 11 it appears that he was with St. Paul in both his
Roman captivities. Thus the constant tradition of the Church is
not unlikely to be true, that his Gospel was written more or less
under St. Paul's direction. That it was written before the Acts of
the Apostles is evident (from Acts i. 1). If therefore the Acts was
composed towards the close of St. Paul's first imprisonment, the
Gospel may well have been written during that earlier two years'
captivity at Caesarea (58-60), for St. Luke would then have free
access to him (Acts xxiv. 23), and seems to have been his com
panion, for he was included in the order for St. Paul's deportation
to Italy (xxvii. 1).
Points of connexion between this Gospel and the teaching of the
Apostle of the Gentiles have often been noticed. St. Luke's Gospel
opens the door of redemption to all mankind, our Lord's genealogy is
traced to Adam, the Angels' carol and the canticles of the Nativity

INTRODUCTION TO ST. LUKE'S GOSPEL. 159
proclaim "peace on earth" and " a light to lighten the Gentiles ; "
the first words of our Lord at Nazareth speak of God's mercies
to Gentiles ; St. Luke alone records in detail Christ's journey through
Samaria at the close of His ministry; and to him we owe the
parables which point most clearly to the admission of the Gentiles,
while in another (xviii. 10-14) we have the germ of St. Paul's
doctrine of justification. To all this we may add the marked
coincidences between St. Luke's account of the institution of the
Eucharist and St. Paul's.
In the introduction St. Luke seems to promise that he will
" write in order," which most naturally means that he will follow
the actual order of events in his narrative. And that he does so
down to ix. 50 is evident ; for the order so far coincides remarkably
with that of St. Mark, who seems also to adopt a chronological
plan. But after this point (the close of the Galilean ministry)
instead of passing at once to Passion week, as St. Matthew and St.
Mark do, St. Luke introduces a large body of matter, peculiar, for
the most part, to his Gospel, and occupying nine chapters (ix. 51 —
xviii. 14). Is this section in chronological order or not 1
To some, these nine chapters, consisting almost entirely of dis
courses, occurring many of them in totally different connexions in
St. Matthew, seem to be a collection of the Lord's sayings, for
which St. Luke could find no place in his narrative, — inserted
here that he might reserve his concluding chapters for the narrative
of the Passion (see note on xL).
Others, such as Lightfoot in the seventeenth century, and more
recently Home and Wieseler, have detected in the few scattered
notes of time and place a framework of journeyings corresponding
very remarkably with St. John's account of Christ's movements
during the last three or four months of His ministry.
St. John tells us that Jesus was at Jerusalem in December at the
Feast of Dedication (John x. 22). In St. Luke (ix. 51 — x.) we have
an account of a Messianic progress from Galilee towards Jerusalem,
ending with an anecdote at Bethany.
St. John tells us how Jesus then retired to the Jordan valley,
and spent some time in Persea (x. 40). To this Persean ministry
may be referred the discourses of St. Luke's eleventh, twelfth, and
thirteenth chapters.
According to St. John, a message from Bethany summoned Jesus
to Jerusalem (xi. 3); according to St. Luke, a threat from the
Pharisees reached Him in Persea (which was in Antipas's dominions),
that it was dangerous to stay there ; but in both cases (if we may
adopt a not impossible interpretation of Luke xiii. 32, 33) we find
our Lord delaying for two days, and on the third day going. (See
notes on St. Luke xiii. 33 and John xi. 6.) That it was to Jeru
salem, or its neighbourhood, that He went, is very clearly implied
by St. Luke (xiii. 33, 34).
After the raising of Lazarus, St. John tells us that Jesus retired
to Ephraim (xi. 54), a village sixteen miles north-east of Jerusalem ;
and as the Passover season approached, He would seem, from

160 INTRODUCTION TO ST. LUKE'S GOSPEL.

St. John's twelfth chapter, to have joined the caravan of Galilean
pilgrims. Now, if He went into Galilee for this purpose, it would
at once account for a phrase in St. Luke (xvii. 11), which is other
wise inexplicable, that "as He went to Jerusalem, He passed
through the midst of Samaria and Galilee." If from Ephraim He
journeyed north, in order to join the Galilean pilgrims in their
usual Jordan valley route to Jerusalem, all is explained. And at
Jericho the narratives of all the Gospels fall together again.
If this is a true account of these nine chapters of St. Luke,
then we must suppose that St. Matthew has incorporated many of
the discourses of these three months with the discourses of the
earlier Galilean ministry. This is quite in harmony with many
other indications that St. Matthew rearranged our Lord's miracles
and discourses, that he might bring together such as seemed to have
a common purpose.
On the whole, then, we seem safe in assuming that St. Luke
adopts a chronological order throughout his Gospel.
If to any the fact that St. Mark and St. Luke were not
apostles seems to lower the authority of their Gospels, as com
pared with those of St. Matthew and St. John, we must remember
that the Pentecostal gifts were not confined to the apostles ; and
among these gifts was clearly included the gift of inspiration, -i.e.
special guidance in imparting divine truth. This gift — so dis
tinctly promised (John xvi. 13), and so manifestly claimed (1 Cor.
ii. 13, 1 John ii. 27) — did not supersede the use of ordinary means
of information. St. Luke tells us in his Preface that he had been
diligent in obtaining information from those who were competent
to give it ; and among these we have good grounds for supposing
that not only St. Paul, who drew his knowledge from revelation,
but the blessed Mother of our Lord also, may be included.

THE GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO

SAINT LUKE.

FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set forth in order
a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among us, 2 even as they delivered them unto us, which from the
beginning were eye-witnesses, 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 certainty of those things, wherein
thou hast been instructed.
5 rpHERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain
_L 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 before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 'And they had no child,
because that EHsabeth was barren, and they both were now well
stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the
I. 5. and he had a wife.

Ch. I. 1-4. St. Luke begins his later
treatise of the Acts with a similar
dedication. Who Theophilus was is
unknown, — perhaps a Greek convert
of some rank at Antioch.
For further remarks on these open
ing verses see the Introduction to the
Gospels. Scholars have noticed that this
Preface is written in much purer
Greek than the rest of the Gospel ;
and have thence inferred that much
of the narrative is translated from
Hebrew sources.
2. "Even as they [the apostles],
who from the beginning [of Christ's
ministry] were eye-witnesses and
ministers of the Gospel, narrated
these things [orally] to us [Gentile
Christians]." 3. "Having traced diligently" (same
Greek word as in 1 Tim. iv. 6) " all that
happened from the very commence
ment (from the birth of the Baptist),

to write an account in historical
order." Others (as St. Matthew in
great measure) classified the miracles
and discourses as might best serve pur
poses of edification. Not so St. Luke,
apparently. 4. " Wherein thouwert catechized,"
— instructed for baptism ; cf. Acts
xviii. 25, Gal. vi. 6.
5. The style is now thoroughly
Hebraistic. Of the course of Abia, or Abijah.
David divided the priests into twenty-
four courses, who served week by
week (see 1 Chron. xxiv. 3-19).
Of the daughters of Aaron, and
called after Aaron's wife Elisheba
("My God is an oath").
6. Righteous before God,— i.e. in
God's view (i.e. truly) righteous. For
the same Hebraism cf. Acts vii. 20,
" fair before God," i.e. exceeding fair.
8. Was executing. It was his week
of office.

162

St. LUKE. Ch. 1. 9-24.

[b.c. 5

priest's office before God in the order of his course, '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
the people were praying without at the time of incense. "And
there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right
side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was
troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said unto him,
Fear not, Zacharias : for thy prayer is heard * and thy wife Elisa
beth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14And
thou shalt have joy and gladness ; and many shall rejoice at his
birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall
drink neither wine nor strong drink ; and he shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. " And many of the
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. "And he
shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, " to turn the
" hearts of the fathers to the children," and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the just ; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this 1
for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. "And the
angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God ; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee
these glad tidings. 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 fulfilled in
their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled
that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he
could not speak unto them : and they perceived that he had seen
a vision in the temple : for he beckoned unto them, and remained
speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself

10. Without. In the temple court,
outside the sanctuary. The altar of
incense was in the Holy Place, in
front of the Veil. Incense was burnt
morning and evening, see Ex. xxx. 7, 8.
13. John — Johanan, "the Lord is
gracious " ; or " God's gift " (our
Theodore) according to others.
15. He was to take the vows of a
Nazarite (for which see Num. vi.,
and cf. Matt. xi. 18), and to have the
gift of Divine inspiration, not merely
occasionally like Elisabeth (41), or
Zacharias (67), or Simeon (ii. 25),
but continually.
16. Quoted from Mai. iv. 6.
17. In the spirit and power of Ellas.
See note on Mark ix. 11.
To the wisdom — margin, "by." In
writing " to " our translators were
influenced by the parallelism of Mai.

iv. 6, " Hearts of children to their
fathers." 22. They perceived that he had
seen a vision by the signs and gestures
which he continued making, though
remaining speechless.
23. When his week was over he
returned to his home in the hill
country at Hebron perhaps (ver.
39). 24. Hid herself — perhaps for pur
poses of devotion, as the following
verse seems to indicate. St. Luke's
motive for mentioning it may be to
account for Mary not knowing her
cousin's condition until it was an
nounced to her by the angel. Had
she known it before, it would not
have served the purpose of a sign,
whereby she might assure herself of
the angel's trustworthiness.

B.C.5]

St. LUKE. Ch. 1. 25-35.

163

five months, saying, 26 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days
wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God
unto a city of Gahlee, 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 Mary. 28And the angel came in unto her, and said,
Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee ; blessed
art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled
at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this
should be. M And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary : for
thou hast found favour with God. 3l And, behold, thou shalt con
ceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. a He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest : and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David : ^and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 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, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee : therefore
28. And he came : om. " the angel" (?) ; om. " hlessed art thou among women " (?).
29. Om. " when she saw him ; " at the saying ; om. " his."

25. My reproach. Childlessness was
a reproach, Gen. xxx. 23.
27. Of the house of David. The
royal descent would be transmitted
through Joseph to his heir, even
though (as in this case) the heir was
not his son.
That Mary also was descended
from David is probable from the
angel's words in ver. 32, and from her
accompanying Joseph to the enrol
ment at Bethlehem (ii. 5). But it is
now agreed that both the pedigrees
are pedigrees of Joseph. See note on
Matt. i. 1. "Mary" is another form
of Miriam.
28. Highly favoured. In margin,
"Graciously accepted," or, "much
graced," see ver. 30.
This, no doubt, is the correct trans
lation of the Greek word. It only
occurs once again in the New Testa
ment, in Eph. i. 6, where it is trans
lated " accepted." Possibly this was
intended originally by the "gratia
plena" of the Vulgate, though another
meaning has come to be assigned to
the phrase, as though the Virgin had
a store of grace to dispense.
33. The house of Jacob — i.e. the
Christian Church, which is to Israel
after the flesh what the resurrection

body is to the earthly body, — the
same, and yet not the same, inherit
ing its promises and continuing its
life in a more spiritual form. For the
eternity of the kingdom see Dan. vi. 14.
34 — 56. Mary's faith was no blind
faith, but an inquiring and therefore
ever deepening faith : — first troubled
and wondering, then seeking to have
her difficulty explained — " a child,
where there is nofather? howshallthis
be?" And after the angel's answer,
that from first to last it is of God, —
her immediate Amen. Henceforth she
lives in this one thought. The last
words of the angel about Elisabeth
had been spoken, as if intended to be a
sign ; to her cousin's home — a hundred
miles or more — she journeys. God,
who had sent His angel, now inspires
Elisabeth to confirm the angel's mes
sage ; and Mary, filled with the spirit
of those prophecies on which she
would now more than ever meditate,
pours forth that hymn which has
helped to strengthen the faith of the
Church ever since.
34. How subdued is Mary's ques
tion compared with that of Zacharias !
(ver. 18) — he seeking proof ere he
would believe, she seeking further
instruction because she believed.

164

St. LUKE. Ch. 1. 36-49.

[b.c. 5

also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also
conceived a son in her old age : 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; be it
unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country
with haste, into a city of Juda ; *° and entered into the house of
Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. "And it came to pass, that,
when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in
her womb ; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost : ** and
she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit 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 things
which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify 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

37. For from God.

42. spake out with a loud cry.

35. Therefore also that holy thing
. . . shall be called the Son of God.
The early Fathers are very careful to
explain that " the Power of the
Highest" means the Second Person
of the Trinity (1 Cor. i. 24), and
because He who was Son of God
descended upon her, and became her
child, therefore her child was called
" the Son of God." Bishop Pearson
and some modern divines seem to say
that because the Holy Child was con
ceived by the Holy Ghost, and the
Holy Ghost was God, therefore the
child was the Son of God. But we
must be very careful. "Conceived
by the Holy Ghost" in our Creed does
not mean begotten of the substance of
the Holy Ghost, but conceived by the
quickening power of the Holy Ghost.
36. Tny cousin. Mary was of the
tribe of Judah, Elisabeth a Levite.
But intermarriage between tribes was
permitted. See 2 Chron. xxii. 11.
39. Mary understood that the
angel intended her thus to verify
his words, for the greater assurance
of her faith, and set forth on this
journey of a hundred miles in cheerful

obedience. The city is supposed
to have been Hebron, or some city
near to it.
43. What have I done to deserve
this? 45. Blessed is she that believed :
for . . . — Marg in, " She who believed
that . ." Elisabeth may be con
trasting Mary's ready faith with her
own husband's incredulity.
46-55. This inspired lyrical hymn
(reminding us of Hannah's) falls into
four stanzas : I. " My soul . . .
handmaiden" — thankfulness to God
for visiting her in her lowliness.
II. "For behold . . . generation" —
she is filled with joy in thinking
of the future. III. " He hath shewed
strength . . . empty away"— take
courage, ye lowly ones ! IV. "He hath
holpen . . . his seed for ever" — above
all may His chosen people rejoice !
Both structure and idiom show
plainly that it was spoken in Hebrew.
Ps. xcviii. 3 guides us to the true
rendering of the last verse, " Remem
ber merey towards Abraham and his
seed for ever," — "As He spake to
our fathers" being a parenthesis.

B.C. 5]

St. LUKE. Ch. 1.

50-70.

165

done to me great things ; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy
is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 61 He hath
shewed strength with his arm ; he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts. 62 He hath put down the mighty from
their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 03 He hath filled the
hungry with good things ; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
64 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
56 as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
66 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to
her own house.
67 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered ;
and she brought forth a son. 58And her neighbours and her
cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her ; and
they rejoiced with her. 69 And it came to pass, that on the eighth
day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him
Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60And 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,
saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his
mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he
spake, 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 Judsea, 66 And all they that heard them laid
them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this
be ! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ; for he hath visited and
redeemed his people, 69and hath raised up an horn of salvation
for us in the house of his servant David ; 70 as he spake by the

50. to generations and generations.

for the hand of the Lord also.

56. Mary probably stayed till Elisa
beth's child was born. Onher return to
Nazareth the incidents recorded by St.
Matthew (i. 18) may have occurred.
59. On the eighth day. See Gen.
xvii. 12. "They were calling," or,
going to call him Zacharias.
62. Signs — implying that he was
deaf as well as dumb — which explains
their wonder that his wish should so
exactly correspond with Elisabeth's.
63. A writing table, — a tablet
smeared with wax, used in those days
for writing on, like our modern slates.
65. All these sayings — margin,
"things." 68. St. Luke is the only Evangelist
who has preserved for us these lyrical
psalms of praise. They had been

doubtless carefully treasured by the
blessed Virgin, and by her possibly
communicated to St. Luke. They
are thoroughly Hebrew in structure
and idiom.
Keble reminds us that the Magni
ficat, Benedictus, and Nunc Dimittis
are all in St. Luke : —
" Thou hast an ear for angels' songs,
A breath the Gospel trump to fill ;
And taught by thee the Church prolongs
Her hymns of high thanksgiving still."
69. Horn of salvation. The horn
is a symbol of strength in Hebrew.
See Moses' blessing of Joseph, Deut.
xxxiii. 17. So Hannah, "Mine horn
is exalted in the Lord." So Ps. xviii.
2, cxxxii. 17. The "horn" here is
the promised Messiah.

166

St. LUKE. Ch. 1. 71-80; 2. 1-3.

[b.c. 5

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 our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant ; 73 the 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 enemies might serve him without
fear, 7Bin holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of
our life. ,6And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the
Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare
his ways ; 77 to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the
remission of their sins, 78 through the tender mercy of our God ;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 to give light
to them that sit in darkness 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 shewing
unto Israel.
Ch. 2. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Csesar Augustus, that all the world should be 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.
76. Ay, and thou, child.

74. 0m. " our."

72, 73- The names may have sug
gested these phrases : John means
the grace or mercy of Jehovah ;
Zachariah, remembered by Jehovah ;
and Elisheba, the oath of God (Gen.
xxii. 16).
77. By the remission — margin,
"for ;" but the Greek is "in," i.e. by
placing them in a state of forgiveness.
78. Tender mercy — margin, "bowels
of the mercy." See Phil. i. 8. The
ancients believed the bowels to be the
seat of the affections. Cf. Gen. xliii.
30, 1 Kings iii. 26, etc.
The dayspring — margin, " Sun-
rising or branch ;" for the same Greek
word that is used in the LXX. for the
rising of a star in Num. xxiv. 17 is
applied to the sprouting of a "Branch "
in Zech. iii. 8, vi. 12.
80. Bearing in mind St. Luke's
own account of his Gospel in his
Preface, — "Even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the begin
ning were eye-witnesses," — one may
well imagine that in this first chapter
he has written down for the Church
what he had received from some
member of the Baptist's family. So
in the second chapter, which is
equally distinct and complete, we
can hardly fail to recognize the

narrative of her who " kept all these
things, and pondered them in her
heart." In the deserts. The desert of Judaea
was the rugged country sloping down
from the highlands about Hebron to
the western shore of the Dead Sea.
Ch. II. 2. Zumpt has shown, by a
great variety of indirect evidence,
that it is highly probable that Cyre
nius or Qniriuus was twice Propraetor
or imperial legate of Syria, first in
A.u.c. 750-753, as well as secondly in
760-765. And thus an apparent dis
crepancy, which commentators had
long tried to remove by forced inter
pretations, has proved to be a very
remarkable evidence of the historic
accuracy of the Gospel narrative. We
may well learn how much wiser it is
to leave these seeming difficulties
alone, rather than seek far-fetched
explanations of them.
Should be taxed — meaning rather
that a census should be taken with a
view to taxation. Marg. "enrolled."
It is historically true that Augustus
completed the survey of the empire
commenced by C. Julius Caisar.
3. The Romans enrolled people at
their dwelling-place ; the Jews at
their ancestral home. The fact that

B.C. 4]

St. LUKE. Ch. 2. 4-15.

167

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth,
intp Judsea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem ;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David :) B 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. 'And she brought forth her firstborn
son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manger ; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping 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 tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. u For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you ; Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And 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. 1B And it came to pass, as the angels were gone
away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,
n. 5. his hetrothed ; om. "wife." 9. 0m. "lo"(»). 12. and lying.
13. of the host of heaven. 14. peace among men of good pleasure (i.e. men in
whom God is well pleased) ; so the oldest MSS. ; others with the Syriac, good pleasure among
men ; " Treg. hesitates. 15. and the men, the shepherds, said (?).

Joseph and Mary had to go to the
home of their ancestors shows that
Herod was carrying out the Roman
edict in Jewish fashion.
4. From Nazareth to Bethlehem
was a journey of eighty miles.
7. A mother's first child would
be called the "first-born," whether
followed by others or not.
Justin Martyr, who was born little
more than a century after these
#events, and within forty miles of the
spot, tells us that Joseph and Mary,
finding no lodging in the village,
spent the night in a, cave, — one of
the limestone caverns in the long grey
ridge on which Bethlehem stands,
used by the peasantry to stall their
cattle. Wrapped him in swaddling clothes
— with her own hands : she had none
to help her.
" Laid Him in a stable." The word
means any place where cattle are fed.
8. Keeping watch — margin, "the
night watches." Some have affirmed
that shepherds would not be lying out
all night unless it were summer, and

that the Nativity therefore was not
in December. But in the summer
months there is little or no pasture in
Palestine. After the rains of the
autumnal equinox there is grass for
many months, which favours the
common date.
9. The Sheklnah, or bright cloud,
which symbolized the Divine presence.
10. To aU the people. The article,
wrongly omitted in the English, shows
that it means God's people as opposed
to "the nations."
11. The Lord Messiah of Prophecy.
Note that neither " Christ" nor "Jesus
Christ " is used as a proper name until
after the resurrection. See note on
John xvii. 3.
12. Ye shall find a babe, it should
be. Here again the* angels give a
sign. 14. The Vulgate reads, " Peace to
men of good-will," and so the Latin
Fathers quote the passage. But the
Greek Fathers uniformly quote the
passage as we have it; and it har
monizes best with the doctrine of the
universality of the redemption.

168

St. LUKE. Ch. 2. 16-29.

[b.c. 4

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. " And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe
lying in a manger. "And when they had seen it, they made
known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this
child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which
were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these
things, and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they
had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising
of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of
the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of
Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to
present him to the Lord ; 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord,
" Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
"Lord;") 24and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said
in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young
" pigeons." 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was
Simeon ; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel : and 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. 27 And he came
by the Spirit into the temple : and when the parents brought in
the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 then
took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29Lord,
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy
17. Om. " ahroad." 21. for circumcising him. 22. of their purification.

22. Lev. xii. 3, 4. "The days," —
thirty-two after the circumcision,
thirty-nine after the birth. Hence we
have the feast of the Circumcision on
1st January, and that of the Purifi
cation on the 2d February. If the
reading " their purification " be right,
we must suppose that the Holy Child
received purification as He had re
ceived circumcision, though needing
neither ; fulfilling the righteousness of
the old covenant. See Matt. iii. 15.
24. From this offering (the doves
instead of the lamb — see Lev. xii. 8)
we learn the poverty of Joseph and
Mary. 25. The consolation of Israel —
called in Acts xxviii. 20, "the hope
of Israel." Thus they spoke of the
great deliverance which the whole
nation so confidently expected, having
in their mind perhaps Is. xl. 1.

It is in vain to try to identify this
Simeon with any well-known Rabbi.
The name was a very common one.
Had he been the High Priest, or a
great Rabbi, St. Luke would hardly
have written, "There was a man
whose name was Simeon." Simeon
son of Hillel and father of Gamaliel
was at least twenty years younger.
The Holy Ghost was upon him — as
upon Zacharias, Elisabeth, Anna,
— marking that the times of " open
vision " were returning with the
Messiah's advent, according to Joel's
prophecy. Since Malachi there had
been no prophet.
29. " Lord, now art Thou releasing
Thy slave in peace." (It is not a
prayer to be released.) Death was to
the holy Israelite a year of jubilee,
a release from bondage. Such a
release too the Messiah was to bring,

B.C. 4]

St. LUKE. Ch. 2. 30-39.

169

word : 30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 3l which thou hast
prepared before the face of all people; 32a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 83 And Joseph and
his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother,
Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in
Israel ; and for a sign which shall be spoken against ; 3S (yea, a
sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts
of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Aser : she was of a great age, and had lived with
an husband seven years from her virginity ; 37 and she was a widow
of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the
temple, but served 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 redemption in
Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed all things according
33. his father and mother. 37. a widow unto fourscore and four years.
38. and coming in at the very hour, she gave thanks to God . . . redemption of Jerusalem.

" saying to the prisoners, Go forth ! "
(Is. xlix. 9.) A careful comparison of
that 49th chapter of Isaiah seems
to suggest that it was specially in
Simeon's mind. Not only have we
there this thought of release from
bondage, but also the very phrase, " A
light of the Gentiles," and also the
likening of the Messiah's word to a
" sharp sword." See below.
34. Observe how " the offence of
the cross " is brought before the pro
phetic eye of Simeon. His language
(as was that of Zacharias and of Mary
and of Elisabeth) is drawn from those
prophecies which the devout Jews at
this time were daily and eagerly
studying. " He shall be for a sanctu
ary, but for a stone of stumbling
and for a rock of offence to both
the houses of Israel," Is. viii. 14 ;
and again in that 49th chapter
referred to above, the Word of the
Messiah is likened to " a sharp sword,"
meaning — the effect of His Gospel
would be to sever not only good men
from bad men, but also our good self
from our bad self. "For judgment
am 1 come " (John ix. 39).
Yea, a sword, etc., need not be a
parenthesis. The Messiah, though
He be the lifter-up of many, yet shall
also be an offence, that is, a cause of
stumbling to many, — His words pierc

ing sword-like to the conscience — yea,
and even thou too must experience
this — that so the hearts of all may be
proved, and the faithful separated
from the faithless. For the image of
the sword, see Heb. iv. 12 and Rev.
i. 16. 36. Of the tribe of Aser. It is a
mistake to suppose that the ten tribes
had disappeared from Palestine. Pro
bably all the twelve tribes were still
represented among the Jews, numbers
of them having returned to the Holy
Land. 37. After seven years of married
life, she had lived a widow unto
eighty-four years of age.
38. The margin preserves the Vul
gate's error, " Israel."
39. Here the narrative of the
Nativity, as it had been " delivered by
those who were eye-witnesses " to St.
Luke, ends. He passes on rapidly to
his next anecdote — the visit to the
Passover twelve years later — omitting
the visit of the Magi and flight into
Egypt, which we must here insert
from St. Matthew between the pre
sentation and the return to Galilee.
Supposing that the sign vouchsafed
to the Magi — whatever it was — indi
cated the date of birth, and that they
set out at once, the seven or eight
weeks' journey from Chaldsea would

170

St. LUKE. Ch. 2. 40-51.

[ad. 8

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 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of
the passover. *" And when he was twelve years old, they went up
to Jerasalem after the custom of the feast. *¦ And when they had
fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind
in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and his 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 acquaint
ance. 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 astonished 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 1 behold, thy father
and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How
is it that ye sought me 1 wist ye not that I must be about my
Father's business ? B0 And they understood not the saying which
he spake unto them. 61 And he went down with them, and came
to Nazareth, and was subject unto them : but his mother kept all
40. Om. " in spirit." 42. Om. " to Jerusalem " (?). 43. and his parents knew not.

bring them to Bethlehem after the
presentation. Between their arrival
and the death of Herod (which we
know to have been early in April) we
have to allow time for the flight into
Egypt. With this late arrival of the
Magi agrees the fact (Matt. ii. 11)
that they found Mary and the Child
in " the house," — some house that
Joseph had taken for them, — for so
the prophets said that Bethlehem
should be the Messiah's home ; and
to this new home they would have
returned from Egypt but for the
divine warning, Matt. ii. 22. The
stay iu Egypt must have been very
short — not more than a week or two,
if the common reckoning is right,
which places our Lord's birth in this
last year of Herod's life.
41. From Nazareth to Jerusalem is
a journey of eighty miles. Every
pious Jew made a point of going up
to the three great feasts (Deut. xvi. 1).
To the women it was optional. The
number of pilgrims was enormous.
Josephus gives the number of Paschal
lambs slain as a quarter of a million,
implying more than two million
worshippers.

42. At twelve years old a Jewish
boy became a "son of the Law," and
began to attend the great feasts at
Jerusalem. It was just such an epoch
in a boy's life as Confirmation is with
us. 46. After three days. At the close
of the first day they missed Him ; on
the second day they travel back ; ou
the third day they find Him.
48. Thy father and L May not
this imply that the Virgin had not
yet spoken of the mystery of His
birth even to Him ? Compare ver. 51.
49. Some translate it " in My
Father's precincts," i.e. the temple
(compare John ii. 16 and Matt. xvii.
26). And this translation is favoured
by the use of the same phrase in Iren.
y. 36. 2. They probably found Him
in one of the rooms where on Sabbaths
and festivals the Masters of Israel —
such as were the aged Hillel, "the
looser," and his rival Sbammai, " the
binder," both now living — used to sit
and catechize. Note by the way how
Jesus indirectly disclaims the title
which Mary (adopting doubtless the
convention of her household) had
assigned to Joseph : cf. iii. 23.

A.D. 26]

St. LUKE. Ch. 2. 52; 3. 1-9.

171

these sayings in her heart. B2 And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.
Ch. 3. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of
Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Itursea and of the region
of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and
Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John
the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the
country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the
remission of sins ; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of
Esaias the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilder-
" ness, 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 he made smooth ; 6 and all flesh shall see the sal-
" vation of God." 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth
to be baptized of him, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you
to flee from the wrath to cornel 8 Bring forth therefore fruits
worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We
have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, That God is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9And now
52. advanced in age and wisdom.

4. Om.

in. 2. Annas heing high priest and Caiaphas.
' saying." A voice of one crying, In the wilderness prepare ye.

52. Increased in wisdom — for He
was "perfect man," with "a reason
able'* (or rational) "soul" as well as
" human flesh." There was an early
heresy (against which this clause of
the Quicunque vult was directed),
that Christ was not "perfect man,"
but a Being in whom the Godhead
supplied the place of human intellect.
What St. Luke is here inspired to
tell us of the growth of the human
mind in Christ refutes this Apolli-
narian heresy.
"Take notice here that His doing
nothing wonderful was in itself a kind
of wonder. For His whole life is a
mystery ; and as there was power in
His actions, so there was power in
His silence, in His inactivity, in His
retirement. " — (Bonaventura, quoted
by Farrar.)
Stature, or rather, as in margin,
" age " (see note on Matt. vi. 27).
Ch. III. 1 (= Matt. iii. 1, Mark i.
4.) The fifteenth year of Tiberius
seems to mean the fifteenth year
dating from his joint government
with Augustus, two years before the
latter's death. A coin found at

Antioch is cited by Wieseler in con
firmation of this hypothesis. Augus
tus died August 19, a.d. 14. St.
Luke's date for the commencement
of the Baptist's ministry is thus
brought to the autumn of a.d. 26.
Annas was made high priest a.d. 7.
In a.d. 25 his son-in-law, Joseph
Caiaphas, was high priest ; but Annas
retained the title and much of the
power. Herod means of course Herod
Antipas. Iturasa and Trachonitis
were north-east of Palestine towards
Damascus ; Abilene farther north
in the Lebanon country, ruled by
Lysanias, a native prince.
4. Is. xl. 3. These words form the
opening of that wonderful series of
Messianic prophecy which we have
in the last twenty-seven chapters of
Isaiah. It was the Baptist himself
(John i. 23) who applied to himself
this prediction.
8. Worthy of — margin, "meet for."
Begin not to say. This phrase is
characteristic of St. Luke. What
a man does of set purpose, or in set
order, he is said to begin to do in St.
Luke's idiom. See Acts i. 1.

172

St. LUKE. Ch. 3. 10-21.

[a.d. 27

also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : every tree there
fore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then 1
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 baptized, and said
unto him, Master, what shall we do ? 13 And he said unto them,
Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14And the
soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do 1
And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any
falsely ; and be content with your wages.
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in
their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not ; 16 John
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 fire : 17 whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly
purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the
chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. "And many other things
in his exhortation preached he unto the people. 19 But Herod the
tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's
wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, ™ added yet this
above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that
Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

10 and 12. What should we do ?
17. is in his hand to purge throughly (?).

11. He answering said.
19. his brother's wife ; om. "Philip."

14. Do violence — margin, " put no
man in fear."
Wages — margin, " allowance."
15. Mused — margin, "reasoned, or
debated." St. Luke is the only Evangelist
who expressly mentions, what all
imply, that there was at this time
a very general expectation of the
Messiah ; see ii. 25. St. Matthew
(iii. 11) and St. John (i. 20) tell us
how the Baptist disclaimed Messiah-
ship. 16. This marked distinction be
tween his baptism with water and
Christ's baptism with the Holy Spirit
and with tire (the Spirit's purifying
efficacy) reappears often. See Acts
i. 5, xix. 4.
The origin of the rite of Baptism
is obscure ; but if it be true that it
was used in the initiation of pros
elytes to the Synagogue, it is highly
probable that it had always a Mes

sianic character, and was meant to
be taken as an earnest of the Baptism
which the Messiah would one day
administer, foretold in some of the
most distinctly Messianic prophecies,
such as Ezek. xxxvi. 25-30, "Then
will I sprinkle clean water upon you
. . . and give you a heart of flesh ;"
and Zech. xiii. 1, " In that day there
shall be a fountain," etc. This may
well explain the Baptist's language,
justifying his baptism because the
Messiah was now at hand. See John
i. 25. (See Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. on
Acts ii. and on John i. 25.)
17. The wicked are continually in
Scripture likened to the chaff which
is "purged" or winnowed from off
the threshing-floor : Ps. i. 5, xxxv. 5 ;
Dan. ii. 35.
19, 20. St. Luke takes occasion to
mention John's imprisonment here,
though it occurred some time after
wards.

A.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 3. 22-34.

173

22 and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon
him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my be
loved Son ; in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus himself began
to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of
Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 which was the son of Matthat,
which was tlte son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was
tlte son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 2B which was the son
of Mattathias, which was the son. of Amos, which was the son of
Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,
26 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 the son
of Juda, 27 which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa,
which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which
was the son of Neri, 28 which was the son of Melchi, which was the son
of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam,
which was the son of Er, 29 which was the son of Jose, which was the
son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of
Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30 which was the son of Simeon,
which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was
the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31 which was the son
of Melea, which was the 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 Jesse, 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, "v^bich was the son of Aram, which
was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the
son of Juda, M which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac,
which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which
22. 0m. "which said." 23. was, when he hegan, about thirty years.
24. Jannse. 26. Semern, which was of Josech, which was of Joda, which was of Joanan.
28. Elmadam. 29. Which was of Jesu. 30. Jonam. 31. Menna. 32. Jobed.

22. St. Augustine guards us against
imagining that there was any incar
nation of the Holy Ghost. "There
was a certain visible appearance for
the moment, like the flame in the
bush on Sinai, that the bodily eye of
the Baptist might have a sign of the
presence of the Third Person of the
Trinity. The bodily form appeared
for the time to show what was re
quired, and then ceased to be." —
(De Trin. ii. 5.)
23. Began 'to be, i.e. (as we say)
" was just turned thirty." But some
interpret the words, "was, when
beginning His ministry, about thirty
years old."
As was supposed — for Mary, and
doubtless Joseph, " kept all these
things in their heart," so that the
miraculous nature of His birth would

not be known. This explains pass
ages where Joseph is spoken of as
the father of Jesus, such as Matt.
xiii. 55, Luke ii. 48, John i. 45.
St. Luke traces Joseph's genealogy
through Heli up to Nathan, son of
David ; St. Matthew from David
downwards through Solomon and the
royal line of Judah's kings to Jacob
and Joseph. It is supposed that
Matthew gives the legal genealogy —
the line of heirs to the throne of David
— and Luke the natural genealogy
— from father to son. Jacob and
Heli are supposed to have been
brothers, Joseph being the son of
one and heir of the other, whence the
double genealogy. Enough that by
either line, and probably by Mary's
descent also, Jesus was "the Son of
David." See i. 32.

174

St. LUKE. Ch. 3. 35-38 ; 4. 1-5.

[a.d. 27

was the son of Nachor, 35 which was the son of Saruch, which was the
son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber,
which was the son of Sala, 36 which was the son of Cainan, which was
the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of
Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 3T which was the son of Mathusala,
which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was
the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 3S which was the son
of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son, of Adam,
which was the son of God.
Ch. 4. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from
Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into 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. 3And the
devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone
that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is
written that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
"word of God." "And the devil, taking him up into an high
mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a
35. Seruch.
IV. 2. Om. "afterward." 4. 0m. "saying;" om. " but by every word ofGod"(?).
5. And taking him up he showed him ; om. "the devil ; " om. " into an high mountain."

Ch. IV. I (= Matt. iv. 1. See note
there). If it be asked, How could our
Lord's natural life be sustained forty
days without food ? we answer, "Who
are we that we should dare to limit
the power and influence of spirit over
matter ?" Even in our own experi
ence we know how sense of bodily
want is often suspended by strong
emotion. What if our Lord, "upborne
and upholden above the common needs
of the animal life by the great tides
of spiritual gladness, in the strength
of that recent Baptism, in the solemn
joy of that Salvation and recogni
tion from His Father, found and felt
no need for all those forty days"?
—(Trench.) 2. The personal existence of the
Devil has been doubted by some.
That the Evangelists affirm it, and
further that our Lord affirms it (see
for instance John viii. 44), is plain.
Let us moreover consider the deep
comfort of the doctrine. Looking
into our own hearts, and noting the
fearful malignity of the suggestions
of evil of which we are aware, how
terrible to think that such whispers
were self-originated ! What deep com
fort, and what bright hope of redemp
tion, if " an enemy have done this " !

Let us consider also that if there
be not a personal external tempter,
then we are driven to suppose that
our Lord's temptations came from
within, which would be blasphemy,
for His human nature was exempt
from original sin. There was in
Him not merely " possibility of not
sinning, but rather an impossibility
of sinning.To tempt, means to make trial of,
or put to the proof. See on Heb.
iv. 15. Let those who are tempted
remember, for their comfort, that
there is no sin in temptation unless
the will consent : as Hooker says,
" Appetite is will's solicitor ; will is
appetite's controller."
3. Though in itself not sinful, yet
under the circumstances it would
have been sinful to turn the stones
into bread, for it was His Father's
will that He should fast.
4. Christ meets each temptation
with the words, " It is written " —
His " sword of the Spirit."
These three temptations correspond
to the temptations of the Flesh, the
World, and the Devil, — of Body, Mind,
and Spirit.
1st, The temptation of appetite
("of the flesh"). What God said to

A.D. 2

7]

St. LUKE. Ch. 4. 6-15.

175

moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power
will I give thee, and the glory of them : for that is delivered unto
me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt
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 thy
self down from hence : 10 for it is written, " He shall give his angels
" charge over thee, to keep thee : u and in tlieir hands they shall
" bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."
"And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, "Thou shalt not
" tempt the Lord thy God." 13 And when the devil had ended all
the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 14 And Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee : and there went
out a fame of him through all the region round about. 16 And he

7. it (the glory) shall aU be thine.

8. Om. " Get thee behind me, Satan ; for.'

Israel of old in the wilderness, He
says to all, Put your trust in My
word, and I will sustain you. God
Himself is our nourisher, and not the
bread, the Spirit is more than the
flesh : take heed to the things of the
Spirit first, and all else that is need
ful shall be added unto you. The
first sense of these words is that of
Matt. vi. 33 ; a deeper sense that of
John iv. 34 ; and a yet deeper that of
John vi. 35 ; and, indeed, communion
with God is the only sure safeguard
against temptations of the flesh.
2nd, The temptation of covetous
ness or ambition ("of the world").
He who lets the desire of wealth, or of
power, or of the praise of men, govern
his conduct, dethrones God from
being his governor. Hence it is that
covetousness is called idolatry (Eph.
v. 5 ; Col. iii. 5). To such temptation
therefore Christ's answer is the true
answer. And, by the way, it may be
noted that many find the surrender of
a regular portion of their time to the
worship of God a safeguard against
this temptation. TheTempter's second
suggestion was in effect : " Take Thine
inheritance without suffering."
Sd, The temptation of spiritual
pride or presumption ("of the devil,"
for it is peculiarly his own). While
we follow where God leads we cannot
have too much faith in His care of
us ; but when we presume that God
will follow where we lead, we are said

in Scripture language " to tempt
God," i.e. to make trial how far God
will go with us. See the history of
Balaam. Thus faith allied to self-
will passes into presumption or fana
ticism. The devil's whisper in this
last temptation was virtually, " Give
the sign which the Jews desire, the
sign from heaven, " — the Messiah with
His angels — and all will be Thine ! "
6. That is delivered unto me. The
devil confesses the supremacy of God.
7. Worship me — margin, " fall
down before me."
13. For a season. Doubtless Jesus
had many other personal conflicts
with Satan of a like kind in those
long vigils in solitude, but they are
veiled from us.
14 Here begins the Ministry of
our Lord, extending (as I think) over
a period of two years and a quarter,
— from His baptism soon after the
completion of His thirtieth year (iii.
23), a.d. 27 (see note on Matt. ii. 1),
fifteen years after Augustus had raised
Tiberius to share his throne (iii. 1),
to the third or fourth month after
the completion of his thirty-second
year. The two or three months of
Jucbean ministry indicated by St.
John (iii. 22) are omitted by St. Luke.
St. Luke (like St. Matthew and St.
Mark) begins his narrative after the
imprisonment of the Baptist, i.e. about
the time of Pentecost in the year a.d.
27. For the events of the earlier

176

St. LUKE. Ch. 4. 16-27.

[a.d. 27

taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. " And he came
to Nazareth, where he had been brought up : and, as his custom
was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up
for to read. " And there was delivered unto him the book of the
prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the
place where it was written, ls " The Spirit 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 deliverance
" to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
" liberty them that are bruised, 19to 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 synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say
unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22 And
all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which
proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's
son 1 23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me 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, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I
tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias,
when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when
great famine 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 of them was cleansed, saving
18. Om. " to heal the broken-hearted." 23. done unto Capharnaum.
26. Sarepta of the Sidonian [land].

months we have only the first five
chapters of St. John. One reason of
the silence of the earlier Evangelists
about the Juda>,an ministry may be
that many of the apostles, including
Matthew, were not called until the
imprisonment of the Baptist ; and
the five or six who were called earlier
do not seem to have attached them
selves permanently to our Lord until
their second call (ch. v. 11).
16. In the synagogue service there
first came prayer and praise, then one
was invited by the ruler of the syna
gogue to read and explain a passage
from the Law, and so also from the
Prophets. (See Acts xiii. 15.)
As his custom was. If this
means His custom before the com
mencement of His ministry, it is in
teresting as a solitary glimpse into
the long silent interval of the life at
Nazareth. 18. Is. Ixi. 1. Our Lord proclaims
that the world's jubilee has come,

with a release for sin's captives and a
return to their lost inheritance.
20. The minister — the clerk of the
synagogue. Sat down. A Rabbi is seated while
teaching. Cf. Matt, xxiii. 2.
22. We must suppose further inter
ruptions of His address, and demands
that He should show some wonders
—that the Physician should show His
healing power in His native place —
do something for His own kindred.
Our Lord answers with another pro
verb, and reminds them that two of
their greatest prophets worked their
wonders for strangers. For here, as
ever, Christ refused a sign to those
who asked in mere curiosity.
25. Three years and six months.
So also St. James v. 17 ; the exact
time is not given in 1 Kings xvii. 1.
27. 2 Kings v. 14. Elisseus is the
Greek form of Elisha.
Save . . . saving. The Greek idiom
by no means implies that the widow

A.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 4. 28-40.

177

Naaman the Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they
heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up, and thrust
him out of the city, and led him unto the 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 Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught
them on the sabbath days. ^ And they were astonished at his doc
trine : for his word was with power. M 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, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee,
thou Jesus of Nazareth 1 art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee
who thou art ; the Holy One of God. ^ 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, What a word is this ! for with authority and power he com
mandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And the fame
of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's
house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever ;
and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and re
buked the fever ; and it left her : and immediately she arose and
ministered unto them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with

and Naaman were Israelites, but rather
the contrary. Cf . for the same idiom
Matt. xii. 4, John xvii. 12, and Gal.
ii. 16.
29. Brow — margin, "edge." There
is a limestone cliff just above Naza
reth. 30. This shows how entirely volun
tary was His laying down of life a
year later : " I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it
again." 31 (= Mark i. 23).
33. Note three things here : — (1)
How the sufferer in this fearful pos
session loses the consciousness of his
own personality, becoming the mere
mouthpiece of the evil spirit within
him ; (2) the evil spirit's immediate
recognition of Jesus ; and (3) Christ's
command that he should be silent.
34. Let us alone — margin, "Away ! "
38. The great fever — a medical
phrase. For other indications of St.
Luke's medical knowledge or interest
in bodily cures see viii. 55, xxii. 44,
51 ; Acts iii. 7, ix. 19, xxvii. 34,
xxviii. 8.

39: Rebuked the fever — so, in Mark
iv. 39, Jesus "rebuked the wind, and
said unto the sea, Peace, be still."
Surely Maldonatus and Trench are
right, that this is no merely poetic
personification of nature, but rather a
recognition of the Evil One as the
real author of all the discords of
nature. From these discords nature
groans and travails to be delivered
(Rom. viii. 22), yea, and shall be de
livered by Him who said by way of
foretaste, "Peace, be still" (Col. i. 20 ;
2 Pet. iii. 13).
40. Note the curious harmony of
these Gospels. They waited till the
sun had set. St. Mark supplies the
explanation, — the day that ended with
that sunset was the Sabbath. And
what a Sabbath that Sabbath at
Capernaum was ! — firstthe astonishing
authority with which He spake in the
synagogue ; then the expulsion of the
evil spirit before all the congregation ;
in the afternoon the cure of Simon's
mother-in-law ; and in the evening,
when the Sabbath was over, " the
whole city " with its sick at His door.

M

178

St. LUKE. Ch. 4. 41-44 ; 5. 1-7.

[a.d. 2 7!

divers diseases brought them unto him ; and he laid his hands on
every one of them, and healed them. a And devils also came out
of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God.
And he rebuking them suffered 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 from them. 43 And he
said 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.
Ch. 5. And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him
to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 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 that he would
thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, 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. 6 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
inclosed a great multitude of fishes : and their net brake. 7 And

41. Om. "the Christ.
V. 1. pressed upon him and heard.

43. because for this was I sent. 44. Treg. retains " Galilee ; "
but Sin. and Vat. have " Judea."

5. the nets (

6. their nets were breaking.

41. " Thou art the Christ," or " the
Messiah." But some mss. have " Thou
art the Sou of God " only.
Not to speak, for they knew, etc. —
margin, "to say that they knew him
to be Christ." But the text gives the
right translation. Christ would not
accept testimony from the Evil One.
44. Read " Jndea," and cf. ver. 17.
Cf. V. 1 — 11. Some commentators,
taking this to be the same call of
Peter and his companions which we
have in Matt. iv. 18 and Mark i.
16, and forgetting the earlier dis
cipleship of these apostles (John i.
40), argue that St. Luke's order is
not chronological, for in iv. 38 he
had spoken of Christ being a guest in
St. Peter's house. Some think there
are indications that St. Luke is here
relating a distinct and" later occur
rence. In that call of Peter and
Andrew, James and John, related by
St. Matthew and St. Mark, they were
fishing, not washing their nets, and
there was no miracle worked by
Christ. He simply called them. Here

Christ finds them again engaged in
their old trade, works an astonishing
miracle, which induces them to do
what they do not seem to have done
before, — abandon their business as
fishers and attach .themselves wholly
to Christ. From St. John we know
that Peter, Andrew, and John had
been converted many months before.
If so, the anecdote may well be in its
right place. We may suppose that
we have first their conversion in John
i. 40 ; then, later, their call in Matt.
iv. 18 and Mark i. 16 ; and still later,
this abandonment of their old trade
here related by St. Luke.
3. Thrust out a little — so that the
Teacher might see all His hearers, and
they Him.
6. As a mere wonder is no miracle
unless it be connected with the word
of one who professes to have a Divine
commission, so a merely natural occur
rence (such as an unusually large
draught of fishes) becomes miraculous
by being connected with such a word
of power.

A.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 5. 8-18.

179

they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that
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, 0 Lord. 9For he was astonished, and all that were
with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken : l0 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 land, they forsook all, and followed him.
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a
man full of leprosy : who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought
him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 13 And
he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will : be thou
clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And he
charged him to tell no man : but go, and shew thyself to the priest,
and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a
testimony unto them. 1B But so much the more went there a fame
abroad of him : and great multitudes came together to hear, and to
be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And he withdrew himself
into the wilderness, and prayed.
17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that
there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were
come out of every town of Galilee, and Judsea, and Jerusalem : and
the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And, behold,
men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy : and
they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
15. Om. "by him."

8. Depart from me. As in the
Transfiguration so here it might be
added, " For he wist not what he
said." He felt that he was nearer to
God than he had ever been, and his
first impulse was one of fear, and
under this impulse he spoke — not
wisely. His second thoughtwastofor-
sake all that he might follow Christ.
Compare Isaiah's ' ' Woe is me, " when
he realised God's presence (vi. 5).
II. So St. Peter, later in the
ministry, " Behold, we have forsaken
all and followed Thee : what shall we
have therefore ? " Alas ! Peter had
much to learn, and he learned it,
" weeping bitterly."
12 (= Matt. viii. 2, Mark i. 40).
14. For a testimony unto them — i.e.
to satisfy them that thou art clean.
Or possibly to reprove them for their
want of belief in Me, as in ix. 5.
16. Withdrew, or rather, "was (ever)
withdrawing," — it was His habit.

Amid that excitable Galilean popu
lation, ever quick to rise in insurrec
tion if only they could find a leader,
as Josephus abundantly testifies, Jesus
had to be constantly on His guard,
avoiding the crisis which they would
fain have precipitated. Hence the
frequent charge to tell no man, and
the frequent withdrawing into the
wilderness. 17. We see from St. John's 5th ch.
that there had been a visit to Jndea
(cf. ms. reading of iv. 44) and how the
malignity of the Sanhedrin had driven
Christ from Jerusalem a few weeks
before this ; here we find their
emissaries following Jesus, to watch
and ensnare Him. We see in what
follows (21, 30, 33, vi. 2, 7, 11)
how they sought occasion against
Him, combining even with the Roman
party (Mark iii. 6) to effect His de
struction. 18. See Matt. ix. 2, Mark ii. 1.

180

St. LUKE; Ch. 5.

19-35-

[a.d. 27

19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him
in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let
him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before
Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy
sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began
to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies ? Who
can forgive sins, but God alone ? 22 But when Jesus perceived their
thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your
hearts ? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or
to say, Bise up and walk ? 24 But 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 into 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 they were all amazed, and they glori
fied God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange
things to-day.
27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named
Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom : and he said unto him, Follow
me. 2S 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. '-"But
their scribes and Pharisees murmured 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 1 came not to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance. 33 And they said unto him,' Why do the dis
ciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples
of the Pharisees ; but thine eat and drink? "And he said unto
them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the
bridegroom is with them? 35But the days will come, when the

20. Om. "unto him." 27,29. Levis.
33. Om. "Why "(f).

30. Pharisees and their (?) scribes.
34. And Jesus said.

23. Whether Is easier, etc. An
impostor might say, Thy sins be for
given thee; but he would hardly
venture to say, Rise up and walk.
24 It may be asked, If the Son of
Man had power on earth to forgive
sins, why did He not do it oftener ?
And why the necessity of the Atone
ment ? To the last question we may
reply at once, that this and every
previous forgiveness of man's sin — as
for instance that of David's — were by
virtue of the Atonement of the Lamb
" fore-ordained before the foundation
of the world." And in reply to the first
question it may be suggested that so
closely connected in Christ's thought
were sin and disease, that probably

every miracle of healing was silently
accompanied by an act of forgiveness
similar to this (see John v. 14) ; and
where there was no penitential faith,
neither cure nor forgiveness was
vouchsafed. 27. This description of the call of
Levi, as he sat collecting the lake
dues, so exactly agrees with the call
of "Matthew "as given in the first
Gospel, that there can be no doubt
of the^identity of "Levi" and "Mat
thew:" else Levi would be omitted
in the lists of the twelve. Pos
sibly Christ changed his name to
Matthew (or " God's gift "), as He
changed that of Simon to Cephas or
Peter.

.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 5. 36-39 ; 6. 1-2.

181

bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they
fast in those days. 36 And he spake also a parable unto them ; No
man putteth a piece of a new garment 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 preserved. 39No man also having
drunk old wine straightway desireth new ; for he saith, The old is
better. Ch. 6. And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first,
that he went through the corn fields ; and his disciples plucked the
ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And certain
of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful
36. No one rendeth a piece from a new garment and putteth it upon an old garment . . . will
make a rent . . . wiU not agree. ... 38. Om. " and both are preserved " (f).
39. No one having drunk old desireth new ; for he saith, The old is good. Alt. " is better."
VI. 1. And it came to pass on a sabbath ; om. " the second after the first " (omitted in both
Sinaitic and Vatican MSS., and in the Peschito version) ; went through corn-fields, and
his disciples plucked and ate the ears. 2. Om. "unto them : " om. " to do."

36. Both garments will be injured :
the new will have a rent in it, and
the old will have an ill-assorted
patch. Most of the Fathers follow Chryso-
stom, understanding by the old wine
skins the apostles, who could not yet
bear strict rules about fasting. But
St. Jerome is probably right in ex
plaining the old wine-skins to mean
the Scribes and Pharisees, and the
new wine the precepts of the Gospel.
39. A further illustration of Christ's
meaning that the New and the Old
must not be brought too closely
together : there is a natural prejudice
in favour of the old, which cannot be
got over all at once. Our Lord seems
to have said this graciously, by way
of excusing the Baptist's disciples for
clinging to the old observances. Com
pare St. Paul's concession to the Jews'
scruples about meats in 1 Cor. x.
28 Ch. VI. I (= Matt. xii. 1, Mark
ii. 23). It is doubtful whether the
word translated "second after the first"
is genuine. If retained, it should be
rendered "first after (or of) the second; "
but what this means no one knows,
the word occurring nowhere else.
Scaliger conjectured "first Sabbath
after the second day of the Passover
' but then the ears of corn

must have been barley, which no one
would rub in the hand and eat.
The only corn so eaten is wheat,
which ripens a month later than
barley, — wheat harvest in Palestine
ranging from last week in April
to first week in June. Therefore
Wetstein's conjecture— first Sabbath
of the second month — would be the
earliest possible date for this incident,
and Epiphanius' date — first Sabbath
after second great Feast (Pentecost) —
would be the latest. Whether the
word be genuine or not, it is certain
the rubbing of wheat must have
occurred about Pentecost, when the
" first-fruits " of the wheat harvest
(two loaves) were waved in the
Temple. (Cf. Ex. xxiii. 16 — where Pen
tecost is called " the feast of harvest,"
— xxxiv. 22, and Lev. xxiii. 17.
This (it will be observed) agrees
well with Chrysostom's belief that
the nameless feast of John v. 1 was
Pentecost, for this sudden rage
excited by Christ's doings on the
Sabbath (of which we heard nothing
a few weeks before when He worked
Sabbath cures— ch. iv. 33-39) is best
explained by supposing the prosecu
tion before the Sanhedrin for Sab
bath-breaking (John v. 16) to have
intervened. See Mark iii. 22, and
note there.

182

St. LUKE. Ch. 6. 3-17.

[a.d. 27

to do on the sabbath days ? 3 And Jesus answering them said, Have
ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an
hungred, and they which were with him ; 4 how he went into the
house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to
them that were with him ; which it is not lawful to eat but for the
priests alone? BAnd he said unto them, That the Son of man is
Lord also of the sabbath.
6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered
into the synagogue and taught : and there was a man whose right
hand was withered. 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 hand, Bise 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 all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy
hand. And he did so : and his hand was restored whole as the
other. u And they were filled with madness ; and communed one
with another what they might do to Jesus.
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a moun
tain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. "And when
it was day, he called unto him his disciples : and of them he chose
twelve, whom also he named apostles; "Simon, (whom he also named
Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and
Bartholomew, 1B Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon called Zelotes, "and Judas the brother of James, and
Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 17 And he came down
with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples,
and a great multitude of people out of all Judsea and Jerusalem, and

4. gave to them ; om. " also." 6. 0m.
9. I ask you whether.
14. and (?) Philip. 15. and (?) Matthew.

also." 7. watched whether he healeth ; om.
10. Om. "whole :" om. " as the other " (?).

'him."

16. and (?) Judas of James ; om. " also " (?).

5. See note on Mark ii. 27, and the
weighty saying there added, "The
Sabbath was instituted for man " (i.e.
for mankind). This passage illus
trates the deep meaning of that title
which Christ in so marked a way
appropriated to Himself," The Son of
Man," — the Representative Man :
the Second Adam : the Head of the
redeemed race, once more in covenant
with God.
6. St. Matthew has " into their
synagogue," implying that it was in
the same place where He had walked
through the corn-fields. The decree
of the Sanhedrin condemning Him
for Sabbath-breaking (John v. 16)
had probably just been passed, and
these Scribes and Pharisees were

acting under instructions from the
Sanhedrin. 9. We must not fail to notice the
bitter rebuke of their malignity : Is
it lawful on the Sabbath-days to do
the good I purpose, or the evil you
purpose? for Me to save this man's
life, or for you to destroy My life?
Hence the look of anger as He spoke
noticed by St. Mark. That the
rebuke was understood is evident
from their fury.
12. Into a mountain — or rather
"into the hill country;" from the
low level of the lake He went up
among the hills.
13. (=Matt. x. 1, Mark iii. 13).
Possibly in his solemn ordination
of the twelve apostles at this time,

A.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 6. 18-22.

183

from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and
to be healed of their diseases ; 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 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye
poor : for your's is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger
now : for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now : for ye
shall laugh. M Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when
18. They that were vexed were cured of unclean spirits.

our Lord may have been influenced
by the recent council held by the
priestly party in combination with
those in office (see verse 11, and the
parallel notice in St. Mark iii. 6).
For the list see note on Matt.
x. 2.
" James's Jude " — whether son or
brother of James is uncertain. St.
Matthew calls this Jude "Lebbaeus
surnamed Thaddseus," St. Mark
" Thaddseus." The name " Apostles " was familiar
to the Jews, being given to the mes
sengers sent to collect the Temple-dues
among the Jews of the Dispersion.
17. Tyre and Sidon — these might
be mostly Gentiles.
In the plain. Should be translated
" On a level spot," — a platform in the
hill-country in which St. Matthew
tells us the sermon was delivered.
St. Matthew gives the sermon before
he mentions the ordaining of the
twelve. From St. Luke we learn
that it was delivered after their
ordination, showing, as much else
shows, that St. Matthew's order is not
always chronological.
19. See note on viii. 44, 45, below.
20. At this point St. Luke's order
ceases to coincide with that of St.
Mark. In chap. ix. he rejoins St.
Mark. 20 — 49 (= Matt. v. vi. vii.). The
differences between St. Luke's report
of the Sermon on the Mount and
St. Matthew's are most instructive
to a student of these Gospels, proving,
if proof were needed, that the Evange
lists are not to be understood to give
verbal reproductions of our Lord's
sayings, but exercised an inspired
discretion in the matter. Comparing

St. Matthew's report, occupying 107
verses, with St. Luke's, abridged
into 30, we perceive that both are
abstracts, one longer, one shorter, of
the same discourse. The beginning
and ending are almost word for word
the same, and the order of the sav
ings which St. Luke gives is the
same as that in which they occur in
St. Matthew. Instead of the seven
blessings, St. Luke gives four bless
ings and four corresponding warn
ings, showing plainly that both
Evangelists are abridging what our
Lord actually said. The whole of
St. Matthew's sixth chapter is want
ing in St. Luke's report ; but much
of it (the Lord's prayer, the treasure
in heaven, the single eye, and the
"Take no thought") is given by
St. Luke in other connexions in
his eleventh and twelfth chapters ;
and the verse about "serving two
masters" occurs in identical words in
St. Luke's sixteenth chapter as part
of the lesson of the parable of the
Unjust Steward. It would be inter
esting to know whether our Lord
u,ttered these five sayings twice (which
their proverbial form renders not
unlikely), or whether St. Matthew
collects into His " Sermon on the
Mount" sayings uttered originally
on various occasions of our Lord's
ministry. No one can read St.
Matthew's Gospel without seeing that
his purpose is not so much a biogra
phical memoir as to give collected
specimens of our Lord's parables and
of His miracles, until he comes to the
Passion Week.
20. St. Matthew preserves our
Lord's phrase, " Kingdom of Heaven,"
a phrase perfectly familiar to the

18-1

St. LUKE. Ch. 6. 23-35.

[a.d. 27

they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you,
and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Be-
joice ye in that day, and leap for joy : for, behold, your reward is
great in heaven : for in the like manner did their fathers unto the
prophets. 24 But woe unto you that are rich ! for ye have received
your consolation. 2BWoe unto you that are full! for ye shall
hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn and
weep. 26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you ! for
so did their fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to
them which hate you, 2S bless them that curse you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth
thee on the one cheek offer also the other ; and him that taketh
away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every
man that asketh of thee ; and of him that taketh away thy goods
ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you,
do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you,
what thank have ye ? for sinners 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 if ye lend to
them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye ? for sinners
also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 36 But love ye your
enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again ; and your
23. for in the same manner. 25. that are full [now ?].... Woe, ye who laugh now.
26. Woe when all men ; om. " unto you ; " for in the same manner.
28. pray for them; om. "and."

Jews, as the Rabbis testify, and
meaning the Divine kingdom which
their Messiah was to set up on earth,
foretold by Daniel (vii. 14, 27). St.
Luke, writing for Gentiles, and fear
ing they would not understand the
phrase, altered it to " kingdom of
God." See note on Matt. iii. 2. A
like reason may have led him to write
" Blessed be ye poor " instead of
"poor in spirit." Gentiles might
hardly understand the latter phrase,
whereas Jews would be familiar with
it in their Psalms and Prophets (see
1 Sam. i. 15 ; Ps. xxxii. 2 ; Pro v.
xxix. 23 ; Is. lvii. 15, lxvi. 2).
24 — 26. The four woes which
follow are the exact counterpart of
the four benedictions. This sym
metry of construction proves (if proof
were needed) that St. Luke is report
ing the very words of Christ. If so,
we must suppose that St. Matthew's
eight benedictions were spoken on one
occasion, and St. Luke's four bene
dictions and four woes on another
distinct occasion. But this need only

apply to the opening verses. The
rest may be (as we have said) one
and the same discourse.
27 — 49. The rest of the sermon as
given by St. Luke may be divided
into three portions : (1) ver. 27 to 38
— The Law of Charity, corresponding
to the last ten verses of Matt. v. (2)
ver. 39 to 45 — Warning against
hypocrisy, roughly answering to Matt.
viii. 1-20. (3) ver. 40 to 49— We
must be doers of the Word, — corre
sponding to the remainder of Matt. vii.
32—35. The symmetry of this
shows that it was one continuous
discourse ; verse 32 spoke of love,
33 of doing good, 34 of lending; in
35 all are recapitulated.
35, 36. In the midst of the great
severity of our Lord's general lan
guage we may be deeply thankful for
this mention of the kindness and
mercy of God.
35. Hoping for nothing- again.
This makes excellent sense. But the
original word is a most unusual one,
and, according to the Sinaitic ms..

A.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 6. 36-45.

185

reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest :
for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye there
fore 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 running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure
that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the
blind ? shall they not both fall into the ditch ? 40 The disciple is not
above his master : but every one 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 ? ** Either how
canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that
is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in
thine own eye ? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine
own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in
thy brother's eye. ** For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit;
neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ** For every
tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs,
nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. *" A good man out of
the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and
an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that
which is evil : for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
36. Om. " therefore ; " om. " also " (?). 37. And judge not.
38. pressed down, shaken together, running over ... for with what measure.
39. Now he spake a parable also. 40. above the master. 42. Om. " Or " (?).
43. neither again (?) doth. 45. and the evil out of the evil bringeth.

would seem to mean " causing no one
to despair." But in a case of so much
doubt we may do best to adhere to the
sense of our English translation and
the Vulgate.
36. This verse corresponds to the
close of Matt. v. ; the next verse to
Matt. vii. 1. The whole of Matt. vi.
is wanting in St. Luke's report of the
sermon. 37, 38. God will deal with us ac
cording as we deal with our fellow-
men. In the latter verse it does not
mean that the men we have benefited
will requite us. God's Providence
will so order it that more, infinitely
more, shall be poured into the lap of
charitable men than they have given
to others.
With the same measure, etc. If
your measure has been a liberal one,
then God's measure to you shall be a
liberal one.
39. The form of sentence shows
that Christ is commencing a new

subject, — the danger of hypocrisy.
But there is some connexion ; for it
gives a fresh reason for not judging
others: " Perhaps you are as blind as
they ! And in that case you can
never benefit them by your admoni
tions. Both disciple and master will
fall into the ditch, — for a master can
never raise his disciple above his own
standard ; therefore he can never bene
fit one who knows as much as himself.
When the disciple has learned all that
is to be learned from his master, he
is only on a level with him." [So
the margin, " shall be perfected as his
master."] " It is folly therefore for a
master who is himself in the dark to
profess to improve the sight of his
disciple. You had best therefore cease
to judge or criticise your neighbours."
43. And then, in the same con
nexion, "unless you are good your
self, you can never do good to others ;
you might as well expect a rotten
tree to bring forth good fruit."

186

St. LUKE. Ch. 6. 46-49 ; 7. 1-10.

[a.d. 27

46 And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which
I say ? 4T Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my saymgs, and
doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like : u He is like a man
which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on
a rock : and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon
that house, and could not shake it : for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a
foundation built an house upon the earth ; against which the stream
did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell ; and the ruin of that
house was great.
Ch. 7. Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience
of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion's
servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 3 And
when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews,
beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. 4 And
when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That
he was worthy for whom he should do this : 6 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, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself : for
I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof : 'where
fore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee : but say in
a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For I also am a man set
under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go,
¦ and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my
servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 9 When Jesus heard these things,
he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people
that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith,
no, not in Israel. 10 And they that were sent, returning to the house,
found the servant whole that had been sick.
48. and could not shake it, because it was well built.
VII. 7. and let my servant be healed. 10. Om. " that had been sick."

46. " Therefore (in conclusion) cease
from vain professions (affecting to
judge others), and look more to your
doings." Ch. VII. 1 (= Matt. viii. 5). At
Tell-Hum, on a hill rising from the
north shore of the Sea of Galilee,
Major Wilson found the ruins of a
marble synagogue of the Herodian
age ; which, if that were the site of
Capernaum, might be identified with
the synagogue built by this faithful
centurion. But Capernaum was pro
bably some miles to the south (see
notes on Matt. viii. 18 and xiv.
13). 2. A centurion, an officer in the
Roman army commanding a hundred
men. This one was probably a pro
selyte or convert to Judaism (Exod.

xii. 48). He speaks like a soldier :
" Say the word of command only and
my servant will be healed. For I,
who am only a subaltern, am obeyed,
— how much more Thou, who hast
command of life and death, sickness
and health."
3. Sent . . . the elders of the Jews —
the elders of the synagogue which
he had built, and in which Jesus had
taught of late on Sabbath-days. He
was himself a Roman, and doubted
in his humility whether Jesus would
think it right that he should share
"the children's bread."
9. I have not found so great faith,
no, not in Israel, as I find in this
Gentile soldier. Trustfulness and
humility — this, then, is what our
Lord means by "faith."

A.D. 2

7]

St. LUKE. Ch. 7. n-21.

187

" And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called
Nain ; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was
a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a
widow : and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when
the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her,
Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier : and they that
bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee,
Arise. 1B And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And
he delivered him to his mother. " And there came a fear on all :
and they glorified God, saying, 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 Judsea, and throughout
all the region round about.
18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus,
saying, Art thou he that should come 1 or look we for another %
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath
sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come ? or look
we for another ? u And in that same hour he cured many of their
11. very shortly after . . . and his disciples went with him.
16. was raised up . . . God visited.
19. sent them to the Lord . . . look we for a second (as in Matt. xi. 3 in the Greek).
21. And in that hour.

II. The day after. Whichever read
ing we adopt we have an exact note
of time. St. Luke had promised " to
write in order " (i. 3).
All the three earlier Evangelists
relate the raising of Jairus's daughter;
St. Luke only this of the widow's
son ; St. John only that of Lazarus.
Whether Jesus raised more than
these three we cannot say; verse
22 and John v. 21 would seem to
imply that He did. The raising of
Jairus's daughter had five witnesses
only ; that of the widow's son a great
multitude — with the widow there
would be all the mourners, with Jesus
"many of His disciples and much
people." That of Lazarus was still
more public. The sensation created
by these three miracles was evidently
immense, — see Matt. ix. 26, and verses
16, 17 of this chapter.
12. Carried out. All burials were
outside the walls of their cities.
14. The bier — better than the
" coffin " of the margin : coffins were
unknown to the Jews.
Young man, to thee I say, Arise.
The position of the pronoun is em
phatic. Christ speaks to him as

within hearing, for all live unto God.
17. Throughout all Judsea. Christhad
worked several miracles in Jerusalem
at the previous Passover(John ii. 23, iv.
45), but probably none at all equal to
this great Galilean miracle. Therefore
St. Luke tells us that the fame of it
spread into Judssa, and reached the
ears of the Baptist in his captivity.
18. John was now in prison ; see
Matt. xi. 2, and note there. The con
nexion of this verse with the preced
ing confirms Joseph us's mention of
Machserus (on the Dead Sea) as the
place of John's captivity ; as it would
be included in "the region round
about Judaja."
19. See note on Matt. xi. 1. There
is another interpretation of the Bap
tist's words suggested in Lightfoot's
Horce Heb.," Art thou the coming One,
or do we look for a Second ? " The
Jews spoke of two Messiahs, One who
was to suffer in fulfilment of Is. liii.,
the second to reign in glory. The
Baptist knew Jesus was the First
(" the Lamb of God "), but was not
clearly assured that the Sufferer was
one and ,the same as He who should
come in glory.

188

St. LUKE. Ch. 7. 22-32.

[a.d. 27

infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and unto many that 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 offended in me. ^And when
the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the
people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for
to see ? A reed shaken with the wind ? 26 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.
26 But what went ye out for to see ? A prophet ? Yea, I say unto
you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is
written, " Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall
" prepare, thy way before thee." 28For I say unto you, Among
those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than
John the Baptist : but he that is least in the kingdom of God is
greater than he. 29And all the people that heard him, and the
publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lajvyers rejected the counsel of God against
themselves, being not baptized of him. 31And the Lord said,
Whereunto then shall I 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 saying, We have piped
22. And he answering said ; om. " Jesus ; " om. " how " (?).
28. Om. " For ; " om. " prophet " (?) ; om. " the Baptist." 31. Om. " And the Lord said."
32. one to another, saying . . we mourned and ye wept not.

23. Blessed is he who does not find
it difficult to believe in Me.
28. He that Is least : some translate,
" he that is less," i.e. less gifted than
John; — but "he that is least" isbetter,
as iu ix. 48 — "if he be a member of
My kingdom (the Church of Christ) is
greaterthan John (in privilege)." Few,
if any, would now adopt Chrysostom's
view that Christ meant Himself by
" He that is least."
29, 30. St. Luke * inserts this paren
thetic notice of the effect of our
Lord's testimony to the Baptist on
those who stood around ; the people
and publicans gladly assenting, and
giving glory to God (such seems to
be the meaning of justified), — being for
the most part themselves disciples of
* Some modern commentators, noticing
that the words ' ' And the Lord said " in ver. 31
are not found in the uncial mss., understand
verses 29, 30 to be Christ's words, " All the
people that heard John and the publicans," etc.
But the tenses of the verbs seem to show that
they are the words of the narrator, and Luke
xiii. 17, IS, and Acts i. 18, 19, show that it is
St. Luke's manner to insert such parentheses.

the Baptist. Whereas the Pharisees
and Scribes rejected the notion of
John having had any divine mission
to themselves, even as they had
refused to be baptized by him.
It is to these last (as ver. 34 shows)
that our Lord refers when He likens '
their perverse rejection both of the
ascetic John, and of Himself the will
ing guest of all, to the perversity of
children finding fault one with another
because neither will join in the other's
game, whether the game be a wedding
or a funeral. Whereas "the people
and the publicans " are the children
of wisdom, who, in receiving Christ
and His forerunner, gave testimony
(so far as in them lay) to the wisdom
of Him from whom they came.
30. Rejected — or, as in the margin,
" frustrated." Against themselves. Neither this
nor the margin's " within themselves "
is right : it means that they rejected
what God counselled or designed for
themselves.

A.D. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 7. 33-42.

189

unto you, and ye have not danced ; we have mourned to you, and ye
have not wept. ** For John the Baptist came neither eating bread
nor drinking wine ; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The Son of man
is come eating and drinking ; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man,
and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners ! 36 But wisdom
is justified of all her children.
36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with
him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she
knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an
alabaster box of ointment, 38and 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. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden
him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a
prophet, 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. ** There was a
certain creditor which had two debtors : the one owed five hundred
pence, and the other fifty. ** And when they had nothing to pay,
he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them

37. a woman which was a sinner in the city.

42. Om. " Tell me."

35. God's wisdom was vindicated
by the ready acceptance which John
found on the part of all good men.
37. The chapter heading assumes
the truth of an old tradition of the
Western Church, that this sinful
woman was Mary Magdalene. But
no Latin Father before Gregory the
Great affirms it positively ; the Greek
Fathers know nothing of it, and it
has no scriptural ground to rest on ;
see note on viii. 2. Equally erroneous
is the identification of this anointing
with that which took place at Bethany
(Matt. xxvi. 6 and John xii. 1),
though the name of the host is iden
tical. This was in Galilee, before
the Transfiguration ; that other at
Bethany, at least nine months later.
38. Stood at his feet behind him.
The attitude of the ancients at their
meals, reclining on the left elbow,
with the feet extended on the couch
behind, explains this phrase. The
intrusion of this poor child of vice
into the Pharisee's house need not
surprise us. In the East the doors
were thrown wide open while a feast
was going on, and mendicants came in
for alms. This woman may have

come for -a, very different purpose,
but her heart was touched by Christ's
words which she overheard, and
Christ knew it.
39 — 5°- Here was a woman of great
infirmity, one whose life would not
bear looking into ; and here was a
man of strict religion, so far as
appears of unstained respectability.
To his astonishment he finds the de
spised woman lifted into far higher
rank in Christ's kingdom than him
self. How is it ? True, her trespasses
might have been far greater than his :
Christ is willing to concede it. But
when the divine goodness of Christ
was brought before her, she yielded
herself at once, without any kind of
reservation, to His influence. This
trustful surrender of her whole self
to Christ's influence, Christ calls her
faith. For the sake of it all her
previous sin was forgiven. Her faith
saved her. Without some measure
of such self-surrender on our part,
Christ is unable to do anything for
our soul. It is noticeable that our
Lord's words to Simon (44-47) have
the rhythm of Hebrew verse. Cf.
Matt. xi. 7-10.

190

St. LUKE. Ch. 7. 43-5° ' 8- x-3-

[a.d. 27

will love him most ? *-• Simon answered and said, I suppose that
Ae, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast
rightly judged. ""And he turned to the woman, and said unto
Simon, Seest thou this woman ? I entered into thine house, thou
gavest me no water for my feet : but she hath washed my feet with
tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. *" Thou gavest
me no kiss : but this woman since the time I came in hath not
ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint :
but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. _47 Wherefore
I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven ; for she
loved much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that
sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this
that f orgiveth sins also ? B0 And he said to the woman, Thy faith
hath saved thee ; go in peace.
Ch. 8. And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout
every city and village, preaching and shewing 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 Joanna the
wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which
ministered unto him of their substance.

44. and wiped them with her hair.

VIII. 3. ministered unto them.

45. Thou gavest me no kiss. Com
pare Ex. xviii. 7.
Since I came In. The Vulgate has
" since she came in. "
47.WhereforeIsayuntothee: "Thou
mayest be sure her sins, which are
many, have been forgiven her, for her
gratitude a moment ago proved it: they
to whom little is forgiven show but
little gratitude." To English readers
this verse seems to mean that her love
was the reason why she was forgiven :
whereas Christ points to it as a rea
son why Simon should feel sure she
was forgiven. The love was the result,
not the cause, of her forgiveness.
Ch. VIII. 1. Afterward— " in the
next few days, or weeks," — one of
St. Luke's notes of time.
2. All these women seem to have
been bound to Christ by gratitude
for deliverance from some affliction.
In the case of Mary of Magdala
the affliction seems to have been
demoniacal possession of a more than
usually aggravated kind. The way
in which she is here introduced
almost forbids us to connect her with
the repentant harlot of the previous
chapter, nor need we suppose that

her affliction was due to sin. "Pos
session " manifested itself in various
ways, sometimes in epilepsy or other
bodily ailment, sometimes in long fits
of silent abstraction (the " dumb and
deaf siiirit " of Mark ix. 25), some
times iu a divided consciousness,—
the unhappy person feeling as if there
were two conflicting selves within him,
the demon-self being the stronger,
prompting his thoughts and speaking
with his voice. We may say with much
confidence that no one so possessed
could be leading the life of a harlot,
and we may feel sure that had "the
woman who was a sinner " of vii 37
been Mary Magdalene, St. Luke would
have implied the identitywhenhecame
to mention her again in viii. 2. The
Greek Fathers never identified the
two. Their identity began to be
suggested by the four Latin doctors,
Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine
speaking doubtfully, Gregory assum
ing it as certain. But it is iu the
highest degree improbable. Nor is
there any reason for identifying her
with Mary the sister of Lazarus.
3. Chuza Herod's steward. House-
steward of Herod Antipas ; see note

A.D.

27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 8. 4-16.

191

4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come
to him out of every city, he spake by a parable : B A sower went
out to sow his seed : and as he sowed, some fell by the way 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, because 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, He that hath
ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying,
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. u Now the parable is this : The seed is the word
of God. u Those by the way side are they that hear ; then cometh
the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they
should 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 they, which, when they
have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and
pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 1B 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 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a
vessel, or putteth it under a bed ; but setteth it on a candlestick, that

8. into the good ground.

9. Om. "saying.'

12. they that heard (?).

on John iv. 46. St. Luke seems to
have had special acquaintance with
the Court of Herod; see xxiii 8-12
and Acts xiii. 1.
4 (= Matt, xiii 1, Mark iv. 1).
Translate : " When a great multi
tude were gathering, and the people
of the towns were coming to him."
Note how St. Luke is content to
give this parable for its own sake,
without any attempt to specify the
time or place at which it was spoken.
So at verse 22 he gives the miracle
of the storm without caring to specify
that it was on the evening of the
same day as that on which the para
ble of the Sower was spoken (as we
know from St. Mark). St. Luke is
content to say " on one of the days."
The parable of the Sower is by no
means word for word the same as the
parable of St. Matthew and St. Mark ;
St. Luke has evidently put it into his
own Greek without having seen their
Greek version.

10. That seeing they might not see,
etc. Clearly that terrible punishment
called in Scripture "the hardening of
the heart " is here meant, but St.
Luke in his brevity has omitted the
sin for which this punishment is in
flicted : in St. Matthew's fuller report
we have it clearly, — unwillingness to
receive the truth. They shall not, be
cause they will not. See note on
Mark iv. 11-13.
16. St. Mark gives this proverb
in this same close connexion with the
parable of the Sower. What the con
nexion is may be seen by the help
of the 18th verse : " Take heed that
ye receive the seed of the Word into
the good heart, where it will yield' in
crease," — " Take heed that ye place
the light of the Word so conspicu
ously before others that it may shine
forth on many." Put in this way we
recognize one and the same thought
under the two metaphors. ' ' My
words are meant to be spread abroad :

192

St. LUKE. Ch. 8. 17-28.

[a.d. 27

they which enter in may see the hght. 17 For nothing is secret, that
shall not be made manifest ; neither any thing hid, that shall not be
known and come abroad. 1S Take heed therefore how ye hear : for
whosoever hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever hath not,
from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not
come at him for the press. 20 And it was told him by certain which
said, 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 which hear the word of God, and do it.
22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship
with his disciples : 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. M And
they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we
perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the
water : and they ceased, and there was a calm. 26 And he said unto
them, Where is your faith ? And they being afraid wondered, say
ing one to another, What manner of man is this ! for he commandeth
even 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 city 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
20. Om. " by certain which said." 24. Then he, being awakened, rebuked (?).
26. of the Gerasenes. 27. which had devils, and long time ware no clothes.

I whisper them in your ear that you
may publish them. If ye fail to do
so, beware lest ye yourselves lose their
blessing." It is worth while, for the sake
of its bearing on any endeavour to
harmonize the four Gospels, to note
that our Lord seems to have repeated
this proverb about the candle on at
least three distinct occasions. We
have it in the Sermon on the Mount,
we have it here, and we have it
again in this same Gospel, xi. 33.
May not our Lord have similarly
repeated many of His parables and

18. Seemeth to have. Vulgate and
margin, " thinketh that he hath,"
which is better.
19. For their purpose see Mark iii. 21
and 31. In St. Matthew and St. Mark
this incident precedes the parable of
the Sower. In St. Luke it follows
the parable : and it is worth noticing

that the parable seems to colour our
Lord's concluding words, for whereas
in St. Matthew and St. Mark it is all
"who do God's will," here it is all
"who hear the word of God, and
keep it."
22 ( = Matt. viii. 23, unchronolo-
gical ; Mark iv. 35). On a certain
day — or "on one of the days." St.
Mark — says plainly "on the same
day" as that on which He had de
livered the parables of the Sower, etc.,
from the boat. See note there (Mark
iv. 35), and on verse 4 above.
26. See Dote on Matt. viii. 28. There
two demoniacs are mentioned ; here
and in St. Mark one only. We may
well suppose that one of the two was
spokesman for both, the other falling
so completely into the background as
not to be mentioned. The true name
of the people seems to have been
neither Gadarene nor Gergasene, but
Gerasene.

a.d. 27]

St. LUKE. Ch. 8. 29-40.

193

with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son
of God most high ? I beseech thee, torment me not. 29 (For he
had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For
oftentimes 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
command 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 suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered
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. M 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, and 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 devils was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude
of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart
from them ; for they were taken with great fear : and he went up
into the ship, and returned back again. 38 Now the man out of
whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with
him : but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Beturn to thine own house,
and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he
went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great
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.
34. fled and told ; om. " and went." 36. Om. " also." 37. of the Gerasenes . . . into a ship.
38. but he sent him away ; om. " Jesus."

31. They speak the language of the
other world, praying that they may
not yet be sent into the abyss (the
"bottomless pit" of Rev. xx. 3) pre
pared for the devil and his angels.
In St. Mark's report the demon's
request is that Christ would not send
them away out of the country. Trench
reconciles the two by explaining that
according to Jewish notions certain
countries were assigned to evil as well
as to good spirits, the limits of which
they were unable to pass ; so that if
sent out of their own country no place
would be open to them except the
abyss, and to be sen t there would bring
them into torment before the time.
32. It can hardly be necessary to
note that Christ did not send them
into the swine. He expelled them

from the man. All the rest comes
under the problem of permitted evil :
on which all that we dare say is this,
that while there is sin, or moral evil,
it is reasonable, and indeed merciful,
of God to permit physical evil in order
to chasten us. The physical evil
permitted to fall on the swine served
to impress on all the bystanders the
magnitude of the moral evil from
which the man had been delivered.
See note on Mark v. 13.
37. Jesus, in complying with their
blind request, illustrates the principle
Hehad laid down in verse 10, — he that
will not, shall not have the blessings
of the Gospel.
40. Returned — across the lake to
Capernaum, which St. Matthew means
by " His own city."

N

194

St. LUKE. Ch. 8. 41-53.

[a.d. 28

41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a
ruler of the synagogue : and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought
him that he would come into his house : ** for he had one only
daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as
he went the people thronged him. 43 And a woman having an issue
of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians,
neither could be healed of any, M came behind him, and touched the
border of his garment : and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
46 And Jesus said, 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.
49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the
synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead ; trouble not
the Master. 60 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying,
Fear not : believe only, and she shall be made whole. B1 And when
he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter,
and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
62 And all wept, and bewailed her : but he said, Weep not ; she is
not dead, but sleepeth. B3 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing

45. Om. " and sayest thou, Who touched me " (?). 47. declared before all ; om. " unto him."
48. Om. "be of good comfort." 49. Om. "tohim"(?) . . . trouble no longer.
50. Om. " saying." 51. Peter and John and James. 52. Weep not, for she.

41. Jairus. The Hebrew form
would be "Jair." One of the judges
bore this name, — "Jair the Gileadite,"
Judges x. 3.
43. Had [besides] spent all her
money upon physicians. St. Luke
was a physician : Col. iv. 14.
44. The poor woman approached
very timidly, being in a state of legal
uncleanness. There was something
of superstition mingled with her
faith, — "If I may but touch His gar
ment" (the fringe or hem — Matt, xxiii.
5; Num. xv. 38) "I shall be whole."
She had faith in Christ's healing power,
though an unworthy notion of the
manner of it. " She made a mistake
in attributing the miracles of Christ
to some natural power independent
of His will." Christ forgives the
superstition for the sake of the faith :
" Thy faith" — not any magical power
in My fringe — "hath made thee
whole." Faith though disfigured by
superstition may still be blessed.

(Compare with this miracle Acts xix.
12, and see the note there.)
45. Jesus from the first was in all
probability conscious of her approach,
and of her faith, and healed her by
His will. He asked the question, as
He asked "What things?" in Luke
xxiv. 19. St. Mark's words, "He
looked round about to see her that
had done this thing," seem to imply
this. His purpose seems to be to
draw her forth from her wish for
concealment, aud teach her, as He
taught Nicodemus, that they who seek
Him must confess Him before men.
46. Chrysostom's remark is that
Jesus suited His answer to the
grosser conception of His hearers.
52. She Is not dead, but sleepeth.
If there were room for doubt about
our Lord's meaning, it would be re
moved by the apostle's explanation,
John xi. 13. The presence of the
hired mourners proved that, humanly
speaking, the maid was dead.

A.D. 28]

St. LUKE. Ch. 8. 54-56; 9. 1-9.

195

that she was dead. B4 And he put them all out, and took her by
the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55And her spirit came
again, and she arose straightway : and he commanded to give her
meat. 66 And her parents were astonished : but he charged them
that they should tell no man what was done.
Ch. 9- Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave
them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the
sick. 3And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey,
neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money ; neither
have two coats apiece. * And whatsoever house ye enter into, there
abide, and thence depart. "And whosoever will not receive you,
when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet
for a testimony against them. 6And they departed, and went
through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him :
and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that
John was risen from the dead; 8and of some, that Elias had
appeared ; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen
again. 9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded : but who is this,
of whom I hear such things ? And he desired to see him.
54. And he took her ; om. " put them aU out and."
TX. 1. called the twelve together ; so the Alex, and Vat. ; the Sin. inserts
2. 0m. " the sick " (?). 3. neither a staff . . . om. " apiece " (?).
5. the dust ; om. " very." 7. Om. " by him."

Is it likely that Christ, who knew
all, should think or speak of death
as we do, who know so little of the
other world? Nay, is it not most
likely that His words should to us
have the character of paradox ? Com
pare "Whosoever liveth and believeth
in Me shall never die" (John xi. 26),
and "If a man keep My saying
he shall never see death" (viii. 51).
Beyond the grave we shall under
stand the full meaning of those words :
"For all live unto Him" (Lukexx.38).
In them, as in a secret, is hidden the
explanation of all that Christ ever
said about death, and the secret too,
it may be, of this miracle, and that
of Nain, and that of Bethany, wherein
("from the bed, from the bier, from
the grave," as it has been remarked)
Christ recalled the dead to earthly
life. We must remember that all
who were thus recalled to earthly life
returned to die once more. Theirs
was no resurrection, in the higher
sense of the word, — no rising to ever
lasting life. Of that higher kind of
resurrection Christ was the first-fruits.

Ch. IX. 1 (=Matt. x. 1, Mark
vi 7).
4 Be content with the hospitality
first offered you.
5. For a testimony against them —
i.e. to testify that the responsibility
is theirs, not yours.
6. Preaching the gospel. Not, of
course, the Gospel of Redemption ;
but that the "Kingdom of Heaven,"
the establishment of the Messiah's
Church, was at hand.
7. The mission of the twelve with
large miraculous powers might well
account for the fame of Jesus so
spreading as to reach Antipas in his
profligate court.
9. This incidental allusion to the
Baptist's death is St. Luke's only
mention of it.
The fact that Herod Antipas desired
to see Jesus is mentioned by St. Luke
only ; and he alone of the Evangelists
tells us that this wish was gratified on
Good Friday. It is to St. Luke that
we owe the mention of Chuza, Herod's
steward (viii. 3), and of Manaen, foster-
brother of the same Herod Antipas

196

St. LUKE. Ch. 9. 10-20.

[a.d. 28

10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that
they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into
a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. "And the
people, when they knew it, followed him : and he received them,
and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that
had need of healing. "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. 14For they were about five thousand
men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties
in a company. 1B 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 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were
with him : and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I
am ? 19 They answering said, John the Baptist ; but some say,
Elias ; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am ? Peter answer-
10. into a city called Bethsaida ; om. " desert place belonging to the ; " the Sin. MS. reads " into
a desert place," omitting the mention of " Bethsaida." 11. he welcomed them, and spake.
12. Now the day began to wear away ; and the twelve came. 14. by [about ?] fifties.

(Acts xiii. 1). If the Church's tradi
tion that St. Luke was a native of
Antioch be trustworthy, then he
may well have been a friend of
Manaen, and through him interested
in what concerned Herod Antipas.
10. Bethsaida. "Bethsaida- Julias : "
a place at the north-east corner of
the lake, beyond the mouth of the
Jordan — much enlarged by Philip
the Tetrarch ; quite distinct from
the Bethsaida near Capernaum, to
which the disciples returned after
the miracle. The desert place must
have been up among the hills in
the rear of the town. But see vari
ous readings, and note at Mark vi.
45. For this retirement of Christ two
reasons are assigned, — St. Matthew
implies that it was occasioned by the
death of the Baptist, St. Mark says
that it was for the sake of rest after
great fatigue. It may well have been
for both these reasons.
14. Five thousand men, besides
women and children (as St. Matthew

tells us) — many more than five thou
sand therefore.
18. The miracle of the five loaves
is dated by St. John (vi. 4) just
before the Passover, perhaps on the
very eve, i.e. the middle of April, a
year before the Crucifixion. Of this
year the earlier half (spent by our
Lord in the northern highlands of
Galilee, in a tour extending as far
north as Sidon and in the Gentile con
federate cities of Decapolis on the
east of the Sea of Galilee) is passed
over very briefly by St. Luke between
verses 17 and 50 of this chapter ;
indeed, between verses 17 and 18 an
interval of three or four or even five
months must be supposed. He omits
the storm on the lake, the discourse
in the Capernaum synagogue on the
Bread of Heaven, the journey to Tyre
and Sidon, the cure of the Syro-
Phcenician girl, the feeding of four
thousand in Decapolis.
20. St. Matthew alone records here
the blessing and promise vouchsafed
to Peter.

A.D. 2

8]

St. LUKE. Ch. 9. 21-32.

197

ing said, The Christ of God. ^And he straitly charged them,
and commanded them to tell no man that thing ; 22 saying, The
Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders
and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third
day. 23 And he said to them all, If any man 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 lc^e
his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 26 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 I tell
you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste
of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings,
he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain
to pray. 29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance
was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. ^And,
behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and
Elias : ** who appeared in glory, and spake of 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

23. Take up his cross. Possibly a
proverbial expression ; but even if so,
our Lord would scarcely have used
it without meaning to allude to His
own cross. Probably in the " suffer
many things " of the preceding verse,
the cross had been mentioned (as in
Matt. xx. 19), and so this phrase in
ver. 23 had been suggested.
23, 24. Wm come . . . will save . . .
wlH lose. In the two former places
" will " is willeth or desireth in the
Greek. In the third place it should
be "shall lose," as in Mark viii. 35 ;
or, better, " shall have lost."
24. The Greek word for life here
means soul also. A man who sacrifices
his life or soul in this world for the
G ospel's sake shall gain it in the next.
28 (= Matt. xvii. 1, Mark ix. 1).
An eight days — i.e. week according to
the Jews' manner of reckoning in the
fragment of a day at each end ; six
whole days (as the two other Evan
gelists give it) and the two fragments.
After these sayings — or (margin)
"things." This was probably at night-time,
for the apostles were sleeping until

the bright light waked them ; and
when they came down from the
mount it is said to be "the next
day" (ver. 37).
29. St. Luke alone is careful to
mention that Jesus was praying. So
again he alone tells us that Jesus
was praying when the Holy Ghost
descended on Him at His baptism.
See also ver. 18 and xi. 1. St. Luke
seems to note especially these prayers
of Jesus. (Cf. ch. v. 16, vi. 12.)
31. Of this " decease " both the
Law (represented here by Moses)
and the Prophets (whom Elias re
presented) had spoken. Thus was
the unity of the Old and New Coven
ant attested. The word decease, or
departure, like assumption in ver. 51,
seems intended to include the whole
process — death, resurrection, ascen
sion — whereby Jesus left this world.
For St. Peter's repetition of the word
in his Epistle see below on ver. 33.
32. When they were awake — or
rather " waking up," for such seems
to me to be the proper meaning of
the Greek word, very similar to that
used in Mark iv. 39. St. Luke in-

198

St. LUKE. Ch. 9. 33-45-

[a.d. 28

him. 33And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter
said unto Jesus, 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 : 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. 3B And there came a voice out of the
cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son : hear him. 36 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 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were
come down from the hill, much people met him. 3S 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 I be
sought thy disciples to cast him out ; and they could not. ** 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 devil threw him down, and tare
him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child,
and delivered him again to his father. ** 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, M Let these
sayings sink down into your ears : for the Son of man shall be
delivered into the hands of men. " But they understood not this
34. it was overshadowing them. 35. my chosen Son. 43. which he did ; om. " Jesus."

serts the word (perhaps) lest we should
suppose it was a dream.
33. Peter's thought seems to be that
he would detain the heavenly visitants.
In his Second Epistle, chap, i, we
see how strong an impression this
vision of glory made on St. Peter.
It is curious, too, to note how, with
his mind full of the thought of it,
he was led (in the 14th and 15th
verses), unconsciously perhaps, to use
the words " tabernacle " and " de
cease," which had become associated
in his mind with the vision.
Not knowing what he said. Tertul-
lian rightly explains this: — "The
apostles were in the Spirit (cf. Acts
x. 10, xi. 5, xxii. 17 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 15 ;
2 Cor. xii. 3; Rev. i 10), and there
fore necessarily in ecstasy, else how
could they have recognized Moses and
Elias?" — "quomodo enim Mosem et
Eliam cognovissent nisi in spiritu?"
— (Adv. Max. iv. 22.)
34. The apostles feared as they saw
their Lord and the two pass into that

"glorious privacy of light;" that
they were in the Divine Presence was
more than ever borne in upon them.
35. There is good reason to suppose
that the true reading is — " This is My
elect or chosen Son." See Is. xiii 1.
37. At daybreak He descends the
hill, and St. Mark (ix. 15) tells us
that " straightway all the people,
when they beheld Him, were greatly
amazed," from which it has been
supposed that His face, like that of
Moses (Ex. xxxiv. 30), retained some
of the Divine glory. The phrase
"the next day," etc., implies a long
descent, a walk of some hours, down
into the valley, confirming the notion
that the Transfiguration took place
on the heights of Hermon.
39. Mine only child— peculiar to
St. Luke.
42. To St. Mark we owe the touch
ing dialogue between the father and
Jesus. 43. 44- This, Christ's second an
nouncement of His_death, was many

A.D. 28]

St. LUKE. Ch. 9. 46-53.

199

saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not : and
they feared to ask him of that saying. 46 Then there arose a reason
ing among them, which of them should be greatest. 47 And Jesus,
perceiving the thought of their 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 forbad him, because he followeth not
with us. B0 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not : for he that
is not against us is for us.
51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should
be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 62 and
sent messengers before his face : and they went, and entered into a
village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. B3 And they did
48. he that is least among you all, this one is great.
50. he that is not against you is for you.

days, perhaps weeks, after the Trans
figuration and healing of the boy ;
but St. Luke seems to connect it
therewith, wishing us perhaps to
understand that Christ desired to
check any expectation of a temporal
kingdom which these marvels might
have excited.
49. For the connexion see note on
Mark ix. 38.
50. St. Matthew and St. Mark
here insert our Lord's words on the
necessity of cutting off whatever
tends to corrupt the heart. And St.
Matthew adds a further discourse on
forgiveness. Then all three Evan
gelists proceed to mention in a
very marked way a, journey towards
Judsea. 51. See note on Matt. xix. 1. The
few remaining months between the
close of this year, when He leaves
Galilee, and His Passion at the Pass
over of the next year, will be spent,
as St. Matthew says (xix. 1), in the
coasts of Judaea — Peraaa, Ephraim,
and Jerusalem, — avoiding with diffi
culty the deadly malice of the priestly
party till His hour should be come ;
hence too the expression, in ver. 58,
that the Son of Man had not where
to lay His head.
From this verse (ix. 51) down to
the middle of the 19th chapter we
have a series of incidents and dis
courses, which, if St. Luke be still

adhering to the historical order which
in his preface (i. 3) he promised to
observe, must all belong to our Lord's
last journeyings up to Jerusalem, so
briefly noticed by St. Matthew (xix. 1)
and St. Mark (x. 1). But some think
it more probable that this portion of
St. Luke's Gospel, or at all events
from xi. 1 to xviii. 14, is a collection
of occasional sayings of Jesus inserted
here byway of appendix to his narra
tive of the Galilean Ministry ; see
Introduction and note on xi 1. At
the 15th verse of chap, xviii. St.
Luke's narrative seems to rejoin that
of Matthew and Mark, all three re
cording how they brought young
children to Christ.
When the time was come that he
should be received up — or, as in the
Vulgate, " When the days of His
assumption were fulfilled." The Evan
gelist thus expresses in one word (for
which see note on ver. 31) the close
of our Lord's ministry on earth, re
garding the bitterness of' the Passion
and death as a part only of that
process of glorification. So our Lord,
" The hour is come that the Son of
Man should be glorified" (John xii.
23 ; see note there), or, " lifted
up" (John iii. 14, viii. 38, xii.
32). 52. This verse shows tbat our Lord
was not travelling with a pilgrim
caravan. The Galilean caravans

200

St. LUKE. Ch. 9. 54-62 ; 10. 1-2.

[a.d. 28

not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to
Jerusalem. B4And 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 ? "But he turned,
and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit
ye are of. 66 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them. And they went to another village.
67 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain
man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou
goest. BS 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. B9 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord,
suffer me first 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 back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Ch. 10. After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also,
and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place,
whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them,
54. Om. " even as Elias did " (?). 55, 56. 0m. " and said . . . but to save them."
57. Om. " And it came to pass that ; " om. " Lord." 60. He said ; om. " Jesus."
X. 1. Vulg. has " seventy-two ; " Treg. " seventy," as in Iren. and Tert. and
Sin. MS. . . . 0m. " also." 2. And he said unto them.

avoided Samaria, taking the Jordan
and Jericho route. The Samaritans,
with their Gerizim festivals, would
be especially hostile to these Jerusa
lem pilgrims (see ver. 53).
54. In this verse we see the early
impetuous character of the "Sons of
Thunder." We must remember that
their expectations were wound up to
the highest degree, and that they
regarded this journey as the Messiah's
royal progress to take possession of
the throne of David.
Even as Ellas did — these words are
found in the Alexandrine MS. and
early versions.
55. And said, Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are of, for the Son
of Man is not come to destroy men's
lives, but to save them. These words
are wanting in all the oldest mss., ex
cept one, but they are in the Syriac
and other early versions, and are very
beautiful. " Ye forget that ye belong
to the new dispensation."
57. As they went In the way— the
journey toward Jerusalem of ver. 51.
For a discussion of the suggestion

that the three men who thus replied
to Christ's call were Judas Iscariot,
Thomas, and Matthew, see Arch
bishop Trench's Studies in the Gospels.
There is more to be said for the
suggestion than appears at first sight.
For ver. 60, see on Matt. viii. 22.
Ch. X. I. Others, seventy in num
ber — others, that is, beside the mes
sengers mentioned in ix. 52, or possi
bly besides the twelve. N.B. — The
Vat. ms. and Vulgate have " seventy
and two ; " but Treg. rejects the
"two." From this connexion, and from the
words "After this," it is plain that
we are still following a chronological
narrative of the final Messianic pro
gress up to Jerusalem. Mark the
state and publicity with which the
Messiah travels — alluded to appar
ently in xxiii. 5, — so unlike His other
journeys. Thus it would seem that
the appointment of these "seventy"
was only for a temporary purpose,
— that after this journey their office
ceased ; and therefore in the Acts
of the Apostles we hear no more of

A.D. 2

8]

St. LUKE. Ch. 10. 3-19.

201

The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few : pray ye there
fore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers
into his harvest. 3Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as
lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes :
and salute no man by the way. B And into whatsoever house ye
enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace
be there, your peace shall rest upon it : if not, it shall turn to you
again. 7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such
things as they give : for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go
not from 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 into whatsoever city ye enter, and
they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same,
and say, u Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us,
we do wipe off against you : notwithstanding be ye sure of this,
that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12But I say unto
you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for
that city. 13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida !
for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which
have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting
in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre
and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum,
which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He
that heareth you heareth me ; and he that despiseth you despiseth
me ; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 17 And
the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils
are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them,
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto
6. a son of peace. 11_ which cleaveth to us on our feet ; . . . om. " unto you."
12. Om. "But." 15. And thou, Capharnaum, — shalt thou be exalted to heaven? Thoushalt
be thrust down to hell. 17. Vulg. "the seventy-two ;" Treg. "Seventy."
19. I have given.

them. Others think we may in their
appointment recognize the first insti
tution of a Presbyterate. As the
appointment of twelve apostles had
a clear reference to the twelve tribes,
so the appointment of seventy may
well have had reference to the seventy
elders of the Jewish polity. This
would suggest that they were the
first elders or presbytery of the Chris
tian Church. And thus we should
find record of the institution of all
three orders, — Apostles, Presbyters,
and Deacons.
5, 6. Bishop Harold Browne notices
how well these verses explain to us
the effect of the general Absolution
in Morning and Evening Service.
8. This command was specially
needed by Jews about to mingle with

Samaritans. Without it nothing
would have induced them to eat the
bread of a Samaritan (John iv. 9).
In St. Luke's special mention of this
we may perhaps see a point of con
nexion between him and St. Paul.
Compare 1 Cor. x. 27.
II. You cannot say you had no
opportunity of enrolling yourselves
among the disciples of the kingdom.
13 — 16. This has all the appear
ance of a solemn farewell to Galilee.
With this leave-taking, both here and
in St. Matthew xi, are connected the
affecting soliloquy of the 21st and
22d verses. But St. Matthew seems
to give it out of chronological order.
18. I beheld — rather, " I was be
holding," viz., while ye were absent.
(For this use of the Greek word see

202

St. LUKE. Ch. 10. 20-25.

[a.d. 28

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 Not
withstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto
you ; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, 0
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 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
he to whom the Son will reveal him. 23 And he turned him unto his
disciples, and said privately, 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 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying,
20. Om. " rather "... are inscribed in heaven.
21. he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit ; om. " Jesus."

Mark xv. 47.) Christ speaks of the
defeat of the Evil One, whose power
over mankind had even now begun
to decline, under the image of the
fall of lightning from heaven to earth.
So Isaiah spoke of the fall of Baby
lon, and so in Revelation viii. 10
and ix. 1 we have the image of a
falling star. Except under some such
imagery it is impossible to express
in human language the facts of the
spiritual world. "I was watching
Satan's fall while you were absent on
your mission." Some have thought
that there is allusion here to the
original fall of Satan ; but the tense
of the Greek verb is against this ; so
is the context ; so is the apparently
parallel passage, "Now shall the
Prince of this world be cast out"
(John xii. 31); and so too is the fact
that of that original fall of Satan
Scripture reveals to us nothing; the
passage in llev. xii., on which Milton
built his poem, referring clearly to
something not past but future ; and
the mysterious passage in 2 Pet. ii. 4,
and Jude 6, seeming to refer not to
Satan, who is at large, but to im
prisoned angels. To this mysterious
person, called the Adversary (Satan),
we only have two certain allusions by
name in the Old Testament,— once as
the tempter of Job, and once as the
accuser of Joshua the high-priest
(Zech. iii. 1). In 1 Chron, xxi. 1 it

is " an adversary " simply who tempts
David to number the people. In the
New Testament he is clearly and re
peatedly revealed to us as one to whom
was delegated, for some secret purpose,
a certain measure of power over the
world (Luke iv. 6). And both here
and by St. Peter (in Acts x. 38) the
activity of the Demons at the time
of the Christian era is distinctly
ascribed to his malignant power; see
note on Matt. viii. 28). The con
nexion of physical evil (serpents and
scorpions — compare Mark xvi. 18)
with this permitted " power of the
enemy " in the next verse is full of
mystery. Possibly, however, the
serpents and scorpions on which they
are to tread (both bere and in Ps.
xci. 13) are to be understood meta
phorically of the enemies of Christ's
Church. 22 — 24 These verses, too, have all
the manner of the concluding dis
courses of St. John in the last days
of the ministry. The words in the
margin, " and turning to His disciples,
He said," are doubtless genuine.
22. We must not omit to notice the
absolute solitude of our Lord's inner
life while among men, implied in
these words. The light was shining
in darkness, and the darkness com
prehended it not.
WU1 reveal— rather, "willeth to
reveal."

a.d. 28]

St. LUKE. Ch. 10. 26-39.

203

Master, what shall I 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 answered right : this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But
he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neigh
bour ? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him
of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half
dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way :
and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And like
wise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him,
and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came where he was : and when he saw him, he had com
passion om him, 3i and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring
in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to
an inn, and took care of him. 3BAnd on the morrow when he
departed, he took out two 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 fell among the
thieves ? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then
said Jesus unto him, 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. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus'
32. came to the place and looked ; om. "when he was."
35. Om. " when he departed ; " om. "unto him." 36. which of these ; om. " now " (?).
38. Now as they went, he entered.

30. If we are right in supposing
that we are still reading a connected
narrative of the final journey up to
Jerusalem, commenced at ix. 51, we
may suppose that this parable was
spoken on the ascent from Jericho,
on the very road of which the parable

36. The lawyer had asked "Who
is my neighbour ? " implying that he
thought it was a civil relation, as
though your fellow-townsmen were
your neighbours, or your fellow-coun
trymen, and others not.
Christ therefore first leads him to see
and to confess that it is not a civil but a
moral relation : — " Which of the three
was the man's neighbour ? his two
countrymen and co-religionists, or the
alien?" — "The alien, for he showed
mercy on him." In this admission
that it was a moral relation the law
yer's question was in fact answered.

A moral responsibility cannot be
limited by accidents of birth or re
ligious creed.
38. If the narrative is still following
our Lord's route, we may suppose our
Lord to have now reached the Mount
of Olives, and place this supper at
Bethany on one of the evenings of the
week of the Dedication Feast (see on
John x. 22). For the reason men
tioned in note on John xi. 1, possibly
all mention of Lazarus is suppressed.
Note that here the house is called the
house of Martha ; in the narrative of
the other supper, under the same
hospitable roof, when the younger
sister anointed the Lord six days
before His death, both St. Matthew
and St. Mark call it the house known
as "Simon the leper's." Possibly
Martha was the widow of Simon the
leper, whose name the house still
bore ; or possibly he was their father,

204

St. LUKE. Ch. 10. 40-42; 11. 1.2.

[a.d. 29

feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much
serving, and came 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 : ** but one thing
is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not
be taken away from her.
Ch. II. And 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, Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as
39. sat at the Lord's feet (?).
XL 2. Father, hallowed be thy name ; om. " our ; " om. " which art in heaven" (so the
Vulgate, with Sinaitic and Vatican MSS.) ; om. " Thy will be done, as in heaven,
so in earth " (omitted by the Vatican MS. and the Curctonian Syriac,
by Origen, and by Augustine in his Enchiridion).

only living apart and in retirement
because of his leprosy. It was a
family of much wealth and impor
tance, if we may judge from the
costliness of Mary's offering (John
xii. 3) and the large attendance at
the funeral (John xi. 31).
Ch. XI. (= John x. 40-42). Ac
cording to the arrangement of these
nine chapters (ix. 51 — xviii. 14)
adopted in the Introduction, the say
ings of the last chapter belong to
Christ's solemn progress to Jerusalem
in December. After the festival of the
Dedication St. John tells us (in his 10th
chapter) how Jesus was persecuted
in Jerusalem for saying, "I am the
Son of God ; " and " escaping out of
their hand went away again beyond
Jordan, into the place where John at
first baptized, and there abode," — for
two months apparently, — gathering
many believers round Him, and quite
fulfilling the expectations which the
Baptist's words concerning Him had
raised (John x. 40-42). To these two
months of active ministry in Percea,
so briefly noticed by St. John, we may
with much probability assign all that
is comprised in St. Luke's 11th and
12th chapters (except the closing
lament over Jerusalem).
We find in the opening verses just
the same kind of local allusion to the
Baptist that we have in John x. 41.
We find (in xi. 29, xii. 1) abundant
confirmation of St. John's statement
that " many resorted to Him " (x. 41).

And in ch. xi. 54 we find the Phari
sees, who (St. John told us) drove Him
from Jerusalem, still dogging His
steps. Lastly, in ch. xiii. 31, we have
a very distinct intimation that Christ
had been sojourning in the dominions
of Herod Antipas, whose tetrarchy
included Percea.
Remembering how often St. Mat
thew purposelybrings together sayings
and incidents separated by consider
able intervals of time, we need not be
surprised by the fact that nearly all
these sayings are embodied in St.
Matthew's narrative in a totally differ
ent order. For instance, the Lord's
Prayer (ch. xi. 2) and what follows
(9-11) and again xi. 33-37, and again
xii. 22-31, 58, 59, all belong to St.
Matthew's Sermon on the Mount :
whereas the "woes" of ch. xi. (42-54),
the Second Advent warnings of ch.
xii. (35-48), and again xvii. 20-37, as
also the lament (xiii. 34), are by St.
Matthew grouped with the discourses
of Passion Week.
I. Assuming that these three chap
ters all belong to that Percean ministry
mentioned in John x. 40, 41, the
references to the Baptist both there
and here are most natural, for it was
"the place where John at the first
baptized," as St. John reminds us.
2. It is of course quite possible
that Christ delivered this pattern of
prayer twice, or more than twice. If,
as is alleged by some students of the
Talmud, six of its seven petitions are

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 11. 3-15.

205

in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And
forgive us our sins ; for we also forgive every one that is indebted
to us. And lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil.
B And he said unto them, Which of you 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 in his journey is come to me, and I
have nothing to set before him 1 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 ; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 1 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 unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you ;
seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. u If a son shall ask
bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? or if
he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent ? 12 Or if he shall
ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion ? 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 him ?
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came
to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake ; and the
people wondered. 1B But some of them said, He casteth out devils
4. Om. " but deliver us from evil " (Sin. and Vat. MSS. , Orig., and Aug. as before).
14. And he was casting out a dumb devil (?)

to be found in the Jewish forms of
prayer of the time, we may none the
iess admire the Divine wisdom which
out of such a multiplicity of forms
selected and arranged for us such a
perfect modeL But it is maintained
by others of equal learning that the
prayer is original.
Origen and Augustine both notice
the omission of two of the seven
petitions of the Lord's Prayer in their
copies of St. Luke's Gospel (see
various readings above). These dif
ferences between the Prayer as we
have it in St. Matthew and in St.
Luke, confirm our supposition that
it was delivered on at least two
separate occasions, first as part of the
Sermon on the Mount, secondly, in this
Persean ministry. Observe, too, how
totally different is the context.
3. Daily bread — bread for the com
ing day seems to be the literal meaning
of this unusual Greek word.
5. Here, as in the parable of the
Unjust Judge, the efficacy of impor
tunity is the one only point.

6. In his journey— margin, "out of
his way."
n — 13. These verses again recur
in the Sermon on the Mount, but in
a different context; and, being pro
verbial in form, may well have been
repeated more than once in our Lord's
teaching. Notice also " the Holy
Spirit " instead of the ' ' good things "
of St. Matthew.
II. Bread . . . fish . . . egg. Bread,
nay, more, fish — even an egg — would
not be denied ; none would be so unfeel
ing as to mock his child with a stone,
or a serpent, or a scorpion — with
what is uneatable, or hurtful, or
deadly. "If ye then, being evil" —
notice the recognition of original sin.
14 — 26. If any one say, "Surely here
at any rate St. Luke is repeating what
St. Matthew (xii. 22) assigns to an
earlier period of the ministry," it
maybe replied that the miracle differs,
— St. Matthew saying the man was
blind as well as dumb, and again that
St. Matthew narrates a very similar
miracle on a previous occasion (ix. 32),

206

St. LUKE. Ch. 11. 16-27.

[a.d. 29

through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. " And others, tempting
him, sought of him a sign 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 divided against himself, how shall his kingdom
stand ? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast
them out ? therefore shall they be your judges. ao But if I with the
finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come
upon you. 21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his
goods are in peace : 22 but when a stronger than he shall come upon
him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein
he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He that is not with me is
against me : and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. ** When
the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry
places, seeking rest ; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto
my house whence I came out. 2B And when he cometh, he findeth
it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him 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.
27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman
of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is
the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
15, 19. Beelzebul.

followed by the very same blasphemy :
showing that such incidents frequently
recurred. The miracle and taunt are
to be found in ch. ix., and our Lord's
reply in ch. xii.
16. The Jews repeatedly asked for
a sign from heaven, i.e. in the sky.
Their notion was that demons or false
gods could give signs on earth (such
as the casting out of devils), but the
true God alone could give signs in the
heaven (such as Josh. x. 13, or 1 Sam.
xii. 17, or 1 Kings xvii. 1).
Thus we see that the thought of
these " others " was not unlike that
of those who ascribed the sign He
had just given them to Beelzebub.
To both is Christ's answer addressed
(17-26; see notes on Matt, xii 27-37).
' ' There is henceforth no compro
mise between My kingdom and that
of the Evil One (21-23). You must
have the one Spirit or the other
spirit in your hearts : empty the heart
cannot be." Then, from the miracle
He had just wrought, He draws
a parable. He pictures that evil
spirit which they had just seen cast
out of a man now wandering through

desert places restlessly. If the man
does not invite the Spirit of God to
take up his abode in his heart, that
evil spirit will assuredly come back
with sevenfold power over him.
19. By whom do your sons. See
note on Mark i. 27.
20. Comparing this with the par
allel passage in St. Matthew (xii. 28),
we see that by the finger of God
here is meant the Holy Ghost. So in
the hymn " Veni Creator Spiritus,"
"Dextrse Dei Tu digitus." So in
Ex. viii. 19 the magicians confess to
Pharaoh, " This is the finger of God."
23. Christ, who knows the heart,
may use this proverb ; we, who cannot
see the heart, do well to use that
other proverb of Mark ix. 40. See
note there.
24. Cf. Matt. xii. 43. St. Matthew's
narrative is here running over the
same ground as St. Luke's, though
St. Matthew is out of chronological
order. 27. The approach of Mary and
" His brethren " (Matt, xii 46) per
haps gave occasion to this interrup
tion. See note on Mark iii. 31.

A.D. 2

9]

St. LUKE. Ch. 11. 28-38.

207

28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of
God, and keep it. 29And when the people were gathered thick
together, he began to say, This is an evil generation : they seek a
sign ; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the
prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall
also the Son 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 greater 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 man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret
place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which
come in may see the Hght. 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 evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 3B Take
heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36 If thy whole body therefore he full of light, having no part dark,
the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a
candle doth give thee light.
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with
him : and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And when the
29. This generation is an evil generation . . . but the sign of Jonas ; om. " the prophet."
34. The light of the body is thine eye ; when thine eye (om. " therefore).
37. Om. "certain" . . . beseecheth.

29. Observe how in speaking to the
Jews around Him, our Lord ever
spoke onward to His Church in all
time. To the Church He here gives
the One Sign which He declares to be
all-sufficient — "the sign of the pro
phet Jonas," as he called it, speaking
to the Jews, darkly, before the event ;
"the sign of the Besurrection, "
as we, after the event, see clearly He
intended. Men who have spent their
lives in the study of history and his
torical evidence have asserted that
there is no fact in all history more
certainly established than the resur
rection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And for witness to the power of this
one fact in carrying conviction of His
Divinity to the heart, see the Acts of
theApostlesthroughout,andindeedthe whole history of the Christian Church.
33 — 36. It is most instructive to
compare the context of these sayings
of our Lord, as here given, with the
context of those same sayings in the
Sermon on the Mount of St. Matthew's
Gospel. St. Matthew gives them as

addressed to the disciples : they were
to be the light of a world lying in
darkness ; they were to take heed lest
their light be darkened by double-
mindedness and worldliness. St.
Luke connects them with the pro
mised sign of the Besurrection : —
Christ's light was for the present
darkened under His humiliation ;
His resurrection would place it on a
candlestick, and then indeed none
could fail to see it unless their organ
of light were blinded. Of such blind
ness He bids them beware ! We may
either suppose that our Lord used
these proverbial expressions on two
separate occasions (see on viii. 16),
or we may suppose tbat the Evan
gelists were inspired to discern these
several deeper meanings in His words.
37. The woes that follow are given
by St. Matthew (xxiii.) as spoken in
Passion Week. It is quite possible
that our Lord should frequently have
occasion to denounce the hypocrisy of
these Pharisees, and that in doing so
He should repeat Himself.

208

St. LUKE. Ch. 11. 39-53-

[a.d. 29

Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before
dinner. 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make
clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part
is full of ravening and wickedness. 40 Ye fools, did not he that
made that which is without make that which is within also ? tt 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 upper
most seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. ** Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are as graves
which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware
of them. 4BThen answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him,
Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. 46 And he said, Woe
unto you also, ye lawyers ! for ye lade men with burdens grievous
to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of
your fingers. 47 Woe unto you ! for ye build the sepulchres of the
prophets, and your fathers killed them. 4S Truly ye bear witness
that ye allow the deeds of your fathers : for 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
generation ; B1 from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias,
which perished between the altar and the temple : verily I say
unto you, It shall be required of this generation. B2 Woe unto you,
lawyers ! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge : ye entered
not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
63 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the
Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to
44. Om. " Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." 48. and ye build ! om. " their sepulchres " (?).
53. And as he went thence ; alt. " As he was saying these things unto them."

39 — 41. The point is much lost in
the English: — "Ye make clean the
outside of the cup and dish, but the
inside of your dishes is filled with
plunder and robbery. Pools! did not
He who made the outside make the
inside also (make those fruits of the
earth with which the dish is filled) ?
Ye have only to give away in alms what
is inside your dish, and then the dish
itself would be clean in God's sight ! "
41. Such things as ye have — rather,
"such things as are inside [your cups]."
45. The lawyers were men learned
in the law of Moses and the oral in
terpretations of it.
49. Our Lord seems to have in His
mind that passage of 2 Chron. (xxiv.
19) where the inspired historian

pauses, just as St. John does in his
Gospel (xii. 37), to reflect on the
obduracy of his nation: — "Yet He
sent prophets to them, to bring them
again unto the Lord ; and they testi
fied against them : but they would
not give ear. And the Spirit of God
came upon Zechariah the son of
Jehoiada the priest. . . . And they
conspired against him, and stoned him
with stones at the commandment of
the king in the court of the house of
the Lord."
The words "son of Barachias,"
added in St. Matthew (xxiii. 35), have
probably crept into the text from the
marginal note of some copyist who
confused this Zechariah with the
more famous one.

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 11. 54; 12. 1-11.

209

speak of many things : B4 laying wait for him, and seeking to catch
something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Ch. 12. In the mean time, when there were gathered together an
innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon
another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, 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 housetops. 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. B But I will 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 sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten
before God 1 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all num
bered. Fear not therefore : ye are of more value than many spar
rows. _sAlso I 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 against
the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but unto him that blas-
phemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. ll And
when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates,
and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer,
54. Laying wait for him [seeking ?] to catch something out of his
mouth [that they might accuse him?].
XH 2. But there is nothing. 7. Om. "therefore." 11. Om. "or what thing" (?).

Ch. XIL i. In the mean time. In
the original it is " in which circum
stances," meaning either, "on that
same occasion," implying that it was
in the hearing of these same Phari
sees : — or possibly it may mean "in
this group of sayings may be classed
the following." If the view of these
chapters taken in the note on chap.
xi. 1 be true, we must adopt the
former meaning. Most of the sayings
are found elsewhere in other con
nexions ; they all tend to reassure His
true disciples that Pharisaism shall
not always triumph, that God will
vindicate His own.
Began to say. This phrase im
plies that what follows is a set and
orderly discourse (see note on xx. 9,
below). Leaven. The leaven of hypocrisy is
the insidious desire to play a part and
appear more religious than you really 0

are. Such hypocrisy is sure sooner
or later to be unmasked.
I — 12. Most of this appears also in
Matt. x. 19-33. The connexion and
train of thought are not very easy : —
Beware of the hypocrisy of the Phari
sees : the truth is sure to prevail in the
end, and will convict them while it
vindicates you. Therefore fear not
man, but fear God. God will not lose
sight of you. See therefore that ye
confess me boldly, and above all be
ware of gainsaying the workings of
the Holy Spirit. Be true to. Him, and
He will be true to you, and enable
you to answer your persecutors.
10. The repetition of this warning
was provoked by what the Pharisees
had just said, xi. 15 (as before in
Matt. xii. 31). This confirms the
notion that these two chapters are
one discourse. For the sin against the
Holy Ghost see note on Matt. xii. 31.

210

St. LUKE. Ch. 12. 12-26.

[a.d. 29

or what ye shall say : "for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the
same hour what ye ought to say.
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my
brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14And he said
unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness :
for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which
he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The
ground of a certain tich man brought forth plentifully: "and he
thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no
room where to bestow my fruits ? "And he said, This will I do :
I will pull down my barns, and build greater ; and there will I
bestow all my fruits and my goods. "And I will say to my soul,
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease,
eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this
night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those
things be, which thou hast provided ? a So is he that layeth up
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take
no thought for your life, what ye shall eat ; neither for the body,
what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body
is more than raiment. 24 Consider the ravens : for they neither sow
nor reap ; which neither have storehouse nor barn ; and God feedeth
them : how much more are ye better than the fowls ? 2B And which
of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit 1 26 If
15. beware of all covetousness. 18. all my corn and goods ; alt. " all my fruits
and my goods ; " they require of thee thy soul. 23. For the life.
25. can add to his stature (translate-rather, "his course of life ") a cubit ; om. " one " (?).

12. Shall teach you — we might
almost say, " shall be your counsel
when on trial," remembering that
Advocate is the name applied to the
Holy Ghost in St. John's Gospel (xiv.
16, 26).
13. The man appeals to Jesus as
to a reformer of abuses : but He who
reads the heart saw what the motive
was — not zeal for the right, but
avarice. 15. Beware of every kind of covetous
ness — according to the best reading.
' ' For in no affluence (however great)
can it be true that a man's life really
depends on what he possesses." ' ' Man
lives not by bread alone : " his true
life depends on something far higher.
19. The colloquy is not with his
spirit (the higher part of his nature),
but with his soul (the merely natural
part ; see note on 1 Thess. v. 23).
21. So 1 Tim. vi. 17: "Charge
them that are rich in this world, that
they be not high-minded, nor trust in

uncertain riches, but in the living
God, who giveth us richly all things
to enjoy." Put thy trust not in the
gift, but in the Giver. Wouldst thou
enjoy the gift? return it in some
shape unto the Giver.
22. What follows (22-40) is spoken
not to the crowd, but to the disciples.
The standard therefore is higher. It
falls into two sections : the first sec
tion (22-34) is found almost word for
word in St. Matthew's Sermon on the
Mount ; the latter section (35-40) is
found in substance — and verses 39, 40
verbally — in Matt. xxiv. Are we to
suppose that our Lord repeated Him
self, or that the Evangelists give His
words in new connexions ? We can
not answer certainly.
25. See note on Matt. vi. 27. The
addition of a cubit is spoken of in the
next verse "as that which is least,"
confirming the translation "course of
life," or "pilgrimage" (as we say),
instead of "stature."

A.D.

29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 12. 27-42.

211

ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye
thought for the rest ? 27 Consider the lilies how they grow : they
toil not, they spin not ; and yet I say unto you, 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, 0 ye of little
faith? 29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink, 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 your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. 33 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. 3B Let 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, they may open unto him immedi
ately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh
shall find watching : verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself,
and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve
them. 3S And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the
third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And
this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what
hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have
suffered his house to be broken through. *° Be ye therefore ready
also : for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto
us, or even to all 1 ** And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful
29. and what ye shall drink. 31. his kingdom ; and these things ; om. " aU."
38. Om. the first ' ' watch ; " om. " servants " (?).
40. Om. "therefore." 4L Om. "unto him."

28. The bread-oven (an inverted
pot) was heated with a fire of hay or
straw. 32, 33. It is to " the little flock,"
to the apostles who were to sit on
the thrones of His kingdom, that
Christ is speaking. They had need
to divest themselves of all earthly
cares. The precept is not binding on
all, in its literal force, except so far
as earthly possessions may hinder pro
gress in grace. These precepts of
unworldliness (22-34) lead on to the
precepts of watchfulness which follow
(35-40). 35. As we speak of being "in light-
marching order, " as on a pilgrimage,
— " not encumbered," ready to march
on short notice.

40. See John xiv. 3 : "I will come
again and receive you unto Myself."
41. As we have already noticed,
our Lord in verse 22 had turned
away from the crowd and spoken
specially to His disciples. St. Peter,
hearing the blessing promised in verse
37, asks (as once before, Matt. xix.
27) whether this is promised to them
especially, or to all. Our Lord seems
not to notice the interruption, and
yet really replies to it — that the larger
our responsibilities the greater should
be our watchfulness, for all these
promised rewards are contingent, and
may be forfeited. This mention of
St. Peter's question gives a narrative
character to the whole, and favours
the supposition that all that is com-

212

St. LUKE. Ch. 12. 43-54.

[a.d. 29s

and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his house
hold, to give them their portion of meat in due season ? ** Blessed
is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all
that he hath. 4B But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord
delayeth his coming ; and shall begin to beat the men-servants and
maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; M the lord of
that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and
at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him 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. *¦ But
he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall
be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given,
of him shall be much required : and to whom men have committed
much, of him they will ask the more. 49 1 am come to send fire
on the earth ; and what will I, if it be already kindled ? 60 But I
have a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till
it be accomplished ! B1 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace
on earth ? I tell you, Nay ; but rather division : B2 for from hence
forth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two,
and two against three. B3 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.
64 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

prised in these two chapters (xi., xii.)
is one coherent discourse, portions of
which St. Matthew has been inspired
to weave into other connexions.
46. Cut him In sunder — margin,
"Cut him off ;" but the text is better.
47, 48. This distinction in responsi
bility was called forth by Peter's ques
tion inver.41. "To you, My apostles,
most of all does this warning apply."
48. He that knew not. Compare
Bom. ii. 12-16, — the wrong-doer who
has no Bible may yet know what is
wrong by conscience, and will be
punished, though less severely.
49. A foretaste of the agony seems
to pass over Christ's spirit, as in John
xii. 27, a passage strikingly like to
this. The "What will I?" here,
answers exactly to the " What shall I
say?" there. "Fire" here seems to
mean the same as in Matt. iii. 11, "I
have come to baptize the earth with
the Holy Ghost, and with fire," i.e.

for judgment, to effect a separation
between the good and bad, even as
fire separates the true metal from the
dross. But they must yet a while be
mingled. " What will I ? Oh that
the fire were already kindled ! * —
but it may not yet be : I have a
baptism of suffering to undergo first ;
and how am I straitened " [margin,
" pained "] " till it be accomplished ! "
There could be no outpouring of
Pentecost till Good Friday had inter
vened. Afterthat there should indeed
be a sundering of the Church and
world, a separation as by fire, pene
trating even into their very families.
And of this coming judgment signs
were not wanting.
S3. See note on Matt. x. 35.
54. Out of the west. From the
Mediterranean Sea, as on Carmel ; see
1 Kings xviii. 44.

* This is the rendering of Grotius;— ap
proved in the Spealeer's Commentary.

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 12. 55-59; 13. 1-8.

213

is. Be And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be
heat ; and it cometh to pass. B6 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the
face of the sky and of the earth ; but how is it that ye do not dis
cern this time ? B7 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not
what is right ? B8 When thou goest with thine adversary 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.
59 1 tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thoU hast paid the
very last mite.
Ch. 13. There were present at that season some that told him
of the Galilseans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacri
fices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these
Galilseans were sinners above all the Galilseans, because they suffered
such things ? 3 1 tell you, Nay : but, except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in
Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above
all men that dwelt in Jerusalem ? 6 1 tell you, Nay : but, except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 6 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. 7Then said he unto
the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seek
ing fruit on this fig-tree, and find none : cut it down ; why cum-
bereth it the ground ? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord,

56. that ye cannot discern this time (?).
XIII. 2. And he answering . . . suffered these things.

4. all the men.

57. Another appeal to natural con
science ; as in Bom. ii. 14.
58, 59. These verses appear in St.
Matthew's Sermon on the Mount as
part of an exposition of the Sixth
Commandment. Here the connexion
of thought is quite different : Christ
had been pointing to signs of impend
ing judgment: If judgment be im
pending, see that ye make your peace
with one another, and so with God.
Ch. XIII. I. See note on xxiii. 12.
For the not necessarily definite ex
pression " at that season," compare
Matt. xii. 1, and the note showing
that the narrative in fact goes back
eighteen months at that point of St.
Matthew's Gospel. If it be construed
more definitely it will help to prove
that this thirteenth chapter is closely
connected with xi. and xii. — still
occupied with the Percean retirement.
2 — 5. Here Jesus protests (as Job
of old) against the proud superstition
which imputed sin wherever there
was misfortune. But observe, the

misfortune, though not to be regarded
as a retribution, is a warning that
repentance is needed.
3. Likewise — not merely also, but
in like manner.
4, Siloam was where the Tyropceon
valley descends into the Kedron
valley. Sinners — margin, "debtors," as in
the Lord's Prayer.
6. God deals not so unmercifully
with His children. As on the one
hand the righteous are often chastened
— pruned, — that they may bring forth
more fruit (John xv. 2), so on the
other hand the unrighteous and un
faithful are often spared, in the hope
that they may yet bear.
7. "Why should it thus render
the ground barren?" or "impoverish
the soil?"
These three years. There may be
an allusion to the three years of the
ministry. But the phrase would not
(as some insist) prove that it lasted
three complete years. A ministry of

2U

St. LUKE. Ch. 13. 9-21.

[a.d. 29

let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 and if it bear fruit, well : and if not, then after that thou shalt cut
10 And he was teaching in 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 her 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 glorified God. "And the ruler of the synagogue answered
with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath
day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men
ought to work : in them therefore come and be healed, and not on
the sabbath day. 1B The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou
hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or
his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? 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? "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 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like ? and
whereunto shall I 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. 20And 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.
9. and if it bear fruit for the future, well ; and if not, thou shalt cut it down (?).
13. But the Lord answered him, and said, Te hypocrites.
19. and became a tree ; om. " great "(?).
two years and a portion of the third
would in Jewish phrase be called a
" three years' ministry, " just as our
Lord's Body is said to have lain
three days in the grave.
10. We must observe this special
note of time and place. What fol
lows down to end of chapter seems
governed by it.
II. A spirit of Infirmity. The Jews
ascribed such affliction to "posses
sion by an evil spirit," so our Lord —
"whom Satan hath bound" (ver. 16).
It is altogether erroneous to suppose
some previous sin in all these cases of
possession ; had this woman been a
sinner, Jesus would not have called
her a " daughter of Abraham ; " cf.
chap. xix. 9.
12. The woman could not look up,
and had not seen Jesus apparently :
so He called her.

15. The best mss. read, "Ye hypo
crites;" Jesus addresses the ruler
and his co-presbyters.
18. Some think that a fresh
anecdote begins here, and that no
connexion with what has gone before
can be traced. St. Matthew, after his
manner, groups these two parables
with the Sower and other kindred
parables, spoken by the lake-side much
earlier in the ministry (Matt. xiii.
31-33). St. Luke probably gives them
in their proper place, as spoken in the
Synagogue and on the Sabbath men
tioned in verse 10.
It has been aptly said that this
pair of parables "give us (as it were)
the outside and the inside of the
same teaching : " the power of the
Gospel is shown in one as extending
the Church, in the other as regenerat
ing the heart.

a.d. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 13. 22-30.

215

22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and
journeying towards Jerusalem. M Then said one unto him, Lord,
are there few that be saved ? And he said unto them, 24 Strive to
enter in at the strait gate : for many, I say unto you, will seek to
enter in, and shall not be able. 2B When once the master of the
house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand
without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto
us ; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence
ye are : 26 then shall ye begin to say, We have 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
ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all
the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from
the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the king
dom of God. M And, behold, there are last which shall be first,
and there are first which shall be last.

21 through the strait (or narrow) door. 25. Om. second '
27. I know not whence ye are.

Lord.'

22 — 35. And he went, or rather,
"was journeying" — through the cities
and villages of Peraea apparently — the
tetrarchy of Herod Antipas. Herod
seems to have had a superstitious fear of
Jesus (ix. 7), and perhaps wishing to
drive Jesus from his dominions, tried
to bring it about through the Phari
sees (who were only too glad to
draw Jesus to Jerusalem), sending
through them the threat of verse 31.
Our Lord sees through the stratagem,
and replies in a proverb : " Herod can
not hasten My end." Others take
the words literally (Wieseler) : "Yet
two more days must I remain in
Peraea ; on the third I shall journey
towards Jerusalem — the beginning of
the end:" identifying this journey
with the journey to Bethany at the
summons of Martha and Mary, and
noting the coincidence of the two days'
delay beyond Jordan (see John xi. 6,
and Introduction to this Gospel). Then
after the affecting lament over Jeru
salem (ver. 34), the chapters xiv. xv.
xvi. may be supposed to embrace the
teaching of our Lord during His retire
ment at Ephraim, and the journey
mentioned, xvii. 11, through Samaria
and Galilee, would indicate that from
Ephraim our Lord returned to Galilee
in order to make His final ascent with

the Galilean pilgrims. But for all
this see Introduction to this Gospel.
23 — 30. How remarkably this has
been the case, not only with Israel —
see John viii. 21, Bom. ix. 31 — but
also with the earliest Christian
Churches ! Where is now the Church
of Jerusalem, of Antioch, of Ephesus?
Their place is filled by nations from
the far west and from the far
north! Their place, tbat is, in the
Messianic kingdom, in the Christian
Church, for of that Christ clearly is
here speaking, and to that pro
bably the people's question in the
23d verse pointed. There are few
greater mistakes than to suppose
that ' ' saved " and " salvation " refer
always, or even usually, to the state
after death, in the New Testament.
He who in this life wins his way into
communion with Christ is feasting
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
the Prophets. Had a like question
been put to Christ in respect of the
saved and lost at the final j udgment,
the answer would probably have been
a rebuke like that of Acts i. 7.
Many in our day are asking the
question. We can only answer that
Scripture is silent ; but there is great
hope in such verses as the 29th of this
chapter, and Bev. vii. 9.

216

St. LUKE. Ch. 13. 31-35 ; 14. 1.

[a.d. 29

31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto
him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast
out devils, and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third
day I shall be perfected. 33 Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and
to-morrow, and the day following : for it cannot be that a prophet
perish out of Jerusalem. 34 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! which killest
the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how often
would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather
her brood under her wings, and ye would not ! 3B Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate : and verily I say unto you, Ye shall
not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord.
Ch. 14. And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one
31. Alt. "the same hour."
35. Om. "desolate;" om. "verily"; om. " the time come when " (?).

31. Will kill thee — rather " willeth
to kill thee," or "is minded to kill
thee." What we read of Herod Antipas's
curiosity to see the worker of the
miracles of which he had heard so
much, and with whom when brought
before him he found no fault (see
chap, xxiii. 8 and 15), renders it
improbable that he really now sought
to kill Christ. It was a plot of
the Pharisees designed to scare our
Lord out of Galilee, where they
dared not touch Him, up to Jeru
salem, where the Sanhedrin were
prepared to carry out their sentence
of death for Sabbath-breaking. Here
was a fresh case of breach of the
Sabbath (ver. 14) — therefore at once,
"the same day," these Pharisees
beset Him. Trench observes (with
Theophylact) that our Lord sends
His reply not to " that fox," but to
" this fox " (it is this in the Greek),
meaning the fox in their own heart,
to show them that there really was
the malignity He had to fear. But
this seems to me somewhat strained.
If our Lord pointed to Herod himself
in His scornful epithet, the word was
not one whit too strong ; a more con
temptible character than that of Herod
Antipas never disgraced a throne,
aping the vices of the worst of the
Caesars in his petty court. Note how
curiously parallel to their stratagem
was that described in Amos vii. 12,
13. I shall be perfected. Some would

render, " I shall crown My work " (by
the raising of Lazarus).
32. Christ speaks after His manner
in proverbs, as He also did to His
disciples when they would fain have
diverted Him from His settled pur
pose (John xi. 9). "Notwithstanding
Herod's guile, and your guile, I must
go on working my miracles until My
appointed hour be come. Nevertheless
depart * hence I must, and journey on
without resting till I reach Jerusalem ;
for, as the time is appointed, so the
place is appointed. And it is at
Jerusalem, not here in Galilee, as you
pretend, that My death is to take
place." The thought of Jerusalem's in
gratitude draws forth the same
lamentation which we shall have
repeated in Passion Week (Matt, xxiii
27). This lament may have been
spoken in Persea in view of His
intended journey to the grave of
Lazarus ; or it may have been spoken
on Olivet after that journey ; in the
latter case we must suppose a break
of two or three days between verses
33 and 34.
Ch. XIV. 1—24. This anecdote of
the Sabbath feast at a Pharisee ruler's
house is peculiar to St. Luke, for it
need hardly be remarked that the
parable of the Great Supper with
which it closes is quite distinct from
the parable of the Wedding Feast
* The word translated "walk "is the same
as that translated "depart" in verse 31, and
should not be changed.

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 14. 2-15.

217

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. 3And Jesus answering spake unto the
lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath
day ? * And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed
him, and let him go ; s 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 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when
he marked how they chose out the chief rooms ; saying unto them,
8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in
the highest room ; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden
of him ; 9 and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee,
Give this man place ; and thou 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 thee,
Friend, go up higher : then shalt thou have worship in the presence
of them that sit at meat with thee. u For whosoever exalteth him
self shall be abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a
dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither
thy kinsmen, nor thy 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 be recom
pensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these
XIV. 3. Is it lawful ... or not ? 5. and said to them, Which of you shaU have a son or an ox.
10. in the presence of all them that sit.

given in Matt. xxii. 1-14 (see notes
there). " They watched Him :" this
shows the treacherous purpose of the
feast, else the Pharisee would hardly
have invited Jesus after the stern
rebuke just administered to the Pha
risees in Persea.
On the sabbath day. Sumptuous
feasts were given on the Sabbath,
even by the Pharisees.
5. Which of you shall have a son
or an ox fallen into a pit is the
reading now preferred, meaning "a
son, or even an ox." [But the Sinaitic
ms. reads " ass " with the Vulgate and
our Version.]
7. Christ draws a lesson from the
world's maxims of courtesy, and
applies it to the heart. Such a lesson
is called a parable.
The chief rooms — rather, the chief
places at table. So we still say

"make room." The middle place of
each couch was the most honour
able. 12. Call not thy friends. No one
familiar with our Lord's manner can
suppose for a moment that He meant
to forbid the invitation of friends.
See on ver. 26 below.
14. At the resurrection of the just.
Christ here was using language that
all His hearers were familiar with.
The distinction between "the re
surrection to life" and "the resur
rection to shame " was founded on
Ban. xii., and ever since the times
of the Maccabees had been part of the
popular faith — Bev. xx. 4-6. For the
interesting question whether there is
to be an interval between the resur
rection of the just and that of the
unjust, see notes on 1 Cor. xv. 23,
1 Thess. iv. 16.

218

St. LUKE. Ch. 14. 16-27.

[a.d. 29

things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the
kingdom of God. " Then said he unto him, A certain man made
a great supper, and bade many: "and sent his servant 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 first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I
must needs go and see it : I pray thee have me excused. 19 And
another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I 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 shewed 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 maimed,
and the halt, and the blind. 22And 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 filled. ** For I
say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste
of my supper.
26 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned,
and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And who-

17. Om. "all" (T).

21. So the servant came . . . and the blind and the halt.
22. What thou commandedst is done.

15. The ordinary notion of the
Messiah's kingdom among the Jews
was that it would be a time of feast
ing, — sitting down iu lighted haUs
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
That His kingdom was to be a church
militant, involving much self-denial,
was far from their thoughts.
16. This parable, as we have seen,
is probably quite distinct from the
parable of the Marriage of the King's
Son spoken in Holy Week. See note
on Matt. xxii. 1.
17, 21, 23. To the proud and worldly
Pharisees it is simply " say to them : "
to the publicans and sinners of Jeru
salem it is "bring them:" to the
conscience-strickenGentiles it is "com
pel" them. To the proud Christ's
ministers are simply to bear their
witness. The sinner be is to win and
guide. On the humble and diffident
they are to bring to bear all their
sweet constraining influences.
24. Some infer from the plural
" you," that Christ speaks this to the
guests in His own person.

26. And hate not. A man would
be insane to interpret these words
literally ; and yet the history of fana
ticism abounds in applications of
Scripture hardly less absurd.
For the meaning of this form of
expression see the equivalent passage
in Matt. x. 37, "He that loveth
father or mother more than Me,"
and note on Matt. xii. 7. The whole
passage may be rendered briefly thus :
" No man can be My disciple unless
he be prepared to sacrifice all earthly
affections, if need be, for My sake.
If he refuse such self-sacrifice, and
thinks to take heaven by storm,
trusting to his own resources, let him
beware ! So trusted the builders of
the Tower of Babel, and their failure
was a laughing-stock to men and
angels. So has many a king set forth
on a campaign, trusting to his thou
sands, and has found to his cost that
he was fighting against a far mightier
king, even against God. Better far
give up that castle-building; better
far surrender and make your peace

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 14. 28-35 ; 15- i-7-

219

soever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple. 2S For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth
not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to
finish it ? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is
not able to finish it, all that behold it begin 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
first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet
him that cometh against him with twenty thousand ? 32 Or else,
while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage,
and desireth conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whosoever he be
of you that fbrsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
34 Salt is good : but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall
it be seasoned ? * It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the
dunghill ; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him
hear. Ch. 15. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners
for to hear him, 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying,
This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake
this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hun
dred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and
nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find
it ? B And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his
friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Bejoice with me; for I
have found my sheep which was lost. 7 1 say unto you, that like
wise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
34. Good, therefore (?), is the salt, but if even the salt.

with God. Forsake all you have and
follow Me ! Discipleship is good, but
if a man have not the self-denying
spirit of a-disciple, his discipleship is
worthless." Three times our Lord
applied this proverb about salt to
discipleship and the spirit of self-
sacrifice which it requires — Matthew
v. 13, Mark ix. 50, and here. Such
is a general summary of these ten
verses. More in detail, we may notice
the proof (surely a very striking one !)
implied in ver. 26 of His Divinity :
for what mere man could have thus
demanded that all others— father,
mother, children, wife — should be
postponed to Himself? Who but
man's Maker can claim this absolute
devotion ?
Ch. XV. In this and the following
chapters we have a series of five
parables, without any clew to their
date or to the place where they were
delivered. All are peculiar to St. Luke,

except the first, which in St. Matthew
(xviii. 12) seems to be spoken before
the close of the Galilean Ministry. If
this portion of St. Luke is chrono
logical, then (as we have said) this
section (xv. xvi. and xvii. 1-10) belongs
to the retirement to Ephraim men
tioned by St. John xi. 54.
i. All the publicans and sinners
— those whom the self-righteous Phari
sees refused to associate with, as men
who had sold themselves to the service
of the oppressors of their nation —
the Bomans. But these too Christ, in
the broader charity of His kingdom,
seeks to win. In the first two para
bles, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Piece
of Money, He sets forth the seeking
love of God ; in the third, the Prodi
gal Son, the corresponding seeking
after God in the changed heart of the
penitent. 5. " Christ, the Good Shepherd," so
repeatedly pictured in Christian art.

220

St. LUKE. Ch. 15. 8-18.

[a.d. 29

than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,
doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently
till she find it? 9And when she hath found it, she calleth her
friends and her neighbours together, saying, Bejoice with me ; for I
have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth.
11 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 f alleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And
not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and
took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance
with riotous living. 14And when he had spent all, there arose a
mighty famine in that land ; and he began to be in want. 1B And
he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country ; and he
sent him into his fields to feed swine. "And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat : and no man
gave unto him. "And when he came to himself, he said, How
many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare,
and I perish with hunger ! ls I will arise and go to my father, and
XV. 16. Alt. " would fain have been fed with." 17. and I perish here with hunger.

7. More than over ninety and nine
just persons. There need be no diffi
culty here. Christ does not say that
the penitent has more of the abiding
love of God ; only that his return
occasions more joy, for the greater
the past pain, the greater the present
joy. "The tears of penitents are
the wine of angels." * It is also highly
probable that our Lord is using the
phrase "just persons" in the con
ventional sense of the Pharisees, —
"careful observers of the Law."
8 — 10. In the first parable the com
parison of the Good Shepherd is the
chief point ; in this second it seems
to be the preciousness of the lost
soul (for there can be no compassion
for a lost coin). Some have thought
that in " the woman" we may discern
the Church. It is partly through her
fault that the coin was lost.
12. Here we have the self-will
which was the fall of man. Not con
tent to receive each day "his daily
bread," he wishes to have, it once for
all made over to him, that it may be
henceforth at his own disposal. And
God, seeing that his heart is estranged,

* " Pcenitentium lacrymee, vinum angelo-
runi."— (St. Bernard, quoted by Trench.)

gives him his wish, that by bitter
experience he may learn his folly.
He goes forth, and for a while lords
it over the world ; but sooner or later
the world will lord it over him ; and
he who thought to be master finds
himself a, miserable slave, and so
returns a penitent to Him whose
service is the only perfect freedom.
18. To my father. Mark his one
last ray of hope : he had utterly cast
off his father, but it might be that
his father had not utterly cast off
him ! Many a degraded one has been
saved from despair by the thought
yet, " Once I was made a member of
Christ and a child of God ; " the Holy
Spirit whispering, " It may not even
now be too late !" And herein we
see the meaning of being " saved by
faith;" the prodigal placed his one
hope in his father's goodness, and he
acted on it. A saving faith is a faith
sufficiently strong to make you act
upon it. But observe — and it is worth
observing — a hope, in order that you
may act upon it, need not be a strong
one, if it be your only one. A timid
faltering faith in God's goodness may
be a saving faith, if like this poor
penitent you have given up all other.

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 15. 19-32; 16. 1.

221

will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
thee, 19 and am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as
one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father.
But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And
the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But
the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it
on him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet : 2S and
bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be
merry : 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost,
and is found. And they began to be merry. 25Now his elder
son was in the field : and as he came and drew nigh to the house,
he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants,
and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy
brother is come ; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because
he hath received him safe and sound. 2S And he was angry, and
would not go in : therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I
serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment :
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 with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted
calf. ** And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all
that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry,
and be glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; and
was lost, and is found.
Ch. 16. And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain
rich man, which had a steward ; and the same was accused unto

19. I am no more worthy ; om.
22. Bring forth quickly (?). XVI. I unto the disciples.

and." 21. I am no more worthy ; om. " and."
28. but his father came out ; om. " therefore."

28. Some have found a difficulty
in this elder brother. Is he not meant
to show us how utterly imperfect is
the goodness of the best men ? How
narrow and grudging is man's charity
compared with the largeness of God's
love ! And mark that the father
does not altogether blame him ; our
imperfect charity may be partly ex
cused because we cannot see, as God
sees, the heart of our fellow-men.
This elder brother knew not, as his
father knew, the deep penitence of
the prodigal.
31. All that I have is thine — thine,
and yet still mine — so thou must not
grudge my use of it. To claim it as
thine own out and out would be the
original sin of thy younger brother.
In conclusion, we must remember

that all these three parables concerning
the seeking and saving of lost souls
were in reply to the complaint of the
Pharisees that He was seeking out
the sinners. It was His own conduct,
therefore, that He was shadowing
forth in these parables ; and yet how
entirely He identifies Himself, and His
mode of dealing with the lost, with
God, and God's dealing with the lost.
Ch. XVI. 1. Unto his disciples. Not
the twelve, but His converts among
the publicans probably. The charac
teristic quality of these men was
their long-sighted prudence in money
matters. Christ pictures forth this
quality, in its worldly aspect, in a way
sure to arrest their attention ; and
then (in ver. 9) shows how this same
quality may be spiritualized.

222

St. Luke. ch. 16. 2-14.

[a.d. 29

him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said
unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee ? give an account of
thy stewardship ; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then
the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord
taketh away from me the stewardship : I cannot dig ; to beg I am
ashamed. 4 1 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 said unto the
first, How much owest thou unto my lord ? 6 And he said, An hun
dred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit
down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how
much owest thou ? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat.
And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And
the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely :
for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the
children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends
of the mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when ye fail, they may
receive you into 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. u If therefore ye have not been
faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust
the true riches ? l2 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 serve 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.
"And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these
6. thy bills. 7. He saith to him, Take thy bills.
9. that when it faU. 14. Om. "also."

Had wasted — rather, "was wast
ing." 8 — 12. The master commended his
dishonest steward for his prudence.
"For" (Christ adds) "worldly people
are more prudent in worldly matters
than God's people are in heavenly
matters." " In this one point of
prudence ye might do well to imitate
the worldly-wise man of my parable.
I will tell you how : So use your riches
(worthless, and worse than worthless,
otherwise) that they may secure for
you the friendship of those who,
.when this life is over, will bespeak
admission for you into My Father's
kingdom. The hungry whom ye
have fed, the thirsty to whom ye
have given drink, the strangers whom
ye have taken in, the naked whom
ye have clothed, the sick and the
prisoners whom ye have visited, will
in that day be your best friends ; for

ye will then find that in doing it to
them, ye did it unto Me ; that in
making them your friends, ye have
made Me your Friend. This in you
will be, not 'unjust,' but faithful
stewardship. So that whereas he in
the parable forfeited his stewardship,
ye on the contrary will be promoted
to yet higher trust. But if ye are
faithless in your use of this world's
false riches, God will not intrust to
you His true riches. If ye are faith
less in what is now lent you on pro
bation, ye must not expect to have
given to you your heavenly inherit
ance." 9. Mammon— a Syriac word for
riches. Of unrighteousness. There is in
Christ's mind throughout a contrast
between the false and the true riches.
Make friends of. "Of," old English
for " by means of."

A.D. 2

9]

St. LUKE. Ch. 16. 15-20.

223

things : and they derided him. 1B 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 in 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 it. 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, committeth adultery : and whoso
ever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth
adultery. 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day : 20 and there
18. and he that marrieth one that is put away.

16. Christ had spoken almost the
same words before in another con
nexion (Matt. xi. 12), and the two
passages help to explain each other :
there Christ appeals to the eager
acceptance of this Gospel by the
multitude, as evidence that it was
indeed the Gospel of the Messiah's
kingdom ; here Christ appeals to the
same fact as showing that the exclu
sive claim of the Pharisees to the
key of the knowledge of the Law,
shutting the door against those who
would fain enter in (xi. 52), was at an
end. The connexion of what follows
seems to be this : The lawyers have
fallen ; not so the Law. Bightly
understood, the Law is established
both by John's preaching and by
Mine : witness John's righteous vin
dication of the law of adultery (Mark
vi. 17, 18), which the Pharisees
notoriously explained away by their
casuistry (Matt. xix. 3-9, Mark x. 2).
Then follows the parable which so
forcibly sets forth the exclusion of
the proud and selfish and the ad
mission of the poor and humble into
the kingdom.
19 — 31. It is not quite clear that
this is a parable. The naming of
one of the characters (Lazarus) is
thought by some to imply that it is
history. And if it be of the essence
of a parable that one set of persons
and things should stand for another
set of persons and things, it is not
properly a parable, for here the rich
man stands for a rich man, the poor
man for a poor man, Paradise for
Paradise. But whether it be para
ble or history, its purpose is clearly

that of a parable — to set forth a
general truth of the kingdom (in con
tinuation of the lesson of the last
parable), that they who do not so use
their wealth as to make Christ and
His poor their friends, will find them
selves shut out from the company of
the blessed after death. It presents
to us the exact converse of our Lord's
saying : " Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy." If,
therefore, any ask "What was the sin
of the rich man?" the answer is,
1 ' selfishness." And if any ask " What
was it in Lazarus that pleased God ? "
the answer may be found in his name,
for Lazarus is Eleazar, "God is my
helper" (Heb. xiii. 6); and this may
well explain the introduction of the
name into a parable, Christ wishing
thus briefly to indicate the character
of the man (as in Bunyan's famous
allegory). That it was not mere
riches or poverty that determined
their lot is plain, for, as Augustine
points out, Abraham, who appears in
Paradise in the parable, had been as
rich on earth as Dives. Very beauti
fully does Augustine (regarding it as
a history) account for the nameless-
ness of the rich man : " Christ seems
to have been reading from that book
where He found the name of the poor
man written, but found not the name
of the rich ; for that book is the Book
of Life." — (Serm. xii.)
Such being the great purpose of
the parable — to set forth the misery
hereafter of those who have lived
merely selfish lives on earth — it is
interesting to ask, "May we further
learn from it anything concernmg the

224

St. LUKE. Ch. 16. 21-31.

[a.d. 29

was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate,
full of sores, 21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell
from the rich man's table : moreover the dogs came and licked his
sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried
by the angels into Abraham's bosom : the rich man also died, and
was buried ; 23 and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and
seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. M And he cried
and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue ;
for I am tormented in this flame. 2BBut Abraham said, Son,
remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted, and thou
art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is
a great gulf fixed : so that they which would pass from hence to
you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest
send him to my father's house : 2S for I have five brethren ; that he
may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets ; let
them hear them. m 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.
20. And a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid. 21. with what was falling (?).
25. but now here he is comforted. 29. But Abraham saith ; om. " unto him " (?).

state of the dead ?" Bishop Bull (our
greatest English authority on this
subject), fully allowing that what is
beside the scope of a parable is not to
be pressed into argument, maintains
that " it belongs to the very scope and
design of this parable to show what
becomes of the souls of good and bad
men after death ; " and therefore we
may rightly accept this parable as
conveying a divine sanction of the
Jewish belief set forth as Catholic
doctrine by Justin Martyr (Dial, v.),
that after death, and until resurrec
tion, " the souls of the godly remain
in a certain better region, and un
righteous wicked souls in an evil one."
These two receptacles of souls were
sometimes called equally Hades or
Sheol (compare Gen. xxxvii. 35, Num.
xvi. 30, Is. xiv. 9) ; sometimes the
word Hades seems, as here, to be
restricted to the receptacle of wicked
souls (called a prison-house, 1 Peter
iii. 18) ; while to the waiting-place of
the good the name of Paradise was
given, as here, and by our Lord on
the cross (Luke xxiii. 43). Thus, as

Tertullian says, there is a "preliba-
tion of the sentence of the last day "
in the middle state. See note on
Phil. i. 21-24.
31. For conversion to faith is a
moral not an intellectual change.
The only true ground whereon »
saving faith can rest is sense of sin.
Whoever seeks after faith merely by
way of intellectual conviction, with
out a sense of sin, will seek till it is
too late. Uniformly throughout His
ministry, Christ refused to furnish
proof to the understanding where
there was no sense of sin in the
heart. "Bepent and believe;" no
one may hope for belief unless repent
ance precede it. And for repentance
Moses and the Prophets were suffi
cient. Thus we learn that the grand
purpose of the old dispensation was
te awaken a sense of sin in the heart
of man: "I had not known sin but
by the law." Let this be remembered
in all education, whether of children
or of heathen nations, — a period of
law, for the awakening of the sense of
sin must precede the period of faith.

A.D.

29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 17. 1-14.

225

Ch. 17. Then 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 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 seven times in a
day turn again to thee, saying, I repent ; thou shalt forgive him.
6 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, Be thou plucked up by the root, and
be thou planted in the sea ; and it should obey you. 7 But which
of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto
him by and by when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to
meat ? 8 and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith
I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and
drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9Doth he
thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded
him ? I trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all
those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable
servants : we have done that which was our duty to do.
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed
through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. M And as he entered
into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which
stood afar off : 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 shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass,
XVII. 1. Unto his disciples. 3. Om. " against thee. " 4. Omit the second "in a day."
7. will say unto him, when he is come from the field, Go straightway and sit down to meat.
9. Doth he thank the servant . . . that were commanded ; om. "him;"om. " I trow not " (?).

Ch. XVII. i — 4. In Matthew xviii.
and Mark ix. we have the closing
discourse of the Galilean Ministry
delivered in the house at Capernaum.
It began with the question, " Who is
the greatest?" and then "the child
set in the midst ;" and then the
" Woe because of offences ;" and then
(in Matthew) the lesson on forgiving
"seven times." If we turn to St.
Luke we find a portion of this dis
course in ix. 46-50, and the continua
tion of it here (xvii. 1-4), the interval
being filled up by the episode of
journeyings. This, it must be con
fessed, is perplexing.
6. This sycamine tree. Naturalists
tell us this is the black mulberry,
common in the East. Moving moun
tains (Matt. xvii. 20) is the more usual
proverb for overcoming great diffi
culties or seeming impossibilities.

10. But however great the achieve
ments of your faith, think not there is
any merit in them.
II. If these incidents of travel
which occupy chapters ix.- — xix. of
this Gospel are meant to be arranged
in chronological order, then this
journey must be a circuit from the
city of Ephraim, to which, St. John
telis us, Jesus retired during the
month or two preceding the Paschal
Week ; see note at xiii. 22. If from
Ephraim our Lord went northward
and visited Galilee once again, that
He might make His final journey to
His Passion with the caravan of
Galilean Paschal pilgrims, the diffi
cult phrase, "through the midst of
Samaria and Galilee," naming Samaria
first in order, is at once explained.
See Introduction.
12. Afar off. See Lev. xiii. 46.

226

St. LUKE. Ch. 17. 15-29.

[a.d. 29

that, as they went, they were cleansed. l0 And one of them, when
he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice
glorified God, 16and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him
thanks : and he was a Samaritan. " And Jesus answering said,
Were there not ten cleansed ? but where are the nine ? " There are
not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way : thy faith hath made
thee whole.
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the king
dom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom
of God cometh not with observation : 21 neither shall they say, Lo
here ! or, lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come when ye shall
desire.to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not
see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here ; or, see there : go
not after them, nor follow them. 2*For as the lightning, that light-
eneth 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. 2B But
first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days
of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives,
they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 2S Likewise
also as it was in the days of Lot ; they did eat, they drank, they
bought, they sold, they planted, they builded ; 29 but the same day
23. See here, see there ; om. " or." 24. so shall the Son of man be ; om. " also."
28. Om. "also."

17. It should be — "were not the
ten cleansed? But the nine, where
are they ?"
18. This stranger. St. Luke, writing
for the Gentiles, is guided to narrate
this instance of a foreigner 's faith and
love. The nine had faith, but lacked
the Samaritan's love, and therefore
their faith failed to save them in that
deeper sense intended by Christ's
words to the Samaritan.
20. Cometh not with observation —
margin, "with outward show." It
does not mean that it cometh " un
observed" (for see verse 24), but when
men are least looking for it, — unex
pectedly. " Neither shall men point
the finger and say, Lo here, or, Lo
there is the Messiah ! for behold He
is even now in the midst of you ! "
"Among you" (as in the margin) is
clearly the right translation. If these
words had been spoken to thedisciples,
"within you" might have had the
more spiritual meaning of Eph. iii.

17 (" Christ shall dwell in your heart
by faith "). But Christ is speaking
to Pharisees. In their minds the
" coming of the kingdom " meant the
first coming of the Messiah ; of this
therefore He speaks in His reply to
them — though enigmatically, as always
to unbelievers.
22. Turning to His disciples He
cautions them that many a time they
shall long for a single day of the
Messiah's presence — " one hour " of
the Messiah (as we are wont to say),
and shall not have it : so let them
beware of listening to false reports.
Many shall say, "Lo, here is a
sign of the last day's approach,"
or " Lo, there ; " prophecy-mongers
shall never be wanting — listen not
to them !
25. The advent in glory must be
preceded by one ending in humilia
tion ; this was precisely what the
Jews, blind to their own prophetic
books, could not understand.

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 17. 30-37.

227

that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all. so 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 housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come
down to take it away : and he that is in the field, let him likewise
not return back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. S3 Whosoever shall seek
to save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever shall lose his life shall
preserve it. 34 1 tell you, in that night there shall be two men in
one bed ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 3B Two
women shall be grinding together ; the one shall be taken, and the
other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field ; the one shall be taken,
and the other left. 37And they answered and said unto him,
Where, Lord 1 And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is,
thither will the eagles be gathered together.

36. Omit this verse.

37. there will the eagles also,

31. Let him descend by the outside
stairs, and so escape. These repeated
exhortations to flee before the impend
ing judgment are perfectly intelligible
in their lower and nearer application to
the great judgment which overtook
Jerusalem forty years later, when (as
we know) the Christians saved them
selves by flight. As applied to the final
Day of Judgment their interpretation
is not so easy. Is the Christian then to
betake himself to flight ? Yes, in a
metaphorical sense : he is to flee from
all this world's allurements ; he is
to leave behind him all his worldly
possessions, sacrificing all, that he
m ay save h is soul. For he that would
save his lower life shall lose his higher
life, and he that is willing to lose his
lower life shall thereby quicken his
higher life. Then in verses 34, 35,
36, as applied to the Second Advent,
our Lord must be understood to mean
that they who shall be thus willing
to abandon all earthly things for their
Lord's sake, shall be received up unto
the Lord, or, as St. Paul phrases it
(in 1 Thess. iv. 17), "shall be caught
up to meet the Lord." The harmony
of Scripture in its account of the pro
cess of the Second Advent is somewhat
obscured in our translation by the
various renderings of this one Greek
word, which declares that the Lord
will then take to Himself those that
are His. It is one and the same word
which here is rendered " taken," and
in John xiv. 3 "receive unto Myself,-"

and, in 1 Thess. iv. 17 and 1 Cor. xv.
51, it is explained to mean that there
will be a bodily lifting up of the saints
into the air, an instantaneous change
coming over them. But for this very
definite and blessed meaning of the
Greek word for "taken" — taken up
unto the Lord — an English reader
might be at a loss to know which of
the two was saved and which lost, he
that was "taken" or he that was
"left." 36. Margin, "Verse 36 is wanting
in most of the Greek copies."
37. Where, Lord? This question
implied that the apostles' minds had
by no means risen to the higher
meaning of the words of Christ. His
answer was intended to show that
His words were capable of a far
wider application than they conceived :
Ask not where ? as though I meant
some national local kingdom. I shall
be recognized by all who love My
appearing, however widely scattered,
— as surely as the carcase is scented
by the vultures, however distant they
may be. See note on Matt. xxiv. 28
for reasons for preferring this ancient
interpretation. Most moderns inter
pret the words : " Wherever there is
corruption, there judgment must fall."
But judgment is not the main point
of our Lord's discourse ; rather His
coming to gather and take to Himself
His elect. It is His disciples who
wish to know where they may hope to
find Him.

228

St. LUKE. Ch. 18. 1-14.

[a.d. 29'

Ch. 18. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men
ought' always to pray, and not to faint ; 2 saying, There was 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 a while. But
afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard
man; Byet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her,
lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said,
Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his
own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long
with them ? 8 1 tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Never
theless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth ?
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in them
selves that they were righteous, and despised others : 10 Two men
went up into the temple to pray ; the one a Pharisee, and the other
a publican. "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself:
God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 1 fast twice in the
week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, stand
ing 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 1
tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
XVIII. 1. And he spake a parable also (?) unto them, that they ought ; om. "men."
7. and doth he show patience in regard of them ? (See Ecclus. xxxv. 18.)
13. but smote his breast.

Ch. XVIII. I— 14. The two para
bles which follow — peculiar to St.
Luke, and teaching, the one persever
ance, the other humility, in prayer —
would seem to be in close connexion
with the preceding discourse, if (as in
some mss.) the opening words are,
" And he spake also a parable to
them." The widow is interpreted to mean
the Church. If a poor widow can
extort her request from such an
unjust judge, how much more shall
the prayer of the persecuted Church
prevail with the all-righteous God !
Christ's own words in verse 7 justify
this interpretation, for "His own
elect" are the baptized, i.e. the
Church. 7. Though he bear long with them
— or rather, " Though He is long-suf
fering in their case," i.e. though He
delay their vindication. It is not
clear whether the delay is for the
sake of disciplining and chastening
the elect, or for the sake of giving
time for repentance to their persecu

tors, as in 2 Peter iii. 9, " not willing
that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance." In
either case God's "long-suffering" is
a trial to the elect. And this explains
the connexion of the latter part of
verse 8, " Will the faith of the elect
stand this trial?"
9. That they were righteous —
margin, " as being righteous."
12. Possess — or rather, " all that I
acquire ;" he tithed not his capital,
but his income.
14. Justified. We must note our
Lord's use of this word, so important
for the right understanding of St. Paul's
Epistles. Our Lord clearly means
thatthepublican'sprayer was granted;
and what was his prayer ? — that God
would be merciful to him, — that God
would pardon him. Pardoned then
is the meaning of the word — restored
to a right relation to God ; see note on
Bom. v. 1. Recognized as righteous is
the radical meaning, as in Matthew
xi. 19 ; and where there is sin this
implies pardon.

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 18. 15-32.

229

other : for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he
that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
10 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 I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall
I do to inherit eternal life ? 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why
callest thou me good ? none is good, save one, 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. ** 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 in heaven : and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful : for he was very
rich. "And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said,
How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of
God ! ** For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they
that heard it said, Who then can be saved ? 27 And he said, The
things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And
he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that
hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the
kingdom of God's sake, 30 who shall not receive manifold more in
this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the pro
phets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he
20. thy father and mother. 22. Now when Jesus heard it.
24. Om. " that he was very sorrowful " (?) ; How hardly do they that have riches enter.
29. Alt. " house, or wife, or brethren, or parents."

15 (= Matt. xix. 13, Mark x. 13).
Here St. Luke's narrative rejoins that
of Matthew and Mark ; see note at
ix. 51. Six verses, from the word
"suffer" in verse 16 down to "from
my youth " at the end of verse 21, are
all but identical, word for word, with
Mark x. 14-20.
16. See the fuller account in St.
Mark. Jesus in embracing and bless
ing these infants clearly sanctions our
belief that He is willing to receive
them into covenant with Himself.
Hence the appropriateness of this
passage as Gospel in the Service for
Infant Baptism.
19. Mark how Jesus in speaking

to unbelievers seeks to veil rather
than to reveal His true nature. Is it
not so to this day ? (See also note on
Marki. 25.)
30. See note on Mark x. 29 and
Matt. xix. 28.
31. For direct prediction of the
Messiah's sufferings the margin refers
us to Ps. xxii. and Is. liii. : but surely
our Lord's pointed use of the phrase
"Son of Man " directs us most of all
to Daniel vii. 13 in conjunction with
ix. 24-27. See note on ch. xxiv. 27.
Whatever conclusion we come to
as to the chronology of the episode
ix. 51 — xviii. 30, it is clear that these
verses 31-43 belong to the journey

230

St. LUKE. Ch. 18. 33-43 ; 19- W-

[a.d. 29

shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and
spitefully entreated, and spitted on : 33and they shall scourge him,
and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
M And they understood none of these things : and this saying was
hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
38 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a
certain blind man sat by the way-side begging : 36 and hearing the
multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37And they told him
that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, 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, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. i0 And Jesus
stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him : and when he
was come near, he asked him, a 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.
Ch. 19. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And,
behold, there was a man named Zacchseus, 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 sycomore tree to see him :
4L 0m. " saying" (?).

at the close of the week preceding
Holy Week, related by all the
Evangelists. 35 (= Matt. xx. 29, Mark x. 46).
St. Matthew and St. Mark say that
the miracle was worked as He "de
parted from Jericho." It is surely
unimportant, just one of those slight
discrepancies which are sure to be
found iu any independent narratives
of the same event. But possibly there
is no real discrepancy, for there were
two Jerichos, the old town, and higher
up in the plain the new Herodian
town, and the miracle may have
occurred between the two towns.
Again, St. Matthew mentions two blind
men, St. Mark and St. Luke only one
— Bartimseus. If two were cured, but
only one survived when the Gospels
came to be written, how natural that
two of the Evangelists should mention
the man who survived only ! Another
explanation is suggested in the note
on St. Matthew xx. 30. Enough for
us to know that all three accounts
are brief abridgments, and that if we

knew all we should probably see the
reconciliation. Such discrepancies are
found in all independent narratives.
41. Christ practically illustrates
His parable of the Importunate Widow.
He will have prayer. Howbeit, the
prayer must be the sincere desire of
the heart, else it is no evidence to
Him who searcheth the heart of that
faith, which is His uniform require
ment. Christ in these miracles ever
impresses on us this vital truth, that
He makes faith on our part a condition
of all His gifts. And the act of
prayer not only evidences but also
nourishes faith.
Ch. XIX. 1—27. The anecdote of
Zacchseus and the parable spoken in
his house are peculiar to St. Luke.
4. Sycomore is the Egyptian fig, to
be distinguished from our modern
so-called Sycamore (the pseudo-Pla-
tanus) and Sycamine (the mulberry).
Zacchseus climbed into it, hoping to
see without being seen, but Jesus
draws him forth as he drew forth the
poor shrinking woman (Mark v. 30).

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 19. 5-19.

231

for he was to pass that way. B And when Jesus came to the place,
he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchseus, make
haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.
8 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was
gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchseus stood,
and said unto the Lord ; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give
to the poor ; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false
accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This
day 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.
n And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable,
because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that
the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said there
fore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for him
self a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants,
and delivered them ten 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. 1B 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 money, that he might know how much every man
had gained by trading. M Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy
pound hath gained ten pounds. "And he said unto him, Well,
thou good servant : because thou hast been faithful in a very little,
have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying,
Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise

XIX. 5. looked up and said ; 0771. " and saw him.'

15. how much they gained by trading.

5. For to-day I must abide at thy
house. The phrase does not neces
sarily mean that Christ spent the
night there, though it is probable
He did, arriving on Thursday after
noon and going on to Bethany the
next day before sunset.
8. Some misunderstand Zacchseus,
and take this for a boast. It is a
confession rather, with a good resolve
for the future: "Whatever I have
done heretofore, I now resolve to give
half my goods to the poor, and to
restore fourfold whatever I have
wrongfully extorted."
II. This parable of the Pounds is
clearly distinct from that of the
Talents (Matt. xxv. ) . This was spoken
to the multitude before His entry into
Jerusalem ; whereas that of the Talents
was spoken to His disciples as He sat
on the Mount of Olives on the third
day after that entry. In their in

tention, too, the parables are quite
distinct. For whereas the lesson of
' ' the Talents " is concerned with the
spiritual life of each of us, this
parable of the Pounds seems mainly
intended to teach the multitude that
Christ was not going to establish a,
temporal kingdom that " should im
mediately appear" (ver. 11), but that
there must be a long interval ; and
that not till that was past would He
return to complete His victory over
evil and establish His spiritual king
dom; and that during this interval
(here the parables coincide)His Church
must be faithful and active.
12. This parable may have been
spoken within sight of the palace
which Archelaus had built for himself
near Jericho. His journey to Bome
to obtain the royal title may have
suggested the framework of the
parable to our Lord.

232

St. LUKE. Ch. 19. 20-30.

[a.d. 29

to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saymg,
Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I 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 I was an
austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did
not sow : 23 wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the
bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with
usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him
the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 2B (And they
said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26For I 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 I should reign over them,
bring hither, and slay them before me. 28 And when he had thus
spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and
Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his
disciples, 30 saying, Go ye into the village over against you ; in the

22. He saith unto him ; om. " And."
27. Alt. " these my enemies."

26. I say unto you ; om. " For" (?).
29. two of the disciples (?).

28. Ascending. The path from
Jericho to Jerusalem is up a rocky
gorge fifteen miles in length. Jericho
is 600 feet below the level of the
Mediterranean Sea, and 3000 feet
lower than Jerusalem. The ascent
from Jericho to Jerusalem was there
fore as fatiguing as a walk from
Carnarvon to the summitof Snowdon ;
and must (if our Lord journeyed on
foot) have occupied at least a whole
day, allowing for necessary intervals
of rest. It is through a desolate and
dangerous tract of country (called the
" Quarautania," being the traditional
scene of our Lord's forty days' fast).
The parable of the Good Samaritan
implies that there was some half-way
hostelry where travellers might spend
the night. Our Lord therefore may
have spent two days upon the road,
leaving the house of Zacchseus on the
6th of Nisan (Thursday).
The interval between the Feast of
Dedication (25th Chisleu, or December
20th) and the Passover we have sup
posed to be covered by the last nine
chapters (x. — xviii.). It was spent by
our Lord partly in Persea and partly
at Ephraim in the wilderness (John
xi. 54). From Ephraim He now, for

the last time, ascends to Jerusalem,
spending the Sabbath "six days before
the Passover " at Bethany.
Here on Saturday evening (accord
ing to St. John — from Matthew and
Mark's account we should have sup
posed it was four days' later) at a
supper made for Him, Lazarus and
his sisters being also present, Mary
anointed His feet. St. Matthew and
St. Mark mention the incident in
connexion with Judas's conspiracy
four days later, which they seem to
think was prompted by this waste
of ointment ; this perhaps accounts
for their insertion of it on the
later day. But see note on Mark
xiv. 3.
On Sunday the 9th of Nisan was
the public entry into Jerusalem.
" Two vast streams of people met
on that day. The one poured out
from the city, and as they came
through the gardens whose clusters
of palm rose on the south-eastern
corner of Olivet, they cut down the
long branches, and moved upwards
toward Bethany, with loud shouts of
welcome. From Bethany streamed
forth the crowds of Paschal pilgrims
who had assembled there on the

A.D. 2

9]

St. LUKE. Ch. 19. 31-38.

233

which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never
man sat : loose him, and bring him hither. sl And if any man ask
you, Why do ye loose him ? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the
Lord hath need of him. 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 unto them, Why loose ye
the colt ? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 3B And
they brought him to Jesus : and they cast their garments upon the
colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 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 seen; 38 saying, "Blessed be the
31. 0m. " unto him."

previous night, and who came testify
ing to the great event at the sepulchre
of Lazarus. The road soon loses sight
of Bethany. It is now a rough, but
still broad and well-defined mountain
track, winding over rock and loose
stones ; a steep declivity below on the
left ; the sloping shoulder of Olivet
on the right ; fig-trees below and
above here and there growing out of
the rocky soil. Along the road the
multitudes threw down the branches
which they cut as they went along,
or spread out a rude matting, formed
of the palm-branches they had already
cut as they came out. The larger
portion — those perhaps who escorted
Him from Bethany — unwrapped their
loose cloaks from their shoulders, and
stretched them along the rough path,
to form a momentary carpet as He
approached. The two streams met
mid-way. Half of the vast mass,
turning round, preceded ; the other
half followed. Gradually the long
procession swept up and over the
ridge, where first begins ' the descent
of the Mount of Olives ' towards
Jerusalem. At this point the first
view is caught of the south-eastern
portion of the city. The Temple and
the more northern portions are hid by
the slope of Olivet on the right ; what
is seen is only Mount Zion, now for
the most part a rough field, crowded
with the mosque of David and the
angle of the western walls, but then
covered with houses to its base, sur
mounted by the castle of Herod, on
the supposed site of the palace of

David, from which that portion of
Jerusalem, emphatically ' the city of
David,' derived its name. It was at
this precise point, ' as He drew near
at the descent of the Mount of
Olives,' — may it not have been from
the sight thus opening upon them ? —
that the shout burst forth from the
multitude, 'Hosanna to the Son of
David ! Blessed is He that cometh in
the name of the Lord ! Blessed is the
kingdom that cometh of our father
David. Hosanna . . . peace . . .
Glory in the highest.' There was a
pause as the shout rang through the
long defile ; and as the Pharisees who
stood by in the crowd complained,
He pointed to the 'stones,' which,
strewn beneath their feet, would
immediately ' cry out,' if ' these were
to hold their peace.'
"Again the procession advanced.
The road descends a slight declivity,
and the glimpse of the city is again
withdrawn behind the intervening
ridge of Olivet. A few moments and
the path mounts again ; it climbs a
rugged ascent ; it reaches a ledge of
smooth rock, and in an instant the
whole city bursts into view. . . .
It is hardly possible to doubt that
this rise and turn of the road — this
rocky ledge — was the exact point
where the multitude paused again,
and ' He, when He beheld the city,
wept over it.' — (Stanley, Sinai and
Palestine, iii.)
37. The mighty works — especially
the raising of Lazarus, as we know
from St. John.

234

St. LUKE. Ch. 19. 39-48; 20. 1-9.

[a.d. 29

" King that cometh in the name of the Lord :" peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest. s9 And some of the Pharisees from among
the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. *° And
he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these ^ould
hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And
when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, "^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 shaU cast
a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee m on
every side, "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 saying 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. But 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 were
very attentive to hear him.
Ch. 20. And it came to pass, tltat 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 unto
him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things ? or
who is he that gave thee this authority ? 3 And he answered and
said unto them, I will also ask you one thing ; and answer me :
4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men ? B And they
reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven ;
he will say, Why then believed ye him not ? 6 But and if we say,
Of men ; ail the people will stone us : for they be persuaded that
John was a prophet. 7 And they answered, that they could not
tell whence it was. 8 And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you
by what authority I 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
40. Om. " unto them " (?). 42. even thou, in this day, the things which belong unto peace.
45. Om. " therein, and them that bought." 46. Alt. " It is written,
And my house shall be a house of prayer."
XX. 1. On one of the days. 2. Om. "saying." 3. Om. "one."
5. Why believed ye him not? om. " then," 9. A man ; om. " certain."

44. Visitation may mean a day of
grace as well as a day of punishment.
47. Taught daily. These words,
peculiar to St. Luke, seem to preclude
the common opinion that Wednesday
in Holy Week was spent in seclusion.
48. Were very attentive — margin,
"hanged on him," — hung on his lips,
as men say.
Ch. XX. (= Matt. xxi. 23, Mark

xi. 27). The whole of this chapter
and the next is supposed to belong to
the Tuesday of Passion Week.
1. On one of the days — the days
mentioned in ver. 47 of ch. xix.
This deputation from the Sanhedrin
was in pursuance of their determina
tion recorded just before, xix. 47.
9. Then began he. Whatever one
does in an orderly way, he is said to

A.D.

29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 20. .0-23.

235

into a far country for a long time. 10 And at the season he sent a
servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit
of the vineyard : but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away
empty. u And again he sent another servant : and they beat him
also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12 And again he sent a third : and they wounded him also, and cast
him out. 13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do ?
I will send my beloved son : it may be they will reverence him
when they see him. " But when the husbandmen saw him, they
reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir : come, let us
kill him, that the inheritance may be our's. 1B So they cast him out
of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of
the vineyard do unto them ? " He shall come and destroy these
husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard 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 will grind 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 perceived that he had
spoken this parable against them.
20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should
feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words,
that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of
the governor. ^And they asked him, saying, Master, we know
that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the
person of any, but teachest the way of God truly : 22 is it lawful
for us to give tribute unto Csesar, or no ? 23 But he perceived
13. Om. " when they see him" (?). 14. Om. " come."
19. the scribes and the chief priests. 22. is it lawful that we should give.

begin to do in Hellenistic idiom. Cf.
Acts i. 1.
The vineyard is the Theocracy,
planted when the Law was given on
Sinai. The husbandmen to whom the
privileges of the Theocracy were first
given were Israel. After the Divine
revelations to Moses, God is repre
sented as withdrawing from such
daily intercourse — speaking "face to
face " no longer with them ; the Lord
of the Vineyard "went into a far
country." II, 12. For an historical commen
tary on this see Nehem. ix. 26, Heb.
xi. 36, 37.
14 — 16. Christ prophesies His own
suffering "outside the gate," and the
judgment to follow.
17. Beheld them — fixed his eye upon
them. The quotation, so often recur

ring in the New Testament, is from
the last of the six Paschal Psalms
(cxviii.). 20. This intimation, that the plan
of delivering Jesus "to the secular
power and to the authority of the
Procurator," was no afterthought, but
their design throughout, is peculiar
to St. Luke.
Who should feign themselves just
men. The phrase " just men " has
its conventional Jewish meaning —
zealous for the Law and Theocracy.
It is clearly implied therefore thatthey
were not so really, but were of the
party that were secretly courting the
Boman power. St. Matthew tells us
they were Pharisees and Herodians.
Thus light is thrown on the meaning
of Herodians (see notes on Matt. xxii.
15 and Mark iii. 6).

236

St. LUKE. Ch. 20. 24-37.

[a.d. 29

their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? 24Shew
me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? 1 hey
answered and said, Csesar's. 25And he said unto them, Render
therefore unto Csesar the things which be Csesar's, and unto God
the things which be God's. 26And they could not take hold of his
words before the people : and they marvelled at his answer, and
held their peace.
27 Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that
there is any resurrection : and they asked him, 2S saying, Master,
Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and
he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and
raise up seed unto his brother. 29 There were therefore seven
brethren : and the first took a wife, 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. 32Last of all the woman died also.
33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she ? for
seven had her to wife. 34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The
children of this world marry, and are given in marriage : 3B but they
which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and. the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor 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
resurrection. 37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed
23. Om. " Why tempt ye me " (?). 27. Which say that there is no resurrection.
28. and be without children. 30. Om. " took her to wife, and he died childless " (?).
31. and in like manner the seven also left no children.
32. Last the woman also died. 34. Om. " answering."

35 — 38. They who shall be (or " are,"
or " have been" — the fact is definite,
the time indefinite, in the Greek)
accounted worthy to obtain . . . the
resurrection. So St. Paul, " If by any
means I might attain unto the resur
rection of (or from) the dead" (Phil.
iii. 11). How are these passages to
be reconciled with the doctrine of the
resurrection of all, both just and
unjust, so distinctly stated in John v.
29 and Acts xxiv. 15, and implied
elsewhere ?
The answer seems to be found in
the phrase used both here and in
Phil. iii. 1 1 (corrected reading) ; it is
not " resurrection of the dead," but
" resurrection from among the dead,"
implying the privilege of an earlier
rising ; and so throwing light on
Bev. xx. 5, 6, where we learn that
only "the blessed" will "have part
in the first resurrection," and that,
afterward, shall be the general resur
rection and judgment. "The children

of the resurrection " then would mean
"the blessed" — quick and dead, ac
cording to 1 Thess. iv. 17 — who are
to reign with Christ those " thousand
years," whatever that expression may
mean ; like all the other numbers in
Bevelation it is probably symbolic.
37. 38. Christ's argument (see
Matt. xxii. 23) may seem to imply
that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are
not only living, but already " raised ; "
if so, it would seem as though the
moment of being ' ' unclothed " of the
mortal body was the moment of
being "clothed upon'' with the
resurrection body.
But this is not necessarily implied.
The Sadducees denied the resurrection
because they denied angel or spirit
(Acts xxiii. 8), denying therefore the
possibility of the soul's subsistence
after death. If therefore the doctrine
of the present existence of the saints
in a spiritual state (i.e. in Paradise)
can be proved, the doctrine of their

A.D.

29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 20. 38-47 ; 21. 1-7.

237

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 all live unto him. 39 Then certain
of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. 40 And
after that they durst not ask him any question at all.
41 And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's
son ? ** 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." M David therefore calleth him Lord, how
is he then his son ? " Then in the audience of all the people he
said unto his disciples, 46 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.
Ch. 21. And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their
gifts into the treasury. 2And he saw also a certain poor widow
casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto
you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all : 4 for
all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God :
but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
6 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 thrown 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 ?

40. For (?) they no longer durst ask him anything.
XXI. 2. Om. " also." 4. Om.

45. unto the disciples.
•of God"©.

future resurrection would follow.
Christ's argument stands thus : God
spoke of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
as being still in covenant with Him
after their death : therefore they are
living ; therefore they are awaiting
the resurrection.
37. At the bush — i.e. in the narra
tive of the burning bush (Ex. iii.).
38. AH live unto w«» ; — are living
in God's sight, though they have
passed out of man's sight. See note
on viii. 52.
45 — 47. These three verses are all
that St. Luke gives of the bitter in
vective that occupies St. Matt, xxiii.
They are almost word for word iden
tical with St. Mark xii. 38-40.
Ch. XXI. 1—4 (= Mark xii. 41-
44). As in the three last verses of
ch. xx., so in these four, St. Luke's
narrative runs- exactly parallel to
St. Mark's. Only here the wording

is as dissimilar as there it was simi
lar. 5 (= Matt. xxiv. 1, Mark xiii. 1).
Stones and gifts — the last word con
nects the disciples' remark with what
had just passed in the Treasury.
7. The two questions which the
disciples put to our Lord are given
more distinctly by St. Matthew (xxiv.
3). First, " When shall this destruc
tion of the Temple be?" Second,
"What shall be the sign of Thy
Second Advent and the end of the
world?" That they expected both
events to take place together is very
clear from St. Luke's version of their
question. No less clear is it that our
Lord in His reply seeks to correct
this misapprehension, indicating that
these two events — the destruction of
Jerusalem and His Second Advent —
will be separated by an interval of
indefinite length, which He calls "the

238

St. LUKE. Ch. 21. 8-21.

[a.d. 29

8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived : for many shall
come in my name, saying, I am Christ ; and the time draweth near :
go ye not therefore after them. 9 But when ye shall hear of wars
and commotions, be not terrified : for these things must first come
to pass ; but the end is not by and by. 10 Then said he unto them,
Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom :
n 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, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into
prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in
your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer : 1B for I
will give you a mouth and wisdom, 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. " And ye shall be hated
of all men for my name's sake. 18 But there shall not an hair of
your head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls. M And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that
the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judsea
8. Om. " therefore." 11. and in divers places pestilences and famines (?).
13. Om. "And." 15. to resist [or gainsay (?)]. 19. ye shaU gain your souls.

times of the Gentiles." Of the first
event which most nearly concerned
them — the fall of Jerusalem — He
speaks very definitely (vers. 12-23).
Having then (in the 24th verse) in
timated that a long interval (" the
times of the Gentiles ") was to follow
His coming to judge that guilty
nation, Christ returns, in verse 25, to
the signs that should precede that
nearer judgment, — using language,
however, which shows that He intended
that nearer judgment to be a type of
the yet greater coming to judgment at
the end of the world. This is alto
gether in the manner of God's Word
to the ancient prophets, speaking
directly (or in first intention) of some
nearer event, but indirectly (or in
second intention) of some more distant
event. In such prophecies the words
are capable of application to both
events, though it may involve some
little straining of their meaning. So
here, the words of verses 25-27 may
to us seem hyperbolical when applied
(as ver. 32 requires them to be applied
in their first intention) to the fall of
Jerusalem. But in the note on Matt.
xxiv. 29, we have endeavoured to

show that to a reader of the Old
Testament such strong metaphors
ought to be familiar as describing
earthly catastrophes.
Such, after repeated consideration,
seems to me the most satisfactory
way of reconciling ver. 32 with verses
25-27. Bishop Horsley, in his well-
known Sermons, would solve the diffi
culty by dividing the discourse into
three portions : — First portion (ver.
8 to ver. 24), relating to the fall of
Jerusalem; second portion (ver. 25
to ver. 28), pointing onward to His
Second Advent (for the transition see
Matt. xxiv. 23, where it appears more
plainly) ; third portion (ver. 29 to ver.
33), in which He returns to the nearer
catastrophe, which more immediately
concerned those to whom He was
speaking. But this backwards and forwards
interpretation seems to me less in
accord with the manner of prophecy
than that which is given above ; and
certainly less in accord with such
passages as Matt. xvi. 28.
19. Possess ye— rather, " Ye shall
gain." See ch. xvii. 33 forthe meaning.
20. Comparing the verse with the

A D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 21. 22-34.

239

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. 2S 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 Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 26 And there
shall be signs in the sun, 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 see the
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 nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable ; Behold the fig-tree, and all
the trees ; 30 when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your
own selves that summer 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 fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall
pass away : but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed

23. Om. " But."

25. in despair for the roaring of sea and waves.

abomination to be followed by desola
tion of St. Matthew's and St. Mark's
report, it would seem that the
" abomination " was the desecration
of the Holy Place, not by the
Zealots, but rather by the Boman
soldiers. 24. Until the times of the Gentiles
be fulfUled. With the fall of Jeru
salem fell the Jewish dispensation,
and the Gentile dispensation, in which
we are living, began. This too is to
have its end. But meantime our
Lord's prophecy is receiving the
most striking fulfilment — " Jerusalem
trodden down by the Gentiles," the
mosques of the Moslems still occupy
ing the site of the Temple.
This indication of a long interval
between the fall of Jerusalem and the
final Advent is most important for the
right understanding of this great pro
phecy and of the Apocalypse. We
owe it to St. Luke, whose Gospel may
be called "the Gospel of the Gen
tiles." 27 — 33. See opening notes on this

prophecy in Matthew (xxiv. 2), and
on ver. 7 of this chapter.
That our Lord habitually regarded
the approaching destruction of the
Temple and its ritual as a procla
mation to the whole world that
the spiritual temple — the Christian
Church — was inaugurated, and that
this inauguration of the Church —
dating indeed from Pentecost, but
proclaimed with power by the fall of
Jerusalem — was regarded by Him as
"a coming in His kingdom," " a coming
with power," is plain from Matthew
xvi. 28, Mark ix. 1. But our Lord's
words here, as usual in prophecy, pass
beyond this nearer fulfilment to the
more remote fulfilment at " the end
of the world," to which the disciples'
question had pointed. In the parable
of the Fig-tree Christ taught them to
watch the signs promised within their
lifetime, and in the impending cata
strophe to recognize not the end of
the world, but the establishment of the
kingdom; and it is to this that the
32d verse points.

240

St. LUKE. Ch. 21. 35-38 ; 22. 1-8. [a.d. 29

to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with sur
feiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come
upon you unawares. 3B For as a snare shall it come on all them
that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 38 Watch ye therefore,
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and 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, and abode in the mount that is called the
mount of Olives. 38 And all the people came early in the morning
to him in the temple, for to hear him.
Ch. 22. Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is
called the passover. 2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how
they might kill him ; for they feared the people.
3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the
number of the twelve. *And he went his way, and communed
with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto
them. B And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them
in the absence of the multitude.
'Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover
34, 35. come upon you unawares as a snare ; for it shall come, etc.
36. But watch ye . . . that ye may be able to escape (?).

37, 38. This again seems irreconcil
able with the opinion that Wednesday
was a day of seclusion. See ch. xix.
47 above.
Ch. XXII. 1 (= Matt. xxvi. 1,
Mark xiv. 1).
3. Satan entered into Judas. No
mere metaphor : Judas is henceforth
one possessed by an evil spirit. St.
John distinguishes between Satan's
suggestion of the wickedness (xiii. 2)
and the actual possession (xiii. 27).
Judas had been indulgiug himself for
some months in what seemed to him
(perhaps) a little sin (John xii. 6).
The door of his heart was thus ajar,
and by that door Satan entered. Here
is matter of thought for all of us !
4 — 6. This plotting of the priestly
party with Judas seems to have been
on Wednesday, during which day
our Lord, some think, remained at
Bethany in seclusion (but see notes on
ch. xix. 47 and ch. xxi. 37, above, and
on John xii. 20).
7. The next day would be Thurs
day, the 13th, and at the close of
it the Jews put away all leaven ;
so that on Thursday at sunset com
menced the day of unleavened bread,
14th Nisan, in the latter hours of

which (on the afternoon of Friday)
" the passover must be killed." After
sunset, then, on Thursday, not knowing
until Christ's announcement (ver. 15)
that He desired to eat it that very
evening, His two apostles went to
prepare the Paschal meal, to be eaten,
as they thought, on Friday evening.
See note on Mark x. 46.
If we had the narrative of the three
earlier Evangelists only, we should
undoubtedly understand that this
Thursday evening, on which the last
Supper was eaten, was the close of the
14th Nisan. But four passages in St.
John's Gospel, very clearly indicating
that the Paschal Supper fell this
year on the evening of Good Friday,
after the crucifixion (viz., xiii. 1, 29,
xviii. 28, and xix. 14), oblige us to
give another meaning to the words,
viz., that when the day on which the
lamb was to be slain, namely the
14th Nisan, arrived, which it did at
sunset on Thursday, the disciples
came asking where they should
"prepare the Passover," thinking our
Lord would eat it at the usual time
on the following evening. But our
Lord, knowing that He must eat it
with them that same evening, if He

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 22. 9-18.

241

must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and pre
pare us 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
entereth in. u And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The
Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall
eat the passover with my disciples? 12And he shall shew you a large
upper room furnished : 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. " And he said unto them, With desire I have
desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer : " for I say
unto you, 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 yourselves : 18 for I say unto
you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of
XXII. 14. Om. " twelve." 16. Om. " any more " (?) ; I will not eat it, until.
17-20. Tregelles thinks it possible that v. 19 preceded w. 17, 18 originally, and that v. 20 is an inter
polation. It is so in the Curetonian Syriac, but all the great MSS. have the verses as in our text.

ate it with them at all before He
suffered, and earnestly desiring to do
so, had taken measures that the room
should be previously secured and pre
pared. 14. This account of the institution
of "the Lord's Supper" is more de
tailed than that given by St. Matthew
and St. Mark. It is almost word
for word the same as that given in
1 Cor. xi., adopted in our Commun
ion Service ; and contains — what St.
Matthew and St. Mark omit — the
words, " Do this in remembrance of
Me." St. Mark's account (which is
St. Peter's — see Introduction to St.
Mark) and St. Matthew's give us the
divinely-aided recollections of the
apostles who were present. St. Paul's
account (followed by his companion,
St. Luke) may be said to give us
Christ's own recollection of it ; for
St. Paul tells us he received the
account direct from the Lord Himself
(1 Cor. xi. 23). Thefact that our Lord
thus specially insured the authentic
record of this act of institution,
supplying the command to do it in
remembrance of Him, should be taken
into account in estimating the import
ance of this mysterious passage in
our Lord's ministry. To understand
aright what our Lord intended by it,
our surest method is to inquire what Q

thought was uppermost in our Lord's
mind during these last hours with His
apostles in that upper chamber. And
here, blessed be God, we have the
abundant revelation of St. John's
Gospel (see note on John xiii. 31).
In the doctrine of that discourse
we have the doctrine which under
lies that of the Eucharist : — that
after His glorification Christ would
be able to return to Christians in
spiritual communion, so abiding with
them, He in them, and they in Him,
in a new and far more effectual way.
In the Eucharist our Lord was pleased
to connect this promised communion
with an outward and visible sign,
which should be at once a means and
a pledge of it.
In this Holy Communion Christ's
glorified human nature (Body and
Soul) nourishes and strengthens our
human nature (body and soul).
This seems to be the nearest notion
we can form of what is meant by
feeding on His Body and Blood. But
it is a great mystery. And the
blessing may be ours, though we
understand it not. Let us thankfully
remember this !
For further remarks see note on
Matt. xxvi. 26.
15. With desire I have desired—
margin, " I have heartily desired."

242

St. LUKE. Ch. 22. 19-28.

[a.d. 29

God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake
it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for
you : this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after
supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which
is shed for you. 21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me
is with me on the table. 22And 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 And there was also a strife among
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 bene
factors. 26But ye shall 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
serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that
serveth ? is not he that sitteth at meat ? but I am among you as he
that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my
22. Because the Son of man indeed goeth.

19. This do in remembrance of me.
St. Paul explains these words, thus : — •
" For as often as ye do this, viz., eat this
bread and drink this cup, ye proclaim
(or annunciate to your children from
generation to generation) the Lord's
death, until the Second Advent."
Notwithstanding St. Paul's clear para
phrase of " do this," some modern
divines affirm that it means " offer
this ;" a meaning which the verb
never has in the New Testament, * a
meaning unrecognized by the ancient
versions (the Syriac rendering it do
thus, " sic facite"), and not authorized
by any of the early patristic commen
tators. Both Chrysostom and Thomas
Aquinas take St. Paul's words in
1 Cor. xi. 26 as a paraphrase of Christ's
words (as above stated).

* Those who allege the phrase "I do the
passover," or, "I make my passover at thy
house," in Matt. xxvi. 18, forget that the
passover could not possibly be offered or
sacrificed in a private house, but only in the
temple. The phrase there must necessarily
(therefore) correspond to our phrase, "keep
or celebrate a feast." And so it is also used
in the often quoted passage of Justin Martyr.
That we do, in our Holy Communion Service,
make a solemn oblation of the bread and wine
is most true ; but (as it seems to me) no philo
logical argument in support of the doctrine
can be got out of the words " Do this." It is
simply our Lord's command, laid on priests
and laity alike, to keep the Eucharistic feast
in memory of Him. Otherwise, how can we
tell a non-communicating layman that he is
neglecting a command of Christ ?

21. From this verse it would seem
that Judas partook of the Last Supper,
and this is the opinion of the early
Fathers. See also St. John xiii. 18.
24 — 27. Note the harmony of these
Gospel narratives. St. Luke, in the
mention of this rene wal of the rivalry
which had called forth our Lord's re
buke only a few days before, supplies
the occasion of the act which St. John
alone describes, the washing of their
feet ; and again St. John's mention
of this act explains, what otherwise
we should hardly understand in St.
Luke's account, those words of Jesus,
" I am among you as He that serveth."
It would appear from this narrative
that the dispute, and therefore the
washing of the feet, followed the
institution of the Eucharist.
" Benefactors" was not an uncom
mon surname added by way of com
pliment to Eastern kings (as Ptolemy
Euergetes, or Ptolemy the Benefactor).
" Let it not be so with you. Let him
who would fain win for himself the
name of Benefactor among you ever
take the lowliest place. Even as I
now teach you by example, for here
ye are sitting in the master's place at
table, while I (your Benefactor) am
girt with a towel washing your feet."
"I through trials and humiliations
(as ye have witnessed) am passing to
My glory, and so must ye ; humilia-

A.D. 2

9]

St. LUKE. Ch. 22. 29-46.

243

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. a 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 converted,
strengthen thy brethren. ^And he said unto him, Lord, I am
ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34And he
said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that
thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. 35 And he said unto
them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked
ye any thing ? And they said, Nothing. 36 Then said he unto them,
But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his
scrip : and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and
buy one. 37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet
be accomplished in me, "And he was reckoned among the trans-
" gressors :" for the things concerning me have an end. 38And
they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto
them, It is enough.
39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of
Olives ; and his disciples also followed him. ** And when he was
at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into tempta
tion. 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast,
and kneeled down, and prayed, ** saying, Father, if thou be willing,
remove this cup from me : nevertheless not my will, but thine, be
done. ^And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven,
strengthening him. "And being in an agony he prayed more
earnestly : and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling
down to the ground. 4BAnd when he rose up from prayer, and
was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, M and
31. Om. " Arid the Lord said" (?). 34. until thou shalt. 36. But he said.
37. Om. "yet" . . . and that which concerneth me hath an end.
39. and the disciples also. 43, 44. Tliese verses are retained by Tregelles. They are found
in the Sinaitic, but not in the Vatican and Alexandrine MSS. Both Justin Martyr
and Irenaras allude to the Bloody Sweat. 45. to the disciples.

tion now, glory hereafter, — the glory
of the chief seats at that Heavenly
feast of which I spoke just now, when
this earthly passover shall be fulfilled
in the kingdom of God."
29, 30. Those who adopt Chryso-
stom's explanation of the "kingdom"
in ver. 16, viz. that it relates to the
Church and our Lord's relation to it
after His resurrection (see note on
Matt. xxvi. 29), will understand this
verse to point to the judicial authority
of the apostles in Christ's Church after
Pentecost. 37. It is deeply interesting to ob
serve that of all the deep sayings of
Isaiah liii., it was this particular verse
(the 12th) that Christ dwelt on : so

St. Paul, "He was made sin." "He
came in likeness of sinful flesh" —
"Sine peccato, sed sub conditione
peccati," as St. Augustine says.
39 — 46. To understand this agony
we must remember what St. Luke
here tells us in the 44th verse, that it
was an agony of prayer; intensity
of prayer caused that fearful perspira
tion. Christ in the weakness of His
human nature ever depended on
prayer for His strength. From the
fragments of His prayer recorded by
the three Evangelists, He seems to
have prayed that His will, His human
will, might not give way. For on
this, His will, the accomplishment of
His sacrifice entirely depended. One

244

St. LUKE. Ch. 22. 47-56.

[a.d. 29

said unto them, Why sleep ye ? rise and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation. 47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was
called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near
unto Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest
thou the Son of man with a kiss ? 49 When they which were about
him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we
smite with the sword? B0And one of them smote the servant of
the high priest, and cut off his right ear. B1And Jesus answered
and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed
him. B2 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the
temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out,
as against a thief, with swords and staves ? 53 When I was daily
with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me :
but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the
high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. BBAnd when
they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down
together, Peter sat down among them. B6 But a certain maid beheld
47. While ; om. " And." 49. Om. " unto him."
55. When they had lighted a Are all round.

word, and He might have at once
ascended the Messiah's throne. This
was doubtless the temptation with
which the Evil One in this "power of
darkness" (ver. 53)was assaulting Him.
Twice in the intervals of His prayer,
as one who was himself feeling the
force of it, He speaks to His apostles
of temptation (ver. 40, 46). Twice, in
prospect of this agony, He had spoken
of it as a conflict with Satan (" Now
shall the prince of this world be cast
out," John xii. 31; "The prince of
this world cometh, and hath nothing
in me," xiv. 30). For strength in
this conflict with the Evil One, for
strength in this effort of will, He
prayed, and He was heard. " There
appeared an angel unto Him from
heaven, strengthening Him." This
may be all that is intended in that
inspired commentary on this agony
which we have in Heb. v. 7-10; but
one expression there would seem to
point to a yet deeper purpose of His
prayer : He prayed " unto Him that
was able to save Him from death, and
was heard" — as though His resurrec
tion and victory over death was an
answer to this prayer in Gethsemane !
The remaining words of that com
mentary ("though He were a Son, yet

learned He obedience by the things
which He suffered ; and being made
perfect He became the author of eter
nal salvation unto all them that obey
Him") supply what still is wanting
to complete our conception of Christ's
agony, viz., His consciousness that on
this solitary conflict with the Evil
One depended the salvation of man
kind, even as He Himself had said in
speaking beforehand of His passion
(John xii. 32).
54. They took Him in the first
instance (according to St. John) to the
all-powerful Annas — no longer high
priest himself, but retaining all the
power of one through his son-in-law
Caiaphas, whose appointment he had
been able to secure. In this palace,
partly before Annas, and partly before
Caiaphas, in the preliminary question
ing of Jesus, which St. John records,
was spent the time till near day
break. Here, passing through the
porter's lodge into the "hall" or
rather central court-yard of the house,
where they had made the fire, Peter
followed ; and here, perhaps, as Jesus
crossed the court-yard from the room
of Annas to that of Caiaphas, the
apostle met the reproving look of His
Divine Master.

A.D. 2

9]

St. LUKE. Ch. 22. 57-66.

245

him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said,
This man was also with him. "And he denied him, saying,
Woman, I know him not. B8 And after a little while another saw
him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am
not. 59 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 Galilsean. 60 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 shalt deny me thrice. 62And Peter went out, and wept
bitterly. 63 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 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
57. And he denied, saying. 60. a cock crew. 61. Before a cock crow to-day.
62. And he went out. 63. that held him.
64. Om. " struck him on the face and."

63. Some harmonists maintain that
there were three examinations of
Jesus before Jewish tribunals: (1)
the informal one before Annas in the
third watch of the night ; (2) the
trial in the hall of Caiaphas, when
Caiaphas adjured Him to say whether
He was the Messiah ; (3) the more
formal trial between five and six be
fore the fuller Sanhedrin, when
Caiaphas seems to have repeated the
adjuration. The mockery of the
attendants (63-65) took place between
the second and third of these trials.
St. Luke omits mention of the second
trial in the hall of Caiaphas.
66. Twenty -three formed a quorum ;
they could not legally meet till sun
rise ; but to-day they met at day
break. The Sadducees seem to have
been chiefly instrumental in procuring
the death of Christ at the last. Ann as,
the Nasi or President, and all his
family, were Sadducees. The trial
before Caiaphas had taken place two
or three hours before sunrise ; see note
on Matt, xxvii. 1. But it needed a
fuller meeting of the Sanhedrin.
Therefore, as St. Luke here tells us,
at daybreak the Sanhedrin met,
between five and six o'clock, and
apparently in the temple (for there
Judas found them, Matt, xxvii. 5).

Christ still preserved His silence,
until, all other evidence failing, the
high priest repeated the question
which at the less formal trial an hour
before he had put in the form of an
adjuration to our Lord, and charged
Him to tell the court whether He were
the Messiah. Our blessed Lord,
thoughHe protested against the malig
nant spirit in which the question was
put, yet — knowing that His hour was
come — avowed, what He had so often
declined to avow before, not only that
He was the Messiah (which would not
have been blasphemy), but in pro
phetic phrase, which the sequel shows
was fully and clearly understood, that
He was " the Son of Man " of whom
Daniel (vii. 13) spoke. This was the
very claim which the high priest had
wished to draw forth from Him, as
bringing Him within their law of
blasphemy. "Art thou then the
Son of God ?" " I am." Two things
are here to be observed : first, that
the high priest and Sanhedrin under
stood our Lord's words in the same
deep sense in which the Church has
ever interpreted them (see Matt, xxvi.
65, and especially John xix. 7) ; and,
second, that the high priest gave to
Jesus full opportunity to qualify this
impression which His words conveyed

246

St. LUKE. Ch. 22. 67-71 ; 23. 1-8. [a.d. 29

council, saying, 67 Art thou the Christ ? tell us. And he said unto
them, If I tell you, ye will not believe : 68 and if I also ask you, ye
will not answer me, nor let me go. 69 Hereafter shall the Son of
man sit on the right hand of the power of God. 70 Then said they
all, Art thou then the Son of God ? And he said unto them, Ye
say that I am. 71 And they said, What need we any further witness ?
for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
Ch. 23. And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him
unto Pilate. 2And they began to accuse him, saying, We found
this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to
Osesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. 3 And Pilate asked
him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews ? And he answered
him and said, Thou sayest it. 4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests
and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
6 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people,
teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a
Galilsean. 7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's
jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jeru
salem at that time. 8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was 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 seen some
" me, nor let me go " (?). 69. But hereafter (or rather henceforth).
, . and saying that he. 5. and beginning. 8. Om. " many things."

68. Om. "also ;" om
XXIII. 2. our nation .

had He wished to do so. In this
most solemn assertion of Divinity, so
interpreted at the time, and so allowed
to be interpreted by our Lord — even
at the cost of life, — we have the
crowning proof of this article of
Christian faith.
Ch. XXIII. i (=Matt. xxvii. 1,
Mark xv. 1, John xviii. 28). The
whole multitude of them — i.e. of the
Sanhedrin. As day drew on the
attendance became fuller (see Mark
xv. 1). Pilate as Procurator, and
responsible for preserving the peace
at the great festivals, removed on
these occasions from Csesarea to Jeru
salem, occupying while there Herod
the Great's palace. Pilate, a true
Boman, would gladly have shown his
contempt for the superstitions of the
Jews by dismissing the charge at
once, but he feared to vex them, lest
they should complain of him to the
Emperor, and he should so (as even
tually happened) be deprived of his
procuratorship. Hence his conduct.
The Jews, knowing that he would
care nothing for their charge of blas
phemy, accused Jesus before Pilate of

treason against the Boman dominion.
Pilate put the question to Jesus, "Art
thou the king of the Jews ?" our
Lord answered, " Yes, in a spiritual
sense." (See St. John's narrative, with
out wbich we should hardly under
stand Pilate's reply, "I find no fault
in Him.") Finding the priests
clamorous, and hearing mention of
Galilee, he gladly seized the pretext
for dismissing the cause from his
court into that of the tetrarch of
Galilee, not sorry, by the way, to
conciliate by this cheap compliment
a native prince whom he had recently
offended (verse 12). What the offence
had been we do not know, possibly
the cruel massacre of some of Herod's
subjects mentioned xiii. 1. Herod
Antipas, treating Jesus as before he
had treated the Baptist, first with
curiosity, then with levity and
cruelty, sent Him back to Pilate;
and Pilate, thus embarrassed, made
a last appeal to the people outside
(ver. 13), reminding them of the
Boman custom of releasing a political
prisoner at their national festivals.
What followed may be gathered

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 23. 9-27.

247

miracle done by him. 9Then he questioned with him in many
words; but he answered him nothing. 10And the chief priests
and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. u And Herod with
his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed
him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 12 And the
same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together : for before
they were at enmity between themselves. "And Pilate, when he
had called together 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 him before
you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof
ye accuse him : 18no, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him ; and,
lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. " I will therefore
chastise him, and release him. 17 (For of necessity he must release
one unto them at the feast.) ls And they cried out all at once,
saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas : 19 (who
for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast
into prison.) 20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake
again to them. 21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he
done ? I have found no cause of death in him : I will therefore
chastise him, and let him go. 23 And they were instant with loud
voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of
them and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 And Pilate gave sentence
that it should be as they required. 2B And he released unto them
him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they
had desired ; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a
Cyrenian, 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
company of people, and of women, which als.o bewailed and lamented
12. Herod and Pilate. 17. Omit this verse. 21. But Pilate, willing.
23. Om. " and of the chief priests" (?). 25. Om. " unto them." 27. Om. " also."

from the four Gospels, thus : — Pilate
seated himself on the tribune to pro
nounce the acquittal which he still
hoped to bring about by this popular
appeal, and which his wife's message
made him more than ever desire ;
baffled by the persevering malignity of
the priests, who ceased not to excite
the passions of the crowd (see Mark
xv. 11), he gave way; but, disclaiming
all responsibility for His d eath, washed
his hands before them all. After the
official scourging of the condemned
(to extort confession), Pilate will
make one last effort to move the pity of
the crowd : " Behold the Man ; " but
"the Man," they are now persuaded, is
a blasphemer, and must die the death :
" We have a law, and by our law

(Lev. xxiv. 16) He ought to die, be
cause He made Himself the Son of
God." More than ever feeling that
some mystery hung around this
prisoner, he questions Him yet further
within the Prsetorium, and more than
ever seeks to release Him (John xix.
12), but again the threat that Pilate
so much dreaded, the threat of being
accused to his imperial master, is
heard, and Pilate, again ascending the
tribune, pronounces the desired sen
tence (verse 24). Thus we collect
from the several narratives the pro
cess of this fearful iniquity, and see
how entirely it was that one confes
sion of Divinity (1 Tim. vi. 13) that
enabled the priestly party to bring
about the death of Jesus.

248

St. LUKE. Ch. 23. 28-40.

[a.d. 29

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 on us ; and to the hills, Cover us." 31For if
they do tliese things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry ?
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be
put to death.
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary,
there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand,
and the other on the left. ** Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them ;
for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment,
and cast lots. 3BAnd 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 offering him vinegar, 3T and saying,
If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscrip
tion also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and
Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him,
saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. "But the other
answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou
33. Translate " a skull," instead of the Latin "Calvary." 35. Om. "with them."
36. coming to him, offering him vinegar. 38. Om. " written " (?) ; om. " in letters of Greek,
and Latin, and Hebrew" (?). 39. Om. " saying " (?) ; Art thou not the Christ ?
Save thyself and us. 40. answered and rebuking him said.

31. "If such be the beginning of
sorrows what shall the end be ?"
33. Calvary — margin, "the place
of a skull." It is curious how this
purely Latin word, finding its way in
this one place only into our English
Testament, has come into such fre
quent use among us.
34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them ; for they know not what they
do. (Omitted in Vat. MS., but other
wise well authenticated, and retained
by Tregelles.) Some think our Lord
prayed for the Boman soldiers only ;
but Acts iii. 17 and 1 Cor. ii. 8 seem
to justify us in supposing that our
dear Lord included the Jews also in
His prayer.
From the four Evangelists we may
gather the seven words spoken on the
cross : —
i. Father, forgive them ; for they
know not what they do.
(St. Luke.)
ii. Verily, I say unto thee, To-day
shalt thou be with Me in
Paradise. (St. Luke.)

iii. Woman, behold thy Son ! — Be
hold thy mother ! (St. John.)
iv. (When the darkness came) My
God ! my God ! why hast
Thou forsaken Me ? (St. Matt.
and St. Mark.)
v. I thirst ! (St. John.)
vi. It is finished ! (St. John. )
vii. Father, into Thy hands I com
mend my spirit. (St. Luke.)
39. One of the malefactors. St.
Matthew and St. Mark leave us to sup
pose that both malefactors railed on
Him at first. But St. Augustine points
out that the plural number must not
be pressed. If at first one was railing,
and the other silent, a witness might
say, " The malefactors were blasphem
ing when I left ; " while a later witness
might say, " No, one confessed Him."
If thou be Christ — rather, "Art
thou not the Christ?"
40. The English translation loses the
stress on " thou : " " These men below
blaspheme, but art not thou afraid to
do so ? Hast thou lost even thv fear
of God ?" J

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 23. 41-50.

249

art in the same condemnation ? u And we indeed justly ; for we
receive the due reward of our deeds : but this man hath done no
thing amiss. ** And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. *" And Jesus said unto him, Verily
I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over
all the earth until the ninth hour. 4B 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 commend my spirit:" and having said thus, he gave up the
ghost. 47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified
God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. "And all the
people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which
were done, smote their breasts, and returned. 49And all his
acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood
afar off, beholding these things.
60 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor ; and
42. And he said, Jesus, remember me, when thou comest in thy kingdom.
43. And he said to him (?). 44. And it was [already] (?).

Note that they were not thieves,
but "robbers," desperate outlaws,
who very likely had been concerned in
the insurrection headed by Barabbas.
Pilate, provoked by having to release
Barabbas, may have retaliated by
ordering two of his comrades to be
crucified alongside " the King of the
Jews." We need not be surprised to
find much native nobleness of char
acter in one of these zealots.
42. Some mss. read in (not into)
Thy kingdom, i.e. in royal state.
43. Paradise. This Persian word
had been adopted since the Captivity
as the popular word, for the abode
where the blessed dead, with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, wait for their resur
rection. Our Lord therefore uses
it in speaking to this malefactor,
just as in speaking to the multitude
He had adopted the no less popular
phrase "Abraham's bosom." The
robber took his expression, "when
thou comest in Thy kingdom," from
Pilate's superscription in all proba
bility, but rises in faith to the convic
tion that Jesus is truly a King in a far
higher sense than Pilate intended —
so powerful was the influence which
Christ's immediate presence exerted
on all who were disposed to receive it.
With Christ's answer — so clearly
implying that those who die in the
Lord pass immediately to His presence

in the other world — compare St. Paul's
confident assertion of the same blessed
truth in 2 Cor. v. 1-9, and Phil. i.
23. We need not fear to see in this
passage a proof that God will accept
a death-bed repentance if it be in His
sight as sincere and real as that of
this malefactor. But let us remember
that repentance postponed to the last
is very seldom genuine, seldom such
as would stand the test of a return
to health. In the prostration of a
last illness men are apt to be self-
deceived as to their spiritual state,
mere weariness being taken for resig
nation to God's will.
44. Over all the earth — rightly
corrected in the margin to "land,"
i.e. Judsea.
46. My spirit (Ps. xxxi. 5). Tn the
mystery of death's dissolution it would
seem that Christ's Divine Spirit re
turned to God, while His human sojil
abode in Paradise, and His body in
the grave, until the reunion of body,
soul, and spirit on the Easter morning.
A like distinction seems to be neces
sary in John iii. 13 (where Christ
speaks of His Spirit as ever being in
heaven) and John xx. 17 (where He
speaks of not having yet ascended in
His human nature).
50. Joseph, a member of the San
hedrin, but not present at their

250

St. LUKE. Ch. 23. 51-56; 24 1-7.

[a.d. 29

he was a good man, and a just : sl (the same had not consented to
the counsel and deed of them ;) he was of Arimathsea, a city of the
Jews : who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. B2 This
man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. B3And he
took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre
that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. M And
that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
BB And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, fol
lowed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
66 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested
the sabbath day according to the commandment. Ch. 24. Now
upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came
unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared,
and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And
they 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 : B and as they were
afraid, and bowed down tlieir faces to the earth, they said unto them,
Why seek ye the living among the dead ? 6 He is not here, but is
risen : remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful
51. Who was waiting for the kingdom of God. 55. Om. " also."
XXIV. 1. 0m. " and certain others with them." 4. in shining raiment.

iniquitous meeting this day — as St.
Luke is careful to tell us — one of
those who, like Simeon and Anna,
were waiting for the consolation of
Israel, with Nicodemus also, comes to
embalm the sacred body, folding it in
linen, with the hundred pounds of
powdered myrrh and aloes between
the folds, and lays it in his own vault,
"wherein never man before was laid : "
• — an important point, for had there
been several embalmed bodies in the
vault, the disappearance of the body
of the risen Lord would not have
been so immediately evident to Peter
and John when they looked into the
sepulchre on the Easter morning.
This embalming was hastily done, for
it was now close upon sunset, when
the Sabbath would commence; so
Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother of Jesus prepare to complete
the sacred rite so soon as the Sabbath
should be over. For a description of
a Jewish sepulchre see note on John
xx. 5.
56. They prepared their spices
before sunset, when the Sabbath would
commence. For the apparent discrep

ancy of St. Mark, who speaks of
spices being bought on Saturday
evening, see note on Mark xvi. 1.
St. Luke's group of women includes
Joanna (xxiv. 10), who lodged pro
bably with the household of Antipas
in the Asmonean palace on Mount
Sion (Caspari). St. Mark was speak
ing of Salome's companions perhaps.
Ch. XXIV. 1 (= Matt, xxviii. 1,
Mark xvi. 1, John xx. 1). Doubtless
several parties of holy women agreed
to meet at the sepulchre early in the
morning for the embalming. Some
may have seen one angel only (as St.
Mark relates), others two. From St.
John we know that Mary Magdalene
ran first to tell Peter and John, the
others following probably. Mary
Magdalene seems to have been the
only one of the women who returned
to the garden, and to her Jesus
appeared. St. Luke's more general
narrative is in harmony with all
this. See notes on Matt, xxviii. ;
Mark xvi. 9.
6. Observe that the angels knew
well the words that Jesus had spoken
in His ministry.

A.D. 2

9]

St. LUKE. Ch. 24. 8-19.

251

men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8 And they
remembered his words, 9 and returned from the sepulchre, and told
all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. l0 It was Mary
Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other
women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
u And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed
them not. u Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre ; and
stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and
departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village
called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which 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 holden that they should not know him. 17 And he
said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye
have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad ? ls 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 unto them,
What things ? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of
Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before
10. Om. " It was " (?) ; om. " which" (befyre "told"). The Syriac has " the mother of James."
12. TregeUes marks the whole verse as doubtful, but it is given by the Sin., Vat., and Alex. MSS.
17. as ye walk ? And they stood sad.

13. Two of them. One was Cleopas
(18). Theophylact suggests that the
other may have been St. Luke him
self, and the narrative is like that of
an eye-witness. Neither seem to have
been apostles (see ver* 33).
Threescore furlong's. About seven
miles north of Jerusalem.
16. Their eyes were holden — so
Mary Magdalene failed to recognize
Jesus at first, and so too the apostles
this same evening, thinking it was a
spirit they saw, and so too the seven
apostles on the lake; and yet Jesus
had the identical body which had
been crucified, with the wound and
nail marks, and was clearly not yet
glorified. We must therefore ascribe
their slowness to recognize Him to
surprise and want of faith mainly ;
though some alteration in our Lord's
appearance there may well have been
also (see note on Mark xvi. 12).
Here possibly it was our Lord's doing,
for He purposely abstained from re
vealing Himself at first.
18. Art thou only — or rather, " Art
thou the only sojourner at Jerusalem

still ignorant of the things which
are come to pass in these days ? "
Or still better, perhaps : " Art thou
lodging all by thyself in Jerusalem ? "
19. Here we have what would have
been the creed of Christendom had
Christ's resurrection been delayed to
the last day, or not revealed to us.
And here we have what some, alas !
would fain reduce us to, — blind to the
great power of the living Lord of
which the early Church was so
intensely conscious. As to the form
which the Jewish expectations took
Trench puts it well and shortly: —
" That Messiah should come, and that
God should come, they expected both ;
but that both promises should be ful
filled in one and the same person, —
that these two stars of hope which
had lighted Israel through long ages
of gloom should in the actual fulfil
ment blend and become one star, this
was a mystery hidden, or almost
hidden, from prophets and kings, from
those who most waited for the
consolation of Israel." — (Studies, p.
317.)

252

St. LUKE. Ch. 24. 20-30.

[a.d. 29

God and all the people : 20 and how the chief priests and our
rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified
him. 21But we trusted that it had been he which should have
redeemed Israel : and beside all this, to-day is the third day since
these things were done. 22Yea, 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 he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre,
and found it even so as the women had said : but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, 0 fools, and slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken : 26 ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh
unto the village, whither they went : and he made as though he
would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying,
Abide with us : for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.
And he went in to tarry with them. so And it came to pass, as he
sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake,
29. the day is already far spent.

21. To-day is the third day. This,
and still more what the Pharisees
said to Pilate (Matt, xxvii. 63), shows
how Christ's prediction that He
should rise the third day had
fastened on their minds and. been
repeated from mouth to mouth,
though they could not bring them
selves to believe it.
25 — 27. As the time pointed out
by Daniel drew near the Jews searched
their Scriptures for what they termed
"the marks of the Messiah" with
the greatest diligence. We see, not
only from the writings of the New
Testament and early ChristianFathers,
but also from the Targums or Para
phrases of the Old Testament left by
Onkelos and Jonathan, how, where-
ever it was possible, they gave a
Messianic interpretation to the Old
Testament. (See on Matt. ii. 5.) But
to all the Scriptures that spoke of
His sufferings and death they seem
to have been blinded, — as St. Paul said
(2 Cor. iii. 14), the veil on their hearts
" remained untaken away in the
reading of the Old Testament." The
true prophetic significance of that
long series of Mosaic sacrifices ; the
foreshadowing of His resurrection in
Isaac, Joseph, Daniel, Jonah ; the

( types of the Brazen Serpent and Pas
chal Lamb ; the deep meaning of such
Psalms as the 16th, 22d, 40th, 69th ;
or such prophecies as Is. liii. Dan. ix.
26, — all this was veiled from them.
His death therefore was the great
stumbling-block. "If He be the
king of Israel, let Him now come down
from the cross and we will believe
Him!"— "We trusted that it had
been He who should have redeemed
Israel" — but the hope was crushed
by His death ! This veil it was which
Christ on the way to Emmaus, and
sjill more fully to the eleven (v. 45,
46), removed, showing how through
sufferings and death only could the
Messiah enter into His glory (this is
the force of the 26th verse). They
said He could not be the Christ
because He suffered these things. He
proved that He could not be the Christ
if He had not suffered these things.
Doubtless we have in the Epistles,
and especially in that to the Hebrews'
the substance of these discourses of
the risen Lord, showing how com
pletely His death had been the ful-
filmentof the prophecies and prophetic
sacrifices of the old dispensation.
See also note on John v. 46.
30. Some have said this was a

A.D. 29]

St. LUKE. Ch. 24. 31-42.

253

and gave to them. 3l And their eyes were opened, and they knew
him ; and he vanished out of their sight. 82 And they said one to
another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us
by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures ? 33 And
they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found
the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
38 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was
known of them in breaking of bread.
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of
them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were
terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled ? and why do
thoughts arise in your hearts ? 39 Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself : handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh
and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken,
he shewed them his hands and his feet. **And while they yet
believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye
here any meat ? ** And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and
32. Om. " within us ; " while be opened ; om. " and." 34. Indeed the Lord is risen.
36. he himself stood ; om. " Jesus." 40. Tregelles marks the whole verse as doubtful, but
it is given by the Sin., Vat., and Alex. MSS.

celebration of the Eucharist insti
tuted three days before, and that they
recognized the form of words. But,
in the first place, these two, not being
apostles, had not been in that upper
chamber; in the second place, the
giving of thanks and breaking of
bread was the usual grace at a
Jewish meal, the phrase occurring in
the feeding of the five thousand. The
words merely mean that He assumed
the place of master, and so they recog
nized Him.
31. The manner of His disappear
ance, like all His comings and
goings in the forty days, is mysterious,
and seems to show that a change had
already begun to come over Him,
though He was not yet fully glorified.
34. To Simon. Mark the agree
ment of this with 1 Cor. xv. 5 — not
the only coincidence between St. Luke
and St. Paul, whose companion he
was. 35. It would seem that this Eu
charistic " breaking of bread " had
been familiar to them during our
Lord's ministry. See John vi. 11
and 23, where the "giving thanks"
is specially noticed as characteristic.
39. ' This passage is in favour of the

view that the glorification of ourLord's
body was a gradual process, not com
pleted until the Ascension. "Flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God" (1 Cor. xv. 50). St. Paul in
that chapter lays it clearly down that
the celestial body will be different in
kind from the terrestrial body, and
then explains that those who have
put off the terrestrial body in death
will be raised with the celestial : "it
is sown a natural body, it is raised a
spiritual body." But inasmuch as
all will not have died ("We shall not
all sleep "), he further explains that
those who are alive at the last — "we"
(for he speaks of himself as one of
them) "shall be changed" instan
taneously — the terrestrial being
changed "in the air " (1 Thess. iv.
17) into the celestial. As then our
Lord seems to have resumed the ter
restrial body (like Lazarus) in His
Besurrection, we may believe that He
underwent this instantaneous change
" in the air " — in His Ascension, —
which, accompanied as it was by the
cloud of glory, or Shekinah, seems to
have been a second Transfiguration,
only this time for ever. But the whole
subject is beyond us.

254

St. LUKE. Ch. 24. 43-53.

[a.d. 29

of an honeycomb. "^And he took it, and did eat before them.
"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 fulfilled,
which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in
the psalms, concerning me. *° Then opened ho their understanding,
that they might understand the scriptures, 46 and said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, 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, beginning
at Jerusalem. 48And ye are witnesses of these things. 49And,
behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry ye
in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on
high. 50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his
hands, and blessed them. 61 And it came to pass, while he blessed
them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
62 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great
joy : B3 and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing
God. Amen. 42. Om. " and of an honeycomb " (?). 44. These are my words.
46. Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer, and rise. 48. Om. " and."
49. Om. " of Jerusalem." 53. 0m. " praising and " (?) ; om. "Amen."

44. While I was yet with you.
It would appear, then, that Christ
did not regard Himself as being now
with them in the sense in which He
had been with them before His death.
His appearances to them were extra
ordinary and occasional.
45, 46. See note above on ver. 27.

49. This seems to be in continua
tion of the discourse on the evening
of Easter- Day, and yet the charge
to " tarry in the city of Jerusalem "
shows it to have been really spoken
after the apostles' return from Galilee.
See note on John xxi. 1.

INTRODUCTION TO
fet» 3oIjn-0 OBosfpriL
The constant tradition of the Church affirms that St John's
Gospel was written in his old age at Ephesus. There, after the
fall of Jerusalem, he gathered round him the few survivors of the
first generation of disciples : and there his life was prolonged until
the reign of Trajan, AD. 98.* We have this on the authority of
Irenseus, who is not likely to be mistaken, for he had spent his
youth in Asia Minor, and well remembered his conversations with
St John's disciple Polycarp. t
Irenseus further tells us that St. John's purpose in composing his
Gospel was to fortify Christians against " the error and falsely-called
science (gnosis) of Cerinthus and the Mcolaitans," who were teaching
that Jesus was not the Christ ; — the Christ (they said) was a spirit
who had entered into the man Jesus at His Baptism, and enabled
him to work his miracles, and reascended to heaven before his
crucifixion.^ A wild speculation this may seem, and yet, in effect,
not wholly unlike the heresy of our own day, which would have us
believe that God spake to us by the mouth of an inspired teacher
named Jesus, but would reject the mystery of the Incarnation.
This account of St. John's purpose given by Irenseus well agrees
with the Apostle's own words : " These things are written, that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and
that believing ye might have life through His Name " (xx. 30).
Such being the intention and such the date of his Gospel, we need
not be surprised to find it differing so widely from the other Gospels.
St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, writing for an earlier
generation, newly converted to Christianity, and not yet troubled
by heresy, confine themselves chiefly to the simpler teaching of
the Galilean Ministry.
St. John, addressing men who had been reared in the faith, and
had begun to speculate about its deeper doctrines, was inspired to
record those profounder utterances of our Lord respecting the
mystery of His Person and His relation to the Father which had
been drawn forth from Him in controversy with the Sanhedrists of
Jerusalem. We cannot wonder that, under these circumstances, the aspect of
our Lord's teaching presented by the fourth Gospel should differ
widely from that presented to us by the other three.
When we further remember that those Christians of the second
* Iren. ii. 22, 53; iii. 3. 4. t Iren. Fragm. ii.
J Iren. iii. 11. 13: "revolasse in sutim Pleroma." That One who was
Divine should suffer was to them inconceivable.

256 INTRODUCTION TO ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL.

generation had the three earlier-written Gospels already in their
hands,* and therefore needed not that the aged Apostle should
repeat to them that cycle of narrative with which they had been
for many years familiar, we shall see at once that the differences of
matter as well as of manner between his posthumous Gospel (as we
may almost venture to call it) and those others are abundantly
accounted for.
It may be convenient to sum up briefly the chief differences
between St. John's Gospel and the other three.
1. St. John not unfrequently speaks in his own person, as though
he were writing a treatise rather than a memoir. See the intro
duction, i. 1-14; the explanatory comments, ii. 21, vii. 39, xi. 51,
52; the reflexions on the unbelief of the Jews, xii. 37-43;
the statement of motive, already alluded to, xx. 30, 31 ; and the
concluding words of personal explanation, xxi. 23-25. Excepting
St. Luke's brief preface there is nothing of this kind in those
earlier Gospels.
2. With the solitary exception of the anecdote of the Feeding of
the Five Thousand, which St. John repeats for the sake of intro
ducing the profound discourse which it suggested, and which
he alone records, the fourth Gospel pursues a line of narrative
altogether distinct from that of the Synoptic Gospels until we come
to the last week of the ministry. For the same reason, probably —
that he might not repeat what others had sufficiently told —
St. John omits the Institution of the Eucharist and the Ascension,
both of which, however, he seems to assume as well known to his
readers, in his sixth chapter.
3. Of the " many other signs " which Jesus did, not recorded by
the Synoptists, St. John was guided to select a few as specially
illustrating our Lord's work and Person. At Cana was "manifested
forth His glory" as the Lord of nature. In the cure of the
nobleman's son and of the impotent man it was revealed that, as
the Father, so the Son, " had life in Himself," and as the Father,
so the Son, "quickened whom He would." In giving sight to the
blind man He declared himself to be "the Light of the world."
And in the raising of Lazarus He made good His awful words,
" I am the resurection and the life."
4. All through the Gospel — not in the prologue only, but
continually in the discourses — the doctrine of the Word may be
traced, — the mystery of One coming forth from the bosom of the
Father to bear witness to and declare the Father, as speech bears
witness to and is begotten of the thought which it declares.
As this expression, "the Word," or Logos, is characteristic of St.
John, and is _ used by him as though the term at any rate were
already familiar to his readers, some account of its previous use
may be a fitting Introduction to the first chapter.
* Euseb. H. E. iii. 24. Dr. Bouth (Bel. Sac. p. 407) sees no reason for
doubting this venerable tradition that St. John revised and approved the
three earlier Gospels, but said there were some things still wanting which
he would supply.

INTRODUCTION TO ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. 257
On the Word or Logos.
Two lines of Jewish thought — one Messianic, the other specu
lative — contributed to prepare ideas and phrases by help of which,
in the fulness of time, the inspired Evangelists were to set forth the
mystery of Christ's Person.
On the one side, the Jews of Palestine had been gathering together
the prophecies which spoke of the Messiah as "the Son of David"
and "Redeemer of Israel;" though somehow since the Maccabean
struggle their conception of the Messiah seems to have more and
more degenerated into that of a merely temporal deliverer.
On the other side, the Jews of the Dispersion, numbers of whom
thronged the schools of Alexandria, were endeavouring to find some
middle term which might serve to connect the austere monotheism of
their religion with the philosophy of the Hellenic schools.
They seemed to find what they sought in the inspired writings of
Solomon. Of all their sacred books, those of Solomon were by far
the most widely known among Gentile readers. And in the second
century before Christ two of their Apocryphal Books, — the Pales
tinian Book of Ecclesiasticus and the Alexandrine Book of Wisdom,
— had taken up and given very wide currency to Solomon's inspired
conception of a personal Being, dwelling from all eternity in the
bosom of God, revealed to men under the name of Divine Wisdom.
" The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His
works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,
or ever the earth was ; when there were no depths I was brought
forth. . . . Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him ; and
I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him ; rejoicing in
the habitable part of the earth; and my delights were with the
sons of men" (Prov. viii. 22-31).
The Tar gums or vernacular Paraphrases of the Old Testament,
used orally in the Synagogues, and committed to writing soon after
the Christian sera, had further accustomed the Jews to the expression
"the Word of Jehovah." For where in the Hebrew Jehovah is said
to speak or appear to men, the Paraphrasts are wont to say " the
Word " (Memra) spake or appeared, — as the Angel of His presence.
This then was the term ( Word, or Logos) which the Alexandrine
Jews appropriated as a connecting link between their own Scrip
tures and the philosophy of their schools. For in this " Word of
God " they seemed to find precisely that Mediator or mediating prin
ciple between God and the material world which the philosophers of
their day were seeking.
Such were the two lines of Jewish thought, — one pointing to a
Messiah of the race of David, the other to a Divine Word mediating
between God and man, — which served to prepare a language for the
revelation of the fulness of time.
It does not appear to have ever occurred to Philo (the best repre
sentative of the Alexandrine school) to identify or in any way
connect together the Messiah and the Word or Logos.
K

258 INTRODUCTION TO ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL.

But younger disciples of his school, finding their way into the
province of Asia about the time when St. Paul was at Ephesus, seem
to have tried to blend their philosophy with a spurious Christianity
which they had learned from half-instructed disciples of John the
Baptist. Some of them (like Apollos and those other twelve)
learned to know Christ more truly (Acts xviii. 24 — xix. 7) ; while
others, combining their dreamy speculations (their gnosis, as they
called it) with a fanatical form of Judaism, fell yet further into
error, and troubled the Christians of Asia Minor for many years
to come. These, probably, were the false teachers against whom
St. Paul in his address to the Ephesian elders (Acts xx. 30), and
again in his Epistles to the Colossians and to Timothy, was ever
warning his disciples. These, too, or men of like sort to these, were
the enemies of the faith with whom St. John also found him
self confronted, when in later years he came to reside among the
Asiatic Churches. To vindicate the true doctrine of the Word,
dimly revealed to holy men of old, but grievously corrupted by
these Gnostics of Ephesus, seems to have been the purpose of the
introductory verses of his Gospel.
It will help us to understand these verses if we try to realize the
false teaching of these Gnostics, in its later development.
Believing that matter was essentially evil, they could not conceive
that God Himself created it, but supposed that certain angelic
beings, or generations of being (AHons, as they called them), eman
ating originally from God, but growing more and more degenerate,
had at last rendered the genesis of matter and of evil possible.
High up among these JEons they placed the " Word " or Logos of
whom Philo had written : and wishing to find a place for Christ in
their system, they conceived that the Word or Logos had descended
on the man — -the mere man — Jesus at the time of His Baptism, and
enabled Him to' perform those wonderful works of which the
Apostles spoke.
Thus they erred doubly and fatally: (1) they made the Word
or Christ of God an angelic being, inferior to God, though superior
to the more degenerate JEon who had created the material world ;
and (2) they denied the incarnation of the Word in any true sense
of the term.
Bearing these their errors in mind, we shall perceive how pointedly
the inspired Apostle refutes them : —
The Word was no angelic being, but co-eternal with God, and
essentially one with God.
Through His mediation, and through none other, was the world
made. In the Jesus Christ whom they the Apostles had known the
Word of God was truly incarnate.

30

Purpose and Plan.
St. John states the Purpose of his Gospel very clearly in ch. xx.
31. He had written it that his readers might "believe that

INTRODUCTION TO ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. 259
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they might
have life.'" To make his readers sharers with himself in this quick
ening life-giving knowledge of the Lord Jesus is the Purpose of his
Gospel. (Compare 1 John i. 3.)
And the Plan of his Gospel is indicated in the same passage :
" Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples,
which are not written in this book ; but these are written that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." He did
not propose to record all the signs which Jesus did, but only a certain
number, carefully selected, which might serve to set Him forth,
vividly and convincingly, not only as the Messiah of Israel, but also as
the Son of God. Such was the Plan of his Gospel ; and it is trace
able throughout It will be seen to be not a Biography, but a series
of signs, each one narrated in great detail, and always connected
with some testimony or discourse which explains their significancy.
Section I. Ch. i. — iv. Prologue. Testimony of the Baptist, based
on the sign which had been vouchsafed to him (i. 32, 33). His
testimony brings disciples to Jesus ; and the sign of the Water turned
to Wine (ch. ii) confirms their faith in His Divinity (verse 11);
while in the Purging of the Temple they discern a sign of His
Messiahship (ver. 1 7). To the Jews asking for a sign, He promises
darkly the yet greater sign of His own Death and Resurrection
(ver. 18-22). This same sign in the Temple brings Nicodemus to
Jesus : the new birth to eternal Ufe. Contrasted with the unbelief of
the Jews, the ready faith of the Samaritans; in which St. John seems
to have seen a striking sign of His future acceptance by the Gentiles
as " the Saviour of the world " (iv. 42). In the Cure of the Noble
man's Son Christ shows that some degree of faith must precede signs.
Section II. Ch. v. — xii. The Great Controversy. Five very
decisive signs, each connected with an illustrative discourse : —
The Cure of the Paralytic : Christ the Restorer (v. and vii.).
The Feeding of the Five Thousand: Christ the support of Life,
physical and spiritual (vi.).
The Storm: Christ our Guide in danger (vi. 16-21).
The Cure of the Blind: Christ the Light of men (viii. ix. x.).
The Raising of Lazarus : Christ the Resurrection and the Life (xi.).
This last sign precipitated the long-impending crisis. The
Pharisees had been so far his enemies ; the Sadducean Government
now see that either He or they must perish (xi. 47-53).
Section III. Ch. xii. — xx. Thus the sign of Lazarus was the
proximate cause, as well as the foreshadowing of the crowning sign,
for which all the others had been preparing us, — Christ's own Death
and Besurrection.
This, preluded by the Messianic Entry (xii. 1 2-1 9), and Paschal Dis
courses (xiii. — xvii.), occupies the last Section, and was to have closed
the Gospel. But St. John was induced to add (by way of postscript)
one more sign, the Draught of Fishes, — showing how Christ, in the
power of His Resurrection, would enable His disciples to gather all
nations into the net of His Church, and the net should not be broken.

THE GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO

SAINT JOHN.

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with
God. 3 All things were made by him ; and without him was not

Ch. I. I. "The Lord's disciple,
wishing to cut short the speculations
of the heretics by a few authoritative
assertions, and to fix the Church's
rule of faith, — that there is One God
Almighty, who, through His Word,
made all things, visible and invisible,
and in that sameWord, through whom
all was created, bestowed salvation
also on us His creatures, — thus began
his Gospel : ' In the beginning was the
Word.' " So wrote Irenseus within
eighty years of the apostle's death.
The deep meaning of these opening
verses may perhaps be most safely
unfolded in the words of the ancient
Fathers. In the beginning — "Place what
beginning thou wilt in thy imagining,
thou graspest it not in time, for He,
from whom it is derived, still was."
—(Hilary, de Trin. ii. 13.) "But
they say, In the beginning is also
spoken of the Creation (Gen. i. 1),
which was in time ; yes, but there
is a difference between made and
was; and there is a difference between
was spoken of the creature, and was
spoken of the Creator; therefore,
' in the beginning God made ' indicates
a point of time, ' in the beginning
vias the Word ' indicates eternity." —
(Chrys. In Joan. Horn. iii. 2.)
Was the Word— "The word which
sounds externally, is a sign of the
word (or form of thought) which lies
hid within, to which the name of
word more truly appertains." — (Aug.
de Trin. xv. 20.)

And the Word was with God — "Not
in God, but with God, as person with
person eternally." — (Chrys. in Joan.
Horn. iii. 3.) " As Arius is refuted by
this text, who said that there was
a time when the Son was not, so
is Sabellius equally refuted, who
asserted that the Father and the
Son were one Person under different
names." — (Athanasius, p. 504.)
And the Word was God — "From
the Word being with God, it follows
clearly that there are two Persons :
but lest we should suppose there are
two Gods, he hastens to add, And
the Word was God; to show that
Father and Son are of one nature,
being of one Godhead." — (Theophy-
lact ; cf . Aug.'de Trin. vi. 3.)
2. The same was in the beginning
with God — ' ' for God was never soli
tary. ... If this seem hard to con
ceive, let us remember that we are
speaking of the Divine Nature, not
of the human ; and that the Divine
Nature is not under the same limita
tions as the human." — (Chrys. In
Joan. Horn. iv. 1.)
3. Through (not "by") him were
all things made — " not by any angel
or inferior creator, as Gnostics
dream, but by God acting directly
through His Word." — (Iren. i. 22.)
And without him was nothing made.
There the early Fathers end the 'sen
tence, beginning the next sentence,
" What hath been made was life in
Him : " meaning that He was the
vital principle of all that was made.

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 1. 4-12.

261

any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life ; and the life was
the light of men. B And the light shineth in darkness ; and the
darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The
same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men
through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent
to bear witness of that Light 9 That was the true Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not. uHe came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
13,4. was not any thing made. What hath been made was life in Him. So Iren.
Tertull. and Aug. (de Gen. ad. Lit. V. IU), explaining it to mean tliat Nature
hath its life in Him. The Sinaitic MS. reads " is life in Him."
9. Tregelles, follovying Theod. Mops., understands the 9th verse to say that "the light
(that lighteth every man) was coming into the world."

Or as Augustine more metaphysically
explains it, " All that was made had
its idea in Him." But Chrysostom
protests against this, and punctuates
as we do ; supposing St. John to add
the second clause of ver. 3 to include
tieavenly beings (Col. i. 16) appending
" that was made " to exclude the
Holy Spirit.
4. In him was life — so in ch. v.
26, " As the Father hath life in Him
self, so hath He given to the Son to
have life in Himself."
And the life was the light of men
— " The life of man— unlike the life
of the beasts — enlightens him : for it
was a rational soul, capable of divine
Wisdom, that God breathed into man
when He made him in his image."- —
(Aug. Tr. in Joan. i. 18.)
5. And the light shineth in dark
ness — " The Word of God ceased not
to shine in our nature, darkened
as our nature was by the fall." —
(Origen.) And the darkness comprehended it
not — so the Latin Fathers ; but the
Greek Fathers give to the verb the
same meaning which it clearly has in
ch. xii. 35, and 1 Thess. v. 4, to over
take and overwhelm ; * the darkness
never so gained upon the Light as to
quench it : " for the Light was un
conquerable." — (Chrys. In Joan. Horn.
iv. 3.)
* It is noticeable that in both these pas
sages the Vulgate ha.scomprchendere. Possibly,
therefore, the old Latin version meant to
arrest by comprehendere in this passage, but
was misunderstood by St. Augustine, whose
knowledge of Greek was very slight

6. " There came a man, sent from
God, John by name," who was not to
be put on a level with the Word, as
some had hinted (cf. note on ver. 20.
(7) "This man came for a witness [only]
that he might witness of the Light,
that all [who heard] might believe
through him [John]. (8) He was not
the Light, but [was sent] to bear wit
ness of the Light. (9) The true [or
real] Light, which lighteth every man
[so ran John's witness], was coming
into the world."* (10) [Albeit, in His
Divine Nature] " He was [ever] in the
world," — as Origen says, were He
not in the world, the world would
cease to be, for in Him all things
consist (Col. i. 17) — "and the world
was made through Him, and the world
knew Him not." (li) [So, in His
human Advent] " it was to a world
of His own that He came " [not an
alien world created by an alien power,
as Gnostics pretended] " and they
were his own creatures t who refused
Him welcome." (12) "But to as
many as received Him " — through all
time, for there was an elect remnant

* Such seeras to he the best rendering of the
words. See iii. 19, xii. 46. Bengel thinks
these two passages conclusive in favour of
this rendering. Theodore of Mopsuestia says,
" In speaking of Christ as coming into the
world, St. John is careful to add that He was
in the world in His divine nature, showing
that the coming points to His human nature."
But the early Fathers mostly take it as our
Translators following the Vulgate do.
t So Irenseus, iii. 11. 2, v. 18. 3, and Clem.
Alex. p. 882 (Potter), understand it, not of
the Jews but of mankind. And so Bun,
Jud. ii. 4. and Waterland, 2d Ser. on Christ's

262

St. JOHN. Ch. 1. 13-18.

[a.d. 27

the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name : 13 which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of God.
"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,)
full of grace and truth.
16 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of
whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me :
for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received,
and grace for grace. " For the law was given by Moses, hut grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any
time ; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
he hath declared him.
16. Because out of his fulness. 18. only begotten God, which is in the bosom of the Father :
so Tregelles, following the Sim. and Vat. MSS. and some of the early Fathers, who so quote it.
The Alex. MS. and Curetonian Syriac, and many early Fathers, read "the only begotten Son."

even in that old world (Bom. xi. 4) —
"He gave power" (margin, "the right
or privilege ") "to become children of
God ; even to them who believe on
His name." (13) Children of God,
not by hereditary descent, nor by any
mere natural birth or human parent
age, but by being begotten of God [by
spiritual regeneration, by receiving
from God a new principle of life].
Thus far St. John has been speaking
mainly, if not entirely, of the Word
before His Incarnation; he now
affirms that stupendous fact with a
simplicity which attests his inspira
tion : — (i4) "And the Word became
.flesh." It is not tbat the Word
entered into and dwelt in the child
of Mary (as the Holy Spirit did, even
from the womb), but the Word was
tliat child ; for in the mystery of that
conception the two Natures, each
retaining its integrity, were united in
one Person. Without any diminu
tion of the Divine Nature — though
laying aside some of its attributes
(Phil. ii. 7)— "the Word" took
Human Nature, soul and body, and
" became flesh," (whatever heretics
may say to the contrary — see I John
iv. 2, 3) "and tabernacled among
us (and we beheld His glory, a glory
as of an only-begotten from a father),
full of grace and truth."
If St. John (as St. Peter in 2 Pet.
i. 17) was thinking of the Glory or
Shekinah, once "tabernacled" among
men, which the three apostles had
again beheld in the Transfiguration,

then his parenthesis ( " a glory as of
an only-begotten from a father")
may have been suggested by the Voice
then heard, " This is My beloved Son."
For the two words (only-begotten and
beloved) may represent one and the
same Hebrew word ; * but St. John
was inspired to use "only -begotten" be
cause of its deeper theological meaning
(the only one begotten of his father's
substance), and also because the phrase
was being misused by the Gnostics.
(15) " John is witnessing of Him,
and hath cried, saying, ' This is He
of whom I said, He, whose ministry
is to follow mine, hath taken pre
cedence of me, because He was before
me,' " — the Baptist thus witnessed to
Christ's pre-existence. Then (16) the
Evangelist resumes, justifying his
words, "full of grace and truth"—
" For of His fulness [Col. ii. 9] we all
received ever fresh accessions of grace:
(17) for the law was given through
Moses [a mere foreshadowing] ; the
grace and truth (or substance) came
through Jesus Christ." And then
(18) explaining how Jesus revealed
the truth itself or substance of God :
"None hath ever yet seen God : the
only-begotteu Son, He who is in the
bosom of God, He declared Him." [A
very ancient reading, traceable to the
second century, omits the article and
has God instead of Son .•— " One who
is only-begotten and God."] "He

* Athanasius regards the two words as
synonyms, referring to Gen. xxii 2 (iv. c. Ar.
p. 504), both meaning an only-child.

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 1. 19-29.

263

"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 thou Elias ? And he
saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet1! And he answered,
No. 22Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may
give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of
thyself? 23He said, I am "the voice of one crying in the wilder-
" ness, Make straight the way of the Lord," as said the prophet
Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 2B And
they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if
thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet ? 26 John
answered them, saying, I baptize with water : but there standeth
one among you, whom ye know not ; 27 he it is, who coming after
me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to
unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
19. sent to him. 24. And they had been sent from the Pharisees.
27. who cometh afterme; om. " he it is who ;" and om. " is preferred before me."
28. These things were done in Bethany (Origen seems to have altered it to Bethara
or "Bethabara" to avoid confusion with the other Bethany).
29. The next day he seeth Jesus ; om. " John."

who is (the eternal / am) in the bosom
of the Father;" i.e. "in the secret
Presence of the Father, for God hath
not the fold on the bosom as we
have." — (Aug.) The force of the
Greek preposition may best be ex
plained by the phrase, Whose home
is the bosom of God. (See Luke ix.
61, xi. 7 in the Greek.)
19. Here the narrative properly be
gins. After the forty days' retirement
in the wilderness, Jesus returning to
Jordan is at once recognized by the
Baptist (26), who in answer to the
deputation from the Sanhedrin bears
that testimony to which the Evan
gelist had already (6, 15) referred.
20, 21. " Was John the Messiah ? "
[That some thought so appears from
Luke iii. 16, Acts xiii. 25 ; and that
there long lingered a rivalry between
his disciples and the Christians, is im
plied by Acts xix. 3, 4, and possibly
by the lower level so pointedly assigned
to John in ver. 6 supra]. "Or was he
the Elias" of Mai. iv. 5 ? or "the pro
phet" 'of Deut. xviii. 15? See notes on
Mark ix. 11, John vii. 40, Bev. xi 3.
I am not — And yet Jesus said,
" If ye will receive it, this is Elias,"

Matt. xi. 14. See Mark ix. 11, note.
28. Bethabara — or rather Bethany
— was near the northern ford of the
Jordan, called Succoth. Origen con
fesses that he altered the name to
Bethabara, because he knew of no
Bethany except the village of that
name near Jerusalem.
29. The Lamb of God which taketh
away (margin, " beareth ; " but taketh
away (" qui tollit," Vulg.) agrees best
with 1 John iii. 5, and the Hebrew of
Is. liii.) the sin of the World. The
Baptist's clear announcement of the
mystery of the Atonement was doubt
less a direct and sudden inspira
tion. He was inspired to recognize
in Jesus, not only the Messiah the
deliverer, but also the Messiah the
sacrifice, foreshadowed by all the
Mosaic ritual, and specially prefigured
as a lamb of sacrifice by Isaiah, ch. liii.
How slowly the apostles apprehended
thislatterconception of the Messiah we
see from Luke xxiv. 25, 46 (see note) ;
aud how fully they realized it after
their Pentecostal illumination we see
from the Epistles (cf. 1 Cor. v. 7,
1 Pet. i. 19, Bev. v. 6, etc.). Certainly
St. Paul's phrase, " Christ our pass-

264

St. JOHN. Ch, 1. 30-39.

[a.d. 27

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is pre
ferred before me : for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not :
but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come
baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the
Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not : but 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 Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is
the Son of God.
36 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples ;
36 and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb
of God ! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they fol
lowed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and
saith unto them, What seek ye ? They said unto him, Babbi, (which
is 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 with him that day : for it was about the tenth
39. Come and ye shall see. They came therefore . . . Om. "for."

over," may throw light on the Baptist's
phrase. The sprinkling of the blood
showed that the Passover Lamb par
took of the nature of a sin-offering.
Origen thinks the Baptist alluded to
the lamb of the morning and evening
sacrifice ; and says very beautifully,
" Christ the Word is our real daily
sacrifice. He carries on within us
daily what was outwardly typified by
the Mosaic ritual."
30. See ver. 15 above.
31 — 33. John claims the same direct
commission from Jehovah which the
prophets of old claimed ; so St. Luke
implies this in using the well-known
formula, "The word of God came
unto John." At the time of this com
mission it was promised to him that
the Messiah should be specially re
vealed to him by a sign from heaven.
When at length the unknown Messiah
stood before him, he seems to have
had at once a divine presentiment
that it was He ("I have need to be
baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to
me?" Matt. iii. 14) ; and no sooner
was the rite completed than the sign
appeared. John (cf. Matt. iii. 16) saw
the heavens opened, and the appearance
of a dove hovering over Jesus, and
forthwith recognized the bright glory
of the Shekinah in the countenance
of Jesus, not, as in the case of Moses,

passing away, but abiding. (Note that
the word "abode" and "remaining"
belong to the Holy Spirit, not to the
dove.) The apostles seem to have had
their power of spiritual vision so
heightened (see below on ver. 51) as
to perceive (as John did) the divine
glory iu the person of Jesus, — certainly
at the Transfiguration, and possibly
at other times also, and probably at
the Ascension. (Compare ver. 14
above, and 1 John i. 1, 2 Pet. i. 17,
Heb. i. 3.)
36, 37. " Observe, when John says,
' behold the Lamb of God,' Christ
says nothing. The Bridegroom stands
by in silence ; the friend of the Bride
groom indicates Him to the Bride,
and places her hand in His ; in other
words, John handed over men's souls
to Christ, and Christ receiving them
so blessed them that they returned
no more to John.'' — (Chrys. In Joan.
xviii. 1.)
39. Tbat day. They spent the rest
of the day with Jesus, for it was
already late — four o'clock in the after
noon. For we have no good reason
to believe that in St. John's Gospel,
the hours are reckoned (as with us)
from midnight (iv. 6, 52). See note
ou Mark xv. 25.
Rabbi — a title of respect given to

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 1. 40-49.

265

hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him,
was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. "He first findeth his own
brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias,
which is, being interpreted, 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. ** The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee,
and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him,
of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can
there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip saith unto him,
Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of
him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! 4S Nathanael
saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me ? Jesus answered and
said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under
the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him,
41. Iregelles, following the Vat. and Alex. MSS., makes " first" agree with Simon ; the Received
Text and Sinaitic MS. make it agree with Andrew . . . which is being interpreted
Christ ; om. " the." 42. He brought ; om. " And" . . . when Jesus ;
om. "And" . . . Thou art Simon, the son of John.
43. he would go ; om. " Jesus "... And Jesus saith unto him.
49. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi.

teachers in the Jewish schools. Hillel
and Shammai are said to have intro
duced it about the time of the Chris
tian era.
40. The other was probably John
the Evangelist, who never mentions
his own name. If so, two of the
apostles were previously disciples of
the Baptist, and so perhaps were all
the twelve ; Acts i. 22 seems to imply
as much, though not necessarily.
That John was the other one is made
probable from the extreme particu
larity of the narrative here, even
noting that of the two Andrew was
the first to find Simon : just as in
another place, where he implies that
he was himself one of two apostles
of whom he is speaking, he notes that
of the two he arrived first at the
sepulchre. These apostles do not
seem to have permanently attached
themselves to Jesus until some
months later, when their more formal
call is narrated by the other Evan
gelists after the imprisonment of the
Baptist. The Christians of proconsular
Asia would have a special interest in
the apostle Andrew, whose latter
years were spent among them.*
* See the Muratorian Canon.

45. Nathanael — supposed to be the
same as Bartholomew. Lightfoot sug
gested this identification in his Horce
Hebraicce. There are four reasons
for identifying them: — (1) All the
other disciples here mentioned were
afterwards apostles ; (2) he is grouped
with the apostles in chap. xxi. 2 ;
(3) in three of the lists Bartholo
mew is coupled with Philip, which
would be at once explained if he were
the Nathanael whom Philip brought
to Christ; lastly, (4) Bartholomew is a
patronymic implying some othername.
We have found — " We have found
the promised Messiah in the person
of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph" (see on Luke iii. 23).
48. Under the fig tree— doubtless
in prayer. The Jew often sought
the shade of his fig-tree. Compare
Micah iv. 4.
The fig-tree would not be in leaf
before April or May.
I saw thee. That Jesus was here
speaking, and was understood by
Nathanael to be speaking, as " He to
whom all hearts are open," is clear
from the immediate effect of His
words on Nathanael.
Whoever can say, "God heard

266 St. JOHN. Ch. 1. 50-51 ; 2. 1-3. [a.d. 27
Babbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
80 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I
saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou ? thou shalt see greater
things than these. BlAnd he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of
God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Ch. 2. And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of
Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there : 2 and both Jesus was
called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted
61. Om. "Hereafter."

me last night by my bedside in my
trouble," has an evidence of the truth
of religion that will not soon be
shaken. 49. Thou art the Son of God. How
much is implied in this ? Clearly thus
much : " Thou art He whom such
scriptures as Ps. ii. 7, 12 and Is. ix. 6
have led us to expect." We must
remember that the Baptist had pro
claimed Jesus to be " the Son of God "
(ver. 34) ; Nathanael was probably
one of John's disciples, and adopted
his words. But Chrysostom points
out that the additional words, " Thou
art the King of Israel," show that
Nathanael had not attained to the full
conception of St. Peter's good confes
sion in Matt. xvi. 16.
SI. We, in these days, when there
is no open vision, are tempted some
times to speak as if there never had
been " open vision," and to interpret
the passages that record it as meta
phorical. But Christ had this " open
vision" fully and continually; and
His apostles not unfrequently. The
unusual thing is not that angels should
"ascend and descend," but that men
should be permitted to see them.
After the temptation, and again in
Gethsemane, we have it recorded that
angels ministered to Christ. But why
not habitually — visibly to Him, in
visibly to others ? Our Lord says,
" Ye shall see," — crediting them with
lE^is own spiritual vision, while speak
ing from His own point of view. Let
us beware of degrading His words to
our own much lower point of view,
by calling them metaphorical. Our
Lord's Humanity is a true ladder be
tween man and God.
Son of man. With this title of the

Messiah Daniel had familiarized them.
In the Gospels it is only used by-
Jesus Himself. It is perhaps equi
valent to "the second Adam" of
1 Cor. xv. 47.
Ch. II. The third day from the day
of Nathanael's call (i. 45). Travelling
rapidly from beyond Jordan across
the plain of Esdraelon, one might
reach Cana (north of Nazareth) on
the third day. From xxi. 2 we know
that Nathanael lived at Cana. It
is possible therefore that it was
Nathanael through whom the invita
tion to the marriage feast was con
veyed to Jesus and His disciples.
Nathanael, then, returning from John's
baptism to this feast in his native
town, brings with him Jesus, Philip,
Peter, Andrew, and the other one
(whom we believe to be the apostle
John — see note on i. 40 above), — six
in all. The mother of Jesus, from
the neighbouring town of Nazareth,
was already there ; and fearing lest
the arrival of the six additional guests,
for which she felt responsible, should -
inconvenience their host, she turns to
her Son — for advice, probably : for
in her widowed home we may well
believe the Virgin Mother had learned
to lean on Him as her best counsellor.
The mention of wine seems to suggest
to Jesus deeper thoughts, " Give them
wine ? yes, indeed, the wine of My
blood ; but Mine hour is not yet
come." Mary perceives that He is
answering His own train of thought
rather than her words. Jesus may too
have risen from His seat as He spoke,
as if about to act ; so she expects
something further. Turning to the
servants, and speaking as with au
thority, being perhaps nearly related

A.D,

27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 2. 4-1 f.

267

wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee ? mine
hour is not yet come. B His mother saith unto the servants, What
soever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six
waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three firkins apiece. 'Jesus saith unto them,
Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled 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, l0 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. u This beginning of miracles
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory ; and
his disciples believed on him.

n. 4. And Jesus saith.

10 [then] that which is worse ; om. "then " (?).

to the bridegroom, she bids them,
whatever He may desire, obey Him.
Then Jesus seized the occasion (as
in the miracle of the loaves, with
which this should be carefully com
pared) to embody in an emblematic
act (for the instruction of His Church
hereafter) the deep truth that was
present to His thoughts. Turning to
the six vessels which had just been
emptied of the water in which the
six new guests had washed after their
journey, He bids the servants fill
them afresh up to the brim, and draw
forth from thence a new supply of
wine for the chairman of the feast.
That these deeper thoughts were in
Christ's mind is clear, not only from
the solemn phrase "Mine hour is not
yet come" — always used in connexion
with His death, — but also by His
own interpretation of the parallel
miracle of the loaves. For as there
so here the exceeding abundance of
the gift is specially noticed — they
filled the waterpots "up to the
brim ; " the quantity of wine created
must have been about 126 gallons.
Why so much ? Surely, — as in the
miracle of the loaves our Lord was
setting forth the multiplication of the
"bread of life " for the whole Church,
— so here He had in His mind the
pouring forth of His blood for the sin
of the whole world.

For Christ's manner to His mother,
compare His manner when His dis
ciples spoke to Him of the hunger of
the multitude (Matt. xiv. 15), "Give
ye them to eat," at first, and then
the miracle. And so when they came
to Him for the temple tax (Matt. xvii.
24), "Then are the children free,"
declining, but afterwards the miracle.
In all the ruling thought with Christ
was that "man liveth not by bread
alone, but by the word of God." If
God will that our need be supplied
(as here with the wine, or there with
the loaves) — well. If not (as in the
forty days' fast), God's will be done !
(For the deeper meaning of this
miracle, and John's special purpose in
recording it, see note on xix. 35.)
4. Woman. Noble and royal ladies
are addressed thus in Greek.
What have I to do with thee ?
Mah-li veldk — a common Hebrew
phrase, setting aside a suggestion.
11. This beginningof signs did Jesus
. . . and manifested forth his glory.
His glory as that creative Word
"through whom were all things
made " (i. 3). By this sign He showed
Himself to be the God of nature.
" This miracle need not surprise
those who know that He who that
day turned water into wine in the
waterpots, was even He who year
by year turns water into grape-juice

268

St. JOHN. Ch. 2. 12-20.

[a.d. 27

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother,
and his brethren, and his disciples : and they continued there not
many days. 13And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem, 14 and found in the temple those that sold
oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting :
15 and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them
all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen ; and poured out
the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; "and said unto
them that sold doves, Take these things hence ; make not my
Father's house an house of merchandise. "And his disciples
remembered that it was written, " The zeal of thine house hath eaten
" me up." "Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What
sign shewest 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
17. Om. "And" . . . The zeal of thine house will consume me.

in the vine-tree. Only, this latter
ceases to be a wonder because it
happens so constantly. . . . And
therefore it is that God sometimes has
done the same thing in a sudden and
unusual way, to startle men into
recognition of His power." — (Aug.
Tr. in Joan. viii. 1.)
12. As Nathanael may have led
Jesus to Cana, so Simon and Andrew
may have led Him to their home at
Capernaum (Mark i. 29). Observe
how St. John assumes that his readers
are quite aware (from the other
Gospels) that Capernaum was Christ's
chosen home ; else why mention it
at all here ? The neighbourhood of
Capernaum was by far the busiest
and most populous district of
Palestine ; it was on the west of the
lake, on the great road by which the
caravans passed southward from
Damascus. One of these pilgrim
companies our Lord and His disciples
now probably joined, to keep the
Paschal feast at Jerusalem.
14. We shall not rightly under
stand this purging of the temple
unless we bear in mind how ever pre
sent to our Lord were the prophecies
which He came to fulfil : " And the
Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly
come to His temple . . . and He shall
purify the sons of Levi, and purge
them " (Mai. iii. 1, 3). This was one
note of the Messiah, and would be

recognized as such at once ; hence pro
bably the startled awe with which all
obeyed Him. The Baptist's words too
would be in their mind, " Whose fan
is in His hand, and He will throughly
purge His floor." Nor would His
claim to be the Son of Him to whom
that temple was dedicated ("My
Father's house") pass unnoticed.
The Baptist (let us again remind our
selves) had proclaimed Him as " the
Son of God." The priests ask for
some proof of the Messiahship which
He thus claimed ; and here (as in
Luke xi. 29, see note there) He gives
them and us the one only but all-
sufficient sign, the sign of His resur
rection, — to them darkly, to us and
to His apostles after the event (see
ver. 22), clearly.
17. Origen remarks : " This act
exhibits no less power than His more
positive miracles, — more even than
the conversion of water into wine ;
for there the wonder was wrought on
inanimate matter, here on the minds
of thousands of men."
19, 20. We may notice here two
very s'triking evidences of the authen
ticity of this Gospel : —
( 1.) St. Matthew and St. Mark both
tell us how these words (" Destroy
this temple") were alleged against
our Lord at His trial, but neither of
them had told us when or where Jesus
had spoken them. In St. John's

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. CH. 2. 21-25 5 3- *•

269

days ? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 23 When there
fore 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 Jesus had said. 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at
the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when
they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit
himself unto them, because he knew all men, 2B and needed not that
any should testify of man : for he knew what was in man.
Ch. 3- There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a
22. Om. "unto them."

narrative we find them. These unde
signed coincidences should be care
fully noted.
(2.) "Forty andsix years." Josephus
(Ant. xv. 11. 1) tens us that the new
temple was begun in the eighteenth
year of Herod the Great, i.e. a.xj.c. 734.
Forty-six years would therefore
bring us to A.U.C 780, or A.D. 27,
which from independent data we be
lieve to be the year of Christ's
baptism and first Passover (see note
on Matthew i. ; Luke iii. 1). Conceive
the laborious investigations and cal
culations that a forger of the second
century must have gone through to
hit on this date !
N.B. — The temple was not yet
finished ; so the Jews meant that it
had been forty-six years in the build
ing so far ; it was not completed until
a.d. 64.
21. He spake of the temple of his
body. Commentators think that in
Mark xiv. 58 ("this temple made
with hands . . . another made with
out hands") we have evidence that
another interpretation was put on
Christ's words by the disciples, and
that they understood the Church by
the temple that Christ would build up
in place of the Jewish te mple. Christ's
words may well have included both
meanings ; but primarily, even with
the addition given in Mark xiv. 58,
the reference may be to His Body ;
for the epithet "made without hands"
is applied to the resurrection body by
St. Paul, 2 Cor. v. 1. Origen says :
"Both the Body of Jesus, and the
Temple, seem to me to typify the
Church, which with lively stones is
built up into a spiritual house : and
St. Paul, 'Ye are the Body of
Christ.'"

22. The scripture. See Acts ii. 31 ;
and note on Luke xxiv. 27.
23. Believed on his name — but
from the next verse we see that their
belief was not a saving faith.
Ch. III. We now come to the first
of those discourses of our Lord, so
characteristic of this Gospel, and so
unlike (as sceptics are eager to point
out) the discourses of the three other
Gospels. That our Lord's profound
discourses recorded by St. John are
very different from the vivid parables
and maxims contained in the other
Gospels may be at once admitted and
at once explained. The three earlier
Evangelists, writing for simple con
verts, found it most to their purpose
to select passages of our Lord's teach
ing addressed to the Galilean peas
antry on their own hill-sides, or in the
temple courts when the Passover drew
them hither ; while St. John, writing
for minds that were occupied with far
deeper questionings, was inspired to
select for them discourses addressed
to Babbis of Jerusalem, or to His
innermost circle of apostles. If St.
John had represented our Lord as
addressing the Galilean peasantry in
one style, and the Synoptists had
represented Him as addressing the self
same audience in quite another style,
the diversity might well have sur
prised us. But it is not so. Our
Lord's style of teaching may well
have varied according to His audience.
And the diversity is by no means
greater than we should all expect in a
modern divine preaching one while
in a village church, defending himself
another while before an ecclesiastical
synod. If any find a further difficulty in
the similarity between the style of

270

St. JOHN. Ch. 3. 2-3.

A.D. 27

ruler of the Jews : 2 the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto
him, Babbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God : 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 again, he cannot see the kingdom
in. 2. the same came to him.

our Lord's discourses in the fourth
Gospel, and St. John's own style in
his Epistle, the answer is obvious :
we must distinguish between style
of thought and style of diction. As
regards the former, it is far more
likely that our Lord's style should
form that of His apostle than that the
apostle should colour that of his
Master. And as regards the style of
diction, the similarity is just what we
should expect. St. John had to
translate most of our Lord's dis
courses from Aramaic into Greek —
how could he translate into any other
than his own style of Greek ? But let
it be well observed that St. Matthew
(xi. 27) and St. Luke (x 22) record one
great saying of Christ's entirely in
the manner so characteristic of St.
John's Gospel.
These considerations may perhaps
help to remove the difficulty which
some modern commentators find in
verses 16-21, and again in verses 31-36.
So strikingly do these verses resemble
St. John's own style in his Epistle
and Prologue, that many have adopted
Erasmus's suggestion, that the Evan
gelist in both passages must be under
stood to be passing without any break
into his own meditations on the dis
course he has been recording — con
tinuing the train of thought in his
own words. May we not rather sup
pose that the Evangelist was inspired,
here and elsewhere, to condense the
original discourse, and that in this
process of condensation and transla
tion it passed almost necessarily into
his own idiom ? ' And surely the
resemblance of this 16th verse to
1 John iv. 9 need not oblige us to
suppose that the words are St. John's
here as well as there. The resem
blance may be equally well explained
by saying that St. John's words there
were moulded by Christ's words here.
Thankful indeed for these " comfort

able words" might we well be if
they were the inspired utterance of
him whom Jesus loved ; but while it
is permissible, and far more obvious, to
take them as the words of his Divine
Master, let us not lightly transfer
them to another.
1. Struck by the miracles wrought
by Jesus at this Passover, one of
the Sanhedrin comes to bim secretly,
seeking a specimen of His teaching.
Jesus in reply declares to him a mys
tical truth, purposely expressed in
language that Nicodemus could not
then understand, to humble him and
teach him that it was not by learning
or philosophy that men were to enter
the kingdom of God. Thus we ever
find that to the simple-minded Christ's
language was simple, while to the
intellectually proud He spake in
riddles, but in riddles such as might
well arrest and engage their thoughts,
and so be afterwards, perhaps in
humbler mood, understood. But now
Christ only meets Nicodemus's diffi
culties with yet greater difficulties.
We may well believe that Nicodemus
in after years came to understand
what now his proud mind rejected ;
came to humble himself, and even as
a little child to enter the kingdom of
Christ (verse 3), accepting that bap
tism (verse 5) which he and his fellow-
Pharisees had refused (Luke vii. 30).
And thus, rising from earthly things
to heavenly (verse 12), from what
concerns man to the yet higher truth
which follows (verse 13) concerning
the Divine Person who spoke to him°
from the new birth of man to that
which alone rendered it possible  viz.,
the incarnation and new birth into
the world of the Son of God,— he
would be led on to understand the
mysterious value of that death to
which Jesus pointed in the con
cluding part of this wonderful dis
course.

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 3. 4-13.

271

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 ? B Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born 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 again. 8The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth : so is every
one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto
him, How can these things be ? 10 Jesus answered and said unto
him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things ?
u 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 I
have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things ? 13 And no man hath

4. The second time. Nicodemus
clearly understood Christ's word in
the preceding verse to mean " again."
The margin gives "from above."
5. We must not omit to notice that
the New Birth which Christ required
of Nicodemus was not regeneration
by the Spirit only, but by water also :
the outward visible sign as well as
the inward spiritual grace. Thus
Christ here anticipated the doctrine
of Baptism, just as in ch. vi. He anti
cipated the doctrine which underlies
Holy Communion. From verse 22 we
know that Christ was at this time
authorizing His disciples to baptize in
water; the baptism in water and
Spirit (of which Christ here spoke)
could not be till He was glorified.
8. The wind bloweth. Chrysostom
understands these words as our trans
lators understood them. But it is
difficult to believe that our Lord used
the self-same word in one and the
same sentence in two such opposite
meanings as Wind and Holy Spirit.
Far better, therefore, do Origen and
Augustine interpret the passage, thus:
— In the sixth verse Christ had been
explaining that " that which is born
of the flesh is flesh " (a visible birth)
" and that which is born of the Spirit
is Spirit " (an invisible birth). In this
eighth verse He expands this latter
truth, that baptism is an invisible
birth. As the Spirit is invisible, so
the being born of the Spirit is an
invisible process.

" The Spirit breathes where He
will ; and thou hearest His voice "
(in Psalm or other inspired utterance)
" and canst not tell whence He
cometh or whither He goeth ; even
so is every one that is born of the
Spirit." Such too is the rendering of
the Vulgate.
All the words, " breathes," " wills, "
"voice," are in the Greek personal
words. But the main point is that
the parallel is meant to unfold the
latter half of ver. 6. " He that is
born of the Spirit is Spirit." Such as
the Spirit is, such is he who is born
of the Spirit. He that finds it hard
to believe the new birth in baptism,
because it is invisible, will soon find
it hard to believe in the Holy Spirit
because He too is invisible.
10. A master. The Greek has " the
teacher," meaning "one whom men
call the Rabbi."
11. We speak. We — the initiated.
Christ is content to accept the posi
tion of an inspired teacher which
Nicodemus had assigned to Him in
verse 2 — as such He could speak of
" earthly things " (things concerning
man on earth). But He proceeds to
reveal Himself as One who may also
speak of " heavenly things " (concern
ing God in heaven), for He hath been
in heaven, is ever in heaven, and will
(as none other ever yet hath done)
ascend bodily to heaven.
Note these allusions to the Ascen
sion ; and cf. vi. 62, xx. 17.

272

St. JOHN. Ch. 3. 14-25.

[a.d. 27

ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even
the Son of man which is in heaven. "And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up : "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. "For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might
be saved. " He that believeth on him is not condemned : 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 deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to
the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 2l But he that doeth
truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest,
that they are wrought in God.
22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land
of Judsea ; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 23 And
John also was baptizing in iEnon near to Salim, because there was
much water there : and they came, and were baptized. 21 For John
was not yet cast into prison. 25 Then there arose a question between
13. Sin. and Vat. MSS. om. "which is in heaven," but Tregelles, with Origen and
the Versions, retains it. 15. Om. "not perish but."
17. For God sent not the Son ; om. "his" (?). 18. 0m. "but" (»).

13. Which is in heaven — Christ was
in Heaven then, in the same sense in
which He is on earth now, viz. in His
divine nature.
14 — 21. Even as that serpent of
brass was a trophy of victory over the
poisonous serpent, so was the Cruci
fixion a trophy of victory over the
Evil One who had poisoned mankind.
What Moses lifted up was not a
poisonous serpent, but only a likeness
of it ; so the flesh which Christ lifted
on the Cross was not sinful, but only
"in likeness of sinful flesh" (Bom.
viii. 3). As that brazen serpent was
a sacrament of healing virtue to the
Israelites, so was the Cross of Christ
an outward and visible sign of that
inward Self-sacrifice, which availed to
heal mankind's sin and lift him up
ward intocommunion with God. Thus,
therefore, does Christ speak of His
work : — A world lying in darkness,
perishing, self-condemned — not con
demned by God, but self-condemned :
visited by One who is Himself Light
and Life, even the Eternal Son of
God, who became a Son of Man that
He might so draw the sons of men —

as many as would — upward into His
own eternal Light and Life ! Such
was the way in which Christ spake
in the ear, to those who would listen,
of His work of redemption ; and
how deeply these mysterious phrases
sank into the mind of him "who
leaned on His breast " — colouring all
his language — we know from his
Epistles and the first chapter of this
Gospel. 22. After the Passover, i.e. in the
spring of this first year of His minis
try, He left Jerusalem and turned
aside to the valley of the Jordan in
Judoea, for there John was now bap
tizing ; for the next verse tells us
John had removed to JEnon, further
south than Bethany, and on the west
side of the river ; for at jEnon they
spokeof Bethanyas "beyond Jordan"
(see ver. 26). Here Jesus spent some
time — how long we know not, — Him
self too baptizing by the hands of His
disciples (iv. 2).
24. For John was not yet cast Into
prison. I can see no motive for the
insertion of these words unless it
were to correct a misapprehension

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 3. 26-36.

273

some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26 And they
came unto John, and said unto him, Babbi, he that was with thee
beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same
baptizeth, and all men come to him. a7 John answered and said, A
man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ,
but that I am sent before him. 29 He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom : but the friend of the bridegroom, 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 must
decrease. 31 He that cometh from above is above all : he that is of
the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth : he that cometh from
heaven is above all. 32And what he hath seen and heard, that he
testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. 33He that 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. 3B The Father loveth the Son,
and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
25. And a Jew. 32. What he hath seen ; om. "And." 34. for he giveth not; oro. "God" (?).

arising, or likely to arise, from the
narrative of the three other Evangel
ists. I find therefore here an addi
tional proof that St. John had seen
the Synoptic Gospels ; and Eusebius
points out (H. E. iii. 24) that this
verse confirms the ancient tradition
that " when the previously written
Gospels were brought to St. John he
approved them, but observed that an
account was still needed of those
earlier incidents of Christ's ministry
which preceded the imprisonment of
the Baptist." And then Eusebius
shows how the other Gospels leave
an impression that Jesus did not
begin His public ministry till after
that imprisonment. Surely we have
here a striking confirmation also of
the apostolic authorship of the Gospel,
for what impostor of the second cen
tury would have ventured thus to
correct what seemed to be the mean
ing of the other Gospels ?
25. To this joint ministry belongs
the dispute between John's disciples
and the Jew — ('a Jew' seems to be the
true reading in verse 25) — not under
standing the distinction which John
himself had declared (i. 33) between
his baptism and Christ's. Deeply
interesting is John's final testimony

to Christ, rejoicing during these few
weeks of blessed intercourse to listen
to "the Bridegroom's voice ; " for to
him to see the daily decrease of his
own influence and the increase of the
Messiah's, was " the fulfilment of his
joy." And so, like Moses, within
near view of that better land which
he was not himself to enter (Matt.
xi. 1 1), John finished his course. At
the end of these early months of
Christ's ministry, about Pentecost
perhaps, came (we suppose) the Bap
tist's imprisonment, and some ten
months later his martyrdom.
31. "He that is from the earth, is
from the earth, and speaketh from
the earth."
27 — 36. In the language of John's
final testimony — so far more spiritual
than the language of his earlierpreach-
ing (Luke iii. 7-18) — one may perhaps
recognize the effect of this intercourse
with our Lord. The expression "Bride
groom," taken from the Psalms and
Prophets, is one that Christ applied to
Himself in speaking to John's disciples
(Matt. ix. 15). Again, "what he
hath seen and heard, that he testi
fieth," was one of Christ's character
istic phrases (see ver. 11, viii. 26, xv.
15). And compare especially ver. 35,

274

St. JOHN. Ch. 4. i-io.

[a.d. 27

Ch. 4. 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,) 3he left
Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go
through Samaria. B 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 on the well : and it was about
the sixth hour. ' 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 unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink
of me, which am a woman of Samaria ? for the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me
to drink ; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have

36, with Matt. xi. 27, — as showing
that these phrases, whether used by
Baptist or Evangelist, were drawn
originally from Christ.
Ch. IV. Before the Baptist's im
prisonment, early in May apparently
— for the fields were still white unto
harvest (ver. 35) — Jesus, fearing lest
the Pharisees should sow dissension be
tween His disciples and John's, with
drew towards Galilee, spending two
days at Sychar on the way. The
spot may be easily identified. Caspari
finds a trace of the name Sychar in
the modern village Askar. The well
is there, 100 feet deep (see verse 11).
Gerizim rises almost precipitously
800 feet above it, with the ruins of
Hyrcanus's temple crowning it. A
little to the east are the corn-fields of
Moknah. Nablus (or Sichem) is about
half a mile distant; Askar (or Sychar)
is near the well.
The occasion of this stay was the
conversation with the poor sinful
woman at the well. After speaking
to her of the Divine life which He
had come to bestow (the "gift of
God"), in a parable. weU calculated
to fix itself in her memory, though
at present incomprehensible to her,
Christ turned the conversation to what
she could well understand — her own
disreputable life. The woman, observ
ing the more than human knowledge
of her circumstances that the Stranger
possessed, and inferring that He was
a prophet, took occasion to propose to

Him one of the questions so warmly
debated between her nation and the
Jews, not sorry, perhaps, to divert the
conversation to less painful topics ; and
asked Him whether Mount Gerizim
or Jerusalem was the place where God
told Moses He would "put His name."
Christ answers that the worship of the
Jews was more acceptable to God than
that of the Samaritans (speaking here,
and it is the only occasion on which
we hear of Him so speaking, as a Jew,
"We know what we worship"). ButHe
quickly passes on to reveal the great
truth that all such local worship was
now about to be superseded, that
genuine worshippers would henceforth
worship the Father, not in temples
made with hands, but in spirit, — each
one becoming himself a spiritual
temple, — not in types and shadows,
but in the truth and reality to which
they pointed. "God is Spirit, and
they who worship Him must worship
Him in spirit and in truth." Forms
and ceremonies, therefore, are not in
themselves worship, however valuable
they may be as sustaining worship.
Worship is of the heart.
3. See Matt. iv. 12, Mark i. 14,
Luke iv. 14.
4. Must needs. Jesus could not
avoid it : therefore no mission to the
Samaritans was intended. See Matt.
x. 5.
6. Sixth hour. The hour — noon-
would explain how the woman came
to be alone at the well. At sunset,

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 4. 11-26.

275

given thee living water. u The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou
hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep : from whence then
hast thou that hving water ? l2 Art thou greater than our father
Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his
children, and his cattle? "Jesus answered and said unto her,
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again : 14 but whoso
ever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ;
but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life. 1B The woman saith unto him,
Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to
draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come
hither. " The woman answered and said, I have no husband.
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 husband : in that saidst thou truly. l9 The woman saith unto
him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers wor
shipped in this mountain ; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place
where men ought to worship. "¦ 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 is a Spirit : and they that worship
him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 2B The woman saith
unto 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,

IV. 16. He saith unto her ; om. " Jesus " (?).

21. Believe me, woman.

the usual time for drawing water,
there would have been a crowd.
12. The woman resents the slight
which our Lord's words seemed to put
upon the holy well of her nation.
20. Our fathers. The Samaritans
maintained that Adam, Seth, and
Noah had worshipped on Gerizim.
Gerizim rises to a height of 800 feet.
The temple was built in Alexander the
Great's time, and destroyed B.C. 129.
24. "Oh for a high and lonely
mountain, thou criest, for if I were on
high God would be more sure to hear
me, f or He dwelleth on high. . . . Yes,
God dwelleth on high, but He hath
respect unto the humble. Wherefore
descend that thou mayest ascend. . . .
Or wouldest thou pray in the temple ?
Pray in thyself, first making thyself
His temple ; and God will surely hear
thy prayer." — (Aug. Tr. xv. 25.)
25. The woman, still only half
understanding Christ's words, replies,

" Well, I suppose the Messiah when
He comes will explain all these things
to us." Christ replies (there being
no need here in Samaria of that reserve
which was necessary among the
Jews), "I am He" ("I said, Behold
Me, behold Me, to a nation that was
not called by My name," Is. ix.
1). Observe therefore the infinite
value of this conversation with the
Samaritan woman to Christ's Church :
— not only have we this clear asser
tion of His Messiahship, but also the
two great truths — first, that Christ
came to impart to mankind a new
principle of life, to be drawn from His
"fulness" (ver. 1-16) by entering into
communion with Him ; and, second,
that henceforth all men everywhere,
by entering into this spiritual com
munion, might make themselves
God's Temple. Here we have as in
a germ the free gospel which St. Paul
preached.

276

St. JOHN. Ch. 4. 27-42.

[a.d. 27

I that speak unto thee am he. "And upon this came his disciples,
and marvelled 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 waterpot, 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 In the mean while 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
is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 3B Say
not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest ? behold,
I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they
are white already to harvest. 36And he that reapeth receiveth
wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that
soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is
that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38I sent you
to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour : other men laboured,
and ye are entered into their labours. 39 And many of the Samari
tans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which
testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans
were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with
them : and he abode there two days. " And many more believed
because of his own word; 42and 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.
30. 0m. "Then." 36. He that reapeth ; om. "And;" om. "both."
39. Om. "ever." 42. Om. "the Christ."

We need not curiously inquire how
this conversation between our Lord
and the woman came to be known
to the Evangelists. In their two
days' sojourn at the place the woman
may well have related to the disciples
the substance of her conversation
with their Master. Or it may have
been expressly revealed to St. John.
27. Marvelled that he talked with
a woman. There is no article.
29. " Can this be the Christ ? "
32. This recalls the citation, " Man
shall not live by bread alone," of the
Synoptists ; and the " Wist ye not
that I must be about My Father's
business ?" of St. Luke.
34 — 38. These verses are difficult :
— "My appointed food is labour, the
labour of sowing the seed of the
kingdom ; it is yours to eat of the
harvest. You, in your proverb, say
there must be a four months' interval

between seed-time and harvest. Not
so in My kingdom ; I have been sow
ing, and lo the fields are already white
unto harvest ! " And even so the
Samaritans were already coming in
crowds to His teaching, and Christ
points to them as an earnest of the
spiritual harvest which His disciples
should reap. And by anticipation
the Sower rejoices with them. This
is Origen's explanation of ver. 35 —
that the words were spoken, not in
seed-time, but in wheat-harvest, — it
is defended by Greswell, who dates
this journey in May. See also notes
on ver. 45, 54.
37. "For herein" it should be.
"Though we are rejoicing together,
yet remember, the fruits ye are reap
ing are not fruits of your own sowing ;
for herein the proverb holds, One sows
and another reaps. The work I spoke
of as Mine (ver. 34) is the sowing,

a.d. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 4. 43S3-

277

43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his
own country. 4B Then when he was come into Galilee, the Gali-
lseans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jeru
salem at the feast : 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 nobleman, whose son was
sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of
Judtea 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. 48Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and
wonders, ye will not believe. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir,
come down ere my child die. B0 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. B1 And as he was now going
down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
B2 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. B3 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in

43. Om. " and went."
50. The man believed ; om. "And"(?).
that his son liveth.

46. So he came; om. "Jesus."
51. Om. " and told him " (?) . .
52. they said therefore unto him.

saymg

yours is the reaping." N.B. — In
ver. 38: "Others laboured" — mean
ing Himself.
43. After the two days spent at
Sychar or at Sichem, Jesus continued
His journey into Galilee, resolving
now to make Galilee rather than
Judsea His home ; " for Jesus Himself
testified, that a prophet hath no
honour in his own country." Origen
is probably right in his opinion, that
by " His own country" here St. John
means Jucbea and Jerusalem. The
other Evangelists record chiefly the
Galilean ministry, and therefore regard
Galilee, and especially Nazareth, as
" His country " (see Luke iv. 24, Mark
vi. 4) ; St. John, who seems to have
had a house at Jerusalem (xix. 27),
and relates chiefly Christ's Judsean
ministry, seems to have felt bitterly
Jerusalem's rejection of her Messiah :
compare the mournf ulness of his tone
at xii. 37.
45. This allusion to the Passover
as recent confirms the view that
Christ's journey was in harvest-
time, a few weeks only after the
Passover. Christ's miracles at this
Passover (ii. 23, iii. 2) would be
naturally the talk of the Paschal
pilgrims on their return. In their

own country He had as yet wrought
one only.
46. It is just possible that this
"nobleman" or rather (as in the
margin) " courtier," or place-bearer in
Herod Antipas's court, was the Chuza
of Luke viii. 3. Note that our Lord
worked this miracle at » distance of
twenty-five miles.
48. These words are addressed, not
to the nobleman, but to the multi
tude, who were crowding round from
mere curiosity; but were doubtless
intended also to test the faith of the
nobleman (as was Christ's manner) by
a momentary discouragement.
Christ disappointed this curiosity
by His mode of working the miracle ;
while He rewarded the persevering
prayer of the father.
52. Yesterday at one o'clock. . The
father might have reached his home
that same night, but so entirely did
he accept our Lord's assurance, that
all anxiety was laid aside, and he
spent the night apparently at some
hostelry on the road. Not impro
bably he had made his hurried anxious
journey to Cana in the forenoon of the
day, and needed rest on the return
journey. His simple faith in Christ's
word relieved him from anxiety. He

278

St. JOHN. Ch. 4. 54 ; 5. 1-2.

[a.d. 27

the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed,
and his whole house. B4 This is again the second miracle that Jesus
did, when he was come out of Judsea into Galilee.
Ch. 5. After this there was a feast of the Jews ; and Jesus went
up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market

had no news to carry home ; the
child's convalescence would have told
them how the father's mission had
prospered. 54. Second miracle — i.e. the second
in Galilee, for in ii. 23 we heard of
miracles wrought in J erusalem.
This note that it was " the second
miracle " of the Galilean ministry —
the miracle at Cana just before the
Passover being the first — seems to
imply that no long interval had inter
vened, and favours the opinion that
our Lord's return to Galilee was a few
weeks after that Passover, — so con
firming the explanation given above
to the 35th verse, as indicating
harvest-time, not seed-time. If we
suppose that verse to imply that it
then wanted four months of harvest,
we must separate these two miracles
by a space of nine months, which
this 54th verse and the 45th seem
alike to forbid. The 45th verse seems
to imply that the Passover was not
long past.
Ch. V. I. What was this feast?
Many suggestions have been made : —
1. That the feast was a Passover
intermediate between the Passover of
ii. 13 and the Passover of vi. 4. This
is the view taken by all who make
our Lord's ministry extend over three
complete years. There are two
objections to it : — (1.) It requires us
to suppose a whole year to be passed
over in silence in St. John's narrative
between v. and vi. (2.) We have also
to suppose an interval of eighteen
months between this Sabbath miracle
which provoked the determination to
slay Jesus (ver. 16) and the allusion
to this in vii. 19, 23, as to something
quite fresh in the memory of all.
2. That the feast was the same
Passover as that spoken of as "near"
in vi. 4. As the word " near " must
mean approaching, this view obliges
us to suppose an early transposition
of chapters v. and vi. As the anecdote
of ch. viii. 1-11 is confessedly inserted

in the wrong place, so (it has been
asked) may not ch. vi. have got in
serted after instead of before ch. v. ?
It is curious how far more consecu
tive the narrative becomes read in
this order — iv., vi., v. , vii. Christ still
in Galilee (iv. 54) ; crosses the lake
(vi. 1) ; finds the multitudes already
gathering for the Paschal pilgrimage
(vi. 2-4) ; returns to Capernaum (vi.
59), whence the caravan would start ;
goes up with them to the Paschal
feast (v. 1, the feast not being named
as having been just mentioned in vi.
4) ; is doomed to death by the Sanhe
drin because of the Sabbath miracle
(v. 16) ; is compelled in consequence
to return at once to Galilee (vii. 1 — a
verse which comes very strangely
after ch. vi.) ; and venturing back
to Jerusalem six months later (vii.
2), finds the excitement caused by
His Sabbath miracle not yet sub
sided (vii. 11, 12, 21), and the decree
against Him still in force (19).
But against any such transposition
of the chapters (and consequently
against this second hypothesis) there
are two objections : — (1.) There is no
ms. authority for it ; Irenseus read the
text in the order in which we have it
(see ii. 22, § 3). (2.) This sentence
against Christ for Sabbath-breaking
was probably the cause of so much
being made of the corn-rubbing. Now
as barley is never rubbed in the hand,
this must have been in wheat harvest,
i.e. in May or June ; must therefore
have taken place nine or ten months
before the Passover of ch. vi. 4 ; for
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all
agreed in making the rubbing of ears
before (not after) the feeding of the
five thousand.
3. But for this probability that it
preceded the rubbing of ears, we might
well suppose the feast to have been
Tabernacles. 4. Kepler suggested that the name
less feast might be Purim, three
weeks before the Passover of vi. 4.

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 5. 3-13.

279

a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five
porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind,
halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel
went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water :
whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made
whole of whatsoever disease he had. B 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
that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ? ' The
impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the
water is troubled, to put me into the pool : but while I am coming,
another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise,
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 day : 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. la 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 con-
V. 3. Om. "great." 3,4. Omit "waiting for the moving of the water," and the whole
of the next verse. The spurious passage seems to have been a very early gloss, for Tertullian
quotes it (de Bapt. 5). It is omitted in all the chief MSS. except the Alexandrine,
which has " An angel of the Lord washed himself at a certain season "
(evidently spurious). 10. and (?) it is not lawful.
12. [Then] they asked him ; om. "then" (?) ; Take it up and walk ; om. "thy bed" (?).

Harmonists of authority have adopted
this modern suggestion (Wieselerand
all who follow him) ; but (1.) it is
unknown to antiquity ; (2.) Purim
was not a feast that would have
drawn our Lord up to Jerusalem ;
(3.) the interval of three weeks is alto
gether too short for the many circuits
of Galilee, which the Synoptists inter
pose between the wheat-rubbing and
the miracle of the loaves ; (4.) they
are obliged to put the corn-rubbing
in barley harvest, and every country
man knows that barley is never so
rubbed in the hand.
5. It seems best therefore to adopt
Chrysostom's opinion, that the feast
was Pentecost. This occurs in wheat-
harvest, and solves almost all diffi
culty. Pentecost a.d. 27 fell on May
30. It would then be warm enough
for the sick to lie out of doors.
These fifty days were occupied in a
brief Judasan ministry with the
Baptist (iii. 22, 23), then the journey
through Samaria in harvest-time
(May) (iv. 35). And then the re
turn to Jerusalem for Pentecost, the
rubbing of ears being just before or

just after the feast. See note on
Luke vi. 1.
3, 4. The Sinaitic MS. has removed
any doubt that yet lingered that
the words from ' ' waiting " down to
" disease he had " were not written
by St. John, but inserted by some
very early copyist. They are inter
esting as showing the popular belief
of the Jews about this intermittent
spring, and so explaining the man's
words " when the water is troubled ; "
see note on Acts xix. 12. It is a
comfort not to be required to believe
in a miracle so totally unlike any other
miracle recorded in Scripture.
7. When the water is troubled.
Doubtless this was an intermittent
spring of medicinal virtue, with
which a charitable institution was
connected. 8. Thy bed — the portable mat, so
common in the East.
13. Not as in margin, "from the
multitude that was," — but rather, as
our translators give it in their text,
" a multitude being in that place : "
it accounts for the man having so
soon lost sight of Jesus.

280

St. JOHN. Ch. 5. 14-23.

[a.d. 27

veyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. "Afterward
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 Jews that it was Jesus, which
had made him whole.
16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay
him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But
Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not
only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father,
making himself equal with God. 19 Then answered Jesus and said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing
of himself, 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 sheweth him all things that himself doeth :
and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even
so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no
man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son : ^that all
men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He
that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath
16- Om. " and sought to slay him."

14. Sin no more, lest a worse thing
come unto thee. Jesus implies that
his long infirmity had been due to
some sin — thirty-eight years before,
and warns him that sin, if persisted
in, brings a, more awful punishment
than thirty-eight years of suffering.
" Some doubt whether the sin of a
day or an hour (suppose murder or
adultery) can really bring on us
eternal punishment. But see how
long this man was tormented (thirty-
eight years) for one act of sin! Sin is
not to be measured by the length of
time it occupies, but by the nature of
the sin itself." So Chrysostom (Horn.
xxxviii.), anticipating one of Bishop
Butler's arguments from analogy. If
one day's excess may entail an amount
of suffering in this life that seems
altogether disproportionate,, may it
not be so hereafter 2 Sin, like disease,
is mortal if not healed first by the
One only Healer. Hast thou been
healed by Him ? then go and sin no
more lest a worse thing come unto
thee !
15. Probably the Sanhedrin (whom
the man felt bound to obey) had, in
accepting his apology for carrying his
bed on the Sabbath, charged him (as

the condition of his acquittal) to bring
them this information.
17. God's sustaining energy in
nature knows no pause : even so the
life-giving energy of the Son of God
knows no pause. The verse that
follows shows that Christ's claim of
Sonship was plainly understood at the
time in that highest sense in which
the- Church has ever understood it.
19. There is but one Will in the
Holy Trinity -r for will is of the sub
stance. Wbatever One does, in that
all three Persons concur.
" It is not that the Father first
does a thing, showing the Son bow
to do it (as it were), and then the
Son doeth it : but as the Son Himself
explains it to us below, ' The Father
that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the
works : ' the showing is the doing." 
(Aug. Tr. xxi. 2.)
2a Our Lord proceeds yet further
to unfold the nature of that unceasing
work which the Father had committed
to the Son, — a work in which these
bystanders were indeed most deeply
interested, for it was a work of re
generation or of condemnation of
mankind,— of regeneration to life or
of condemnation to death.

A.D. 27]

St. JOHN. Ch. 5. 24-34.

281

sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my
word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death unto
life. 25 Verily, 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
that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself, so
hath he given to the Son to have life in himself ; 2T and hath given
him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of
man. 2S Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 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 I 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 John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 3t But

27. Om.

' also." 29. [and] they that have done (practised) evil ; om.
30. the will of him that hath sent me ; om. "the Father."

' and."

24. They who believe God's mes
sage have even now eternal life within
them : and therefore (unless they fall
away) these enter not into judgment
[for it is judgment not condemnation
in the Greek]. True, they will stand
with all mankind before the judgment-
seat of Christ (Bom. xiv. 10) ; but it
is of a present judgment that Christ
speaks ; see next verse and iii. 18, 19 ;
and cf. 1 John ii. 28, iii. 14.
25. This work of the Son has be
gun, and is even now going on — both
the quickening and the judgment —
in the souls of those who hear Him.
For it is of a present spiritual resur
rection of those " who hear " His
words, that He speaks in this verse.
28. Does this surprise you ? I tell
you the hour is coming when all
"shall hear," and rise bodily from
their graves, they that bore good fruit
to a resurrection of life, and they that
did evil to a resurrection of judg
ment. Thus both the spiritual resur
rection (now begun) and the bodily
resurrection (hereafter) are alike mani
festations of that life-giving power
which is ever proceeding, as from
the Father so also from the Son.
(For a similar appeal to the regenera
tion of the visible body in proof of
the regeneration of the invisible soul,

the two in Christ's mind always going
together, cf. Matt. ix. 6.)
The doctrine of eternal life now
given, and the doctrine of eternal
life conferred at our resurrection, are
found side by side, as here, so in St.
Paul's Epistles repeatedly.
That our Lord in verses 25-27 is
speaking of a present resurrection, not
granted to all, from sin to holiness, is
plain. In verses 28, 29 no less plainly
He is speaking of the resurrection at
the last day, for after "the hour is
coming" He does not again add, " and
now is ; " and whereas He had said
"the Dead" before, He now says,
"all who are in the graves," clearly
indicating that it is a universal and
a bodily resurrection that He is now
speaking of.
29. Whether or no these words be
a quotation from the Jewish service-
books, Christ clearly makes them His
own. Here, as also in Acts xxiv. 15,
the resurrection of the wicked is
directly affirmed. It is in many
places implied.
30—40. "Such is My claim — to be
one with My Father — attested by My
Father (32), even as it was attested by
the Baptist (33), to whom I appeal, not
for My sake (for I need not man's
testimony), but for your sake. He was

282

St. JOHN. Ch. 5. 35-47 ; 6. 1-2.

[a.d. 27

I receive not testimony from man : but these things I say, that ye
might be saved. 3B He was a burning and a shining hght : and ye
were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36But 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. 3S 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 which testify of me. "And ye will not come to
me, that ye might have life. tt I receive not honour from men.
42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. "I
am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not : if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. ** How can ye
believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the
honour that cometh from God only ? 4B Do not think that I will
accuse you to the Father : there is one that accuseth you, even
Moses, 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 shall ye believe my words ?
Ch. 6. After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee,
which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him,
36. But I, greater than John, have the witness . So Tregelles, but the Sin. MS. has it as in our Tr.
37. And that Father who sent me hath borne witness.

the lighted and light-giving lamp (this
is the force of the Greek — and burning
should be kindled), " bearing witness
to the true Light, and in his light ye
were willing for a while to rejoice.
But I appeal rather to the Divine
work which the Father hath given
Me to perform : yea, I appeal to the
Father Himself. Ye will say, and I
know it, ye have never yet heard His
voice nor seen His form. And now
ye further prove (though this ye will
not allow) that ye have not His word
in your hearts, for whom He hath
sent, Him ye believe not ! To His
Word I refer you : search the Scrip
tures, which, you yourselves allow,
speak of the Messiah's gift of eternal
life. There ye have the Father's wit
ness of Me. And yet ye will not
come to Me to receive that promised
life ! "
41 — 47. And then with increasing
bitterness of spirit: " So it is, you seek
men's honour, / seek God's honour.
Therefore ye reject Me. But I tell
you, in rejecting Me, ye reject Moses,
for he wrote of Me." Note here how

Christ affirms distinctly the Messianic
character of thePentateuch. We have
it in the types of Genesis — Abel,
Enoch, Noah, Melchisedek, Isaac,
Joseph — in the Passover, the Wander
ing, the Bed Sea, the Cloud, the Manna,
and the Bock, of Exodus and Num
bers — in the ceremonial emblems of
Leviticus — in the prophecies of Gen.
iii., of Jacob, of Balaam, and, most of
all, the famous prophecy of Deut. xviii.
15, on which St. Stephen insists.
All this was doubtless drawn forth in
the walk to Emmaus. See on Luke
xxiv. 25.
44. Translate, "from the only God,"
— not from the " gods many " of
worldly men.
Ch. VI. 1. After these things. This
phrase, so frequent in this Gospel,
simply introduces a new anecdote
of the ministry. St. John's Gospel
is not a continuous narrative, but
a series of detached anecdotes,
often separated by intervals of many
months. In the last chapter St.
John had given us an account of what
happened at Jerusalem at some of

A.D. 2

8]

St. JOHN. Ch. 6. 3-1 1.

283

because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were
diseased. s And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat
with his disciples. 4And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was
nigh. B When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great com
pany 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, Two
hundred pennyworth 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, saith 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. u And Jesus took the loaves ; and when he
VL 2. they saw the miracles. 7. Om. "of them." 10. Jesus said (om. "And").

the three great feasts, probably Pente
cost. Nine months are then passed
over in silence, and the Passover of
the second year is drawing nigh (vi. 4).
But Jesus remains in Galilee, the
Sanhedrin's decree of death being still
in force. Our Lord, unable to revisit
Jerusalem for the approaching Pass
over, remains in Galilee ; and there,
on the great high-road of the sea of
Tiberias, finds the multitudes already
gathering for their yearly pilgrimage.
Thus for the third time St. John
departs from the main plan of his
Gospel to relate a Galilean miracle ;
in the two other cases it had been
omitted by the other Evangelists.
But this miracle of the loaves had
been fully recorded by all three :
why then does St. John repeat it ?
Probably because the others had re
corded it simply as a work of mercy.
St. John draws forth its sacramental
character in close connexion with
Christ's discourse on Himself as the
Bread of Life. This miracle may well
have seemed to the Evangelist to set
forth the mystical relation of Christ
to His people more distinctly than
any other. The readers for whom
the three other Gospels were written
were not ripe for these profounder
meanings of the miracle. The later
generation for whom St. John wrote
needed them. Therefore he relates
over again very circumstantially the
events of that wonderful afternoon
and following night.
S — 8. Twice in this Gospel Philip

and Andrew are brought pointedly
together — here and at xii. 22 ; indeed,
almost all that Scripture tells us of
these two apostles is in St. John.
This is interesting, if we may believe
that they alone of the apostolic body
accompanied St. John in his migration
to proconsular Asia at the fall of
Jerusalem. See Lightf oot's Colossians,
p. 45.
5. Philip. Seexii.21; cf. Lukeix. 10,
from which it appears they were in
the territory of Bethsaida, to which
place Philip belonged. For though
a comparison of Mark vi. 45 with
Luke ix. 10 (see notes there) seems to
indicate that there were two Beth-
saidas — one on the west of the Lake,
of long standing, the other recently
built on the north-east — yet the latter
was probably a dependency of the
former, so that any one connected
with old Bethsaida might claim con
nexion with new Bethsaida also.
6, 7. " Shall the flocks and the herds
be slain for them, to suffice them?
or shall all the fish of the sea be
gathered together for them to suffice
them ? And the Lord said unto Moses,
Is the Lord's hand waxed short ?"
10. Much grass. After the spring
rains, when "the Passover is nigh,"
the pastures in Palestine are fresh
and green (see ver. 4).
11. " He multiplied the five loaves,
just as He produces harvest out of a
few grains, — only in a moment." —
(Aug.) Ver. 23 calls special attention
to the giving of thanks.

284

St. JOHN. Ch. 6. 12-24.

[a.d. 28

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 There
fore 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 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. 1B 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 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the
sea, "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.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty 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 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
whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with
his 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 there,
11. Therefore Jesus ; om. "to the disciples, and the disciples." 14. the miracle that he did.
17. was not yet come to them. 22. The day following, the people . . . saw ; om. " when ; "
making verses 22, 23, 24 three independent sentences. 23. Om. " howbeit."

14. The prophet that should come
into the world — referring to Deut.
xviii. 18, or possibly to the popular
notion that the Messiah would be one
of the old prophets, Jeremiah some
said (Matt. xvi. 14), risen from the
dead. Notice the coincidence that
while St. John tells us how the
multitude said, "This must be the
prophet," St. Luke tells us how a few
hours later it was reported to Jesus
that some said He was this expected
prophet (Luke ix. 19).
IS Into a mountain. Here, as
elsewhere, the translation should be
" into the hill country," as opposed
to the lower level of the sea-shore.
The impulse of these Galileans to put
Him at their head, and march against
their Boman oppressors at Jerusalem,
is true to all that Josephus tells us
of them. Because He refused they
forsook Him (ver. 66), and for the

same reason a year later they cried
" Crucify Him."
20. "He does not say, 'I am
Jesus,' but only 'I am.' He trusts
to their easily recognizing a voice
which was so familiar to them ; or
He may be showing them tbat He is
the same who said to Moses, / am
that I am." — (Bede, in Thos. Aquinas.)
21. There is no more reason for
supposing a miracle is intended by
this phrase than by the very parallel
phrase of Ps. cvii. 30. The remainder
of the voyage (not more than a couple
of miles) would seem but a few
moments compared with the previous
hours of toilsome rowing.
22, 23. Mark the extreme care with
which St. John establishes the con
sistency of his narrative, inserting the
parenthesis to show that, though for
Jesus there was no shipping, yet for
the multitude the following morning,

a.d. 28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 6. 25-29.

285

neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum,
seeking for Jesus. 2B And when they had found him on the other
side of the sea, they said unto him, Babbi, when earnest thou hither ?
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye
seek .me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of
the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which per
isheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
the Son of man shall give unto you : for him hath God the Father
sealed. 2S Then said they unto him, What shall we. do, that we
might work the works of God 1 29 Jesus answered and said unto
24. they themselves went on board the boats and came to Capharnaum.

there was : the same wind (from the
south-west) which so baffled the dis
ciples, having driven the Tiberias
boats to Bethsaida-Julias ; and how
characteristic of him who had been
himself a fisherman of that Galilean
lake the notice that they were Tiberias
boats, not Capernaum boats.
26. Now begins the discourse for
the sake of which both the feeding
of the multitude and the walking on
the sea were narrated : for both
miracles were intended to show forth
the true character of the Divine
Person who stood before them.
27. If it seem strange and incon
sistent with what was said in the
note to iii. 1, that our Lord should de
liver in a Galilean synagogue a dis
course so entirely in the style of His
profounder Jerusalem discourses, we
must remember that though the syna
gogue was at Capernaum, yet half the
audience were from Jerusalem. St.
John calls them Jews (in 41 and 52),
a term he never applies to any but
the Jews of Jerusalem : and if we
turn to Matt. xv. 1 and Mark vii. 1
we find that Scribes and Pharisees
from Jerusalem were at this time
following Him from place to place
in Galilee, hoping to ensnare Him.
Christ's controversy with them in the
Capernaum synagogue was in fact
a continuation of the controversy
commenced at Jerusalem after the
Bethesda miracle. It came therefore
strictly within the province which
St. John seems to have marked out
for himself to relate it.
In the commencement of the dis
course Jesus is doubtless addressing
the Galilean people whom He had

fed the day before, leading their
thoughts from bodily food to spiritual
food (as He bad led the thought of
the woman of Samaria from common
water to living water — iv. 13, 14) ;
but the Scribes and Pharisees soon
draw the fire of His words upon
themselves by their murmuring in-
ver. 41, and the rest is addressed to
them. Christ's profoundest utterances
about His own Person were often
drawn from Him in controversy. It
is so in all these four chapters, v. vi.
vii. viii.
27 — 63. The whole discourse may
be divided into three main portions : —
§ 1 (27-34), in which Jesus makes
clear His distinction between bodily
and spiritual bread.
§ 2 (35-51), in which He pro
claims Himself in His Divine nature
to be the Bread of Life.
§ 3 (51-65), in which He further
defines that this Bread of Life is to
be obtained by eating His Flesh and
Blood (i.e. by incorporation with His
human nature).
Adopting these main divisions, the
discourse will be best explained by a
paraphrase. § 1 (26-34). " Ye seek Me for the
sake of the bodily food I gave you
(26). Labour* not for that, but for the
eternal life-giving food, which the
Son of Man (accredited as such by
this miracle) will give you" (27).
" How may we earn it 1" (28.) " By
* "Labour not for" is a correct though
rather a free translation. The margin suggests
"Work not" (i.e. work not out, as in Phil. ii.
12 ; for the "meat," or perishable subsistence,
is the thing wrought out). The people take
up our Lord's word in the next verse, using
the same verb.

286

St. JOHN. Ch. 6. 30-44.

[a.d. 28

them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent. 30They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest
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, I 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. 34Then said they unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. 3B And Jesus said unto them, I am
the bread of life : 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 seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in
no wise cast out. 3S For I came down from heaven, not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent 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 believeth on him, may have everlasting
life : and I will raise him up at the last day. ** The Jews then
murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came
down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of
Joseph, whose father and mother we know ? how is it then that he
saith, I came down from heaven ? *" Jesus therefore answered and
said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. ^No man can
come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him : and

35. Jesus said ; om. "And."
40. For this is the will of my Father.

39. And this is the will of him that sent me.
42. how doth he now say. 43. 0m. "therefore."

believing on Me '" (29). " Give us a
sign (30) ; Moses gave Manna as a
sign of his mission — bread from heav en,
as the Psalmist (in Ps. lxxviii.) calls
it" (31). "Moses gave it not, nor
was- it the true Bread of Heaven ;
My Father alone can give the real
Bread from Heaven (32). The Bread
of God is He who cometh down from
heaven and giveth life to the world"
(33). "Lord, evermore give us this
bread!" (34) (this is said by the
Galileans). § 2 (35-51). Jesus to the Galileans :
" I am that Bread of Life : come to
Me and taste it, you will find it satis
fies all your spiritual needs" (35).
Then, turning to the Jews : " But as
for you, ye will not. As I said to you
at Jerusalem (ch. v. 38, 40), Though ye
see Me, ye will not believe (36) . They
only whom the Father gives Me will
come to Me ; so coming, they need

not fear that I shall reject them (37).
It is the very purpose for which I have
come down from heaven, to do my
Father's will (38), and save, body and
soul, all whom He hath given Me —
their souls now, their bodies at the
Last Day (39). I say this is My
Father's will, — that every one who be
holds the Son with the eye of faith
should have eternal life, and I will
raise him, yes, I, at the last day"
(40). The Jews from Jerusalem were
offended — not that He claimed to
raise the dead, for that they expected
the Messiah to do, but that He spoke
of having come down from heaven
(41); they knew nothing of the mys
tery of His birth of the Virgin, of His
pre-existence still less (42). Jesus
expostulates once more : " Be not
hard of heart (43); yield to the
Father's attractive call, and then ye
will be among those whom I, the

A.D. 28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 6. 45-54.

287

I will raise him up at the last day. 4B It is written in the prophets,
" 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 seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me hath everlasting life. 4S I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die. B1 1 am the living bread which came
down from heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for
ever : and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give
for the life of the world. B2 The Jews therefore strove among them
selves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat ? B3 Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in
you. B4 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal
45. Om. "therefore." 47. He that believeth ; om. "onme"(?).
51. the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

Saviour, will raise at the Last Day
(44). Listen to your own prophets
(Is. liv. 13): 'All shall be taught of
God :' this means " shall come to Me,
and learn of Me" (45) : for I only, who
am of God, have seen Him, and can
teach you to know Him (46). Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that accepts
in faith My teaching hath eternal
life (47). I repeat it : / am the Bread
<5f Life (48). That manna was no
bread of Life (49). The Bread from
Heaven is Bread of Life, for it can
save from death (50). I am the
Living Bread that comes down from
heaven ; whoso eateth this bread shall
live for ever" (51).
[In this four-times-repeated phrase
— " I will raise him up at the last
day," — some may find a difficulty; are
not all — good and bad (see ch. v. 28,
29 ; Acts xxiv. 15) — to be raised at
the last day ? How then does Christ
here speak of that resurrection as
being a privilege of believers ? The
difficulty disappears when the passage
is read in the Greek, for there we see
how emphatically the pronoun " I "
is repeated in verses 40, 44, 50.
Scripture teaches us not obscurely
the order of that resurrection (see
notes on 1 Cor. xv. 23 ; 1 Thess. iv.
13-18) : — first, those whom Christ
raises at His advent, viz. His saints ;
then, after an interval apparently,
the rest of mankind for judgment.

Blessed and holy are they who have
part in that first resurrection (Bev.
xx. 6). It is of them that Christ
here speaks.
We may note also that the phrase
"the last day" in this sense is
peculiar to St. John's Gospel ; see xi.
24, xii. 48. From Martha's use of it,
and from the repetition of the phrase
here, it would seem to be a familiar
Jewish phrase, occurring perhaps in
their synagogue service-books.]
51. Thus far (i.e. up to the middle
of the 51st verse), as Chrysostom
points out, Christ had been speaking
of His Divine nature as the bread, that
is, the nourishing principle of our
eternal life. But how was it to be
communicable to man ? To this He
now passes, making mention (in this
51st verse) of His flesh and blood.
§ 3 (51-65). "I have told you I am
Myself the bread of Life; but the
bread that I will give you (through
which you may feed on Me) is My
flesh which I shall give for the
Life of mankind" (51). The Jews
think that He speaks of giving them
there and then His flesh to eat (52).
Jesus after His manner (for they who
will not, shall not understand), makes
the hard saying yet harder : "Verily,
verily I say, Unless ye eat the flesh
of the Son of Man, ay, and drink
His blood, ye have no divine Life in
you (53). He that eateth My flesh

288

St. JOHN. Ch. 7. 55-64.

[a.d. 28

life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 6BFor my flesh is
meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. BT As
the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father : so he
that eateth me, even he shall live by me. B8This is that bread
which came down from heaven : not as your fathers did eat manna,
and are dead : he that eateth of this bread j shall live for ever.
69 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 hard saying ; who can hear it ? 61 When Jesus knew in
himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth
this offend you 1 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend
up where he was before ? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the
flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit, and they are life. 64But there are some of you that believe
55. For my flesh is true meat, and my blood is true drink.
58. not as the fathers ate and died; om. "your" and "manna."
63. the words that I have spoken unto you.

and drinketh My blood hath eternal
Life, and I, Myself, will raise him up
at the last day (54). For My flesh is
veritable food, and My blood is veri
table drink (55). By eating My flesh
and drinking My blood, I mean the
Christian's incorporation with Me, he
in Me (as a member of My body),
I in him (as the life-blood of his soul)
(56). As I owe My Life to the
Father, so shall My disciple owe
his Life to Me (57). For, as I said
above, I Myself am the bread that
came down from heaven ; not like
the manna which gave no lasting
Life: whoso eateth this bread shall
live for ever" (58).
Then finding that His disciples
also misunderstood Him, to them He
vouchsafes the explanation, that He
meant His flesh and blood not as it
then was, but as it would be after
it had been glorified: "Are ye too
shocked, as though I meant now to
give you My flesh to eat and My
warm blood to drink ? Wait till you
see Me reascending with My human
body to the heaven whence I came.
Then ye will understand that I must
have meant spiritual food. What is
spiritual alone can give Life ; mere
flesh would profit you nothing. Thus
understood, the words I have been
speaking are Spirit and Life, for that
is what they mean and promise. My
human nature when glorified will be a

source of divine Life to all who enter
into communion with Me" (61, 62, 63).
The best key to these last words is
1 Cor. xv. 45. Christ glorified is a
" quickening Spirit," still in the body,
but that body (in St. Paul's phrase)
a spiritual body. For fuller exposi
tions of this great discourse I would
refer the reader to Atlianasius's 4th
Ep. to Serapion, c. 19 ; Augustine's
26th Tract, in Joan. ; Jackson on the
Creed, iii. ch. 3 ; Waterland's Review,
vol. vii. p. 101-145 ; and Bishop
Browne on the 18th Art. The doctrine
of the passage as given by these
divines may be thus collected : —
" The only sure anchor of all our
hopes for a joyful resurrection into
the life of glory, is the mystical union
which must be wrought here on
earth betwixt Christ's human nature
glorified and our mortal or dissoluble
nature. The Divine nature indeed is
the prime fountain of Life to all, but
a fountain whereof we cannot drink
save as it is derived unto us through
the human nature of Christ." — (Jack
son ore the Creed.)
" Christ, who is one with the Father
by His Godhead, becomes one with
His disciples by His manhood ; and,
by a union with us, which is ineffable;
He supports, sustains, and feeds that
spiritual Life which He creates in us."
— (Bishop Harold Browne.)
But that His human nature might

A.D. 28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 6. 65-71 ; 7. 1-2.

289

not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him. 6B And he said, There
fore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were
given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his dis
ciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus
unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68Then Simon Feter
answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of
eternal life. 69And 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 : for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve.
Ch. 7- After these things Jesus walked in Galilee : for he would
not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now

65. of the Father; om. "my.'
om. "the Christ.

68. Om. "then." 69. that thou art the Holy One of God ;
71. Judas the son of Simon Iscariot . . . 0m. "being."
Vll. 1. And after these things.

be communicable to all mankind, it
was necessary that it should be first
glorified ; " and therefore " (in ver.
62) " He made mention of His ascen
sion that He might draw away His
disciples' thoughts from what was
material, and make them understand
that the flesh He spoke of was
heavenly food given from above,
spiritual nourishment imparted from
His own Person." — (Athanasius.)
Thus we get a clear answer to the
question : — What is the relation of
this discourse to the Eucharist? We
answer, "In this discourse that divine
gift is treated of at large, of which
the Eucharist (twelve months after
wards) was made a special means and
pledge." But some will say, "Is not
faith sufficient for its reception, with
out any sacrament?" We answer,
"Both are needed, — both a hand to
bestow it, and a hand to receive it.
The ' manus donans ' is the hand of
God in that Eucharist ; the ' manus
recipiens ' is the hand of faith, with
out which (as St. Augustine clearly
shows, Tr. xxvi. 18) the bread of
heaven cannot be received." (I owe
this happy phrase — the manus donans
and the manus recipiens — to Gerhard,
quoted by Waterland.)
To put it shortly then : The inward
spiritual grace of Christ's body and
blood was promised in this discourse ;
the outward visible sign and pledge, by
pleading which we might most surely

obtain it, was instituted a year later
in the upper chamber. The Eucharist
presupposes this discourse ; this dis
course does not necessarily anticipate
the Eucharist. In this chapter a
certain divine gift from Christ in
heaven to man on earth was promised,
and pronounced indispensable ; twelve
months afterwards a particular way
of our obtaining it was instituted.
We do in faith the very simple thing
then ordained, and we believe that
we receive the deeply mysterious thing
promised in this chapter.
67 — 70. St. John's first mention of
"The Twelve." They had been chosen
a few weeks before this Passover. It
would appear therefore that Judas's
treachery dated almost from his call.
70. One of you is a devil. Then why
did our Lord call him ? The question
runs up into the larger question,
Why does God permit evil ? and may
therefore be dismissed as utterly
beyond us. Our Lord's word was
probably satan, used not unfrequently
in the Old Testament for a human
adversary. In this sense (in Matt.
xvi. 23) Christ had applied it to
another of His apostles, and so
here. Ch. VII. 1. After these things —
not continuously, but after an interval
of six months passed over in silence.
Six months of Galilean ministry are
compressed into the phrase "Jesus
walked in Galilee."

290

St. JOHN. Ch. 7. 3-16.

[a.d. 28

the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brethren therefore
said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples
also may see the works that thou doest. 4For there is no man that
doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known
openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. B 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 hateth, because I testify of
it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast : I
go not up yet unto this feast ; for my time is not yet full come.
9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up
unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. u Then the
Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he 1 12 And there
was much murmuring among the people concerning him : for some
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 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple,
and taught. 1B And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this
man letters, having never learned ? 16 Jesus answered them, and
8. Go ye up unto the feast ; I go not up unto this feast. The " yet " of the Vatican MS. seems
to have been inserted to screen mir Lord from Porphyry's charge of inconsistency.
Chrys. and Jerome read it (as in Sin. MS.) without the " yet."
15. Therefore the Jews marvelled. 16. Therefore Jesus answered.

3 — 5. It seems strange that Jerome
and others should, notwithstanding
this plain mention of their unbelief,
persist in identifying these brethren
with their namesakes among the
Twelve. They are again mentioned as
distinct in Acts i. 14; see note on
Mark vi. 3. Two of them, we rejoice
to know, became firm believers after
wards, but not until after the resur
rection. See note on Matt. xiii. 55.
4. No man persists in secrecy of
action when his object is to make his
person known openly.
8 — 10. Christ's object was, perhaps,
to avoid the publicity of the caravan
of Galilean pilgrims, lest they should
attempt a demonstration in His
favour, and so precipitate the crisis,
which He knew was to be delayed
six months later (this feast was in
October). Our Lord did not say, " I
shall not go to the feast," but "I
am not [yet] going." He declined to
go with them. Porphyry imputed dis-
ingenuousness to our Lord, which may
have led to the insertion of "yet," —
But " I go not up yet " is the reading
of the Vatican MS. and old Syriac.

13. The Jews — here, and usually
in St. John's Gospel, means the
Jerusalem or Sanhedrin party (the
priests and scribes), whose desire to
crush Jesus was now no secret (see
ver. 1 and 19) ; for fear of them the
Galileans, who were at the feast,
durst not speak openly of Him. The
Sabbath miracle at Bethesda had
given deadly offence. Christ in ver.
19 resumes His justification of it, for
though more than a year had in
tervened, yet the Sanhedrin' s decree
had kept our Lord absent from
Jerusalem all that time ; so it was
the last event connected with Christ
in the memory of the people of
Jerusalem. 15. Letters — margin, " learning "
(as in Acts xxvi. 24). Christ's teach
ing was probably exposition of Scrip
ture. " How has this man this
Scripture learning, having never been
the scholar of our Babbis ?" Jesus
replies, "My teaching is from God,
and all God-fearing men will re
cognize it as such." We must note
our Lord's attitude of absolute obedi
ence to His Father.

A.D. 28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 7. 17-28.

291

said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself
seeketh his own glory : but he that seeketh his glory that sent him,
the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. "Did not
Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law ?
Why go ye about to kill me ? 2" The people answered and said,
Thou hast a devil : who goeth about to kill thee ? 21 Jesus answered
and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumeision ; (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, that the
law of Moses should not be broken ; are ye angry at me, because I
have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day ? 24 Judge
not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
26 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they
seek to kill? "But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say 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 knoweth whence he is. M Then cried Jesus in the temple
as he-taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am :

20. Om, "and said."

21, 22. and ye all marvel"therefore. Moses hath given unto you.
26. Om. "very."

17. WiU do— i.e. " Willeth to -do/'
Therefore no one can be a sound
theologian whose life is unholy.
19. He boldly claims to be a more
true observer of the law of Moses
than any of them, and defies the
priestly party to prove Him worthy
of death. The crowd outside inter
rupt Him with their brutal exelama*
tion, but our Lord proceeds without
heeding it : "Ye are all scandalized
by My one breach of the Sabbath,
and yet see how Moses himself allows
that there are some duties paramount
to the Sabbath obligation : circum
cision, for instance, he bade you per
form on the eighth day, even though
it chanced to be a Sabbath. Why ?
because circumcision was of prior
obligation, being 'of the fathers.' If,
then, circumcision of one member may
take place on the Sabbath, how much
more the healing of the whole body ! "
22. The parenthesis marks in this
verse 22 are a mistake : " Moses'
reason for commanding circumcision
was that it was of ancient authority."
[This seems to imply that the Sabbath
was not a pre-Mosaic institution.]
23. That the law of Moses should

not be broken — margin, "Without
breaking the law of Moses," i.e. the
law of the Sabbath. But the text
is more grammatical ; therefore the
meaning must be, " that the law of
Moses (which re-enacted the patri
archal rite of circumcision) may not
be broken."
25. The eitizens are aware of the
Sanhedrin's decree, of which the
crowd of country-folk were apparently
ignorant in ver. 20. "Surely our
rulers have not really become con
vinced that He is the Messiah."
27. From Mai. iii. 1 they in
ferred that the appearance of the
Messiah amongst them would be
sudden and unexpected, — to be made
known only by Elias, who would
recognize and proclaim Him. (Just.
M. Dial, viii.) Our Lord seems to
allude to this same notion, that the
Messiah would come forth from some
seeluded hiding-place, in Matt. vi. 6.
28. Ye lmow me. Our Lord's mean
ing seems to be this : "Ye know Me
and My origin, as Jesus of Nazareth,
and therefore infer that I cannot be
tbe Messiah : and ye are partly right,
for I do not claim to be a self-

29.2

St. JOHN. Ch. 7. 29-38.

[a.d. 28

and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye
know not. 29 But I know him : for I am from him, and he hath
sent me. 30 Then they sought to take him : but no man laid hands
on him, because his hour was not yet come. 31 And many of the
people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do
more miracles than these which this man hath done ? 32 The Phari
sees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him ;
and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
33 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and
then I go unto him that sent me. 31 Ye shall seek me, and shall
not find me : and where I am, thither ye cannot come. • 3B Then said
the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not
find him ? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and
teach the Gentiles ? 36 What manner of saying is this that he said,
Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me : and where I am, thither ye
cannot come ?
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He
29. Om. "But." 32. the chief priests and the Pharisees. 33. Om. "unto them."

originated Messiah, But in a higher
sense I do fulfil your test of the Mes
siah, for My real origin is unknown
to you. He who sent Me verily
exists though ye know Him not ; al
beit I know Him, and from Him —
from this unknown origin — have I
come."* [The stop should be after
" come of myself."]
Two distinct words are unhappily
confused, and both rendered " true "
in our translation. One means vera
cious (as in iii. 33, v. 32), the other
veritable or very (as in the Nicene Creed,
"Very God of very God"). This
latter word is highly characteristic of
St. John, occurring frequently in
Gospel, Epistle, and Bevelation, and
almost always referring to God or the
things of God. Trench regrets that
it is too late to recover the old
English word "very:" the very God,
the very Light, the very Bread, the
very Vine.
30. Here we see the inspiration of
the Evangelist : he is permitted to
view all from God's point of view.
* Most modern commentators appear to me
to miss the point. I owe the explanation
given above to Chrysostom's 50th Homily :
"He refutes them out their own mouth. They
said, Wlicn Christ cometh no man knoweth
whence He is ; He shows that this was true
of Himself, for He did come from One whom
they knew not, viz. the Father."

This lifting of the curtain of Provi
dence is one chief characteristic of
the inspired historians of our Bible.
34. Ye shaU seek me— repenting of
your blind hostility when it is too
late. That this is the sense is shown
by our Lord's own reference to these
words in xiii. 33. Alas ! the hour of
grace may be lost. Let all remember
this !
Where I am — note the tense, the
eternal am, as in ch. iii. 1 3.
35. By the " Dispersion " (a word
that came into common use after
the Captivity) the Jews meant not
only their scattered Tribes settled in
foreign countries, but also (as here)
those foreign countries in which they
were settled (cf. James i. 1). " Will
he go to those Gentile nations among
whom our tribes are dispersed, and
proselytize the Gentiles ? " The mar
gin gives "Greeks :" the Jews called
all Gentiles " Greeks;" just as in the
Levant now all Europeans are called
Franks. 37- On each day of the Feast of
Tabernacles (except the last) water was
brought from Siloam and poured on
the altar while the Hallel (Ps. cxiii -
cxvm.) was sung. Our Lord's words
may have been thus suggested. " The
water that you miss on this last day
of your festival, / can supply "

A.D. 2

3]

St. JOHN. Ch. 7. 39-53.

293

that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive : for the Holy Ghost
was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said,
Of a truth this is the Prophet. 41 Others said, This is the Christ.
But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee ? 42 Hath not the
scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of
the town of Bethlehem, where David was ? 43 So there was a divi
sion among the people because of him. 44 And some of them would
have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. 4BThen came
the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees ; and they said unto
them, Why have ye not brought him ? M The officers answered,
Never man spake like this man. 47 Then answered them the Phari
sees, 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. B0 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came
to Jesus by night, being one of them,) "Doth our law judge any
man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? B2They
answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee ? Search,
and look : for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. B3 And every man
¦went unto his men house.
39. for the [Holy] Spirit was not yet ; om. " Holy " (?) ; The Vatican gives it, the Sinaitic omits it.
40. Some of the people . . . these sayings. 46. Never man spake thus ; om. ' ' as this man " (?).
50. he that came to him before : om. " by night " and " to Jesus."
51. unless it hear first from him. 53 — VIII. 11. Tregelles omits all these twelve verses.
They are found in none of the great MSS. except the Cambridge MS. (D). They seem to
be unknown to any of the Fathers before Jerome and Augustine, who mention the
passage as found " in some copies. " It is noticeable that the Leicester Codex (69)
and three other cursive MSS. place the passage at the end of Luke xxi.

38. The words " out of his belly "
do not occur in any of the passages
to which our Lord seems to refer
(Zeeh. xiv. 8, Is. Iv. 1, xii. 3) ; perhaps
in Is. lviii. 11 we may trace the
notion. But in our Lord's own ex
pression to the woman of Samaria we
have clearly a parallel thought : the
Holy Spirit should be in him a well
of water, etc. Jerome thinks our
Lord was citing Pro v. v. 16.
39. The absence of the article shows
that it means, not the Holy Spirit,
but, gifts of the Holy Spirit were not
yet. Cf. Acts xix. 2. Mark how
clearly St. John regarded the gift
of the Holy Ghost as a new dis
pensation commencing at the glori
fication of Christ. So St. Paul, Gal.
iii. 2.
40. The Prophet foretold by Moses,
whom some therefore, it would thus
appear, held to be distinct from the
Messiah (see i. 21). The Jews then,
as now, expected two Messiahs, one

conquering, one suffering ; possibly by
"the Prophet" (here and i. 21) they
meant the latter.
40 — 52. This very graphic account
of the debate in the Sanhedrin may
have been narrated to the Apostle by
Nicodemus. 42. So entirely does St. John as
sume that his readers were familiar
with the other Gospels, that he does
not pause to say that our Lord did
come from Bethlehem, and of the seed
of David.
SO. To Jesus. Margin, " to him."
No MS. has "Jesus."
52. They forgot that the prophet
Jonah was of Gath-hepher in Lower
Galilee ; and Elijah of Thisbe. Pos
sibly, by "ariseth" in the present
tense they meant to point to the
future only : "is likely to arise."
53— Ch. VIII. 11. This passage,
absent from the earliest versions, all
the best mss. except one (the Cam
bridge MS.), and written in a style

294

St. JOHN. Ch. 8. 1-13.

[a.d. 28

Ch. 8. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the
morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto
him ; and he sat down,, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Phari
sees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery ; and when they had
set her in the midst , *-they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken
in adultery, in the very act. B Now Moses in the law commanded us,
that such should be stoned : but what sayest thou ? 6 This they said,
tempting him, that they might 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 they 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. s And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And
they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one
by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last : and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted
up himself, and saw none hut the woman, he said unto her, Woman,
where are those thine accusers ? hath no man condemned thee ? u She
said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee : go, and sin no more.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of
the world : he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but
shall have the light of life. " The Pharisees therefore said unto
Vin. 3. The Camb. M S. (D) reads "taken in sin." 4. U, "the priests say unto him that they
may have accusation against him." 6. D omits "this they said . . . accuse him."
9. D, " And each of the Jews went out, beginning from the elder, so that all went out."
10. D, " And Jesus looking up said to the woman, Where are they ? did none condemn thee ?"

altogether unlike that of St. John,*
seems clearly to be inserted here by
mistake of the copyists. If the
anecdote be a true one, which there
is no reason to doubt, it probably
belongs to the events of Passion- week,
when our Lord spent the day-time
teaching in the temple, and the even
ings on the Mount of Olives. It may
well be grouped with those other
snares laid for Him by the priests.
See Luke xx. 20. And in one of the
best cursive mss. it is inserted between
St. Luke's 21st and 22d chapters.
St. Jerome and St. Augustine both
quote the anecdote as a true one ; but
St. Jerome acknowledges its absence
in many mss. Possibly a fear lest
Christ should be understood to con
done the sin of adultery led to its
omission in the mss. — a most mistaken
fear, for Augustine's comment is
sufficient answer, " Christ condemns
the sin, though not the sinner," " Go,
and sin no more." — (Tr. xxxiii. 6.)
Christ is unwilling to look up, loth
* We may notice the classical use of fie,
never so used by St. John.

to add to the bitterness of the woman's
shame, while all those hard looks
were upon her ; then, when they are
left alone, He turns upon her His eye
of mercy ; — this is most gracious and
most affecting. ' ' Human misery and
Divine mercy were left face to face,"
— as St. Augustine finely says (misera
et misericordia). 12. Continued from the Temple dis
course in chapter vii. ; in the 13th
and 14th verses we discern a reference
to what Christ had said in vii. 16, 18.
It is doubtful whether this discourse
(12-59) belongs to the last great day
of the feast (vii. 37), or to the Sab
bath-day on which the blind man was
healed (ix. 14).
I am the light of the world. It
was from Christ's own words, then,
that St. John adopted the phrase
which became so characteristic of all
he wrote. Twenty times it occurs in
his Gospel and six times in his Epistle,
that in Christ there shone forth the
Light of God. So too the Prophets
{e.g. Is. ix. 2, xiii. 6, xlix. 6, Mai. iv. 2)
had made the Jews familiar with this

A.D.

28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 8. 14-26.

295

him, Thou bearest record of thyself ; thy record is not true. 14 Jesus
answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet
my record is true : for I know whence I came, and whither I go ;
but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 1B Ye judge
after the flesh ; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judg
ment is true : 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. "I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father
that sent me beareth witness of me. u Then said, they unto him,
Where is thy Father ? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor
my Father : if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father
also. 20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in
the temple : and no man laid hands on him ; for his hour was not
yet come.
21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall
seek me, and shall die in your sins : whither I go, ye cannot come.
22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith,
Whither I go, ye cannot come. M 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 if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou ? And Jesus saith unto
them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 26 1
14. or whither I go. 20. Spake he; om. "Jesus."
21. Then said he ; om. "Jesus." 25. [And] Jesus said ; om. "And.1
comparison of the Messiah's advent
to the rising of a great light ; see
Acts xiii. 47. It appears, too, that
at this Festival of Tabernacles, after
the pouring forth of the water of
Siloam, two immense chandeliers of
oil-lamps were lighted in the Court of
the Women, which was the Treasury
Chamber, and the priests chanted
the Psalms of Degrees (cxx.-cxxxiv.),
while the people kept up the dance
till late at night. As Jesus was
speaking in this chamber (ver. 20), it
is possible that this custom suggested
His words, as before He seemed to
allude to the libations (vii. 37).
13 — 18. The Pharisees quote against
Jesus His own words, spoken fifteen
months before, "If I bear witness
of Myself My witness is not true "
(ch. v. 31). He justifies Himself by
repeating the profound truth whichHe
then had pleaded, "As I hear I judge,"
" 1 can of mine own self do nothing "
(ch. v. 30) ; " Knowing both from
whom I came and unto v/hom I go, I
can only speak in His name and by
His authority. By My own authority

I judge no man. Your judgment is
carnal, else ye would see that it is
not I, but my Father in Me, that is
judging you. Thus in the union of
the Father and the Son, both in testi
mony and in judgment, the maxim of
your law is fulfilled."
15. I judge no man. We must
give the present tense its full force :
" I am (now) judging no man." So
Chrysostom : "My time for judging
is not yet come." — (Horn. Iii.)
17, 18. This is one of these con
descensions of argument so character
istic of our Lord in controversy with
the Jews, — content to refute tbem on
their own ground.
21. Having thus vindicated His right
to bear testimony, our Lord again
lifts up His voice, declaring His own
Divinity and their unrighteousness.
The calm majesty of His words seems
again and again to abash tbem.
25. The best key to this difficult
passage is the parallel question and
answer in ch. x. 25. With that
passage evidently in his mind, Chry
sostom interprets thus : "I wonder

296

St. JOHN. Ch. 8. 27-38.

[a.d. 28.

have many things 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 ye have lifted up the Son of
man, then shall ye know that I am lie, and that I do nothing 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 ; for I do always those things that please him. 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. 33They
answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage
to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus
answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin. 3B And the servant abideth not in the
house for ever : but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37 1 know that ye are
Abraham's seed ; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no
place in you. 38 1 speak that which I have seen with my Father :
28. Om. "unto them" ... as the Father; om. "my."
29. He left me not alone ; om. "the Father." 38. Tregclles reads with the Vat. MS., " I speak
that which I have seen with the Father, and ye do that which ye have heard from the
Father." So Origen, who specially notices the omission of " my" and "your." But the
Sinaitic lias it as in our Version, except that it has " heard from your Father."

that I am even speaking to you at all
[for it is more than ye deserve] ; and
I could easily make good this judg
ment concerning you. But He that
sent Me is true, and sent Me not to
judge but to save the world ; there
fore I refrain from judging."
Augustine, misled by the Latin
version, understands it, " I am what
I declare to you, the Beginning."
Nonnus, who rendered this Gospel
into Greek verse in the fifth century,
paraphrases the passage thus : — " I
am that which from the beginning I
bespake Myself." The 43d verse
favours this ; aud the whole passage
may then be explained : — " I am even
that which from the first My speech
showeth Me to be. I might condemn
you for not recognizing Me. But I
will not ; I must go on delivering to
the world the message of Him who
sent Me."
27. This was precisely what they
failed to see, that in His words they
heard the Voice of God. Still, tbat
power of God which breathed in all He
spoke reached the heart of some, and
"many believed on Him."
31. Among those converts were

Jews who " believed Him " — that
He was the Messiah, — but did not
" believe on Him * (as Divine) ; and
to them Christ now turned, wishing
to test them : — " You, too, are My
disciples, if only ye abide under the
influence of My words, recognizing in
them the Voice of God ; for then you
will experience their transforming
power, — slaves of sin no longer, but
sons of God." Cf. ch. i. 12.
These half-believers resent this im
putation of being slaves. And thus
the gulf between them goes on ever
widening, their angry cavils only
serving to draw forth from Jesus
more and more fully the declaration
of His true nature, until at last, for
the sake, not of them, but of His
Church, the eternal Godhead of the
mysterious Person who addressed
them stood fully revealed, and they
took up stones to stone Him for the
blasphemy. 33—4J " We are Abraham's seed,
and need no enfranchisement." Their
allusion to Abraham suggests the
parable: Ishmael represents the bond-
manjii sin^cast out ; Isaac represents
* The distinction is lost in ourlrraiisiatiori. "

A.D. 2

3]

St. JOHN. Ch. 8. 39-52.

297

and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39Tliey
answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith
unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works
of Abraham. "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 they to him, We be
not born of fornication ; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus
said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me : for I
proceeded forth and came from God ; neither came I of myself, but
he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech ? even because
ye cannot hear my word. tt Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own : for he is a
liar, and the father of it. " And because I tell you the truth, ye
believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin ? And if I
say the truth, why do ye not believe me ? 47 He that is of God
heareth God's words : ye therefore hear them not, because ye are
not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say
we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil ? 49 Jesus
answered, I have not a devil ; but I honour my Father, and ye do
dishonour me. B0 And I seek not mine own glory : there is one
that seeketh and judgeth. B1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a
man keep my saying, he shall never see death. E2Then said the

41. They said to him ; om.
48. The Jews answered.

'Then.'

46. If I say; om. "And.'
52. The Jews said to him.

Christ, and all whom Christ enfran
chises, abiding for ever in the Father's
House. They were Abraham's seed,
but only as Ishmael was, persecuting
the spiritual Isaac (Gal. iv. 29), be
cause His word made no way in their
hearts. " Spiritually " ye are the
devil's children rather than Abra
ham's. Ye show it in your murderous
passions. This bondage to sin it is
that prevents you from recognizing
in My words the voice of God."
44. He speaketh of his own — i.e.
out of his own evil treasure.
44, 46. We must notice how our
Lord, in ver. 44, connects together
falsehood and sin. So in ver. 46 He
appeals to His own sinlessness as proof
of His truth.
47 — Si. After the appeal of the 46th
verse, our Lord seems to pause for a
reply ; and receiving none, He replies
for them, "/ will tell you why you
believe not My words, because they
are the words of God, and ye are not
of God." " Not of God ! "—this was
more than their Jeioish pride could

stand. St. John seems to intend
as much by his narrative, — " then
answered the Jews ; " they not of God,
not of God's people ! He that says
this cannot be a true Jew himself.
He is a Samaritan ! This slander
being directed, not against the Holy
Spirit of His Father, but against Him
self in His human nature, there is no
wrath in His reply ; see Matt. xii. 32.
He seeketh not His human glory (50)
(that He will leave in God's hand).
It is for His words, as being the words
of God, that He claims reverence.
His words even now, if they would
receive them, would redeem them
from their state of death (ver. 51).
[Christ used the word "death," as He
used the word " life," in its deeper
sense ; as " life " meant living to God,
so " death " meant dying to God ; both
may begin in tins world, and what
men call " death " is no interruption to
either.] 52. But the Jews understand Him
to speak of physical death. "Nay,
now," they say, " Thou claimest to

298

St. JOHN. Ch. 8. 53-59.

[a.d. 28

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. 63 Art thou greater than our father
Abraham, which is dead 1 and the prophets are dead : whom makest
thou thyself ? B4 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is
nothing : it is my Father that honoureth me ; of whom ye say, that
he is your God : B5 yet ye 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 I know him, and keep his saying. 56Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day : and he saw it, and was glad. B7Then said
the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou
seen Abraham ? B8 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Before Abraham was, I am. B9 Then took they up stones to
cast at him : but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple,
going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
54. That he is our (!) God. 57. The Sinaitic MS. has" And hath Abraham seen thee?"
58. Translate "before Abraham came into being, I am."
59. 0m. "going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

give more than was given to Abraham :
neither Abraham nor the prophets
were redeemed from death, and yet
Thou claimest to redeem from death !"
54 — 56- Christ replies, "Abraham
while in this world rejoiced to believe
that he should be redeemed from
death through Me : and when he
passed into the other world he found
his joy fulfilled ; entering that eternal
world in which past and future are
seen as though present, — all was
revealed to him, both his redemption
and his Bedeemer. " On this side the
veil God's promises are slowly worked
out in time : beyond the veil all
things are, what is future here being
seen as present there. How that
which historically is yet far distant
may to one who passes behind the
veil be at once present, must of
course be a paradox until we know
more of the meaning of the words
Time and Eternity.
This interpretation of ver. 56 is
different from Warburton's famous
solution, but seems to be implied by
Heb. vi. 15, xi. 13-16 (see notes
there) ; and is that of Maldonatus,
whose excellent note is quoted by
Stier and Alford. The more popular
exposition (that Abraham saw Christ's
Advent by faith on this side the veil)
misses the point of the whole dis
course, which is to affirm that what
Christ had said in ver. 51 was true

of Abraham, and that he was living
within the veil.
57- To the Jews this claim to have
had intercourse with Abraham was
utterly unintelligible ; " Thou art not
yet fifty years old " (thirty-one or
thirty-two at most, but " the Man of
Sorrows" seemed older than His years)
"and hast Thou seen Abraham?"
Then we have the only one solution
of these, and in fact of all Christ's
words — that He was in fact the
eternal "/ am" who had spoken to
Abraham and to Moses. "Before
Abraham was bom, I am." [The
English translation misses the dis
tinction of the verbs, giving only
that of tense.] That His final answer
was understood in this its deepest
sense is elear from their instant act :
"He that blasphemeth the Name
I Am (nirp-D65>) be shall surely be
put to death, all the congregation
shall certainly stone him " (Lev. xxiv.
16). This verse and vi. 62 and xvii. 5
are the three unanswerable assertions
of Christ's Divine pre-existence.
59. The words, " going through
the midst of them, and so passed by,"
are not found in the oldest mss.
Our Lord's disappearance need not
therefore be supposed to be miracu
lous. The same word ("hid Himself")
occurs xii. 36, and there has clearly
no supernatural meaning.

A.D. 2

s]

St. JOHN. Ch. 9. 1-12.

299

Ch. 9. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind
from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who
did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind ? 8 Jesus
answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : but that
the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 1 must work
the works of him that sent me, while it is day : the night cometh,
when no man can work. B As long 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 anointed the eyes of
the blind man with the clay, 7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the
pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his
way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8 The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him
that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged ? 9 Some
said, This is he : others said, He is like him : but he said, I am he.
10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened 1
11 He 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 I went and washed, and I received sight. 12 Then
said they unto him, Where is he 1 He said, I know not.
IS. 4. We must work. 8. had seen him that he was a beggar.
9. Others said, No, but he is like him. 11* He answered, The man that is called
Jesus. . . . Go to Siloam and wash: I went therefore and washed.
12. [And ?] they said to him ; om. " Then. "

Ch. IX. I. If we omit the words
"passed by" in ver. 59, then the
event that follows, " as Jesus passed
by" (ix. 1), need not be supposed to
happen on the same day.
2. The Jews exaggerated the truth
expressed in the Second Command
ment, that there is a general connexion
between sin and disease, by supposing
that every disease was due to some
particular sin, as here (cf. also ver.
34). It was agaiDst such cruel judg
ment that Job protested. Our Lord
too (while allowing that suffering is
often in God's Providence a chastening
for sin, ch. v. 14) protests against
such abuse of the doctrine (as in
Luke xiii. 2). " Did this man sin, or
rather, as that could not be, did his
parents sin, that he was born blind ?"*
With our Lord's reply compare xi. 4.
4. The night cometh. Explained by
xiv. 30 and Luke xxii. 53.
5. Thus our Lord connects the
miracle He meditates with the pre
ceding discourse, viii. 12.
6. Anointed the eyes. The margin
* Some think that there may have been in
these men's minds a belief in some antenatal
existence, or transmigration of souls.

keeps closer to the Greek, " spread
the clay upon the eyes of the blind
man." Saliva was applied to diseased
eyes by the ancients (see Trench),
but the Jewish casuists are said to
have forbidden its application on
the Sabbath (see Lightfoot). Twice
therefore (15, 26) the Pharisees press
the man to describe the process.
7. St. John interprets the Hebrew
name, as usual, writing for Greek
readers. So Gabbatha, Golgotha,
Babboni, Cephas. Possibly he meant
to call attention, in passing, to the
appropriateness of the name — "the
God-sent water;" or that One sent
from God had wrought his cure.
If any ask, " Why the clay and the
washing ? why not by a word ? " the
answer may possibly be found in
Christ's habit of requiring some effort,
some co-operation, on the part of
those whom He cured as a test of
their faith. As at Bethesda the man
was bidden to make the effort of
lifting his bed, so this man is bidden
to feel his way to Siloam.
8. All seem now agreed that the
true reading is " that he was a men
dicant."

300

St. JOHN. Ch. 9. 13-27.

[a.d. 2S

13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened
his eyes. 1B Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had
received his sight. He 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 prophet. ls But the Jews
did not believe concerning 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 this your son, who ye
say was born blind ? how then doth he now see ? 20 His parents
answered them arid said, We know that this is our 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. 22 These words 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.
21 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him,
Give God the praise : we know that this man is a sinner. 2B He
answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not : one
thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 26 Then said
they to him again, What did he to thee ? how opened he thine eyes ?
27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear :
wherefore would ye hear it again t will ye also be his disciples ?
17. Therefore they say. 20. His parents answered ; om. "them."
21. ask hiin ; he is of age ; he shall himself speak about himself. 25. Om. " and said."
26. Therefore they said to him ; om. " again "(?). 28. But they reviled him.

16. Others said. These few San
hedrists, Nicodemus, Joseph of Ari-
mathea, Gamaliel, and whoever else
were favourably disposed to Christ,
probably withdrew from the council
after this (see Luke xxiii. 50). Nico
demus we know had protested a few
days before this against the passing
of the decree here (ver. 22) alluded
to, condemning Jesus unheard, and
excommunicating any who believed
in His Messiahship (see vii. 51).
17. " What inference about the
man himself dost thou draw from the
fact of his having opened thy eyes ?"
They wish to incriminate the man
under their recent decree. But the
man avoids it by saying, "a prophet,"
instead of "the Messiah." Henee
too his parents' timidity. But in
confessing his benefactor as "a pro-
jjhet," the man confessed Him to be

"of God," which the Pharisees had
denied (ver. 16).
24. An ordinary form of adjuration
to tell the truth — see Joshua's adjura
tion to Achan (Josh. vii. 19). "As
in God's presence," or " On thy oath,
confess with us that this man is a
sinner." 27 — 35- Mark how the man's cour
age rises as his respect for his judges
decreases. In return for his good
confession he is excommunicated (ver.
34, see margin and Trench, Mir. 307),
with a bitter taunt about the defect
of his birth, by the Pharisees ; but by
Christ he is rewarded, by a yet fuller
revelation of the true nature of His
Person. The " Messiah " he already
in his heart believed Him to be, but
" the Son of God" is a yet higher title.
(Both internal and external evideuce
seem to me to favour this reading.)

A.D. 28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 9. 28-41 ; 10. 1-5.

301

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. 30The 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 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 the
eyes of one that was born blind. 33 If this man were not of God,
he could do nothing. 34 They answered and said unto him, Thou
wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us ? And they
cast him out. 3B Jesus heard that they had cast him out ; and when
he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son
of God ? 36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might
believe on him ? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen
him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 3S And he said, Lord, I
believe. And he worshipped him. 39 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. *° And some of the
Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto
him, Are we blind also ? tt Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind,
ye should have no sin : but now ye say, We see ; therefore your sin
remaineth. Ch. 10. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by
the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber. 2 But 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 sheep,
he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him : for they know
his voice. B And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from
30. Why herein is the marvellous thing. 31. Om. "Now." 35. Treg. retains " Son
ofGod." The Vat. and Sin. have " Son of man." 36. And who is he, Lord.
37. Jesus said ; om. "And." 40. Om. "And." 41. your sin ; om. "therefore."
X. 4. When he putteth forth att his own ; om. "sheep"."

Verses 35-38 were spoken in pri
vate ; 39-41 spoken in public after
wards. 39. As by " the righteous " in
Matt. ix. 13, so by "the seeing" here
and in Matt. xiii. 13, Christ means
the self-satistied. In this comment
upon His miracle Christ very clearly
justifies us in believing that a typical
significance was intended in all Christ's
miracles. Facta Verbi verba.
Ch. X. I — 21. This is closely con
nected with the foregoing (as the
allusion to the miracle in the 21st
verse shows), and may be dated at or
soon after the Feast of Tabernacles.
The allegory of the Fold and the
Door may have been suggested by the

excommunication of the man. The
false shepherds had thrust him out of
their fold : let them not think that
he was excluded from the true fold.
It was they themselves, not he, who
were aliens to the true fold ! In
setting forth His Person and office
Christ appropriates to Himself the
Messianic images of prophecy. The
passage is an allegory or extended meta
phor rather than a parable ; and is
clearly adopted from the Prophets.
In Jer. xxiii., Ezek. xxxiv., and often
elsewhere, we have Jehovah caring
for His people as for a flock of sheep ;
He is against the false pastors. In
Is. lvi. the false teachers of Israel are
likened to blind watchmen of the fold,

302

St. JOHN. Ch. 10. 6-13.

[a.d. 28

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, verily, I say unto you,
I 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 1 am the
door : by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in
and out, and find 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. u I am the good
shepherd : the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. I2 But
he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep
are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth :
and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hire
ling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
8. Sin. MS. omits " before me," and so the Syr. andyutgate.
12. cateneth and scattereth lihem. 13. Om. "The hireling fleeth "(?).

" shepherds that cannot understand,"
" every one for his gain." And in
the 8th verse of that same chapter
("yet will I gather others to him")
we are at once reminded of Christ's
words below (ver. 16), " Other sheep
... I must bring."
8. All who came before me. (Omit
"ever.") At first sight there is a diffi
culty here. Were Moses, Samuel, and
the prophets, thieves and robbers ?
Bengel replies, that by saying ' ' are
thieves and robbers," Christ limited
His words to the men of that genera
tion. But how about the Baptist ?
We must remember that verses 7-10
are an interpretation of the previous
parable, and that this 8th verse is
intended to interpret what was meant
by the shepherds who entered not
by the Door, but "some other way,"
— being self-constituted shepherds.
Thus guided, we see at once that
"came before Me" must mean "entered
before I admitted them." God's pro
phets and the Baptist had found
admission by the true Door. Not so
the false shepherds whom Ezekiel
denounced, or the Scribes and Phari
sees whom Christ denounced.
Christ is both the Door and the
Shepherd who enters by the Door.
So in chap. xiv. Christ is at once both
"He who goes before" and "the
Way." Note too that in the Prophets
it is Jehovah usually who is the
Shepherd ; so Christ's first thought

is that in His humiliation, in His
flesh, He was the Door ; His second
thought, that in-His Divinity He was
the Shepherd Himself (as in Is. xL
11). The Shepherd entering through
the Door is curiously parallel to " the
High Priest" (in Heb. x.) entering
into the holiest " by the new and
living way that He hath consecrated
for us through the veil,' that is to say,
His flesh." For it is even so here,
— " The good Shepherd giveth His life
for the sheep."
II — 18. Here we have one of those
several contributing passages from
which the Church builds up the
doctrine of the Atonement.
Christ laid down his life —
1. In conflict with the Evil One
(10,' 11) ; compare Luke xxii.
53, John xiv. 30, Heb. ii.
14.
2. Foroursakes (11, 15) ; compare
xv. 13 and vi. 51.
3. Voluntarily (18) ; compare Matt.
xxvi. 53, showing that all was
by His own permission.
4. With power and intention to
resume it (18) ; compare ii.
19, and Acts ii. 24.
5. In obedience to His Father (17,
18) ; compare Luke xxii. 42.
Into the mystery of the Father's
purpose, and why it could not be
fulfilled without dying, this passage
enters not. Enough for us that in
the Son's obedience to the Father's

A.D. 28]

St. JOHN. Ch. 10. 14-24.

303

14 1 am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of
mine. 1BAs the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father:
and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have,
which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power
to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these
sayings. 20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad ;
why hear ye him ? "¦ Others said, These are not the words of him
that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ?
22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was
winter. "And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How
long dost thou make us to doubt ? If thou be the Christ, tell us
14. and mine know me. 16. and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.
19. Om. " therefore." 22, 23. At that time there was held at Jerusalem the feast of Dedication.
It was winter, and Jesus was walking, etc. So the Vat. MS. and so Treg. in Margin.

Will even unto death — an obedience
so transcendent that it more than
covered all mankind's disobedience —
lay the very essence of the Atonement.
See Bom. v. 19, Heb. x. 9.
16. One flock it should be, not
" one fold." The error is in the
Vulgate ; and is most regrettable. It
has doubtless prejudiced the indepen
dence of national churches. The
Church Catholic is one flock in several
folds. 19. See note at ch. ix. 16.
22. The Feast of Dedication (I Mace.
iv.), instituted B.C. 164, when Judas
Maccabasus rededicated the Altar
three years after its pollution by
Antiochus Epiphanes, took place on
the 25th of the 9 th month, Chisleu,
i. e. about our Christmas, and lasted a
week. It might be celebrated away
from Jerusalem ; so there would be
no gathering of Galilean pilgrims at
Jerusalem at this time. Two months
therefore had elapsed since the cure
of the blind man at the Feast of
Tabernacles. From the insertion of
the words " at Jerusalem " it would
seem probable that Jesus had spent
the interval away from Jerusalem.
That Jesus had had no intercourse
with the priestly party during the
interval, further appears from the
way in which He resumes the thread
of His last conversation in verse 26.

The reasons for believing that after
Tabernacles Christ returned to Gali
lee, as privately as He had gone up
(vii. 10), may be put shortly thus : —
Matt. xix. 1, Mark x. 1, and John x.
40, seem to correspond, all pointing to
the commencement of that sojourn of
several weeks beyond Jordan which
preceded His Passion. That final
journey from Galilee up towards
Jerusalem, to which, as to a royal
progress, St. Luke calls especial at
tention (ix. 51-54), cannot be the very
private journey to the Feast of Taber
nacles, and must therefore (as it was
final) have followed it. This journey
must therefore be inserted in St.
John's narrative, either between the
21st and 22d, or between the 39th
and 40th verses of this chapter. The
latter place hardly admits of such
insertion. It remains therefore to
insert it before the Feast of Dedica
tion after ver. 21.
23. Solomon's porch. The loftiest
of the cloisters which ran round the
Temple square, as lofty, they say,
as the nave of York Minster. It was
on the east side ; and though rebuilt
by Herod, retained its old name.
24. Make us to doubt — margin,
"hold us in suspense." This question
marks a crisis in the tragic develop
ment which St. John is tracing step
by step.

304

St. JOHN. Ch. 10. 25-40.

[a.d. 28

plainly. 2B Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not :
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witnessof me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto
you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me : 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father,
which gave them me, is greater than all ; and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand. . so I and my Father are one. 31 Then
the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered
them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father ; for
which of those works 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 God. 34 Jesus
answered them, Is it not written in your law, " I said, Ye are gods "1
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and
the scripture cannot be broken ; 36 say ye of him, whom the Father
hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest ; because
I said, I am the Son of God ? 3T If I do not the works of my Father,
believe me not. 3S But if I 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 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
26. Om. " as I said unto you." 29. My Father, what he hath given me, it is (or he is)
greater than all. So the Sin. and Vat. MSS., confusing the grammar; a later hand
has corrected the Vat. MS. . . . out of the Father's hand ; om. "my"(?).
31. Om. "Then"(»). 32. from the Father ; om. "my"(?). 33. Om. "saying."
38. that ye may know, and continue to know . . . and I in the Father.

28. None can pluck the Christian
out of God's hand, — except (alas !)
himself. See xv. 6.
29, 30. "Being in My hand is
equivalent to being in My Father's
hand, for I and My Father are one."
That the Jews understood these words
in the sense in which the Church
understands them is plain from their
own paraphrase, " Thou, being a man,
makest Thyself God."
31. See ch. viii. 59.
34. In what follows we must care
fully remember to whom Christ is
speaking, men who have shown them
selves altogether incapable and un
worthy of Divine truth, men whom
He will therefore simply baffle. Yet
mark how in giving them such lower
portions of the truth as they are cap
able of yielding assent to, He in fact
implies the higher. "Blasphemy do ye
call it ? Why, in your own infallible
Scriptures (Ps. lxxxi.)the Divine name
which I claimed for Myself just now is
given to the corrupt judges forthe sake

of the divinely appointed office which
they held. How much rather, then,
may / claim it, of whose consecration
and Divine mission these miracles are
an unanswerable proof?" Thus Christ
is content (after His manner) to
silence them with such lower portion
of the whole truth as they are capable
of admitting. And yet in ver. 36, to
a believer, the higher truth is plainly
implied. 37. If I do not the works of my
Father. Let us notice that our Lord
claims for His miracles that they are
of like kind with God's operations in
nature. When we know all, we shall
see that it was so. If to us they seem
contrary to nature, it is due to our
blindness. 38. Well illustrated by ch. ix. 25,
33. Who Jesus was the man knew
not, but that God through Jesus had
given him sight, that he knew and
believed: and in reward for this
simple faith he received the fuller
faith of ver. 38.

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 10. 41-42 ; 11. 1-7.

305

at first baptized ; and there he abode. "And many resorted unto
him, and said, John did no miracle : but all things that John spake
of this man were true. 42 And many believed on him there.
Ch. II. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany,
the town of Mary and her sister Martha. a (It was that Mary which
anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair,
whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto
him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4When
Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for
the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
B Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When
he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in
the same place where he was. 7Then after that saith he to his

40. At first — observe the careful
ness of this narrative. The Evange
list had told us that the Baptist had
baptized first at Bethany (beyond
Jordan), and had then removed to
JEnon as the summer advanced.
41. Jesus retired " again " (snowing
that He had so retired from Jerusalem
between Tabernacles and Dedication),
not to Galilee (see note on 22), but to
the further side of Jordan, where the
earliest weeks of His ministry were
spent, and where the memory of the
Baptist was most deeply engraved
in the people's minds. With him
therefore they naturally compare
Jesus. We have already noticed
(in the Prolegomena) St. John's desire
to clear up his readers' notions respect
ing the true character of the Baptist.
Ch. XI. It has been asked why the
three earlier Evangelists were silent
about this, the most stupendous of all
Christ's miracles. Some have sug
gested that it was by the desire of
Lazarus himself. We know from ch.
xii. 10 that his life was sought. If
the family were wealthy (xii. 3), and
connected with the party of the San
hedrin, it would be still more natural
that he should desire to have his
name unpublished . But this could only
apply to the Palestinian Gospel of St.
Matthew, and could not account for
the silence of St. Mark, writing for
the Bomans, or St. Luke, writing for
the Greeks. There is a far simpler ex
planation. The three earlier Gospels
are not continuous narratives, but
fragmentary; and in two of them
certainly, some think in the third also.

it so happens that the six months pre
ceding Christ's final ascent to Jeru
salem drop out of their narrative, for
some unexplained reason. And in
these six months fell the raising of
Lazarus. (See what is said in the
Introductions to the several Gospels.)
For a not very probable conjecture
about Lazarus, see on Matt. xix. 17.
2. St. John is writing for Christians
to whom the general facts of the
Gospel narrative were known, and
among them none was more notorious
than this act of love (see Matt. xxvi.
13, and Mark xiv. 9, for the reason).
.3. Themessage reaches Jesusbeyond
Jordan, some thirty miles off, pro
bably. Jesus, foreseeing all, sends
back a message preparing them for
something mysterious, yet seeming to
promise that they shall not lose their
brother, a message that might well
try their faith, even as the faith of
Abraham was tried (compare Heb. xi.
17-19) ; but it was a loving message :
Jesus loved every member of this
family (ver. 5). Therefore, with a view
to the enhancement of the miracle
(ver. 15), and to make it yet further
shadow forth His own death and
resurrection, and possibly for other
weighty reasons (see note on Luke
xiii. 31, 32), He abode two days
longer where He was. Then He
tells His apostles that He will return
to Judaea. They are dismayed, most
of all the misgiving heart of Thomas.
Christ replies, " One who is doing his
duty need fear nothing : God will
give light while there is work to be
done" (ver. 9, 10).

U

306

St. JOHN. Ch. 11. 8-23.

[a.d. 29

disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 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 1
If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the
light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth,
because there is no light in him. u These things said he : and after
that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go,
that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord,
if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death :
but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 1B And I am
glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may
believe ; nevertheless let us go unto him. " Then said Thomas,
which is called Didymus, unto his fellow-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 days already. 18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about
fifteen furlongs off : 19 and many of the Jews came to Martha and
Mary, to comfort them 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, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will
give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

XI. 12. Then said the disciples unto him.

22. Even now I know.

16. Thomas, called Didymus. The
frequent mention of Thomas, and
addition of the Greek form of his
name in this Gospel, suggest that he
(as well as Andrew and Philip) was
among those who gathered round St.
John at Ephesus. If so, may he not
have gone thence to the Parthians,
bearing a copy of St. John's Epistle
{"Ad Parthos," as Augustine desig
nates it) ? The character of Thomas,
so desponding, and so ardent in his
affection, is a very beautiful one.
17. " Our Lord had stayed two
days, and the messenger had come
the day before, — the very day on
which Lazarus died. This brings us
to the fourth day." — (Chrys.)
20. At the end of the long ascent
that leads up from the deep Jordan
valley to the crest of the hill which
still hides Jerusalem lay the hamlet of
Bethany. Martha finds Jesus resting
outside the village. A few words of
disappointment at our Lord's delay
escape, but still she clings to the hope
which His mysterious message had

given her, — that all might yet be well.
Christ (willing, after His manner, to
draw forth her faith yet further)
alludes to the resurrection, which
every pious Jew believed in. ' ' Yes —
at the last day," Martha replies, with
a sigh, to think how distant that
might be. But Christ will give the
Christian a far nearer and dearer
hope than Martha's. He recalls her
mind from that distant resurrection
at the last day to the Divine Person
who stood before her : " I am the
Besurrection," — wherever I am there
is the resurrection-power ! So St.
Paul : to be "absent from the body"
is to be " present with the Lord "
(2 Cor. v. 8), and "to depart" is
"to be with Christ" (Phil. i. 23)
— for to the Christian what we call
death is but translation into the
presence (in Paradise) of Him who
is the resurrection and the life. For
mark how Christ continues : "He
that believeth in Me, though he die
physically, yet shall he live (i.e. his
real, his spiritual life shall not be

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. 11. 24-34.

307

24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day. 2B 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 :
I believe that thou art the Christ, 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 for 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 comforted her,
when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed
her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32 Then when
Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his
feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother
had not died. ** When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the
Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit,
and was troubled, 34 and said, Where have ye laid him ? They said
29. And she, when she heard, arose. 30. was still in that place.
31. followed her thinking that she goeth.

interrupted by physical death) ; and
whosoever liveth — hath in him this
real spiritual life, which believing in
Me gives him — shall never die ! "
Such is Chrysostom's interpretation
of the words, marking that " though
he were dead" (of ver. 25) refers to
death of the body, and " shall never
die" (of ver. 26) to death of the soul.
In the "Collect," intended to be
used when there is Holy Communion
at the close of the Burial Service, the
words of the older translation of
1540 are preserved, "shall not die
eternally ; " but " shall never die " is
unquestionably the right translation.
The declaration of this grand new
truth (that all live in Him) is Christ's
central purpose from first to last in
this chapter. And now He will illus
trate it. Lazarus was such a believer ;
they think him dead ; his life is really
being continued behind the veil :
Christ will prove it : He will recall
him into the cast-off tabernacle once
more. Such seems to be the deep
purpose of the miracle, " that the Son
of God may be glorified thereby" as
" the resurrection and the life " of all
believers. 27. Martha, as we see afterwards
(ver. 39), very imperfectly understands

Christ's words, but repeats her general
belief, not only in His Messiahship,
but also in His Divinity. She thinks
her more thoughtful sister will under
stand Him better.
33. The word translated "groaned"
is a difficult one : twice elsewhere it
is applied to Jesus ("straitly charged"
in Matt. ix. 30 and Mark i. 43), and
in both places it seems to imply that
the men who had been healed were
highly excited, and that Jesus had to
use much effort to restrain aud rebuke
their excitement. It seems therefore
here to mean that He made a great
and visible effort to restrain His own
emotion — " straitly charged " His
feelings, as it were.
The other phrase " was troubled,"
or "troubled Himself," as the margin
gives it more literally, is not quite
clear. In the two other passages
where the same word occurs (xii. 27,
xiii. 2 1 ) it seems to indicate spiritual
distress. We must note well the
emphasis with which, both here and
again in ver. 38, our Lord's distress is
recorded, "Himself bare our sick
nesses" (see note on Matt. viii. 17).
The deeper causes of our Lord's
emotion, or how great a spiritual
effort these victories over evil may

308

St. JOHN. Ch. 11. 35-49-

[a.d. 29

unto him, Lord, come and see. 3B Jesus wept. 36Then 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? 3S Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, 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
stinketh : for he hath been dead four days. *° Jesus saith unto her,
Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God ? °- Then they took away the stone from the
place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and
said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. ** And I knew
that thou hearest me always : but because of the people which stand
by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. a And
when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come
forth. ** And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot
with graveclothes : and his face was bound about with a napkin.
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. 46But some of them
went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus
had done. 47 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
Eomans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And
41. Om. "from the place where the dead was laid." 44. He that was dead ; om. "And."
45. the thing which he did ; so the Vat. and Alex. MSS., but the Sinaitic as in our Version.

have required, we may not know. (It
required " prayer and fasting " to win
a lesser triumph than this over the
Evil One, Mark ix. 29.) One thought
at any rate is suggested : if it cost
our Lord so much spiritual anguish
to redeem a single man from death,
how much more to redeem a whole
world from perdition !
39. The miracle that followed was
therefore a double miracle, a restora
tion of the body first to soundness,
second to life. Note here one con
trast between this and the far greater
event of Easter morning. God suffered
not His Holy One to see corruption.
But the contrast is far deeper : — this
was not resurrection in the full sense
of the word, in the sense in which
Christ's was, in the sense in which
our Lord had in verse 25 used the word.
Lazarus, in returning to his mortal
body, surrendered in fact for a while
that higher life into which he had
entered. It Was a resuming of mor

tality, not an assuming of immortality;
a resuscitation, not a resurrection.
Of the Besurrection in its true sense
Christ's was indeed the " firstfruits "
(1 Cor. xv. 23).
41, 42. Observe how Jesus guides
tbem to the inference which all His
miracles were intended to suggest —
the mysterious union of the Son and
the Father. So, in xv. 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 My Father."
44. Again, how different from the
power of Christ's resurrection with
its ministry of angels !
47. The effect of this miracle on
the counsels of the Sanhedrin is most
important. The priestly party (who
were Sadducees, Acts v. 17) nowtake
the lead in persecuting Jesus, with
Caiaphas at their head.
48. Augustine interprets : — " All
men will believe on Him, and accept

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. 11. 50-57 ; 12. 1-2.

309

one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year,
said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, B0 nor consider that it is
expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole nation perish not. B1 And this spake he not of himself :
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die
for 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. B3 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for
to put him to death. B4 Jesus therefore walked no more openly
among the Jews ; but went thence unto a country near to the wilder
ness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his dis
ciples. BB And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand : and many
went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to
purify themselves. B6 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among
themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he
will not come to the feast ? B7 Now both the chief priests and the
Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where
he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
Ch. 12. Then Jesus six 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 served : but
50. expedient for you (so the Vat. : the A lex. has " for us ; " the Sinaitic omits it).
54. with the disciples. 57. Om. "both" . . had given orders.
XII. 1. Om. " which had been dead" (?)... whom Jesus raised from the dead.

a spiritual instead of a temporal Mes
siah, and so lose the fierce faith
which makes the Bomans even now
fear us." But Cbrysostom's interpre
tation is far better: "If the Bomans
hear how Jesus is drawing crowds
after Him, their suspicions will be
awakened, and they will take away
what independence is now left to
us." To avert this Caiaphas counsels
them to sacrifice Jesus, and this not
in the manner desired by the Phari
sees of the Sanhedrin, by judging
Him according to Jewish law for
blasphemy, but by handing Him over
to the Boman Courts, — a bitter con
fession of their national subjection
— but "expedient" to propitiate
their masters. There may have been
in Caiaphas' mind a yet further notion
that such a sacrifice might appease
the wrath of God, whose instru
ments the Bomans were. Such a
notion was familiar to the Jews :
one of the seven martyrs under
Antiochus expresses a hope that " in
me and my brethren the wrath of the
Almighty, which is justly brought
upon all our nation, may cease "

(2 Mace. vii. 37). St. John, seeing
the far deeper meaning of which his
words were capable, views it as an
unconscious prophecy of the redeem
ing power of Christ's death. For
the Holy Spirit may make a wicked
man's mouth the vehicle of prophecy,
as the case of Balaam shows. St.
John sees a fitness in this prophecy
being spoken by the mouth of one
who officially stood in Aaron's place.
54- Ephraim — supposed to have been
in the wild hill country near Bethel,
some twenty miles north-north-east
of Jerusalem. From hence our Lord
would easily descend into the plain of
Jericho, and. so into the great pilgrim-
road from Galilee to Jerusalem. But
possibly our Lord made a northern
circuit, joining the caravan in Galilee
(see note on Luke xvii. 11).
Ch. XII. I. Our Lord's last resting-
place had been the house of Zacchseus,
or more probably, perhaps (see note
on Luke xix. 28), some half-way house
on the road between Jericho and
Bethany. Before sunset He moved
on to Bethany, reaching it (xii. 1) on
the Friday evening for the Sabbath

310

St. JOHN. Ch. 12. 3-13.

[a.d. 29

Lazarus was one of them that sat at the 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. "Then saith
one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray
him, B Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred 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 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. "But the chief priests
consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; u because
that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed
on Jesus.
12 On 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, " Hosanna :
" Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."
4. Om. " Simon's son " (?). 6. having the bag, bare what.
7. Let her alone, that she may keep this against the day of my burying.
13. blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord and the King of Israel.

rest. Martha is the hostess. St. Mat
thew and St. Mark call it the house of
Simon the leper. Possibly Martha
was Simon's widow, and the house
still bore his name. This would
account for Martha, not Lazarus, being
owner of the house (see too Luke x.
38). That a feast might be given
after the commencement of the Sab
bath is shown by Luke xiv. 1. Or
possibly the feast was on Saturday
evening after the conclusion of the
Sabbath. 5. Three hundred pence. The
penny or denarius was the ordinary
Boman silver coin, and as we know
(Matt. xx. 2) aday's wage for a labourer.
The value of this box of ointment
would therefore have supported a
labouring man for nearly a whole
year. This costly act of devotion
moves the envy of Judas. Love of
God must often express itself in ways
which, to those who share not the
emotion, will seem extravagant. But
in our Lord's eye it was an act of
loving worship above all price. Very
affecting is His immediate connexion
of it with what was now ever in His
thoughts — His approaching death.

6. Was a thief. How long Judas had
borne this character among his fellow-
apostles we do not know. Twelve
months before Jesus had spoken of
him as an apostate (ch. vi. 70).
7. " Nay, let her fulfil her holy
purpose of keeping it against my
burial " — must be the sense of the
older mss. But it is difficult.
9. This would be after sunset when
the Sabbath rest was over. The
meeting of the Sanhedrin (verse 10)
might be early on the following morn
ing. The people's wish to see Lazarus
looks as if he too was recently arrived
at Bethany ; if so, we may suppose
that he had accompanied our Lord to
Ephraim ; the mention of him in the
second verse (as a guest rather than
as host) agrees well with this. Those
who are sceptical about the stupendous
miracle of Lazarus do well to notice
how it is woven into the texture of
this perfectly simple and most genuine
narrative. 13. "Took the branches of the
palm-trees," — those palms St. John
knew so well on Olivet. It is a pity
these traits of the eye-witness should
•be lost.

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 12. 14-24.

311

14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon ; as it is
written, 1B " Fear not, daughter of Sion : behold, thy King cometh,
" sitting on an ass's colt." " These things understood not his dis
ciples at the first : but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered
they that these things were written of him, and that they had done
these things unto him. " 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. "The Pharisees
therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail no
thing? behold, the world is gone after him.
20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to
worship at the feast : 21 the same came therefore to Philip, which
was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would
see Jesus. 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew : and again Andrew
and Philip tell Jesus. 23And Jesus answered them, saying, The
hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. M Verily,

18. Om. "also."

22. Om.

1 And again." Andrew cometh and Philip, and they tell Jesus.
23. answereth.

16. These vivid allusions to what
passed through their minds (compare
ii. 22) bespeak the eye-witness plainly.
What writer of the second century
would have inserted them ?
17, 18. Mark how clearly St. John
connects the miracle at Bethany with
the approaching catastrophe — even as
the saying of Caiaphas (xi. 49) con
nected them.
19. This was probably the climax
of Jesus' popularity. Never perhaps
had He so many followers as at this
moment, and yet five days later the
stumbling-block of the Cross dis
sipated them !
20. True to the supplemental char
acter of his Gospel, St. John passes
over the events of the three earlier
days of Passion- week, which the other
Evangelists had described so fully.
The interview with the Greeks may
well have been on the Wednesday.
Not only do Christ's words, " The
hour is come " (23, 27) imply that the
end was close at hand, but by assign
ing the latter part of this chapter to
the Wednesday of Passion-week we
obtain a link in the narrative which
the three other Gospels seem to re
quire. For in them we find the
Galilean multitude clearly favourable
to Christ on the Sunday, Monday, and
Tuesday. On Friday they seem to
have abandoned Him. How was that ?

May not verse 34, if it belong to the
Wednesday, supply the missing ex
planation ? Not till Wednesday did
Christ make it clear to them that the
Messiah, whom they had triumphantly
conducted into Jerusalem, and whose
denunciation of the Sanhedrin party
they had "heard so gladly" (Mark
xii. 37), was to die. Who is this
Messiah ? And so they forsake Him.
And so He is obliged to avoid the
courts of the temple (ver. 36). And
so, most naturally, come in St. John's
own reflexions on the causes of this
their blind abandonment of Jesus in
verses 37-41.
20. These Gentiles from the west,
coming to the Messiah's Cross, have
been aptly compared to those Gentiles
from the East, who came to His
cradle. — (Stier.)
21, 22. Doubtless Jesus was in one
of the courts of the temple which the
uncircumcised might not enter.
For the association of Philip and
Andrew see note on ch. vi. 5, 8.
23. Glorified. This word in St. John
always points to the resurrection-life
of Jesus, and for this death is neces
sary. Before His death the divine
energy of Christ's humanity was re
strained within narrow limits. By
death it was set free from these limits,
and so glorified. This consequence
of His death seems to have been in

312

St. JOHN. Ch. 12. 25-29.

[a.d. 29

verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
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 ? Father, save
me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
2J Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven,
saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it. again. 29The
25. loseth it.

Christ's mind in His parable of the
Grain of Wheat. " While it lies on
the surface, it remains- whole indeed,
but without increase : if it die its life
passes into, and is continued in-, an
abundant produce. Even, so he that
careth most for his soul or natural
life shall lose it ; whereas he that is
willing to sacrifice his soul or natural
life, shall find it developed by that
very sacrifice into a supernatural life,
which is imperishable." Thus our
Lord explains clearly what He had
said in chaps, vi. and xi., that the
true Christian, though he die, yet
shall find his death to be but the
passing into higher life : and he that
liveth (hath passed into- this higher
life) shall never die. As applied to
Himself the saying had still deeper
meanings :— " When Thou shalt make
His soul an offering for sin, He shall
see His seed, . . . He-shall see of the
travail of His soul, and be satisfied "
(Is. liii. 10, 11).
26. Let him that would be My dis
ciple follow Me iu this self-sacrifice,
and he shall thereby become a sharer
in My Besurrection-life.
27 — 34. Note how St. John, who-
omits the agony in Gethsemane, as
already sufficiently recorded by the
Three, relates, what they had passed
over, this foretaste of that agony in
the Courts of the Temple. And mark
how here, as there, the disturbance
of His peace seems tooome suddenly,
as from without:- "the power of
darkness" — "the prinoe of this world"
approaching ; and how here, as there,
succour comes from above — there the
angel, here the voice. A few moments,
and the crisis is over ; and again in
perfect serenity He speaks of His sure

victory through death. To the multi
tude now, as before to His apostles,
He foretells the manner of His ap
proaching death. And they are
offended and forsake Him.
27. Now is my soul troubled —
" Herein appears his true human
nature, averse from death, clinging to
present Kfe, — not outside the reach
of these human affections. For as
there is no blame in being hungry or
sleepy, so there is no blame in cling
ing to the present life; Christ had
a body pure indeed from sin, but
not free from natural infirmities."—
(Chrys.) There were two distinct wills in
Christ, the will of His divine nature
(necessarily one with His Father's
will, for in the Trinity there is One
only Will). and the will of His human
nature, which had to be schooled into
obedience with the divine Will (Heb.
v. 8) ; in the mystery of this passage
we are permitted to see (in its very
process) how " He learned obedience
by the things that He suffered," and
wrought atonement for mankind.
28. Father, glorify thy name, — as
Bengel says, "Whatever it cost Me !"
— for here is the victory of His
obedience. Thy Name, which is in
Me (Matt. iii. 17, xvii. 5).
There came a voice — " When God
speaks audibly, as he does here, but
no visible appearance is seen, He
speaks- through the medium of a
rational creature, i.e. by the voice of
an angel."— (Gregory, Moral, xxviii.)
I glorified it, and will again glorify
it—" I have glorified it " is a mere
mistranslation, due here (as so re
peatedly in our version) to the perfect
tense which, in the Vulgate, does duty

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 12. 30-44.

313

people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered :
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 I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying 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 up ? who is this Son of man ? 3B 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, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
37 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 revealed 1"
39 Therefore they could not believe, because 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 I 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 synagogue : 4S for they loved the praise of men more than
the praise of God..
44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on
29. Om. "therefore " (?). 35. is the Lightamong you. 36. As ye have the Light.
40. understand, with their heart and turn. 41. because he saw (alt. "when he saw").

for the aorist, the Latin having no
aorist. In some other Scriptures the com
mencement of Christ's mediatorial
reign seems to be referred to as a
definite- epoch. See Heb. i. 6.
32. Lifted up — verse 34 shows that
this phrase was at once understood
by the hearers to point to an igno
minious death.
WU1 draw all men. How all his
tory has shown the at/tractive force
of the Cross! "All men.-" Christ
seems to glance at the Greeks who
were listening.
34. The catastrophe turns on this
shattering of the people's narrow and
prejudiced conception of a national
Messiah, in order that the world's
deep need of a spiritual Messiah
might be fulfilled.
37. Unlike the other Evangelists,

St. John suspends his narrative to
reflect on this- strange abandonment
of the Messiah. One only explanation
can he find' — the nation's sins had
brought on a judicial blindness ; so
the prophet Isaiah foretold, when he
had the vision of Christ in His glory.
Mark well how, in " the Lord of
Hosts " who appeared to Isaiah (chap.
vi. ), St. John at once recognizes the
glorified Son of Man. May we not
say tbat it was his own almost iden
tical vision in Patmos which had given
him this deeper understanding of the
6th of Isaiah ? and have we not an
indication here that the Gospel was
written after the Apocalypse ? (See
Is. liii. 1 ; vi. 9, and note on Mark
iv. 11-13.)
44 — 50. These seven concluding
verses are clearly a continuation of
the Evangelist's own reflexions ; for

314

St. JOHN. Ch. 12. 45-5°; 13. 1.

[a.d. 29

me, but on him that sent me. 4B And he that seeth me seeth him
that sent me. 46I 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 I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For
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. B0 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting :
whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so
I speak. Ch. 13. Now 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
47. and keep them not. 49. hath himself given me a commandment.

we may observe that they are all
extracts from former discourses, and
all have a bearing on the subject now
occupying St. John's mind — the Jews'
rejection of Christ in the face of
the plainest testimony to His divine
mission. Moreover, verse 36 is clearly
the winding-up of Christ's public
testimony. 44. Compare v. 24 and 37.
45. Compare xiv. 9, and viii. 19.
46. Compare viii. 12.
47. Compare iii. 17, and v. 45.
48. Compare iii. 18.
49. Compare vii. 16, 17, and viii.
26, 28.
50. Compare v. 24, and x. 18.
Possibly he also quotes unrecorded
sayings. One train of thought may be traced
through all the quotations, connect
ing them with St. John's soliloquy :
"Bejecting Jesus was rejecting God
(44, 45), and a proof of blindness (46),
of judicial blindness (47, 48), for had
they heard they would have been
healed, would have received eternal
life through the Word of God " (49,
50). The more these seven verses are
studied, the more clearly will they
be seen to be the very key-words of
the whole Gospel.
Ch. XIII. 1. Before the feast:— this
means apparently the evening that
ushered in the 14th of Nisan. For we
must remember that the day on which
the Passover must be slain (Luke xxii.
7) began at sunset on Thursday accord

ing to our harmony. Much needless
difficulty has been found in harmoniz
ing St. John's account with the others,
from forgetting that "the day" of
Luke xxii. 7 need not be the natural
day. All the four narratives may be
reconciled by supposing tbat our Lord
ate the Paschal Supper with His
apostles in the early hours of the
twenty-four hours which, according
to Jewish reckoning, made up the
14th Nisan ; i.e. after the sunset of
Thursday. See notes on Matt. xxvi.
17, Mark x. 46, Luke xxii. 4, 7.
To put it shortly, we believe that
the Last Supper took place at the
commencement, the Crucifixion at the
close of the 14th Nisan ; and that
the hours of 14th Nisan ran thus :
6 p.m. to midnight, Last Supper and
Agony; midnight to 6 A.M., Betrayal
and Jewish trial ; 6 to 9 a.m., Boman
trial ; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Crucifixion ;
3 to 6 p.m., Paschal iambs slain —
Burial of Jesus.
When Jesus knew that his hour
was come. Mark the solemnity with
which St. John introduces this act of
humiliation. Coming as it did on the
last evening, it had all the impressive-
ness of a leave-taking, a last seal of
His love. Again, done in full con
sciousness (ver. 3) of His divinity, the
humility of the act might well amaze
the apostles when in after years they
thought of it. Compare the very
similar passage in Phil. ii. 7, 8, where
the greatness and lowliness of Christ

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. 13. 2-1 1.

315

loved them unto the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil
having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, 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 girded himself. B 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 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, If I wash thee
not, thou hast no part with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him,
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus
saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet,
but is clean every whit : and ye are clean, but not all. u For he

XTTT. 2. Supper oeing served. 3. Om. "Jesus" . . . knowing that the Father gave.
6. He saith unto him ; om. "And Peter."

are forcibly contrasted. "Washing the
saints' feet " became a sacred duty in
the early Church, see 1 Tim. v. 10.
2. Supper being ended. The ori
ginal words need not be thus trans
lated ; they may mean "Supper being
come " — " being on the table." If so,
the washing of the feet may have
preceded the eating of the meal, ac
cording to Jewish custom. But on
the whole, it seems more natural to
suppose that the f eet-washing/o&noed
the institution of the Eucharist (see
note on Luke xxii. 24). In that case,
we may perhaps in the solemn words
of the first verse detect an allusion
to that first Love-Feast of the Chris
tian Church. Possibly by the words
"Supper being ended," St. John meant
" the well-known Supper " — " the
Lord's Supper being ended." For in
xxi. 20 he clearly takes it for granted
that the same word "Supper" will
be understood to refer to this never-
to-be-forgotten Last Supper. And
again, in 1 Cor. xi. 20 we see how, be
fore the date of this Gospel, the word
Supper had come to be thus conse
crated. Certainly after this first verse
it is difficult to find any break for the
insertion of the Eucharist. Therefore,
for all these reasons, it is best to
suppose that our translators were
right, and that the feet-washing
followed the Last Supper. If so,
Judas partook of the Eucharist, as

St. Luke's narrative implies, and as
the early Fathers thought. Augus
tine suggests that Jesus spoke of
Judas before as well as after the
supper, so reconciling St. Matthew's
and St. Mark's order with St. Luke's.
If St. John had been writing his
Gospel for the rudimentary instruction
of Catechumens, he would have related
the institution of the Eucharist ; but,
unlike the three other Evangelists, he
wrote for advanced Christians to
instruct them — not in what they
knew perfectly well already — but in
points in which their faith seemed to
need correcting or deepening. There
fore passing by the form of institu
tion with which his readers were all
familiar, he goes on to give the long
discourse in which Christ unfolded the
deep truth which underlay that sacra
mental act (see below on verse 31).
10. Christ's reply seems to be some
familiar proverb. The guest that
has already bathed himself before
leaving home needs only on arriving
at his friend's house to wash again
his feet, and is then altogether clean.
{N.B. — In the Greek two distinct
words are used, one for bathing the
whole person, the other was washing
hands or feet.] Christ's deeper mean
ing seems to be an allusion to the
new birth of Baptism. " There is no
need to repeat baptism ; daily repent
ance may still be needed for daily

316

St. JOHN. Ch. 13. 12-26.

[a.d. 29

knew who should betray him ; therefore said he, Ye are not all
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments,
and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have
done to you ? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord : and ye say well ;
for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
feet ; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 1B For I have given
you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord ;
neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know
these things, happy are ye if ye do them. l8 1 speak not of you
all : I know whom I have chosen : but that the scripture may be
fulfilled, " He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel
" against me." " Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is
come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. 20 Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me ;
and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and
testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you
shall betray me. 22Then the disciples looked one on another,
doubting of whom he spake. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus'
bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. M Simon Peter
therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of
whom he spake. 2B He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him,
Lord, who is it ? M Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give
a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop,
22. Om. "Then"(»). 23. Om. "Now." 24. and saith unto him, Say, Who is
it of whom he speaketh. 25: He leaning hack thus on Jesus' hreast.
26. to whom I shall give the sop ... he taketh and giveth it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.

transgressions ; but the Baptismal
regeneration needs not to be renewed.
Yet there is one among you still
un regenerate." That the bath of
Baptism is the bathing which need
not be repeated, is acknowledged by
all the Fathers who- comment on this
verse. " I believe in one Baptism
for the remission of sins." The feet-
washing (repentance followed by ab
solution) has need to be repeated
before every Holy Communion, else
we " have no part " in Christ in that
sacrament. So Augustine : — " ln
Holy Baptism a man is bathed all
over — feet included ; but inasmuch
as he has to continue to live under
human conditions, he must needs
tread this earth ; so the feet that yet
need washing are the human affections
that need daily cleansing."
14, 15. Gal. vi. 1, 2, shows us how
we are to fulfil this "law of Christ."
18. Our Lord quotes Ps. xii. 9,

teaching us that we are to discern
the Christ in all the Psalms.
19. Now — margin, " From hence-
ferth." Cf. xvi. 4.
20. This promise Christ bad more
than once before repeated. Here it
seems to come in connexion with the
"happy are ye" of ver. 17. "The
apostle is not greater than He that
sends him ; but in one sense he is as
great being identified with Him ; there
fore happy are ye if ye do what I
command." 25. Our translators have missed
the sudden change of posture implied
in the Greek of ver. 25. Ver. 23 told
us he was reclining next to Jesus " in
His lap : " this verse tells us that
he fell back upon His breast, so that
what he said might be in a whisper,
which explains ver. 28.
The Jews had adopted the Boman
posture at meals.
26. Sop — margin, "morsel:" doubt-

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 13. 27-38.

317

he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And after the sop
Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou
doest, do quickly. 28 Now no man at the table knew for what in
tent 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 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son
of man glorified, 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. M Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
Ye shall seek me : and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye
cannot come ; so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give
unto you, That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye
also love one another. 3B By this shall all men know that ye are
my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 36 Simon Peter said
unto him, Lord, whither goest thou ? Jesus answered him, Whither
I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me
afterwards. 37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow
thee now ? I will lay down my life for thy sake. 38 Jesus answered
32. Om. " If God he glorified in him " (?). 36. Jesus answered ; om. "him" . . .
thou shalt foUow ; om. "me." 38. Jesus answereth, Wilt thou . . .

less a piece of unleavened bread dipped
in the broth of bitter herbs.
27. See note on Luke xxii. 3.
30. And it was night. There is
something tragical in St. John's narra
tive : Judas went forth into outer
darkness. 31 — Ch. XVI. One thought, one
purpose, runs throughout the long
discourse of our Lord that follows:
viz., to prepare His apostles for the
approaching change from an external
to an internal union with Him. He
must be withdrawn from them ex
ternally, that He may return to them
internally. Beturning internally He
will be the Life of all who receive
Him. And for this (that the life of
His spirit may pass into them), His
dissolution in death is for some mys
terious reason (xii. 24) necessary.
What Christ had said (in chap, vi.)
about giving His flesh to be our
Bread of Life seems to have meant
this : that His human nature must
be externally bruised and broken, in
order that, being glorified, it might
become the spiritual sustenance of His
people. This deep inward communion
between Himself and His people here

after, Christ foreshadowed in the
Sacramental act of His Last Supper ;
and unfolded in the discourse that
followed the Supper. The first step
towards its realisation was the sacrifice
of Good Friday. The second was the
resurrection of Easter Day, and the
glorification that followed. Then,
and not till then, the Communion of
Man with God through Him who was
" the Way, the Truth, and the Life,"
became a possibility and a reality.
31. Glorified. See note on xii. 23.
33. Cannot come: but shall come
later ; see ver. 36 and xiv. 3.
34. " As I am leaving you ye must,
so far as ye can, be to each what I
have been to you — loving one another
even as I have loved you — loving each
the other, not as himself only, accord
ing to the old law, but better than
himself, even unto self-sacrifice and
death, according to My example."
This seems to be St. Paul's explana
tion of the New Commandment in
Eph. v. 2. Twice over (both in Eph.
v. 1, and in 1 Thess. iv. 9) he calls
this kind of transcendent love an
imitation of God.
37. I wiU lay down my life. Peter

318

St. JOHN. Ch. 14. 1-8.

[a.d. 29

him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake ? Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me
thrice. .
Ch. 14. Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God,
believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions : if
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. 3 And if 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. 4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
6 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 the
way, 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 henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufliceth

XIV. 2. because I go to prepare.
5. 0m. " and " before " how can we."

4. And whither I go, ye know the way (?).
7. Om. "and" before "from henceforth."

therefore understood our Lord's mean
ing. Ch. XIV. I — 3. Those last words
(in xiii. 33), " Whither I go ye cannot
come," had troubled them. Christ,
to comfort them, tells them (1) that
they shall follow Him hereafter ; and
(2) that in the meanwhile He will be
continually returning in the person of
the Holy Spirit (wherein we may
recognize the spiritual presence of the
second Person also) to prepare them
for that reunion. This is the general
thought of the chapter, and indeed of
all the four chapters (xiv. — xvii.).
The true meaning of the return
promised here is defined by xvi.
16. Indeed, the master-key to this
whole discourse is this : that when
Christ speaks of " leaving the world "
and "going to His Father," He
means giving up one manner of
life and entering on another ; and
that in this latter He will be as
present as ever, and far more power-
fully. I. Understanding both verbs to be
imperative in the first verse, and in
serting "for" or " because " with all
the best mss. in the second, we may
paraphrase thus : —
" Be not troubled by what I said
just now. Trust in God, trust in Me."
[Who but the Son of God could have
dared to speak thus?] " Trust in God,
that in His house He has provided
room for you all — some higher, some

lower. * Trust inMe too, that if it were
not so, I would have told you ; for I
am going to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I am coming again (spiritually)
and will take you unto Myself (as
each one passes within the veil),
that where I am there ye too may be.
And whither I am going ye know the
way." (For such seems to be the true
reading, meaning " through death to
My Father.") Thomas taking the
words " house " and " way " literally,
can understand neither. Christ ex
plains that He is speaking not of
places but of Persons, " / am the way
and the truth and the life. 1 am
the Way : for no one cometh to the
Father (the whither) except through
Me (My death will be your way)."
"I am the Truth too : for if ye had
known Me, ye would have known
My Father also ; revealed in Me
the unseen God becomes a reality to
you." Christ would have proceeded
to the third point (the Life), but this is
delayed (to ver. 19) by Philip's wish
for further explanation of this second
point, which Christ gives him : — " Ye
ought to have recognized that the
Father was in Me — convinced if not
by My Words yet at least by My
miracles " (as requiring a lower order
of faith, see the same thought, x. 38).
" Take it on My showing that I am in
* See Bp. Bull's Sermon on the Different
Degrees of Bliss in Heaven.

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. U. 9-19.

319

us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and
yet hast thou not known me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath
seen the Father ; and how sayest thou then, Shew 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 myself : but the
Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. u 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. " 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.
" If ye love me, keep my commandments. le And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide
with you for ever ; 17 even 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. 1S I
will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you. 19 Yet a little
10. but the Father dwelling in me [or who dwelleth in me] doeth his works.
12. I go unto the Father. 15. [" keep," or] ye will keep my commandments (?).
16. that he may be with you for ever. 17. he dweUeth with you, and is in you ; so the
Vat. MS. ; but the Sinaitic and Alexandrine have " shall be in you."

the Father and the Father in Me, or
if you cannot, then let My miracles
convince you of it."
9, 10, II. The force of these three
verses is well brought out by Mr.
Dunwell* : The union between Christ
and the Father is such tbat (1) He
who hath known Christ hath known
the Father ; (2) he who hath seen
Christ hath seen the Father; (3)
Christ is in the Father and the Father
in Christ ; (4) the words which Christ
speaks, He speaks from the Father ;
(5) the works which Christ doeth,
the Father doeth. This oneness tran-
scendently exceeds any union between
an earthly father and his son.
12. Then, as in verse 20, Christ
points onward to those greater things
which His exaltation would enable
them to achieve, through the power
of Prayer, which He promises Him
self to hear and answer if offered in
His name (i.e. pleading His promise
and merits) and through the power
of that abiding Advocate or helper,
whom He promises, on condition of
their loving obedience (ver. 15), to
procure for them, even that same
Spirit of truth — unknown to the
* Dunwell's Commentary on St. John.

world, but whom they had known
hitherto as dwelling in Christ, and
whom they should know henceforth
as dwelling in themselves.
16. Comforter. This word is pecu
liar to St. John, being applied to our
Lord in his Epistle (1 John ii. 1), and
to the Holy Ghost in the Gospel, — in
this passage to Both. In the Greek,
Paraclete means one who may be
summoned to our side : hence " Ad
vocate " is the Latin equivalent. The
Fathers hesitate between the passive
sense, Advocate (one who is called),
and an active sense, Comforter (one
who exhorts or counsels). In 1 John
ii. 1, Advocate (or Pleader, one who
pleads for us) is the only possible
meaning: in eh. xvi. 7-11, it suits
best with the office of convincing. It
is best therefore to adopt it through
out. Bom. viii. 26 is the best
explanation of the name ; and St.
Gregory, in 30th Horn, on the Gospels,
has a helpful comment : " The Advo
cate intercedes with the Father for
sinners whenever by His inward power
He moves the sinner to pray for him
self." 18 — 20. In Him Christ would re
turn to them (cf. Bom. viii. 9, 10). So

320

St. JOHN. Ch. 14. 20-29.

[a.d. 29

while, and the world seeth me no more ; but ye see me : because
I 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 loved of my Father, and I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not
Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and
not unto the world ? 23 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. ** 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.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with
you. 26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you 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. 2S Ye have heard how I said unto you, 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
greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it come to pass,
that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

8. ye would rejoice because I go ; om. " I said."

for the Father is greater than I.

they would not be bereaved of Him.
("I will not leave you orphans, as
in margin, for He had called them
" little children," xiii. 33). "A little
while — a few short weeks — and the
world will see Me no more, but ye
will see Me — will feel within your
selves the pulses of My divine life.
For as I am the Way and the Truth
so also am I the Life, and because I
live ye shall share My life. Then in
deed (when ye feel this living spirit
within you) ye shall need no other
proof tbat 1 am in the Father, and
ye in Me, and I in you."
Thus all three points have been
explained, the Way, the Truth, the
Life. 21 — 24. Christ is summing up —
that in this way He will continue to
reveal Himself to them if only they
will love and obey Him — when Jude
(the Lebbams of Matthew x. 3) seeks
further explanation of this promised
manifestation ; and Christ repeats in
yet more blessed phrase, " My Father
and I will make our abode with
him who thus shows his love by his

obedience. To such this promised
manifestation is limited — for it re
quires the spiritual susceptibility of
love. And you may trust this pro
mise. The Father makes it by My
mouth. "
25 — 31. Then He concludes, "More
than this I cannot explain now. The
Advocate, the Holy Ghost, will explain
all. Meantime I have said enough
to give you peace and consolation.
I am going, to return again, — I am
going to be glorified with all My
Father's greater glory. Therefore
Satan may do his worst upon Me.
He has no real hold upon Me ; but
in this way I must show Myobedience
to the Father."
28. Greater than I. It was the
glory of the Son thus to lay aside His
equality and subordinate Himself to
the Father (Phil. ii. 6, 7). So in the
Quicunquevult: "Equal to the Father,
as touching His Godhead; and inferior
to the Father, as touching His man
hood." So Augustine ; but the earlier
Fathers refer it to the subordination
necessarily implied in Sonship.

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. 14. 30-31 ; 15. 1-7.

321

30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you : for the prince of
this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. " But that the world
may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father gave me com
mandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
Ch. 15. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away : and
every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean -through the word which I
have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me. B I am the vine, ye are the branches :
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit : for 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 fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide
30. The prince of the world.

Ch. XV. From the last words of
ch. xiv. we learn that the remainder
of this paschal discourse was spoken
after they had risen from the meal and
we.re preparing to depart. But, from
xviii. 1, it appears they went not forth
from the house until after Christ's
prayer. Such a discourse could hardly
have been spoken in the streets of a
great city. One can well suppose
that it was spoken as they paused in
the court-yard of the house. There
our Lord might lift up His eyes to
heaven (xvii. 1) ; and there a -vine (so
commonly found in these court-yards)
might, suggest the parable in which
Christ explained yet further the third
point of His discourse — how He
would be their Life (xiv. 6, 19).
I. The Arians often quoted this
verse as if it made for them. St.
Augustine replied : that he who be
fore had said " I and My Father are
one," speaking of His Divinity, "wishes
now to say "I and My brethren are
one," and therefore speaks now of
His human nature.
" I am the true vine : " Christ uni
formly speaks of heavenly things as
the realities of which earthly tbings
are but types : the true riches, the
true bread, the true light. So Heb.
ix. 24. "I, in my human nature,
am that true Vine, which the vine
in the Old Testament so often fore
shadowed." 2. He purgeth it. Cleans it by

pruning. The word is akin to that
used in the next verse.
3. Clean and yet still needing to
be purged: St. Paul's doctrine has its
germ here ; justified by what Christ
hath once for all done, yet needing to
be sanctified by the Father's chasten
ing husbandry.
" By reason- of the word : " Christ's
word is often spoken of as a living
Power : likened to a pruning-knife
here, to a sacrificial knife iu Heb. iv.
12, to a sword in Bev. i. 16.
5. Apart from me (margin, "severed
from me") ye can do nothing. St.
Augustine often quotes these words
against the Pelagians : " It is only
through Christ working in us that
we can do any good thing."
6. If any man abide not in me.
Christ here clearly affirms the possi
bility of falling from grace. So also
Heb. vi. 4-8, 2 Pet. ii. 21, 22 ; con
futing the Calvinistic doctrine of
indefectibility of grace. Cf. x. 28.
Observe how completely our state of
probation is set .forth in this parable :
Being grafted into Christ we draw
our sap from Him, and as a necessary
consequence -bring forth good fruit,
being chastened from time to time
that we may do so more abundantly.
If we cease to draw our sap or
life from Christ we begin to die, and
when dead are at once cut off and
withered. Thus it is not the good
works that keep us in Christ ; they

322

St. JOHN. Ch. 15. 8-19.

[a.d. 29

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 ye
bear much fruit ; so shall ye be my disciples. _9 As the Father hath
loved me, so have I loved you : continue ye in my love. 10 If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as I have
kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love._ -*1 These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you,
and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That
ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye
are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 1B Henceforth I
call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth : but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have
heard of my Father I have made known unto you. " Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain : that
whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it
you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated
you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own :
XV. 7. ask what ye will ; om. "ye shall." 8. that ye bear much fruit and become my
disciples. 11. that my joy might be in you. 14. what things I command you.

are the consequence and test, not the
cause, of our salvation. Their only
proper motive is the promotion of
God's glory (verse 8 and Matthew v.
16). Observe too the order of the
words : the branch is not cut off be
cause it is withered, but it withers
because it is cut off from Christ.
Whoever loses his communion with
Christ withers at once. The aorist
tense shows that the withering was
coincident with the separation from
the Vine. * The verbs that follow are
in the present tense, as though our
Lord in His mind's eye saw the vine
dressers gathering the dead wood and
burning it outside the vineyard.
7- All, then, depends on our abiding
in Christ. And what, practically,
does this mean ? It means obedience
to Him, and its blessed consequence,
effectual prayer.
n. Our Lord would fain impart to
His disciples, down in the valley,
something of the joy with which He,
on the mountain top, contemplated
the unfolding glory of His Church.

* The aorist tenses throughout this passage
also show that Christ was regarding His work
as though it was already accomplished. A
similar tense is used in Hebrew prophecy.
It may bo called the proleptic tense.

12 — 17. Christ repeats here what
before (xiii. 34) He had called His
New Commandment ; for it was a new
kind of love that He required, love
even unto self-sacrifice, such as His
own. He loved them even unto the
laying down of His life for them ;
they were no longer servants (as under
the Law) but His friends ; He had
taken them into His confidence,
choosing them, not they Him : they
might claim His friendship in their
prayers to His Father.
16. St. Augustine says that " in
My name " implies a limitation ; " for
when we ask things not expedient
for our salvation, we do not properly
ask them in the name of our Saviour."
17 — 25. Thus binding tbem in love
to Himself and to each other, our Lord
prepares them to bear the warnings
that follow. From the world they
are to expect, not love, but hate.
The world would hate them, as it had
hated Him. Then with a calmness
which makes these words the most
terrible that Christ ever uttered, He
traces this hatred to its root— hatred
of God. They saw from His words
(vii. 46-49), they saw yet more pal
pably from His works (ix. 32-34) that

A.D. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 15. 20-27 ; 16. 1-4.

323

but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Eemember the word
that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you ; if they have
kept my saying, they will keep your's also. 21 But all these things
will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not
him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they
had not had sin : but now they have no cloke 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 my Father.
26 But this cometh lo pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is
written in their law, "They hated me without a cause." 26But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, eren the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me : 2T and ye also shall bear witness, because ye
have been with me from the beginning.
Ch. 16. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not
be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues : yea, the
time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth
God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they
have not known the Father, nor me. 4But these things have I told
26. Om. "Bnt"(?). XVI. 3. Om. "unto you."

God was in Him, and this only
deepened their hatred. They sinned
the sin that cannot be forgiven, the
sin against the Holy Ghost. But it
had all been foreseen ; in their own
Psalms (xxxv. 19,lxix. 4) the anointed
King, speaking in the name of the
Messiah, complains of being thus
hated without any excuse of ignor
ance. Comparing this passage with iii.
16-21, we see clearly the two senses
in which the word " world " is used
in this Gospel, sometimes, as there,
for all mankind ; sometimes, as here,
for that portion of mankind who,
when God's light is offered them,
deliberately reject it.
26. This verse is of much theolo
gical importance in the controversy
between the Eastern and Western
Churches respecting the Procession of
the Holy Spirit. Our Lord clearly
speaks of the Holy Spirit as issu
ing (i.e. eternally emanating) from the
Father ; but as sent (to the Church)
by Himself. St. Athanasius expresses
it thus : " The Spirit emanates from
the Father ; and, being appropriated
by the Son, is by Him given to be

lievers." — (Ad Scrap, i.) And again
Athanasius likens the Father to a
fountain, the Son to a river generated
by that fountain, and the Spirit to
that river's water, "for drinking of
the Spirit (1 Cor. xiii. 13), we drink
Christ (1 Cor. x. 4)," p. 669.
We may say therefore (with the
Western Church) that the Third
Person proceeds from the First and
Second, as the water proceeds from
both river and fountain ; and (with
the Eastern Church) that He emanates,
as from a source, from the Father
alone. 27. For the twofold witness, com
pare Acts v. 32.
Ch. XVI. I. " I warn you of these
things, that when they come to pass
they may not shake your faith. They
shall excommunicate you, yea, kill
you in God's name." Observe how
severely in the next verse Christ
groups these fanatics of darkened
conscience with those whom He con
demned so fearfully in xv. 21. Their
conscience is darkened because they
have wilfully rejected God's light.
4. These things I said not unto you
at the beginning — and yet in Matt. x.

324

St. JOHN. Ch. 16. 5-14.

[a.d. 29

you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told
you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning,
because I was with you. B But now I go my way to him that sent
me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6But
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 reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
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 unto you, but ye cannot bear
them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and he will shew you
things to come. 14 He shall glorify me_: for he shall receive of mine,

4. that when their hour shall come.

10. to the Father.

we have similar warnings. This is
a difficulty noticed by Augustine.
5. But now I go M.y way to Him
that sent Me, and none of you now
needs to ask Me whither goest Thou
— ye know it plainly — and yet be
cause I have told you what you are
to expect when I am gone, sorrow
hath (again) filled your heart. That
this is the meaning of " None of you
asketh (or questioneth) Me " both
here and in verse 23 is plain from the
30th verse.
8— n. Before (xiv. 26) He had told
them what the Holy Spirit would do
for them in their relation to Himself.
He now proceeds to tell them what
the Holy Spirit will do for them (as
their champion) in their relation to
that world of which He has been
speaking. The Holy Ghost will
more and more convince (the margin
is right) the conscience of that world,
and so vindicate Christ's disciples.
" He will convince the world of
(or concerning) three things," — Christ
first puts them absolutely — " of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment."
Then He proceeds to unfold each.
The unfolding of the first and last is
not difficult : — Sin is explained to
mean the world's refusal to believe in
Christ, — the world will more and
more come to acknowledge that the
root of all sin is a rejection of the

Word of God. Judgment is explained
to mean the doom of the Evil One, —
the world will be more and more
convinced that his doom is sealed.
But what is Christ's meaning in that
intermediate verse, — Of righteousness,
because I go to the Father, and ye see
Me no more ?
Chrysostom understood our Lord to
mean His own righteousness : " The
world will be constrained to confess
that my life was blameless, when they
find that I have indeed gone to dwell
with the Father."
Augustine ( Tr. 95) points out that,
had our Lord meant this, He would
have said, " because they see Me no
more ; " and that, by saying, "because
ye see me no more," He shows that
He was speaking of His disciples'
righteousness ; the righteousness of
those who see not and yet believe ; —
in a word, " the righteousness which
is of faith." The world will be more
and more brought to acknowledge
that the truest righteousness is a life
governed by faith in an unseen Lord.
13. There is but one Will in the
Blessed Trinity.
Things to come should be "the
coming things," i.e. the new dispen
sation. 14. If to any it seem as though
Christ's presence and the Holy Spirit's
presence in the heart were spoken of

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 16. 15-2;

325

and shall shew it unto you. 1B All things that the Father hath are
mine : therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew
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? "They said therefore, What is this that he
saith, A little while ? we cannot tell what he saith. l9 Now Jesus
knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them,
Do ye 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. 21A Avoman when she is
in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as 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 I 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
15. he taketh of mine and shaU show. 16. and ye see me no longer ; om. " because
I goto the Father" (the Alex, has it; but Vat. and Sin. omit it).
18. what is this little while he speaketh of? 19. Om. " Now."
20. Cm. " and " before " ye shaU be sorrowful." 22. no man shall take.

interchangeably in these chapters, the
14th verse is Christ's own explana
tion of the apparent confusion : He
there tells us distinctly that the
Holy Spirit adds nothing of Himself,
but only brings home to the heart
the things of Christ. St. Augustine
in his 143d and 144th Sermons, and
in his Tractate in loco, gives us the
clew by referring us to xx. 29, and to
2 Cor. v. 16. We must remember
too that the Holy Ghost is repeatedly
called, and in very truth is, the Spirit
of Christ, being consubstantial with
the Son. The simile of the River and
the Water of the river, quoted above
(xv. 26) from Athanasius, is therefore
allowable and helpful.
Shall receive of mine . . . shew it
unto you. It is " shall take " in ver.
14 ; but "is taking " here in the best
MSS. Christ here describes the Third
Person as the exponent of the Second,
as in ch. v. 19-23, He had spoken
of the Second as the exponent of the
First. See note on ver. 13.
16. Ye shall not see me. This
should be rendered, " Ye are not

beholding Me," i.e. with your bodily
eyes. In the next clause, " Ye
shall see Me," a different verb is
used, implying spiritual sight : — the
Comforter should enable them to
realize Christ's invisible presence ;
and this Christ calls (in the Hebrew
sense of the word) seeing Him ; and
He promises that after a very brief
interval (seven weeks only, as the
sequel showed) this new manner of
seeing Him (the promised " manifesta
tion" of xiv. 21) should commence.
The apostles, like Jude in xiv.
22, could not yet understand this.
And as He had before replied to Jude
— " only do My will and ye shall
know all " — so now, " only wait
patiently, and this joy shall be
yours : " it will come upon you like
a child-birth ; ye must not expect to
understand it till ye experience it.
St. Paul's phrase in Gal. iv. 19 helps
us to understand the metaphor :
through the anguish of Christ's death
the new man " was formed " in each
of His disciples.
23. The meaning of this verse is
quite obscured in the English by

326

St. JOHN. Ch. 16. 24-33 i 17- 1.

[a.d. 29

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. 2B These things have I spoken unto you in
proverbs : but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto
you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At
that day ye shall ask in my" name : and I say not unto you, that I
will pray the Father for you : 27for the Father himself loveth you,
because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from
God. 28 1 came forth from the Father, and am come into the world :
again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
29 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 earnest forth from God. 31 Jesus answered them,
Do ye now believe ? 32 behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,
that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave
me alone : and yet I am not alone, because the Father is 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 of good
cheer ; I have overcome the world.
Ch. 17. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven,
23. If ye shall ask the Father aught, he will give it you in my name.
25. Om. "but" before "the time cometh." 27. came out from the Father.
28. I came out from. 29. His disciples say, Lo, now.
32. Om. " now." 33. in the world ye have.

using the same word "ask" in both its
clauses. It ought to be " In that day
[after Pentecost] ye shall question Me
no longer " (i.e. shall understand all,
as in ver. 5 and 30). "Verily, verily
I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall
pray [quite another word] the Father
in My name, He will give it you " — as
though this power of prayer should
be their best proof of His invisible
presence. — N.B. Some mss. read, " He
will give it you in My name," i.e. for
My sake.
25. Proverbs — margin, "parables,"
meaning dark sayings.
27, 28. The best mss. read, in ver.
27, " Ye have believed tbat I came
forth from the side of God ; " and in
ver. 28, " I came out from God."
They had believed His divine mission.
He declares to them His eternal
generation. But ver. 30 shows that
the disciples failed to catch His fine
distinction. 29. The apostles, — unmindful of
what He had told them so repeatedly,
that they must wait for the event
before they could hope to understand,
what He was saying, — impatiently

imagine that they already understand
all. 31, 32. Christ reproves their over-
confidence, and yet how gently !
33. In the world ye have tribula
tion, but be of good cheer, I (emphatic)
have overcome the world. We have
here, as in a germ, the whole of
those Visions, in which some sixty
years later Christ revealed to His
apostle both the tribulation and the
assured victory that awaited His
Church. Ch. XVII. This prayer spoken by
our Lord in the court-yard of the house
perhaps, as He gathered His apostles
round Him for that moonlight walk
to Olivet, must have been sunk
deeply into the hearts of all. Often,
doubtless, had the beloved apostle re
peated it to hushed listeners in after
years. Deeply thankful may we be
that the Holy Ghost moved him to
record it for us. Christ prayed for
Himself (1-5), for His disciples (6-
19), for His Church that it may be
a united Church (20-26). Oh may He
continue to pray this prayer for us,
for we need it !

A.D. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 17. 2-6.

32*7

and said, Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son
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 eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent 4I have glorified
thee on the earth : I have finished the work which thou gavest me
to do. B And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 1
XVII. 1. that the Son may ; om. " thy" and "also." 4. having finished.

I. The hour is come. The death,
the resurrection, the ascension, are
regarded as but one step to glory ; the
agony of the process being for the
moment overlooked, the glorification
is all iu all, and for this "the hour is
come," — the promised day on which
Jehovah should say of Him, "Thou
art My Son, this day have I begotten
Thee." In becoming man our Lord
had emptied Himself of " that glory
which He had by the Father's side
before the world was ; " He had done
so in order that in His human nature
He might win for Himself anew this
" more excellent name of Son," and
in winning it for Himself, win it also
for mankind (mark the universality,
" all flesh "), " bringing many sons
to glory " along with Himself ; in
doing so He glorified the Father, by
making Him known as He had never
been known before ; — this conscious
ness of God, which the promised
Spirit should give to men, would be
to them a new vital principle — life
eternal. Thus had Christ made His
disciples know God under that same
name under which He knew Him —
the name of Father. All along He
had made it plain to them that (in His
humiliation) "of His own self He
could do nothing" (ch. v. 30), that
His words were the Father's words,
His works the Father's works ; and
as such had His disciples received
tbem. 3. Some surprise has been ex
pressed that our Lord should thus
name Himself, and that by a name
(Jesus Christ) which came not to be
thus used as a proper name until after
the ascension. While Jesus was on
earth He was called "the Christ," by
way of describing His office, but never
"Jesus Christ" as a proper name.

But .how unlikely it is that the
apostles would have come to give
this double name to Jesus (as they do
continuallyin the Acts) unless He Him
self had sanctioned it. Here then is
His sanction. And how pregnant with
theology is this first use of it ! To
know the Father, as the only true
fountain of Deity, and Him whom
the Father sent forth (as a fountain
sends forth its water) under His two
fold name Jesus as the Son of Mary,
Christ as the Son of God ;* — to know
Him thus is eternal life. Oh, let the
student ever remember, it is not
knowing about God, but knowing
God, — not theology but such con
sciousness of God as a regenerate
child has, such as the writer of the
139th Psalm had — that is the eternal
life within us, of which our Lord
here speaks. " Eternal life " means
a present gift, a vital principle, that
may be ours now, though we only
fully realize it hereafter. Cf. vi. 40.
4, 6. I glorified ... I finished ... I
manifested. These aorists express the
certain and definite accomplishments
of Christ's work. It is not yet accom
plished, but Christ wishes to speak of
it as certain. The Hebrew proleptic
tense. See p. 322, note.
5. He prays that He may receive
in His human nature the same glory
which was His from all eternity as
the Word.
With thine own self — i.e. At thy
right hand, as in Ps. ex. 1.

* 1 John ii. 22, 23 shows how fully the
name Christ was understood to carry with it
the idea of Divinity. If Christ, then the Son
of God ; and if the Son of God, then to deny
Him is to deny the Father, for the Father
can only be known in and through the Son.
" It was only after the coming of our Saviour
that the Jews began to deny that the Messiah
would be the Son of God."— (Pearson.)

328

St. JOHN. Ch. 17. 7-14.

[a.d. 29

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 given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto
them the words which, thou, gavest me ; and they have received
them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed that thou didst., send me. 9I 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 thine are mine ; and
I am glorified in them. u And now I am no more in the world,
but these are in the world, and I 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 scripture
might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee ; and these things
I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
11. keep them in that name of thine which thou hast given me . . . as we also are.
12. Om. "in the world." . . . I. kept them., in that name of thine which thou
hast given me, and guarded them.

6, 8. Word . . . words. The latter
should be " sayings : " for the nouns
are different. When St. John means
the whole message of God (or the
Messenger) he uses Logos ; when he-
means the sayings (of which the Mes-.
sage is made up) he uses another
noun, "sayings" or "things- said."
" The saying is a part of. the logos or
word." — (Philo, quoted by Trench.)
9 — 12. He is asking for them, He-is
not now asking for the world (later in
ver. 21, 23, He does pray for the
world), but now specially for those
whom God has given Him (as disciples,
see ver. 12). While visibly present
among them, He had kept them (all.
but one) " in that name of God "
which He had taught them, i.e. in the
true recognition of God as their,
" Father:" now that He- is ceasing to
be visibly present He prays that the
Father will keep them in. this same
recognition of Him as their " Father:"
that they may so be sores, and there
fore one with each other,, not only as
brethren, but in a deeper sense, as
having within them the Spirit (and
therefore the substance) of one and
the same Divine Father. St. Augus
tine, therefore, need hardly have
inserted his qualification, "they one
in their nature, as We are one in Our
nature ;" for in so far as we become

" partakers of the Divine nature," so
far do we become consubstantial one
with another.
II. Some mss. read "Keep them
in that name of Thine which thou
hast given Me." And so in ver. 12
also. But the Fathers seem to have
read it as we have it. And the
Evangelist's own repetition of the
words as our received text has them,
in ch. xviii. 9, seems to me conclusive
in favour of this reading.
12. How terrible is the exception !
"The son of perdition," a Hebraism
for the lost one ; cf. Col. iii. 6. It
need not be inferred that Judas was
one of those whom " the Father had
given Him." " None of them is lost ;
— only the son of perdition." For
the same use of but or only, cf. Matt.
xii. 4,, Luke iv. 26. For "the scrip
ture," see Acts i. 20. "That the
Scripture might be fulfilled " means
here, as elsewhere, that God's counsel
announced in Scripture might be ful
filled; — Judas's free will helping to
work out the eternal counsel of
Christ's death.
13 — 19- And now He is returning to
the Father, and He is praying this
prayer aloud while yet with them for
their sakes, that they may share His
joy. Their joy is to be drawn from
the revelation which he has given

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 17. 15-26.

329

themselves. 14 1 have given them thy word ; and the world hath
hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of
the world. 1B I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the
world, but that thou shouldest 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. ls As thou hast sent
me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be
sanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through their word ;
21 that they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee, that they also may be one in us : that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them ; that they may be one, even as we are one :
23 1 in them, and thou in me, that they 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. 24 Father, 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 0 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.
17. in the truth ; om. "thy.'.' 20. which believe ; om. "shall."
21. that they also may be in us ; om.. "one." 23.. Om. " and" before " that the world."

them ; but not without conflict.
From the world they will have no
joy ; and yet He would not have
them taken out of the world as yet,
but only kept from the Evil One, and
so consecrated (or set apart) in the
truth — priests of the Word of Truth
— apostles of Christ, as Christ was
the Apostle of God; and that they
may be thus set apart or consecrated,
Christ now consecrates Himself. ; He
consecrates Himself as a sacrifice that
they may be truly consecrated .to
God thereby.
19. Instead of "through the truth"
the margin rightly gives " truly."
20 — 26. Nor for them only is this
prayer for unity (in the deep sense
of the word as used above), but
for all, to the end of time, who
believe through their word : that
thus, through the power which unity
would give His Church, the world
might be brought — ¦ willingly or un
willingly — to acknowledge Christ and
Christ's Church. For such seems to
be the meaning of verses 21, 23.

Christ desires that at any rate His
Church may have the recognition of
the world. Note that the Church's
unity of which Christ speaks here is to
be one that the outside world will per
ceive and appreciate : external there
fore and visible, as well as internal
and spiritual.
22.. What glory ? the glory of being
lifted into that communion with God,
which, in an infinitely higher measure,
belonged to the Son, — made " par
takers of the Divine nature " (2 Pet.
i. 4). 23. Perfect in one, or, more literally,
" perfected into one."
24. How deeply these words sauk
into St. John's heart, we see from
1 John iii. 2. "The glory which
Thou hast given Me," means the
glorified human nature (Phil. ii. 9)
predestined for Him " before the
foundation of the world."
25. Have known should be " knew "
throughout this verse.
26. Will declare — after Pentecost ;
cf. ch. xvi. 15.

330

St. JOHN. Ch. 18. 1-15.

[a.d. 29

Ch. 18. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth
with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into
the which he entered, and his disciples. 2 And Judas also, which
betrayed him, knew the place : for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither
with 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 1 B They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus
saith unto them, I am he. And Judas 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 to the ground. 7 Then asked he
them again, Whom seek ye 1 And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
8 Jesus answered, I 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 I lost none."
10 Then 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. u Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword
into the sheath : the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I
not drink it 1
12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took
Jesus, and bound him, 13 and led him away to Annas first ; for he
was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same
year. 14Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews,
that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. 1B And
XVIII. 4. And Jesus, om. " therefore "... went forth and saith.
5. He saith unto them, I am he; om. "Jesus." 11. Put up the sword. 13. Om. "away."

Ch. XVIII. i. Went forth, i.e.
passed through the city gate (now St.
Stephen's) that led towards Olivet.
2. The garden probably belonged
to a disciple, who was glad to give
Jesus the use of it. So Joseph lent
his garden for the burial.
3. The chief priests, or heads of the
twenty-four courses, including any
who had held the office of High Priest,
formed a sort of privy council or per
manent committee of the Sanhedrin ;
—mostly Sadducees (see Acts iv. 1).
Their temple guard with Judas for
guide and a detachment of the Boman
garrison (" the band ") now approach.
How they quailed before the Divine
"I AM" (viii. 58) of Christ, St.
John alone tells us. He omits the
agony in the garden as sufficiently
described by the other Evangelists,
— or, which comes to the same thing,
as one of those points of the Gospel
narrative in which all his readers

were sure to have been instructed in
their youth ; but it is interesting to
observe the allusion to it in our Lord's
remark to St. Peter (11th verse).
4. The band was laying hold of the
eight apostles perhaps, hence Christ's
words in the 8th verse.
9. St. John sees in this incident
not so much a fulfilment as rather an
illustration of this passage in Christ's
prayer. 10. We have heard of this sword
before, Luke xxii. 38.
13. St. John alone supplies the
account of this preliminary question
ing before the ex-high priest Annas.
Both this passage (ver. 19) and Acts
iv. 6 seem to show that Annas
retained the title of high priest, and
shared the high-priestly palace with
his son-in-law. The explanation sup
plied in the margin will be seen to be
needless, when ver. 24 is properly
translated. See below on that verse.

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. 18. 16-24.

331

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple : that dis
ciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into
the palace of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door with
out. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the
high priest, and spake unto 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 1 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 they warmed themselves : and Peter
stood with them, and warmed himself. "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 always resort ; and in secret
have I said nothing. "¦ Why askest thou me 1 ask them which
heard me, what I have said unto them : behold, they know what I
said. 22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which
stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest
thou the high priest so 1 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken
evil, bear witness of the evil : but if well, why smitest thou me ?
24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.
18. and Peter also was standing with them. 20. I have spoken openly . . . whither
all the Jews resort. 24. Annas sent him ; om. "Now."

15. Another disciple — "that other
disciple," — St. John's mode of indicat
ing himself. Being known to the high
priest, he was able to procure admis
sion for Peter into the court-yard.
The maid (if we compare St. Luke's
account) would seem to have followed
Peter from the gate to the fire iu the
court-yard, where she identified him
also as one of Christ's disciples. The
"also" shows she had so identified
St. John.
Into the palace, — or rather court
yard. Verses 13 and 15 seem to
prove that Annas and Caiaphas oc
cupied the same house, but verse 24
implies that they had opposite parts
of it.
16. It was common for women to
act as door-keepers ; cf. Acts xii. 13.
17. Also, — as well as the other
whom I admitted. But St. John had
a pass, and therefore she had said
nothing in his case.
I am not. "Christ is not only
denied by him who denies that He is
Christ, but by him also who denies
himself to be a Christian." — (Aug.
Tract cxiii.)
18. " Having made a fire of char
coal, they were standing . . . and

Peter was standing and warming
himself," — sothe light of the fire had
fallen on his face and led to his
recognition. 20. This declaration that Jesus had
imparted no secret doctrines to His
disciples, is deeply interesting.
22. The Greek word may mean »
blow " with a rod " (as in margin) or
with the palm of the hand.
24. Annas having by this pre
liminary hearing allowed time for
the assembling of the Sanhedrin in
Caiaphas's chamber, now sends Jesus
thither. It should be, " Annas there
fore sent," not " had sent." Our
translators omitted " therefore " and
altered the tense to avoid the diffi
culty of supposing the "high priest"
of verses 19 and 22 to mean Annas,
while in verses 13, 15, 24, it means
Caiaphas; but St. Augustine, noticing
this difficulty, explains it by remind
ing us that St. Luke iii. 2 calls them
both high priests. — (De Cons. Ev.)
In the interval occurs the first
mockery of their sacred prisoner de
scribed by St. Luke xxii. 63, and the
third denial of Peter when he met the
Lord's eye.
Then followed the Trial at day-

332

St. JOHN. Ch. 18. 25-32.

[a.d. 29

25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said there
fore 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 I see thee in the
garden with him 1 27 Peter then denied again : and immediately
the cock crew.
28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto 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 Pilate then went out unto them, and said, 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 lawful for us to put any man to death : 32 that the saying

29: went outside unto them, and.saith.

31. Om. "therefore."

break before the Sanhedrin, and the
conviction of blasphemy, and the
second mockery after conviction, de
scribed by St. Matthew and St. Mark.,
St. John entirely omits the trial
before the Sanhedrin, as already
sufficiently recorded ; but distinctly
alludes to the conviction and the
ground of it in xix. 7. Passing on to
the trial in the Boman court (on the
charge of treason), he is careful to
supply the solemn witness which
Jesus bore before the Gentile magis
trate to His divine mission.
28. It was early — close upon sun
rise. Before sunrise a Boman- court
could not be opened.
The passover. We must remember
that this was the 14th of Nisan, and
that the Passover supper (which
Christ had anticipated) was to be
eaten by the Pharisees after the sun
set of Good Friday.* How possible
it is for men to be outwardly most
religious, when inwardly they are
utterly godless !
29. Pilate, like the later Boman
procurators, when residing in Jeru
salem, probably occupied Herod's
palace, which thus became the Pros-
torium, which is the word used by
St. John in this verse.
* This is Chrysostom's explanation, differ
ing from Augustine and the Latin Fathers
who supposed Jesus to have eaten the Last
Supper after the sunset of the 14th, and to
have been crucified on the 15th Nisan. See
note on ch. xiii. 1.

30. The Sanhedrists expected that
Pilate would execute the sentence of
their court at once, without further
inquiry ; they express impatience at
Pilate's question therefore.
31. Chrysostom points out that
this can hardly mean that the Bomans
forbade them to execute criminals,
for they executed Stephen, and Saul
had authority to put many to death ;
therefore, he concludes that they
meant : " It- is not lawful for us at
this holy season to put any one to
death." And St. Augustine agrees
with him: — "We must understand
them to mean that the holiness of the
day made it unlawful for them to
put any one to death."
If (as modern commentators infer
from a passage in the Talmud) the
Jews had no power of execution, then
it was inevitable that if Christ were
executed He should be executed by
Bomans, and in Boman fashion ; and
thus St. John's allusion to Christ's
saying in verse 32, as a prophecy, loses
all point ; for it needs no prophecy
to predict what is obvious to all. —
See on Acts vii. 58. Therefore it can
not have been a matter of course that
Jesus should be handed over to the
Bomans for execution. There is,
however, this much truth in the
modern interpretation, that it is his
torically certain that in every Boman
province a capital sentence needed the
confirmation of the Boman governor.

A.D. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 18. 33-37.

333

of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death
he should die. 33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again,
and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews ?
34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did
others tell it thee of me 1 3B Pilate answered, Ami a Jew? Thine
own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me : what
hast thou done 1 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this
world : if my kingdom were of this world, 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 I born, and for this cause came I into the world,
that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of
34. Jesus answered ; om. "him."

32. What death, by what mode
of execution — Boman, not Jewish —
crucifixion, not stoning. Jesus had
foretold (Matt. xx. 19) that they
would deliver Him to the Bomans
to crucify Him.
Between verses 32 and 33 we must
interpose the accusation that He
forbade tribute, and claimed to be
Bang (Luke xxiii. 2).
St. John, writing for a later gene
ration after the destruction of Jeru
salem, seemed specially inspired to
record how Christ explained to Pilate
the spiritual nature of His kingdom
(see note below on xix. 8.) It is
to draw Pilate to this distinction
between a temporal and a spiritual
kingdom, that Christ puts to him the
question of the 34th verse : " Dost
thou mean King in thine own tem
poral sense, or King in the Jewish
theocratic sense ?"
35. Am I a Jew ? " Don't suppose
that I have any interest in these
questions. My only concern is to
settle them one way or another for
the sake of order." Such seems to be
Pilate's meaning ; and Christ at once
recognizes Pilate's right thus to inter
rogate Him, and assures him that there
was nothing in His claims that need
disquiet a Boman magistrate : though
distinctly claiming to be a King, Christ
explains that His Kingdom is not
of this world. Christ's words might
be translated, " of this world's sort."
What He means is clear from the
words that follow: — "If it were of
this world's sort, then would My

servants be fighting for Me." So
St. Augustine : " He does not say,
My kingdom is not in this world,
but My kingdom is not of this
world." And so Chrysostom : — " My
kingdom is in the world, but not
worldly." By His Kingdom here and through
out the four Gospels (see on Matt. iii.
2) is undoubtedly meant His Church ;
it would be most erroneous to suppose
that Christ meant an invisible king
dom only, a reign of grace in the
hearts of men. But clearly does the
Head of the Church in this interview
with the representative of the Boman
State lay down the principle that
His Church (though it be a visible
organization) must never claim the
support of worldly force. On what
then is it to depend for its support ?
This too Christ answers, " On the in
herent power of truth." For this is
His further explanation of the nature
of His kingdom: — "Thou art a king
then?" Pilate said. "Yes," Christ
answered (see on Matt, xxvii. 11),
" I am a king : the purpose of My
birth, the purpose of My coming
into the world [for His birth was
not the commencement of His being]
was to proclaim a kingdom of truth
[to restore the Theocracy and make
men know their true King] ; every
man who has this principle of truth
within him will own My sway, — I
want no other subjects." Such was
Christ's answer to the representatives
of a heathen state: — "My Church
asks no support from you." And with

334

St. JOHN. Ch. 18. 38-40; 19. 1-7. [a.d. 29

the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth 1
And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and
saith unto them, I 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 King of the Jews 1 *° Then
cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now
Barabbas was a robber.
Ch. 19. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head,
and 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, Behold, I bring him forth to
you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. B Then came
Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And
Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man ! 6 When the chief priests
therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him,
crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify
him : for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We

XLX. 3. and came to him and said.

4. And Pilate went forth again.

this the practice of His apostles was
uniformly consistent. St. Paulclaimed
his due from the State as a citizen,
but never as a Churchman.
But how (it may be asked), how if
the State, adopting Christian institu
tions, chooses to protect them with its
worldly power — by privileges, endow
ments, and the like ? May Christians
accept such support? The following
answer may be suggested, as best
harmonizing with our Lord's words
to Pilate : — As citizens clearly they
may, and as loyal citizens it may be
their duty to fight for those institu-
tions,but as members of Christ's Church
they must rely exclusively on that
one weapon which Christ has intrusted
to them, the power of the truth, the
power, that is, of persuading the
conscience ; and this power, inspired
as it is by the Holy Spirit, no worldly
force can either strengthen or de
feat. 38. Pilate's question is merely
sceptical ; and the conversation is
broken off, probably by Pilate, from
a feeling of awe which worldly men
are fain to escape from : he therefore
sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, hearing
tbat the prisoner was of Galilee
(Luke xxiii. 7).
St. John is the only Evangelist
who records these private examina

tions of Jesus, first by Annas, then
by Pilate. As he was present at the
former, so he may have had interest
also to gain admission to the Prse
torium. That he heard the conver
sation, and records the very words
which Pilate used, may be inferred
from the fact that in Pilate's question
in the 37th verse a particle is used
which is good classical Greek — such
as Pilate would speak — but which
occurs nowhere else in the Greek
Testament. Ch. XIX. 1. Scourged him — from
St. Luke (xxiii. 22) we learn tbat this
was in the hope that it would con
tent them.
3. "They made approaches, saying,
Hail " — such seems to be the right
reading. 7. This feeling of Pilate, that there
was some mystery in the person of
Jesus, first excited by the dream of
his wife (who is said to have been a
proselyte), may well have been in
creased by the Jews' allusion to what
they called His blasphemy in the
Sanhedrin. St. John takes it for
granted that his readers are ac
quainted from other sources with
what had then passed.
Pilate's fears and curiosity being
thus further excited, he seeks one
more private interview.

A.D. 2

9]

St. JOHN. Ch. 19. 8-15.

335

have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made him
self the Son of God.
"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more
afraid ; 9 and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto
Jesus, Whence art thou 1 But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then
saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me ? knowest thou
not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release
thee 1 u Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against
me, except it were given thee from above : therefore he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin. 12And from thenceforth Pilate
sought to release him : but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let
this man go, thou art not Csesar's friend : whosoever maketh him
self a king speaketh against Caesar. 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,
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 him, away with him, crucify him.
Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief

7. by the law. 10. power to release .
13. heard these sayings.

power to crucify. 11. Jesus answered him.
15. They cried out therefore.

8. If it be asked why St. John
dwells so far more fully than the three
other Evangelists on Christ's trial in
the Roman court, it may be replied
that when he wrote, the Church's
struggle was no longer with Judaism
(Jerusalem had fallen), but with the
Boman empire. Pilate quailing before
the majesty of Christ seemed to St.
John to prefigure that downfall of the
Sixth kingdom which had been so
recently and so vividly revealed to him
in Patmos (Bev. xviii.). For "the
testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of
prophecy." In Jesus bearing witness
to the truth before Pilate, he re
cognized Him whom he had seen in
the vision " called faithful and true,
in righteousness judging and making
war" (Bev. xix. 11).
II. " Thou wouldst not have had
any j urisdiction over Me unless God's
Providence had so ordered it" (by
bringing Pilate to Jerusalem as Bom an
procurator). Christ acknowledges
that Pilate's connexion with the trial
was not of his own seeking. His
sin therefore was less than that of
Caiaphas. 13. Pilate now gives judgment
from the wooden tribunal brought
forth and placed for the purpose on

the tesselated pavement in front of
the Prsetorium.
14. With the same care which led
the early Church to insert the words
"under Pontius Pilate" in the Creed,
St. John here fixes the date yet more
exactly. The hour is a difficulty.
The sixth hour is probably a very
early error for the third, 5- for f, as
Eusebius and Theophylact conjec
tured ; and their conjecture is borne
out by two good mss. ; or possibly
three hours had intervened between
the deliverance of Jesus to the will of
the Jews and this final effort to save
Jesus ; see note on Mark xv. 25. The
day is taken in this Commentary to
be the Preparation Day (as the Jews
called it) of the Passover, when the
Lamb must be slain. *
15. The chief prleBts — the Sad-
ducean party who courted Bome.
The Pharisees would hardly have
said, "We have no king but Caesar."

* If we might suppose that the Parasceve,
or Preparation, was the period of twelve hours
preceding the slaying of the lambs, and began
therefore at 3 a.m. — then the Sixth hour of the
Preparation would be the third hour of the day,
and all the difficulty would be solved. St.
Augustine seems to have had some suggestion
of this kind before him (De Cons. Ev. iii. § 5),
but was hampered by his belief that Good
Friday was Nisan 15.

336

St. JOHN. Ch. 19. 16-27.

[a.d. 29

priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. " Then delivered
he him therefore unto them to be crucified.
And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his
cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called
in the Hebrew Golgotha : 18 where they crucified him, and two
other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19 And
Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was,
JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OP THE JEWS. 20This
title then read many of the Jews : for the place where Jesus was
crucified was nigh 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 King of the Jews ; but that he said, I am
King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I
have written. 23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part ;
and also his coat : now the coat was without seam, woven from the
top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us
not rend it, but cast lots 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 lots."
These things therefore the soldiers did. 2B Now there stood
by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary
the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus there
fore saw his mother, and 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
16. They therefore took Jesus ; om. "and led him away."
17. bearing for himself the cross. 20. Hebrew, Latin, Greek.
fulfilled " in all three passages is the
Evangelist's comment — inspired to see
how all was overruled by Him who
ages before inspired those Psalms.
26, 27. This third incident had an
intense personal interest for St. John.
A comparison of ver. 25 with St. Mat
thew and St. Mark's account makes
it probable that the sister of Mary was
John's own mother Salome, whom
(as his manner was, cf. xviii. 15) he
abstains from naming. John seems
to have led Mary away at once,
which accounts for the omission of
her name in the two other accounts.
Cleophas or Clopas is supposed to be
the same name as Alphseus the father
of one or more of the apostles (see on
Mark xv. 20). That four women
(not three) are intended may be in
ferred (1) from the improbability of
two sisters having the same name ;
(2) from the fact that the Syriac
inserts "and" before "Mary the
wife of Clopas."

19 — 42. Of the circumstances con
nected with the Crucifixion St. John
was inspired to select six for special
notice: — 1. The Title; 2. the parting
of the raiment ; 3. the commending
of Mary to John ; 4. the Thirst ; 5.
the Spear-wound ; 6. the Burial. In
each case we may perhaps discern a
reason for the selection.
19 — 20. First, The Title (titulus
is the Boman word) he describes
very particularly for the same reason
which led him to dwell throughout
most chiefly on Pilate's part in the
Crucifixion. As the Church spread
over the Western world, these points
of contact between Christ and Im
perial Borne rose in interest. This
inscription was a fact that might be
verified by reference to the official re
cords of the Empire : hence its value.
23. The second incident (like the
fourth and fifth also) connects Christ
most strikingly with the Messianic
Psalms. "That the scripture might be

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 19. 28-35.

337

that disciple took her unto his own home. 2S After this, Jesus
knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture
might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel
full of vinegar : and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it
upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished : and he bowed his
head, and gave up the ghost
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the
bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for
that sabbath day was an high 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 crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw
that he was dead already, they brake not his legs : 34but one of the
soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out
blood and water. M And he that saw it bare record, and his record
is true : and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
29. Om. " Now." 35. that ye also may believe.

If then St. John was the blessed
Virgin's nephew, an additional reason
is supplied for the commendation of
her to his care.
28 — 38. The three last points — the
Thirst, the Wound, and the Burial, —
are clearly insisted on as proving the
reality of Christ's death. False
teachers from Alexandria had much
disturbed the Christians of Ephesus
for whom this Gospel was written.
To them the Cross was a stumbling-
block. Some were adopting the
notion that the death of Christ was
visionary : others the notion of Cerin-
thus that Christ was a mere spirit or
angel who had descended upon the
Man Jesus at His baptism, but left
Him before His death.
Hence, doubtless, St. John's men
tion of the bodily thirst in connexion
with prophecy (Ps. lxix. 21). Hence,
too, his mention of the lancing of the
side, proving the verity of the death,
and foretold no less distinctly of the
Messiah (Zech. xii. 10).
34. The Fathers regarded it as
miraculous that blood should flow
from a dead body.* St. Ambrose,
noticing that usually the blood co-

* The reader may (if he desire it) consult
two treatises on this subject, one by Dr.
Hanna, the other by Dr. Stroud. But, per
haps, such over-curious inquiries are undesir
able. The Holy Spirit's silence is often as
instructive as His utterance.

agulates after death, reminds us that
it could not be so in Him who saw
no corruption, but " there flowed
forth water and blood, the one to
cleanse, the other to redeem.'*
35- The urgency with which St.
John insists on this flow of blood may
be explained thus : — With one voice
both Law and Prophets declared that
" without shedding of blood is no
remission of sin" (Heb. ix. 22) ; and
not only so, but Jesus had pointedly
alluded to the pouring forth of His
blood in His last Supper. St. John
saw that a reader, with the three
earlier Gospels only before him, might
well suppose that Christ's death had
been an almost bloodless death. Very
emphatically therefore does he com
plete the record by asseverating what
he with his own eyes had witnessed,
that there had been a copious pouring
forth of blood, abundantly fulfilling
all those sacrificial types and pro
phecies. We must remember that to
blood throughout Scripture is ascribed
the mysterious sacredness which be
longs to life (Gen. ix. 4). This blood-
shedding was the outward sign of
what Isaiah called " the pouring out
of His soul unto death " (liii. 12).
And by that human life of Christ,
thus poured forth, is the Christian
quickened in the Holy Communion —
even as in Holy Baptism he receives
Y

338

St. JOHN. Ch. 19. 36-42 ; 20. 1-5.

[a.d. 29

36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled,
" A bone of him shall not be broken." 37 And again another
scripture saith, " They shall look on him whom they pierced."
38 And after this Joseph of Arimathsea, being a disciple of Jesus,
but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take
away the body of Jesus : and Pilate gave him leave. He came
therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39And there came also
Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought
a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes,
with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. ttNow in
the place where he was crueified there was a garden ; and in the
garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. ** There
laid they Jesus therefore, because of the Jews' preparation day ; for
the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Ch. 20. The first day 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 runneth, 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 sepulchre, and we
know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth,
and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. * So they ran
both together : and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came
first to the sepulchre. B And he stooping down, and looking in, saw
38. and took his body. 39. came to him by night.

the spiritual life symbolized by the
water. For the further mystical meaning
in the water and the blood, which
St. John seems to have seen, see note
on 1 John v. 6.
36. That the thought of the Paschal
Lamb was in St. John's mind is
proved by his quotation, "A bone of
Him shall not be broken" (Ex. xii.
46, Num. ix. 12).
38. See note on Luke xxiii. 50.
39. Both the gum and the sweet-
scented aloes wood were pulverized
and strewn in the folds of the linen
bandages. 42. The time was short between
3 p.m. and sunset (when the Sabbath
would commence).
Ch. XX. I. Of the ten appearances of
the risen Lord (Mark xvi. 9) four are
selected for narration by St. John.
For each we shall discern some special
reason in connexion with the main
purpose of his Gospel. But first he
gives us with very great care what is
of almost equal importance, the nega

tive evidence of the fact of the Besur
rection. He went himself with St. Peter to
the tomb, and it was evident to each
separately, St. John verifying his first
impression, as St. Peter had done, by
actually entering, that it was empty
— the One body gone, and yet no sign
of violence ; all in divine order ; the
linen cloths and the napkin folded
and laid by. And in St. John's mind
for the first time the idea of his Lord's
Besurrection awoke into reality ; for
(as he confesses in the next verse)
they had failed to understand the
prophecies which foretold it.
2. We know not. This undesigned
coincidence is interesting ; from St.
Mark and St. Luke we know that
she had gone with the other holy
women to the tomb to embalm the
sacred Body. Therefore it is " We,"
not "I." See note on Luke xxiv. 1.
5. All that is needed to enable us
to understand this wonderfully vivid
narrative, is some Eastern traveller's
descriptionof a Jewish sepulchre. They

a.d. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 20. 6-15.

339

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, 7and the napkin, 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 their own home. u But Mary
stood without at the sepulchre weeping : and as she wept, she
stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12and 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 1 She saith unto them, Because they
have taken 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 standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith

XX. 6. So there cometh Simon Peter also.
10. went away again unto them. 14. When she had said ; om. '

And."

are usually excavated in some little
cliff of rock, so that both vestibule
and tomb-chamber have their floors
on a level with the ground outside.
The low door- way through which one
passes from the first chamber into the
second is closed by a rolling stone,
like a millstone rolling in a, groove.
On the three sides of the inner chamber
are arched recesses, and in each recess
a stone shelf to receive the body.
The angels of ver. 12 would be seen
seated within such an arched recess.
9. The scripture — see notes on ver.
46 and Luke xxiv. 25. How fully
they afterwards understood this, is
seen from their frequent appeals to
Scripture (Acts ii. 25, xiii. 34, xxvi
22, 23), and from St. Paul's phrase
(repeated in the Creed), "rose again ac
cording to the Scriptures." It was not
merely a text here and there, but rather
all Scripture ; for as Scripture abounded
in types and prophecies of the Mes
siah's sacrifice, and abounded no less in
assertions that He should reign for
ever, so all Seripturepointed necessarily
to that fact which alone could recon
cile the two — His Besurrection.
10. To tneir own borne — or rather,
"to their lodging in Jerusalem." St.
John alone seems to have had a home
in Jerusalem.
11. Vividly and carefully St. John
now relates the first Appearance. It
was to Mary Magdalene. Dazzled by

the vision of the angels and her tears
she fails to recognize her Lord, until
she hears her own name in the tone
she knew so well, — then falling at His
feet would fain (perhaps) have clasped
His knees. Christ's answer (ver. 17)
carries us back to the promise of chap.
xiv., that He would return to them
and abide with them for ever ; but
the time for its fulfilment was not yet
come : " cling not to Me, I have not
yet ascended to My Father." All
through the Paschal discourse His
return to His Father was the condi
tion of their promised communion
with Him, to the spiritual nature of
which He here seems to direct Mary's
thoughts. His words to Mary may
be understood to mean, ' ' This is not
the return I promised you."
Thus we see St. John's purpose in
this narrative ; it throws light on the
Paschal discourse : those promises
were not fulfilled by the appearances
of the forty days. They pointed to
something far more precious than the
mere restoration of such intercourse
as the disciples had had with Him
before. In the marked emphasis of
the phrase that follows, " I am as
cending to My Father and your Father,
to My God and your God," He seems
to point onward to the fulness of this
future communion ("As Thou, Father,
art in Me, and I in Thee, that they
also may be one in Us "). As on the

340

St. JOHN. Ch. 20. 16-23.

[a.d. 29

unto her, Woman, why weepest thou 1 whom seekest thou 1 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 I will take
him away. " Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and
saith unto him, Eabboni ; 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 to my God, and your God. "Mary
Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken these things unto her.
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week,
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for
fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto
them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed
unto them his hands and his side. 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. 22 And
when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Eeceive ye the Holy Ghost : 23 whose soever sins ye remit, they are
16. and saith unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni. 17. ascended to the Father.
18. that I have seen the Lord. 19. where the disciples were ; 0771. "assembled."
20. showed both the hands and the side unto them." 21. Then he said ; om. " Jesus."

cross ("My God, My God!"), so here
also, "My God." The risen Lord
still speaks as the Son of man. So in
the Epistles repeatedly, "the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," and
in Eph. i. 17, "the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ." He retains His dis
tinct humanity at God's right hand.
17. Non ait nostrum Patrem ; aliter
ergo Meum, aliter vestrum ; natura
Meum, gratia vestrum." — (St. Aug.)
19. Omitting the appearance on the
way to Emmaus, St. John passes on
to the evening of Easter Day, sup
plying what St. Luke had omitted in
his account of this appearance. Ten
apostles, and " they that were with
them," certainly the two from Em
maus, and probably the holy women,
were sitting at their evening meal in
the upper chamber. But it is to the
ten apostles (apparently) that Christ
directs His words ; for He saith,
" As My Father hath sent Me, even so
send I you," — in both places using
the word from which apostle is de
rived. Upon the apostles, then,
Christ breathes, saying, "Eeceive ye
the Holy Ghost," iu anticipation of
Pentecost, just as He had said at
His last supper, "Take, eat, this
is My body," in anticipation of His

death. Having given them thisearnest
of the promised Paraclete, He pro
ceeds to bestow upon them, there and
then, one of the Gifts of the Spirit,
namely the power of absolution. What
do we understand by this ? Guided
by our Lord's words in St. Matthew,
we understand by it authority (1) to
admit to the privileges of Church com
munion, orto exclude therefrom : (2) to
assure the penitent of God's forgive
ness. For(asHammond, in £oco,proves)
the words "remit and retain sin" here
mean the same thing as "binding"
and "loosing" (applied to persons),
in Matt. xvi. 19, xviii. 18. Bemem-
bering what a heavy responsibility
this is, no priest of Christ's Church
would venture to exercise it, unless
he were assured in his ordination that
a commission to use it was transmitted
to him direct from Christ ; and that
He who intrusted him with this
medicinal discipline would be sure to
overrule and bless his use of it. For,
as Chrysostom (whose comment on
this passage we have been following)
adds : " All is of God, to Whom the
priest does but lend his tongue  his
hand. And we may be very certain
that God will not let His people suffer
through the fault of the priest."

A.D. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 20. 24-31 ; 21. 1-3.

341

remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are
retained. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was
not with them when Jesus came. 2B The other disciples therefore
said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them,
Except I 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,
I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were
within, and Thomas with them : then came Jesus, the doors being
shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then
saith he to Thomas, Beach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side : and be not
faithless, but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto
him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,
because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed : blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples, which are not written in this book : 31 but these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God ; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Ch. 21. After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the
disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and on this wise shewed he himself.
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus,
and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two
other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing.
28. Om. " And" before " Thomas." 29. Om. "Thomas." 30. of the disciples.

26. A third appearance is now
recorded for the sake of the striking
evidence therein afforded to the reality
and identity of the Bisen Body of our
Lord, andf or the sake of the confession
which it drew forth from Thomas.
28. My Lord and my God. Surely
the Evangelist means us to connect
this with xiv. 7. St. John's thought
was, " Now I know that seeing Thee
I see the Father. Therefore, my Lord
and my God ! "
This third appearance shows how
rapidly during these forty days the
faith of the apostles was deepening
into those convictions respecting the
Person of our Lord with which the
Gospel began ; and here St. John
seems to have intended originally to
close his narrative. He has proved
what he undertook to prove, that the
man Jesus whom they had seen and
handled was the Christ, the Son of God.
29. This does not refer to other
appearances after the Besurrection,
but to the whole ministry of Christ.
Ch. XXI. 1. St. John seems to have
added this chapter as an appendix to

his Gospel, perhaps on purpose to
remove the misapprehension alluded
to in the 23d verse. Soon after the
conclusion of the Paschal week, the
apostles, in obedience to Christ (Matt.
xxviii. 10, 16), returned to Galilee.
Subsequently our Lord seems to have
again gathered them round His person
(such is the force of St. Luke's word,
Acts i. 4) at Jerusalem, and then He
gave them the command to remain in
Jerusalem till the coming of the
Paraclete (see Luke xxiv. 49, com
pared with Acts i. 4).
St. John omits the narrative of the
Ascension, — possibly because St. Luke
had sufficiently related it, or possibly
because it was not a point in dis
pute between St. John and the false
teachers at Ephesus ; — for they ad
mitted a descent and re-ascension of
the Divine Word, only denying the
reality of His death. But we notice
that, in giving the allusions to it in
ch. vi. 62, xx. 17, St. John assumes
that it was well known to his readers.
3. For two years these apostles had
"forsaken their nets" (Mark i. 18)

342

St. JOHN. Ch. 21. 4-15.

[a.d. 29

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 on
the shore : but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. B Then
Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered
him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on 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.
Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt Ms
fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself 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.
"¦ Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes,
an hundred and fifty and three : and for all there were so many,
yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and
dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou 1
knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh
bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third
time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was
risen from the dead.
16 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon,

XXI. 3. and entered into the ship ; om. " immediately."
11. Therefore Simon Peter. 13. Jesus cometh; om. "then."

4. was now coming.
14. to the disciples.

and trade, sharing probably with Jesus
the contributions of those " who
ministered to Him of their sub
stance " (Luke viii. 3). Not without
some defiberation apparently, they
now once more betake themselves to
their former means of subsistence.
4 — 14. In the grey dawn (the last
watch of the night) a stranger accosts
them from the shore. From the
14th verse it is plain that they had
seen nothing of the risen Lord since
their Sunday evening meal at Jeru
salem. But they had been led (Matt.
xxvi. 32, Mark xvi. 7) to expect His
appearance in Galilee. The sudden
draught of fishes vividly recalls to St.
John's mind that call to be " fishers
of men " on this self-same spot two
years before : and he exclaims
"It is the Lord." The voice, the
manner, is the same, and yet how
mysteriously different ! No ordinary
meal, but signs of angels' ministry,
the fire, the food, — not of their pro

viding, for they see it before they had
brought their fish to land ; and then
their awe-struck silence, while the
Lord Himself draws near, breaks
bread, and gives it to them. He is
made known to them once more in
the breaking of the bread! (Luke
xxiv. 35).
8 — 11. In » narrative so full of
mystery these minute details are of
very great value. St. John remem
bered that the boat was about two
hundred cubits (100 yards) from
shore ; that they had counted the
fishes, and there were one hundred
and fifty-three ; that the net was not
broken. On the previous occasion
(Luke v. 6) the " net brake : " in the
power of the Besurrection theChurch's
net is not to break.
12, 15. Dine . . . dined — the word
is "breakfast."rS— >7- The Lord does not imme
diately vanish. He has a gracious
purpose to accomplish. The apostle

A.D. 29]

St. JOHN. Ch. 21. 16-22.

343

son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these 1 He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him,
Feed my lambs. 16He saith to him again the second time, Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me 1 He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou
knowest that I 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 third time,
Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all
things ; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed
my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young,
thou girdedst thyself, 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, signifying by what death he should glorify God.
And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved
following ; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord,
which is he that betrayeth thee % 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus,
Lord, and what shall this man do 1 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I
will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? follow thou me.
15, 16, 17. Simon, son of John (as in Vulg.) 17. he saith unto him [om. " Jesus "?],
Feed my little sheep. 20. 0m. "Then." 21. So Peter, seeing him.

who had thrice denied Him in the hour
of darkness is to be thrice assured, in
the light of the Besurrection, that
his commission is restored to him.
" Simon, son of John " — might he
not well feel that he had forfeited his
name of Peter ? — " dost thou still
boast that thy love is greater than
that of others ?" St. Peter's answer
is a very humble one ; he dare not
say whether " more than these " or
no, nor dare he even use the higher
word for love, which his Lord had
used : Christ had used the word by
which we are bidden to "love" God.
St. Peter uses the lower, yet more
tender word which expresses the
personal affection of a friend; and
this more tender word Christ too
adopts the third time, as though
conquered by Peter's importunity.
This is lost in the English ; so too is
the distinction between "Feed my
lambs " in the first and third place, and
" Shepherd my sheep " in the second.
18. Peter had just been girding his
coat about him, and stretching forth his
hands as he swam vigorously to shore.
Christ points to that other girding,
upon a cross of martyrdom, and that
other stretching forth of the hands by

which already, when St. John wrote,
he had " glorified God." Tertullian,
referring to this prophecy, (Scorp. xv, )
tells us that St. Peter was crucified
at Borne.
19. Follow me. Possibly our Lord
was leading them towards the upper
country, to the mountain " where He
had appointed them " to meet Him
(Matt, xxviii. 16), for John too was
' ' following : " but doubtless our Lord
used the word in its higher sense
also, as in Matt. xvi. 24.
22. Our Lord clearly meant His
words to be obscure, to be interpreted
by the event, as elsewhere (xiii. 19,
xiv. 29, xvi. 4). We may fairly ask,
therefore, how did the event interpret
them ? Clearly not as "the brethren "
misunderstood, that he should live to
see the Second Advent, and so not
die ; for that both the apostle and
the event forbid. It remains to
understand the words to point to
some " coming '' which did happen
before the apostle's death. And here
we are at once reminded of the evi
dently parallel passage in St. Matt.
xvi. 28, and of the fact that, so far
as we know, St. John alone of the
apostles lived to witness that de-

344

St. JOHN. Ch. 21. 23-25.

[a.d. 29

23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that
disciple should not die : yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not
die ; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee 1
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote
these things : and we know that his testimony is true. 2B And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they
should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself
could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

23. Translate " that disciple dieth not "

'that he dieth not."

25. Om. "Amen."

struction of Jerusalem which Christ
ever spoke of as a " coming to judg
ment ;" see note on Mark xiv. 62.
24. This phrase is characteristic ;
see 3 John 12. There and elsewhere

(e.g. 1 John i. 1) St. John speaks in
the plural. There seems, therefore,
to be no need to suppose that this
verse is a note appended to the Gospel
by the presbyters of Ephesus.

END OF VOLUME I.

CElJinhurs'i EniberBttH iresa:
THOMAS AND ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE, PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY.

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